THE Jersey Water Polo Association’s 50th Anniversary Celebration Tournament made waves over the weekend as the showcase event proved a splashing success.
Hosted at Havre des Pas, 16 different teams from Jersey, Guernsey, France and the UK, competed across a full weekend of water polo.
Max Treharne, JWPA co-president, event organiser and local water polo player, was in awe of the ambience created by the occasion, stating: “Loads of familiar faces came down to support.
“And lots of the travelling teams brought people with them too.
“There’s a real community atmosphere in the water polo world.
Everyone has come together to make this event special.”
However, it hasn’t all been smooth sailing for the JWPA in preparation for their 50th anniversary celebration.
Treharne continued: “I think our official 50th anniversary was back in 2020, but because of Covid we couldn’t do anything, and it was delayed.
“But four years later, here we are, we’ve run the event and it’s been a massive success.”
Eight men’s and eight women’s teams competed in a round-robin style format, as the top four from each progressed onto the finals to compete for first, second and third place.
Despite a few spots of poor weather, the rain largely stayed at bay for the weekend.
In total, a whopping six hours of matches were played on the Saturday, while just over four hours on Sunday finished off the event’s 61 matches.
Clearly, a little water is not enough to scare off these aquaphiles.
As the matches were played, the poolside atmosphere was electric.
In addition to the competitors waiting in-between matches, many local and foreign water polo enthusiasts came down to support the event.
Not to mention the curious passers-by strolling on the pier who came over to look.
Speaking to this success, former Olympian Jake Vincent said: “I have done hundreds of water polo tournaments in my career, and this is up there with the best.”
The high praise did not stop there, as Vincent’s sentiments were echoed by James Barker: “I’ve been to many tournaments over my 30-odd years in the sport – in the UK, and across Europe, yet the 2024 Jersey tournament was, for me, an outstanding achievement.
“It was just perfect.”
Out of the eight competing ladies’ teams, Tyldesley Swimming and Water Polo Club claimed the top spot, edging out Solihull Swimming Club’s water polo squad.
Third place was taken by Worthing Water Polo, who got the better of the English Roses Water Polo Club.
On the men’s side, Vincent’s dominant Solihull side secured the win over an impressive Worthing side in the final.
Meanwhile, the JWPA 1st team clenched the victory in the third and fourth place play-off against Portsmouth City Water Polo Club.
The JWPA extended their heartfelt thanks to all who helped put the event together, including the ever-supportive Lido, who were “pivotal” in making the event a huge success.
The hope is that next year will see a similar event in celebration of the club’s 55th anniversary, perhaps with some new faces making the journey.
To get involved in the local water polo scene the Jersey Water Polo Association can be found on Facebook, or by Instagram @jsypolo. Alternatively, you can email jerseypolo@gmail.com.
The club run regular training sessions for both kids and adults alike and would strongly welcome newcomers.
