GBR U17 Men 2000 European Championship Qualifiers Manchester May 2017 Results
Game 1 Lithuania v GBR 11.05.17
Final score in our opening game in the Manchester European Junior Men’s Championships Qualifiers LTU 2 – GBR 11 (0-3, 1-1, 0-4, 1-3)
Scorers:
Patterson 2
Zahra
Carpenter 2
Cousins 2
Kendall
Stephenson
Crawford 2
Great Britain junior men showed strong, well organised defence, and started & finished well in front of goal. Assistant Coach Mike Yates described the team as having put on a disciplined performance but with things to work on, “our finishing could have been better!”
Captain Connor Carpenter was very proud of his team’s performance, “A lot of effort and dedication has gone into this, and the lads turned up today”. Looking forward to the Israel game he predicted the GB team’s fitness and counter attack speed were likely to be critical. The GB junior men’s next game at East Manchester Leisure Centre is tomorrow Friday 12th May at 7pm v Israel.
Thanks to volunteer & City of Manchester water polo club stalwart Richard Clapperton for providing the live web streaming throughout the event; both of today’s games are now uploaded on the Water Polo England channel
Follow the action @ENGwaterpolo or via our live stream at the Water Polo England channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCe3uweZCW4_2qWvmhJ811PQ
Game 2 GBR v ISR 12.05.17
Great Britain made it two wins from two after a sensational 5-4 (1-0, 0-0, 2-2, 2-2) victory over Israel at the East Manchester Leisure Centre on Friday night.
Dominique Zahra was the hero after rifling home a stunning winner with just 0.1 seconds left to play in the final quarter to send the home crowd wild.
It was no more than the hosts deserved after dominating the first two quarters, but despite their superiority, GB only held a slender 1-0 advantage.
GB started the match brightly and it was Ben Stephenson who broke the deadlock after finding space just outside 2m to power in a slick backshot.
Both defences then held tight for the remainder of the half, but the passionate GB fans were left frustrated after seeing four shots cannon back off the frame of the Israeli goal.
GB did find a way through at the start of the third, as Micheal Patterson made it 2-0, before Israel fought back strongly to level.
Matthew Kendall then restored GB’s lead with 54 seconds remaining in the third to make it 3-2.
In the final quarter, Israel stunned GB with two goals in two minutes to edge them ahead, but with 1.42 left to play, GB captain Connor Carpenter fired in to set up a thrilling final minute.
There was only 11.7 seconds left when GB called a time-out after an Israeli exclusion and it was Zahra who sparked wild celebrations as he found the corner of the goal with just 0.1 seconds on the clock.
“It was a tough match and we made a meal of it, but at the end of the day we had that firepower which made the difference,” commented GB’s Jos Winstanley after the final whistle.
“When we got the man-up at the end, Theo kept a cool head, like he always does, and delivered what we needed to know. We came up with the goal and that’s what we needed.
“It was great to win for the fans, who were great throughout.
“Our next match is against Ukraine tomorrow and we all know that’s the important one for us. We’ve got to go out there and play with the same attitude as today and come up with the same result. It’s all to play for.”
GB squad in full v Israel
—
1. Thomas Manley
2. George Reader
3. Dominique Zahra
4. Finlay Parnell
5. Ben Stephenson
6. Connor Carpenter, Captain
7. Matthew Kendall
8. MacLaren Crawford
9. Micheal Cousins
10. Jos Winstanley, Vice Captain
11. Micheal Patterson
12. Daniel Hunt
13. Aril Pandya
Head Coach Theo Nousios
Assistant Coach Mike Yates
Team Manager Felicity Leighton
Game 3 GBR v UKR 13.05.17
Great Britain finished their European Qualifying campaign in third place after a battling 13-9 (4-2, 2-1, 3-3, 4-3) defeat to Romania on Sunday morning.
Throughout this tournament, GB showed clear signs of improvement and in their final match they continually frustrated a powerful Romanian side as they fought to the very end.
Organised in defence and quick on the counter, GB were unfortunate to be 6-3 down at half-time.
Ultimately, the Romanians proved too strong and ran out 13-9 winners to qualify alongside second placed Ukraine, but this young GB team delivered another fantastic performance and the passionate home crowd left knowing there’s a bright future ahead for our sport.
Another huge thank you to all the volunteers who helped organise such a successful international water polo tournament at East Manchester Leisure Centre. Plus a massive shout out to all the players, coaches, officials and fans for helping to create such a carnival atmosphere!
What an amazing four days of water polo!
GB squad and scorers in full v Romania (Special mention to goalkeeper and man of the match Aril Pandya who kept GB in the match with a string of sensational saves)
—
1. Thomas Manley
2. George Reader
3. Dominique Zahra
4. Finlay Parnell (4)
5. Ben Stephenson
6. Connor Carpenter, Captain (1)
7. Matthew Kendall (1)
8. MacLaren Crawford (1)
9. Michael Cousins
10. Jos Winstanley, Vice Captain (1)
11. Michael Patterson (1)
12. Daniel Hunt
13. Aril Pandya
Head Coach Theo Nousios
Assistant Coach Mike Yates
Team Manager Felicity Leighton
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