Canoe Club in action in Liverpool

Two regional league canoe polo tournaments were held in Liverpool Collingwood dock at the weekend. 3 club players were in the Cumbria team competing in Div 2 and the club open team (but all youth players!) were competing in div 3.

Cumbria played 5 games, lost  the first 4 games 5-2 to Manchester Pumas, 7-1 to Pennine B, 4-3 to Viking B, 3-2 to Forth Ferrets but finally got a draw against Liverpool CC B. The first two were tough games. Pumas (Manchester Wildcats, women's team which included some of the GB medal winners from the recent world championships) were very organised and it was Penrith’s first match of the season playing together as a team. Penine B were tough opposition. They had Noah Rankin (a premier division standard Penrith player) and one other prem player, who scored all their goals.

However, in all the games Penrith had most of the possession, but need to work on defending under pressure and attacking more effectively. 

Penrith entered a team consisting 7 youth players. The day started with a challenging match against Shrewsbury, which Penrith lost 3-1 but gained more cohesion as a team, with Leo Davies scoring an incredible shot for Penrith. 

Later on, against Manchester University, Penrith performed excellently as a team, winning with a comfortable lead of 7-2. Leo Davies scored a goal in the first 30 seconds and proceeded to score  another goal soon after. The remaining goals were scored by Leo Simpson, Dylan Clarke, Rosa Davies, and 2 by Ben Bailie.

Penrith advanced confidently into their next game against Trentham Canoe Club's A team. It was a tight game with a scoreline of 2-2 until the last second, when Trentham scored an incredible long shot in the dying moments of the game, winning it 3-2. Penrith's goals were a pair of brilliant shots by Dylan Clarke and Will Hurrell. 

Penrith were determined to do better in their final game against Liverpool Uni. Even with their enthusiasm the match started rough, with Liverpool gaining an early lead, scoring a goal 1 minute in, but Leo Davies scored the equaliser within 30 seconds. He then showed his worth by scoring yet another goal soon after. Ben Bailie extended the lead with a third goal, and Leo Simpson sealed the victory with a fourth. In a last ditch attack by Liverpool Uni, they managed to score a second goal, after an excellent defence by Ben and Dylan, who were alternating in goal. The game ended a comfortable 4-2. 

Overall everyone played excellently, especially Maeve Simpson, who assisted multiple goals and put up a solid defence, despite not scoring herself. A large thank you to Hilary Clarke, who coached the team throughout the day. Penrith ended the day with 2 comfortable wins and two tight losses. The team were happy with their performance and enjoyed the day.