Ullswater Canoe Polo Competition Sat 9th Oct 2021

Saturday saw the return of competition after it abruptly stopped with Covid. The national leagues have still not returned, as they are looking at a new format to allow it to be played in more swimming pools. However, Ullswater Yacht Club, where Penrith Canoe club train during the summer, were keen for us to try out a competition alongside sailing racing, so we thought we’d start with a ‘local’ competition between NW clubs. The date was set, clubs were as keen as we were to get back to competitive Canoe Polo, the forecast was great (for us, but not for sailing!), so the pitch was set up on Ullswater.

6 teams competed, from Penrith, Duddon (Barrow-in-Furness), Manchester Wildcats, Manchester University & Red Rose (Lancaster) in a league format where all teams played each other. The tournament was aimed at a level to encourage players & teams into the competitive leagues. Although Wildcats won, they had brought an experienced Div 1/2 standard team, which wasn’t the Div 4 standard that we’d intended. The 2 Penrith teams were joint second with Red Rose 2 points behind them. Apart from wildcats, the other teams were fairly evenly matched and some great polo was played and enjoyed in a friendly competitive spirit. Now we’re looking forward to the return of regional and national leagues.