CANOE Polo might not make it on to the back pages of the newspapers, few will even know what it is. In fact, it is exactly what the name suggests polo played by contestants in canoes and the British are quite good at it.

The facts more than bare this out; British teams have won 18 medals in the eight World and European Championships held thus far and the Men's team tops the world rankings while the Ladies are placed second.

The standard in this country, then, is considerably high and the team that has been setting the standard for the past decade is the St Albans Canoe Polo Club.

Earlier in the year both the Men's and Women's Senior sides won a unique National League and Championship double. The Men then followed this with a runners-up spot in the European Club Championships held in Cannes, France, in the middle of October.

The men's season began on Saturday at the Coventry International Pool and the team recorded five wins out of five, including a narrow 3-2 win over close rivals Bear Forest.

Not surprisingly, St Albans players feature in each of the four current British squads. At senior level, Alan Vessey and Stuart Moffat were part of the Men's team that claimed silver in the European Championships held in Poland in the summer, while Andi Fear and Kirsty Sutcliffe starred in the gold-winning Ladies team at the same event.

Jinny Cowlis, widely regarded as the best female player in the world, also represents Britain at international level and her ability is such that she is a mainstay of the St Albans Men's team.

Club members are also part of the Ladies and Men's Under 21 sides.

In total, the club has 10 teams and this seems a fair reflection for a sport that is growing outwards on all sides: "In terms of numbers, it's developing massively," said Paul Hammond, who has been a member of the British Canoe Union, Canoe Polo, since the 1980s and is now Chief Referee.

"It's especially popular at school level. School's are looking for alternative sports and canoe polo is an interesting alternative. Most, or at least many, schools have a pool or access to a pool and also it's not too difficult to get funding for the sport."

He explains: "Local councils are always looking to put money into youth development and particularly activities or sports that aren't supported by other associations like the Football Association. Schools, clubs, youth groups all find it easy to secure funding. It's almost like you fill in the form and wait for the cheque."

On a national level, St Albans Men resume their title defence at Leeds International Pool next month while the Ladies begin their campaign in the coming weeks.

October 26, 2001 16:43

Alan Feldberg