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 actually quite good at it.
The facts more than bear this out: British teams have won 18 medals, including seven golds, 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.
This continues a trend of dominance that began in earnest at the beginning of the 1990s, since when the club has won 14 Championships and the same number of league titles. More success appears likely this season. The men's season began on Saturday, October 20, 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.
* For more on canoe polo, see the St Albans Observer of Thursday, October 25.
October 24, 2001 13:59
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