Day 1 Sunday 24th March

Opening

Ceremony

14.00
Women
Game 1
15.15 start
(Report)
Men's Group A
Game 2
South Africa v Singapore
16.30 start
(Report)
1
Men's Group A
Game 3
17.45 start
Women
Game 4
19.00 start
(Report)
Day 2
Day 3
Day 4
Day 5
Day 7
Day 8

 

Australia dominated the opening day's play of the Commonwealth Water Polo Championships at the Manchester Aquatics Centre here today.
The Olympic champion women blasted Northern Ireland out of the water 28-2 and the men dispatched Malta 14-2 after a shaky start.
South Africa men proved themselves viable title contenders with a stunning 15-3 victory over Singapore while Canada women, ranked third in the world, downed England 4-2 in a titanic struggle. Nine men's teams and five women's combinations are contesting the inaugural championships.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Match 1 Report
WOMEN ‹ AUSTRALIA 28 NORTHERN IRELAND 2

 

AUSTRALIA - 28 Y.Higgins (8), K.Gynther (4), J.Flaskas (3), J.Taylor (3), M.Rippon (3), N.Cuffe (2), E.Norwood (2), R.Rippon (2), J.Fox (1)

NORTHERN IRELAND - 2 R.McGuigan (1), B.O'Hagan(1).


Referees: Guy Pinker (RSA), Thomas Ng (SNG).

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Northern Ireland line up to face the might of the Australians


Yvette Higgins, the scorer of the winning goal in the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games gold-medal final and playing her first match as Australian captain here, scored the opening goal of the tournament from open play inside the first minute. The period continued at a fast pace with the Irish being denied position close to goal early but then advancing inside the four-metre zone in the latter stages. Kate Gynther, the highest goal scorer at the December World Junior Women's Championships in Australia, scored twice to go 3-0 up before Ireland's Ruth McGuigan lobbed from 10 metres out, slipping over the head of Australian goalkeeper Jemma Brownlow. Higgins scored the next for the Aussies from the penalty line, a foul drawn by Melissa Rippon.
Gynther for her third, Julia Flaskas and Elise Norwood rounded out the period for a 7-1 lead as the Australian counter-attack confounds the Irish, a team made up from a mixture of Catholics and Protestants. Sharlene Brown set the Irish supporters alight by winning the ball on the swim-up but Norwood steals the ball and races up field for a goal at 6:17. A worthy Irish attempt to shoot comes unstuck at centre forward and the result was a counter goal to Jodie Taylor at 5:31 and a 9-1 lead. Full press from Australia forces a mistake by Ireland goalkeeper Sarah Brannigan, who failed to play the ball, giving Jo Fox an easy pass to Melissa Rippon on the drive and the goal. On the next attack, a rebounded shot was flicked in by Higgins at 3:34. Melissa Rippon scored a look-away shot on counter after stealing a ball at 3:11. Brannigan thwarted a shot by Jo Fox and, after the corner, stole the ball off Aussie centre forward Jodie Stuhmcke. The next Aussie attack also saw Brannigan come up with the ball. With a minute left, Brannigan blocked Gynther's shot. An Irish exclusion gave Higgins the opportunity to convert at 0:55 and Fox scored on the counter with 12 seconds left and a 14-1 halftime scoreline.
Brown gave the Irish first use of the ball again in the third period but the full press defence saw the steal. However, Lynn Hanna stopped a two-on-one at the other end. The Irish effort was rewarded by getting Australian Nikita Cuffe excluded but no shot came on extra. Australia soon lost the ball and the Irish got a shot away but it failed to make the line. Both sides lost the ball before Higgins crossed to Gynther on the far post, who scored her fourth at 4:00. The pair nearly repeated the feat on the next attack but Gynther hit the crossbar. Fiona Eakin gave the Irish some heart with a long shot but Brownlow just stopped and on the counter, Rebecca Rippon scored at 2:56 on the drive. Norwood stole the ball and fed Higgins in centre forward, who lobbed Brannigan for her fifth goal at 2:13. Belinda Brooks shoots from halfway under tight Irish pressure but it goes high. Nuala McGurk tries the same at the other end but falls short. Rebecca Rippon crosses to Nikita Cuffe on wrong side but the shot finds the net to go 18-1 up at 0:51. The same Rippon scores herself on counter at 0:32. Stuhmcke's last-gasp shot beats the hooter but not Brannigan.
Cuffe opened the final-quarter scoring at 6:35 on extra and then again at 5:58 after getting Hanna ejected. Flaskas successfully lobbed Brannigan at 5:30. Ruth McGuigan shot but Brownlow saved. On the counter Melissa Rippon scored to have the Aussies 23-1 up. Higgins and Flaskas combined at 4:12 for another goal. Higgins misses a sitter lob soon after but on the next attack fired through Brannigan at 3:14. Eakin and Mandy Irvine combine to deny Australia an easy counter goal but Higgins was at it again at 1:31, scoring her seventh with a rifling shot over Brannigan's head. Gillian Coils nearly breached the Aussie defence inside the last minute but Bronwyn O'Hagan stirred the crowd with a lob which just crossed the line for a 27-2 difference. Taylor scored her third with 13 seconds left for the 28-2 result.
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Match 2 Report
MEN ‹ SOUTH AFRICA 15 SINGAPORE 3


SOUTH AFRICA - 15 A.Stewart (3), W.Cowden (3), D.Woods (2), J.Oosthuizen (2), S.Daley (2), S.Bond (1), G.Schultz (1), N.Morris (1)

SINGAPORE - 3 N.Tan (1), A.Lee (1), S.Meng Lee (1)


Referees: Steve Knights (NZL), Chris Freebury (ENG)

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The South Africans showed their dominance early with two opening goals from Duncan Woods and Jean Oosthuizen before Nicholas Tan made it 2-1. Four consecutive goals from Simon Daley, Alistair Stewart, Shaun Bond and Wayne Cowden had Singapore on the ropes and 6-1 down at quarter time. Much of South Africa's supply of ball came from the expert two-metre defence of Bond and the counter-attack, which Singapore had trouble negating. Singapore also hesitated when on attack, missing several opportunities. Daley opened the second quarter with a power backhand from centre forward and have the South Africans 7-1 up at 6:15. Cowden scored again from right-hand catch less than 30 seconds later. Nicholas Tan sneakily came up from under water at the opposition end when unguarded but his lob hit the upright. Cowden screamed the ball into goal once again at 4:15 for a 9-1 lead. Alvin Lee brought up Singapore's second goal on extra at 3:42. Woods replied at 2:44 when he drove to the left-hand post and received the ball, steering it into goal. Stewart gained his second with a cross-goal, off-the-post shot to go 11-2 up just before halftime.
Both teams squandered their first attacks in the third period but Jean Oosthuizen scored from wide out on counter at 6:04. Sai Meng Lee stayed up front instead of defending and the tactic worked with Singapore goalkeeper Ker Wei Ng stealing the ball and sending up field for Lee to lob South Africa's Paul Tselentis at 5:30 and trail 12-3. Stewart sent in his third goal at 2:12 for a 13-3 advantage. Singapore calls the first time-out with 17 seconds left but Alvin Lee's shot was deflected. Marcus Ng's shot is swatted down by Tselentis to round out the period. Daley combined with Greg Schultz for the first goal of the fourth period at 4:56, the latter pulling it down on the far post with the right hand. Nic Morris was the beneficiary of a cross pass from Mike Bond, scoring on counter at 2:03 and a 15-3 lead, which proved to be the final score.

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Match 3 Report
MEN ‹ AUSTRALIA 14 MALTA 2


AUSTRALIA - 14 T.Neesham (5), N.Thomas (2), T.Franklin (2), A.Richardson (1), N.Falzon (1), G.Woods (1), T.Whalan (1), R.Moody (1)

MALTA 2 - J.Paris (1), P.Privitera (1)


Referees: Stéphane Roy (CAN) Tad Detko (ENG)

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Australia struggled to convert in the first quarter with many attempts going wide or hitting the wood. Several errors also led to the poor start. The Aussie Sharks pressured Malta into errors as well but Malta only looked about to penetrate on two or three occasions later in the period. Aussie goalkeeper Rafael Sterk blocked one excellent Maltese shot while Joseph Caruana Ding did the same in the Maltese goal just before the hooter. Australian Toby Jenkins saw his opening shot of the quarter go wide on the first attack but his team had the counter soon after and Sharks captain Nathan Thomas scored from outside into the top left corner at 5:35. Tim Neesham made a break up the middle and passed off to Ryan Moody who scored off his left arm at 3:53 for a 2-0 lead. Gavin Woods was ejected at 3:35 and Malta called a time-out to try and capitalise on the extra. The ball moved through five hands before John Paris scored off left-hand catch at 3:19 to narrow the game to 2-1. Both goalkeepers pulled off brilliant saves but the one saved by Caruana Ding went to Tim Neesham, who scored out top on the right-hand side of the pool at 1:46. On a double counter, Sterk over-passed the ball and Caruana Ding snapped it up, giving Jonathan Valletta a power shot from seven metres, which was stopped by a high-flying Sterk. Neesham was excluded at seven seconds in centre defence and Paul Privitera baulked Sterk to give Malta its second goal and a 3-2 scoreline.
Valletta was excluded and Thomas converted for Australia at 6:15 with a shot from six metres out. Malta wasted time and paid the price when Gavin Woods scored from five metres unguarded at 5:27 and a three-goal margin. Thomas Whalan scored from the same position in the same circumstances at 4:42 to go 6-2. Malta wastes the ball again under tight pressure. One pass later from Tim Hamill met Neesham's hand and he shot instantly for a 7-2 lead at 4:03. Adam Richardson charges up midfield, feints the goalie and passes off to Neesham on the right post, scoring his third for an 8-2 lead at 3:06. Ryan Moody was ejected at 1:44 and Valletta's shot hits wood and Sterk's head but fails to goal. Two Aussie chances and one Maltese don't earn a shot before the hooter as Australia leads 8-2.
Right-hand catch Nick Falzon scored off a Trent Franklin pass to have Australia 9-2 up at 6:36 in the fourth. Falzon came under strong pressure in the two metres but flicked the ball to Neesham on four metres who scored, his fourth for the match. Olympian Neesham added a fifth 21 seconds later on counter when he only had Caruana Ding to beat. Edward Cachia was excluded, earned by Thomas, and Australia called the time-out. Trent Franklin scored on left-hand catch at 4:17 for a 12-2 lead. Franklin scored again, this time on action from six metres, at 3:34. Richardson scored from outside at 1:35 on counter for the 14-2 victory.

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Match 4 Report
WOMEN ‹ CANADA 4 ENGLAND 2


CANADA - 4 J.Begin (3), C.Bardecki (1)

ENGLAND - 2 L.Green (1), L.Davies(1)


Referees: Ian Melliar (RSA), Peter Balzan (MLT).

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Both teams gain an extra but fail to convert in the first few minutes. Andrea Norris was excluded for England but again Canada could not net the ball. It took until 3:35 before Joanne Begin scored from outside for Canada. Canadian superstar Cora Campbell was ejected but Bernice Cowton's shot hits the left-hand upright. Campbell made a break down the left and flicked the ball across the face of the goal to Begin, who scored at 1:43 to go 2-0 up. On extra, England's Lisa Knights crossed to Liz Green, who was unmarked in the middle at 1:15. England just missed scoring another on extra in the dying seconds, the shot falling short of the line with Canada leading 2-1.
Begin scored her third at 4:42 of the second quarter and team-mate Christi Bardecki repeated the effort at 4:03 for a 4-1 lead. England missed an extra chance while Canada missed a sitter at the other end. Both teams played pressure water polo with a few chances begging but no goals came. Green had the crowd on its feet when she lobbed a stranded Rachel Riddell in the first minute of the third period but the shot creased the crossbar.
England had another chance on extra but didn't take it quickly enough. However, defence was reaping plenty of ball. Begin was excluded and Larissa Davies converted to narrow the margin to 4-2 at 2:43. The attack was hesitant but Davies' shot from top right hit the left upright before crossing the line. Norris gained her third major at 2:31 and Canada called the time-out. Bardecki pumped the ball high over the crossbar on the restart. Kate Lewis saved a certain goal for Canada when she swam back and stole the ball off the Canadian shooter. Campbell had a superb break but her shot was stopped by Jennifer Braddock, who had been having a brilliant game to date. The block bounced England's way and the coach called the time-out.
England had to waste the ball under solid Canadian pressure. The luck was going England's way with Canada failing to get a shot away on three consecutive attacks. England called another time-out with only 3:06 left on the clock. Begin was excluded but England was called offside and the chance disappeared. Joanne Dacre gained her second major but Begin's shot was blocked by Braddock. Campbell shot on the backhand but Braddock was there again as the game went into the last minute with no score in the period.
Lewis was excluded with 12 seconds left and Canadian coach Pat Oaten called time-out. Campbell's shot was shut out by Braddock again with Canada an unconvincing 4-2 winner.

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