Congratulations to Lower Sixth student Lily who recently represented Great Britain in the European Aquatics Cup, alongside a Trinity alumna Matilda Williams (pictured). Lily and Matilda are part of the elite London Otter Women’s Water Polo team, which competes against the top water polo clubs in Britain as well as Europe. The latest European competition kicked off in October last year and Lily was the youngest squad member to be selected to represent the team. She tells us all about the experience below.
“I was lucky enough to be selected to represent and play for an elite club in England (Otter) for the LEN European Water Polo Cup in late October. The team, including Trinity alumna Matilda, travelled to Czech Republic for the preliminary rounds where we placed 2nd, beating professional teams consisting of the home team Strakonice and a Turkish team called Dalton College. Due to these wins we qualified for the European Aquatics Cup. This was the first time Otters had qualified for the cup in over a decade. After qualification, we were the only British team left in the tournament, and I was the youngest GB player.
“The next round saw us travel to Istanbul where we were hosted by Galatassary. Again, all the opposition we faced were fully professional teams who have the chance to train twice a day, six days a week, at amazing facilities. Not only were there ‘normal professional players’, but we also faced an Olympic silver medallist and several international players from Russia, Croatia, and Turkey! The girls and I tried our hardest, and although we didn’t place for the final, we all had a great time, and I learnt a huge amount playing against athletes of this quality.
“I hope to bring back what I’ve learnt to water polo at Trinity in preparation for the upcoming ESSA competition.”
Lily was recently names Sportsperson of the Month for her contribution to water polo since joining Trinity in September. Not only was she the top goal scorer in a number of matches, but she also encouraged many girls to give water polo a try and supported the younger boys’ water polo training sessions.
Lily adds, “I would like to thank the school for allowing me to miss some school days to take part in both fantastic events.”
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