As Thursday 19th of August 2009 approached, eight young British Polo players were anxiously counting down the days in anticipation of what would be their first major championship. We were in the unique position of being a newly formed team, only officially having been together since the end of June, and yet also having high expectations made of us, having come 3rd in the Deutschland cup in May and 1st in the Flanders cup in June. The senior women (as well as the senior men and the U21 men) had been competing at De Paddel the weekend preceding the Europeans. They too were in a unique position; being current World and Word Games Champions meant that if successful in getting Gold at the Europeans, they would be the first team to hold all three titles consecutively. For both teams, the pressure was most definitely on.
After a slight delay in arriving on the Tuesday, due to half the U21 team deciding to take the scenic route to the hostel where all the GB (and some Italian) teams were staying, we settled in, had our meal, and tried to mentally prepare ourselves for the challenge ahead. With one of the Senior Women having been injured at De Paddel and one of the U21 women being unwell, nerves and a sense of foreboding were threatening to take hold.

Wednesday was spent going over tactics, getting acclimatised and training on both the warm up pitches and competition pitches. The atmosphere was electric, with opposition teams subtly sizing up the competition, officials running around doing some last minute organisation, and an undercurrent of pure excitement that was almost tangible. That evening the opening ceremony was held, where we were treated to music, dancing, divers with flaming torches and finally, the declaration that the 8th European Canoe Polo Champions 2009, Essen, Germany, were open. For the U21 Women’s team, this was what the last 8 months of rigorous preparation, training and selection came down to. For the Women, the final reward for the last two years of hard graft was in their grasp.

The women kicked off their European campaign at around 12 noon on Thursday with a convincing 10 - 2 win over Denmark. Due to a couple of teams dropping out, the women’s first group stage meant that they had to play each of the other two teams in their group twice. The other team in their group, Italy, they comfortably beat 9 - 0 later in the day. This was a good, solid start; but after having some very close calls in previous tournaments and nearly tripping up in the final stages, they knew better than to take anything for granted, and we’re not going to risk complacency.
The U21 women had to be very disciplined in their mental attitude for the day; we were timetabled to play what were expected to be the three teams that were our main competition within a few hours of each other. Up first, we faced the Swiss. Having played against them three times previously (4 - 4 draw, 4 - 3 win and a 5 - 2 win), we knew they were a strong team and we also knew that this was our chance to stake our claim on these championships. The final score of the match was 5 - 0, but by no means was it an easy victory, they constantly put us under pressure but we defiantly held our own. After the match we had a short period of time to take pride in our first win, before having to clear our heads and start the mental preparation all over again, this time for the French. Going into the match we knew this would be difficult, as the French were very fast and agile, which meant any mistake we made would be punished, and at half time with them in the lead, we were worried. However, after an enthusiastic but focusing half time talk from the coaches on the side, we went out in the second half with renewed strength and energy and pulled it back to a 3 all draw. Then came the Germans. For us, our matches against Germany had always been a challenge, but also probably one of the most enjoyable; they were, and still are, very clean in the way they play and very sporting. Though we had beat them in the final at the Flanders cup, the match we were all remembering was the semi final of the Deutschland cup. We had gone from having a 4 – 2 lead over them, to them pulling it back to a draw and then beating us on golden goal, knocking us out at the semi final stage. We were determined not to let the same thing happen again, but after having a 2 - 0 lead during the first half and then the half time score being 2 all, we experienced that sinking feeling of deja vu. However, we had put so much effort into our training; we were faster, stronger and much more together as a team than we had been, and this was reflected in the final score being 4 – 2 to us. We breathed a sign of relief and contentment. By no means did we think any of our following matches would be easy, far from it; but what we did think was that if any team was going to trip us up, it would be one of the teams we had just played.
Back at the hostel and things were quite subdued, with the French game playing on our minds. We spent a little bit of time catching up with the other teams and finding out how they’d done, and just generally trying to relax. This was only day 1.

Friday morning and this time the U21s and the women were playing simultaneously, with the U21 women facing the Spanish. We approached this game with trepidation as we had met each of the other teams at previous tournaments, but all that we had to go on with the Spanish was the coaches having watched one of their games. To say we went out aggressively from the start would be an understatement; we weren’t taking any risks. In the back of our minds we were aware that if all went to plan for us it may well come down to goal difference between us and the French to decide who would come first and second in the pool stage. Goal difference could therefore decide whether we played the team in 3rd or 4th position after the pool stage in the semi-final. This meant every goal counted, and in this game against the Spanish, we made sure every one of the ten we got against them did, playing the 5 out tactic for most of the match and seizing every opportunity we had, while not conceding any goals ourselves.
The senior women once again played Denmark, and once again were victorious, this time the goal difference being 7 – 1. Their pitch was running ahead of ours, so in the final few minutes of our match we had supporters both in the stands and on the water pitch side, which really did help spur us on.
The U21 women’s second and final match of the day was against Poland. Having played them before, we knew they were quick but we took confidence in how effective our 5 out tactic had been against the Spanish and used it again, to great success, with the final score being 11 – 2 to us.
After our match we stayed at the site to support the women in their second game against Italy, and they certainly had us on the edge of our seats! They won the match, but the score line was 4 – 2, which did not have quite the same comfort margin as the day before.

Saturday brought with it the second pool stage for the women, and they were in what was affectionately known as ‘the group of death’ as the group consisted of 3 out of the 4 top seeded teams: Great Britain, Germany and the Netherlands. It was the Netherlands who GB had first, and it was a nail biting match. The U21 team were on the water warming up as we were playing the match afterwards; we kept half an eye on the scoreboard of the women’s pitch with a nervousness in our stomachs Their game was the first of three consecutive GB vs. Netherlands matches and we needed to get off to a good start. With a rapid game and goals being scored one after the other but at opposite ends of the pitch, the final score was 6 – 5 to GB, leaving the women temporarily mentally and physically exhausted, whilst still aware of the fact they still had the Germans to play, who had always been their main rivals.
For now though, it was the U21 women’s turn. Still thinking of goal difference we employed the same tactic against the Netherlands as we had done against the Spanish and the Polish, and with some bit-too-close-for-comfort near misses by the Dutch team, we comfortably came out with a 13 – 0 victory. This being our only match of the day, we stayed for long enough to see some of the other GB matches, and also discover that we were 24 goals clear of the French: we’d come top in the pool stage, and would be facing the Polish in the 8am Semi final the next day.
The Women came out fighting for their match against the Germans, and were taking no prisoners, determined to prove that the last game was a one off, and they weren’t going to let things get so close to the wire again. For this match they had the majority of the other GB players supporting them in the stands, and they definitely put on a show for us. The typical score line between the GB women and Germany was similar to that experienced by the U21 women of 4 – 2 or 4 – 3, but this time that just didn’t seem to be enough, and GB scored several fast break goals, as well as goals from successfully working the zone and sneaky shots from further out, leaving the final score at 6 – 1 to GB. We were all proud.
All of the GB teams headed back for an early night after this, as we all had to be up early in the morning (a 5am start for us, due to our match being at 8am) though it was a restless night, what with a wedding reception taking place at the hostel until quite late, and the nerves about the following day setting in. We went to sleep with the knowledge that we really had done everything we could to give ourselves the best chance and that we couldn’t put into words how much we wanted to win; we found these thoughts reassuring.

It was very still and quiet at the pitches on Sunday morning, which was a bit eerie due to the fact we were used to them being permeated by the sound of matches and supporters, as well as the excitement and tension that goes with it. The tension was still there though, but quietly, as it was within each player in a more individual way. We got on the water for our routine paddle to shake out the cobwebs and focus our minds. During this we glanced up at the bank and saw the Polish arrive. Despite the impressive result from the previous day, we knew they would play harder and faster than they had before, as a place in the finals was as much in their grasp as it was ours, or the French and German teams who would be playing each other in the match after ours. We went into this match knowing that if we won we were certain to have medalled, which at our first major championship would be an incredible achievement. There was only the Polish standing in our way, and they put up a very good fight. We used the same tactics as we had against them previously, but this time they were ready for it, and we had to use every scrap of knowledge we had to win, which we did, 5 – 1. We left the water happy, but still very pensive, as I don’t think we’d played as well as we wanted to, and we knew we’d have to up our game for whoever we played in the final. After we got changed we went and watched the other semi – final, which was very tense and went into extra time. We sat on the side, cheering on the Germans (who we knew better, having played against them more often), while at the same time fully aware of the fact this would be a huge decider for us, as the way we’d have to play against the two teams would be quite different. Then, after a paddle foul leading to a direct shot at goal being awarded to the French, they scored. So now we knew.
We then moved to watch the women play their semi final against Italy, who were second in their group, the women having come first in the ‘group of death’. The women remained in control for the whole match, and skilfully won 4 – 0, putting them in the Final also. Their opponents would be the Netherlands, who had earlier beaten France 3 – 2.
For the U21s, it felt like the final came around very quickly and as we nervously waited to get on the pitch we knew that right now, all eyes were on us: both from all the GB supporters in the stands and from the live feed running from the pitch to the supporters at home. This was it. The starting whistle went and both teams exploded off the line, in what turned out to be a very fast and furious game. With tit – for – tat scoring, it was never clear throughout the game who would win, each team taking their turn in having the upper hand. The intensity increased, and in the dying minute, one final, French goal found its way into the back of the net, and as hard as we tried, we couldn’t manage to come up with a response in time. We felt like gold had been so close, but at the final hurdle taken from us; we were out played by an older, much more experienced team, and as hard as it is to admit, they deserved to win. However, what we took away from that match, and indeed the tournament as a whole, was a hunger for more, and to turn that silver into gold at the next chance we got. Instead of letting ourselves dwell on the loss, we felt proud of our achievements and how far we’d come, being a comparatively young team, and already our thoughts turned to Milan and the 2010 worlds.
We sidelined those thoughts now, as it was our turn to cheer on the women, as they an hour or so later took to the centre stage, in their final against the Netherlands. The atmosphere surrounding this match was incredible, with every Britain there (as well as several non-Brits!) urging on the women, willing them to keep the pressure on as they were doing so well. Both teams refrained from taking too many risks, each very aware of what it could cost them. For the GB team, the gold that would complete their triad of victories, for the Netherlands, asserting and making themselves the new dominant power in Women’s polo. After a lot of skilful manoeuvres and very impressive shots and defending, the final score was 2 : 1 to GB. The British section of the stands erupted, and the British players on the water just cried. They’d done it.
The closing ceremonies were very emotional for all concerned, with GB taking 3 podium places (1st for the Women, 2nd for the U21 women, 3rd for the men) and a respectable 5th place for the U21 Men. The U21 women’s team left a very thoughtful and determined one, craving more and certain that the only way from here was up, and this was just our starting point. The women left champions, and seemingly untouchable as they too looked towards Milan 2010 and defending their title.
One thing is for sure though, the tournament wouldn’t have been the same, or as successful, without Head Coach Paul Brain, Women’s Coach Elan Winter, and U21 Women’s coach Lynn Knowles, so everyone would like to say thank you them for all the work and effort they put into both teams (as well as the tears they put up with!); but also we’d like to thank the people who came out to watch and cheer us on, being able to look up from the pitch and see the GB flags (and dresses/faces painted to look like GB flags) really uplifted us and spurred us on.

By Liz Ponting

Euro 2009 Women’s team:

1. Claire Mitchell (Viking/St Albans Ladies)
2. Pru Blyth (FOA)
3. Ginny Coyles (c) (FOA)
4. Pip Grayson (St Albans)
5. Ellie Bridgstock (FOA/ White Rose)
6. Kathryn Grieves (FOA)
7. Sarah Kirwan (FOA)
8. Zöe Anthony (Aberfan)

Euro 2009 Under 21 Women’s team:

1. Beth Barratt (St Albans)
2. Aimee Robson (Meridian)
3. Sam Barry (c) (Meridian)
4. Liz Ponting (Aberfan/Bridgend)
5. Charlotte Lister (FOA)
6. Grace Galvin (Meridian)
7. Emma Whitwham (FOA)
8. Emily Martin (Meridian)