Water Polo Water polo is a competitive team sport played in water between two teams of seven players each. The game consists of four quarters in which the teams attempt to score goals by throwing the ball into the opposing team's goal. The team with the ...

has a long and distinguished history in

Dorset Dorset ( ; archaically: Dorsetshire , ) is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The ceremonial county comprises the unitary authority areas of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole and Dorset (unitary authority), Dors ...

, and is arguably the location for the world's first ever structured Water Polo match - held in 1876 off Bournemouth Pier. The Dorset & District Water Polo League was set up in 1898 with the sport played in

river A river is a natural flowing watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, sea, lake or another river. In some cases, a river flows into the ground and becomes dry at the end of its course without reaching another body of wate ...

s and harbour inlets in the county throughout most of the 20th Century, often in front of crowds of up to 1500

spectator ''Spectator'' or ''The Spectator'' may refer to: *Spectator sport, a sport that is characterized by the presence of spectators, or watchers, at its matches *Audience Publications Canada * ''The Hamilton Spectator'', a Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, ...

s. Teams played in county competitions, against touring teams and occasionally went on tours, however the sport faded towards the end of the 20th Century as

swimming Swimming is the self-propulsion of a person through water, or other liquid, usually for recreation, sport, exercise, or survival. Locomotion is achieved through coordinated movement of the limbs and the body to achieve hydrodynamic thrust that r ...

moved indoors, however a new league was formed in 2004 with a large junior competition based in

swimming pool A swimming pool, swimming bath, wading pool, paddling pool, or simply pool, is a structure designed to hold water to enable Human swimming, swimming or other leisure activities. Pools can be built into the ground (in-ground pools) or built ...

s. Coastal Water Polo continues in the summer at both West Bay and Weymouth. Club teams in the county compete in a variety of

competition Competition is a rivalry where two or more parties strive for a common goal which cannot be shared: where one's gain is the other's loss (an example of which is a zero-sum game). Competition can arise between entities such as organisms, indivi ...

s within and outside the county, whilst Dorset county teams compete in the ASA South West Regional Championships annually. Junior, Senior Mens and Senior Ladies County teams also play a fixture against

Devon Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devon is ...

on an annual basis.

Clubs

* Blandford Swimming Club * Bournemouth Swimming Club * Bridport Barracudas Swimming Club * Christchurch & New Milton Seagulls Swimming Club * Salisbury Stingrays Swimming Club * St. Mary's School * Swimming Club * West Dorset Warriors Swimming Club * Weymouth & Portland Water Polo Club

History

The World's First Organised Water Polo match - 1876

Arguably the very first structured form of the modern game ever played was on 13 July 1876 off Bournemouth Pier between seven "competitors" on each side. The

goals A goal is an objective that a person or a system plans or intends to achieve. Goal may also refer to: Sport * Goal (sports), a method of scoring in many sports, or the physical structure or area where scoring occurs ** Goals, the goal frame in ...

were marked by four

flag A flag is a piece of fabric (most often rectangular or quadrilateral) with a distinctive design and colours. It is used as a symbol, a signalling device, or for decoration. The term ''flag'' is also used to refer to the graphic design empl ...

s and positioned to the west of the pier 50 yards apart. After a "severe struggle the ball burst but the players were undaunted and went on to display their aquatic accomplishments for some time". Another fixture was held a week later where again the

India rubber Rubber, also called India rubber, latex, Amazonian rubber, ''caucho'', or ''caoutchouc'', as initially produced, consists of polymers of the organic compound isoprene, with minor impurities of other organic compounds. Thailand, Malaysia, and ...

ball (inside of a

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

) burst in a game, which was described as "aquatic

handball Handball (also known as team handball, European handball or Olympic handball) is a team sport in which two teams of seven players each (six outcourt players and a goalkeeper) pass a ball using their hands with the aim of throwing it into the g ...

". The occasion is now marked with a

plaque Plaque may refer to: Commemorations or awards * Commemorative plaque, a plate or tablet fixed to a wall to mark an event, person, etc. * Memorial Plaque (medallion), issued to next-of-kin of dead British military personnel after World War I * Pla ...

at the end of the

pier image:Brighton Pier, Brighton, East Sussex, England-2Oct2011 (1).jpg, Seaside pleasure pier in Brighton, England. The first seaside piers were built in England in the early 19th century. A pier is a raised structure that rises above a body of ...

The Dorset & District Water Polo League - 1898

The "Dorset & District Water Polo League" was formed around 1898 between

Bridport Bridport is a market town in Dorset, England, inland from the English Channel near the confluence of the River Brit and its tributary the Asker. Its origins are Saxon and it has a long history as a rope-making centre. On the coast and withi ...

, Dorchester, Weymouth and

Yeovil Yeovil ( ) is a town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the district of South Somerset, England. The population of Yeovil at the last census (2011) was 45,784. More recent estimates show a population of 48,564. It is close to Somer ...

, with Yeovil winning the 1899 league and Weymouth the 1900 league. Fixtures were held on a Thursday evening, with Yeovil playing in their "Baths", Dorchester in the "Poundbury Stream" and Bridport in the "Polo Basin" at West Bay. At the end of each season, the Champions played a combined team from the "Rest of the League".

Lyme Regis Lyme Regis is a town in west Dorset, England, west of Dorchester and east of Exeter. Sometimes dubbed the "Pearl of Dorset", it lies by the English Channel at the Dorset–Devon border. It has noted fossils in cliffs and beaches on the Herita ...

also had a team, although they didn't play in the league. One of these teams, Bridport Swimming Club was formed in 1898 following a meeting at the town hall. An area of the harbour at West Bay was named the "Polo Basin" to play in, and a

referee A referee is an official, in a variety of sports and competition, responsible for enforcing the rules of the sport, including sportsmanship decisions such as ejection. The official tasked with this job may be known by a variety of other titl ...

's stand was built on the piles, with a goal tied to the outside of one of the piers for practice. An annual club "

regatta Boat racing is a sport in which boats, or other types of watercraft, race on water. Boat racing powered by oars is recorded as having occurred in ancient Egypt, and it is likely that people have engaged in races involving boats and other wate ...

" was held in the summer, which lasted until the late 20th Century, of which the water polo match in front of huge crowds was reported as being the prime event, following the

swimming gala A swimming gala is a swimming competition between clubs or groups of swimmers, usually of young people. This term is primarily used in the United Kingdom, Hong Kong, and South Africa. In Australia ''swimming carnival'' is the norm. Overview In the ...

. Other than the league matches, various friendly games were played, against teams such as 'A' Company VBDE, Captain v Vice Captains teams, and Residents v Visitors. In 1910 two thousand spectators turned up to watch the town team play Frome, and TV footage from the 1920s/1930s shows Bridport, having moved their pitch from the 'Polo Basin' in the harbour to the river, playing in front of huge crowds of around 1500. A spectator stand was built with regular matches played against local and touring teams there until the late 1980s.

Dorset Water Polo League

We can only assume that water polo continued to flourish when the

soldier A soldier is a person who is a member of an army. A soldier can be a conscripted or volunteer enlisted person, a non-commissioned officer, or an officer. Etymology The word ''soldier'' derives from the Middle English word , from Old French ...

s returned from the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

because when the Dorset County Amateur Swimming Association was formed in 1931 it paid for a senior men's championship shield which is still competed for today. The first winners on this

trophy A trophy is a tangible, durable reminder of a specific achievement, and serves as a recognition or evidence of merit. Trophies are often awarded for sporting events, from youth sports to professional level athletics. In many sports medals (or, in ...

were Bridport, the only time the town lifted the championship. After the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

Portland Portland most commonly refers to: * Portland, Oregon, the largest city in the state of Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States * Portland, Maine, the largest city in the state of Maine, in the New England region of the northeas ...

became the supreme force in Dorset water polo winning the championship shield 21 years on the trot. Weymouth also had a strong water polo side during this time and there was a great deal of local rivalry. It was also a time when water polo was the main event and the crowd was attracted to the game more than the swimming gala, which often preceded it. Weymouth went on to win in 1971 and 1972. Bridport, another leading club at the time, ran three teams and had regular visits from clubs like the mighty

Cheltenham Cheltenham (), also known as Cheltenham Spa, is a spa town and borough on the edge of the Cotswolds in the county of Gloucestershire, England. Cheltenham became known as a health and holiday spa town resort, following the discovery of mineral s ...

and

Weston-super-Mare Weston-super-Mare, also known simply as Weston, is a seaside town in North Somerset, England. It lies by the Bristol Channel south-west of Bristol between Worlebury Hill and Bleadon Hill. It includes the suburbs of Mead Vale, Milton, Oldmixon ...

and touring

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

sides. During the summer, the team was cheered on by hundreds of

holiday maker Tourism is travel for pleasure or business; also the theory and practice of touring, the business of attracting, accommodating, and entertaining tourists, and the business of operating tours. The World Tourism Organization defines tourism mor ...

s and locals alike with a match collection making the club very wealthy. Sometimes, Dorset's water polo players had more than their opponents to contend with. During one match at West Bay, a dead

sheep Sheep or domestic sheep (''Ovis aries'') are domesticated, ruminant mammals typically kept as livestock. Although the term ''sheep'' can apply to other species in the genus ''Ovis'', in everyday usage it almost always refers to domesticated s ...

floated into the playing area and on another occasion a

dog The dog (''Canis familiaris'' or ''Canis lupus familiaris'') is a domesticated descendant of the wolf. Also called the domestic dog, it is derived from the extinct Pleistocene wolf, and the modern wolf is the dog's nearest living relative. Do ...

decided to jump in and become one of the players. The Dorset League was at the time a flourishing annual competition with teams from Bridport, Portland, Weymouth, Wareham, Lyme Regis and

Swanage Swanage () is a coastal town and civil parish in the south east of Dorset, England. It is at the eastern end of the Isle of Purbeck and one of its two towns, approximately south of Poole and east of Dorchester. In the 2011 census the civil ...

taking part. The sport continued to flourish through the post-war period. By the beginning of the 1970s, new indoor pools were being built in most major towns in the county and indeed all over the country. Ironically, this contributed to the decline of water polo as the river and the

sea The sea, connected as the world ocean or simply the ocean, is the body of salty water that covers approximately 71% of the Earth's surface. The word sea is also used to denote second-order sections of the sea, such as the Mediterranean Sea, ...

was no longer so attractive to play in. It meant also that for those clubs that still played the game in swimming pools, their playing time was often relegated to less sociable hours with games and practices often ending at 10pm.

The Lean Period - 1980s & 1990s

All through the 1980s and 1990s,

Bournemouth Bournemouth () is a coastal resort town in the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole council area of Dorset, England. At the 2011 census, the town had a population of 183,491, making it the largest town in Dorset. It is situated on the Southern ...

continued to play in the Hampshire League and still does today. However, from around 1972, the Weymouth and Portland clubs only played the odd game and some players went off to play for Yeovil just over the

Somerset ( en, All The People of Somerset) , locator_map = , coordinates = , region = South West England , established_date = Ancient , established_by = , preceded_by = , origin = , lord_lieutenant_office =Lord Lieutenant of Somerset , lord_ ...

border. Bridport continued to play in the

River Brit The River Brit is a river in west Dorset in south-west England, which rises just to the north of Beaminster. It then flows south to Netherbury and Bridport, where it is joined by tributaries: the River Simene and River Asker. South of Bridport, i ...

until the late 1980s when flood alleviation work was undertaken. However, in the mid 1990s there were the "green shoots" of revival, as the Wessex Water Polo Club reformed in 1983 started to play in the

Wiltshire Wiltshire (; abbreviated Wilts) is a historic and ceremonial county in South West England with an area of . It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset to the southwest, Somerset to the west, Hampshire to the southeast, Gloucestershire ...

league and then in the Bristol & West league, winning promotion to Division One in the 1994/95 season. The club reformed in 2001 becoming Weymouth & Portland playing in the

Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants) is a ceremonial county, ceremonial and non-metropolitan county, non-metropolitan counties of England, county in western South East England on the coast of the English Channel. Home to two major English citi ...

league and becoming either winners or runners-up many times. Bridport formed a new team at their new swimming pool in 1994, playing

friendly match An exhibition game (also known as a friendly, a scrimmage, a demonstration, a preseason game, a warmup match, or a preparation match, depending at least in part on the sport) is a sporting event whose prize money and impact on the player's or ...

es.

The Revival - 2000s

In 2004 a group consisting of existing clubs and new clubs around the county got together to form a new Dorset Water Polo League. In addition to Senior Mens Water Polo, the league added a large mixed Junior element as well as a Senior Ladies competition. The sport has continued to grow and teams are now competing outside the county.

Competitions

Dorset Water Polo League

The Dorset Water Polo League runs from October to June and leagues currently run for the following categories:- * Key Stage 2 * Key Stage 3 * Juniors * Senior Men * Senior Ladies

Dorset Water Polo Senior Mens Championship Shield

A trophy first competed for in 1931. The current holders are Bournemouth Swimming Club.

Dorset County Team

The county operates a development day once a term basis at

St Mary's School, Shaftesbury St Mary's School was an independent Roman Catholic day and boarding school for girls, founded in 1945 in a rural setting near Shaftesbury, England. The school had a sixth form and was a member of the Girls' Schools Association. After operating a ...

for players looking to develop their skills. Top level

coaches Coach may refer to: Guidance/instruction * Coach (sport), a director of athletes' training and activities * Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process ** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers Transportation * Coac ...

are often brought in to give players a level of training above their clubs. County teams play at ASA South West Regional Championships on an annual basis in the following categories:- * 18 & Under Boys * 16 & Under Girls * 14 & Under Mixed In addition, Dorset resurrected a traditional fixture against Devon in 2008, with Senior Mens, Senior Ladies & Junior Boys competing.

Clubs

History

The World's First Organised Water Polo match - 1876

The Dorset & District Water Polo League - 1898

Dorset Water Polo League

The Lean Period - 1980s & 1990s

The Revival - 2000s

Competitions

Dorset Water Polo League

Dorset Water Polo Senior Mens Championship Shield

Dorset County Team

See also

External links

Governing Bodies

Notes