The Jersey Water Polo Association’s 50th Anniversary Celebration Tournament was a huge success over the weekend, attracting huge interest.

Sixteen teams from Jersey, Guernsey, France and England competed throughout the weekend in the water polo tournament held in Havre des Pas.

JWPA co-chair, event organiser and local water polo player Max Treharne was impressed by the atmosphere at the event: “A lot of familiar faces came out to support.

“And most of the teams that traveled brought people with them.

“There is a real community atmosphere in the water polo world.

“Everyone came together to make this event special.”

But preparations for the 50th anniversary celebrations for JWPA have not always gone smoothly.

Treharne continued: “I think our official 50th anniversary was supposed to be in 2020 but we couldn’t do anything because of Covid and it got postponed.

“But four years later, here we are, hosting the event and having a huge success.”

Eight men’s and eight women’s teams competed in a round-robin format, with the top four from each team advancing to the finals to compete for first, second and third place.

Although there were poor weather conditions in a few places over the weekend, the rain did not stop for the most part.

In total, 61 matches were played in the event, which lasted just over four hours on Sunday, while six hours of matches were played on Saturday.

Frankly, a small amount of water is not enough to scare these water enthusiasts.

The poolside atmosphere was getting livelier as the matches were played.

In addition to the competitors waiting between matches, many local and foreign water polo enthusiasts also came to support the event.

Not to mention the curious passersby who wander around the pier and take a look.

Former Olympian Jake Vincent said of the feat: “I’ve competed in hundreds of water polo tournaments in my career and this is one of the best.”

The praise didn’t stop there; James Barker echoed Vincent’s sentiments: “I’ve competed in many tournaments over my 30 years in the sport, in the UK and Europe, but the 2024 Jersey tournament was an outstanding achievement for me.

“Everything was perfect.”

Of the eight women’s teams competing, Tyldesley Swimming and Water Polo Club came first, ahead of Solihull Swimming Club’s water polo team.

Third place went to the Worthing Water Polo team, who beat the English Roses Water Polo Club.

In the men’s event, Vincent’s dominant Solihull team secured victory over an impressive Worthing team in the final.

Meanwhile, the JWPA 1st team became champions by defeating Portsmouth City Water Polo Club in the third and fourth place match.

JWPA expressed its sincere gratitude to everyone who contributed to the organization of the event, and to Lido, who “played a key role” in making the event a great success and who always provided support.

It is hoped that a similar event will be held next year to celebrate the club’s 55th anniversary and perhaps some new faces will join in.

To get involved in the local water polo scene, you can contact the Jersey Water Polo Association on Facebook or on Instagram at @jsypolo. Alternatively, you can email [email protected].

The club runs regular training sessions for both children and adults and welcomes newcomers.