THE UNDER-19 BOYS of the Barbados Water Polo team drew their first match against Lamar High School at the start of the Darren Eastmond Barbados Invitational Tournament last night.
In a thrilling match at the Wildey Aquatic Centre, the local boys were up by two points with two minutes to spare.
However, holding on proved to be too much as they seemed to lose focus. That was all the advantage the visitors needed, and as the final whistle blew, they levelled the playing field to end with a 9-9 draw.
The Under-19 girls were not as fortunate as their male counterparts and conceded defeat to the defending champions 9-2.
However, the Under-16 co-ed team showed they were resilient and fought hard to emerge victors in their match 6-4.
National coach Ryan Forde said while both teams delivered a good performance, they would regroup and come back to finish the tournament.
“The boys started leading for the majority of the game, but a few defensive mistakes later on helped the visiting team to recover in the end. Over the course of the weekend they will work on their concentration and intensity, and put it all into action.
“The girls started positively as well, but inexperience was a major factor for them. However, they will gain some much needed experience over the weekend going forward to CARIFTA. The Under-16 team led from start to finish which was very positive, but I think they still need some work,” he said.
The tournament continues on Saturday night at the Aquatic Centre. (RA)