Welsh Wanderers reach new heights, three decades after they were founded
A WELSH water polo team has qualified for the cup stages of its division for the first time in its history — and with a game week to spare.
The final games of the first half of the division one season were played at the weekend, but Welsh Wanderers senior men’s team had already qualified for Super5s.
The players will now train over Christmas before heading into Super5s in the new year, with a chance to win the British Water Polo title and the Champions Cup.
The club, based at Cardiff International Pool, also has the two highest scorers in the competition so far, with Joseph Jenkins-Delf on 26 and Daniel Laxton on 25.
“We had a great pre-season, so we’re prepared for the demands of playing multiple games in a short space of time,” Wanderers’ goalkeeper Tim Marshall said after their final game.
We had a great pre-season, so we’re prepared for the demands of playing multiple games in a short space of time
Wanderers’ goalkeeper Tim Marshall.
In the 1980s, as swimming gained national funding, water polo clubs in Cardiff, Swansea and Newport began to struggle, and by 1990, there were no clubs from Wales competing in the British National League.
However, talented players were brought together to form a Welsh team to play in the men’s National League.
No one wanted to play under anyone else’s banner.
Nigel Davies, who’s been at Wanderers since its inception.
They became known as the Welsh Wanderers, to keep players from all over Wales happy.
“No-one wanted to play under anyone else’s banner,” said Nigel Davies, who has been at Wanderers since the start.
They entered the national league in 1990 and won division four in their first season and have been a mainstay in the British League ever since.
Beyond the senior men, their junior squad finished first in the Bristol and West League, and the Women’s team were third in their BWL despite losing a lot of players this season.
Coaches are hopeful this success will grow.
The original ethos of the club was to be available to anyone up and coming in Wales
Jon Griffiths, player in Wanderers’ first season
Jon Griffiths, who has been involved with Wanderers since 1990, says the club has come full circle, with a crop of junior players now in the senior teams, pushing them to new heights.
“The original ethos of the club was to be available to anyone up and coming in Wales who wanted to compete at the best level they could, and that’s still true,” he said.
