Water-polo’s two-year plan

Press, 26 October 1984, Page 19

Water-polo’s two-year plan

New Zealand water-polo faces a busy, and expensive, two years as both its men’s and women’s teams prepare to play in the world championships for the first time. The initial step in the preparation of the men’s team will be to play in the Australian Games in Melbourne in January-February next year. A national squad has already been named and the final team will be chosen after the national championships in Wellington over the Christmas-New Year period. Previously there has been only one place for a team from Australasia at the world championships, but Australia has improved to a point where it is ranked among the top six in the world, and qualifies automatically for the world championships to be held in Spain in 1986. The New Zealand women’s team, which

played in a pre-Olympic tournament in Los Angeles this year, also has automatic entry to the world championships to be held in Barcelona in July-August, 1986. Juniors have not been neglected in the New Zealand Water-Polo Board’s plans either. Two weeks ago a national junior boys team was named to play an elimination series against Australia in Melbourne in January. The juniors will play a best of three series on consecutive days from January 20, immediately prior to the Australian Games. The winner of the series will play in the junior world championship finals in Turkey next year. After the elimination series the junior (under 18) team will become a national secondary schools’ team and play Australian Combined High Schools in a three-test series in Canberra.