House Water Polo
Water-polo is a competitive team sport played in the water between two teams. The game consists of four quarters, usually of eight minutes, in which the two teams attempt to score goals by throwing the ball into their opponent’s goal. The team with the most goals at the end of the game wins the match. The annual Concord (Lower School) Inter-House matches were held on three consecutive Sundays – on the 28/1 (the day following House Arts), 4/2 and 11/2 respectively. The competition was intense and every participant gave their best in the matches. Now, let’s hear the reflections on the competition from one of the participants:
“Since the first competition was held on the week of House Arts, we didn’t really have much time to practice or learn. I was one of the Teresa members who participated in both water-polo and House Arts.
“I believe everyone enjoyed this tournament so much because it was so competitive and memorable. Both Mandela and Pankhurst houses had a lot of tall and skilled players. They proved challenging to play against, especially when they were attacking. Their varied shooting skills were unpredictable too. And as for both Teresa and Gandhi houses, although they were not really that familiar with the water-polo rules, they all tried their very best to perform well for their own house. Each house showed incontrovertible teamwork: teammates cheered for each other; this raised the atmosphere and also showed the determination of each house member trying to aid their team. Over the past few weeks, this teamwork has been demonstrated across all four houses and this has strengthened house spirits. Furthermore, after all the practices and competitions, I think F3-F5 have bonded and integrated and they’ve become closer to each other than before.
“We all now understand that the results of the competition were not as important as we used to think they were. We enjoyed the participation and sportsmanship the most. This was my first year taking part in the inter-house events and it was also my first time playing water-polo. It really was an unforgettable experience and I sincerely encourage everyone to participate more in the house events… Do not leave yourself open to thoughts of regret!”
Eumelia Chan – F4
Results:
| 1st day of the competition: | Pankhurst 13-0 Teresa | Mandela 8-2 Gandhi |
| 2nd day of the competition: | Mandela 8-0 Teresa | Pankhurst 6-0 Gandhi |
| 3rd day of the competition: | Pankhurst 8-1 Mandela | Teresa 8-1 Gandhi |
Champion: Pankhurst
1st runner up: Mandela
2nd runner up: Teresa
3rd runner up: Gandhi
Overall, there was a clear winner in the competition. However, after games 1 and 2, the competition was too close to call between Mandela and Pankhurst, both performing well. Let’s all give Pankhurst a round of applause for their success. Pankhurst scored 27 goals and only conceded 1 goal in the whole competition. Many claimed that the success partly had something to do with the contribution of the overall MVP player of the tournament, William Bernasconi, who scored 16 goals for Pankhurst.
Well done to everyone who took part!
Sam Kwok – F5