Barracudas win national bronze

Two teams – Batley Sharks and Batley Barracudas – entered the Under-13 event while a third team competed in the Under-16 age group.

Underwater hockey is played on the bottom of a swimming pool and players, wearing masks, fins and snorkels, push a puck towards goals at each end of the pool.

The Barracudas team did extremely well to finish third and take bronze while the Sharks team which was made up of less experienced players – some of whom have only been playing since January – was sixth of the seven teams.

Batley Under-16s showed great improvement on last year and finished fifth of the eight teams. They had some fine results and only lost 3-1 to KGS Reivers from the Orkney Islands who finished third.

The players enjoyed the event and they all received a special T-shirt which Beatrix Dixon of Batley designed after she won a competition.

The Batley Sharks squad featured Saskia Dixon (capt), Hamish Dee, Ben Scott, David Grant, Fiona Maynard, Abby O’Brien, Alison Greaves, Harry Tait and Isaac Slough.

The Batley Under-16 squad was Katie Wise (capt), Oliver Schofield (vice- capt) Daniel Pitchforth, Shellby Stephenson, Beatrix Dixon, James Waite, Alex Rhodes, Eliot Hutchinson and Ivon Haywood.

Batley are hoping to send an Under-16 team to play in a friendly tournament in Pembroke next month. Anyone who is interested in the sport can attend sessions at Batley Sports and Tennis Centre on Sundays at 5.30pm.