Barwon remain undefeated following another big win

Barwon capped off a dominant first month of water polo with a strong six-goal victory over Kurrajong at the Narrabri Aquatic Centre in round four of Narrabri Dolphins Water Polo Club’s 2023/24 campaign on Sunday.

The undefeated ladder leaders were able to extend their impressive win streak to four games after scoring an emphatic 9-3 victory before the other opens division match between Wilga and Nandewar finished locked 5-all.

Barwon started strong and took a 2-0 lead into the quarter-time break against Kurrajong after Dean Clarke netted twice in the first term. However, their lead was reduced to one goal at half-time after Kurrajong scored twice in the second quarter when Nick Brennan and Jake Bussell found the back of the net, while the Barwon players were only able to add one goal through Darcy Gleeson.

Kurrajong were well and truly in the match going into the second stanza with the score at 3-2, however, the ladder leaders overpowered them in the final two quarters to race away to a six-goal win.

The score was 6-3 at three-quarter-time after Clarke bagged two more goals and Gleeson scored another, while Ronnie Bower chipped in with what was Kurrajong’s third and final goal.

Barwon then kept their opposition scoreless in the fourth quarter while adding three more goals of their own as Gleeson put away two more to end the game with four, and Clarke scored another to end the game with five.

Barwon finished the fourth round as the only team with a positive for and against difference. Theirs is 33, having scored 46 times and only conceded 13 during the opening month of the campaign.

The other round four contest saw Wilga fall agonisingly short of their first victory of the competition as they drew 5-all against Nandewar.

Nandewar took a narrow 1-0 lead into the first break after Harry Bennett scored the only goal of the opening quarter, and they were ahead 3-2 at half-time after both of the teams hit the back of the net twice during the second term. Lauren Eather and Paul Bushby scored Wilga’s goals and Pippy Donaldson and Kobe Bennett scored Nandewar’s.

Wilga scored two more goals in the third term as Stewart Todd and Sam Donaldson found the back of the net, while Nandewar added one more as Pippy Donaldson doubled her total, which locked the scores up at 4-all going into the final quarter. Bushby and Harry Bennett both scored their second goals of the game in that last period as the sides finished all square at 5-all.

That result saw second-placed side Nandewar move to nine competition points following two wins, a draw and a loss across the opening four rounds. They are now three points behind the ladder leaders Barwon (12), three ahead of the third-placed Wilga (6) and four clear of Kurrajong (5).

Wilga have drawn twice and lost twice during the first month of the competition, while Kurrajong have drawn once and lost three times.

This Sunday’s round five matches will see Barwon take on Nandewar before Wilga and Kurrajong go head-to-head.

In the under-14 division, Namoi squared things up with Kaputar with a 12-5 victory in round four. Kaputar kicked off the campaign with back-to-back one-goal victories, however, Namoi have won the past two matches by a combined 12 goals.

Namoi flew out of the blocks with intent on Sunday as they led 5-1 at the quarter-time break. Maddison Connole bagged a double in that first quarter and teammates Elsie Barton, Chelsea Clarke and Amelia Elms all netted once each, while Ruby Irwin put Kaputar on the scoresheet.

The sides then went into half-time locked at 5-all after Kaputar managed to outscore their opponents four goals to nothing in the second quarter, with Elke Collins netting twice and Elsie Bennett and Lachlan Dunn scoring a goal each.

Namoi came home strong as they kept Kaputar scoreless in the second half while piling on seven more goals. They scored four of those in the third quarter as Chelsea and Maddison both scored two more goals and then three in the second as Chelsea scored another two and Oliver Ford chipped in with the other.

Namoi and Kaputar will meet again this Sunday in the first of the three round five matches from 12.30pm.