Tom is an ex-international player representing England and GB as well as enjoying a 17-year career with Penguin where he captained them to the British Championships in 2002. Bedford born and bred, Tom has returned to coach Bedford and build a club that the town can be proud of.

Tim has been coaching waterpolo at all levels for 40 years. He has an encyclopedic knowledge of the game and has coached all levels from beginners to National teams and brings a huge experience to the Bedford set up.

Hopes were high in the lead up to Bedford Water Polo Club’s fixture against Milton Keynes on 2nd December. Buoyed by victory the last time the two sides met, Bedford knew MK would try to use their physical advantage to dominate the game. However, having had a strong bounce back from the pandemic in recent months, with several younger new players and a vigorous training regime from coach Tom Perry, Bedford had speed and fitness to their advantage.

Bedford got off to a strong start - Joe Stamp won the “swim-off” – a starting race to capture the ball in the middle of the pool. In the second minute, frantic defending from Milton Keynes resulted in two players being sinbinned. Bedford capitalised on this lapse of concentration, with Ed Carpenter effortlessly slotting into the top-right corner. The first quarter ended 3-2 to Bedford, however, Bedford Captain Justin Irvine correctly observed the team had played sloppily, and exhorted the side to play the simpler, more effective polo.

However, in the second, a spell of madness for Bedford quickly ended hopes of pulling away convincingly. In the deafening confusion of a busy pool, Tim Hughes, failing to realise a foul had been given against him, decided to throw the ball to safety behind him, resulting in a predictable spell in the sinbin. Within seconds, another basic error followed, with Ed momentarily forgetting the rules of the game, bombing in from the poolside rather than waiting for the referee to signal to him to join the game. To top off a chaotic spell for Bedford, Lewis Savory, who, as centre-forward, had been valiantly wrestling with strong MK defenders for much of the game, let his desire for glory get the better of him, attempting a spinning “helicopter” shot, which landed closer to the corner flag than the goalpost. The frustration of goalkeeper Matthew Leydon was visible from the sides.

The third quarter proceeded in a similar way, with Bedford hanging onto the lead but failing to dominate. Going into the final quarter, Justin Irvine, frustrated by the team’s inability to follow the tactics given in previous pep talks, took the unusual step of adopting reverse psychology, urging the team to play sloppily and to under no circumstances find space to receive a pass. Justin then proceeded to show how the team how it should be done, launching a rocket from the halfway line that left the keeper with no chance.

At the final whistle, the score was 13-6 to Bedford, the team having won even when not firing on all cylinders. However, Bedford will need to sharpen up in the coming months as they face stronger teams in the National League next year. Thanks go to referee Tim Whitwham and table officials Claire and Pete Carpenter for volunteering their time, without which the game wouldn’t have been possible.

On 9th December Bedford Water Polo played at home against Spalding, having won the previous two matches, Bedford were looking to win for the third time. During the warmup, it was noticed that Spalding were thin on the ground and it was feared the match might be another victim of the pingdemic. Fortunately, it was only the two-hour trip from the Lincolnshire market town causing the delay, and the match could go ahead.

Bedford Squad: Matthew Leydon, Simon Steele, Ed Carpenter, Oliver Webb, Julia Petchey, Fabio Titmus, Ben Jarman, Joe Stamp, Tim Hughes, Chris Everett, Chris Stamp, Justin Irvine, Lawrence Copeman, Tobias Dawson, Chris Maher.

The first quarter started strong with Ben Jarman winning the first swim-off, with some good positioning and determination to score, Oliver Webb buried the ball in the back of the net in the 34th second of the game. A minute later Bedford attempted a long range shot which hit the crossbar- Chris Everett pounced onto the ball to score a fantastic trick shot. However, Bedford succumbed to the counterattack, conceding a penalty at the other end. Spalding’s centre-forward, calm under pressure, buried the ball into the bottom left-hand side of the goal, which even Matthew Leydon was unable to keep out. The remainder of the first quarter showed promise with good possession for Bedford.

Bedford went into the second quarter looking to capitalise on the initial goals scored, in the first minute Spalding committed a last-ditch attempt foul, causing one of their players to be sent out. Bedford took advantage of this man up position with a quick goal, demonstrated the clinical attitude desired by coach Tom Perry. The match’s next big moment was 2 minutes into the second quarter of the match, with some fast swimming and counter attacking Bedford swam the ball up the right-hand side of the pool, the ball was moved to the left-hand side and unfortunately fired high! The rest of the quarter was less exciting and more of a swimming session, with neither team scoring for the rest of the quarter. It was nonetheless a competitive display, and Bedford’s good fitness paid off.

The third and fourth quarters turned out to be a livelier affair, with many more shots, several of which went in. Both teams had raised their game, and it proved a good match. In the end Bedford won the fixture 11-6, with Fabio Titmus scoring the last goal with a rocket of a shot that found the net despite a deflection. The result meant Bedford had won three from three against Spalding and went into the Christmas break in good spirits. Congratulations to Bedford goalkeeper Matthew Leydon yet another sterling performance and being selected as Bedford Water Polo’s Player of the Match.

If you’ve been interested to read this match report or would like to try water polo out for yourself, please get in contact with Tobias Dawson on 07825887414.

On Sunday evening, Bedford travelled to Cambridge to play their first game of the New Year and take an important step in their preparation for National League qualification in April. They faced a mixed Cambridge team, with players coming from the Women’s, Men’s and Junior squads.

Cambridge started strongly, scoring within the first 90 seconds, however, Bedford quickly responded, with Justin Irvine and Ben Jarman scoring three between them. Tactics had to be changed when playing in one end, as the water was very shallow. Fortunately, Bedford managed to adapt quickly to these different circumstances and through a combination of clever play from the centre-back and timely assistance from nearby defenders, thwarted Cambridge’s attempts on goal.

Bedford’s attack, however, started weakly, particularly when playing “man-up” [i.e. with one opposition player sinbinned], where poor positioning and sloppy passing meant they were unable to capitalise on their advantage.

There were glimpses of strong attacking play, with Tobias Dawson taking the ball up the wing and playing a pass into Justin Irvine in the centre-forward position, who rebounded the ball off the water and deftly placed it past the keeper. Bedford went into the half-time break 6-1 up.

In the third quarter. a dashing drive towards the left post from Chris Everett left the Cambridge defence with little option but to give away a penalty. Justin Irvine coolly put the ball in the bottom left corner. The final quarter was a quieter affair, although Ollie Webb managed to convert a “man-up”, skimming the ball into the bottom corner to make the final score 10-1.

Speaking after the game, Tom Perry described the clash as “a finding our feet type of game. Lots to work on, especially arc set-up and “crash-back” defence needing to both be more dynamic. Our performance when man-up improved as the game went on. Cambridge will be a different proposition in a double deep pool and with a full side.” Justin Irvine received the unanimous players’ vote for Man of the Match, having shown his experience and class with a remarkable six goals.