The 22nd edition of Beach Polo Sant Josep filled the bay of Port des Torrent with water polo action on Saturday, as 12 teams from Spain and abroad competed in the group stage before Sunday’s finals.
The groups
The teams were divided into four groups, each named after a cove in the municipality of Sant Josep:
- Cala Bassa: CN Terrassa, UAMTerpolo, CW Levante
- Cala Tarida: CN Sant Josep, SV Blau-Weiss Bochum, Real Canoe
- Cala Codolar: W. Alicante, Sharks, Stella Maris
- Cala Llentrisca: CN L’Hospitalet, W. Premià, W. Picornell
Saturday’s results
- CN Terrassa opened with a convincing 8–1 win over UAMTerpolo, and followed it with a 3–1 victory over CW Levante.
- The hosts, CN Sant Josep, beat the German side Bochum 5–4 but lost 5–2 to Real Canoe, who then beat Bochum 9–3.
- W. Alicante were dominant in their group, beating Sharks 6–1 and Stella Maris 8–2. Sharks finished with a 5–2 win over Stella Maris.
- The Llentrisca group was the tightest: CN L’Hospitalet edged W. Premià 3–2, and two matches ended 3–3.
Sunday’s programme
The day begins at 10am with the semi-finals of the silver classification, CW Levante against Stella Maris and Bochum against W. Premià, with the silver final at 1.20pm.
In the main draw, the quarter-finals are Real Canoe against W. Picornell, CN Terrassa against Sharks, UAMTerpolo against W. Alicante, and CN Sant Josep against CN L’Hospitalet. The semi-finals start at 1.30pm, followed by the third-place match and the final.
A summer fixture
Played in a temporary pool marked out in the sea, beach water polo is faster and more physical than the indoor game, and the tournament has become a fixture of the summer in Sant Josep, drawing spectators along the beach to watch.
