Masters Tournament 2026: A Day to Remember
What a day. Our 1st Annual Masters (40+) Tournament took place on Saturday at Hucknall Leisure Centre, and it lived up to every bit of the build-up - a packed afternoon of competitive, good-spirited water polo, a buzzing poolside, and four teams who threw everything into it. The day was set up to reengage former players and to celebrate the many people who keep our sport going, and on both counts it delivered in style.
Four teams lined up for the round-robin: Hucknall, Northern Alliance, South Derbyshire and Southwell/Leander, each playing the others before the top two met in the final.
How the afternoon unfolded
Hucknall got the day under way against Southwell/Leander and started in commanding form, running out 11-3 winners. Northern Alliance followed up with a 10-5 win over South Derbyshire to lay down their own marker.
The pick of the group games was a real heavyweight clash as Hucknall edged Northern Alliance 7-4 - a result that looked like it might decide top spot. South Derbyshire then dug out a narrow 5-4 win over Southwell/Leander to keep the table interesting.
Hucknall’s last group game was the tightest of the lot, a 6-6 draw with South Derbyshire that had the spectators on their feet, while Northern Alliance closed out the round-robin with a 6-3 win over Southwell/Leander to book their place in the final.
That left the standings looking like this:
| Pos | Team | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hucknall | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| 2 | Northern Alliance | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| 3 | South Derbyshire | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 4 | Southwell/Leander | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
The final
It set up a mouth-watering rematch: Hucknall v Northern Alliance for the title, with the home side having won the group meeting 7-4. Northern Alliance, though, had other ideas. In a tense, end-to-end final they got their revenge, holding on for a 4-3 win to be crowned our first-ever Masters champions. Hucknall can be hugely proud of a runners-up finish on a day they helped make happen.
In fairness, with everyone the wrong side of 40, the legs were willing - even if a few of them were quietly hoping the final might be settled on penalties.
Worthy winners - Northern Alliance with the salver and their gold medals.
A massive well done to Northern Alliance, and to our own Hucknall side who pushed them all the way.
Our Hucknall masters squad - runners-up and a credit to the club all day.
Our junior helpers
A special mention to the juniors from our own club who gave up their Saturday to help the day run smoothly - fetching balls, helping at the desk and lending a hand wherever it was needed. We couldn’t have done it without them.
Thank you
An event like this only happens because so many people pull together. Huge thanks to our referees Tim Dunsbee, Sam Leveridge, Tom Wall, Joe Leveridge and Kiyoko Naish, to our table officials Rachel Leveridge, Kirsten Richards, Jasper Richards, Glyn Horsfield, Tracey Jackson, Archie Jackson and Tony West, to Fran on announcing, Anna on refreshments, and to Tony for overseeing the whole operation.
A massive thank you to Catershield for sponsoring the tournament, covering the cost of the pool for the day and presenting the trophy, and to Nottinghamshire ASA for their generous support with match balls, registration fees and the engraved trophy and medals. Thanks too to every local business who donated raffle prizes - the raffle did a roaring trade.
And of course, thank you to all four teams and everyone who came along to cheer them on. The afternoon then rolled on into our Summer Social at Butler’s Hill School, where players, families and friends carried on the celebrations long into the evening.
And to anyone we’ve missed - you know who you are, and we’re grateful for everything you did to make the day such a success. Thank you.
Our club photographer captured plenty more on the day, and the full set is now online - browse the complete Masters Tournament 2026 photo album.
For the full schedule, team sheets and every match result, head to the Masters Tournament event page.
Here’s to the next one - see you in 2027! In the meantime, see what’s coming up on the upcoming events page.