Day two started very cold, with both teams showing a reluctance to enter the water. The British team however warmed up proceedings with a rousing rendition of the national anthem, they also gained the first psychological advantage by revealing the moustaches had been shaved off!

The game started slowly with both teams struggling to hold on to the ball as hands were getting cold however GB opened the scoring with captain Craig Figes scoring two goals from two attacks. The Belarusians took advantage of two man-up situations and scored both times, however two goals from Tom Curwen finished the quarter 4-2.

The second quarter saw GB looking very sharp and stealing the ball from the Belarus team virtually every time they attacked, this, coupled with some impressive counter attacking, saw the team score six unanswered goals, two of which came from man-up situations. The end of the quarter saw the team leading 10-2.

The 3rd quarter saw some changes to the GB team, however this did not stop the scoring, Mike Bourne scoring a brace and an impressive 5m shot from  Jake Vincent kept the momentum up and the pressure on a now tiring Belarus team. GB continued to steal the ball well and counterattack finishing the quarter strongly with a 15-2 advantage.

The final quarter saw a feast of goals from a team with their tails up, again the majority of which came from the counter attack however this was also combined with a penalty, special mention needs to go to “chucky” aka Charles Booth who was asked to take the teams first penalty of the tournament, Chucky stepped up to the plate and coolly put the ball in the back of the net.

A brief lapse in concentration by The Brits saw the Belarus team score past the GB keeper to keep their spirits up.

The GB head coach added one last twist to the game when he called a time out with only 20 seconds to go, after an inspired talk (and a cunning plan) the ball was played back into the GB team, who after a cleverly worked move saw Adam Scholefield score the final goal of the game.

The final score was GB 23- Belarus 3

GB TEAM

Michael Bourne, Thomas Curwen, Craig Figes, Matthew Holland, Ciaran James, Richard Lawlor, Joseph O’Regan Robert Parker
Alexander Parsonage, Glen Robinson, Sean Ryder, Adam Scholefield, Edward Scott, Jake Vincent, Jack Waller

Source:British Swimming