Basildon waterpolo players helped the East region’s team to a respectable showing at an international meeting at the Sporting Village at the weekend.

Rob Humphries, 15, from South Woodham Ferrers, led the line well playing in the pit, and John Inwood, 15, from Basildon, put in a lung-bursting shift in the middle of the pitch at point, at the inter-regional championships at the district’s new Olympic pool.

Fourteen-year-old winger Aidan Robinson, from Billericay, also gained invaluable experience as he regularly came off the subs’ bench to bolster a team made up of the best young prospects in the region.

The trio were all selected after impressing for Basildon Waterpolo Club.

Mick Chadwick, coach of the East team, and of Basildon’s under-17s, said they had all acquitted themselves very well.

He said: “Our team has only trained together a handful of times from when they came together for the first time in mid-May. Josh is already part of the England youth set-up, and he can go all the way in the game.

“Rob uses his height well, and was the main man for the team this weekend. And Aidan did well when he got some pool time.”

The East finished ninth overall after coming through a very tough group.

They started with a 6-1 defeat to a strong London side, and then a 7-1 reverse against the North East, with Inwood chipping in with the consolation goals in both.

They registered their first win in their third group game as goals from Humphries, Inwood, Rob Ward, Nick Elmer, and Luka Abeywickrama, secured a 5-4 victory over the East Midlands.

But they were put to the sword in their next encounter, as the eventual winners and strongest team in the tournament by some distance – North West A – cruised to a 16-1 success.

Goals from Humphries and Jack Pickford were not enough to prevent a 7-2 defeat to Ireland in their final group game, and that meant the East finished fifth in Group A and went into a play-off with Wales.

The East defeated the Welsh, smashing them 16-2, with all of the East’s players on the scoresheet. That left the East with a final game of a play-off game against the East Midlands side they had already beaten in the group. Goals from Humphries, Inwood, Dan Paddon, Aiden Robinson and Ollie Ward saw them ninth overall. North West A were crowned champions after beating the South West.