WATER POLO: FOR the first time in more than half a century, Great Britain will bid for water polo glory at the Olympics next year, writes James Colasanti.

Not since the 1956 games in Melbourne has one of our teams donned silly hats and stepped into the water in pursuit of the gold medal.

But for London 2012 we qualify as hosts, and a healthy chunk of investment in the grassroots development from the sport’s governing body has produced a new wave of optimism — not least at our very own Basildon Water Polo Club.

The Gloucester Park-based club, which will move to the new Basildon Sporting Village when it opens in April, is in rude health at the moment, with six teenagers attracting interest from national selectors, and two already called up to the Great Britain youth squad.

Nick Albrow, Tom Davis, James Pierce and Matt McDonald-Liggins, and GB squad members Rob Humphries and Josh Inwood, are all thought to have a bright future in the sport and could yet help make Britain a team to fear in the water.

They are some of the 50 players at the club, which has members aged between nine and 46, and senior and junior teams competing all-year round in regional and national leagues.

The club was set-up in the 1970s and, according to team coach Dave Warriner, 44, its future has never looked brighter.

He said: “The move to the Sporting Village will really help us kick-on to the next level.

“At the moment our talented players have to go a regional training centre in Watford to be considered for selection to the GB team.

“But come April the Sporting Village will be a new regional training centre, and we hope it can be a hot bed for producing and nurturing new talent for years to come.”

Warriner says the club is also committed to catering for children who want to try the sport, and plans to set-up a women’s team this year.

Over the past three years he has helped to get water polo being played regularly at 12 primary or secondary schools, which are no more than 10 miles from Gloucester Park, near Basildon town centre.