Leading Marksmen

Pre-National League: 1890-1962

Our goalscoring records are very incomplete and it is extremely difficult to compare the post-National League period with the earlier era when the team was mainly competing in the London League, and the Middlesex County League and various knock-out trophies. The Poly has a long had a culture of putting the team ahead of the individual but it would be a sad history that did not reflect on the characters that played the game.  And, although the 1932 magazine included this quote:  “It is not our custom to mention individual achievements in water-polo matches, as the game is essentially one of team work and not individuality…” there are plenty of stories about the players and reports of the goals they scored.   The following information about Poly heroes of the past has been mainly gleaned from the Poly Magazine.  Not all of them are big goalscorers but they are all worthy of mention.

L Hartung (First mentioned - 1888)

Hartung was described as a “crack shot” and “a tower of strength to any team”, “his play being always brilliant”.  He  departed to Berlin in 1892, for what purpose is unrecorded and much to the disappointment of the team.  In June 1990 he was reported to have been wounded in Florida, South Africa, fighting for the Gordon Highlanders.  Even then, the Magazine never disclosed what the “L” stood for, presumably in line with Victorian practice.

Will S. Hankins (1888)

Joined the Poly in 1884, captained the Polo team from 1890, also being a keen tennis player, footballer and cricketer.  A long servant to the club and the administration of the sport in general, he was President of the Amateur Swimming Association for several years until his death, in post, in 1931. 

Bob Grey (1894)

Born Salford 1868, recruited by Will Hankins in 1894 after a promising early polo career elsewhere.  In 1898 he won the “Studd Trophy” (most successful Poly athlete of the year) following “the extraordinary success of our Water Poloists last season, and particularly of Bob Grey, our champion poloist”. 

Percy (P.C.) Robertson (1894)

Played a blinder in the 1901 final of the Amateur Cup against Nautilus.  “This player in front of goal, with a stranger to his tactics for an opponent, is one of the most prolific goal scorers in the country.”

Ted (E. H.) Hunt (1895)

“He probably did more than any single player to put the Poly Water Polo Team into the great position it held at the beginning of the [20th] century…he was a lion at the game, and he represented his county on more occasions than one can remember…being twice capped for England. Ted also found time to take part in the legislative side of the sport, being a past-president of Middlesex County and the London Water Polo League. He was also one of the ablest referees of his day.”

Freddy (F.L.) Woods (1898)

In 1912 he was nominated Vice-Captain of the club, and “his blushes were worth seeing, but surely no one more deserves the honour, for he has served the Club (as well as County and Country) thumping well for a long period”.

Ted (E.B.) Barrington (1900)

A first-team career which lasted for twenty-two years, during which he played in the final of the Club Water Polo Championship of England four times.  Ted also gained County honours and was a member of the Middlesex County Team which won the County Championship for the first time in 1904 and again in 1908.  Went on to give many years of service to the administration of the sport, and to the Poly Institute as a whole, having 71 years of direct connection with the Polytechnic.  

Harold (A.H.) Pycock (1923)

Recruited to polo for his fast swimming - in 1923 at an international gala at Blackpool he was successful in the 100m free style in 65 secs., this being the fastest time ever accomplished by an Englishman.  And he had many impressive swimming results for many years.  Later he became captain of the Polo team, and distinguished himself playing for England (scoring the only goal against Germany in one particular match) and for Great Britain in the 1924 Paris Olympics. He returned from a Japanese PoW camp in 1945 when he was reported to be “as well as can be expected”.

A Van Beets (1924)

Played as a back, but deserves a mention for his long service to the club.  Died suddenly at 57, in 1958, while still secretary of the Middlesex County ASA.   “A real member in the traditional style, this was a man who placed the sport before all else.  His progress through the club, holding every official position in turn, his indefatigable efforts to improve and strengthen this proud section of the Institute and the inestimable amount of work gratuitously given were just one facet of this great sportsman. This man is irreplaceable; he was of the old school of unselfish givers. We shall revere him and miss him, but more, we shall try to perpetuate the spirit of sportsmanship and all of the many Poly traditions that Van stood for.”

Ernie Underwood (1926)

Played in the 1937 National Final, had his polo career interrupted by the war, but was back in the first team for a while afterwards.  Secretary of the club from 1946 until 1954, he was still playing for the reserves in 1958.

Ian (I.K.) Geddes (1933)

First mentioned as winning the club 50yd swim, Ian Geddes was known as the fastest swimmer in the club for a number of years.  He scored two goals in the losing final of the National Waterpolo Championship in 1937, before taking over the captaincy from his brother Bill in 1938.  Along with at least 15 other Poly swimmers, he went off to serve in the war (in his case in the army).  He came down to the Poly when on leave from wartime duty but sadly lost his life in Tunisia in the 1943 campaign.

Bill (W.R.) Geddes (1933)

“Another big-hearted enthusiast”, made vice-captain for 1935 and captain the following year.  Went on to give long years of service to the club as Hon Sec and Polo Sec right through until 1957.  Served in the RAF Sea Rescue service during WWII.

Bob Knights (1949)

Bob joined the Poly in 1949 as an ambitious young polo player and was in the first team the next season.  Played for GB by 1954 and was Captain of the Poly in 1956, when they won every water polo competition that they were able to enter, finally winning a National Championship Final for the first time - at the sixth attempt.  With Peter Pass, Bob played in the 1956 Olympics in Melbourne where GB came a creditable 7th, still the high water mark of GB’s recent Olympic performance (other than their run of victories in 1900, 1908, 1912 & 1920, before the East Europeans started dominating the game).  See profile in People section, and Neil May’s account of the development of the Poly during the 60s and 70s.

Peter W. Pass (1949)

It is hard to overstate Peter’s ability and the importance he had in the development of the club.  He joined the Poly around the same time as Bob Knights and had a parallel career for several years.  He scored 3 goals in the 1956 final and developed into a truly world class player, before going on to coach the club and take over chairmanship of the National Water Polo League.   See profile in People section and, in particular, Neil May’s nomination letter which secured his MBE.  See also the extract from Arthur Winter’s “Fourth and Final Part of the story of Polytechnic’s Sports Clubs 1930-1965” which includes a lovely account of how he started life in the first team as a goalkeeper.

Bill Tovey (1950)

Recognised as a young talent when he joined in 1950, though his start in the first team was delayed by some two years by National Service.  He was known as someone you would not want to be marked by, which might have been something to do with with his active role in the rugby team who were equally fearful of him, especially after he tackled his own captain in one match.  Capped by England in June 1956.  Scored two goals in the 1956 National Final but went one better in the 1957 final when he “played probably one of the best games he has ever played”, as Poly retained the title.  Club Captain in 1959.

Austin Fincham (1953)

Evidently a bit of a character - a South African with “an unintelligible brand of Afrikaans and a pseudo-American accent” who proudly owned a shiny “city-man’s bowler”.  In 1954 he was chosen, along with Knights and Searby, to represent the London League against a very strong Brussels team in a televised match.  He was then chosen for the GB squad in 1956 before they decided he was ineligible, although he was finally capped for England in 1957 and the GB team in 1958.  He scored a crucial goal in the 1957 National Championship Final.

Pete Messider (1954)

By 1954 Pete was already being called a stalwart of the team, so he must have joined some time before.  A 6’7” giant of a man, weighing in at 17 st or 19 st depending on which report you believe, which has some advantages in the sport.  Had a couple of trials for England but the selectors seem to have conspired against him.  Scored two goals in the 1956 National Final.

Post National League: 1963 onwards

The National League have only ever reported on the top few goalscorers in the country in each division, and there are no formal totals for anyone else.   For the period 1963-2000 they only reported on the top three goalscorers but from 2010 onwards it seems to report on the top ten.  Between 2000 and 2010, no stats are appear to be available. We have constructed a table from the available data (from NWPL “The First 40 Years” and the current BWPL Website).  It is highly misleading for obvious reasons.  For example, someone who scored 61 goals in 1994 would not have got any credit for it, as the third place scorer from other clubs got 62 goals that year.  Nevertheless, anyone whose name does appear on list below has definitely earned his place in Poly history.  [Note that the Poly magazine did occasionally report leading Poly goalscorers and where these figures were available they were included in the table.]

Traditionally Poly always used to share the goals around, as a player was liable to get a rollicking for shooting - even if he scored - when there was an opportunity to pass to someone else in a better position.  However, it is no surprise that Andy Lench scored more league goals in a single season (1975, when he scored 62) than any other Poly player.  Although he is only one ahead of Ivan Drinkwater in 1999, no doubt Andy will be delighted to be on top of the pile.

For total goals over his career, Jerry Birmingham probably has it with 144 goals in three short years and numerous other goals unrecorded in this table.  However Chris Icely’s record compares favourably and, who knows, his overall total might even be close to Jerry’s.  How these records compare with players from earlier ages is hard to say, but I suspect Peter Pass’s career of 20+ years would also have included a ridiculously high goal tally.

We are lucky to have a fine band of goalscorers in the current team, led by Liam Neill, a South African international who played in the World Championships in Doha in 2024, with other significant contributions from Kimon Haralambous, Tim Rezelman and Caleb Simpson.  May they continue to write history for themselves and the club.