World champions Italy inflict heavy defeat on Great Britain

By Sportsbeat staff

WORLD champions Italy inflicted a heavy defeat on Great Britain's men's water polo team in their FINA World League preliminary match in Manchester.

Craig Figes, Joe O’Regan, Rob Parker, Will Middleton and Ciaran James were on target in their debut in the competition but were no match for their experienced rivals, losing 14-6.

British goalkeeper Ed Scott had a torrid evening but captain Figes insists the lessons learned will be invaluable as they continue their preparations to next year's London 2012 Olympics.

“The first half was quite tough for us and it did take us a long time to get into the match. But this is our debut in the World League and it is great to play at this level," he said.

“The second half allowed us to show our potential. We really pushed them hard and I think we performed well overall. We will learn from playing the world champions and I’m excited for our next match.”

© Sportsbeat 2011