A CLUB rich in history and prestige, Cheltenham Swimming and Water Polo Club has started a senior ladies' water polo team for the first time in 125 years.
And the inclusive ladies' side are aiming high since forming in January.
The long-term goal is to play competitive water polo in a senior women's league – while also having fun.
Coached by Rich Middleton, whose father Dickie played water polo both for the club and for England, it seems the ladies club is now in very good hands.
Middleton, who said he was 'born and bred' with the club, explained how the senior ladies team was established.
He said: "We've had quite a few girls training at Cheltenham.
"But there's never been a competitive club for them to join.
"So the female side of coaching was something I was very keen to get involved in because we don't have a team and we're such an old prestigious, historical club, and there's this massive gap.
"We had all these young girls who would train and train, get to 16, and there was nothing for them, and they end up leaving the sport.
Mike Howells is Middleton's coaching partner and has been working for a number of years to get more women and girls involved in the sport.
Middleton said: "We both met and joined forces and that's when things really started to happen."
And Howells emphasised that there really were no barriers to joining the women training every Wednesday at Dean Close School, and getting involved.
"There are no barriers – not age or ability," he said.
"It is a free-for-all club. And we have a number of different women coming through the doors, from a variety of angles.
"We have 40-year-old mothers, an international triathlete, ex-swimmers, junior girls training in the regional development side and one who has already made the age-group GB team in the team."
Amie Griffin, 16, who is training in the regional development squad as well as age-group Cheltenham teams, loves the aggressive side of the sport.
The Denmark Road High School pupil said: "I like being aggressive, it's a good way to get out your anger.
"It's really good fun. We make friends, and the contact side of it is better than netball."
Friend and classmate Scarlett Quinn-Savory said she could use elements of netball in water polo, and that more women should do the sport.
"I played a lot of netball and could use elements of it," she said.
"I'm quite competitive – not as violent as Amie is! But it's a good way to be competitive.
"We need more women to get teams going. Come along and give it a go. A lot of women in this session just came along and tried it and have been coming ever since."
While Middleton admits it has been tough so far to get the side up and running the level of interest is increasing, and mainly spread through word of mouth.
The club have now worked their way up to 16 members and have already won matches against Worcester and Oxford.
The 33-year old emphasised: "The long term goal is to play competitive polo, to enter an adult senior women's team in to a league.
"We are still not at that stage yet. When we will get there, who knows?
"But with the determination they've got and I've got we will get there sooner or later.
"We've got a great bunch of girls. We are a social team.
"The girls come down here to get fit, to enjoy themselves.
"We want a competitive side, but they don't kill themselves every training session.
"We do a lot of laughing in our sessions and that's the fundamental reason to do sport – to enjoy it."
If you are interested in joining the ladies' team visit www.cswpc.co.uk or head to Dean Close School on Wednesdays from 9pm to 10pm.
