FOUR teenagers from one County Durham club are set to represent England when they compete abroad in a water polo contest next month.

The Sedgefield Water Polo Club members make up four of the 13 swimmers from across the country who have been selected to fly the flag for the nation in Malta.

The group of teens qualified for the Under 17 English Schools Swimming Association International Water Polo Squad following a gruelling six hours of demanding games and will compete in Malta in October.

Head coach George Carpenter said: “The best 30 water polo players were invited to play in a trial tournament at Eton College. I’m very proud as the young lads have been with me since the age of seven or eight, having come through swimming lessons and progressing to international level. To get all four picked was a pleasant surprise.”

The successful members are Michael Cousins, 16, of Middleton St George, Ben Stephenson, 15, of Newton Aycliffe, Connor Keeble, 16, of Bishop Auckland and Kris Egginton, 16, of Spennymoor.

Three members have already played for England for the Amateur Swimming Association.

They train six or seven times a week, swimming or playing water polo for one to two hours per session.

“It’s a lot of commitment,” added Mr Carpenter, who started the club in 1997.

Sedgefield Water Polo Club’s Under 17s team has won a national title for the last two years and has produced 15 international players and two Olympians - Angela Winstanley-Smith and Chloe Wilcox.

The club itself, which is based between Newton Aycliffe and Spennymoor Leisure Centres, has more than 100 members aged from six to 18.

Anyone interested in playing can email sedgefieldpolo@hotmail.com