We are 3rd in BUCS Canoe polo!
2025 BUCS Ladies team (Left to right): Jess Dubock (captain), Cait Galbraith, Phoebe Ferns, Maya Brook, Helen Young, Katie Scollick, Alice Moulds
After a record-breaking year for all three of our canoe polo teams, we are delighted to announce that our A and B teams are both second in the country after the 2024 BUCS season.
In recent years we have placed a focus on reaching these goals by offering more training sessions and investing in better polo equipment, such as our own polo pitches in Exeter. While we have three different teams that we enter into competitions, we train together as a club and support one another in the sport. However, we also offer higher level training to experienced polo players. Currently we have three outstanding international players on our teams and they work together in improving personal skills while also helping train the rest of us. This culture of inclusiveness is foundational to our club and without it we would not have achieved our recent successes.
Exeter A team:
2025 BUCS, Alex Robinson, Open Team Captain 2025/26
Exeter Ladies:
The Ladies team is great at maintaining the fine balance between having a laugh and being extremely competitive! We learn to play polo together and have a much more relaxed style compared to the other teams. However, when it’s a competition, there is a mentality of “kill kill kill” against other universities!
Since our team is fairly small, the friendships within are very strong and we love having new-comers in to join us! We have a wide range of abilities and experience so the environment of ladies training is always encouraging and welcoming. While we have set ladies sessions and socials, we also train with the other Exeter teams so we can get game experience and learn from the rest of the club. I find it is important to keep supporting each other in the ladies-only sessions but equally creating a wider community of polo players in the club. – Jessica Dubock (captain 2024/2025)
Cait Galbraith, Ladies Team Captain 2025/26, Bude Polo Training
Exeter B team:
Our B team is a designated team for those who are new to the sport of Canoe Polo! If you want to play in competitions but have never played before then this is the team for you. The South West league we enter has a specific league for beginners to the sport, with every university entering their own B team. This is a great opportunity to get experience playing in games and meet other new people to the sport.
However, as well as being a great chance to try a new sport, our B team also performs extremely well in competitions. They finished first in the South West league and second in BUCS! This shows the great progression beginners can have within the club throughout the year.
2025 B SWUPL team: (left to right) Abdulla Qutob, Josh Sangster, Daniel Culligan Huggins, Lukas Papperitz, Alwyn Ettle, Dean Barton, Jacob Way, Arabella Vance
Which competitions do we enter?
the ladies team during half time at CUCP 2024
SWUPL:
Exeter is part of the South West University League (SWUPL). Several Saturdays per term, all three of Exeter’s teams travel up to the Bristol docks to play against universities such as Cardiff, Bath, Bristol, and Swansea. These matches carry on throughout Term 1 and 2, with the SWUPL finals being held towards the end of March. This competition is a great way to get into the sport and meet kayakers from other universities!
| Exeter team | Position |
| A team | 1st Place |
| Ladies | 1st Place |
| B team | 2nd Place |
CUCP and Spotlight Matches
As well as the SWUPL leagues, we also compete against other universities in ‘one-off’ competitions.
CUCP is a competition run by Cardiff university every year, and is also the second biggest canoe polo competition after BUCS! In 2025, the club had its most successful year yet, with our Open Team placing first and our Ladies team coming second!
In addition to this, we also hold one spotlight fixture per term against Bath university! This involves travelling up to Bath but is always worth it to play in a pool! This is another fantastic opportunity to foster inter-uni relations.
2025 CUCP Ladies team (left to right): Alice Moulds, Niamh Connole, Jess Dubock, Maya Brook, Ella Fraser-Smith, Cait Galbraith, Katie Scollick, Phoebe Ferns
What is Canoe Polo?
Alice Moulds, 2024 CUCP
Aaron McMahon and Benedict Vincent, BUCS 2024
Rhys Oakley, Zach Rogers and Aidan Coster, BUCS 2024