UNBEATABLE Dunfermline Water Polo Club are kings of Scotland once more after winning their second successive national title last week.

The club's senior men, whose success in the Scottish National League 12 months ago was their first since 2014, retained the trophy with a 100 per cent winning record after seeing off long-term rivals Portobello last Wednesday evening.

Having lost to the capital club at the Scottish Water Polo Championships in April, Dunfermline went into the game having beaten them 14-12 in the league at Carnegie Leisure Centre eight days previously, a result that put them in pole position to win the championship.

Davie Stewart's side had won all nine of their league matches before the showdown at Edinburgh's Royal Commonwealth Pool, and it was a young Dunfermline squad – featuring six under-21 players – that took to the pool for the title decider.

With a huge prize at stake, defences were on top for much of the match, with no more than two goals separating them throughout the first three periods.

Only one goal, which went the way of Dunfermline, was scored in the opening quarter and the second was equally as tight, with both teams finding the net twice to leave the visitors 3-2 up at the half-time interval.

They then edged the third period 2-1 to lead 5-4 going into the final quarter, thanks in part to some great defending and some good saves by goalkeeper Simon Metcalfe, but Dunfermline were also guilty of not taking their chances at the other end.

That was down to a combination of bad shot choices and the form of Portobello's international goalkeeper Bojan Donevski, but there was nothing he could do as the West Fifers began to stretch away at the start of the fourth period.

With four minutes to go, Dunfermline led 10-5 and, although their opponents netted two of their own, they scored another three times to secure a 13-7 victory and the title.

A hat-trick for Euan Broatch, doubles apiece for Harry Gray, Darren Campbell and Finlay Nesbitt, and strikes by Chris Campbell, Craig Harris, Ross Stewart and Mark Speed, completed a perfect 10 wins from 10 games for the champions.

Although delighted with the result, Stewart stated that his side "should have closed the game out a lot earlier" and, as they move into the British Water Polo League as part of the Caledonia structure, cautioned that they will need to be more clinical in front of goal.

Dunfermline ended the season with a maximum of 20 points, finishing four clear of runners-up Portobello, having scored 165 goals for the loss of just 60 in the process.