A RISING star with Dunfermline Water Polo Club has moved a step closer to achieving her European dream after winning a Great Britain call-up.

Niamh Moloney, who competes in both the senior and under-19 women's teams, has been selected for the under-17 squad as they continue their preparations ahead of the European Championships in September.

The talented teenager, who was voted as Scottish Swimming's Junior Water Polo of the Year last year, is one of 17 players that have been named in the pool and is the only Scottish-based competitor to be picked.

Niamh, a pupil at Kinross High School, enjoyed an impressive 2018 in the pool that also included representing Scotland, training with the GB under-19 squad – with whom she was first reserve for the European Championships – and helping Dunfermline's under-19s to Scottish Water Polo Championship glory.

In an interview with Press Sport in October after winning her junior player of the year accolade, she told Press Sport that her "big ambition" was to be selected for the Women's European Junior Water Polo Championships, which will be held in Volos, Greece, from September 1-8.

After previously travelling to Hungary and the Netherlands for training camps, she said: " I was really nervous first time because I didn’t really know the girls that well but after I got to know them it was hard work, but fun.

“I’m a lot more confident in my skills and I’ve got the chance to try and make the European Championships in the 2002 (under-17) team next year. It’s a big ambition to be selected."

She has now moved closer to realising that ambition and Alasdair Campbell, a member of the men's senior team and club captain, commented: "Niamh was unlucky to only be a reserve for the under-19 GB squad last year so, at under-17 level, I think she has an amazing chance of actually making the team for the tournament.

"That is something that's not been done by a player from our club for many years."

There was further recognition for the club over the weekend as Harry Gray, Cameron Baigrie and Ruaridh Henderson were all in action for the Caledonia under-19 men's squad that began their Swim England Water Polo National Age Group Championships in Walsall.

They made up a quarter of the pool that competed in the preliminary groups for the tournament, which saw Caledonia play five games in Group A.

Although they lost to Newton Abbot and City of Sheffield, wins over Carmarthen, West London Penguin and Bridgefield saw the Dunfermline trio and their Caledonia team-mates finish third in the table to progress to the qualifiers later this month.

Meanwhile Campbell and his senior men's team-mates have been in Scottish National League action and, in a crunch game with rivals Portobello, staged a thrilling late comeback to earn a 9-9 draw.

Dunfermline found themselves three goals down with three minutes to go but, in a dramatic ending, Campbell grabbed the equaliser with 26 seconds left on the clock to earn a draw, which they followed up with a victory over Stirling University.

The West Fifers will host Portobello in the reverse fixture on March 28, which could go a long way to deciding the destination of the title.