THE captain of Dunfermline Water Polo Club's senior women has praised the "support and investment" that she believes they take "to another level".

Caitlin McRobbie has said that the commitment from players and coaches is reflected in the team's success, which saw them retain the Scottish Cup thanks to a 17-3 victory over Warrender on Saturday.

Despite missing their skipper, who dislocated her thumb and ruptured ligaments in her arm whilst representing Scotland in a recently-held Home Nations Tournament, as well as experienced players, Niamh Moloney and Julia Mackay, Dunfermline developed a 3-0 lead after the opening period, which they increased to 8-2 by the halfway stage.

They scored four goals without reply in the third on their way to a convincing success, and, speaking to Scottish Swimming, McRobbie said: "I've been lucky enough to be at various clubs across Scotland, all have been fantastic and so supportive, but Dunfermline seems to take it to another level.

"The support and investment you get from every single coach, from your players, the commitment that everyone puts into training. We never have a quiet session, everyone is always there, fully committed.

"We went into the game knowing that Warrender would be a strong, physical side. They sort of combined with Portobello and a few Edinburgh University players as well to strengthen their team, which is a huge positive for Scottish Water Polo, and the league, having another strong female team in it.

"So we didn’t really know what to expect coming into today’s match, but we kept our composure, stayed disciplined and stuck to our team values and I think that’s what eventually led to our victory."

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Despite not playing, Caitlin offered encouragement from the sidelines, adding: "It’s an alternative kind of role sitting on the bench, but nonetheless when you are playing alongside girls like I have the pleasure of playing alongside every day, you are just very proud of them. As hard as it is not playing, you still feel very much part of the movement that they are creating, and I know I’ll come back stronger."

Whilst the senior men suffered penalty shoot-out heartbreak against Portobello - after a 9-9 draw - and the under-17 girls lost out to Kirkintilloch and Kilsyth, Dunfermline's under-19 girls are also Scottish Cup winners.

Dunfermline stars enjoy Scottish Cup glory

Like the senior women, they retained the trophy they won last year, having been joined by players from Dundee's Menzieshill Water Polo Club, thanks to a last-gasp goal against Kirkintilloch and Kilsyth that secured an 11-10 win.

With seconds left before the buzzer, Kayleigh Roy scored the decisive goal, and she told Scottish Swimming: "I didn’t know how long was left on the clock but I did know that that would be our last attack. Molly (Meldrum) went for the shot but it didn’t go in, so I just did everything I could to get the ball and get it in the back of the net."

Dunfermline were 8-6 behind going into the fourth and final quarter, and a penalty shoot-out seemed likely before Kayleigh's intervention, and team captain, Imogen Paton, said: "Every year we enjoy such a good rivalry between Dunfermline and Kirkintilloch, and they played so well there. I’m just really proud of us coming away with the Cup today.

"We knew that we just had to keep going the whole way through, keep bringing it back and the small margin of the game kept us motivated to keep fighting to the end."