A DUNFERMLINE Water Polo Club star has helped Great Britain reach the quarter-finals on their first appearance at a major European competition in a decade.

Niamh Moloney is one of 14 players that were picked for the senior women's squad to compete at the European Water Polo Championship, which began last Friday.

Concluding on Saturday, the competition has been taking place in Eindhoven, Netherlands - having originally been scheduled for Netanya, Israel - and GB defied the odds to reach the last eight, where they lost to the hosts, who are the current world champions.

Niamh, whose selection for the squad was confirmed during the festive period, before they travelled to Zeist for a pre-tournament training camp, said ahead of the championships: "I am really looking forward to it.

"Our target is to get a top-eight finish, which would be a major achievement for us!"

The Dunfermline player helped GB reach the championships - the first time in 10 years that the senior women's side had qualified - in June.

They travelled to Portugal for a qualifying tournament and, after wins over the hosts, Germany and Finland - in which Niamh scored a hat-trick - they progressed as group In June, they travelled to Portugal to face the hosts, Germany and Finland, to determine who would secure their place at the championships.

Of that success, she said: "It’s massive, especially for the seniors, because we haven’t been in a major competition.

"It’s been 10 years and this is the first time we’ve qualified again for the European Championships. It’s really big.

"I’m really proud to be part of the team."

Drawn in Group D, Niamh and her team-mates faced Bulgaria, Germany and Slovakia, and opened with a At the event, hosted by the current world champions, Niamh and her team-mates have been drawn in Group D, alongside Bulgaria, Germany and Slovakia.

After a 12-7 win over Slovakia, they then recorded a powerful 19-6 success over Bulgaria, in which Niamh - who, at the 2023 Scottish Swimming awards, was named Senior Water Polo Player of the Year for a second time, scored twice.

Dunfermline Press: Niamh scored twice during a group stage win over Bulgaria.Niamh scored twice during a group stage win over Bulgaria. (Image: Dunfermline Water Polo Club.)

An impressive 12-6 win over Germany followed, ensuring GB topped their section, and in order to progress to the quarter-finals, they then had to face Israel.

After a thrilling 9-9 draw, penalties were needed to separate the teams, from which Niamh and her team progressed in dramatic fashion.

On Tuesday, however, the Netherlands proved too strong, recording a 25-6 victory, to reach the semi-finals.

However, GB will now participate in the 5th-8th place semi-finals, beginning today (Thursday) against Hungary or Italy, with an overall seventh place finish at the tournament offering a ticket for the World Championships.

The final classification matches at the tournament will take place on Saturday.