CHRISTCHURCH and New Milton Seagulls water polo player Sam Webber has survived the first round of cuts after the Great Britain talent squad’s training camp in Cardiff at the weekend.

Selectors whittled down the 60 boys selected to 45.

Webber, 15, was among the 45 who progressed to the next camp next month but Seagulls team-mates Jackson Mullins, 14 this week, and 13-year-old Charlie Roberts were not.

Coach Rob Webber, who is also Sam’s dad, said: “This was a pretty gruelling training weekend which included eight hours of pool time, one hour of swim tests, two hours in the gym and two hours of theory – all between 11am on Saturday and 3pm on Sunday. All three of them were exhausted when they came home on Sunday evening.”

He added: “For Sam the adventure continues and the odds shorten. For Jackson and Charlie it was an amazing achievement to get selected for the talent squad at all, given that they have only been playing water polo for 12 months.

“They will get another chance through the National Academy in the summer and we are targeting to get six to seven players there this time compared with four last time.”