Montovjerna is the winner of this year’s 29th water polo championship of beaches in Dubrovnik. In the finals in the Old Town Port, Montovjera won over Solitudo 7:6.
The bronze went over to Penatur who played better against Špilja, 9:7. A few thousand spectators fond of the sport followed attentively the event unique both in the Adriatic region and in the world.
To get back to the beginning… Amateur League is the most famous amateur water polo championship taking place at beaches in Dubrovnik. It is not known when the first championship was held but it must have been more than 80 years ago. Between 1949 and 1961, water polo amateur championship was held every summer. Some teams, like Piplić, the team from Lapad, can certainly state the year they won the title.
Between 1962 and 1983 only one championship of beach teams was held, and that was in 1973 with Bellevue as the winning team.
After the Amateur League 1973, some beach teams (Bellevue, Gusar, Cavtat) were registered as professional teams which left only Piplić and Danče as the true amateur beach teams. Therefore, since 1975, the Dubrovnik beach water polo matches ceased to be.
The Dubrovnik beaches water polo championship (Amateur League) in its current form, started again in 1983, initiated by the bunch of water polo fans mostly coming from 3 teams – Danče, Penatur and Porporela. That year the league was played on 3 beaches, at Bellevue, in Klačina Bay and at Porporela, and Bellevue ‘73 won the title.
Since then, the League was held each summer but in 1992 and 1995, that is during the Homeland War and the heaviest attacks on Dubrovnik and its surrounding.
