DEVONPORT Royal water polo star Beth Ward and her Great Britain under-17 team-mates begin their build-up to next month’s European Games in earnest this weekend.

Ward will join the team in Cardiff for the first of three intense training camps ahead of Baku event.

After two days in the Welsh capital, the team will then spend four days at Crystal Palace before travelling to Birmingham where they will play a match against City of Coventry on May 31 at RAF Cosford.

The squad will fly out to Azerbaijan on June 8, with their first game taking place on June 12.

GB coach Nick Buller said: “The final month is all about training together and working hard on our tactics. The girls have improved a lot over the past few years and we can’t wait for the Games to begin.”

Ward is one of seven Plymouth athletes in the Great Britain squad heading to the inaugural European Games. The others are divers Shanice Lobb and Matthew Dixon, swimmers Tom Fannon, Joe Hulme and Laura Stephens and fencer Corinna Lawrence.

Meanwhile, city diver Natasha MacManus will compete for Ireland.

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