The Highlands reputation as a leading water polo nursery has again been highlighted with the selection of five young hopefuls in the NSW Country squad.

The promising quintet earned a berth in the prestigious U20s team after a dominant display in the Country District carnival held in Albury earlier this month.

John Kelly, Sean Andrews, Tom Flemming and Ben Douglass gained a spot in the boy’s team while Julia Cowen was the sole flag bearer for the fairer sex in the girls U20s.

17 year old Ben Douglass is one of the emerging local stars of the sport and will be representing NSW Country for the second time.

“It’s great to represent the country and it feels respectful to support where you’ve played,” he said.

“This will be my last year in the team so I really want to make the most of it.”

Douglass is set for a big future in water polo having made the NSW CIS squad and gearing up for a tilt at the Australian squad when he contests the nationals in Melbourne next month.

But even greater honours await for the reps at December’s Col Smee Cup where they will play for a spot in the NSW team.

According to Highlands junior coach Lyn Douglass, the sky’s the limit for our young stars.

“If their rate of improvement continues, who knows, we could have some future Olympians on our hands,” she said.

And despite coming from a relatively small area, Douglass claims it’s no coincidence that the Highlands continues to produce such precocious talent.

“Because we have 300 juniors in our local competition, we have a broader base to choose from,” she explained.

The selection of the five junior reps brings to nine the number of state country representatives from the Highlands.