London GD seek Head Coach

EHA Cup champions London GD are currently seeking to recruit a volunteer Head Coach to lead their Men's first team.

The coach will oversee training sessions and games, as well as their upcoming participation in the new EHF Cup which is going to be the first time in history for an English Club.

Please send your covering letter and CV to the following email address: menexecutive@londonGDhandball.co.uk.

They are looking to have someone appointed in prior to their European campaign in September 2012.

London GD win EHA Cup

LONDON GD were crowned EHA Cup champions after beating arch rivals Salford 28-18 in the final at Bethnal Green on Sunday.

The last time these two teams met, Salford caused upset in the London GD camp by beating them with two goals, a victory that meant they won the play offs and the national league.

To begin with, both teams looked like they were in it to win it, they were neck and neck throughout the opening minutes, and after nine minutes the score was 3-3. Soon though, London GD started pulling away, letting their experience shine through against the young Salford side.

Goals from Philip Altong, Jordi Ferrer-Torras, Krisztian Ölschleger and Remus Bugariu, coupled with saves from goalkeeper Theo Bougouin and a tough defence saw London GD pull ahead. Two quick goals from Ferrer-Torras and a fastbreak goal from Ölschleger and London GD was up 10-5.

Salford seemed to grow increasingly frustrated, missing several chances and not being able to penetrate the strong London GD defence.

London GD made some changes at the first time out, Cesc Salvado came on and quickly scored three goals putting London GD further ahead. At half time, the score was 14-8.

London GD took charge from the beginning of the second half and quickly scored three goals while Salford only managed one. Despite being down several goals, Salford had not given up, and the London GD attacks were met with tough defending. Their right wing, Ste Clarke, the game’s top scorer, got a few quick goals in behind the London GD goalkeeper early in the second half.

Hope was quickly fading for the Salford fans though, as London GD kept scoring and after a textbook attack, finished with a goal from Israel Manchi, London GD was up by 21 to 12.

Salford changed their defence play briefly, taking Altong out of the game, but this only left more room for the rest of the team to score.

Salford goals from Clarke and Jake Williams in the final minutes meant little as London GD had dominated the game since the second part of the first half. The final score was London GD 28 Salford 18.

The game’s top scorer was Ste Clarke from Salford with seven goals, while Cesc Salvado was the top scorer for the London team with six.

London GD will now start preparing to play in Europe, in the European Handball Federation’s EHF Cup starting this autumn.

* Photos by Harald Haugan

Politician discovers handball fun!

East Midlands Conservative MEP Emma McClarkin tried her hand at the sport of Handball recently, when she visited the University of Lincoln Handball Club.

Miss McClarkin, who is the Conservative Spokesperson for Sport in the European Parliament, visited the club as part of her drive to promote sports in the East Midlands ahead of the 2012 Olympic Games later this year. She has already tried Trampolining, Rowing and Track Cycling so far this year.

Taking part in a training session with the development team from the University of Lincoln Handball Club, Miss McClarkin found out about the development of Handball with the club’s coaching staff, Rickie Bailey, Wayne Scanlan and Robin Wright, Head of Sport at the University. She then gave the sport a go herself and trained with the squad, including drills on how to pass and shoot.

Speaking afterwards, Miss McClarkin said: “I really enjoyed the chance to train with the University of Lincoln Handball Club. They have great facilities here and are recruiting record numbers of men and women to the game. The guys were very welcoming, I had a fantastic time and left with good colour in my cheeks!

“The game is a great workout and lots of fun. I would thoroughly recommend it to anyone, and will be cheering for the Great British team at the Olympics later this year.”

National Schools Finals a big success

Around 400 of England’s most talented youngsters competed at this year’s EHA National School Finals at SportHouse in Barking on Saturday.

Following preliminary rounds staged across the country earlier in the season, the best 26 male and female teams in Under-13 and Under-15 age groups did battle at the venue, which is the Olympic Games training venue and will be used by the best players in the world in just a month’s time.

The matches were played in a superb atmosphere, created by an enthusiastic mix of volunteers, organisers, spectators and passionate athletes.

The youngest female competitors were the first to play their final on the well attended show court. Lymm High School won the tight final, which left the second and third place to Harris Girls Academy and Ark Academy. 

The game was followed by the U13 boys final between Harris Boys and Erith School. The support of Harris Girls team might have helped Harris Boys to defeat Erith School who earned silver and Wirral Grammar High School who achieved Bronze in the U13 Boys age group.

In the U15 girls winners Parrs Wood High School took on Harris Girls in the Final and left 3rd place to Barking Abbey Girls.

Exciting and close group matches were played in U15 Boys category. However, the final matches were clearly dominated by the boys from All Saints School – the 2012 National Champions. A remarkable second and third place was achieved by The Bromfords School and Harris Boy’s Academy.

During the event EHA raised £340 for British Handball’s digression fund, which is used to help talented athletes with travel and living expenses.

After the competition, Dermot O’Brien from All Saints Catholic School said: “When we first started playing competitive handball last September we never believed the boys could of achieved so much in such a short space of time.

“It is a credit to their hard work and dedication whilst dealing with many obstacles along the way. On the day, the boys came showed incredible determination, teamwork and self-belief to emerge victorious. The final took many twists and turns as we received a red card, two yellows and three one minute suspensions.

“However, great defensive play and an outstanding performance from our goalkeeper to make three incredible match winning saves including a penalty. The boys kept going and saw out a very hard tense second half against a very talented Bromfords side.

“Finally, I would like to thank England Handball and coaches from the Newham Flames for their help and advice throughout the year. The boys are looking to take handball to the next level now and promote the sport in the younger year groups to build on their success achieved.”

And Josh Connolly from Harris Boys’ Academy added: “Personally I was really impressed at the organisation of the National Competition this year, in particular the Final. It was a fantastic day that ran without a hitch which is credit to the organisers, staff involved and the high quality officials.

“Harris Boys Academy East Dulwich is very proud of both teams that competed. The U13 team were deserving National Champions on the day and they have improved massively this season. The U15 team finished third overall which was probably fair as they lost convincingly in the semi’s to All Saints who were in fine form and went on to win, congratulations to them for this.

“The teams will now take time to reflect on their fantastic achievements and look to continue their development in new school year.”

“I must say a special thank you to London 2012 Handball Competition Manager Alex Gavrilovic, and GB players Steven Larsson and John Pearce for presenting medals and trophies to winning the teams,” said organiser Ari Bekker. “They are a real inspiration to these young players and show that there is a legacy in handball is here to stay.

“A massive thank you also to all volunteers (table officials, referees) who made this event happen. Their help and support much appreciated, throughout the day and in recent weeks leading up to the event! Many thanks and congratulations to all participants, representatives, team managers and volunteers.”

And Mick Hegarty, the EHA’s Director of Performance, added: “The third National Schools Finals was a fantastic event and testament to the decision of the EHA to focus strategy on schools development over the last three years.

“The standard of play and quality of the athletes participating indicates how seriously the PE profession are taking our sport. The venue at Mayesbrook was a perfect setting and the standard of organisation by Ari Bekker's team of volunteers on the day and Miriam Pederson's hard work all year on the National Schools Committee set a really high standard for all to enjoy.

“I am very excited at the prospect of the England National Schools teams and eventually World Class Players which will be borne out of this competition.”

 * All photos: Krzysztol Wojciechowski

 

Top international referee coming to England

FORMER elite IHF referee Peter Hansson will be delivering the EHA’s latest Referees’ Course this weekend in tandem with the Liverpool International Tournament.

The Swedish referee is an EHF lecturer and is coming over to help with the development of refereeing skills in England.

The free of charge course will see a number of sessions, both practical and theoretical.

Youngsters Preparing for National Schools Finals

THE National Schools handball finals take place later this month, where the best teams from across the country will do battle for the national titles.

The event on Saturday June 25 is at the Aldersley Leisure Village in Wolverhampton from 10am, and is the culmination of months of regional heats, trials and training sessions at schools from across the country.

From 72 teams entered, just 17 remain in the finals.

In the Under-13 girls event it is between Siddal Moor Sports College, Parrs Wood High School and Barking Abbey School, while in the Under-13 boys event the competitors are Royton and Crompton High School, Woolwich Poly High School, Harris Boys’ Academy (East Dulwich) and Cardinal Griffin Catholic High School.

The Under-15 girls teams are Helenswood School, Cardinal Griffin Catholic High School,

Birchwood Community High School and Blacon High School. The Under-15 boys event is between Upton-by-Chester, Culceth High School, Cardinal Griffin Catholic High School,
Aylesbury Grammar School, Carshalton Boys Sports College and Biddenham Upper School.

Oxford Secure Promotion

OXFORD University secured promotion to Division One of the English National League for next season after topping the Development League South play-offs at Cranfield University on Saturday.

But Oxford didn’t have it all their own way, and were given two close games by hosts Cranfield and University College London.

Seven goals each from Jens Krause and Halfdan Lynde Ottosen helped Oxford beat Cranfield 25-23, while Julien Faure also scored seven for Cranfield.

And in their second match they won 31-27 against UCL, with Krause scoring eight goals. Mohamed El Hawary scored ten for UCL, but it was not enough and Oxford secured their spot in the top league.

In the day’s other games, UCL beat Imperial Eagles 29-24, with El Hawary in great form, scoring 13 goals, while Hugo Mazel of Imperial scored seven.

Close Results in Northern Section

THERE were some close encounters of the handball kind in the Northern Section of the Men’s English League on Sunday, with two of the three matches decided by just one point.

Salford and Nottingham beat Liverpool Wolves and Deva respectively by just one point, and as the league continues to see improving skills from many teams the 2010-11 season looks set to prove close to the end.

Liverpool Wolves put up a tremendous fight against an experienced Salford side, but went down 22-23.

The two sides were neck and neck for much of the game, with the Wolves’ defensive performance keeping Salford within reach - especially through the performance of goalkeeper Stuart Clarke.

Nottingham University secured a 19-18 victory over Deva to maintain their unbeaten start to the season, but with their next clash being against Salford in two weeks time, that could all change.

Leading 9-5 with half time approaching, Nottingham made some careless errors and Deva reduced the deficit to 9-7 at the break.

With one goal separating the two sides, Deva pushed on with their rivals a man down, but Nottingham held on for the win.

And in the day’s other match, Manchester beat Liverpool Speke Garston 28-10.

Bids for University Championships Due In

BIDS to host the 2011 University Handball Championships close on Monday, with the popularity of the event in recent years giving organisers some criteria to meet.

Venues must have two courts available for the bulk of the two-day event on February 19-20, and courts should normally be marked out at 36 x 19 metres.

The hosts will be responsible for all aspects of local organisation, while the England Handball office will handle other aspects such as entry fees and provision of trophies.

Final proposals must be addressed to EHA Director of Competitions, Carl Norman, and sent to the EHA office. Details can be found on www.EnglandHandball.com

English Men's League: Battling Bath Surprise Olympia

NEWLY-promoted Bath held Division One giants Olympia to a shock 23-23 draw in the National League on Sunday to announce their arrival in the top flight.

Despite facing a side who qualified for the European Challenge Cup last season, Bath were not over-awed by their opponents and were leading 12-11 at the break.

Six goals from Osle and five from Masiak helped Bath to a draw with Olympia, for whom Haddadou scored seven and Gug five. But it was not enough to avoid battling Bath taking a point.

Elsewhere in the South, Ruislip Eagles beat Cambridge 23-21 to make up for losing to rivals Olympia the previous week.

The Eagles started the game convincingly and led 11-8 at the break thanks to Stefan Bauer in goal.

In the second half Cambridge’s Zsolt Majoros tried hard to reduce the gap and almost turn the match in the last few minutes as Ruislip had to deal with two consecutive suspensions. However they ran out of time.

* In the North, an experienced Salford team beat Liverpool Speke Garston 30-10 with GB Under-21s Jake Williams scoring 12.

Nottingham University inflicted a first defeat of the season on Liverpool Wolves, running out 23-16 winners.
Leading 10-8 at half time, Nottingham continued to hold the Wolves at bay despite some shaky defending. Morad Arab and Ruben Wolff scored six each, and Guillaume Bodet added four.

Manchester beat city rivals Manchester University 30-25, after a spell during the second half where the University side were left with just the goalkeeper and one outfield player on court.

Girost scored ten for Manchester, Karas seven and Hammache four.

London Schools Event Proves a Big Hit!

DOZENS of youngsters from across London took part in the London Inter-Borough Handball Tournament staged at Newham Leisure Centre recently.

The event was for year seven and eight pupils, and after some thrilling matches was won by Westminster City School and Barking Abbey School in the boys and girls competitions respectively.

With six boys teams and five girls team, for many it was their first taste of handball - but most left hooked on handball and wanting to play the game more!

Teams from Barking and Dagenham, Newham, Haringey, Westminster and Greenwich attended, and London Handball Development Officer Ari Bekker said: “To involve more and more teams and schools in a competition like this and to see their fantastic play is great.

“You could see from the excitement on their faces just how much they enjoyed the games. It’s great to be able to get young people together from different boroughs and play in a handball competition.”

In the boys event, after some close group matches, it was Westminster City and Thamesmead who reached the finals, with Woodside High and Newham Flames just missing out by one goal in the semi finals.

Both teams in the final were playing for the first time, but after a great match it was Westminster City School who won.

And in the girls competition, runners-up St Angela’s School were beaten by Barking Abbey, who didn’t lose a match all day.

More handball events will be staged in the London area shortly. Handball coaching sessions take place at Newham Multi Sports Club Hub every Tuesday evening from 3-6.30pm.

For more information contact Ari Bekker, London Handball Development Officer, on 07738 385515 or e-mail her at aranka.bekker@newham.gov.uk

Teams Head to Sweden for Partille Cup

TEAMS from England and Scotland are in Gothenburg, Sweden, preparing to take part in the 40th edition of one of the world’s biggest handball tournaments, the Partille Cup.

Beginning today (Wednesday), the event goes on until Sunday and has attracted almost 1,000 teams from around 50 different countries.

England teams will play in both the boys and girls Under-16 events, and are attending as part of the event’s special Olympic Solidarity Project, which encourages teams from countries where handball is not a major sport to come along and take part. As well as England, teams from India, America, China, Benin, Gabon and Nigeria are also present as part of the scheme.

Three Scottish teams are also taking part - Tryst Under-16 girls, Tryst Under-18 boys and Gracemount Under-13 boys - as well as the Great Britain Men’s Under-21 side.

The England squads’ every move will be recorded by analyst Wayne Lang, whose thoughts were recorded on the Partille Cup website.

“We are going to meet players who have been playing the sport since they were seven years old. Our teams are here to watch and learn and to try out the new things they have learnt during the week.

”But England is on their way and handball wins new ground slowly but surely.

”Handball is up to an exciting future. And maybe the English national team in handball win a World Championship gold before the national football team does!”

All the British teams at Partille will play at least five group games, before moving on to the knockout stages at the weekend.

For more information about fixtures and results, go to www.partillecup.com/eng

New Champs in National Schools Cup

THERE were new winners in both the boys and girls categories at the National Under-15 Handball Championships in Wolverhampton recently, with Royton and Compton School from Oldham winning the boys event while Blacon High in Chester came out on top in the girls event.

The event at the Aldersley Leisure Village attracted some of the best young handball talent from around the country, and there were some closely-fought and entertaining matches played.

In the girls event, defending champions Woodchurch lost out 7-5 to Blacon High in the opening game, while Park High beat Fairoak by three goals.

Blacon High then went on to beat Fairoak 7-1, while Woodchurch won 6-1 against Park High. But in the final Blacon High ground out a 6-3 win to claim the title of 2010 champions.

The boys event was also very close, but also saw last year’s champions miss out, Cardinal Griffin School from Cannock losing 10-9 to Lancashire’s Royton and Crompton.

Other schools competing included Biddenham Upper School from Bedford, Tarporley from Cheshire, Woolwich Academy and Woodside School from London.

After the group stages, the first semi final saw Cardinal Griffin struggle against Tarporley who ran out 22-15 winners, while Royton overcame Woodside to reach the final.

A tall and physical Tarporley proved a handful, but Royton were one goal ahead at half time with Dunstone and Tyler scoring well. A goal from Cotton edged Royton in front with seconds to go, but Tyler netted in the dying seconds to equalise for Tarporley.

In extra time the sides remained close, but a last second goal from Braithwaite ensured Royton and Compton School ran out winners.

And in the third/fourth place game, Woodside beat Cardinal Griffin 10-7.

Wanted: New Head Coach for EHA

ENGLAND Handball is advertising for a new Head Coach for their men’s squad as part of their Four-Year Player Pathway programme.

The EHA have a target of achieving a full complement of national teams in EHF age groups by 2013, and this position will play a key part in achieving that objective.

The successful candidate will be supported by Chester University’s Department of Sport and Exercise Sciences, to establish a progressive Athletic Education Programme for elite players across the age groups.

In addition, there will be ongoing support with continuing professional development, including attending world class coaching courses and seminars and working with the GB Olympic Programme when appropriate.

Prospective applicants who want an informal chat about the position should contact Mick Hegarty on 07867 942842, or in person at the England Youth Internationals against Ireland in Warrington on July 17.

For more details, please go to http://www.englandhandball.com/

Wanted: Young Referees!

DO you think you have what it takes to become a handball referee?

If you do (and you’re aged 18-23) then England Handball want to hear from you!

As part of their Referee Development Programme the EHA are aiming to recruit young handball enthusiasts who have the potential to train as referees. No previous refereeing experience is needed, and young referees from other sports are welcome to apply.

Some of the candidates will get the chance to represent England in the European Handball Federation Young Referee Programme for 2010/11 which will include having training sessions in Europe. All candidates will be supported in their training and development at home within the EHA Four-Year player pathway, schools and new Youth League programmes.

In addition, the EHA will encourage potential candidates towards a real chance of having an International Career within the sport.

If you are interested, please email a CV, detailing your refereeing experience to cesitohand@hotmail.com

EHA Annual General Meeting on Saturday

THIS Saturday is the England Handball Association’s Annual General Meeting, at Loughborough University.

The rescheduled meeting will take place at noon in the Sir John Beckwith Sports Centre Building at the Leicestershire venue. For those travelling with SatNav, the postcode is LE11 3TU.

Great Dane Win National League Title

REIGNING Champions Great Dane were crowned National League winners once again when they beat Salford 47-14 in the latest set of play-off matches at Moulton, Northampton, on Sunday.

Their victory means they cannot now be caught with one game remaining, while the battle for second continues to rage on into the final games.

Olympia moved up to second spot following their 29-25 win over Nottingham, while Manchester beat Cambridge 28-26 in the day’s other result.

Handball Fans: Sport England Want YOU!

SPORT England are appealing for the views of handball fans as they launch a major new survey of the sporting landscape of the country.

They have commissioned top market research company Ipsos MORI to conduct a survey about people’s experiences of playing all sports, and it is important to the future growth of handball in this country that as many people as possible take part.

For more details and to take the survey, please go to http://www.englandhandball.com/

Race for European Places Reaches Crucial Stage

THIS Sunday’s matches at the Greenbank Academy in Liverpool could prove to be some of the most important of the season as the National League play-offs reach a crucial stage.

Manchester’s victory over leaders Great Dane a fortnight ago has thrown the play-offs wide open, with five of the six teams in the end of season competition still battling for a top three finish and entry into European competition.

After beating Great Dane in the Cup last Saturday, Olympia will be aiming to take that form into their clash with Manchester, knowing that a victory could well see them move up from fourth to second.

Currently third in the table, Cambridge play Salford and will also be bidding to preserve their spot in the top trio. Defeat for Salford will spell the end of their play-off hopes.

And leaders Great Dane will be looking to get back to winning ways and salvage the League title when they play bottom of the league Nottingham.

Women's League: Great Dane Throw Down Gauntlet

HAVING beaten their rivals in the exhibition match at Crystal Palace a fortnight ago, Great Dane threw down the gauntlet to rivals Ruislip Eagles with a comfortable 16-27 victory over Olympia in their latest Women’s League match on Sunday.

The victory came after a strong first half performance where they built a 10-goal lead with the returning Anne Kandler and Iris Manu causing problems for Olympia.

Olympia rallied in the second half and went goal for goal with Great Dane, but the game was over as a contest after the first half performance of Danes who are peaking nicely ahead of the key matches against Ruislip still to come.

An under-strength Ruislip took to the court next against Thames and had to put left winger Kiki Dreksler in goal, but she provided an inspired performance that set up Ruislip for a result that matched that of Danes almost exactly.

Dreksler was very much the first line of attack, setting up a constant stream of fast break passes that Dani Sposi duly converted.

Thames had no answer to the fast break game plan of Ruislip and trailed 7 – 16 by half time. As with the first match, the second half was a closer affair but it was also scrappy with a string of two minute suspensions.

Dreksler continued to frustrate Thames whilst Sposi rattled in 12 goals for the defending champions, to run out 27 – 15 victors.

The remaining matches of Ruislip versus Great Dane are sure to be hotly contested with Danes likely to have to win both games to take the title, following their slip up against Olympia earlier in the season, when they were without several key players.