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

NEM Hawks celebrate multiple trophies

NORTH East Manchester Hawks left the National Sports Centre at Crystal Palace on Saturday with an impressive haul of eight trophies.

The Hawks club won both the boys and girls Under-18s cup finals to complete league and cup doubles.

But when the England Handball Association’s presentations were held on the court after the finals it was revealed that the club had also done the double in the Development League North (open age) after a countback in the women’s league with Manchester University and closest rivals Warrington Wolves failing to complete fixtures in the men’s.

Coach Donna Hankinson said: “When the boys lost the cup final last season we sat down as a club and set both Under 18 Cup and League as our targets.

“We increased the sessions to twice weekly and also entered the development league with the sole point being additional competition, I certainly never expected us to win everything. They have gone through the Under 18s competition undefeated and in the development league although we have had some indifferent performances - which is to be expected with young players learning their trade - we have still managed to beat older stringer and more experienced opposition.”

In the cup finals themselves, the girls were disappointed not to reproduce their league form as they struggled to find their stride against a determined Wirral outfit.

Hawks eventually won 16-11 but had it not been for some fine saves by goalkeeper Kara Hunte they would not have prevailed.

They improved after the break with Ruth Anderson scoring some particularly impressive goals in her five strikes.

The boys final was by contrast a thrilling encounter as Hawks beat Warrington Wolves 24-22.

Hawks’ captain Stefan Whaley gave his side a good start with two early goals and at one stage in the first half they led by seven with left-winger Tyrell Coley providing some excellent assists.

However, Warrington fought to stay in the match and pegged it back to 14-10 at the break with three late goals.

Sam Bedlow and James Higgins were the mainstay of the Hawks goal threat in the second period but it was opposition goalkeeper Alex Bradley who was the star of a pulsating finale.

The England U18 squad stopper pulled off a string of one-on-one saves to keep his team in the game and when Hawks were reduced to four outfield players through two-minute sin-bin offences in the closing stages they looked set to crumble.

However, a crucial stop by Hawks goalkeeper Marc Howard with less than a minute to play meant a relieved Hawks were able to run out the clock and the final whistle was the signal for celebrations aplenty.

Then to crown an amazing day for the two-year-old club, captain Ellie Whitehead was named EHA U18 player of the year and Donna Hankinson was named EHA coach of the year.

“I am shocked – I really expected Salford Coach Bill Baillie to receive the award this season,” said Hankinson.

“Knowing the award has been voted for by colleagues and players makes it really special. I have been involved in handball as a player and coach since I was 10 years old and I have never been prouder.

“This award is for the players that I’ve worked with and the club, they are a special bunch and I look forward to the seasons that lie ahead. For me personally it is an accolade for all mine and the players hard work and a reminder that if we are to continue improving then I have to continue to develop my coaching knowledge and experience, something I am more than determined to do.”

FINAL RESULTS
U18 Girls: Hawks 16, Wirral 11 ‹ Hawks scorers: Ruth Anderson (5), Beth Wilbraham (5), Ellie Whitehead (3), Eliza Morgan (1), Emily Maddison (1), Becky Barnes (1).

U18 Boys: Hawks 24, Warrington Wolves 22 ‹ Hawks scorers: Sam Bedlow (9), James Higgins (7), Steve Clarke (3), Stefan Whaley (3), Wes Hunt (1), Jamal Braithwaite (1).

Ruislip Eagles win EHA Cup

RUISLIP Eagles were crowned Women’s EHA Cup winners after a thrilling 24-22 victory over arch rivals London GD in the final at Crystal Palace National Sports Centre on Saturday.

The two evenly matches sides, who have shared the national titles between them for several years, were well matched again throughout the first half, but the Eagles got ahead with fast break goals which gave them an 11-7 lead at half time.

A two-minute suspension of a Ruislip player gave London GD the edge for the opening few minutes of the second half, and they fought back well. But the Eagles still managed to maintain a three-goal lead.

However, a purple patch for London GD helped them battle back to 15-15, and with ten minutes to go they went in front 20-18, despite being a player down for a period.

But Ruislip kept their nerve and clawed back the deficit to take the win by two goals.

EHA Cup finals this Saturday

CRYSTAL Palace National Sports Centre is the venue for England Handball’s finals day this Saturday, a great chance to see some of the best handball the country has to offer!

Four great matches have been lined up, and for the participants it will mark the end of a long season of handball action which has seen them reach the final hurdle.
The EHA Men’s Plate will see Deva and Olympia do battle at 11.30am, with the presentation to the winner at 12.40pm.

The Under-18 Girls Cup final sees North East Manchester Hawks take on Wirral at 1.20pm, with the presentations following at 2.20pm.

The Hawks are also in the Under-18 Boys final and face Warrington at 2.35pm, with presentations at 3.55pm.

Finally, the EHA Women’s Cup final will see London GD take on Ruislip Eagles at 4.50pm, with presentations at 6pm.

The final of the EHA Men’s Cup will take place at Bethnal Green on June 30 between Salford and London GD.

Favourites in line for EHA Cup final clash

THE two favourites in the EHA Men’s Cup have been kept apart in the semi final draw made at SportHouse in Barking last weekend, increasing the likelihood that they will play each other in the final.

London GD will play University of Manchester in their semi final on May 12/13, while Salford – who have yet to beat Liverpool in their quarter final – will play the victor from Cambridge v Bath in their semi tie.

The draw was made in the presence of referees and members of the public, while the EHA Men’s Plate semi finals will be Olympia v Manchester and Deva versus either Warwick of Liverpool Speke Garston.

London GD only just reached the semi finals after a tough match against rivals Ruislip Eagles which they won 24-27.

The previous day, Manchester University had cruised into the semi finals with a 31-17 victory over Bristol.

And in the women’s EHA Cup, Ruislip Eagles edged past Olympia 34-26 on Sunday, while Saturday saw London GB beat Warrington Wolves 32-21.

It's crunch time in EHA Cup

IT’S crunch time in the EHA Cup this weekend, with some crucial matches being played across the country as clubs go in search of silverware.

The EHA Men’s Cup is at the quarter final stage, and the University of Manchester will take on Bristol on Saturday at Sugden Sports Centre in Manchester.

The following day at SportHouse in Barking, Ruislip Eagles and London GD will do battle in a match which is never half-hearted.

In the women’s EHA Cup on Saturday Warrington Wolves will play London GD at Birchwood, while Sunday’s other Women’s Cup match sees Ruislip Eagles play Olympia at SportHouse.

Warrington shock Olympia in EHA Cup

Warrington Wolves pulled off a shock victory versus last year’s beaten finalists Olympia on Sunday to march on in the EHA Cup.

This feat was made all the more fantastic by the fact that their squad contained only 2 players over the age of 18 and that every player is home grown.

Warrington took the lead early on and never looked back, Olympia were no match for the pace and speed of Donna Hankinson fledgling squad lead by the ever improving speedy winger Lauren Wilkinson who contributed 4 fast break goals in the first half.

Charlotte Robinson dictating the play in her strongest performance for several years also contributed 4 goals before the break with Ari Bekker for Olympia matching her goal for goal. The score at half time was Warrington 11 Olympia 8.

Warrington steadied themselves for the Olympia rally. Olympia changed their defensive formation choosing to mark out powerful shooter Beth Wilbraham. Warrington also lost their steadying hand Charlotte Robinson early in the second half due to a serious back injury. With their other play maker out injured Ellie Whitehead had to take centre stage outside the comfort zone of her usual Wing position.

Olympia pushed hard but Warrington showed their hunger and desire playing the entire second half with an under 18s team to come out on top and although they missed several easy opportunities in the second half as they felt the pressure there defensive performance pulled them through conceding only 8 goals in each half. Man of the Match was Line player Emily Maddison who’s defensive performance was heroic with 5 blocked shots and countless last ditch tackles and hits keeping Olympia’s big shooters at bay.

Coach Hankinson said: “I am delighted, these girls are probably the hardest working players in the league, they travel from far and wide to train together and although they are still relative babies in terms of their handball education they know they are at the start of a journey.

“We work hard on defence and that was what pleased me the most, attack wins matches but defence wins titles, and although we’re a long way of beating the more experienced teams we have them on our radar.”

England's Finest Prepare for Finals

THE best handball teams from across England come to Crystal Palace National Sports Centre on Saturday for a day of four EHA Cup finals.

Warrington Wolves take on the North East Manchester Hawks in the EHA Girls Cup final at 12noon, and that is followed by the Boys final at 1pm, featuring North East Manchester Hawks and Olympia Cannock.

Unbeaten all season in the league, Ruislip Eagles take on Olympia in the EHA Women’s Cup final at 2pm, followed by the Men’s final at 4pm which sees league champions Great Dane and runners-up Ruislip Eagles.

With the league title already in the bag, there has been little time for Great Dane to celebrate as they prepare for the EHA Cup final.

“We can’t rest yet,” said Great Dane captain Jordi Ferrer-Torras. “We’ll be ready and fighting for the final of the cup.”

Likewise, the captain of league runners-up and cup holders Ruislip, Marc Fayemi, was raring to go for the final despite conceding the league title.

“We’ve beaten Great Dane twice this season already and we’ll have to show them our quality in the cup final. We’ll be ready for them.”

It looks set to be a busy day for GB Team Manager Mel Chowns, who is also head coach for Ruislip Eagles Women and will be eager to see her domestic team complete the league and cup double, while also ensuring that Great Britain go through to the next stage of Euro 2012 for victory over Finland.

EHA Cup: Battle Lines Drawn

WITH the league title in the bag, there will be little time for Great Dane to celebrate as they prepare for the EHA Cup final against rivals Ruislip this Saturday at Crystal Palace National Sports Centre.

“We can’t rest yet,” said Great Dane captain Jordi Ferrer-Torras. “We’ll be ready and fighting for the final of the cup.”

Likewise, the captain of league runners-up and cup holders Ruislip, Marc Fayemi, was raring to go for the final despite conceding the league title.

“We’ve beaten Great Dane twice this season already and we’ll have to show them our quality in the cup final. We’ll be ready for them.”

Baby Hawks Fly into Final

JUST 12 months after their formation, North East Manchester Hawks are preparing to field both their Under-18 boys and girls teams in the National Youth Finals at Crystal Palace National Sports Centre next weekend.
The Under-18 girls will face Warrington Wolves in the final after beating an experienced Deva side 16-9 in their semi, despite the fact that five of their players had not even heard of handball six months ago.

Formed last summer by Donna Hankinson, Sue Whitehead and Nicola Reddin, the Hawks came about when a series of trials for a one-off team for the regional championships were held.

Hankinson explained: “We trained every Wednesday for a couple of months and soon realised that we had a dedicated and talented bunch of athletes who’d really fallen in love with our sport.

“We soon realised that if we didn’t give them a platform on which to continue they would be lost forever – hence the reason why the Hawks were founded.”

Since then their progress has been rapid, and they have around 70 per cent of their players with England Youth caps, while one - James Higgins - was selected for the GB Under-21s.

With regular help from GB captain Ciaran Williams, the club and the players have gone from strength to strength, and Hankinson added: “The finals are just reward for all of the hard work the players have put in over the last few months.

“No matter what the result on 4th June to have achieved so much in such a short time was nothing short of a miracle - we are the newest club with the least experienced players yet all we have done match after match and session after session is improve.”

If anyone is interested in joining the club contact Donna Hankinson via email at donna@turner-bianca.co.uk

Women's Cup: It's Eagles v Olympia!

THE top two teams in the English Women’s League, Ruislip and Olympia will meet each other in the final of the EHA Cup final on June 4.

Ruislip Eagles won through to the final with a hard-fought 18-11 victory over Great Dane, with Dreksler scoring six goals.

Olympia made it to the final with a narrow 31-27 win over Deva, with their top-scorer being Bourkab with an impressive ten goals, while Torgnes bagged nine.

Basta and Popa both scored ten goals for Deva, but it was not enough to secure victory.

A Festival of Handball: EHA Cup Final Day

CRYSTAL Palace National Sports Centre has been confirmed as the venue for this year’s EHA Cup finals on June 4, and it looks set to be a mini festival of handball too!

The action starts at 12noon with the final of the National Girls Cup, and will be followed at 1pm by the boys final between North East Manchester Hawks and Olympia Cannock.

The first of the senior matches is at 2pm, when the women’s EHA Cup final is staged, while the men’s EHA Cup final is at 4pm.

And following the England Handball matches, the GB Women’s team will take on Finland in the qualifying stages of the 2012 European Championship.

Rivals Set for Cup Clash

IN a warm-up for their play-off clash next week, Great Dane and Salford do battle this Saturday in the semi final of the EHA Cup at Leyton SCORE Centre in London.

The winners of the match, which begins at 4pm, will go through to the final on June 4 at Crystal Palace National Sports Centre.

The other semi final sees Manchester play Ruislip at Greenbank Academy in Liverpool on Saturday (3pm start).

Meanwhile, in the Women’s EHA Cup Olympia play Deva at Crystal Palace on Saturday (12noon start), while newly-crowned league champions Ruislip Eagles take on former champions Great Dane at Leyton (2pm start).

And in the Men’s Plate competition, Cambridge play Oxford University at Moulton near Northampton at 12noon, following which Warwick University play Bristol at 2pm.

Arch Rivals Set for Semi Final Clash

A STRONG second half performance helped Great Dane overcome rivals Olympia 32-24 and reach the semi finals of the EHA Cup.

The two teams met at Crystal Palace National Sports Centre on Saturday, and Great Dane were only 14-12 ahead at half time following a close first 30 minutes.

But Great Dane won the second period convincingly, 18-12, to take the overall win with Philip Altong top-scoring with eight goals. The win books their spot in the semi finals on May 14/15 against Salford.

Salford reached the final four of the competition with a 45-31 win over Leeds at the Greenbank Sports Academy in Liverpool.

Jack Hennessy scored ten goals to help Salford to victory, while Aden Woodall and Rafik Tahroui both scored six.

Leeds battled well, but were 11-21 down at half time. But they only lost the second half 20-24, and finished with Damian Derkecz scoring nine and Maran Cwik eight goals.

The second semi final will be between Ruislip and Manchester.

Ruislip reached the last four with a 29-26 win over Liverpool, Christin Nguelo scoring nine times and Arzedine Messis eight to help them scrape a close victory.

The two sides were close at half time with Ruislip winning 11-13, and Liverpool kept them close through the second period too but just couldn’t overhaul the deficit.

And Manchester won 25-18 over Liverpool Speke Garston in their quarter final clash, despite only having eight players available, as opposed to the 14 that Speke Garston brought.

Both Rafal Rybak and Felipe Piccardo scored six goals for Manchester, while Peter Roscoe was the best for Speke Garston, netting four times.

Finally, in the Women’s EHA Cup, Ruislip Eagles beat Cambridge 29-14, with their Great Britain international Dani Sposi top-scoring with 11 goals.

Currently top of their group in the EHA Cup, Ruislip Eagles’ final match in the group stages is a crucial clash with Deva, who are second in the group and level on points with two wins from two matches so far.

The leading pair are due to clash on May 8 at Sugden Sports Centre in Manchester.

Speke Garston Beat Deva to Book Last Eight Spot

LIVERPOOL Speke Garston booked their place in the quarter finals of the EHA Cup when they secured a 33-25 victory over rivals Deva at Greenbank Sports Academy on Sunday.

Ten goals from Smith helped Speke Garston to victory - his five in the first half helped them to a 19-11 lead at the break, and they continued to dominate after the break.

Deva’s top scorer was Steffan who also bagged ten goals, while Steve Jameson added eight, but it was not enough to secure the win.

Speke Garston’s reward for the victory was a clash with Manchester in the last eight of the competition.

Elsewhere, Leeds University will play National League play-off leaders Salford in the next round after beating Cambridge 30-29 in a thrilling clash at Moulton, near Northampton.

Manchester cruised into the last eight with a 25-11 win over Oxford University at Leyton SCORE Centre in London, but at just 6-9 ahead at half time they had to turn the style on in the second half to overcome a stubborn Oxford outfit.

The Mancunians looked hesitant in attack, and the lack of organisation and poor shot efficiency allowed Oxford to stay on their heels by just a few goals.

But a Manchester timeout gave them time to sort their patterns out, and keeping their defensive solidarity and building more coordinated attacks, Manchester finished the first half three goals ahead (9-6).

After the break Manchester were more accurate in attack, and were helped by a great goalkeeping show from Deak who only conceded five.

Salford reached the quarter finals when they beat Manchester University 29-18, while Liverpool Wolves hammered Bristol 40-19 in their second round match to reach the last eight.

Wolves’ reward for their win is a clash with Ruislip Eagles, while Olympia play Great Dane in the final quarter final match.

Those games - and the Plate matches for teams knocked out of the Cup - are scheduled for the weekend of April 9-10.

Cambridge Battle to Cup Victory over Thames

CAMBRIDGE battled to a narrow 19-17 victory over Thames in the English Women’s Cup, with a late comeback giving them the win.

Cambridge got into the game well and opened an early lead, Niki Rau scoring a nice goal from the wing. Good attacks helped them extend the lead, with clear chances being stopped by penalties which first Kriszti Baranyi (3) and then Angela Heard (2) converted.

But Thames always looked dangerous, and battled back to a 9-9 half time scoreline with Cambridge making some silly mistakes.

A close second half saw Thames lead by a goal with 12 minutes left, but after a timeout from Cambridge they fought back to lead by two which they held to the end.

Baranyi finishes as Cambridge’s top scorer with six, and although Niki Papp for Thames scored eight, it was not quite enough for victory.

Also in the Women’s EHA Cup, Great Dane beat Manchester University 15-9 in a hard-fought and tense clash at Leyton.

* In the Men’s EHA Cup, Great Dane reached the second round when they beat Warwick University 32-24 in their first round clash. That result means Great Dane join Olympia and Ruislip in the next round after the other two teams received byes through the first stage.

Arch Rivals Drawn Apart in EHA Cup

HOLDERS Great Dane and rivals Ruislip Eagles have been drawn in opposing groups for the EHA Women’s Cup, which begins on February 5-6.

Great Dane will take on Manchester University and Olympia in their group, while the second group includes Ruislip, Deva, Cambridge and Thames.

The second set of matches is on March 5-6, and the third round is on April 9-10.

The semi finals on May 14-15 will pit the winner of each group against the runner-up from the other, with the finals on June 4-5.

The first set of matches on February 5-6 will see Great Dane play Manchester University in Group One, while in Group Two Thames play Cambridge and Deva play Ruislip.

Underdogs Ruislip Secure EHA Cup

RUISLIP Eagles upset the form book when they were crowned EHA Cup champions after a thrilling 26-25 victory over Manchester in the final at the Brentwood Centre in Essex on Saturday.

With two victories over National League champions Great Dane to their credit, Manchester began the match as hot favourites for victory. But Ruislip were determined to stop them.

Three unanswered goals gave Ruislip a good start to the game. However, Manchester came back quickly into the game thanks to Celian Girost, first levelling and then taking a narrow lead.

Both goalkeepers, Vladimir Belus and Stefan Bauer, made fine saves throughout the first half, which ended with Manchester just ahead at 17-14.

The Eagles came back with determination, despite Manchester holding on to their three-goal lead for most of the second half.

With ten minutes left Manchester had opened up their lead to five goals, but the Eagles never gave up and strengthened up their defence to stop Manchester doing any more damage.

Andrius Rinkevicius was outstanding in Ruislip's goal, making crucial saves, and an excellent turnover of players made sure the Ruislip team gave it all until the end.

Goal after goal, the Eagles came back and made a fantastic finish, levelling at 25-25 with ten seconds left.

The Eagles’ big chance came with a seven-metre penalty, and Hugo Mazel kept his cool to seal a brilliant victory.

"We were so enthused to play this final,” said Ruislip captain Marc Fayemi afterwards. “We just felt good and confident we could resist the Manchester HC team.

“We wanted to make this final special to us and we could not ask more with such a stunning scenario. And to see all your team-mates so happy to win this Cup, and it is just fabulous to lift the trophy and enjoy such moments together!"

* Cambridge won the Men’s EHA Plate after overcoming Manchester University 28-18 in the final.

Paco Fernandez scored five as Cambridge took a comfortable victory, while Massimi, Diaz and Sevin all scored four goals towards their victory.

Team Prepare for EHA Cup Finals

SOME of the best teams in English handball will be in Essex on Saturday as the Brentwood Centre stages the finals of the EHA Cup and plate competitions.

Manchester take on Ruislip in the final of the men’s Cup, while women’s league champions Great Dane will do battle once again with arch rivals and former league champions Ruislip Eagles in the final of the Women’s Cup.

And the men’s Plate final will also be decided in an action-packed day, with Cambridge taking on Manchester University in that final.

League Champs Beaten in Final Clash

BATTLING Manchester secured a thrilling 29-28 victory over National League champions Great Dane in the final English National League play-off matches at the Greenbank Academy in Liverpool on Sunday.

The in-form side scraped past Great Dane by the narrowest of margins, and will be aiming to take that form into the EHA Cup final on June 5 when they play Ruislip at the Brentwood Centre in Essex.

Eight goals from Phillip (pictured) was not enough to stop Great Dane losing out, with Manchester’s Lasek also scoring eight and Girost seven.

In other Play-off action, Cambridge took a bare seven-man team for their clash with Nottingham, but still managed to scrape a 24-22 victory, with Kemmer scoring seven and Massimi five.

Meanwhile, Olympia ended their domestic season on a high when they beat Salford 45-29. El Hawary scored nine and Bobrowski seven to help Olympia to a comfortable victory which secures second spot for them.