Newcomers Gedling host tournament

THE new Gedling Warriors Handball Club had their first real run out last weekend, taking on the Universities of Nottingham and Loughborough in a friendly round robin tournament.

Warriors were only formed in September last year and will hope to be competing in the Development Leagues next season.

In their first match they took on Loughborough and although the students had the best of the first half, after the break the Warriors fought back hard and put their opponents under some pressure. Although Loughborough ran out winners 17-13 thanks to a sterling first half performance, the new boys took the second half.

Loughborough were straight back onto court to take on Nottingham and this was a superb advert for Student Handball with the game nip and tuck right up to the last 5 minutes or so when Nottingham just took advantage of a tiring Loughborough team, winning 24-21.

The last match saw Gedling take on Nottingham to try to improve on the 27-9 defeat inflicted on them by the students last December. Nottingham were keen to do well and were only 11-9 down at half time. Once again, Nottingham called on their greater experience to pull away, eventually winning the game 23-14 and, with it, the tournament.

Gedling are looking for as many fixtures as possible between now and next season in an attempt to become more competitive – contact Colin Wills for more details on Colin.Wills@nottingham.ac.uk

Salford Notch up Another Big Win

SALFORD notched up an emphatic 41-19 victory over Nottingham University in the third round of the English National League (North) at the Greenbank Sports Academy in Liverpool on Sunday.

The last time these two teams met resulted in a resounding 20-goal victory for Salford. However, after a well earned victory against Manchester University last time out, and with some additional players to bolster their squad, Nottingham could approach this game with a positive outlook.

Unfortunately, that positivity didn't last long. Salford came out of the traps like a greyhound on speed and quickly opened up a lead that did nothing but grow.

By half time Salford already had a 15-goal advantage, going in ahead 23-8.

As the second half started there was no let up for Nottingham. A succession of fast break goals from Salford's Rafik Tahraoui took the gap between the teams to 20 goals.

Nottingham did manage a bit of a mini fightback in the middle of the second period, but this couldn't be sustained and their cause was a lost one. Salford pushed on again to finish the game 22 goals to the good running out winners.

There were some notable performances for both teams. Nottingham's Mardaras (pictured) scored eight goals and Salford's Ciaran Williams 11. But, the real noticeable performance of the day was the Salford defence.

Despite scoring on average more than 30 goals per game, this is by far the strength of the team. Their ability to rapidly turn defence into attack, confidently led by their defensive commandant Matt Lee, keeps Salford as the dominant team in the North.

Elsewhere, Seven goals from Wojciech Bienias helped Leeds Hornets to a 28-18 win over Liverpool Speke Garston, while Roscoe was Speke’s top scorer with five.

Zak Dunstone scored seven for Deva, but it wasn’t enough to stop Manchester securing a 32-24 victory with Papamichael being their top-scorer with six.

And Liverpool won 31-16 against Manchester University with Carvolio hitting the net eight times.

Deva Win Nottingham Tournament

DEVA Handball Club were crowned Nottingham Tournament champions 2011 after a thrilling event at the city’s university on Sunday.

With most of their players all being home-grown and under-23, Deva battled well in the event at the Sutton Bonnington campus and proved that the future of handball in England is in safe hands.

With six teams playing in a round-robin format, it was not until the penultimate clash of 15 games that the title was decided.

Newcomers to the National League this coming season, Leeds Hornets provided Deva with some stiff opposition, and the fate of the match was in the balance right to the final whistle of the 25-minute game which Deva eventually won 11-10 after an end-to-end match.

While Deva’s top-scorer was Tyler, the play of the tournament was Leeds Hornets’ goalkeeper Lukasz Narel, while the Fair Play Award went to the South West Select side which was made up on players from Bath, Bristol and Cardiff.

Other teams who took part of played a vital part in making it such a success were Liverpool Speke Garston, Nottingham University, Deva, Manchester University and an East Midlands Select side featuring players from Lincoln and Peterborough.

Next year’s event looks set to be bigger and better, with organisers aiming to make it a two-day international event.

Dozens of photographs from the Nottingham Tournament - take by Michele Davison - are available to view here

Manchester Edge Past Rivals in League Thriller

MANCHESTER Handball Club scraped past rivals Nottingham University 19-18 to maintain top spot in the Northern Section of the Men’s English League.

With just eight players available for the clash, Manchester’s difficult task was made even harder when Rybak was injured early in the game while scoring his first and last goal of the game.

Nottingham took an early lead and went 4-1 ahead before Manchester reacted and drew level.

The Manchester team looked slow. Apart from Liatouji who stood out with eight goals and goalkeeper Belus, the rest of the Mancunians played below their normal level and rarely presented a serious threat to a Nottingham team with an in-form goalkeeper who made seven six-metre saves.

But the Mancunians' defence was strong and a few fast breaks allowed them to build a lead of four goals at half time (11-7).

The second half saw Nottingham narrow the deficit to one or two goals for most of the match and with three minutes left, the three-goal advantage was narrowed down to just one with two consecutive passive play offences dished out to Manchester.

The last seconds of the game were tense, but Manchester kept the lead and overall deserved to win this match.

Elsewhere in the Northern Section, Salford remain unbeaten this season after notching up a 37-22 victory over Deva at Sugden in Manchester.

Great Britain Under-21 ace Aden Woodall scored 16 goals in the win, while fellow GB youngster Jack Hennessey added eight goals.

And the University of Manchester beat Liverpool Speke Garston 27-20 at Greenbank.

* Title hopefuls Nottingham University will be aiming to boost their bid for the Northern Section when they play host to rivals Salford at home on Sunday.

Unbeaten Salford will need to be at their best for the clash against ever-improving Nottingham, who will be aiming to get back to winning ways after losing by just one goal to table-topping Manchester last weekend.

Elsewhere, at Greenbank Academy in Liverpool Deva take on Manchester university, while Liverpool Wolves play Manchester.

And in the South, Great Dane take on Olympia in the Women’s League at 12noon at Crystal Palace National Sports Centre before Olympia and Great Dane men’s teams meet at 2pm at the same venue.

Tight at the Top After Thrilling Play-Off Matches

After beating leaders and reigning champions Great Dane in the Cup the previous week, Olympia continued their good form with a 33-30 victory over Manchester.

Olympia are now level on points with Manchester but ahead on goal difference and stand a very good chance of securing a European spot in the final two games of the season.

Ten goals from Lindberg underpinned their victory, while Haddadou scored eight for Olympia. Lasek scored ten for Manchester and Girost seven, but it was not enough for victory.

Cambridge overtook Manchester after beating a battling Salford side 36-27.

Nine goals from Fernandez helped Cambridge control the match, while for Salford Garthman, Tauraoui and Woodall all scored five.

Great Dane cruised to a 33-17 win over bottom of the play-off table Nottingham University, with all but four of their players getting on the scoresheet. Remus Bugariu scored eight and Philip Altong five for Great Dane, while Nottingham’s best was Bodet with six.

The play-offs resume in two weeks time on May 9 at Moulton in Northampton, where the match of the day looks set to be the clash between Cambridge and Manchester.

Olympia will be aiming to maintain third spot in the league with a win over Nottingham, while Great Dane play Salford.

Pre-Season Starts at Nottingham

GET your 2010-11 season off to a great start! Enter the Pre-Season Tournament being staged in Nottingham on Sunday, September 5.

The event will be staged at the University of Nottingham’s Sutton Bonnington Campus, and while the exact format has not yet been fixed, it will include several games and include both men’s and women’s competitions.

If you’re interested, please contact Colin Wills at colin.wills@nottingham.ac.uk

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.