Salford beat rivals London GD in play-offs

NORTHERN Section winners Salford beat Southern Section winners London GD 29-27 in a thrilling English National League play-off clash on Sunday.

Despite currently filling the second place spot, London GD went into the game confident. Having met Salford three times last season and winning each time, there would be no reason for them to expect anything but a victory this time round too.

Salford on the other hand could be far from confident. The last time these two teams met saw Salford end up on the wrong end of a 19 goal drubbing. A defeat that handed London GD last year's league title.

The game started tight with no team managing to turn their opening attacks into goals. However, London GD were first to break to deadlock and soon after had opened up a 4 goal to nothing lead.

At this stage there was a real danger of history repeating itself, but an opening goal from Salford's Aden Woodall seemed to ease the tension slightly and give the northerners the bit of a boost they needed. A few minutes later London GD were forced to call an early time out as Salford crept up on their lead and were now only trailing by two at 5-3.

The time out didn't help. With every attack that followed you could see the confidence growing in the youngsters from the north. All helped by their renowned strength in defence. As the sides grew level the turning of the tide was obvious. As the teams went in at half time Salford had returned the 4 goal deficit to go in ahead by a single goal at 12-11.

Clearly the start of the second half was going to be key now to the outcome of the game. If London GD could retake the lead and reopen their ealier advantage then the chances of Salford coming back again would be minimal. Once again crumbling to the southern superiority that had kept the title in the south for a number of years.

Salford, however, seemed to know what would be coming. Taking the time to refresh their line up, it was Salford that came out with all guns blazing, leaving their opponents shell shocked and trailing by 5 goals after just 5 minutes.

To their credit though London GD didn't give up. As true champions, they are always a threat and worked hard to try and recoup the deficit. But, Salford's greater fitness and speed just made that task impossible. Even with two late 2-minute suspensions, Salford would not succumb to London GD's pressure.

A goal to keep Salford up by three with a minute left made the outcome certain. Even with a late goal from London GD the result was now inevitable. Salford ending an entertaining match victorious at 29 goals to 27.

Salford Assistant Coach, Kristian Marsh, said after the game: “Any match against London GD is going to be tough. They are a well established club with a great record to show for it. They've been deserved champions for a number of seasons and any team that comes to play them have to be at their best, especially down here in London.

“We played well as a team today and showed that we do not rely on any one single player. This was a massive result for us, it takes us one step closer to the title and banishes the memories of last season's catastrophic final game. We do though need to keep the momentum going. This season's far from over and we are in no way guaranteed of anything. We've wounded London GD a little today, but, just like a wounded animal, that will make them all the more dangerous next time".

Notable performances on the day come once again from Salford's Rafik Tahraoui, scoring 6 goals, and London GD's Jordi Ferrer-Torras, scoring 7. With 11 assists Salford's Aden Woodall played a great supporting part and with a save rate of over 50 per cent Salford's Rob Avery showed his value in goal.

* In other play-off action, Cambridge moved up to fourth in the play-off table with a 23-17 victory over Manchester, while Ruislip Eagles were 34-25 winners over Leeds Hornets.

The play-offs resume on April 1 at Greenbank Sports Academy in Liverpool, where Leeds Hornets play London GD, Salford take on Cambridge and Manchester play Ruislip Eagles.

London GD Make History in Europe

LONDON GD Handball Club – formerly known as Great Dane – became the first British team ever to reach the third round of the European Challenge Cup when they secured three narrow victories in their second round matches in Malta last weekend.

Their first game on Friday against London rivals Ruislip Eagles proved tense and ended with a one-goal win, 30-29.

This was followed by two matches over the weekend, resulting in a 29-24 win against home side Aloysians ProMinent, who had hundreds of home supporters cheering them on, and finally a 31-26 victory over Dublin International on Sunday afternoon.

The team has been training hard over the summer months and new players have integrated well with an already strong line-up.

Coach Phillipe Seray was naturally very pleased with the efforts of his team, and said: “I am very happy with the teamwork and professional attitude of our players. Bearing in mind that this was the first few games of the season, bar a few friendly games, we have done extremely well.”

London GD will meet Greek side AC Doukas in two games in late November/early December. A decision on whether both games will happen in Greece, or with a home and an away game will be made shortly.

The Greek side is likely to prove a difficult opponent; while London GD is an amateur club with a couple of training sessions a week, this is a professional team with paid players.

“It will be very tough indeed,” says Seray. “But even if we did very well this weekend, there is still room for improvement. We have to keep focusing and train very hard over the next two months and just do the best we possibly can when it comes down to it.”

* Other results saw Ruislip Eagles beat Dublin international 30-27, and Aloysians ProMinent 27-22, which left them a creditable second in the group.

And in the women’s Challenge Cup, Olympia faced strong opponents in their group in Portugal and lost out 42-18 to Croatian team RK Zelina, as well as 34-16 to Portugese side Alavarium.

Thames Crowned London Cup Winners

THAMES Women won the pre-season London Cup competition after a thrilling series of matches at Leyton SCORE Centre in North London on Saturday.

This year’s competition was a women-only affair with several of the men’s teams preparing for their European campaign, but it was still a hotly-contested tournament.

The first game was between Thames and Olympia, who had several new signings, but Thames were undeterred and led by 2-3 goals almost throughout the match until Olympia realised they had to up their game, if they wanted to have a chance at winning the Cup.

With minutes to spare, they managed to level the score and just edged ahead to win 14-13.

Thames’ second game against London GD was a deciding clash their opponents had comfortably won against Olympia. With new signings in each team, the flow of the game was uncharacteristically slow and nervous and both teams failed to convert what were otherwise clear chances.

But in the end it was Thames who managed to control the match better with Nikoletta Papp scoring from the back court over London GD's defence and Maria Kourdoulos hitting the net from the wing three times.

For Thames, Live Kolstad Kvalsvik was top scorer for her team with five goals, followed by Maria Kourdoulos and Asta Slezeviciene scoring three each.

The fate of the Cup went to goal difference, and with Thames on +3 and London GD on +1, it was Thames who took the win for the first time since 2009.

Thanks must go to the referees and officials who helped make the event a success.

Results: Thames 13 Olympia 14, London GD 18 Olympia 13, Thames 13 London GD 9.

English Champs in Essex Tournament

REIGNING English Men’s League and Cup champions Great Dane are one of three teams in action at a three-team international club tournament being staged on July 2 in Essex.

The event at Basildon Sporting Village will see Great Dane take on opposition from France and Germany in a tournament to celebrate the Basildon Town Twinning Association (BTTA).

Basildon is twinned with Meaux in France and Heiligenhaus from Germany. This tournament, kindly sponsored by BTTA, follows a successful and close fought tournament last year at Leyton SCORE.

Sports development Manager Wayne Davies said: “This is a great opportunity for the people of Basildon and neighbouring areas to come down and watch the English League and Cup Champions Great Dane take on teams from France and Germany.

“I personally can’t wait to see the showcase game and am looking forward to seeing Basildon’s youngsters take to the court and have a go during the taster sessions.

“Let’s hope with the Olympics on our doorstep and this European style tournament taking place here in Basildon we can kick-start the development of handball in the area and enthuse possible handball stars of the future.”

The three hour tournament starts at 1.15pm. Entry is free for anyone wishing to attend. For details contact John Compton johncompton@talktalk.net

Cup Finals Mark End to Great English Season

REIGNING champions Great Dane successfully secured the League and Cup double at Crystal Palace National Sports Centre on Saturday – but they had to do it the hard way, battling past a determined Ruislip Eagles side to take the EHA Cup prize.

Seven goals from Kris Olschgloeger (pictured) and six from Philips Altong helped Great Dane secure victory in the Cup to add to their league title.

The overall top scorer in the match was Ruislip’s Alex Rabinin with ten goals, but it was not enough to deny their London rivals victory.

But it was not all disappointment for Ruislip Eagles.

Earlier in the day their women’s team – who secured the league title last week – ensured they have gone through the whole season unbeaten when they beat Olympia 32-22 in the women’s EHA Cup final.

Seven goals each from Zsuzi Telek and Dani Sposi – who went on to play for Great Britain in their Finland clash later in the day – underpinned that victory.

And in the Under-18 Boys EHA Cup final, Olympia Cannock won 24-20 against North East Manchester Hawks, with Przemick Bednarczyk scoring eight and Ryan Goodwin six. For the Hawks, Sam Bedlow netted seven times, but it was not enough for victory.

The day’s opening match was the Under-18 Girls EHA Cup final, and North East Manchester Hawks won 11-8 against Warrington Wolves, with Ellis Whitehead scoring four.

Beth Wilbraham scored five for the Wolves, but with just three other goals coming from her team-mates it was not enough for the win.

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.

Fourth Consecutive Title for Great Dane

GREAT Dane secured a big 39-20 win over rivals Salford on the final day of the league season at Leyton SCORE Centre in London, overturning Ruislip’s goal difference and securing a fourth consecutive league title by just two goals. Richard Browne Reports.

Ruislip’s crushing 46-16 win over Nottingham earlier in the day had left Great Dane as outsiders for the title, especially as Salford had pushed Great Dane hard twice in the past two weeks.

But Great Dane came out of the blocks on fire and their evident early aggression saw them open the scoring in the first minute and build on their advantage to lead 8-1 after just seven minutes.

Salford battled well and almost pulled level, but the Danes rallied to lead 17-10 at the break.

Within a minute of the second half starting Great Dane extended their lead to 19-10 as Salford struggled to cope with their rivals’ attacks.

But the heat of the game led to Salford being down to five players with Popovic and Williams in the sin-bin, and Great Dane seized their chance to take a 27-17 lead.

A time out saw them doing the maths, and they needed six more goals in 11 minutes to overtake Ruislip and win the league. And with Salford down to six men again, the advantage rested with the Londoners.

A Salford timeout had little effect, and Great Dane were rampant, leading 35-18. A series of acrobatic saves from Sebbata helped keep Dane in the hunt and their 19-goal victory was soon in the bag.

“This has been the hardest season so far,” said Great Dane captain Jordi Ferrer-Torras afterwards. “The quality of play is improving every year and the teams are getting better and better.

“The spirit of the players and the fans here has just been fantastic. For the facilities we have here the atmosphere has been fantastic.”

And Salford coach Bill Baillie added: “I’ve been watching Great Dane play for over 20 years, and that’s the best I’ve seen them play. They were very strong, and the back court players very rarely shot off target. And none of our lads really turned up in defence.

“We’re very disappointed because we wanted to put in a good performance, but the lads will learn from these games and gain experience and will be back.”

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.”

Play-offs Turn into Two-Horse Race

THE race for the English Men’s League title is a two-horse race heading into the final set of matches, after Ruislip Eagles beat former table-toppers Salford at Greenbank Sports Academy in Liverpool on Sunday.

Ruislip won 31-24 over Salford to ensure they are level on points with leaders Great Dane.

And they will have high hopes of snatching the title on the final day of the season, with their final match being against bottom of the league Nottingham University, while Great Dane must play Salford.

The Eagles kept their hopes of the title alive with a hard-fought match against Salford.

Ahead 7-13 at the break, they kept the pressure up to win by seven, with Aliksander Tighzer top-scoring with eight goals and Teyu Christin Nguelo (pictured) scoring seven. Stuart Latchford scored eight for Salford, but it was not enough.

Great Dane eased past Manchester in their penultimate match of the play-offs, but it took a second half push to seal the win having only led 10-13 at the break. Philip scored nine times for the London side.

Fourth-placed Olympia maintained their hopes of climbing to third and securing a spot in European competition with a 23-18 victory over a Nottingham University side which battled hard.

Aurelian Gug scored seven times for Olympia, while Jon Mardaras netted eight for Nottingham, who battled the whole match with just seven players available.

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.

Table Topping Great Dane Defend Lead

REIGNING champions and play-off league leaders Great Dane take on Manchester in their penultimate play-off match of the season at Greenbank Sports Academy in Liverpool on Sunday.

They will be aiming to replicate the 23-15 victory they inflicted on their rivals in March, knowing that they need a win to stay ahead of the chasing pack.

Second-placed Ruislip Eagles take on former leaders Salford, and while they beat their Northern rivals in their previous clash in March they will be taking nothing for granted after a long journey from London.

Finally, Nottingham University play Olympia in the day’s final clash.

The first match is Manchester v Great Dane at 1130, which will be followed by Salford v Ruislip at 1330 and Nottingham v Olympia at 1530.

Olympia Women Beat Great Dane

OLYMPIA Women ensured they finish the group stages of the EHA Women’s Cup top of the table following a 23-19 victory over rivals Great Dane on Sunday.

The victory at Crystal Palace National Sports Centre ensures they will be in the semi finals on May 14/15, when they will play the runner-up from the Northern qualifying group, which has yet to be completed.

Despite the defeat, Great Dane still finished second in the group and will also play in the semi finals, and means the two southern teams could meet again in the final.

Nine goals from Linda Bourkab and seven from Heidi Torgnes helped Olympia to victory, while for Great Dane, both Scholz and Lohmeier scored seven times.

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.

Great Dane Top the Table After Goal Fest

REIGNING champions Great Dane stormed to the top of the Men’s National League play-off table with an emphatic 46-20 victory over Nottingham University at Moulton, Northampton, on Sunday.

Previously second on goal difference, Great Dane climbed above rivals Ruislip Eagles with the 26-goal victory, while Ruislip could only beat Manchester by 13 goals - 30-17 - and dropped to second spot.

Meanwhile, former leaders Salford maintained their push for the title with victory over Olympia to stay third.
Nine goals from Dusan Janik helped Great Dane secure victory over Nottingham University, while both Krisztian Olscheiger and Jordi Ferrer-Torras scored six.

For Nottingham, Wolff and Madaras scored seven each, but it was not enough.

Ruislip Eagles battled well to beat Manchester 30-17, and had Alex Rabinin to thank for scoring eight goals, while Xavier Burin added five.

Karim Hammache scored five for Manchester and Girost added four, but it was not enough to avoid defeat.

Salford threw their title hopes a lifeline with a narrow 26-25 victory over Olympia, with Aden Woodall scoring six goals, while Rafik Tahraoui added five.

The match was close throughout with Salford only leading 11-8 at half time. And that three goal lead only just proved enough as Olympia out-scored them 17-15 in the second half.

The victory was revenge for Salford who lost out 30-18 to Olympia in their first play-off clash in February.
The play-offs take a break for EHA Cup action for a few weeks, with the last two rounds of matches due on May 8 and 22.

In the EHA Men’s Cup this weekend, Leeds Carnegie play Salford on Saturday, while on Sunday it’s Olympia v Great Dane, Speke Garston v Manchester and Liverpool Wolves v Ruislip.

Elsewhere, Cambridge overcame the University of Manchester 28-19 in the EHA Men’s Plate last Saturday.

Ruislip Eagles go Top of the Table

RUISLIP Eagles flew to the top of the English National League Play-Off table with an emphatic 42-17 victory over Nottingham University at Greenbank Sports Academy in Liverpool on Sunday.

Bottom of the table and with just the bare seven players available for the match, Nottingham University proved no match for a Ruislip team who brought 11 players North, and dominated the match from start to finish.

Leading 16-5 by half time, the Eagles had Azzedine Messis to thank having scored six goals while Xavier Burrin netter three.

After the break the onslaught continued, but it was Burrin who largely took over the scoring responsibilities with another seven goals, while Messis added four so that both players finished the match on ten goals.

Guillaume Bodet played well for Nottingham and also scored ten goals, but it was never going to be enough to challenge for victory.

Great Dane overtook former leaders Salford when they secured a narrow 29-30 victory over their rivals, ensuring they move up to second spot in the table - level on points with Ruislip - while Salford slip to third.

Salford were 17-16 ahead at half time with Aden Woodall scoring six goals, but Great Dane edged ahead when it mattered, thanks largely to the goal-scoring efforts of Krisz Olschleger who scored 11 times.

Finally, nothing could separate Manchester and Olympia, who drew 21-21 in their play-off match.

With Salford losing Olympia could’ve moved up to third spot if they had won by four goals, but a strong defence from Manchester - led by goalkeeper Zsolt Deak - ensured the spoils were shared.

Minas Georgiou scored ten goals for Manchester and finished as top-scorer, while Schied scored six for Olympia.

The next round of play-off matches is this Sunday, April 3, at Moulton, Northampton.

Salford take on Olympia in the day’s first match, while Great Dane play Nottingham University and Ruislip Eagles play Manchester.

Leaders Salford Face Great Dane

LEADERS Salford take on second-placed Great Dane this Saturday in what could prove to be the turning point of this season’s English Men’s League.

Unbeaten heading into the play-offs, Salford have suffered at the hands of Southern section teams in the play-offs, and will concede top spot this Sunday if they lose the clash at the Greenbank Sports Academy in Liverpool.

The first game of the session sees Nottingham University take on Ruislip Eagles, while Manchester play Olympia before the final game sees the big clash of the afternoon.

Thames Overcome League Champions

EVER-improving Thames Ladies secured a nail-biting 19-18 victory over reigning English League champions Great Dane at Leyton SCORE Centre in London on Sunday.

With the scores level at 18-18 and two minutes remaining, Thames’s Nikoletta Papp scored from the back court over Great Dane’s defence to secure the win.

Thames were ahead 14-11 at half time after controlling the game well.

But coming out after the half-time break more determined, Great Dane rallied round to bring the score to level, at which it remained until the final two minutes.

Fiorella Franzini of Great Dane was declared player of the match, and she also was top scorer for her team with eight goals. For Thames, Live Kolstad Kvalsvik was top scorer with six.

In other women’s league action, Ruislip overwhelmed Cambridge 31-13.

Photo: Nick Kourdoulos

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.

Clubs Cling to Play-Off Hopes

WITH just a few matches remaining in the normal Men’s English League season, the line-up for the play-off league is still not set with several teams still harbouring hopes of scraping into the end-of-season competition.

The top three teams from both the northern and southern section will go forward to the play-offs and compete for the overall national league title and the right to compete in the European Challenge Cup.

In the north, Salford and Manchester are already through, but the third spot is between the University of Manchester and Nottingham University.

And in the south, Great Dane and Olympia are through to the play-offs, but the final place is between Ruislip Eagles and Cambridge.

There was some thrilling handball played in both regions last weekend, with league newcomers Liverpool Wolves battling to a 16-16 draw with second-placed Manchester, who had previously won nine of their ten matches.

With just eight players travelling to the Greenbank Academy for Sunday’s clash, Manchester came up against a Wolves side who had strength in depth and have an ever-increasing talent base.

9-7 ahead at half time, Manchester couldn’t stop the Wolves biting back to secure a draw.

With results from the normal season carried forward to the play-offs, Salford did themselves a big favour by beating potential play-off rivals Nottingham University 31-25 at Nottingham to maintain their unbeaten record.

And Manchester University also kept their play-off hopes alive with a victory over Deva, although they were made to work hard for the win.

Eight goals from Steven Jameson helped Deva compete with their rivals, but with Berezowski scoring eight goals and Ruiz Varela scoring seven, Manchester University ran out 22-19 winners.

Great Dane secured a narrow 26-24 victory over Olympia at Crystal Palace National Sports Centre to leap-frog their opponents and take over the lead in the southern section.

With Olympia leading 12-10 at half time, Great Dane hit back to secure a win which will also boost Great Dane’s play-off hopes, the result being carried forward to the end of season competition.

Olympia Shoot Down Rivals Great Dane

OLYMPIA Women boosted their title hopes when they recorded a 25-20 victory over rivals Great Dane in their latest National League clash at Crystal Palace National Sports Centre in London.

The fate of the match was close right down to the final couple of minutes, but Olympia maintained their composure and secured a victory which sees them go second in the table.

With several victories under their belts already over guest teams, it was Olympia’s first league win.

But they face another stiff test this Sunday when they take on leaders Ruislip Eagles who have won both their league matches so far. Also at Crystal Palace, Sunday’s match begins at 12noon.

Four goals from Ari Bekker helped Olympia to take a narrow 11-10 lead at half time, while Linda Bourkab scored three.

After the break Olympia found the net with increasing frequency, with Bekker adding another four to finish as the top scorer. Bourkab also doubled her goal tally to finish with six.

For Great Dane, Adela Jensouska scored five goals and Alexandra Garaloska and Delphine Moral both scored four, but it was not enough.

This Sunday’s Ruislip versus Olympia clash will see in-form Eagles player Telek - who has netted 16 goals in their two league games so far - line up opposite Bekker who scored eight on Sunday.