ENGLAND HANDBALL ASSOCIATION DIVISION 1 CHAMPIONSHIP
NORTHERN LEAGUE
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League |
Day One |
Date |
|
Speke 17 |
Manchester 33 |
Sun 16th Sep |
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Haslingden |
Liverpool |
Bellevue |
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Wirral |
Bolton |
Manchester |
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Manchester University |
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11am-5pm |
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League |
Day Two |
Date |
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Manchester University |
Haslingden |
Sun 23rd Sep |
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Manchester 32 |
Wirral 20 |
Greenbank |
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Liverpool |
Bolton |
Liverpool |
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Speke |
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11am-5pm |
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League |
Day Three |
Date |
|
Wirral |
Manchester University |
Sun 7th Oct |
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Bolton 26 |
Manchester 34 |
Bellevue |
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Speke |
Liverpool |
Manchester |
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Haslingden |
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11am-5pm |
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League |
Day Four |
Date |
|
Manchester University |
Bolton |
Sun 14th Oct |
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Manchester 24 |
Liverpool 22 |
Turf Moor |
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Speke |
Haslingden |
Burnley |
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Wirral |
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11am-5pm |
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League |
Day Five |
Date |
|
Liverpool |
Manchester University |
Sun 11th Nov |
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Bolton |
Haslingden |
Greenbank
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Speke |
Wirral |
Liverpool |
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Manchester |
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11am-5pm |
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League |
Day Six |
Date |
|
Manchester 20 |
Manchester University 28 |
Sun 4th Nov |
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Bolton |
Speke |
Bellevue |
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Wirral |
Haslingden |
Manchester |
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Liverpool |
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11am-5pm |
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League |
Day Seven |
Date |
|
Speke |
Manchester University |
Sun 18th Nov |
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Haslingden 18 |
Manchester 20 |
Greenbank |
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Wirral |
Liverpool |
Liverpool |
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Bolton |
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11am-5pm |
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League |
Day Eight |
Date |
|
Manchester University |
Speke |
Sun 25th Nov |
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Haslingden |
Bolton |
Turf Moor |
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Liverpool |
Wirral |
Burnley |
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Manchester |
11am-5pm |
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League |
Day Nine |
Date |
|
Haslingden |
Manchester University |
Sun 9th Dec |
|
Wirral 28 |
Manchester 33 |
Turf Moor/Sugden |
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Bolton |
Liverpool |
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Speke |
11am-5pm |
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League |
Day Ten |
Date |
|
Manchester University |
Wirral |
Sun 16th Dec |
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Manchester 32 |
Bolton 31 |
Bellevue |
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Liverpool |
Speke |
Manchester |
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Haslingden |
11am-5pm |
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League |
Day Eleven |
Date |
|
Manchester 26 |
Speke 16 |
Sun 13th Jan |
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Liverpool |
Haslingden |
Turf Moor |
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Bolton |
Wirral |
Burnley |
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Manchester University |
11am-5pm |
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League |
Day Twelve |
Date |
|
Manchester University |
Liverpool |
Sun 20th Jan |
|
Manchester 31 |
Haslingden 21 |
Greenbank |
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Wirral |
Speke |
Liverpool |
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Bolton |
11am-5pm |
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League |
Day Thirteen |
Date |
|
Manchester University 23 |
Manchester 23 |
Sun 3rd Feb |
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Speke |
Bolton |
Bellevue |
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Haslingden |
Wirral |
Manchester |
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Liverpool |
11am-5pm |
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League |
Day Fourteen |
Date |
|
Bolton |
Manchester University |
Sun 10th Feb |
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Liverpool 25 |
Manchester 27 |
Greenbank |
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Haslingden |
Speke |
Liverpool |
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Wirral |
11am-5pm |
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Speke Garston 17- Manchester HC 33
Venue : Bellevue, Manchester (16/09/07)
For our first game of the new season, the opposition team was Speke Garston, who were playing in 2nd Division last year. With only 8 players, we knew that this could be a tricky game against a team eager to show its qualities. Speke scored first, but after 18 minutes we were level (5-5). Missing far too many scoring opportunities, we put ourselves in a difficult situation, Speke leading by 3 goals towards the end of the first half. But we quickly reacted, and managed to score 7 without conceding any (half time, 14-10). After the break, we just carried on in the same way. With a seven-goal advantage and 20 minutes to go, the Merseysiders stopped being a real threat. The gap increased slowly, and by the end of the game, we had nearly scored twice as many goals as Speke Garston (FT, 33-17) -Jean Charles D-
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Manchester HC 32 - Wirral HC 20
Venue: Greenbank, Liverpool (23/09/07)
The second encounter of the day saw a very pleasant match being played in the best of spirit by everyone.
Indeed no more than two 2min exclusions were given to each team. The Mancunians with their strong defense and keeper Deak in top form were able to use fast breaks to their advantage and took an early lead which they kept for the rest of the game, despite Wirral HC staying close for most of the first half. The second half saw the same pattern, however, Wirral using a clever change of defense performed impressively scoring 10 in the last 15 minutes of the game.
Good spirit, spectacular handball with nice attacking moves from both teams with high scorers being M. Georgio from Manchester with 10 goals) and Mark Evans from Wirral with a tally of 6. Handball as we like to see! -Karim H-
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Bolton HC 26 - Manchester HC 34
Venue: Bellevue, Manchester (07/10/07)
League Day 3 saw Bellevue host a traditional derby of the northern league, with Bolton having recruited some talented players ahead of the start of the season. Indeed, the lancashire boys took an early lead before Manchester was able to tighten their defense and recover from being two goals down. Finding ways of dealing with Bolton man marking tactics was key to opening an original and sound defensive system and Manchester managed eventually although Sam Harvey in goals for Bolton and Andre Kafack were the usual suspects to help Bolton remain in close contact with the Bees (nb:the Bees is copyright and trademark of J. Bussell) before a series of fast breaks and clinical finish from new MHC boy Aurelien Bouche (11 goals for a baptism of fire!) finished the game off for Manchester.-Karim H-
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Manchester HC 24 - Liverpool HC 22
Venue: Turf Moor, Burnley (14/10/07)
League Day 4 saw another thriller being played by the Mancunians and their best friends and favourite enemies of Liverpool HC. Cup victory for Manchester last year and league wins for Liverpool were proof of what was at stake in this game with Manchester always having problems dealing with their Merseyside counterparts.
The first 10 minutes of the game were even as goals were scored at both end of the court. Luckily, Manchester’s strong defense started to pay off and some nice moves in attack allowed them to take home a 5 goal lead at half time. (16-11) In the second half MHC were finding some difficulties in the attack but kept on controlling the game with their good defence. This carried on until victory preparing Manchester for the clash of 4th November against Manchester University in the best possible way.-Ioannis I-
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Manchester HC 20 - Manchester University HC 28
Venue: Bellevue, Manchester (4/11/07)
League Day 6 saw the traditional derby being played in Manchester with a much strenghtened Manchester University Team which came as a surprise to the all blacks who felt they prepared well for the game. Unfortunately, poor attacking against a strong Man Uni defense resulted in too many fast breaks for the quick wingers of Manchester University which allowed them to take a deserved lead at half time of 5 goals. In the second half, MHC tried to close the gap too quickly for its own good and this resulted in again too many ball losses too early in its attacking phases, allowing for more fast breaks for Manchester University which were able to win the game confortably managing the pace of the match through patient building phases. A nice game to take part in though and a return match to look forward to in February. -Karim H-
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Haslingden HC 18 - Manchester HC 20
League day 7 saw a new fixture for the MHC with Haslingden their opponents. A tight opening began to open up with the young Haslingden defence disrupting the Manchester rhythm, and their youthful legs taking advantage of numerous fast breaks. Manchester were thankful for Deak for keeping the score respectable at half time. After the break, Manchester came out with more purpose, and with a stronger defence, began to reduce the deficit. Significant periods of the game saw Manchester reduced by one or two players, yet keeping the scoreboard ticking over, and Deak frustrating Haslingden at the other end. A nervy end of the game saw Manchester take the lead for the first time, which was only secured by a fast break and goal by Hammache, who twisted his ankle in the process. A tough game against a good opponent. -James B-
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Wirral HC 28 - Manchester HC 33
League day 8 saw MHC travelling to Turf Moor for the second time to play Wirral. After a slow start probably due to the cold hall and the circumstances surrounding the game, Manchester slowly built an advantage over Wirral with some good sequences of play. However, poor finishing on the wings and too many ball losses in fast breaks gave Wirral a second chance in the game which they were more than happy to take. This ensured a tensed game up until the last ten minutes before the MHC boys took off a deserved lead to finish the game 5 goals clear. This game was probably the last of the season for founding father Jose Armesto who is returning to Spain after 4 years of fantastic service at the club. His contribution, passion, dedication and commitment to the club will be missed by everyone. -Karim H-
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Manchester 32 - Bolton 31
Sunday's game between Bolton and Manchester handball clubs showed just how close things have become in the northern section of England Handball's 1st division. Earlier in the season the Manchester outfit trounced a misfiring Bolton by 8 goals. However, things were somewhat different this time round.
Throughout the game there was no seperating either team. Despite the Manchester side being ahead by a goal at half time, recent victories meant that a resurgent and confident Bolton were never going to let this one go. Goals from Manchester's Tomas Lasek were quickly countered by Bolton's Andre Kafack and Patryk Jankowiak. When Manchester's strong defence managed to stop the Bolton half back's some nifty passes were met with well taken goals by Bolton's Dave Brookes on the line. However, the real heroes of the day were the two sides goal keepers. The Manchester keeper Fabien Lauret kept them from going behind on numerous occasions with saves of close range shots from Kafack, Jankowiak and Brookes. The Bolton Keeper, Sam Hanvey, likewise kept the scores tight with a number of critical saves.
Going into the last minute of the game Manchester held a one goal lead. Despite a last ditch assault by the Bolton team, another crucial save by the Manchester keeper ensured that they ended up victorious. (Courtesy of Kris Marsh, Bolton HC)
Manchester 26 - Liverpool Speke 16
After a long break due to the Christmas vacations, Manchester were to meet Liverpool Speke for the second encounter of the season. As per usual, Manchester had a slow start and Liverpool Speke made the most of it and took a deserved lead of a couple of goals which they kept for a good portion of the half. However, once Manchester had their defense sorted out, Liverpool started to run out of ideas and this gave the Mancunians a chance to recover and then build up a lead. Ultimately, the MHC boys won the game thanks to their solid defense and Zsolt Deak saving penalties and important shots a critical times. However, the mancunians's attack will have to improve though, if Manchester is to challenge for honours this season. -Karim H-
Manchester 31 - Haslingden 21
League Day 12 saw Manchester play against Haslingden who proved more than a match in the first encounter last November, Manchester truly escaping with victory in the last minute of the game. This time around, and unlike in previous matches, the MHC lads took an early advantage thanks to some good moves and a good shot efficiency From Minas Georgiou (8/10). The comfortable lead obtained at half time (15-10) allowed Manchester to try some new moves and a new system with two line players.
Haslingden’s young team played quite smart though, and tried to counter Manchester’s fervour through fast breaks, scoring many goals in the process. However, Manchester’s very strong defence made their opponents understand quickly that they could not win this game. However, Aiden Woodall (Haslingden HC) deservedly got player of the match. Overall a very good preparation before the Mancunian derby in two weeks time which will be decisive for the unofficial but notheless symbolic Northern League title. -Aurelien B-
Manchester 23 - Manchester university 23
From Sun 4th Nov Manchester handball club players were preparing for the next clash against Manchester university. After a very bad first game M.H.C lost 20-28 and the only thing that was on their mind was the next game against University. The preparation before the second game was hard and difficult and all the players gave their best to improve enough until Sun 3rd Feb. The improvement was very obvious to see, the score of the second game being M.H.C 23 Man university 23.
The game started with both teams fighting to take the lead of the game, strong defenses from both teams was the main characteristic of the first few minutes. With strong and clever defense and patience in attack M.H.C took an early lead of the game with 5-3 at the tenth minute and then extended to 8-4 until the first half finished with 11-10 for M.H.C . The first stage of the second half proved tricky enough for M.H.C players as they lost the tempo of the game by making a few mistakes in the attack loosing some early balls. University handle to take the lead by 18-15. Then after a few changes of the formation of the team, and with the experienced MHC players, they took the responsibility of the game. The result? Manchester handball club was ahead by 22-20 with 2 minutes to go. Unfortunately, the stress and lack of power was very obvious in the faces of the players and it was just matter of time which team would survive from that game. Unlucky with 2 consecutive mistakes, 2 balls were lost and gave the chance to the University Students to score and Draw the game. We are very proud of what happened in the game and we showed that we are back to fight for the title. -Minas G-
Manchester 27 - Liverpool 25
Sun 10th Feb saw Manchester travel to Liverpool to play the Liverpudians for another classic game of the Northern Division 1 calendar. However, unlike in previous season, Liverpool 2007/08 have been in a bit of a transition phase with key players retiring from the game. This gave Manchester an opportunity to change their approach starting with star player Tomasz Lasek on the right hand side..of the bench!
Tomasz although having limited contact with the match ball still inspired and showed his commitment to the cause, keeping his fingers warm and ready for action by peeling an orange over the first 15 minutes of the game. An inspiration to watch for all...to the surprise of Liverpool HC friend Peter Irving.
There was never more than a couple of points in this game which saw rookie boys Julien Tamsson play on the right wing and trying his best to fit in this difficult position and Julien Blieck showing his impressive pace on the other wing.
Manchester managed to control Liverpool's attack quite well and scored fairly easily at the other end through Aurelien Bouche's whose tally at 7 helped build up his army of supporters at the club -Aurelien being to date, the only MHC player ever to have a fan club from within the team-
Manchester controlling the pace deservedly took the lead in this game where the friendship between the two clubs showed again.
We hope Liverpool will come back with strength next year and wish them the very best. Also to note, Moussa Taleb who showed his focus on penalties and Minas Gergiou his determination to learn playing in an unusual right half position for him. -Karim H-
NATIONAL DIVISION 1
Top 3 teams from Northern League play Top 3 teams from Southern League on a return match basis to decide England Champion.
Division 1 National League
Leyton (day 1) Sun 24th Feb 2008
Oxford - Manchester 29 - 32
Here we were, having travelling by car, coach and train to London to play for our first time ever at Leyton Score London, venue built for the 2012 Olympic games in the first Division 1 national tournament of the season.
Oxford, champions two years ago, third last year were bound to be a tough opponent, with several players appearing to have an advantage not only in strength but also in height with the average height of 6.4 to 5.11 of the Manchester team.
However this was not to be a deterrant for the Mancunians who from the start took a deserved lead through impeccable performance from Tomasz Lasek (who scored 14 goals but 8 according to handball news (NB: Club solicitor instructed to consider legal action ).
Aurelien Bouche nicely finding his mark as right half with no less than 7 goals was working much to the delight of his army of personal MHC fans. Both Tomasz and Aurelien provided an excellent shot percentage which was critical in this game.
Furthermore , Manchester was not only good on the half positions, but the wingers also delivered with Semir AKA " The Spin Doctor" showing his mastery on the left wing (4 goals) and triggering a new training craze (how does he do it? why cant I spin it like him?) and James Bussell AKA Mister 100% scoring 2 out of 2 from his difficult right Wing position.
However, despite Jorge "DEFENSE!" Aguila and Jean Charles "COME ON LADS!" Despres tought warnings ahead of the 2nd half, Oxford were still given a lifeline and took the lead through fast breaks and great attacking from their left handed player. However, there was no stopping Manchester who performed well as a team and did enough to come back from behind and finish 3 goals clear.
To note a two legged football tackle on Karim which sent him flying like a butterfly to begin with and falling like...an elephant, not quite the Mohammed Ali effect he was hoping for, and a good defensive performance from Moussa Taleb, Minas Georgiou and Julien Blieck, not to mention Fabien Lauret's impeccable display in goals.
There was no better preparation for the big clash against unbeaten Great Danes...and the journey back to Manchester had everyone bear a big smile with a feeling of relief and satisfaction.
Turfmoor (day 2) Sun 9th March 2008
Manchester - Great Danes 23 - 26
Manchester's biggest challenge this season, playing the unbeaten London team in Turf Moor did not start in the best of manners, with the Mancunians missing many clear chances at the start of the game, allowing Great Danes to take a 6 goal lead which they were to preserve for most of the first half, before Manchester started coming back. The defense in place, Manchester started playing the way they know and got to -1 at the start of the 2nd half and even got a ball to draw level but that wasn't to be...
The energy wasted in chasing the score caused more and more error to be made at important times in the later part of the clash and Great Danes ended up deservedly winning the game. To note, a fantastic goal from goalkeeper Fabien Lauret from his own area, straight into the other goal, where GD keeper and friend Radu Miclaus went AWOL.
Leyton (day 3) Sun 6th April 2008
12-2 Cambridge - Manchester 32-28
Manchester HC travelling to Leyton leaving a sunny Manchester for a..... snowy London! the shock of seeing snow down south was one thing, but playing in a freezing hall was something else. A poor start allowed for Cambridge to take the lead and even at one point be 6 goals clear. (12-6). Manchester put pressure on them and got to 12-8 at half time, but again, mistakes at the start of the second half allowed for Cambridge to stay few goals clear, and Manchester to waste a lot of energy, again, chasing the score. Great performance from Cambridge keeper Rui Pires was enough to protect Cambridge's lead til the end, despite Manchester coming back to -1 twelve minutes before the end. All credit to Cambridge who played well and deserve to take the 2 points. Lesson learnt for Manchester. The return match in Liverpool will probably be key to Challenge Cup participation and Manchester will work hard to be ready for this.
Bellevue (day 4) Sun 20th April 2008
3-5 Manchester - Oxford 10-0
Unfortunately, Oxford were to forfeit this match, due to lack of players fit to participate. This was really dissapointing for Manchester HC who were looking forward to play for the first time in front of their fans and friends.
Brentwood (day 5) Sun 4th May 2008
2-4 Great Danes - Manchester 32-24
Although starting well, Manchester were to lose too many balls in attack and have a dreadful shot accuracy to stand a chance against a very good Great Danes team, who took advantage of the many fast breaks and were able to field on the day an excellent German keeper for the 2nd half of the game. 17-11 at half time, 32-24 at the end of the game, no question about the result, well done Great Danes and time for the Mancunian to ponder about what they did wrong and how they should rectify it. One game left to decide the fate of their season, challenge cup participation or honourable but dissapointing 4th place...
Greenbank (day 6) Sun 18th May 2008
11-1 Manchester - Cambridge 35-23
After two weeks of intensive training and discussions, the team was ready to play Cambridge. On top of that, Cambridge, who arrived the day before in the north west were short of two of their best players...This, which came as a surprise to the Mancunians was to be key. Indeed, following a decent start, Manchester were to take a lead through great attacking play and strong defense. Many fast breaks were obtained and converted and quickly the lead opened to conclude with 16-8 at half time for Manchester. The talk at half time was clear, put intensive pressure on Cambridge on the start of the second half to kill any hopes of coming back in this game and keep on playing safe in attack. Those instructions were adhered to by everyone and the lead kept on grewing. To be noted the presence on court of MHC Legend Jose Armesto, impressive in defense and a nightmare to deal with in attack for the Cambridge defense. To be noted a great performance from the keeper collective, Aguila, Lauret and Deak as well as Minas Georgiou with an impressive 10/14 on shots. Final score 35-23 for the Mancunians, the most important and precious win of their 5 years of existence, with qualification to the challenge cup as a reward! Well done everybody for this fantastic finale of the league season 07-08!!!