Handball look back on successful season despite loss to Cambridge

Last Sunday, Warwick Handball finished a long and successful season with a valiant effort to upset Cambridge and take the English Plate cup home with them. In the end, however, first division side Cambridge proved too big a challenge.

Cambridge, who had defeated Oxford in their semi-final, were the clear favourite to win and fielded a very strong and experienced team.

But Warwick were determined not to be daunted by the strength of their opponents and scored their first goal within seconds of the match. Cambridge’s immediate counter attack to equalise signalled a very fast-paced first half that was sure to entertain the spectators who had travelled to Wolverhampton with the teams.

Building on a very compact and disciplined defence and supported by some very strong goalkeeper action, Warwick managed to keep the score very close, scoring some impressive goals from nine metres in attack.

They were rewarded by seeing some very nervous faces on the Cambridge side during the half-time interval. The match had proved closer than they had anticipated.

Despite being a few goals behind, Warwick remained upbeat and were determined to stay in the game as long as possible. They had heard reports about the semi-final between Cambridge and Oxford, where Oxford were ahead for most of the game but lost concentration towards the end and allowed Cambridge to take the game.

With this in mind Warwick decided to continue very compactly in defence while trying out a few new combinations in attack.

Cambridge, starting off in possession, initiated a series of strong attacks that saw them pull away at the beginning of the second half. Given that they are not a university team, Cambridge do not suffer from having a completely different set of players every three years, as is the case with university teams.

Consequently, most of their team had already played together for several years. At this critical juncture of the game Cambridge were able to use this experience and pull further ahead, showing some impressive combinations and individual efforts. Their very physical defence work was a challenge for Warwick back players. A few outstanding saves by the Cambridge goalkeeper further frustrated the Blues’ efforts.

After a team time-out to get a few seconds’ rest and to refresh their minds, Warwick came back on with a more aggressive defence line-out that managed to throw off their opponents and gave them the opportunity to come back into the game.

Towards the end, Cambridge showed their experience once more by adapting to Warwick’s new strategy and scored a few more times to secure victory. At this point, the smaller number of substitutes also started having an effect and Warwick legs became distinctly tired.

In the end Cambridge proved the stronger and more experienced team and took away a well-deserved victory, with a comprehensive score of 38-20. At the same time, Warwick could be truly proud to have challenged so strongly a team that is arguably the fourth best in the country. Warwick fans who had travelled to support their team felt rewarded by having seen such an exciting match.

Warwick handball are happy to look back to a successful season that was crowned by the runner-up trophy and silver medals. Having come this far in only three seasons, the handballers are keen to build up on their development. Next season Warwick will enter a female team for the first time. Moreover, there are plans for a beginners’ team. This should also allow the growing number of British nationals who are becoming interested in this fast-paced invasion game to try it out.

Incoming secretary Anselm Plummer said: “Anybody interested in trying out an Olympic sport that is extremely popular on the continent is invited to contact su483@warwicksu.com.

“We always welcome players of all abilities, with team members ranging from complete beginners to former semi-professional players.”