Liverpool Handball Club, Presentation Night Awards.
Catergories
Ladies
Player of the Year (Coach) Kelly
Players' Player of the Year Kelly
Most Improved PLayer Marta
Effort in Training Jenny
Mens
Player of the Year (Coach) Tavi
Players' Player of the Year Tavi
Young Player of the Year Seb
Most Improved Player Maj
Effort in Training Andy
Player of the Year 2nd Team Richard
Players' Player of the Year 2nd Team Jack
Commitment outside of Playing Rene
On behalf of everybody involved in this Great Handball Club i would like to say a big thank you to all the Coaches, and club members that do a great job in the background as well as a well done to all players whether or not you won an award is not important being part of this club is, so WELL DONE everyone, one final mention before i finish i feel it is only fair to mention a very special thank you to Peter "Ivvy" Irving our Chairman who has kept the club running smoothly yet again, cheers Ivvy. Ps he pays for all the beer!! :)
07/06/08 Mens 1st Team Plate Competition
Liverpool v Southampton at Greenbank
This was a game that LHC needed to win after a season of ups and downs it was vital that the club finished the season on a high. With several important players missing due to injury or being out of the country it was a team that needed to gel together and call upon it's experience.
The 1st half started well with LHC scoring some good early goals, although Southampton came back well and actually took a 5 goal lead by taking advantage of some early defensive mistakes made by LHC. These problems were quickly sorted out and the defence began to look solid, (and for a team that had several players coming back after long term injuries come on well played lads) the Southampton team were struggling to cope with the hard but fair defending by LHC which by the way the foriegn refs had seen very few problems with.
This game seen Kiyonari Akamine make his debut for the club and oh man what a debut he was like lightning on the fast breaks and scored 7 debut goals.
This match also seen the return of Andy "top cat" Clark who after several anxious minutes came on and again scored some fantastic goals and in usual Clarky style gave the game some of his usual flare.
More importantly though this match seen the return of the desire to win from everyone involved in LHC you could just sense the will and desire to win this game and go out on a high.
Well what won this game for us then well let me tell you what won it for us inmy opinion; Desire to win, great defending, great teamwork, great team morale, fantastic spirit (which has been missing in past seasons) and passion to win and hard work from everyone involved from Stu Clark in the nets to Kelvin injuring his knee to Mick Coaching from the side lines, everyone gave their all, oh and i have been told to mention the great father to son pass and goal from the Ivvy's.
Well now for the player of the match and to be fair again it could go to any of the players as every single player made the differnce but for scoring 7 on his debut game it has togo to Kiyonari Akamine well played Kiy much deserved.
Editors Comments: WELL PLAYED LADS & MANY THANKS TO MICK,SERIOUSLY THIS WAS A GREAT GAME TO WATCH AND EVEN BETTER GAME TO WIN.....the future is bright the future is GREEN!! ps there will be pictures on here in the next few weeks as you may be aware my camera took a hiding during the ladies final and is off to be repaired as soon as i get it back i willadd the pics and they are worth looking at some great ones, especially one of Stitch in pain!!
03/02/08 Ladies Team
Liverpool Ladies v Haslingden at Greenbank
The LHC Ladies came into this game in a similar predicament as the mens team with only 7 players due to injuries and work commitments, however on the bright side they did have the return of Coach & Mentor Phil "Frog" Church on the bench. The game started relatively slowly with both sides finding it hard to score and both the Keepers making great saves early on in the game. It was Haslingden who eventually took an early advantage and crept into a 3 goal lead which LHC could not seem to close, not for the want of trying. The more the girls tried the more they realised they had no subs and the pace of teh game caught up with them. To make matters worse for the LHC Ladies Jenny hurt her ankle with just under 10 minutes left to play in the 1st half which they would have to play with only 6 players (to be fair the 6 players on court held their own til the half time whistle well played). At half time the girls went in trailing by 10 goals, which to be honest flattered the opposing side as they were not 10 goals better than the LHC girls.
The 2nd half began and it was soon evident that the half time team talk had been inspirational by Phil as the girls thankfully back to 7 with Jenny playing through the pain (OUCH) began to look like the LHC Ladies team that we all know so well and they played some great handball and created some fantastic moves and openings to score the inevitable goals. i am not sure whether Shelf (arguably the best player in the country) has text some wise words to his better half or not but Carolyn "Dolly" was playing like a woman posessed and scorin from everywhere, Vicky's play making was creative, Kelly was a passionate and determined as ever, Jenny with sore ankle was also getting into the game creating and drawing the defence, Alicia was starting to get the feeds that she never got in the 1st half and Hilary played well for a relatively new player, which leaves Fletch in the goal who as always played with her heart on her sleeve and with great courage and passion (even after being panned by a ball after the whistle had gone!!) overall it was a good game to watch although it would have been better if the game had been in favour of LHC. This though was sadly not to be and the young Haslingden girls showed some good skills and plaenty of running which eventually caught up with the LHC Ladies as they had no subs, the game ending 21 - 11 in favour of Haslingden.
So it comes down to player of the match and who i thought should get it and to be honest it has not been a easy decision for example should it go to Jenny for playing through her pain?? or Kellie for playing her socks off?? or Fletch for getting panned as well as making great saves?? and so on and on etc etc Well in my opinion it has to go to Carolyn as she had a great 2nd half and was instrumental in the level of play being raised several gears well played Carolyn (oh and also i am hoping SHelf will buy me a pint now.......only joking).
Seriously though this was a hard game and not just for the obvious reason that LHC Ladies had only 7 players as well as 1 injured player playing with an injury. The 2nd half really was good to see, and just the fact that we began to play as we know we can and we looked more like a team than in the 1st half is something we can take away from this game. Yes we lost the game which is going to happen every now and then the important thing is we don't give up and we learn from the game, from my point of view the 2nd half was proof enough that none of the team gave up and that in itself is a learning curve. WELL PLAYED girls it was (in 2nd half) good to watch.
20/01/08 Mens 1st Team
Liverpool v Manchester Uni at Greenbank
The Liverpool team approached this game with some caution as the opposition had given a much stronger full LHC team a very hard game and took all the points earlier in the season. The 1st half started very cautiously with both team defending well and it was the Manchester Uni team who got throught eh defence of LHC 1st and but for the 'Cat' like Ivvy in goal would have taken a very early advantage of several goals without reply. The young LHC team though showed a true fighting/TEAM spirit and in front of a home crowd (which included 4 players who had it not been for injuries would probably have been in the starting 7) showed what a lot of hard work - communication - team work & effort could produce and for a while the 1st half was goal for goal. All this hard work though took its toll and eventually at the 1/2 time whistle it was the Uni team who were in front by 6.
The 2nd half began as the Green men had pretty much finished the 1st with every single player playing above and beyond the call of duty, well played lads every single one of them was outstandingly good. In fact LHC actually won the 2nd half and had we had the luxury of a fitter more experienced bench we could have turned the game around and actually upset the Uni team by taking the points. But saying that lets not take anything away from the players who again played their hearts out and played a lot of great handball, the effort everyone of them put in was a credit to them, to the coaching & to the sport and makes me realise why i returned to this fantastic club and sport that we love. WELL PLAYED LADS!! The Manchester Uni team did eventually win the game although i am sure that they were relieved the final whistle finally came to their rescue.
Now the hard part for me again i have to choose Man of the Match and honestly every single player deserves it this week for the unquestionable effort and team spirit they all showed. The 2 Amigo's (Tavi & Sergio) orchestrated the attack and kept the defence working as a unit and solid, Porno Sean with his desire and effort to win every challenge and drawing all the defence as they quickly realised how dangerous on the attack he is, the Ivvy Bro's (Michael & Richard) playing well above what anyone expected them to and with very mature heads on such young shoulders, Seb our French Wonder Winger who on the attack was scoring goals for fun and in defence was suprisingly tough to get past, Ivvy the cat!! played another outstanding game and left us older players wondering why he never played that well years ago (only joking Ivvy.....Sir) & then Maj who when he wason the line played a great game of drawing the defence opening up the attack for us and when he was in goal showed thathe is also going to be a force to be reckoned with. WELL PLAYED ALL THE LADS!!
Just before i name my man of the i must mention the Ivvy Family Fast Break, Ivvy (dad) passed it to Ivvy (Michael) who went on to pass it to Ivvy (Richard) who then after drawing defenders passed it back to Ivvy (Michael) who went on to score a great fast break, confused? well you should have been there to see it like a lot of other people did!!
Anyway just for his outstanding performance and being an all round good fella i am going to say............Ivvy.......oops sorry Peter Ivvy i mean, his attitude/effort in the goal and off the court for this game was again top drawer and i am sure felt by all the team. This was another great team effort and although the points never came our way it was a pleasure to watch this young team play as a team and support each other, i have said it before but i will say it again this confirms that the future is bright, the future is GREEN!!!
13/01/08 Mens 1st Team
Liverpool v Haslingden at Turf moor
LHC entered into their 1st game of the year looking for another convincing win over the team that they had scored 39 goals against earlier in the season, although LHC had a much changed line up from the earlier victory they were still confident of taking away the points. The game started fairly slowly with LHC taking the early advantage and again preventing the opposition from scoring until the 6th minute of the game. Up until half time the LHC team looked to be in control and the tactics which had been discussed before the game all being carried out well with some great penetrations and fast passing being shown by the lads. Defence was also so much better than it has been in previous game this season and the team began working as a team and for each other, which from the bench looked quite impressive.
At this point i must agaim mention the impressive performance of Peter "Ivvy" Irving in the goal who was again stopping them from everywhere, even making crucial saves in the dying seconds (read on to find out why).
LHC went in at half time with a narrow 2 goal advantage and as expected the Haslingden lads came out for the 2nd half all guns blazing and throwing everything they had at us, which we took and returned the favour by keeping the defence strong and attack stronger still we kept the 2/3 goal advantage right up until the final 2 minutes of the game. The last 2 minutes saw the Haslingden lads make every attempt to gain the lead, which they did with 1 minute to play they went 1 goal ahead. We eventually managed to break through their defence to equalise only for them to go on a fast start and break through on the goal with 42 seconds to go Ivvy pulled of a save that Wieland Schmidt would have been proud of, keeping the scores all level then with 10 seconds remaining we scored what proved to be the winning goal......get in!!! The final score being 29 - 28 this game was a great game to watch with the action coming thick and fast at either end.
Every player played their part today with so many nominations for the man of the match from Seb who played well to Ivvy who was amazing, the 2 amigo's Sergio & Tavi who as usual played with passion, the Irving Brothers Midge & Richard, Sean for his quick thinking and effort as well as Maj & Rene for keeping the bench warm :) Seriously though from the 1st seven it could easily go to 1 of 4 of them and this is probably the hardest 1 i have had to choose from and with that in mind for the 1st time ever i am going to pick 2 men of the match & they are.......Sean & Tavi both these players played as usual with their hearts on their sleeves and with so much passion and effort both in the attack and defence at crucial stages of the game, it really was a pleasure to be part of the team they were in, well played lads and much deserved.
12/01/08 Mens 2nd Team
Liverpool v Bristol at Greenbank
LHC 2nd Team went into this game, which on paper looked to be tougher than it actually turned out to be as a hard game to win. Right from the start the LHC team took the game to the Bristol lads and began with some crisp, fast ball handling which in turn produced several gaps which the Liverpool team took full advantage of. With more great defence the LHC team kept the opposition from scoring for around 10 minutes before they eventually scored their 1st goal.
At this point it is only fair to mention that Aidan & Tom (both Haslingden players) donned the "famous" green shirts and played a big part in the attacking force scoring a small percentage of the LHC goals (Although you should really ask Tom about his diabolical spin attempt ha ha sorry Tom).
The green men eventually came away from the game with all of the spoils and beat the Bristol team convincingly and to be honest it never looked like going any other way, for a change the Bristol team just could not seem to gel and apart from their Keeper the rest of the team were average (thankfully).
So now comes the diffucult part of naming man of teh match and although all the team played especially well i feel that this week i should really choose between either Maj or Richard and due to the fact that he is a young player who played with a much older players' attitude i am going to name young Mr. Richard Irving as this weeks man of the match, well played Richard. In fact it is only fair to say well played to all of the lads who played even the 2 Haslingden lads, thanks and well played. (there are some pics of the game but i have not uploaded them yet.....when i do there is a good one of Jack).
16/12/07 Ladies Team
Liverpool Ladies v Bolton at Greenbank
Liverpool Ladies come in to the festive season with a convincing victory over the Bolton ladies team, and the game was never in danger of looking any other way.
Right from the whistle Liverpool Ladies took control and began the 1st half looking much stronger of the two sides, and the ball handling was extremley efficient with the quick and precise passing creating the opening for the shots on goal (old proverb "let the ball do the work" proving true again). The Bolton Ladies found it hard to cope with the movement and ability of the Liverpool Ladies.
The 2nd half began much as the the 1st half had finished with the goals going in in favour of the Liverpool Ladies team, again with Bolton Ladies finding it hard to reply to the bombardment given to them. In the end through some great team work and effort, not to mention Fletch making great saves when she needed to (which to be fair was not that often, would have been easy to lose her concentration) Liverpool Ladies won the game with the final score being 22 - 12.
So it comes to the hard task of naming the player of the match and although i personally was not there to witness and to choose for myself i have it on good authority that "Hagrid" sorry i meant "Krusty the Clown" (only joking Kel) seriously though several people have told me that Kellie had a great game and is much derserving of the player of the match title, well played Kellie, and all the girls keep up the good work.
Editor's comments; Although i missed this game it is great to hear that the Ladies team played really well and all the work that they are putting in at training is paying off and having beneficial results for them in games which as we know is where it matters most,, well played girls again!!
It is also worth mentioning that the GB Ladies Team spotted the talent in Kellie whilst she was at one of the training sessions and invited our very own "Hagrid" to a session down south. Kellie keep up the training kiddo and just think how fast you would be without all that hair??!! ha ha only joking Kel keep you work up mate well done.
25/11/07 Mens 1st Team
Liverpool v Wirral at Turf Moor
LHC went into this game hoping to seek revenge for the game last weekend against the Wirral team who took the points then, but with injuries & work commitments LHC were left short of players and Mick took a gamble on asking Rene if he would play. Obviously Rene being old, unfit and away from 1st team handball for many many years agreed to offer his services to make up the numbers!! Doh'!!
The 1st half began very much like the game last weekend with both teams finding it hard to hit the net and get through the defence on either side, and eventually LHC went in at half time with a 2 goal advantage. After the half time team talk and points being made and advice given LHC began the 2nd half with much crisper and precise finishing (at long last) and it took almost 14 minutes before the Wirral team added to their goal tally. Thankfully LHC never really appeared to look like losing this game although at times the Wirral team presented us with a hard fought and fast paced game, but unfortunately for them this week it was LHC who took away the spoils. Well played lads.......oh and did i mention that Rene came away as LHC top scorer with 8 goals!!! Ha Ha "Caution Live Wire armed & Dangerous" (the older players out there will understand this...sorry to all the youngsters who it lost on) I must mention that LHC defended their goal better than possibly any of the other games so far this season (and all with only 7 players....well done lads), some players who deserve a special mention are Midge, Shifty, Tavi as always, Seb & again Phil Church as usual. At this point it is only fair to mention the outstanding performance of Ivvy in the goal and his passing of pin point accurate balls for the fast breaks, saving pens etc etc.
So we come to the part were i name Man of the Match and to be honest the whole team deserve a mention as everyone of them played exceptionally well, it would be really easy to say Rene......ha ha and as much as i would like to i have to be fair and say the Ivvy's preformance deserves it as he was stopping them from everywhere (apart from the Carson like .....frank carson i mean.....error in the 1st half) and his fast break balls in the 2nd half was spot on well played Ivvy much deserved!! In fact well played to all the lads.
Editors Comments: I would just like to say that a special mention should go to Mick Hegarty and especially his master stroke of asking Rene to dust of his old boots, some may think that was a gamble (i know Rene did) but with the gamble netting 8 goals (and missing even more) it was a well judged risk on behalf of Mick, who made an old handball player very happy!!! Seriously though the team talk at half time as well as constant advice from the sideline which was taken on board by the lads and evidently produced the goods, its easy to praise the players week in week out but a big thanks to Mick for guiding the team to a much needed victory, Cheers Mick!!
ps did i mention the RENE got 8 and was top goal scorer for LHC??!! :)
pps it was also good this week to see our opposition not trying to bully the ref's......though 1 or 2 deserve oscar nominations!!! ;)
18/11/07 Mens 1st Team
Liverpool v Wirral at Greenbank
LHC at the beginning of the game were probably expecting a half hearted effort from the Wirral side, after them not being able to get a team together the week before, and whether LHC were over confident or not is hard to say but again we dropped points which should really have been well banked!!
The first 10 mins of the game seen a fairly low scoring game with LHC taking the early advantage and not letting the Wirral team score a goal. There was some great play from the "2 Amigos" Tavi & Sergio and with the "Shelf" being man marked out of a lot of the game the quick thinking Spanish contingent took over most of the play making with goals being scored fairly easily. However although the defence worked well at the start it did dwindle and Wirral got back into the game, and unfortunately went onto take the points by 1 goal!!
Pretty much as last week (missed chances) although LHC dropped the points there are so many good things to take out this game with Midge, Sebastian, Sean, Shifty, Tavi, Sergio & Stu (as always) playing some great handball and scoring (saving in Stu's case) good goals. The one old "Mantra" that i have always remembered to this day is "Accept your losses gracefully, but learn from them losses"!! We have got the opportunity to get revenge too as our next game just so happens to be against the Wirral!!
Anyway man of the Match this week is pretty hard too as there are 3 people who in my opinion deserve it and they are Sean, Sergio & Tavi (who if you look on the gallery page seemed at times to be practising his Flamenco moves)?? but it has to go to 1 of them and for his quick thinking handball brain and play making today i am going to decide on Tavi.
Editors comments: Today sadly not for the 1st time this season although some of the refereeing left a lot to be desired, what i personally find unbelievable is opposition teams practically bullying the ref's into decisions!!! Come on lads the people who were doing this are experienced players and to be honest should know better and it is sad to think that over 25 yrs after i started playing handball this is still happening.........as far as i and thankfully most other players feel there is no place in Handball for this attitude. If the Ref's are not good at times (which to be honest happens) lets remember that they are bad for both teams!!
11/11/07 Mens 1st Team
Liverpool v Manchester Uni at Burnley
LHC went into this game with a full squad of players and feeling confident that they could come away with the points from this game. The start of the game seen almost 5 minutes pass before either side could score a goal, LHC defence was looking back to a good strong solid unit and was doing its job well. Manchester Uni broke the deadlock and for the rest of the 1st half it was much tit for tat with both sides defending well (though not always within the rules of the game, I have never seen so many arms around necks and holding on by the Uni team) it was Manchester who went in to the 1/2 time break 5 goals to the good.
LHC knew that this game was there for the taking and began the 2nd half well, and as in the 1st half created some great chances showing how easily the Uni team could be undone, unfortunately though the finishing and at times passing of LHC was for some reason missing today, much to the relief of teh Uni side. Manchest Uni eventually with a helping hand from LHC came away from the game with all the points, but to be fair although any game lost is a disappointment there were lots of positive things to take away from this game, thing like; Sean, Tavi, Shifty, Sergio, Mogger on his return to the team, all bursting through the defence with relative ease. Sebastian & Midge having/creating good goal scoring chances, the defence at times looked unbreachable, the simple but effective gaps created by the fast ball movement and good old penetration i could go on as there were lots of positives to take out of the game.
So to the player of the day or man of the match whatever you want to call it in my opinion it can only really go to 1 of 2 players either Phil Church or Mogger Malone (on his return to 1st team Handball), and for that reason i am going to say Mogger (not to mention he is 1 of my best mates) it was good to see him back & taking control and "Bossing" the defence around like the good old days, as well as orchestrating the play making on the attack. Well played Mogger....good to see you back!! see the gallery for some pics
03/11/07 Mens 2nd Team
Liverpool v Deva at Christleton Liverpool v Cannock at Christleton
With only 6 players available for this tournament the pressure was on the two senior players to try and get the team to play as well as they could and to try to rediscover some of their old form. This was answered in the 1st game against Deva and Peter "Ivvy" Irving & Shaun "Rene" Criscuolo played like they did 20 years ago scoring goals from everywhere (top goal scorers 1st game Ivvy 5 & Rene 5) and at times out running the younger team mates on fast breaks!! At half time against Deva who had a full team who were all much fitter than the 2 old gits from LHC, amazingly it was LHC who went in at the break 3 goals ahead. sadly though age and the lack of any subs (or even a 7th man) finally caught up and Deva came away from the game with all the points.
For the 2nd game against an impressive looking Cannock side the decision was made to forfeit the game and have some Cannock player play for us, to give us the option of some subs (and our old legs a break). This game was even better than the 1st and much closer than we anticipated it would have been, shows how well we could have done with a few more players!! Anyway Ivvy went in the nets and Majed played on the line, the change in tactics and extra players proved to be the right decision as the younger players all finding their form and perhaps picking up tips from watching Ivvy & Rene in the 1st game. Jack, Midge & Majed all scoring like it was going out of fashion and Alex playing some great handball and passes which were assisting in the goal tally. Sadly though Cannock came away with the victory 23 - 21.
Player of the day has to go to 1 man who was outstanding all day and although it was very close to decide on this 1 as all the lads deserved it really, it had to go to Ivvy who in the 1st game was outstanding and in the 2nd game was again outstanding in the nets, saving penalties and everything.Well played Ivvy!! Talking of penalties Jack must get a special missing for the amount of excuses he gave us for missing a vital pen at a vital part of the game, some of them were - Goal was off centre, ball was dirty, i was not ready, i had a hair in my eye, i wanted a dump (2 much info), the whistle frightened me....shall i go on? there were hundreds of them!!
Anyway well played lads and thanks to those who turned up and for those who never.....C'MON lads whats happening?
14/10/07 Mens 1st Team
Liverpool v Manchester at Turf Moor
LHC went into this game expecting it to be a hard fought match against the Manchester side, especially as LHC were struggling for players due to work/home/family commitments and this is exactly what they got. To be honest this was one of those games when missed opportunities come back to bite you on the bum, and all the bad/poor passes count against you. Even though LHC lost the game there was positive things to come away from the game with i.e. even with a under-strength side the game could/should have been LHC's for the taking, not to dwell on the ball handling but on other days it would have been better and the points would have came our way. Even without the "TWO AMIGO'S" (Sergio & Tavi) LHC looked at times as though the game was in the bag, but unfortunately the final result was 24 -22 in favour of Manchester.
14/10/07 Ladies Team
Liverpool Ladies v Wirral at Greenbank
Liverpool Ladies came away with a great start to their season with a victory over the Wirral ladies team, who in the 2nd half found the Liverpool Ladies too much to handle. The first half started and both team looked a little nervous to begin with but it was the Wirral who overcame their nerves 1st and but for the form of "Fletch" in goal Liverpool may well have had a fight on their hands. The 1st half seen what looked like a serious injury to Jenny, (but thankfully Jenny made a re-appearance in teh 2nd half to help her team). The half time wistle came and LHC Ladies were ahead 8 - 3, when the 2nd half started the girls in green stepped it up several gears and their class shone through and fast break after fast break wore down the Wirral girls. Fletch came away with player of the day with some outstanding saves throughout the game, not to mention the 8 or 9 (sorry i lost count) penalties she saved or the pin point throws for the fast breaks she was doing, there was no doubt in anyones mind that she was the Player of Day. Well played Ladies keep up the great effort...see the gallery for some pics of the girls and a team pic not to mention a great action shot of Vicky.
07/10/07 Mens 1st Team
Speke/Garston v Liverpool at Belle Vue
Liverpool Handball Club Mens 1st Team came away from todays game with a well deserved victory over the Speke/Garston side and all the points. For the 1st time this season LHC started the game with a full squad and the difference was more than evident, although the first half never looked going in favour of our rivals LHC went in disappointed at half time by the score line of 6 - 11 to LHC. After a half time team talk and some motivational words LHC came out and started the 2nd half with some of the best handball played this season so far and with all players except Stu Clark (GK) getting on the score sheet. The whole team played as a team and worked for each other, Stu made some exceptional saves and from these came some exceptional fast breaks and ultimately goals....goals...goals. Although LHC did not actually get into top gear they never needed to, to be fair this is the 1 game i cannot pick out 1 player from the others who was noticably better they were all on top form. Defence won us the game (as Mick drills into us and has for the last 25ish years) and we kept our rivals down to scoring only 3 in the 2nd half...WELL DONE LADS. the final score was 9 - 28 in favour of LHC. See gallery for some pics of the team and lads...Sebastians debut goal for LHC being 1 of them!!
06/10/07 Mens 2nd Team
Liverpool v Isle of Man at Greenbank
Liverpool v Bristol at Greenbank
Liverpool Handball Club Mens 2nd Team came away from todays competition without any of the points but with a lot of other things learned today.
The 1st game against the IoM was a great game to watch and there was some great end to end play from both sides with a few great goals from Shifty McNabb being scored. There was some confusion with all the Ivvy's in the team who was actually scoring the goals with Ivvy Senior claiming them, but the player who stole the lime light throughout the day with a great performance was keeper Majed who saved five penalties and was well deserving of man of day title. Unfortunately though IoM came through and the score was 13 - 17 in favour of the Manx Men.
The 2nd game was a game of missed chances for the LHC side who could/should have been leading the game throughout all of the game if we did not miss our chances which there were far too many to mantion. The last 10 minutes did see a revival by LHC with Jack, Arsenal, all the Ivvy's, Sebastian and Shifty scoring and making great chances, but there was just not enough time left and the Bristol lads came out victors with a deserved 12 - 21 victory.
Learning curve for all these players in the 2nd team who at times showed how much potential they have between them and speaking as a old timer at the club it is great to see these young players developing so quickly....the future's bright the future's GREEN!!!
23/09/07 Mens 1st Team
Liverpool v Bolton at Greenbank
Liverpool Handball Club Mens 1st Team came away from todays game sharing the honours with Bolton H.C. both teams started well and for the first 10 -15 minutes the game was end to end with the goals coming at both ends. However LHC then began to slowly build up a narrow lead and went in at half time 17 - 14 up. The 2nd half started as did the 1st half with both teams scoring goals in rapid sucession, and for the first 15-20 minutes LHC kept their goal advantage always keeping a goal or 2 ahead. Bolton through determination and some horrendous/dangerous (i am sorry if some of you think these words too harsh....please see Editor's comment at end of this match report), defence tactics against LHC managed to claw a 1 goal advantage and with 20 seconds to go LHC were awarded yet another penalty which "the Shelf" calmly put away leveling the score (and the points) to 36 - 36.
Editor's Comments: This game was a great game to watch for the neutral, although as an old player who has just come back to the sport we all love it was crazy to see so many dangerous things going on. It is all too easy to blame the ref's for missing this and that, but lets face it in this sport you are not going to get every free throw which you should,(yes perhaps all refs need to be stronger throughout the leagues both male & female)?, but what really amazed me was the away team suddenly surrounding the ref's arguing about the decisions given on more than one occasion....sorry when did Handball players suddenly become premier league footballer's?? There were a number of two minutes given to both teams but this did absolutely nothing to stop the dangerous play (which by the way was noticed last weekend too, maybe a word with the players...could be the answer) against LHC on numerous times. I know in the past when I was naive and just started playing Handball I too did my fair share of dangerous defending but to be honest that was due to lack of know how, some of the defending today really does leave a lot to be desired. I apologise if you think i am moaning too much but the last thing any of us want to see is our fellow Handball players from any team getting seriouly hurt....so come on lads (& lasses when you start your season) keep it sensible!!
16/09/07 Mens 1st Team
Haslingden v Liverpool at Belle Vue
Liverpool Handball Club Mens 1st Team opened the season with an away victory over Haslingden HC. What looked like a fairly mild mannered opener for LHC on paper proved to be anything but that, and although LHC never actually appeared to be in too much trouble throughout the game Haslingden proved to be quite a handful at times. At halftime the teams went in with LHC 21 - 14 ahead and LHC came out to start the 2nd half knowing that they had to keep up their momentum and not become complacent, as this young team were more than capable of turning around the 7 goal advantage. Thankfully though LHC kept their cool even though at times Haslingden's eagerness to overcome LHC was becoming obvious and at times frustrated, LHC went on to win the game comfortably by 12 goals the final score being 39 - 27 in favour of LHC. (There are several pics on the gallery page of the game i have to reduce their size so as not to run out of space on the Gallery page but if anyone would like them on disc let me no and i will sort for a small fee of £2-£3 for the club not me).