GB prepare for EURO qualifiers
courtesy of
www.eurohandball.com
28/9/2009
The Qualification for the Women’s EHF EURO 2010 in
Denmark and Norway will begin on 14 October. The teams playing
for a place at the EURO in December 2010 were drawn to seven
groups earlier in March this year. The only question mark left
was Group 3 with France, Austria and Iceland waiting for the
winner of a pre-qualification game between Finland and the Great
Britain.
These
pre-qualification games took place last week with the first leg
played in Finland on Wednesday. The British team won that match by
14:17 and had a fair chance to book their place in Group 3 at home
in Liverpool on Saturday.
The website of the BBC dedicated a seven-minute video summary to
the event that can be regarded as a breakthrough for British
handball (check it out at http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/handball/8277090.stm).
The game in the splendid Echo Arena was followed by a crowd of 2,000
people.
At the end the home team could celebrate a 24:23 victory
together with the fans. This success - in addition to giving a big
boost for handball promotion in the country - means that Team GB
will continue playing for the EURO at the qualification games in
2009 and 2010.
Eurohandball.com will give extensive coverage for the EURO
Qualification coming up in two weeks
A British Spectator's view of tonights match:
Great Britain versus Austria
Austria simply did not know what to make of Great Britain’s women’s team in Feldkirchen this evening.
An unknown team from a country without a shred of handball history. An easy win perhaps?
And were they Great Britain or England? The event’s posters, hastily reprinted before the match – the Austrians were expecting Finland - proudly proclaimed Austria versus England.
The Great Britain girls soon put them right.
Despite a nervous start, their first two attempts well wide, the GB girls soon scored through Holly Lam Moores and in the fourth minute were 3-2 in the lead thanks to goals from Britt Goodwin.
A shock perhaps for an Austrian team, billed as the ‘clear favourite’ ahead of the match, and a team looking to qualify for their twentieth straight World and European Championship.
Great Britain’s good early start looked to be a flash in the pan as the Austrian’s experienced professional stars including Simona Spiridon and Kartin Engel, found their feet and the back of the goal.
Austrian took the score to 9-3 without reply from GB and it all looked to be over.
They misjudged the Brits, a series of goals from Holly Lam Moores, Britt Goodwin and captain, Lynn McCafferty, and they were soon back in the game.
Shock again for the Austrians at 11-8, GB were catching them, and Austria’s trainer, Herbert Mueller, was forced to take a time-out.
Great Britain finished the half 18-12.
But it was a game of two halves and two stories.
And it was the more experienced Austrians who showed just they have played for so long at the top level of international handball.
A tired Great Britain team failed to keep pace with the Austrians, GB coach, Jesper Holmris, taking a time-out at 29-15 in the 17th minute of the match, to give the team a rest.
GB kept going and final goals from Lynn McCafferty and Kelsi Fairbrother took the final score to 30-20.
The smiles on the faces of the British team after the match said it all.
They had lost but against a top handball nation. Great Britain women have finally arrived on the international handball scene.