Eagles have slow start to the season

Imperial College’s handball club, Imperial Eagles, kicked off the season taking part in a one-day tournament which had a field including University College London, Kings College London, Brunel and Middlesex. For the participating teams the tournament serves as preparation for the upcoming league games and the UK University Championships. After winning the London universities league (LUSL) in 2013 and finishing second last season, the Eagles were also the defending champions of this tournament, having beaten UCL in a tough final last year.

It was always going to be difficult this time round after the team lost many of its key experienced players, who have finished their studies at Imperial

However, it was always going to be difficult this time round after the team lost many of its key experienced players, who have finished their studies at Imperial. With the team in a transitional phase and many new players signing up to take on the sport, priority was given to beginners and first-time players to build up some game experience.

The tournament, which took place at the Score Centre in Leyton, was played in a round-robin format where all five teams played against one another in a series of 15-minute matches. No time-outs were allowed and the two-minute suspension penalties were reduced to one minute. The teams that finished first and second in the table then contested the final. In the women’s competition only two teams participated playing a full-length one-hour match.

The Imperial men’s team was represented by Jakub Szypicyn, Horia-Daniel Tigau, Theo Franquet, Patrik Gubeljak, Mohamed Koronfel, Benedikt Explicat, Clement Escolano, Kamil Kurdziel, Jay Heinen, Alexandr Kirilinko, Langston Williams, Samuel Rot and Giovanni Bettinelli. First up was a Brunel team that arrived short on players. The Eagles trio of Kamil, Jay and Langston joined the Brunel side and were responsible for more than half of the goals in the 5-3 defeat of the Eagles.

The next game was against a vastly experienced UCL side that had a lot of familiar faces from previous seasons. UCL have been the Eagles’ main challenge in the past but with their team vastly unchanged this year, this was a chance for our fresh side to gain experience against the toughest opposition in London. The Eagles rotated players as much as possible through many substitutions with everyone getting a chance to play. The final score was 4-10, a heavy defeat but a valuable experience for all involved.

Against KCL it was a more even game and the Eagles took an early lead before a strong finish from KCL tested the fitness of the Eagles team as they succumbed to a third defeat 4-6. With three defeats, any chances of playing the final diminished and the Eagles entered the final game against Middlesex aiming to put some of what was learnt into practice. A similar scenario to that of the previous game unfolded with the Eagles taking an early lead, forcing Middlesex to employ their star man. Scoring four outstanding goals on his own, he managed to lead Middlesex to a last gasp 5-4 victory.

The Eagles suffered four defeats but signs of improvements were already evident in the last two games. It became clear that what this year’s fresh side needs the most is a few more games together. Having only managed two training sessions before this tournament, the Eagles lacked cohesion in attack and communication in defence.

The women’s game was a Middlesex side – one of the best women’s university teams in the country – facing a challenge from a mixed-London universities team. The mixed-team was represented by players from UCL (five), KCL (four) plus Imperial’s Dominika Kampa.

The game promised a lot on paper and lived up to expectations as it remained captivating until its final moments. The London team took the lead early on and were already 5-1 up after 20 minutes, with Dominika playing a vital role in goal keeping the opposition at bay. Middlesex regrouped and took advantage of some attacking mistakes by the London team, as the lead was cut to one goal at 6-5 at half-time. The London team started the second-half as strongly as they did in the first, taking a three goal lead. However an incredible final 20-minutes performance by Middlesex turned the game on its head. The team in white was unstoppable as they fought back and took the lead for the first time in the game, eventually winning the game by 16-14.

This season is full of uncertainty but with a few more sessions together, Imperial’s Eagles could find the team chemistry desperately needed to lead this fresh side to success. They kick off the league campaign against Brunel on Sunday 25th at the Copper Box Arena, where the Olympic handball competitions took place in 2012.