Shropshire is home to a team of English handball champions after the region’s U16s Girls team won the National Cup.
In a tight match, the side beat Stroud 13-12 to clinch the gold medal after a season that saw them finish top of the Girls’ U16 National League.
The county is no stranger to success in the National Finals, with Shropshire’s U16 Boys team winning the cup last year, and the U19 Girls crowned national champions the year before.
The National Finals event brought down the curtain down on the 2022/23 season, with hundreds of players and spectators turning out for a thrilling weekend.
Exciting matches across all levels of handball in England from schools to senior level saw 12 teams claim glory at the Sir David Ross Sports Village in Nottingham.
Mike Bain, CEO of England Handball, said: “Congratulations to Shropshire, and what a superb weekend of handball action, showcasing plenty of the very best talent the sport has to offer in England.
“Handball continues to grow in this country and year on year is gaining momentum as a mainstream indoor sport in England. That was certainly evident this weekend.
“We promised this would be the biggest and best ever National Finals event and it didn’t disappoint – it was undoubtedly a roaring success.”
The weekend also included NEM Hawks winning the Men’s National Cup final on Sunday with an entertaining 31-23 win over West London Eagles. Meanwhile the Eagles’ Women’s team took home the Women’s National Cup after beating Olympia 21-18.
In the U19s category on Saturday, Nottingham boys, playing in their home city, won the Youth National Cup after beating Poole Phoenix 33-27. In the girl’s fixture, the trophy went to Loughborough who beat Stroud 30-19.
In the U16s category, Guildford Sabres boys overcame Chelsea 24-21 in a closely-fought match.
Outside of the national and youth cup winners, the National Finals weekend also saw the conclusion of the National Schools Competition, which this year again saw hundreds of entrants.
Over 500 teams took part in both U13 and U15 boys’ and girls’ competitions, with the semi-finals and finals being played out over the weekend. London-based St Thomas the Apostle College won the U13s boys’ competition, with Herts & Essex High School winning the girls’ tournament.
In the U15s, Stroud High School won the girls’ trophy, with London-based St Bonaventure’s winning the boys’.
Rounding off the weekend, teams from universities around the country took part in a special University Summer Cup, with Loughborough University winning the women’s competition and Birmingham University taking home the men’s title.
Here is the full list of England Handball National Finals winners:
Men’s National Cup
NEM Hawks
Women’s National Cup
West London Eagles
Girls U19
Loughborough
Boys U19
Nottingham
Boys U16
Guildford Sabres
Girls U16
Shropshire
Schools U13s Boys
St Thomas the Apostle College
Schools U13s Girls
Herts & Essex High School
Schools U15s Boys
St Bonaventure’s RC School
Schools U15s Girls
Stroud High School
University Summer Cup Men
Loughborough University
University Summer Cup Women
Birmingham University
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