DULWICH HARPS HANDBALL CLUB ROUND OFF THEIR UNIQUE YEAR WITH END OF YEAR FESTIVAL OF HANDBALL

The Dulwich Harps Handball Club rounded off their year in style with a club fun day and an end of year competition for all their members. Organised by club instructor and Chairman Niall Mc Cann, the day was a great success and the Handballers of all ages thoroughly enjoyed themselves.  The focus of the day session was to have fun and celebrate the historical and successful year the club has had, whilst also introducing competition to beginners and newcomers in a safe and friendly environment. Awards were presented on the day to the most improved students of the year and students of the year in their respective class categories.

Kicking the day off were the more experienced Under 14 students within the club, who competed against a neighbouring school in London who play Eton ‘fives'. This was the highlight of the day as the beginners had the opportunity to watch their peers in competition mode as well as allowing these intermediate level students to demonstrate to the lower grades and parents what hard work and determination can achieve.

Every student showed fantastic sportsmanship and were an absolute credit to themselves. Some of the medal winners in the Under 14 category were, Robert Steven, Terry Agyarko and Daniel Yarson. The Under 12 category award winners were, Ademola Osinowo,  Lewis Joseph, Ryan Le and Daniel Farombi, which rounded off the competition part of the day and onto the awards ceremony.

With the underage festival of Handball, competitions and awards out of the way the evening then ended with competitions for the more senior players of the club.  The competition was divided into a Junior and Senior competition.  There was a magnificent turnout of Handballers from St Paul's Academy Handball Club and players from all over London.  With 22 entered for the Junior competition and 16 for the Senior competition it was a heated affair throughout with many of the younger players stepping up to the mark and displaying wonderful skill levels and fitness superiority. Some of the top performers on the night were Fred Nimo, Bode Anidugbe, Nathan Davies and Sisan Pemu to name a few.  Both the Junior and Senior Finals were hard fought clashes enjoyed by all spectators.

The Senior Final match was won by London based Round Towers Club man Padraig Mulholland who hit top gear from the outset against up and coming St Paul's star Tosam Pemu. Padraig's hard hitting and clinical serving presented too difficult a challenge for Tosan winning the first ever Senior London Championship on an emphatic scoreline of 24-10.

The Junior final was a battle of two St Paul's Academy students who showed magnificent composure and prowess for the game throughout the early stages of the competition defeating popular and more experienced players on their way.          Jamal George, a hard-hitting new come, defeated Tim Fadipe on a score line of 21-16, , to win the London Junior Handball Championship.

The final competitions where a perfect ending to a perfect day and, in fact, a perfect year for the development of the game of Handball in London. Niall would like to thank all of the students and club members for their continued hard work over the past year and also the parents for their continued support which is invaluable. Thanks must be given to Brian Smyth, Michael Donnelly and Michael Murtagh for assisting with the development of underage Handball at the club; to Dulwich Harps GAA Club for their continued support and to Pat Winston, Principal of St Paul's Academy for his commitment to GAA sport and sport as a whole.  Niall would also like to share his gratitude to Chris Curran, Paul Brady and all colleagues at Handball headquarters at Croke Park who, from the beginning of this journey supported (and continue to support) the club as we set new boundaries. 

Overall it was a fantastic occasion again for the London GAA Handball Club who only opened their doors last Summer. Very exciting times indeed lie ahead for a game which is now being recognised in many circles as being very much on the incline!   The club is now closed for the season and will resume later in the year. We would like to wish everyone a very enjoyable summer!

For further details in the club and dates for the new season, please contact Niall Mc Cann on 07789636586.

Handball in London

The first Handball club outside of Ireland is going from strength to strength at the new one wall facility at St Pauls Sports Academy in SE London.  Paul Brady, the 3 times World Handball Champion, 6 times All-Ireland and 7 times US Champion officially opened the 2 one wall Handball facility at St Pauls in July.  A wonderful turnout of underage and Dulwich Harps senior players and GAA officials attended the Master class and exhibition from Paul.  He also held coaching sessions all day  for students at the Academy. 

In partnership with Dulwich Harps GAA Club and England Handball, Niall Mc Cann set up the London Handball club with help of Academy and Club colleagues.  His Dad, Francie, and master tradesman, flew over  from Fermanagh, during the Easter break to build the walls and now Gaels from all over London are relishing this new exciting GAA initiative.  The club is being kindly supported by Chris Curran and his team at the Handball headquarters in Croke Park, Dublin.  

At present the students from the Academy are reaping the rewards of the facility and are showing amazing prowess on the  Handball scene at such an early stage.  Nialls plan is to develop the underage potential and create a development programme to allow all children, boys and girls to avail of this unique sport.  He also plans, with the help of England Handball, to  build up a club of men’s and ladies teams to compete in National and Irish competitions.  For further details please contact Niall on 07789636586 or mccannniall@hotmail.com or visit www.dulwichharps.com