With the ever growing list of injuries, everyone knew it was going to be a big ask going and get a result against a strong Southampton Team.

A fast opening goal from Jurgan K made by some excellent movement by Mo S gave Newquay the perfect start, and when Goalkeeper Geoff M made an incredible low lunging save, optimism quickly grew.

But unfortunately this was short lived as first the Southampton’s Left Wing and then Centre Circle player found space, to run in to a 5-1 lead. Following a Time-Out and a few changes, Newquay continued to fight. But with Southampton’s defence limiting Newquay’s use of set-plays and their own ability to create space in Attack, they proved just too strong for Newquay as the half went on.

Into the second half, Tristan MF took control of the Newquay defence and along with some strong contact work from Jeldrik, Southampton were limited to long-range efforts but still managed to find the goal to prevent a fight-back from happening.
In attack Newquay starting finding and exploiting space in the Southampton Defence, with Lee S able to record his first Goals of the season through excellent movement work from Ben P and Jurgan K. When possible Newquay pushed to provide fast break opportunities for Heike M and despite strong physical presence from Southampton, he managed to convert many.

While Southampton proved again to be too strong, as always, it provided another opportunity to identify where work is needed and how the club can continue to move forward as we move into the later stages of the season.

Newquay began their second campaign with a repeat of last seasons visit to Bath. There was a feeling of unfinished business after going so close in the previous encounter. After an intense pre season training, hopes were high.

A strong Newquay squad traveled to Bath. Boosted by the presence of the returning Ben Preston, new player Alpar, and youth team graduate Hauke Moll.

This positivity was short lived, as Bath came out of the traps fast. Taking advantage of indifferent goalkeeping, and off target finishing.

Fired by their offensive catalyst, an Egyptian national player, Bath sprinted to a 6-1 lead. Only Ben Preston was on target for Newquay in the early stages.

Botar on fire

Newquay finally kicked into gear, inspired by Adolf Botar who’s A-game caused problems in the Bath defence. Training moves began to create space for circle runners Kev Welsh and Paul Beasley.

A summer of Sandball was paying dividends as Newquay converted impressive fast breaks. Eddie Percy-Hughes, Kev Welsh and Hauke Moll were slicing though a backtracking Bath defence.

With Tristan Mullar-Foster bossing as always, and Geoff Muskett stepping up in goal, Newquay’s back line was now solid. With the deficit down to 4 and half time imminant, Hauke Moll received a second two minute suspension. Leaving Newquay to hang on until the break.

After what could have been a disaster score line, 17-13 meant there was a chance. Four goals in Handball is not much and can be turned round in minutes.

Second half fight

In the second period Jürgen Koenen was firing on all cylinders, and Alpar’s left arm sent balls catapulting from 9metres.  Goals were now coming from all over the field, with Lee Springett, Paul Beasley, and Eddie Percy-Hughes getting in on the act.

The moment the game changed

Pressure from Percy-Hughes and Beasley put Bath’s defence into turmoil. In a moment of panic, their goalkeeper received a two minute suspension for holding on to the ball before a Newquay free throw.

Now was their chance. With Bath down to 6 and with a stand-in goalie, Newquay had their tails up and looked to press.

Failure to capitalise

However, in their haste and enthusiasm, Newquay lost their shape. They stopped playing the fast passing that had got them back in the game. Consequently Newquay failed to capitalise, loosing their two minute numerical advantage 2-1.

This failure set the tone for the rest of the half. Bath’s star player was able to up his energy level and fired the team to an unassailable lead.

After a close fought game, Bath had finally broken through, ending with a 10 goal margin. With their Egyptian talisman scoring nearly half the goals.

Taking the positives

Positives can be taken from the game. A year ago, had Newquay come up against such a strong team the defeat would have been far worse. The fact that the game could have gone either way is a strong indicator that the team is on the right path.

The important thing to focus on now is how to exploit key moments and opportunities in games. Like when the Bath goalkeeper went off, taking advantage of this situation could have swung the match. Newquay need to keep their heads and play to their strengths. This will come with more game time and experience.

Next up, Poole at home on the 23rd November.

Newquay Handball Club returned to the venue of their first competitive match to play a fast developing Plymouth Squad and put the finishing touches to their pre-season training. After 6 week of high-intensity training, this was the perfect opportunity to put together everything the team had been working on and remind the players of the work that is needed to get a result.

Things didn’t start exactly as coach Jurgan K would have wanted with Newquay happy to return to old habits, but following some words from the coach, things quickly changed going into the later stages of the first half, with Goals being produced from all over the field based on a whole team effort and a strong defense limiting Plymouths chances, with Keeper Geoff M ever ready to step in when he we needed.
The first period of the second half proved to be extremely fruitful for Newquay with backs Adolf B, Tristan M-F and Jurgan K, linking up to provide plenty of close range chances for Kevin W. Going into the last 15 minutes, Newquay’s defense took their chance to show their stuff, with Adolf B, Alpar M, Hauke M and Paul B getting involved in the center to break down the Plymouth attack to provide plenty of quick balls for the wing player to feed off.

One of the many promising aspects of the game was the strong link-up between new player Hauke M and Alpar M, working together on no less than 3 occasions throughout the match to create fast-break chances that quickly turned into goals.

Afterwards, center-back Tristan M-F said “For me it was great to go back to Plymouth, where I first picked up a handball and see how much they have come on, great numbers and commitment to keep it going! For us a useful day at the office with lots to work on before the league campaign starts next week!!”

A Huge thank you to everyone at Plymouth Handball Club for making today happen and showing how fast they are progressing and developing with a deep/diverse team. We look forward to seeing them in the League in the near future as they would be an asset to competitive handball in the south.

Newquay’s first season has drawn to a close, and what a journey it has been for Cornwall’s first and only competitive Handball club; finishing with two wins, a draw, and some highly competitive narrow defeats. Earning the club an impressive 5th in the South & West Development League.

All of this against teams based in large cities as far away as Oxford, Cardiff, Bath, Bristol and Southampton. These long established clubs benefit from the backing of major universities, outstanding existing facilities, and experienced players from all over the world. Make no mistake, in such a short space of time Newquay’s achievements have exceeded all expectations.

Olympic Legacy

NHC is a shining example of Olympic Legacy; proof that bringing top level sport to the country can inspire. Handball was one of the surprise success stories from London 2012, captivating a consistently sold-out Copper Box and enthralling millions of TV viewers. Clubs throughout the country saw a spike in participation; Bristol reported 44 new players coming to training in the weeks following The Games. New clubs sprouted up here and there, but where many of them fell from lack of funding/facilities/coaching expertise, Newquay have gone from strength to strength.

Luck has played it’s part, however, with handball genius Jürgen Koenen moving to Cornwall at the point of the clubs inception. Without his expert guidance as coach there’s no way the NHC would have progressed to the level they are now.

The first training session was held at Newquay Treviglas Sports Hub in October 2012, with 18 willing participants, a bag of Handballs kindly purchased by Worlds Apart, and a large dose of blind enthusiasm. The evening was a success, thoroughly enjoyed by everyone. Sessions continued weekly with mats up against the walls until some inflatable goals were acquired.

At this time Plymouth were also beginning to develop the sport through the University and Marjon’s college. Within a few weeks a three way friendly tournament was on the cards. NHC’s first taste of team Handball, and a sign of things to come.

Tough times

It wasn’t always plain sailing, with a number of founding members moving away from Cornwall for work reasons. Some weeks training consisted of only four or five people. It’s hard enough to set up any new club, but to set up a new club and a whole new sport in a region is seriously tough. Zero existing facilities, zero equipment, zero funding, zero experience for most of the players.

However, there has always been a feeling that Newquay are building something special, pioneering a new sport for Cornwall. Through word of mouth, and support from The Newquay Voice, Radio Cornwall and other local press, news spread that Newquay have a Handball club, and numbers slowly increased.

Gaining experience

Pioneering Sandball

Joining the competitive league

Off to a flyer – almost

The future

Exhibition match against English champions

A magnificent inaugural season for Newquay was capped off with a stunning victory, giving them the double over an experienced Cardiff team.

The game was a fitting send off for NHC’s David Santos, who is moving away from the area for work. ‘D’ will be missed, not just for his unbelievable shooting ability – the Santos Boom – but because he’s a top guy too.

Newquay were quick to take an early lead in their pursuit of victory. A major factor in this successful first season is their solid defence, patrolled expertly by Tristan Mullar-Forster, who captained the side on the day.

NHC’s lead steadily grew throughout the first half, though the team felt they had more to give; their hard work on the training ground was not being fully translated to the match. Going in to the break 16- 4 up, the scene was set for Newquay to rack up a big score.

The second period saw Newquay tighten up their passing, eliminating mistakes and playing quick ball to create space for each other. The result of this improvement: more goals. Every player, barring goalkeeper Geoff Muskett, has their name on the score sheet.

A 26 goal advantage for visiting Newquay is a remarkable representation of the teams progress in just one season. A great job by coach Jürgen Koenen, and a testament to the dedication from all the players.

Credit to Cardiff for hosting a good tempered and enjoyable final game. Newquay now look to June for a very exciting event – to be announced shortly, it’s going to be massive!

Newquay squad:

Geoff Muskett
Jürgen Koenen
Adolf Botar
David Santos
Ben Haddrell
Kevin Welsh
Lee Springett
Tristan Mullar-Forster

If it were possible to erase the first 10 minutes of the game, Newquay would be celebrating a stunning one goal victory.

Sadly, the fact of the matter is that in the opening stages Newquay failed to get into the game at all. Southampton players enjoyed freedom to shoot almost unchallenged from close range. The visitors soon sailed to a 9-0 lead.

Newquay finally kicked into gear, their defensive lineup bolsered by the returning Tristan Mullar-Forster, and player-coach Jürgen Koenen. Newquay also welcomed Aym Dupuy to the game, Devon Handball‘s head honcho. Aym proved a thorn in the side of Southampton all game, firing in a hatfull of goals.

After this initial spell, the remainder of the first half was even, going into the break 8-16 in favour of Southampton. Momentum was beginning to swing in favour of the home side. The second period saw this energy grow, goals from Eddie Percy-Hughes, Kevin Welsh, Jon Hyatt and the growing presence of Adolf Botar took it to a 4 point game.

With 15 minutes remaining and Newquay in the ascendency, Koenen took a major fall under a strong challenge from a Southampton defender. This was the end of the game for Newquay’s talented coach, who had been masterminding the Newquay fightback.

After the stoppage Newquay were unable to find quite the same level of game, chances going astray and mistakes creeping in meant the game inched away. However,in the closing stages Dupuy provided the highlight of the match, spectacularly diving into the area, catching and finishing a cross-area pass from Hyatt. Pure class.

A defeat, but an encouraging performance – barring the first 10mins. The good news is, revenge could be just round the corner, with the return fixture on Sunday 22nd. The encounter throws off at 2.30pm at the Dragon Centre, Bodmin. Spectators welcome, fireworks guaranteed.

In Newquay’s first encounter with Bristol, the leagues most decorated team ran out clear winners by 10 goals. That was three months ago, a long time in the life of a young team. This even-stevens result from the second confrontation is a measure Newquay’s rapid progress.

A magnificent first half from Newquay took the home side by surprise. Newquay soon siezed a two goal lead through David Santos, Newquay’s fire-power from 9 metres. Further goals from Lee Springett, Jürgen Koenen, and supreme fast break goals from Eddie Percy-Hughes kept the score chart ticking along nicely. Newquay were threatening from all over the field, from Ben Haddrell on the right wing, to back player Adolf Botar, to Kevin Welsh – bagging another handful of goals from the thick of the battle on the edge of the circle.

The home team are very strong, favouring an extremely physical style of play. This could have intimidated a lesser team, Newquay however, were able to adapt their style to match the physical threat from Bristol. The powerful defensive partnership of Tristan Mullar-Forster and Koenen took the sting out of Bristol’s shooting. Limiting their top player to long range efforts, which were dealt with expertly by goalkeeper Geoff Muksett, continuing his good form from the Bath game.

At points during the first half Newquay were three goals up. However with one or two missed chances from the away side, Bristol will feel happy to have gone into the break only one down, 10-11 and all to play for.

Bristol came out in the second period determined to avoid the embarrassment of being beaten by a town with a population of less than 20,000 as opposed to Bristol’s 500,000 or so. They soon gained the lead for the first time in the game, 14-13, before Newquay stepped up their performane once more to retake the advantage.

With the game entering the final minutes Newquay’s frustrations with the referee – Bristols own coach – were growing. Throughout the game the home team were allowed to get away with dirty foul play.

With the score at 20-20 and 30 seconds remaining, Newquay had one last attack and a chance to take a deserved victory. Bristol’s players had other plans as every player grabbed a Newquay body on and off the ball. All going unpunished, Bristol were able to turn over the ball, and in the dying seconds break toward the Newquay goal. A desperate defensive effort from Newquay saw an infringement from Koenen milliseconds before the final buzzer. Bristol had one shot to steal victory. Newquay’s tallest players formed a wall as Bristol lined up their top man for the shot. He fired in from above the jumping wall, only to see the ball saved by Muskett.

Even with the dissatisfaction with the referee, and the feeling that they didn’t get everything the performance deserved, Newquay can take heart from the proven progression they are showing. This result is another chapter in the incredible story of a small town team taking on the established giants of the sport. The future is bright.