Thames Handball Club

Thames Handball Club is an amateur handball club founded in 2005 in London, UK. It is affiliated to the England Handball Association and currently runs competitive men's handball team in Development leagues. The women's team voluntarily withdrew from official competition in 2016/17 and plays in a newly formed Handball Union.

Thames Handball Club
Full name	Thames Handball Club
Short name	THC
Founded	2005
Arena	St Mary's University College, Twickenham
Capacity	150
President	Frank Wuggenig
Head coach	Abdelhouhab Bougherara
League	England Super 8, EHA Championship & RDL London
2014/15	6th place (Super 8 League)
Club colours
Home Away
Website Official site

History

The club started with Junior teams, before getting involved in Senior competitions in 2007, first starting with a women's team, then in 2008 adding a Men's team. Both teams competed in the England Handball League. The women's team in Division 1^[1] and the Men's team in Division II.^[2]

The club has enjoyed particular success in mixed team events and competitions, such as the Brentwood Mixed Team competition and the Oxford Open Mixed team competition.^[3] Both of which were won in 2011, 2012^[4] and 2013. Of the Men's team, Chris Higgins^[5] made the selection into the Ireland men's national handball team in 2012. Of the women's team, Ulrike Stange now Ulrike Mertesacker, after her wedding to Arsenal ace Per Mertesacker played for the German National squad up until 2010.^[6]

Recent performance

• 1st place in London Handball Association Cup 2011.^[7]
• 1st place in Brentwood Mixed Team Tournament 2011.
• 1st place in Brentwood Mixed Team Tournament 2012.^[4]
• 1st place in Brentwood Mixed Team Tournament 2013.
• 2nd place in British Beach Handball Championship 2013.^[8]
• 2nd place in Super 7 National League 2014
• 2nd place in 1st Division RDL 2015.^[9]
• 2nd place in Championship South 2015.^[10]
• 3rd place in Beach Handball Cup London 2015.
• 1st place RDL London 2016/17 men's league.
• 1st place Beach Handball London 2016.
• 1st place u15 league South England.

International honours

• 3rd round European Challenge Cup 2014/15

Men's team

The men's team won the Regional Division II in 2011 and more recently achieved first place in the SportHouse London Handball League 2012/13. In season 2014/15 the men's team came second in both the national Championship South and the London Development League.

Women's team

Playing in the National League, the women achieved a Third place in 2011/12 after a decisive final day of the EHA League by beating London GD Handball Club by 2 goals and in 2012/13 was runner up^[11] in the EHA National Cup competition in 2013.^[12] The team was runner up in the inaugurated Super 7 league created in 2013/14. In previous seasons the women's team won the London Cup competition in 2009 and 2011.^[13] In 2014/15 the women's team participated in the Women's EHF Challenge Cup Round 3^[14] where a highly unusual result of identical scores was recorded on both playing dates^[15]

Current women squad

Squad for the 2015–16 season^[16]

Goalkeepers 01 Anita Rylow 16 Amalie Lovaas Flaethe Wingers 08 Maria Kourdoulos 20 Ulrike Stange 09 Paula Mazur 46 Ola Marcinkowska 14 Nadia Risnes 17 Anna Hampshire

Line players 03 Cristina Matei 12 Caroline Brodahl 10 Agata Garbowska 19 Hanna Finell Back players 06 Olimpia Lopes DaVeiga 11 Loredana Lupu 13 Arantzazu Marin Pacheco 15 Nikolett Szollos-Wendler

Transfer signings

• 02 Zsofia Nyakas
• 18 Malin Alders

Notable former players

• Karonlina Hentze
• Fatimata Niang
• Kaia Tufteland
• Maddie Edwards
• Krisztina Toth
• Nikoletta Papp
• Marianna Meryova
• Agnes Foeglein
• Nikoletta Rau
• Lisa Johansen Persheim
• Charlotte Morkken
• Maria Garcia Pedrosa
• Micaela Casasola^[17]

References

1. "Women Super 7 League 2013/14 | England Handball". Archived from the original on 2013-09-27.
2. "London/South Men Regional League 2013/14 | England Handball". Archived from the original on 2013-10-17.
3. Everyman, The (2012-01-14). "The Everyman Olympian: The Handball Challenge: Oxford Uni Tournament, Matches Four & Five". Everymanolympian.blogspot.co.uk. Retrieved 2014-01-23.
4. "Match report from the mixed tournament held on 19 May | Brentwood Handball Club". Brentwoodhandball.co.uk. 2012-05-19. Retrieved 2014-01-23.
5. "Sports Gazette | Chris Higgins - an Irish gem in British handball | Martin Fruensgaard". Archived from the original on 2014-02-03.
6. "Ulrike Stange | Deutscher Handballbund". Dhb.de. 2013-04-11. Retrieved 2014-01-23.
7. "Thames Women win LHA London Cup | London Handball Association". Londonhandball.co.uk. Retrieved 2014-01-23.
8. "2013 Teams - T.I.D Sports". Archived from the original on 2013-07-29. Retrieved 2013-12-24.
9. http://www.englandhandball.com/london-men-regional-development-league-2014/15 ^{[dead link‍]}
10. "Championship | England Handball". Archived from the original on 2014-10-21.
11. "Thames fall at the final handball hurdle (From This Is Local London)". Thisislocallondon.co.uk. 2013-06-13. Retrieved 2014-01-23.
12. "Thames fall at the final handball hurdle (From Richmond and Twickenham Times)". Richmondandtwickenhamtimes.co.uk. 2013-06-13. Retrieved 2014-01-23.
13. "Thames fall at the final handball hurdle (From Your Local Guardian)". Yourlocalguardian.co.uk. 2013-06-13. Retrieved 2014-01-23.
14. "EHF Challenge Cup Women". eurohandball.com. 2014-07-22. Archived from the original on 2017-11-22. Retrieved 2014-08-14.
15. "Identical Results in Two Matches seen in Serbia". eurohandball.com. 2014-11-17. Retrieved 2014-11-25.
16. "Team Focus Super 8 Thames Handball Club". Englandhandball.com. Retrieved 2015-12-17.
17. "Casasola Signs For Thames HC". englandhandball.com. 2015-02-19. News. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2015-03-03.

External links

• Official website
• Women's team profile on EHF website