The under 16 girls and under 15 boys teams played under the name of Newham Flames and for all of them it was their first taste of competitive handball in a competition that boasted over 950 teams participating, that's 13,500 young people!
The playing squad was assembled by Miriam Pupalova who is the Handball Development Officer for Leyton Orient Community Sports Programme following a series of taster sessions and trials at schools and in parks across Newham.
Fiona Miley, Head of Newham's Sports Development Team said, "Every player came away from the Partille Cup with their heads held high. Lessons were learnt during the games, but we had to admire their determination and drive against some great opponents. The whole event was simply awesome! I just didn't realise how popular handball is in world sport.
Fiona added, "I'm really glad that Miriam Pupalova's enthusiasm and dedication to Handball development in my Borough has brought this about. The Newham team now knows they need to get fitter, stronger and play more matches. Their first opportunity to do so will be to compete as a team in the London Street Games that will take place on 8 August at Newham Leisure Centre and we'll be returning to Manchester at the end of August to compete in the North-West Street Games. We are already planning for next years Partille Cup tournament, and personally I can't wait".
Anyone interested in playing or helping handball in Newham should either contact Fiona Miley, Head of Sports Development on 0208 430 2441 or Miriam Pupalova on 020 8556 5973.
