Handball World Cup 24 - Everything Thread

[Quebec and Shingoryeo]

worldofhandball.multi - Your Go-To Website for International and Domestic Handball!

Post-Game Interview: Grim Reapers co-coach Varinder Bhullar after a 33-24 win over GGU

Dominic Vassin

NYHAVN, NORREHAVN - Quebecois women's head coach Varinder Bhullar spoke to the worldofhandball.multi after Quebec and Shingoryeo joint teams kicked off their Handball World Cup 24 campaign with a 33-24 win over a formidable Gatchingerrak Union side.

With a much retooled and changed side from the previous Handball World Cup, and the Summer Games the previous summer in Bunjil, Electrum, the Quebecois felt comfortable in their six-game campaign required to qualify for the 20-team group stage, to be held in Q&S and Sylestone, but with solid results the previous year. In the aims of a deeper read with a proper team on disposal, Bhullar and his co-coach, Michael Hanrahan of the men's national team, felt that this campaign was necessary to work on tactics at disposal ahead of much tougher stages expected down the road.

worldofhandball.multi: It hasn't been the easiest getting back to the competition again, I believe not. And of course, the goals are much bigger than what had been proposed under your predecessor last time around. With the women's team having won silver with youth behind them, did this allow you to try working further on what you wanted?

Varinder Bhullar: Yes, and yes. And in all honesty, getting this team back to full fold, with full group of players, is what me and Michael wanted after having a mixed bag of results at the Olympics. One of the reasons why we trialled a group of youths, with four wildcards, is to see how they will fare under a tougher stage. So we brought a lot of young players then to get more experience, and the results back then showed that we can do it, but still long ways to go.

worldofhandball.multi: And when it comes to 'being long ways to go', your team had a great performance against Gatchingerrak Union joint team that you've always had trouble against on Commonwealth Championships or Commonwealth Games. What have you seen in the victory that you particularly liked about?

Bhullar: I think it's all about maintaining consistency, and being right on time and space for the defence. This by no means takes away much from how good our offence was - scoring 34 on the tall wall before us is never easy! - but defence is where any team's teamwork really shows up or doesn't. It is true that we do have an advantage with having both men and women's teams play, which gives us a lot of options, but that also means we have to work extra hard to make sure our defensive formations don't break down.

worldofhandball.multi: As for defensive formations, would you like to tell us a bit more about it?

Bhullar: It's more straightforward than you'd think. So both men and women's teams use similar formations because we have roughly similar style of play. And for the HWC, we use two formations and four to five times the tactics for them. Before every game, there's a strategy or two we come up with- that's what is going to be on focus. It often works well, as you've seen with stopping angle of 7m or 9m throws, especially from centre today, but sometimes it may fail. That's where we need to get better with individual ability of players, because speed is everything in handball.

worldofhandball.multi: In six months time, so roughly a month after the Handball World Cup, there will be Quebecois Commonwealth Games held in Montreal. What will be the team's plans ahead of facing likely the same opponents in the medal stage for both men and women's teams? What will be the key to get their competitiveness up?

Bhullar: Just get the speed up, like the previous answer. Everybody knows that speed is our strong suit, but those on the Union team - Novopetrograd, Norrehavn, heck Gatchinovo - are getting faster and faster as well. That's just the way the game has grown and tactically developped at least in the Commonwealth, so we have to think about that on that level as well. Our win today's great, but that's under circumstances where both sides have 28 players - Commonwealth circuit always goes 14 and we have to think of it in a 14-person game, improve our contact and whatnot. While lots of shared characteristics exist, women's game isn't really like men's game after all.

worldofhandball.multi: Since the Olympics, the most distinguishable changes have been on how we start seeing Quebecois players go abroad, usually to Gatchingerrak Superliga, and Ligue-Boreale started accepting foreign players as well. Have you noticed some differences?

Bhullar: Absolutely. Our combined team has 7 players headed abroad, and possibly more depending on how it goes with resumption of international scene for domestic handball. During their time abroad, we have seen a noticeable improvement in mental stability and ways to deal with Unionian players, their styles and culture as well. The same goes for those on the other side who plie their trade, or olympic legends from Graintfjall - Jack Jockisson and Samuele Henriksson - here. International handball scene isn't that small compared to what many seem to think at times, and with the resumption and growth of international and domestic competitions, we should see good things to come.

[Sylestone]

Cutoff for matchday two of the first group stage, Quebec half.

---

Group E

Gatchingerrak Union 24–28 Drawkland
Quebec & Shingoryeo 24–21 Varmennia

Group E                  Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Quebec & Shingoryeo      2   2  0  0   57  45 +12    4
2 Varmennia                2   1  0  1   54  50  +4    2
3 Drawkland                2   1  0  1   54  57  −3    2
4 Gatchingerrak Union      2   0  0  2   48  61 −13    0

Group F

North Handoria 23–29 Juvencus
HUElavia 24–24 The 14 Stars

Group F                Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Juvencus               2   2  0  0   59  47 +12    4
2 HUElavia               2   1  1  0   57  52  +5    3
3 The 14 Stars           2   0  1  1   48  54  −6    1
4 North Handoria         2   0  0  2   51  62 −11    0

Group G

The Jovannic 31–23 Natanians and Nosts
Taxonomic Kingdoms 28–24 Hebitaka

Group G                  Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 The Jovannic             2   2  0  0   55  44 +11    4
2 Taxonomic Kingdoms       2   1  0  1   49  48  +1    2
3 Natanians and Nosts      2   1  0  1   52  54  −2    2
4 Hebitaka                 2   0  0  2   47  57 −10    0

Group H

Ardengard 29–27 Isle Noire
Græntfjall 32–23 Ethane

Group H                Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Ardengard              2   2  0  0   53  50  +3    4
2 Græntfjall             2   1  0  1   55  47  +8    2
3 Isle Noire             2   1  0  1   56  53  +3    2
4 Ethane                 2   0  0  2   47  61 −14    0

[Gatchingerrak Union]

Gatchingerrak Union Handball Team
Trigramme: GGU
Denonym: Gatchin/Unionian
Nickname: Seven Stars

---

Gatchingerrak Union of Rushmori nations, shortened as the Gatchingerrak Union, is a cultural and political alliance of four countries of the Quebecois Commonwealth located in mid-southern Rushmore (Norrskie Zasousti, Norrehavn, Gatchinovo and Novopetrograd). The three kingdoms and the citystate, while independent nations of own, do have the Gatchingerrak Union as a way to establish their common zone, where their main goals are to advance co-operation in military, cultural, economic and energy matters. It shares land border with Vaugania and Norrhem to the west, while bits of the east touch Phoenigetzusta. Combined population of the union are estimated to be around 81 million.

While its trio of nations have always fought with one another for centuries, Gatchingerrak Union is a culturally diverse nation with growing importance outside to that of the Quebecois Commonwealth. Its population is ethnically diverse, with the eastern, Novopetrogradian half of the realms primarily Slavic, while the Western half is divided to primarily Nordic Norrehavn on north and slavic Norrskie Zasousti on the south. Somewhere in middle of the lake, which faces all of the three nations, stands the island that is nowadays known as the citystate of Gatchinovo, the ancient place known for its significance on trades and diplomacy among the Rushmori realms of the Quebecois Commonwealth. It is where the Accord between the 4 states were signed in year 2030 (around the time of WC78), to promise co-prosperity among the rivalling states whose cooperation is needed more than ever. Its economy is a mix of natural resources and heavy manufacturing for it.

---

Head Coach: Ben Bengtsson, 45
Assistant Coaches: Samuil Becker, 38
Marina Nesterenko, 42

No. Pos.  Name                 Sex Age  Height Nation 
01   GK   Galina Nachtaller      F  26   1.77m    NPG   
02   CB   Lars Soubak-Skov       M  29   1.88m    NHV
04   LW   Eduard Porogolev       M  19   1.91m    GVO
06   RW   Irina Mandelshtam      F  22   1.73m    NPG
08   LW   Vadim Tavrizyan        M  23   1.97m    NPG
09    P   Igor Tavrizyan         M  25   2.00m    NPG
10   RB   Nicklas Ek-Hanlund     M  36   1.92m    NHV 
11   RB   Gennadiy Petitpa       M  42   1.92m    NPG  
12   LB   Margolina Grankina     F  32   1.83m    NPG
13   GK   Nikolai Lomonosov      M  34   1.87m    NPG 
14    P   Joakim Søndergaard     M  33   1.91m    NHV
15   CB   Cecilia Wanne          F  31   1.81m    NHV   
16   RW   Evgeni Trofimov        M  24   1.84m    NPG
17   LB   Jaroslav Nemec         M  26   1.87m    NZS
18    P   Oksana Starostina      F  22   1.83m    NPG
19   GK   Ivan Knudsen           M  21   1.93m    NHV  
20    P   Isabel Vargas          F  26   1.76m    NHV
21   RB   Karoline Thorsgaard    F  32   1.84m    GVO
22   LB   Yoon Bo-Gyeong         F  25   1.80m    NHV   
24   LB   Rasmus Sarup           M  27   1.88m    NHV
25   RW   Raphael Haraldsen      F  28   1.81m    NHV
26   RB   Diana Golysheva        F  20   1.82m    NPG
27   CB   Dalibor Gustavsson     M  24   1.92m    GVO   
31   LW   Therese Engstrom       F  26   1.74m    NHV
34   CB   Maria Miroshnichenko   F  21   1.85m    NPG
41   LW   Milena Mamic           F  36   1.79m    NZS
47   GK   Sara Andersen          F  29   1.84m    NHV   
54   RW   Nils Palme             M  20   1.91m    NHV

---

My opponent, if they RP first, may do the following:
Choose my goalscorers: Yes/No
Godmod scoring events: Yes/No
RP injuries to my players: Yes/No
Godmod injuries to my players: Yes/No (If you wish to do so, at least ask. Otherwise, no)
Hand out yellow cards to my players: Yes/No
Hand out red cards to my players: Yes/No
Godmod other events: Yes/No (It's a complicated nation. Best to ask me via TG or PM)

[Bollonich]

Vreton City Journal

What can we expect from Spence’s administration?
Last time around, we at the Vreton City Journal closely analysed the Nyowani Kitaran conflict, it’s many complexities and what countries in an idea world should be doing. But the world we live in is far from ideal, countries and politicians have their agendas. So it is important for us to look and analyse what the newly elected administration of Terry Spence’s actions will be with regard to the Kitaran crisis. Since running for President, Spence’s ideas and ways of making this country go forward were clear. He had made his motives clear which mainly attracted the more conservative voter poll of Bollonich. Nonetheless, he was the favourite to win against Peyton who was now running as an individual representative having lost out to Terry in the running for being the Liberal Party candidate. Lowell Cason was running for the Socialist Marxists, a party that had been in turmoil ever since the Fermont Riots and the imprisonment of party members. Terry Spence managed to win the election by a very narrow margin just edging out Peyton who seemed to be set to be the Liberal representative following the first round of voting. Having now been in office for a very short period of time one of the major dilemmas surrounding Spence will be what action to take with regard to the Kitaran conflict. The Government has so far been able to escape from commenting on the matter and has also not provided any official response.
However as the Government keeps the suspense up today we’ll try to break it. On foreign policy it’s abundantly clear what Spence’s motives are. Greater control and power for Bollonich. And this coincidentally overlaps with his love for intervention which he hasn’t made a secret. So what can we expect from him? Do we expect intervention? Well, yes but also no. The Spence administration will not make the humongous blunder of directly intervening in Nyowani Kitara however we can certainly expect sanctions or at the very least a declaration of sides. The options for the administration however seem to be limited without the support of more powerful nations as major Rushmori powers like Nephara have declared support for the Kitaran government recognising Nafuna Akongo as the legitimate President. Whatever decision Spence makes it will however need to pass through the House of Representatives. Now the question arises as to whether this is possible given the current divide in all forms of Bollonischian politics as the Liberal party continues to bend right and this is causing dissent among some members. The Socialists however lack any form of competitive representation in the House so opposition if any shall be coming from the more left wing Liberals. And given recent events such as Spence winning the popular vote among the Liberals it can be expected that any motion presented in the House would be passed.
From previous incidents and our analysis above we can conclude that the Spence administration would try to intervene if possible however current situations make it difficult and an important decision for Bollonischian politics.

[Quebec and Shingoryeo]

Cutoff for Sylestonian half, Matchday 2!

---

Group A
Terradiu 27–32 Kriegiersien
Sylestone 28–22 Lisander

P Group A              Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts                      
1 Sylestone              2   2  0  0   59  42 +17    4  —   28–22   —   31–20
2 Lisander               2   1  0  1   53  52  +1    2  —    —   31–24   — 
3 Kriegiersien           2   1  0  1   56  58  −2    2    —    —    —    — 
4 Terradiu               2   0  0  2   47  63 −16    0  —    —   27–32   —

Group B
Hallikshire 24–27 Qasden
Bollonich 33–24 Castelobruxo

P Group B              Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts                      
1 Bollonich              2   2  0  0   63  48 +15    4  —   33–24   —   30–24
2 Castelobruxo           2   1  0  1   55  56  −1    2  —    —   31–23   — 
3 Qasden                 2   1  0  1   50  55  −5    2    —    —    —    — 
4 Hallikshire            2   0  0  2   48  57  −9    0  —    —   24–27   —

Group C
Raspotochje 27–32 Praxedes
Sarzonia 31–21 Srednjaci

P Group C              Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts                      
1 Sarzonia               2   2  0  0   63  40 +23    4  —    —   31–21  32–19
2 Praxedes               2   1  0  1   58  55  +3    2    —    —    —    — 
3 Srednjaci              2   1  0  1   49  57  −8    2  —   28–26   —    — 
4 Raspotochje            2   0  0  2   46  64 −18    0  —   27–32   —    —

Group D
Skopja 27–26 Annyeong Oppa
Abanhfleft 23–24 Equestria

P Group D              Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts                      
1 Skopja                 2   1  1  0   49  48  +1    3  —   27–26   —    — 
2 Annyeong Oppa          2   1  0  1   56  54  +2    2    —    —    —    — 
3 Equestria              2   1  0  1   51  53  −2    2  —   27–30   —    — 
4 Abanhfleft             2   0  1  1   45  46  −1    1 22–22   —   23–24   —

[Sarzonia]

It's easy to develop good feelings, if overly optimistic feelings on the night when a defending champion raises a banner to honour their title and then wins on opening night of the following competition.

The real test of the team is in the match that follows. Can the team handle a match without the pomp and circumstance and the added energy of an ebullient crowd celebrating the team's triumph from the previous edition? That was the question facing the Sarzonian national handball team as it got ready to face their only ranked opponent in Group C, eighth ranked Srednjaci at The Palestra in Woodstock.

The answer: An unqualified yes. Sarzonia led from beginning to end and only a late rally by Srednjaci prevented Sarzonia from completely blowing them out of the building en route to a 31-21 victory that made clear to anyone in attendance that Sarzonia were still a powerful favourite and a threat to win a second consecutive title in team handball's preeminent competition.

For manager Joyce Rodham, she said Srednjaci proved their mettle by rallying in the fourth quarter to force her to look at her bench after she'd removed some of her starting players to allow the depth players an opportunity against a strong opponent. She only sent Vivianne Taylor back onto the pitch to shore up the defence. Pat Agnew was the only starter among the seven who did not take a seat after Sarzonia built up a 18-goal lead in the third quarter.

"They didn't want to come to the bench," Rodham said of the team's goalkeeper. "They wanted to finish it out, so I let them." Agnew said she would give reserve goalie Jim Haverchuk the start against Praxedes even though Javier Lopez is the clear second choice goalie.

"I'll give Javy a chance to play at some point in this competition," Rodham said. "Right now, I want to see what Jim can do."

When asked if Agnew and Taylor were getting along better after the team started 2-0, Rodham gave a scowl and simply snarled, "Next question."

Perhaps that's one question that should remain begging.

[The 14 Stars]

Struggle

As the world cup started the Starsian team was not very appreciated after the events of the world cup, however the coach had a clear message for those criticizing the nation for their earlier team that debuted in another sport.

''We are the handball team and a whole diffrent entity, we are here to prove our worth on the greatest stage that exists, all of us are in high spirits and very motivated to show the best of themselves at all costs''

As said was their motivation great although there was still doubt among the international community, as the first match started they did a regular warm up and just what a normal handball team would do.
However before their first game on the world stage started all players chanted a Starsian native chant at the loudest volume possible showing their will to fight and to smash their international bad reputation.
Their first game saw alot of fast paced action and their plays weren't bad at all and their loss of the match was a bit unfortunate but nothing to worry about just yet as more matches had yet to come in this tournament.


In their second match they started way better and they managed to score alot of points and even more pressure their very quick and physically exhausting game on their opponents who were ofcourse not physically as strong as them.
However technical plays were a weakness and The 14 Stars lacks that technique which costs them valuable points letting this end in a draw meaning so far a well earned 3rd plays for the team as they look out for more wins.
Our captain Chris Kenville gave a short interview after the second match.


reporter: ''So hey there Chris, how do you feel about the matches as i think i speak for all of us when i say we expected more''

Chris: ''Well i don't think we should, we are still relatively new to the world stage plus we played our game and at times really pressured our opponents into the corner we want them to be in.
I think all of our members are doing their absolute best and i am very proud of how well they keep themselves standing especially today against a higher ranked team which was a real challenge for ourselves.''

reporter: ''I see and how do you look to the rest of the tournament?''

Chris: ''With alot of positivity, we might have a slow start but there is nothing lost yet and if we can keep our spirits high and turn our great plays into some wins we really deserve i think a 2nd or even a 1st place is not out of sight yet.''

[Juvencus]

The 14 Stars 24-30 Juvencus
North Handoria 23-29 Juvencus

Pallamano gli attaccanti pack 2 victories in stunning fashion! And I'm all for it!


Gli attaccanti are celebrating their first winstreak since HWC 18!

Now before you ask who this guy is, my name is and will always remain a secret, but call me Jupi1093. You're curious as to why I'm copying il Scudelliano's format when I'm showing my scorelines. Guess what? They are the best source of information in the nation, of course I will copy the heck out of them, at least in the score-showing format. As a local Scudelliano myself, how else am I supposed to show my pride, right?

Truth be told, seeing the original gli attaccanti overperform in handball for the first time in ages is very nice to see. Seeing as both games were away though, many Juven fans have not seen the team perform play from up close in forever. Here is an explanation of how it went.

First game vs The 14 Stars: If anything sports have to taught is to be angry as fuck, to accept differences, the weird and wacky nations out there and to always be grateful we were born in a relatively normal society. The 14 Stars is far from being the weirdest nation out there, but it definitely is one of the scariest any sports team from our nation has gotten to visit. An algocracy, a literal society controlled by computer algorithms and especially AI and the sort, The 14 Stars is pretty much the closest anything has come to "perfection" in a society. This did translate well into the match against our team, on top of one of the highest buildings in the country on a stadium called the Condor Area.

Their players seem to be at the same peak strength of their abilities and managed to apply a lot of pressure on our backline with an incredible stamina and quick play. This hit right at home, as Juven players are known to play exactly that type of incredibly fast-paced pressuring play in nearly every single sport. The first half was really close, Montessini was particularly good with his blockages while Skopjan-born Dark Konstandinov was an an excellent provider to Coiro and D'Agosto who scored a hailstorm of goals to keep gli attaccanti afloat. From The 14 Stars' team, Yuri Schernikov and Keyan Fernandez really shone, seemingly never out of position, giving the frontline a very hard time. Cavallieri would manage to overperform himself once he managed to score a fantastic long distance goal, the last one of the first half, giving the last scoreline of 14-17 in Juvencus' favor. What is of note is the Starsian chants alongside the whole match but especially during the first half, they were so loud and emphatic, it almost felt like watching a football match.

The half-time speech by the revered Justinianus Cabral, a priest who is known around Tiscan for coaching monastic and church teams on his free-time was very uplifting. He talked about being blessed by god and other hubbub, his assistants, also priests Martino Insigne and Destro Patini mostly nodded in agreement and added their own touch on the speech. Bringing God in must have worked like a charm for the young and impressionable player, the majority of whom are from the extremely religious west. I believe it was done in a way to raise their self esteem ahead of the perfection they faced, it worked like a charm, thank goodness.

The second half was an extremely defensive half for their names, but only on paper. Mind you it was still very pressuring and offensive for the standards of other teams. Loads of chances missed, better positioning, blocks that shouldn't have been, even. You name it, you saw it. Normally a game like this would've ended like 35-36 by how many attacks were lost. But there he was, Thiago Sabbatini, putting the performance of his life. He alone scored 4 goals in quick succession in the dying stages of the game and sealed the deal seemingly on his own. 24-30 was not a bad scoreline to start the world cup with.

Second game vs North Handoria: Needless to say records are really bad in regards to that game. North Handoria's stadium was nameless, in a very average large capital city of nothing worthwhile. Their players had no names on their shirt and the stadium was filled with very average people. Our players really proved their worth during both halves and stuck to their beautiful offensive game. Carlos Ideale and James Di Monieri had excellent linkups throught combining for 14 goals which is nearly half of all the goals scored by gli attaccanti throught the game.

Last group stage game is against HUElavia who are ranked 5th in the world and our team is hosting them in the Alcantara Arena in Santo Domenico. A beautiful game is to be expected as the team will be hopefully getting another W for the books as they go forward in the Handball World Cup. VAMO PALLAMANO GLI ATTACCANTI!

[Kriegiersien]

“Don’t go to Lisander, you will only find defeat there. Two thousand shiny things for the advice”, the oracle said.

But the Handball and the Hockey teams went to Lisander and Kriegiersien was defeated. In Hockey exterminated in the group stage, in Handball losing 31–24 against the Handball team of Lisander in Lisander.

“You were right, forgive the other fools. What shall we do now?”, asked the Chairman of the Kriegiersien Handball Association the oracle.

“You can go to Terradiu, you will triumph there easily. Three thousand”, said the Oracle and so they paid, went to Terradiu and did win.

“What is it now against Sylestone?”, asked the chairman when getting back.

“Await them at home to win. Four thousand. And let a doctor have a look for that spot on the skin at your left hand”, said the oracle, took the money and vanished in a cloud of smoke to a tropical island.

[Skopja]

Abanhfleft 22-22 Skopja
Skopja 27-26 Annyeong Oppa

Skopja remain unbeaten!


Skopjan spectators are witnesses to a historic first victory!

Jupi1093? Did you not just write an article about the Juven national handball team? The fuck are you writing about Skopja anyway? And to that I say, hey, put some respect on that small landlocked nation that we are the caretakers of. Anyway, there is not too too much to say about them, they are mysterious but they are honorarily Sonnelian like us, even though they are not, but are they? Anyway.

First game was against Abanhfleft which is one of the most established sides of the sport, the debut game saw Skopja escape with 1 point after tying them in a 22 all scoreline. To be fairly honest, Venijamin Atanasov is probably the most talented player you have never heard of in this sport. This man carried the whole team forward on each and every attack of theirs regardless on if he was directly tied to the goals scored, though he scored 5 and assisted 3 more in the first half alone, getting injured in the second. Luckily he was not meant to miss any games and only had to rest extra. Several Juven-Skopjan players also showed some prowess in the game, such as Agostino Pugliese, the right winger's finishing is extremely scary for any goalkeeper to face.

The second matchday was at home, the Sportski Centar Boris Trajkovski in Skopje was filled to the brim with people from all over the town who had come to support the national team's first international showing at home. And what better way than with a bam. Annyeong Oppa's team, a Sonnelian side, used the portal through passage 31 in Juvencus which directly led to Skopje. And goodness gracious was that a hardcore victory with both teams going neck to neck in a beautiful showing. A shower of goals followed but Mazza's goalkeeping proved to be too good in the end saving 3 chances by Gu Min-cheol and Jee Gun-wu in the dying minutes of the game alike while Branislav Savevski's last second lightning bolt was the buzzer beater(I know I am talking about handball still, worry not fellow reader) for the game. The stadium erupted in celebrations as did the rest of the nation upon news of the team's first victory.

Last group stage game is against 11th placed Equestria, who are known to be sentient ponies among other things but have not sent a directly named delegation this time around, which is surprising for a nation which has such good records. The Skopjan side are looking for a victory to sure progress to the knockout stages with no trouble.

[Sylestone]

Cutoff for matchday three of the first group stage, Quebec half.

---

Group E

Varmennia 24–24 Gatchingerrak Union
Drawkland 24–24 Quebec & Shingoryeo

Group E                  Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Quebec & Shingoryeo      3   2  1  0   81  69 +12    5
2 Varmennia                3   1  1  1   78  74  +4    3
3 Drawkland                3   1  1  1   78  81  −3    3
4 Gatchingerrak Union      3   0  1  2   72  85 −13    1

Group F

The 14 Stars 34–22 North Handoria
Juvencus 25–24 HUElavia

Group F                Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Juvencus               3   3  0  0   84  71 +13    6
2 The 14 Stars           3   1  1  1   82  76  +6    3
3 HUElavia               3   1  1  1   81  77  +4    3
4 North Handoria         3   0  0  3   73  96 −23    0

Group G

Hebitaka 24–24 The Jovannic
Natanians and Nosts 24–27 Taxonomic Kingdoms

Group G                  Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 The Jovannic             3   2  1  0   79  68 +11    5
2 Taxonomic Kingdoms       3   2  0  1   76  72  +4    4
3 Natanians and Nosts      3   1  0  2   76  81  −5    2
4 Hebitaka                 3   0  1  2   71  81 −10    1

Group H

Ethane 29–25 Ardengard
Isle Noire 23–24 Græntfjall

Group H                Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Græntfjall             3   2  0  1   79  70  +9    4
2 Ardengard              3   2  0  1   78  79  −1    4
3 Isle Noire             3   1  0  2   79  77  +2    2
4 Ethane                 3   1  0  2   76  86 −10    2

[Ardengard]

<Theme music fades out>

Phil: Good evening and welcome back to another edition of YesterDay ToDay! I am your host Phil Lemmons…

<Audience cheers>

Phil: …and we have a great show planned for you today! Later tonight, we have a performance from national teenage rock phenomenon Canon, but before that we have a special guest for you. Folks, those of you who live in Rudenburg may have noticed some minor traffic congestion on Kent Avenue this morning. If you don’t live in Rudenburg, you probably reached work on time. That traffic was due to a little event called the Handball World Cup. Now I know most of you are probably wondering “But Phil, why would you name a Cup after a foul” – handball is a proper sport people and it’s here to stay as the Ardengardian National Team has made very clear with their first two games and first two wins in the World Cup.

<Loud applause>

Phil: They made history with their win against Græntfjall – Greatfall? Gret-fa-jall? I can’t pronounce it, the spelling’s on your screen – and then continued that run at our very own Rogden Handball Arena, beating Isle Noire 29 to 27!

<Cheers and applause>

Phil: Yeah! Give it up! Now, I haven’t said this before yet but I personally am a great fan of handball. I’ve been following this team’s progress, and after this brilliant start to the Cup, I really wanted to get someone from the team on the show – much like a baby wants his Olaf to come to his house after watching Frozen on repeat. So, with a lot of difficulty, we have for you today one of the assistant coaches of the national team. Please welcome to the show James Howard!

<A screen is wheeled in with James Howard connected via Dontro (an online video conferencing platform)>

Phil: Welcome to YesterDay ToDay James. I’m sorry you can’t be with us physically at the moment so this is….

James: <Cuts in> Yeah I’m sorry about that too… sorry you were saying?

Phil: Yeah, I think it’s going to be a little difficult to conduct this interview. For the viewers, James is currently on a flight with the team and they’re on their way to Ethane where the next match is going to take place, is that right?

James: Yeah, there’s a lot of travel.

Phil: By the way, where are you right now ‘cause I can hear the plane but I can’t hear anyone else from the team currently.

James: <laughs> I’m in… <Laughs again> I’m in the plane’s washroom.

<Audience erupts in laughter>

Phil: Really??

James: Yeah, I figured it’d be the quietest place to do this.

Phil: So is there a line of players waiting outside to go to the washroom right now?

James: Well, I hope not.

Phil: We’d better makes this fast then. Your team debuted in the World Cup, and beat a side ranked fourth internationally. How did that feel?

James: Well, it obviously felt great for the entire team and staff. Uhhh. To see all the hard work we’ve put in for so many years finally pay off – you can’t really express that felling in words, but it felt really great. We were able to execute what we practised, the players performed superbly and we hope to keep up this standard and improve throughout the course of this Cup.

Phil: That’s a winning strategy right there. And what about the second win?

James: The second win was slightly different in the sense that, uhh, the first win was sort of a milestone – our “first ever” win – but the second win was more of a regular match win. Of course, it was played at home so winning in front of our people was also a great joy, but I think we now need to focus on the bigger picture – the cup – and make sure our performance does not falter.

Phil: That’s great to hear James. The public has seen the kind of coordination that the players have on the court. Tell us a little about what the scene is in the dressing room, among the players and the management staff as well.

James: I’d say it’s a really good and healthy environment here. Very friendly relations among all of us. As coaches, we try to encourage team building and I think in the years these players have known each other, some good bonds have been formed. As for the coaches and players, there’s little difference. We’re friendly with them and vice versa. But at the same time I think the players respect us a lot and it… we all understand each other very well.

Phil: Team-building – that’s key. One last question James. In your match against Græntfjall, in the dying moments of the game, the opponent called for a timeout but the Ardengardian players didn’t break the.. the wall they’d formed around the goal. What are your thoughts on that?

James: <Smiles> Yeah that was a surprising moment in the game for the coaches as well. The players did it entirely voluntarily. We had a chat with them about it and… it wasn’t planned in any way whatsoever. They acted on gut instinct and, well, we won the game so it didn’t not work at least. <Chuckles>

Phil: All’s well that ends well. Now, this question isn’t on the cards and I may be dumb for asking it but, how do you pronounce ‘Great-fall’? I just realised that’s a self-contradictory question. How do you pronounce G-R-an A and E mutant-N-T-F-J-A-L-L? It’s the team you played against the first match.

James: Uhhhhh, Grantfiyall?

Phil: So you don’t know either.

<James shrugs>

Phil: There you go kids. You don’t need to be able to pronounce something to beat it. We’re running out of time James but I was wondering if, before you go, you could maybe pop out of that tiny washroom you’re in and let us wish the team.

James: Yeah sure.

<He opens the door, comes out and points the camera to the cabin.>

James: Hey guys! You’re on YesterDay ToDay.

<Some players wake up with a jolt and look back. They wave.>

Phil: Some very tired, confused and uninterested faces out there. I won’t take up any more of your time. Best of luck for the next match and the Cup, we’re sure you’ll do Ardengard proud!

James: Thanks a lot for having me on the show Phil.

Phil: It’s an honour. Goodbye and goodnight.

James: Goodnight.

<Awkward silence>

Phil: Have we cut the call?

Voice of Executive Producer: He cut it first.

<Laughter>

Phil: Good for him, I can never muster the courage to cut a call without asking the person I’m talking to at least a hundred times. Anyone else know that feeling? Yeah? Anyway, that was James Howard – the assistant coach of the handball team. Follow their journey in the World Cup and beyond. I can promise you, it’s going to be an eventful one. We have to take a break now but when we come back, a performance from Canon. Stay tuned.

<Theme music plays out to advertisements>

[Bollonich]

Bollonischian Handball League

Akusha Rovers

Manager - Starla Shepherd (45)
Stadium - Lorfian Indoor Ground in Akusha (cap. 12,000)

Foreign acquisitions
Kate Armason (24) of Ardengard

Squad

Players	                Pos.    Age	Nationality
Harve Rodgers.          GK	24	BOL
Chantel Alger	        GK	29	BOL
Reggie Mutton	        LB	37	BOL
Alecia Philips	        LB	26	BOL
Hanna Barnes	        CB	27	BOL
Christie Stephens	CB	32	BOL
Kate Armason	        RB	24	ARG
Marva Barrett	        RB	20	BOL
Ramona Rush	        LW	34	BOL
Macaulay Garland	LW	19	BOL
Russell Vincent	        P	28	BOL
Cori Mayes	        P	31	BOL
Johnny Harell	        RW	34	BOL
Gaynor Rimmer	        RW	18	BOL

Past Performance
In the first ever Bollonischian Handball Cup the Akusha Rovers were that team who were continuously unlucky. We had seen this in their defeats to Vreton Bulls as well as Kings of Fermont. They just couldn’t get a break suffering the most painful defeats. They bounced back against the Lagos Yetis pulling something similar and from that point on they made a recovery but it was too little too late as they finished the season on six points, in fifth place just not making the playoffs. Last season had been a difficult one for the Rovers as they struggled a fair bit especially in the beginning of the season.

Player Watch
The Rovers definitely have some key players to watch, from captain Reggie Mutton to Arden talent Kate Armason. Captain Reggie Mutton is coming off a fabulous Olympic campaign winning the Olympics gold. This was a huge achievement for him as he was closely approaching the time he had to leave the sport. The 37 year old player will be looking to make the most of the remaining time that he has at both the club and national level. On the other side is a young player from a nation who’ve just made their appearance on the international stage. Ardengard’s team started the Handball World Cup with a bang as Kate put up some good shows. She’ll be looking to better her game as well as play in a competitive atmosphere.

Expectations
Akusha Rovers are not the best team in the Bollonischian Handball League and never were. Akusha Rovers will be trying to get into the playoffs and a place in the World Club Handball Championship which is the elite competition for Handball teams. The Rovers getting a good start to the season will attempt to try to do what they did towards the tail end of last season.

Karvian Tigers

Manager - Loyd Jenson (39)
Stadium - Karvia Indoor Stadium in Karvia (cap. 7,500)

Foreign Acquisitions
Frans Mikesson (22) of Græntfjall
Mark Eller (18) of Quebec and Shingoryeo

Squad

Players	                Pos.	Age	Nationality
Laci Harper	        GK	21	BOL
Dirk Bannerman	        GK	27	BOL
Earnestine Walsh	LB	24	BOL
Benedict Mathers	LB	33	BOL
Frans Mikesson	        CB	22	GRÆ
Mahalia Brewer	        CB	25	BOL
Maxwell Shirley	        RB	29	BOL
Hannah Tyson	        RB	19	BOL
Mark Eller	        LW	18	QUE
Eustace Baker	        LW	28	BOL
Carmen Penn	        P	23	BOL
Dax Good	        P	34	BOL
Roswell Miller	        RW	21	BOL
Rafe Moore	        RW	35	BOL

Past Performance
The Karvian Tigers had had a wonderfully successful first season. The started off the season very strongly and continued in that fashion slipping up only twice throughout the league season. They finished second losing out on first place on goal difference which went to the Kings of Fermont. In the playoffs they faced they narrowly defeated the Knights as they were now up against Fermont in the first ever final of the Bollonischian Handball Cup. The match was tied after normal time as it headed to extra time where it was the Tigers who eventually came out on top following a brutal game as they had won the first ever Handball Cup.

Player Watch
The Karvian Tigers made some very key foreign acquisitions to help them while also holding onto some of the best Bollonischians in their side. Frans Mikesson would be making the journey over the border from Græntfjall to the city of Karvia. Frans will be an important player for The Tiger providing solidity to their defense and help improve their chances going into the new season aiming to repeat their heroics.
Mark Eller very similarly to Mikesson is a very young player, from Quebec and Shingoryeo another handball powerhouse. Mark will be looking to make an impact on the the side towards the offense as the Tigers shall be major contenders for the title in the upcoming season.

Expectations
All fans of the Tigers would like them to repeat the heroics of last season and they honestly have a chance going into this season as their team looks stronger than ever with the signings of Mikesson and Eller. They will be expecting to comfortably make the WCHC having been a dominating force in the league if they manage to carry over their form which they showed previously.

[Quebec and Shingoryeo]

Cutoff for Sylestonian half, Matchday 3!

---

Group A
Lisander 28–28 Terradiu
Kriegiersien 24–28 Sylestone

  Group A              Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts                      
1 Sylestone              3   3  0  0   87  66 +21    6  —   28–22   —   31–20
2 Lisander               3   1  1  1   81  80  +1    3  —    —   31–24  28–28
3 Kriegiersien           3   1  0  2   80  86  −6    2 24–28   —    —    — 
4 Terradiu               3   0  1  2   75  91 −16    1  —    —   27–32   —

Group B
Castelobruxo 32–22 Hallikshire
Qasden 32–29 Bollonich

  Group B              Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts                      
1 Bollonich              3   2  0  1   92  80 +12    4  —   33–24   —   30–24
2 Castelobruxo           3   2  0  1   87  78  +9    4  —    —   31–23  32–22
3 Qasden                 3   2  0  1   82  84  −2    4 32–29   —    —    — 
4 Hallikshire            3   0  0  3   70  89 −19    0  —    —   24–27   —

Group C
Srednjaci 22–27 Raspotochje
Praxedes 21–24 Sarzonia

  Group C              Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts                      
1 Sarzonia               3   3  0  0   87  61 +26    6  —    —   32–19  31–21
2 Praxedes               3   1  0  2   79  79   0    2 21–24   —    —    — 
3 Raspotochje            3   1  0  2   73  86 −13    2  —   27–32   —    — 
4 Srednjaci              3   1  0  2   71  84 −13    2  —   28–26  22–27   —

Group D
Equestria 26–35 Skopja
Annyeong Oppa 32–24 Abanhfleft

  Group D              Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts                      
1 Skopja                 3   2  1  0   84  74 +10    5  —   27–26   —    — 
2 Annyeong Oppa          3   2  0  1   88  78 +10    4  —    —    —   32–24
3 Equestria              3   1  0  2   77  88 −11    2 26–35  27–30   —    — 
4 Abanhfleft             3   0  1  2   69  78  −9    1 22–22   —   23–24   —

[Sarzonia]

When a team wins matches easily and looks dominant, the question becomes how the team will respond when a team pushes them to the brink.

That's exactly the challenge Sarzonia's national handball team faced in the fourth quarter against Praxedes. Sarzonia had easily defeated both Raspotchje and Srednjaci in the first two matches of group play, but now were playing in a hostile arena and were level.

Sarzonia responded well, holding Praxedes scoreless for the final seven minutes, 18 seconds and scoring three goals during that span to earn a hard-fought 24-21 victory that gave the Stars a 3-0-0 record. Sarzonia are one of just three teams without a draw or a loss and currently have the highest goal differential in the competition, five ahead of fellow unbeatens and undrawns Sylestone. The other team currently without a loss or draw is Juvencus, which has a plus-13 goal differential.

Manager Joyce Rodham said she was pleased with her team's ability to handle adversity.

"We easily could have folded out there," Rodham said. "Hostile crowd, good opponent. I like how we battled back and played the way we're capable of playing."

The victory extends Sarzonia's overall win streak to 15, a streak that began with the final group stage match in Handball World Cup 22 when the Stars defeated The Royal Kingdom of Quebec 28-27. The Stars failed to qualify for the knockout rounds at that time, but they would finish Handball World Cup 23 undefeated and undrawn at 11-0-0 with a defeat of Kotzellach in the final in extra time.

Even though Stars goalkeeper Pat Agnew and defender Vivianne Taylor are known for not getting along, Taylor praised her goalie's poise in the fourth quarter.

"They did a great job of stopping Praxedes in their tracks," Taylor said. "It gave us all more confidence to know we were going to win if we could get some offence."

Meanwhile, Agnew said the defence made their work a lot easier.

"They really challenged the Praxedes offence and forced them out of what they were trying to do out there. Give our defence credit," Agnew said.

That offence came courtesy of reserve pivot Mike Dakota, who was subbing for an injured Ivan Charlton. Charlton was cleared by the medical staff after the match, but Dakota scored the eventual match-winner with 5:38 remaining in the fourth quarter with a bounce shot that eluded the Praxedes goalie. He then assisted on right wing Cris Orem's two goals that officially closed the door on Praxedes's chances in the match.

Sarzonia will have three more matches to go as the second half of the first group stage begins, but the Stars are already two matches ahead of all three teams in Group C with three matches remaining. A victory over Raspotcochje would at the very least eliminate that team from group title contention.

[Kriegiersien]

The Schoenwetter Herald

Sport – 24th Handball World Cup

Group A
Kriegiersien 24–28 Sylestone

Even Maris Jolana, Topscorer with 8 goals, couldn't change the defeat in a match were Kriegiersien was always behind. Despite having only one two-minute penalty, the team never got a grip into the game and failed to exploit their few counter attacks and neither goalkeeper saving sufficient shots.
So the Olympic champion lost even at home against favourite Sylestone and is now under pressure.
The coach stated that she still trusts her team to improve and advance and won't change much. But the chairman of the Association had to resign after the match because of wasting too much money.

The Kriegiersien team now needs a victory against Lisander in the home match.

This should be the deciding game between the two about who can directly qualify for the next round and will be played in the Handballdome of Schoenwetter with a full house of 33.333 viewers expected.

Rumours that the team from Lisander won’t have a quiet time in their hotel before the match, were commented by the new chairman of the Kriegiersien Handball Association and the mayor of Schoenwetter as “nothing what we could do about” and “if some fans want to chant and celebrate in front of the hotel that would be against no laws”.
Which oddly lawyers say would normally contradict to the law of no disturbing the peace, which was abolished for one week for Schoenwetter, allegedly for the celebration of the new introduced “Feast of the cake”.

[Gatchingerrak Union]

worldofhandball.multi - Your Go-To Website for International and Domestic Handball!

Nyowani Kitara brothers defects, faces long exile from their homeland in order to escape the war

Aida Karimi

STRATON, TUMBRA - It was just four years ago when 18-year old Markus and 20-year old Niko Sandersson drew particular awe by the homecrowd as the siblings, scoring 11 goals and 12 assists as they upset Norrehavn in a major exhibition victory, the match that had brought Nyowani Kitara's handball team into unexpected spot.

Now their career plans may require changes, as the country heads into a three-way civil war that the brothers decided to avoid. The 22-year old and 24-year old handball players’ decision to not return to their native country, in middle of a series of exhibition matches leading up to the Quebecois Commonwealth Games this fall, shows how the civil war and political division in Nyowani Kitara have affected millions of lives, including highly talented handballers who preferred to avoid talking about politics.

Natives of Port Vijian, southern Nyowani Kitara, Sandersson brothers' handball careers were mostly limited to playing for local sports clubs, with an occasional exception for the regional and national team programs, where 'we usually formed the backbone, the plan,' said Markus in a 2047 interview. Thus, when Jakob Bengtsson, then-U20 national team's director, offered them a spot in the national men's handball team, it took little to no persuasion for the siblings to move to Dewayo, the nation's capital.

Over time, Sandersson brothers' quickly became two finest handball players produced by the Pavolan state, most strongly defined by Nyowani Kitara's 3rd-place finish in 2049 Quebecois Commonwealth Championships (where the Kitaran side was able to play as an invited side) and rumours of interest from Quebecois Ligue-Boreale and Gatchingerrak Superliga sides. In Straton last week, they were able to draw a round of applause, and a few dozens of local fans of all ages whose attention was drawn over the centre back Markus and right back Niko.

Described as 'charismatic' and 'understanding', Sandersson brothers probably felt that it was in the best interests of everybody when the team, after six months of practice at various places abroad, fell into bouts of dispute over the political redirectioning of their country, an agent familiar with the situation said.

'It's inevitable, if you think about it that way,' said the professional agent, who chose not to be identified. 'You have a team that, given the ethnic makeup of the team, ​can't really return home because of the war, but have to spend months and months across the Multiverse, these kinds of disputes are going to happen. Eventually, while they may be patriotic enough to a rapidly-fracturing, something like this was going to happen.’

As the team continued to fight up to the morning of the exhibition match in Straton, the brothers' parents advised them to move abroad as the handball federation staff failed to comment about the team's current state, some team members went against them due to their support of the ruling KPWC, and others simply stayed out of it.

'In the end, this was a tough decision and the family told them not to fly back to Nyowani Kitara under any circumstance,' according to Yves Montour, the Quebecois representative of the Handball World Cup governing board. 'We of the Handball World Cup board, as well as Handball Quebec, will have to look at this carefully, especially considering possible implications for both competitions in future-time.'

Since the death of the Pavolan state's dictator, Boaz Akongo, athletes both home and abroad have maintained mixed stances about the current affairs situation that has been unfolding in Nyowani Kitara. While said questions have flooded the minds of the football national team, who have been spending the past year across the Multiverse, Sandersson brothers had stayed out of the previous year's civil war. 'It is not up to us to comment on the matters that involve our homeland,' said Niko on a phone call with worldofhandball. 'It's a country of many ethnicities and common goals, but with the way things fall apart, me, my brother and our families have decided to defect out of our safety.'

Now they face years away from homeland. The Norsk officials have said that they are welcome to receive a Nansen passport in Nyhavn, where the brothers are expected to reunite with their parents, a grandparent and sister, and possibly play for Gatchingerrak Superliga. Their cousins, in the meanwhile, have been drafted into service by the independent forces of KFF, where the rouges are expected to battle it out in the north. Somewhere, out there, they will be in the Flanders fields. 'The decision to leave was hard, but not much else we could do,' said Niko.

[Sylestone]

Cutoff for matchday four of the first group stage, Quebec half.

---

Group E

Gatchingerrak Union 27–25 Quebec & Shingoryeo
Drawkland 29–28 Varmennia

Group E                  Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Quebec & Shingoryeo      4   2  1  1  106  96 +10    5
2 Drawkland                4   2  1  1  107 109  −2    5
3 Varmennia                4   1  1  2  106 103  +3    3
4 Gatchingerrak Union      4   1  1  2   99 110 −11    3

Group F

North Handoria 32–28 HUElavia
Juvencus 28–22 The 14 Stars

Group F                Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Juvencus               4   4  0  0  112  93 +19    8
2 HUElavia               4   1  1  2  109 109   0    3
3 The 14 Stars           4   1  1  2  104 104   0    3
4 North Handoria         4   1  0  3  105 124 −19    2

Group G

The Jovannic 20–22 Taxonomic Kingdoms
Natanians and Nosts 32–27 Hebitaka

Group G                Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Taxonomic Kingdoms       4   3  0  1   98  92  +6    6
2 The Jovannic             4   2  1  1   99  90  +9    5
3 Natanians and Nosts      4   2  0  2  108 108   0    4
4 Hebitaka                 4   0  1  3   98 113 −15    1

Group H

Ardengard 30–23 Græntfjall
Isle Noire 37–24 Ethane

Group H              Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Ardengard              4   3  0  1  108 102  +6    6
2 Isle Noire             4   2  0  2  116 101 +15    4
3 Græntfjall             4   2  0  2  102 100  +2    4
4 Ethane                 4   1  0  3  100 123 −23    2

Blue indicates a top two finish and automatic progression to the second group stage.
Green indicates a top three finish and assured progression to playoffs, although they can still get top two.

[Sylestone]

Tried to get an RP in for the Kriegiersien game, but no time to do it, unfortunately. Apologies.

---

The Sylestonean > Sport > Handball > HWC 24

HAWTHORNS DEFEAT LISANDER, KRIEGIERSIEN, TO MAINTAIN PERFECT RECORD

Sylestone vs Lisander @ Chamberley Institute of Sport, Chamberley

Sylestone Starting VII: Gotch; Bailey - McCartney (c) - Strezlecki; Raven - James - Radcliffe

Lisander Starting VII: del Pozo; Castan - Miranda - Orean; Liziero - Linas - Kronel

CHAMBERLEY, SYLESTONE - Following a comprehensive 11-point victory over Terradiu, the Hawthorns arrived at the Chamberley Institute of Sport chasing their second win on the trot. However, their opponents were Lisander, a side of whom is ranked equal 19th in the multiverse following a 3-0-4 record in their group in the 23rd instalment of the Handball World Cup. As the pot two side, they posed the biggest threat to the Hawthorns thus far, with the Sylestoneans knowing they required a victory in order to maintain well above the pack with three away games on the trot fast approaching.

But they would be hard-pushed to do so, with Lisander coming out on top by a fair way in their home opener against Kriegiersien, scoring 31 to the 22nd-ranked side’s 24 to kick their campaign off with a perfect start. It meant that while confident, the Hawthorns were indeed wary of the Lisanderians as a force to be reckoned with.

Right from the outset, they were able to. In the previous Handball World Cup, the Hawthorns were admired for their ability to get going right from the outset. However, having not played much handball together over the past two years, Sylestone’s ability to put pressure on their opponents from the start appeared to be somewhat nullified. First when they were 3-2 down against Terradiu within the first five minutes and now here, with the score 4-4 ten minutes in, in Chamberley against Lisander.

But as they had done in Cleorough against Terradiu, the Hawthorns gradually began to assert control over the match. It began with only little hints at first - Isla McCartney and Isabella Bailey throwing themselves into intercepts and a brilliant goal to substitute pivot Patrick Barnsley gradually gave the Hawthorns a lead heading into half-time.

By the time the half-time break came around, Sylestone had already used up their three yellow cards, but had a decent lead over their opponents. The scoreline at that stage was 15-10, with the Esportivans able to cash in on minor mistakes from the Lisanderians to ensure the lead would be the size it was with half an hour to spare.

Directly after half-time, the Hawthorns continued on their merry way, at one stage able to increase the lead up to eight before a fightback from Lisander during the middle of the second half kept the number three side in the multiverse. With ten minutes to spare, the lead was a bare four points, with Sylestone beginning to make the occasional mistake, while Lisander capitalised on it. An intriguing final ten minutes awaited.

But the Hawthorns held on. They managed to maintain their lead, while increasing it by two more to ensure they came out on top with a 28-22 victory and moving alone to the top of Group A. But now, with an away game at Kriegiersien, another tough task loomed for the Hawthorns. Could they come out on top and go three from three?

Cards:

Sylestone:
3’: Lole Strezlecki ▮
8’: Amber James ▮
27’: Patrick Barnsley ▮
34’: Patrick Barnsley ▮
49’: Bianca Gotch ▮
56’: Jonathan Younger ▮

Lisander:
18’: Bruno Carvalho ▮
25’: Bruno Carvalho ▮
45’: Sergio Linas ▮
50’: Ricardo Kronel ▮

Goals:

Sylestone:
Lachlan Fosbrook - 7
Amber James - 6
Zachary Radcliffe - 4
Lole Strezlecki - 4
Patrick Barnsley - 3
Isabella Bailey - 2
Isla McCartney - 1
Claire Raven - 1

Lisander:
Sergio Linas - 8
Ricardo Kronel - 5
Hélder Liziero - 4
Rafael Hildebrand - 2
Bruno Carvalho - 1
Julio Castan - 1
Quintino Ponzi - 1

Starting Lineup vs Terradiu @ Unknown

Ackman; Strange - McCartney (c) - Strezlecki; Fosbrook - Barnsley - Radcliffe

Schedule

GS 1 MD1: Sylestone 31-20 Terradiu @ Hagdon Park Stadium, Cleorough
GS 1 MD2: Sylestone 28-22 Lisander @ Chamberley Institute of Sport, Chamberley
GS 1 MD3: Kriegiersien 24-28 Sylestone @ Unknown
GS 1 MD4: Terradiu - Sylestone @ Unknown
GS 1 MD5: Lisander - Sylestone @ Unknown
GS 1 MD6: Sylestone - Kriegiersien @ Avondale Arena, Avondale

[Bollonich]

Bollonischian Handball League

Kings of Fermont

Manager - Rolland Ainsworth (62)
Stadium - Kings’ Dome (cap. 20,000)

Foreign Acquisitions
Giancarlo Montessini (24) of Juvencus
Maria Fury (28) of Ardengard

Squad

Players	                Pos.	Age	Nationality
Giancarlo Montessini	GK	24	JUE
Adrianna Reed	        GK	20	BOL
Jeanna Waldroup	        LB	29	BOL
Andi Rider	        LB	35	BOL
Audra Shine	        CB	27	BOL
Marisa Joiner	        CB	18	BOL
Wilbur Sandford	        RB	20	BOL
Ricki Pryor	        RB	30	BOL
Tom Thorly	        LW	30	BOL
Alison Holland	        LW	21	BOL
Madalyn Quincey	        P	24	BOL
Fay Statham	        P	26	BOL
Maria Fury	        RW	28	ARG
Felicia Ibbott	        RW	19	BOL

Past Performance
The Kings were one of the strongest outfits heading into the Handball Cup. It was uncharted territories for these new teams, and the Kings had done a brilliant job securing some of the biggest talents. And this paid dividend throughout the season as their team performed brilliantly in the season fixtures making the playoffs sitting in first place. They were serious title competitors as they finished above rivals Karvian Tigers on goal difference. In the playoffs they won their semifinal before going onto narrowly lose to the Tigers in the final in extra time.

Player Watch
Kings of Fermont had an incredibly strong side which took them to the first Handball Cup final. This team had been made even stronger with signings of Montessini and Maria Fury. Montessini was a player of the Juvencus side who have had a bashing run in the Handball World Cup as they currently hold perfect form in the competition. Maria Fury is a handball player from neighbours Ardengard who are also making their first steps in the HWC looking to make a name for themselves. Jeanna Waldroup in left back is also a crucial player for the side as she is solid in defense and is also responsible for the creation of very dangerous attacks up front.

Expectations
The Kings and Tigers are by far the strongest teams in the league. And similarly to the Tigers the fans of the Kings of Fermont will be expecting and hoping for their side to definitely be in the top 4 and at least compete in the WCHC. They will be hoping to make the playoffs once again and possibly put up another title challenge. They will try to remain in the strong position they were last season and the more important question is whether the incoming signings will be able to do what they have been bought to do.

Lagos Yetis

Manager - Gayle Wilbur (43)
Stadium - Lagos District Stadium (cap. 4,500)

Foreign Acquisitions
Karsten Kjartansson (31) of Græntfjall
Alfan-Trenj Tla (35) of Qusmo
Marianne Sieloff (28) of Quebec and Shingoryeo

Squad

Players	                Pos.	Age	Nationality
Eleanor Beck	        GK	33	BOL
Orson Southgate	        GK	21	BOL
Karsten Kjartansson	LB	31	GRÆ
Fulton Robbins	        LB	24	BOL
Lewis Adkins	        CB	19	BOL
Stew Lockwood	        CB	18	BOL
Bria Stidolph	        RB	22	BOL
Dorian Kellogg	        RB	36	BOL
Marietta Johns	        LW	26	BOL
Kennith Lewis	        LW	19	BOL
Alfan-Trenj Tla	        P	35	QUS
Celeste Stevenson	P	32	BOL
Marianne Sieloff	RW	28	QUE
Jasper Peterson	        RW	26	BOL

Past Performance
The Yetis were looking as a team who could contest for a position in the middle of the table. The season however didn’t go how they would’ve hoped. They only managed one measly victory through out the season suffering defeats in all of their first six matches in the Handball Cup. They managed to win their last win against Vreton Bulls getting them their first and only win in the Bollonischian Handball Cup.

Player Watch
Following a very disappointing season, the Yetis made three foreign signings in the break. Karsten who’s currently part of Græntfjall’s national side will help solidify a rather wobbly defense. The signings of Tla and Sieloff will give the attacking part of theteam lots of firepower. Much needed firepower to have a better second season in the competition. Signing of Qusmi Alfen-Trenj will also be interesting to see as they are a player from a nation they haven’t made headway into the Handball World Cup.

Expectations
The Yetis will mainly try to have a better season than they had last time around. The Yetis will be hoping to finish somewhere in the middle of the table and maybe even try to sneak into the top 4 with the WCHC. This could be possible especially giving the signings of some strong players who could made a drastic change in the standings.

[Quebec and Shingoryeo]

God bless Tsunopin. Cutoff for Sylestonian half, Matchday 4!

---

Group A
Terradiu 24–29 Sylestone
Kriegiersien 29–22 Lisander

  Group A              Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts                      
1 Sylestone              4   4  0  0  116  90 +26    8  —    —   28–22  31–20
2 Kriegiersien           4   2  0  2  109 108  +1    4 24–28   —   29–22   — 
3 Lisander               4   1  1  2  103 109  −6    3  —   31–24   —   28–28
4 Terradiu               4   0  1  3   99 120 −21    1 24–29  27–32   —    —

Group B
Hallikshire 21–31 Bollonich
Qasden 23–27 Castelobruxo

  Group B              Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts                      
1 Bollonich              4   3  0  1  123 101 +22    6  —   33–24   —   30–24
2 Castelobruxo           4   3  0  1  114 101 +13    6  —    —   31–23  32–22
3 Qasden                 4   2  0  2  105 111  −6    4 32–29  23–27   —    — 
4 Hallikshire            4   0  0  4   91 120 −29    0 21–31   —   24–27   —

Group C
Raspotochje 22–29 Sarzonia
Praxedes 32–31 Srednjaci

  Group C              Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts                      
1 Sarzonia               4   4  0  0  116  83 +33    8  —    —   31–21  32–19
2 Praxedes               4   2  0  2  111 110  +1    4 21–24   —   32–31   — 
3 Srednjaci              4   1  0  3  102 116 −14    2  —   28–26   —   22–27
4 Raspotochje            4   1  0  3   95 115 −20    2 22–29  27–32   —    —

Group D
Skopja 29–27 Abanhfleft
Annyeong Oppa 28–28 Equestria

  Group D              Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts                      
1 Skopja                 4   3  1  0  113 101 +12    7  —   27–26   —   29–27
2 Annyeong Oppa          4   2  1  1  116 106 +10    5  —    —   28–28  32–24
3 Equestria              4   1  1  2  105 116 −11    3 26–35  27–30   —    — 
4 Abanhfleft             4   0  1  3   96 107 −11    1 22–22   —   23–24   —

[Sarzonia]

The away match wasn't going to be as much of a blowout as the home fixture was, but it didn't matter in the long run.

The Sarzonian national handball team completed a two-match sweep of Raspotochje with a 29-22 victory to clinch a spot in the second group stage. Sarzonia also remained unbeaten along with Juvencus and Sylestone and still possesses the best goal differential of the three teams at plus-33.

What they don't possess is perfect team chemistry despite the victory, which marked their 16th consecutive triumph across three editions of the Handball World Cup. The tenuous truce between goalkeeper Pat Agnew and defender Vivianne Taylor came to a dramatic end after Taylor failed to slide over to cover her mark and it resulted in a match-equalising goal early in the fourth quarter. However, the Stars scored seven of the final eight goals in the match to seal the deal.

For manager Joyce Rodham, the debate about the relationship between Agnew and Taylor is "out of my pay grade."

"I'm not expecting to have a team meeting where everybody holds hands and sings 'Kumbaya'," she said. "They can work together. That's all I give a fuck about."

And winning.

Sarzonia's consecutive victory streak of 16, which began with the final match of World Cup 22 qualifying continued with 11 victories in the 23rd edition, and, of course, a Stars title. The streak improved Rodham's all-time record as Sarzonia's field boss to 18-1-4. More importantly, it has answered questions swirling around Rodham's status as manager, as Handball Sarzonia will be hard pressed to justify terminating a manager with that gaudy a record.

"I'm not even thinking about that," Rodham said. She doesn't have to. Not with a team that's already punched its ticket to the next round.

[Kriegiersien]

33.333 people are here to watch this important match between Lisander and host Kriegiersien in Schoenwetter. And the match starts.

0:04
Swapna Wassa immediately throws the ball to the opponent player and they score after 4 seconds. Bad start.

5:30
First lead 4-3, when Jaya Gail scores with a hammer that smashes the Ball together with Goalkeeper Martins behind the line.

12:12
A clothed fan runs into the arena and tries to steal a goalpost. Or do worse things to it. He gets tackled down by security.

15:14
Todorka Doireann with the 11:5. The team stays focused now.

22:22
Or not. 15:15. The seventh time the opponent scores into the empty goal. Goalkeeper Edna now refuses to leave the goal during own attacks. The coach is furious.

30:00
Maisie scores for a 20:18 half-time lead after a breakaway.

For the half-time show a big cake is brought into the arena and eaten by Kriegiersien competitive eating champion Big Al. When he suddenly bites into a finger and a stripper jumps out the cake, it turns out that this cake was instead meant for a bachelor party.

39:01
Kaylie scores the 24:22 after another counter attack. The defense is now consistent.

51:00
28:22.
Lisander isn’t able to score anymore, but the Kriegiersien team also doesn’t have luck or fails to beat Del Pozo. Both teams seem tired, the fans making there own choreography in the stands.

56:00
The lights went off. The fans try help out with the flashlights of their phones, but there wasn’t much to be seen anyway. No goals for 5 minutes. When the lights are back on, a bat can be seen hanging in the Kriegiersien goal. It stays there unharmed for the rest of the day.

58:00
29:22. Swapna Wassa scores a seven meter penalty. The fans celebrate it like a goal in soccer. Her name is chanted multiple times.

59:30
29:22
Both teams have now finally and totally given up and shake hands. The goalkeepers look happy about the last minutes, but the field players are a bit dazed. While some spectators celebrate the defense, others are booing because of the lack of goals in the last 10 minutes. That must be a record.
But thanks to the win Kriegiersien is now looking better in the table.

Terradiu will be awaited here in the Schoenwetter Handballdome to secure the spot for the next round.

[Quebec and Shingoryeo]

OOC: Feel free to PM me on Discord or TG if you have a player or two interested in heading abroad. At the same time, please consider this as a precursor to the likely WCHC (Domestic Handball) cutoff, to be held in 2 weeks' time.

worldofhandball.multi - Your Go-To Website for International and Domestic Handball!

Ligue-Boreale's opening up, the WCHC's return a good sign for many things to come

Kershaun Allen

QUEBEC CITY, CAPITALE-NATIONALE - Today, ahead of the Quebec-Gatchingerrak Union qualification match for the Handball World Cup 24, to be held in Quebec and Sylestone, Joanna Wex, president of the Quebecois Handball Federation (QHF) and the World Club Handball Championships (WCHC) chair, officially announced the opening of the Ligue-Boreale to foreign imports.

The announcement, year in making, was viewed by many handball watchers across the Multiverse as the latest of the wave of news that spurred across the sporting Multiverse over the past year, after men's and women's handball tournament of the 2050 Summer Olympics held in Bunjil, Electrum. In mostly confirming the rumours, Wex announced that the Ligue-Boreale sides will be allowed to include three import players, by definition those without a Quebecois passport or residency (latter requiring six calendar years or number of seasons equalling to six calendar years), in 19-team squads. While those of Quebecois Commonwealth have played in the Ligue-Boreale (and its predecessor, Handball Bundesliga) for decades, this will indeed be the first time that foreign handballers neither of Quebecois nor Commonwealth origins be allowed to play in Quebec and Shingoryeo.

'I personally find this a historic moment, especially as we return to globalisation in multiverse handball,' said Wex, in an interview with worldofhandball.multi. 'And perhaps historic correction as well. On the first two decades of this 21st century, many handball leagues across the multiverse were open, as the likes of Polarian Elitserien, the Cotdelapomais Superliga and not to mention the Cyborg Holland Varsity League actively welcomed talents across the world. And while the WCHC's absence over past 30 years, combined with financial and political troubles of many active participants, have limited the international contact, I feel that we are going to see the good times come back.'

When questioned about whether this serves as a response to the competitive question over challenges faced by other leagues opening up, and the signing of three Quebecois players to Bollonich, she decided to go around with the comment. 'It is a good thing that we see more players going abroad and vice versa, and we share that sentiment with those of the national team program as well,' said Wex. 'Sure, quite a few of our national teamers have already or will be heading to the Superliga or Bollonich, but from what's being said and announced by individual teams, Ligue-Boreale sides are also signing those from last two men's olympic gold medalists in Graintfjall and Bollonich. So no, this doesn't change much about how competitive Ligue-Boreale or the national teams are.'

It is a tough, but understandable position taken by Wex, the 2020 Centralis and Nassau Bay games gold medalist. While the preferred direction may depend, it is universally agreed that internationalisation of the leagues, both home and abroad, is in the best interest of handball. If anything, it has for decades shared the same problems as its wintry equivalent, volleyball, in that both are looking to become more internationally active after decades of absence on domestic scale. While there have been attempts in bringing back both sports on domestic circuits, such as past opening up of Mytanar and Savojar handball leagues to foreign players, the lack of international initiatives since, most strongly found in 3 decades of no WCHC, and the lack of the VCL in 20 years, have led into a particular lethargy on the scene for both domestic sports.

That has certainly brought a particular challenge to the home context as well considering the rise of basketball as the number one indoor sport in Quebec and Shingoryeo, with cheaper cost to play and the international successes, not to mention decades of basketball stars being icons of their own. It was around the declining years of Wex's own career with the Grim Reapers and Montreal Koreana HC, that Riley Jeon-Keane and Allison Dubois had stepped up as not just basketball icons, but national symbols too. While volleyball's continued to maintain international successes even with domestic absences, and the QOVO's rivalry with Gatchingerrak Superliga, hockey and handball have seen drops in television and participation, and overall increase in apathy due to poor international results marked by disputes between players' associations, leagues and their respective associations.

But while handball has struggled, it is possible for it to quickly regain the numbers of old. The multi-tier aspect of the professional handball circuit in Quebec and Shingoryeo, where 12 teams play in the Ligue-Boreale and 14 to the Ligue-Nordique, mean that there is generally a wider outreach in the sport. This, with men and women playing in the same league, makes it easier to handle developmental phases for the national teams as well. The league's competitiveness problem, while a constant peeve, isn't as bad as you'd think - with CSKA Quebec and Montreal Koreana, similar to their basketball divisions, not being as dominant in handball as they'd often think. Quebecois Handball Federation, unlike the past precedences in Savojarna and Mytanija a decade ago, are concerned less about over-commercialisation of the sport, mostly because the Quebecois state's had the pro (and before that semi-pro) league running for decades and people still remembered the days of active international circuit for those leagues. So the small opening of windows, while seeming huge, looks fairly small.

Now, whether the internationalisation movement can hold into something consistent for both WCHC, Ligue-Boreale and the other leagues, remain to be seen. But nobody can ignore the importance of such gestures, and while it will take time, it can mark for something big that has already started with volleyball a while ago - Mytanar Top League, Bollonishian Volleyball League, and the QOVO leagues being three active ones there - and perhaps a sign for bright future.

[Ardengard]

“I mean, we’ve been having a good run so far so I don’t see why not.”
“Might add some more pace on those flanks.”
“I feel we should stick to the current starting lineup since it’s… working.”
Following three victories out of four games, the managing staff had sat down to discuss the team’s future in the cup. More specifically, Michael wanted to start Kate Armason – the youngest player on their team – in the next match.
“She’s had a good domestic season, she’s fast and consistent. I don’t see the problem really”.
Ryan Scott fired back with “Experience is the problem! This is the biggest stage, a relatively inexperienced player like her could very probably falter and make mistakes.”
“Well,” said James Howard, “it might be what the opponents aren’t expecting.”
“That’s what I’m talking about. Besides, if we aren’t going to experiment now, when are we,” Michael went on.
“Not in the goddamn World Cup?”
“I get what you mean but listen. We’ve secured a Top three finish, so that’s a guaranteed pass to the Playoffs at least. The games have been rough so we have to contemplate some injuries in the season. Now, if that occurs we will need a new combination and I feel it’s best to know what works and doesn’t before we reach that position.”
Ryan sat back and went over his superior’s reasoning. He knew that his decision didn’t really mean much. Michael could go ahead and make the change without his approval as well. But he wasn’t doing that. He was going to sit there and keep debating until he convinced Ryan. That’s what Ryan respected him for.
“What if we make the changes and lose?”
“We have another game to ensure Top 2.”
“Ok then. Let’s do it. Who are we switching around?”
“Kate’s on for Fred and Randall for Nick.”
“This better work.”

---

Starting Lineup
GK – William Save
LB – Pete Quick
CB – Merry Babatonye
RB – Kate Armason
LW – Randall Olsen
P – Joseph Khan
RW – Maria Fury

---

“Hey Kate, can I talk to you for a second?”
“Morning Coach.”
“Morning. First of all, congratulations! I heard you got signed for the Akusha Rovers in the BHL.”
“Yes I did, thanks!”
“Fabulous stuff, go show them what you got yeah? Secondly, what do you think about starting the game against Isle Noire?”
A few seconds of silence deafened the room.
“Starting? You mean… I’m… starting?”
“I don’t see anyone else I’m talking to.”
Kate was at a loss for words. All her life she’d wanted to play in the World Cup but she’d never imagined it coming true.
“I… I will not fail you Coach.”
“That’s the spirit. See ya’ later.”