WCHC - International Domestic Handball Newswires II

[Quebec and Shingoryeo]

OOC note: The deadline remains provisional, and can be pushed back if further coordination with HWC 26, currently hosted by Bollonich, is needed.

The submission deadline for the World Club Handball Championships (WCHC), will be 7 July 2022, 22:00 EST (Montreal;-Boston Time).

Please see the OP or right below for specific signup instructions.

Entry for World Club Handball Championships 13

• For the World Club Handball Championships 13, associations may enter up to four clubs. One user will be allowed to enter with a main and a puppet, with latter being declared on the form. Multiassociational leagues involving two or more associations shall have a maximum of four entrants, with each association entering no more than two entries.
• As defending champions, Kings of Fermont receives automatic qualification to the group stage. Should Fermont not qualify, Bollonich will be given a fifth qualification spot.

[Darmen]

2053-54 Darmeni Handball Season
Link

Darmen (DAR) qualifiers
Scott City HC, Liverpool HC, Nauti HC, Sterling City Liberty HC

[Kriegiersien]

Kriegiersien Top Handball League     Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Timesteam                          20   18   0   2   567  462 +105    36
 2 Pony Town Unicorns                 20   11   4   5   538  535   +3    26
 3 Lions Muhr HT                      20   10   4   6   529  516  +13    24
 4 Winter Rabbits                     20   10   2   8   543  537   +6    22
 5 Zombie Girls                       20    9   2   9   511  519   −8    20
 6 Handball Mateys                    20    9   1  10   550  539  +11    19
 7 Sea Traitors                       20    8   2  10   514  523   −9    18
 8 HC Schoenwetter                    20    7   2  11   529  558  −29    16
 9 Gooooooooooal                      20    6   3  11   539  549  −10    15
10 Handball Dragons                   20    6   3  11   532  542  −10    15
11 Djungel Team                       20    6   3  11   510  541  −31    15
12 Beagle Boys                        20    6   2  12   523  564  −41    14

Kriegiersien (KGS) qualifiers
WCHC: Timesteam, Pony Town Unicorns, Lions Muhr HT, Winter Rabbits

[Abanhfleft]

Abanhfleft Handball Association Season II Regular Season Final Standings

   AHA North             Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD    Win %   Qualification          
 1 Shooting Stars         16   11   1   4   462  398  +64    0.719   Conference winner
 2 Beef                   16    9   0   7   418  399  +19    0.562   Qualified for playoffs
 3 Baysharks [x]          16    7   2   7   418  409   +9    0.500
 4 Xtreme                 16    7   2   7   415  429  −14    0.500
 5 Guardsmen              16    5   4   7   402  424  −22    0.438
 6 Musketeers             16    4   0  12   399  435  −36    0.250

*[x] = Baysharks ahead of Xtreme on H2H points differential

   AHA South             Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD    Win %   Qualification          
 1 Orbiters               16   13   1   2   441  387  +54    0.844   Conference winner
 2 Enforcers              16   10   1   5   433  406  +27    0.656   Qualified for playoffs
 3 Flying Fish            16    8   0   8   411  414   −3    0.500
 4 Fire                   16    7   1   8   414  434  −20    0.469
 5 Express                16    5   1  10   394  424  −30    0.344
 6 Predators              16    3   1  12   400  448  −48    0.219

It's hard to say whether the first season of the Abanhfleft Handball Association was a success or not without adding all sorts of qualifiers to it, but the fact that the league has come back for a second season suggests that everyone thinks that it's worth their time to do it again. After all, a Fleftic team managed to make it into the semifinals of the 12th World Club Handball Championships at their very first attempt, so there is definitely some success to be had in this venture. And though local TV ratings appear to suggest that nobody in Abanhfleft still cares enough about handball to watch it, the bidding wars from foreign broadcasters seems to suggest otherwise. As for results pertaining to the league itself, the second season of the Abanhfleft Handball Association, or AHA, saw the top two teams in the AHA Southern Conference last season swap places, with the Oui Orbiters now emerging triumphant over their conference rivals Immola Enforcers. Over in the Northern Conference, the defending champions Mydeuzey Shooting Stars have successfully defended their conference title, while the Markovsky Guardsmen have shockingly fallen away from the rest of the competition, becoming only the fifth best team in the North after challenging for the title just one season ago. Fans of the so-called "original" teams like to point out that this is because the Guardsmen merely collected and "hoarded" talent by offering lucrative contracts without any aim at promoting cohesion within the team, and therefore when they failed to win the championship in the first season of competition, nobody in that Markovsky team wanted to play with anyone else again. Of course, this is in conflict with what the team and the players themselves are saying, which only goes to show that nothing gets in the way of creating a certain narrative in the minds of the fans.

---

AHA Season II Conference Finals

Shooting Stars 25–28 Beef
Orbiters 29–23 Enforcers

This isn't exactly how the Mydeuzey Shooting Stars thought their title defense was going to end. But given how there hasn't been enough time for any team to establish any sort of dominance within the league, perhaps it's fair to say that this result was also fair game as nobody is actually expected to be better than any other team. Then again, these are the defending champions, or at least they used to be defending champions before the Ferale Beef knocked them out in the semifinals, with local boy Chester Hawkins turning in a man of the match performance with 11 of the Beef's 28 goals. Meanwhile, in the Southern Conference Final, the Oui Orbiters have successfully completed their revenge over the Immola Enforcers, thus proving that the "old-timers" are still capable of being competitive against the new money brought in by the formation of the AHA. Makar Mladenovic still remained a stalwart presence in Immola's goal, but this time it was his defense that failed him. And also the sheer determination of Greta de Mayo to lead her team to victory over the team that had denied them all a season before. So the stage for the second ever Abanhfleft Handball Association Championship Game is set, and this time it's two clubs that are acknowledged as being among the original set that played semi-pro before the formation of the AHA that are competing for the title. Will the Ferale Beef keep the title in the Northern Conference, or will the Oui Orbiters claim the championship in order to restore balance and parity in the Democratic Republic's handball scene?

---

AHA Season II Championship Game

Orbiters 24–24 Beef (27–25 AET)

Parity has indeed been restored in Fleftic handball, at least for this season, and even then, it took the Orbiters of Oui extra time before they could finally get past Ferale and lift that championship. Greta de Mayo was once again the beating heart of this Orbiters team as she kept the team motivated for the whole duration of the game and even into extra time. For Ferale's part, Chester Hawkins also put in a man of the match performance that would have been enough for him to win Championship Game MVP had his team won, but on the other hand, he might still have a chance to lead the Beef to a WCHC title. The odds are looking better for the Fleftic teams now that they've established themselves internationally, but can they do enough to break the dominance of Bollonich and Sylestone in international handball? That is a question that can only be answered in the future by someone else.

Abanhfleft (AFT) qualifiers

WCHC: Oui Orbiters, Ferale Beef, Mydeuzey Shooting Stars, Immola Enforcers

[Lisander]

What about the maths teacher who became a professional handball player to help his beloved team?

In order to continue developing national Handball, Lisander Handball turned its attention to local teams in this last cycle. Bringing together at the same time teams sponsored by big Football and Rugby clubs, such as Racing Club de Soria and St. Helens Club, big multi-sport clubs, such as Club Sparta and AC Kasandora, and teams from small towns where Handball is the most important sport, such as HC Malemort and Athletica Vila da Foz (AVF), the newly formed LNAH is currently living its first season.

As a subsidised professional league, the LNAH demands and works to ensure that all players are paid to play, as well as having all costs of their training, games and travel fully paid for. However, the league does not require all teams to be full-time professionals. This is allowing, in the first season, for cases like the one of Alex Mader. Mader is a maths teacher, who is a die-hard fan of AC Kasandora and also a club member. As a club member, he has a season pass to the games as well as the right to join the club's amateur teams in any sport by contacting the person in charge. A few weeks ago, Mader was at the ACK Pavilion just to watch the LNAH Round 4 match against Atletica Vila da Foz. However, a player absent because of a cold meant the team needed a replacement. Assistant coach Lauro Sordi saw the familiar figure in the crowd and went to talk to him. Mader was the only one that could help. It would be just for him to stay on the bench, maybe come on the court for a few minutes. Mader then agreed to sign a part-timer contract with the team. He managed to score a goal in that game and reappeared in the team on four more occasions as a reserve. For these matches as a "professional", he earned a total of L$1400.

It can be inferred from this that there are many different backgrounds for players in the LNAH, where, in fact, one can see players from the national team sharing the court with teenagers fresh out of High School. It is an incipient league, without many immediate pretensions, seeking to establish itself in terms of income and public before going to the big market, in search of foreign players that can brighten the local teams.

Regular Season                  Pld    W   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts                                                              
 1 HC Malemort            22   19   3   632  540  +92    38  —   32–29  25–24  33–28  24–23  30–22  28–24  27–24  31–29  27–22  29–25  32–19
 2 AC Kasandora                  22   17   5   628  561  +67    34 24–29   —   27–26  29–28  29–27  29–24  29–24  27–26  30–27  32–22  30–24  28–19
 3 HC Azhaar Blackroses          22   13   8   617  580  +37    27 31–30  28–30   —   24–21  26–29  30–30  28–27  33–25  25–32  27–26  31–22  32–23
 4 Atletica Vila da Foz          22   13   9   602  561  +41    26 21–22  28–26  22–25   —   28–23  22–24  29–26  31–30  32–21  26–29  24–26  32–30
 5 Lemmertz Handball             22   13   9   594  578  +16    26 22–32  25–21  23–27  28–35   —   24–23  24–26  31–29  30–24  32–24  32–25  28–24
 6 HC Despina                    22   12   9   600  565  +35    25 21–31  22–26  29–24  27–28  24–22   —   33–24  33–24  28–21  24–27  26–27  32–24
 7 Club Sparta                   22   10  12   576  589  −13    20 22–29  24–34  28–24  22–27  27–24  29–27   —   29–28  27–19  29–22  24–27  30–28
 8 Racing Club de Soria          22    8  14   579  606  −27    16 24–32  26–28  22–31  24–23  27–29  24–35  23–22   —   29–28  24–27  29–24  24–25
 9 RC Naval                      22    8  14   575  615  −40    16 32–30  21–34  31–27  24–28  30–32  24–28  24–27  22–31   —   30–28  26–28  30–24
10 St. Helens HC                 22    7  15   568  610  −42    14 29–25  21–32  30–31  22–25  30–31  24–30  32–30  23–30  22–24   —   26–24  26–27
11 Trinity College Handball      22    7  15   554  616  −62    14 24–27  33–27  24–31  24–33  21–23  24–29  23–31  22–28  23–29  29–28   —   28–24
12 Valerian Sport                22    4  18   530  634 −104     8 21–27  25–27  24–32  22–31  22–32  27–29  27–24  24–28  21–27  21–28  29–27   —

The first season went as expected. The passionate city of Malemort turned the modest Linz Arena into a Crimson Hell, and led its Demons to their first professional title with one round to spare. Finally, AC Kasandora, which has become one of the most popular sports clubs in the country in recent years for its soccer and basketball departments, as well as its establishment as a pop culture brand, finished 2nd. Azhaar's BlackRoses, a club with a lot of history, but which had been relegated to oblivion in the recent past, was re-founded under the aegis of a sponsor and also managed to enter the professional era in a very good way, finishing third. Fourth place and last qualifier was the stronghold city of Vila da Foz, whose "Atletica" managed to establish a winning team, even with limited funding.

Lisander (LIS) qualifiers:
HC Malemort
AC Kasandora
HC Azhaar Blackroses
Atletica Vila da Foz

[Quebec and Shingoryeo]

OOC: A ten-day extension from the original deadline is now given. This will be an absolute one, as I will be occupied with cohosting of the Summer Olympics for most of next month after that.

The submission deadline for the World Club Handball Championships (WCHC), will be 17 July 2022, 12:00 EST (Montreal;-Boston Time). By UTC this will be 1600.

Please see the OP or right below for specific signup instructions.

Entry for World Club Handball Championships 13

• For the World Club Handball Championships 13, associations may enter up to four clubs. One user will be allowed to enter with a main and a puppet, with latter being declared on the form. Multiassociational leagues involving two or more associations shall have a maximum of four entrants, with each association entering no more than two entries.
• As defending champions, Kings of Fermont receives automatic qualification to the group stage. Should Fermont not qualify, Bollonich will be given a fifth qualification spot.

[Quebec and Shingoryeo]

A minor update on the submission criteria, especially as a loophole has been noted.

With that in mind, and to avoid said confusions, following clauses are added to provide further clarity:

• Submission of multiple puppet accounts under a multiassociational league submission is not allowed. One puppet account per user please.
• Submissions of puppet associations under one account that involve more than one IC constituent nations (see: APOC Coalition/Gatchingerrak Union), will be considered provisional and will be accepted or rejected on individual basis.
  
  The general criteria I will be looking for is the nation and the user's past RP history, the history of individual nations concerned, their relationship to each other, as well as the existence of their respective nation account. Those that the WCHC Board does not find to be suitable will be rejected.

This decision, effective submissions for this cycle, executive decision made by the WCHC (OOC: myself), and will be reviewed in a future edition.

[Sylestone]

SYLESTONE HANDBALL INTRANATIONAL TOURNAMENT - SEASON THREE


Pre-Season

A bombshell announcement just a few months out from the opening matchday of the third season of the SHIT resulted in a shake-up no one expected. After two successful seasons of the tournament, not many believed that there was going to be much change and that the upcoming season would be the same as always - three rounds equating to 33 matchdays, but it all being futile as the unstoppable Chamberley Crocodile force ran rampant. The latter seemed even more likely considering the lack of change within sides - the only teams to bring players in from overseas were the Crocodiles, strengthening a powerful lineup with young Quebecois left-back Joon-Soo Kweon, while the Avondale Stars also brought in a left-back; Jaroslav Nemec from the Gatchingerrak Union.

Oh, and I must’ve forgotten. A bunch of players from Acadiana, a Quebecois overseas territory located just south of Sylestone, were arriving in the league. But they weren’t joining any of the original twelve teams.

No, they were playing in a new one. Garigal Guwayana, a team that arrived from the Acadiana circuit following their complete and utter domination there, would be participating in the third season of the SHIT. While they’re mostly an unknown force, it is expected that they will be competitive and perhaps even challenge the Chamberley Crocodiles, Pesfield Poopers, Betham Sunrisers and both Avondale franchises for the title. However, the Guwayana will not participate in the World Club Handball Championships, even if they do finish top four in the SHIT and in that circumstance, that fifth-placed team in the competition will qualify for the WCHC.

That gives us thirteen teams. Thirteen. An unholy, Toilet-forbidden number. How the fuck could any tournament work with thirteen fucking teams? No. No, no, no. there had to be a better option.

So the Chamberley Institute of Sport, the largest and most prestigious sporting university in Sylestone, entered a team. Comprised solely of aspiring, under-23 handballers, the team isn’t expected to be much good, but hey, you’ve got to work with what you have. Including the likes of Alice Macleay, Jackson Ogden and Molly Read - three players who have been tipped to represent their nation in future Handball World Cups - the CIS Wanderers will not be an easy force to defeat. Their home matches will be played at the Institute Arena in Chamberley - the same place as the Chamberley Crocodiles.

Fourteen teams. It means that the length of the two-year season will be increased to 39 matches from 33, but that shouldn’t be too much of an issue. More handball is only a good thing, right?

Round One

Matchday One

Cleorough Thorns 30–25 Halpenley Scorchers
Pesfield Poopers 24–29 Dodle Mountaineers
Sentient Sapients 31–28 Kirton Cavaliers
Chamberley Snakes 30–21 Dunkirk Daredevils
Avondale Avengers 23–24 Garigal Guwayana
Betham Sunrisers 29–23 Avondale Stars
Chamberley Crocodiles 33–15 CIS Wanderers

Matchday Two

Halpenley Scorchers 39–21 CIS Wanderers
Avondale Stars 30–30 Chamberley Crocodiles
Garigal Guwayana 26–29 Betham Sunrisers
Dunkirk Daredevils 23–25 Avondale Avengers
Kirton Cavaliers 25–28 Chamberley Snakes
Dodle Mountaineers 26–29 Sentient Sapients
Cleorough Thorns 29–24 Pesfield Poopers

Matchday Three

Pesfield Poopers 24–29 Halpenley Scorchers
Sentient Sapients 28–24 Cleorough Thorns
Chamberley Snakes 31–24 Dodle Mountaineers
Avondale Avengers 24–22 Kirton Cavaliers
Betham Sunrisers 30–24 Dunkirk Daredevils
Chamberley Crocodiles 31–19 Garigal Guwayana
CIS Wanderers 28–28 Avondale Stars

Matchday Four

Halpenley Scorchers 29–28 Avondale Stars
Garigal Guwayana 23–24 CIS Wanderers
Dunkirk Daredevils 24–28 Chamberley Crocodiles
Kirton Cavaliers 23–26 Betham Sunrisers
Dodle Mountaineers 29–30 Avondale Avengers
Cleorough Thorns 32–24 Chamberley Snakes
Pesfield Poopers 26–28 Sentient Sapients

Matchday Five

Sentient Sapients 24–26 Halpenley Scorchers
Chamberley Snakes 21–28 Pesfield Poopers
Avondale Avengers 22–26 Cleorough Thorns
Betham Sunrisers 31–28 Dodle Mountaineers
Chamberley Crocodiles 28–21 Kirton Cavaliers
CIS Wanderers 23–32 Dunkirk Daredevils
Avondale Stars 28–29 Garigal Guwayana

Matchday Six

Halpenley Scorchers 22–31 Garigal Guwayana
Dunkirk Daredevils 31–25 Avondale Stars
Kirton Cavaliers 30–21 CIS Wanderers
Dodle Mountaineers 20–31 Chamberley Crocodiles
Cleorough Thorns 28–27 Betham Sunrisers
Pesfield Poopers 28–24 Avondale Avengers
Sentient Sapients 29–24 Chamberley Snakes

Matchday Seven

Chamberley Snakes 25–28 Halpenley Scorchers
Avondale Avengers 28–25 Sentient Sapients
Betham Sunrisers 25–24 Pesfield Poopers
Chamberley Crocodiles 29–20 Cleorough Thorns
CIS Wanderers 23–26 Dodle Mountaineers
Avondale Stars 39–21 Kirton Cavaliers
Garigal Guwayana 28–27 Dunkirk Daredevils

Matchday Eight

Halpenley Scorchers 26–28 Dunkirk Daredevils
Kirton Cavaliers 22–22 Garigal Guwayana
Dodle Mountaineers 28–24 Avondale Stars
Cleorough Thorns 35–24 CIS Wanderers
Pesfield Poopers 28–38 Chamberley Crocodiles
Sentient Sapients 24–25 Betham Sunrisers
Chamberley Snakes 27–25 Avondale Avengers

Matchday Nine

Avondale Avengers 34–29 Halpenley Scorchers
Betham Sunrisers 26–28 Chamberley Snakes
Chamberley Crocodiles 25–24 Sentient Sapients
CIS Wanderers 21–31 Pesfield Poopers
Avondale Stars 27–27 Cleorough Thorns
Garigal Guwayana 32–29 Dodle Mountaineers
Dunkirk Daredevils 35–22 Kirton Cavaliers

Matchday Ten

Halpenley Scorchers 23–24 Kirton Cavaliers
Dodle Mountaineers 27–29 Dunkirk Daredevils
Cleorough Thorns 28–32 Garigal Guwayana
Pesfield Poopers 29–22 Avondale Stars
Sentient Sapients 25–22 CIS Wanderers
Chamberley Snakes 28–30 Chamberley Crocodiles
Avondale Avengers 26–36 Betham Sunrisers

Matchday Eleven

Betham Sunrisers 32–24 Halpenley Scorchers
Chamberley Crocodiles 24–28 Avondale Avengers
CIS Wanderers 22–28 Chamberley Snakes
Avondale Stars 29–22 Sentient Sapients
Garigal Guwayana 29–33 Pesfield Poopers
Dunkirk Daredevils 24–28 Cleorough Thorns
Kirton Cavaliers 26–32 Dodle Mountaineers

Matchday Twelve

Halpenley Scorchers 22–22 Dodle Mountaineers
Cleorough Thorns 29–23 Kirton Cavaliers
Pesfield Poopers 31–28 Dunkirk Daredevils
Sentient Sapients 21–27 Garigal Guwayana
Chamberley Snakes 23–22 Avondale Stars
Avondale Avengers 29–26 CIS Wanderers
Betham Sunrisers 32–24 Chamberley Crocodiles

Chamberley Crocodiles 38–27 Halpenley Scorchers
CIS Wanderers 21–31 Betham Sunrisers
Avondale Stars 21–28 Avondale Avengers
Garigal Guwayana 27–29 Chamberley Snakes
Dunkirk Daredevils 23–35 Sentient Sapients
Kirton Cavaliers 22–30 Pesfield Poopers
Dodle Mountaineers 30–30 Cleorough Thorns

Excuse the profanity, but where the fuck do we start? There’s just so bloody much to talk about. I guess we may as well begin with the talk heading into the season - what will the Garigal Guwayana and CIS Wanderers bring to the SHIT, and more importantly, how will they fare? Well, after thirteen matchdays of thrilling handball, we have our answers. And they are - not very well. The Wanderers in particular did not begin well. Sure, they might have been thrown right into the deep end with a matchday one fixture against the Chamberley Crocodiles, but nevertheless, their performance still well and truly confirmed hypotheses that stated they would be the SHIT’s whipping boys. The final score was a 33-15 triumph for the tournament favourites, beginning their campaign just the way they wanted. On the sidelines, 15-year-old CIS coach Aiden West was clearly unhappy, urging his team on without success. A child wonder he was, achieving the insane secondary school marks required to receive an opportunity to undertake his dream degree - Toilet Science. However, considering his tender age of nine years old, only the Chamberley Institute of Sport accepted him - fortunately for him, Toilet Science is a mandatory degree at all Sylestonean universities, no matter what they specialise in. Now, as a professor following his graduation last year, his love of handball has landed him this job. But I digress, for the point is, Aiden West cared quite a lot about handball and as a result, he wasn’t exactly happy with his team’s performance.

He would only get angrier, too. In the following game, the Halpenley Scorchers of all teams decided to demolish them, their forward line of Olivia Crace, Indiana van Raalte and Claire Raven cutting a swathe through the Wanderers’ hapless defence en route to a 39-21 slaughtering. But then, all of a sudden, CIS got their act together. Hosting the Avondale Stars - a side coming off a strong performance in the WCHC, the underdogs were able to hold the Stars to a thrilling 28-all draw, before going one better against the Garigal Guwayana in Garigal with a 24-23 victory over the heavy favourites. That would be the last rejoice of the Wanderers before now, though, as they head into the second round of the season with a mere three points, languishing in last place.

Speaking of Garigal, they have done significantly better. They began poorly, finding themselves with only two wins from their opening five encounters, but since then, they’ve won five, drawn one and lost two on a climb back towards the head of the table. But even so, the Guwayana aren’t totally to blame for their poor start, first up they had the Avondale Avengers - a side of whom the Acadiana side succeeded in defeating against the odds. However, they could not do the same against the Betham Sunrisers or Chamberley Crocodiles - two other members of the so-called “big four”. Only in their mysterious loss to the CIS Wanderers did they play poorly, but after that, they were right back in the winners’ circle with a comprehensive one-goal victory over the other Avondale team. In sixth place, they find themselves now, ahead of some tournament favourites, such as the aforementioned Avondale Stars and - shock horror - the mighty, ex-world champion Pesfield Poopers.

The Pesfield Poopers. What a hellish start to the SHIT. To put it into context, it took them until game five to register points and have only recently turned their record into a winning one. To make matters worse, the Poopers didn’t even lose to the Crocodiles, Sunrisers, or even the Avengers, Guwayana or Stars in the opening four matchdays. No, they were ably defeated by the Dodle Mountaineers of all teams on matchday one, before coming up short against the Cleorough Thorns, Halpenley Scorchers and Sentient Sapients to find themselves down at the toe end of the table. Despite key victories against the Chamberley Snakes and Avondale Avengers, the Poopers once again found themselves on the chopping block against the Betham Sunrisers and Chamberley Crocodiles on matchdays seven and eight, tumbling to a 2-0-6 record. But with their fans on the verge of desertion and head coach Lauren Prior on the brink of sackage, Pesfield refound their form with five straight wins to finish the first round in seventh place. Still, from a team of their calibre and quality, that was far from where they wanted to be.

It’s even worse for the Avondale Stars, though. In a campaign riddled by close losses to quality teams and horrendous performances against some of the weaker sides in the SHIT, their supporters have almost called it quits on the season with two-thirds still remaining. In twelfth place they sit, on a mere seven points, ahead of only the Kirton Cavaliers and CIS Wanderers. Their only real highlight of the season came against the Cavaliers, where the Stars were able to put together a dominant performance with a mammoth 18-goal win. Other than that, though, the Stars have been simply horrible, with only one win and three draws from their remaining twelve games.

So if the Poopers and Stars are fucking up, who’s taking their places at the top of the table? One of them is the Cleorough Thorns, who have had an excellent season so far. 38-year-old goalkeeper Bianca Gotch is as good as ever, while young star Lucas Bochsa has stopped many quality pivots in their tracks with some astonishing performances. What’s been most impressive is their teamwork, though. That’s been the thing that has led the Thorns to unexpected wins against each of the big four aside from the Chamberley Crocodiles. The other team to impress has been the Crocodiles’ cross-town rivals, the Chamberley Snakes. With eight wins from thirteen matches, the Maya Rowlandson-led franchise has thrived, despite only having two players with international capabilities - Damon Zachariasson of Græntfjall and Charles Phillip. They currently sit pretty in fourth place - a position where, if they can maintain it, they will be going to the WCHC. An honourable mention also goes out to the Halpenley Scorchers, who, at one stage, were sitting in third place with four wins and a loss, before opposition teams discovered their reliance on wingers Olivia Crace and Claire Raven and immediately shut them down. Since then, the Scorchers have only been able to achieve a single victory, but it’s still early days, and there’s nothing stopping them from picking themselves up again.

And finally, for the title race. As many have probably guessed already, it’s between the Chamberley Crocodiles and Betham Sunrisers. For the majority of the opening ten matchdays, the Crocodiles led, having only dropped points to the Avondale Stars in a climactic 30-all draw. But since then, Betham has pounced. On matchday eleven, the Crocodiles lost to the then ninth-placed Avondale Avengers, who have also returned from a poor start to fifth place, before losing the top spot to the Sunrisers against the Betham team themselves, finishing well and truly in second place in a 32-24 drubbing. It means that the Sunrisers currently hold onto top spot with 22 points, but the Crocodiles are not far behind, with 21. With a three-point gap to the Cleorough Thorns, perhaps a top two are already beginning to emerge. If so, it will definitely be a welcome relief for Bethamites, who were for so long last season outside of WCHC spots.

*  SHIT                      Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Betham Sunrisers           13   11   0   2   379  323  +56    22
 2 Chamberley Crocodiles      13   10   1   2   389  316  +73    21
 3 Cleorough Thorns           13    8   2   3   366  339  +27    18
 4 Chamberley Snakes          13    8   0   5   346  339   +7    16
 5 Avondale Avengers          13    8   0   5   346  340   +6    16
 6 Garigal Guwayana           13    7   1   5   349  346   +3    15
 7 Pesfield Poopers           13    7   0   6   360  345  +15    14
 8 Sentient Sapients          13    7   0   6   345  333  +12    14
 9 Halpenley Scorchers        13    5   1   7   349  361  −12    11
10 Dunkirk Daredevils         13    5   0   8   349  358   −9    10
11 Dodle Mountaineers         13    4   2   7   350  362  −12    10
12 Avondale Stars             13    2   3   8   346  354   −8     7
13 Kirton Cavaliers           13    2   1  10   309  368  −59     5
14 CIS Wanderers              13    1   1  11   291  390  −99     3

Round Two

Matchday Fourteen

Halpenley Scorchers 27–24 Cleorough Thorns
Dodle Mountaineers 24–29 Pesfield Poopers
Kirton Cavaliers 27–29 Sentient Sapients
Dunkirk Daredevils 21–27 Chamberley Snakes
Garigal Guwayana 23–29 Avondale Avengers
Avondale Stars 26–32 Betham Sunrisers
CIS Wanderers 23–31 Chamberley Crocodiles

Matchday Fifteen

CIS Wanderers 27–29 Halpenley Scorchers
Chamberley Crocodiles 28–29 Avondale Stars
Betham Sunrisers 24–27 Garigal Guwayana
Avondale Avengers 25–27 Dunkirk Daredevils
Chamberley Snakes 24–25 Kirton Cavaliers
Sentient Sapients 28–27 Dodle Mountaineers
Pesfield Poopers 33–23 Cleorough Thorns

Matchday Sixteen

Halpenley Scorchers 27–29 Pesfield Poopers
Cleorough Thorns 27–31 Sentient Sapients
Dodle Mountaineers 24–27 Chamberley Snakes
Kirton Cavaliers 24–32 Avondale Avengers
Dunkirk Daredevils 24–21 Betham Sunrisers
Garigal Guwayana 22–31 Chamberley Crocodiles
Avondale Stars 32–23 CIS Wanderers

Matchday Seventeen

Avondale Stars 28–24 Halpenley Scorchers
CIS Wanderers 26–28 Garigal Guwayana
Chamberley Crocodiles 25–21 Dunkirk Daredevils
Betham Sunrisers 30–24 Kirton Cavaliers
Avondale Avengers 30–21 Dodle Mountaineers
Chamberley Snakes 32–29 Cleorough Thorns
Sentient Sapients 30–24 Pesfield Poopers

Matchday Eighteen

Halpenley Scorchers 24–27 Sentient Sapients
Pesfield Poopers 29–22 Chamberley Snakes
Cleorough Thorns 29–25 Avondale Avengers
Dodle Mountaineers 24–27 Betham Sunrisers
Kirton Cavaliers 24–31 Chamberley Crocodiles
Dunkirk Daredevils 32–23 CIS Wanderers
Garigal Guwayana 23–27 Avondale Stars

Matchday Nineteen

Garigal Guwayana 28–23 Halpenley Scorchers
Avondale Stars 31–23 Dunkirk Daredevils
CIS Wanderers 32–25 Kirton Cavaliers
Chamberley Crocodiles 30–23 Dodle Mountaineers
Betham Sunrisers 29–21 Cleorough Thorns
Avondale Avengers 21–25 Pesfield Poopers
Chamberley Snakes 24–32 Sentient Sapients

Matchday Twenty

Halpenley Scorchers 22–28 Chamberley Snakes
Sentient Sapients 21–29 Avondale Avengers
Pesfield Poopers 23–28 Betham Sunrisers
Cleorough Thorns 25–26 Chamberley Crocodiles
Dodle Mountaineers 28–29 CIS Wanderers
Kirton Cavaliers 29–24 Avondale Stars
Dunkirk Daredevils 32–23 Garigal Guwayana

Matchday Twenty-One

Dunkirk Daredevils 27–27 Halpenley Scorchers
Garigal Guwayana 23–25 Kirton Cavaliers
Avondale Stars 30–22 Dodle Mountaineers
CIS Wanderers 24–29 Cleorough Thorns
Chamberley Crocodiles 29–21 Pesfield Poopers
Betham Sunrisers 40–26 Sentient Sapients
Avondale Avengers 31–29 Chamberley Snakes

Matchday Twenty-Two

Halpenley Scorchers 22–26 Avondale Avengers
Chamberley Snakes 25–26 Betham Sunrisers
Sentient Sapients 23–32 Chamberley Crocodiles
Pesfield Poopers 33–20 CIS Wanderers
Cleorough Thorns 24–20 Avondale Stars
Dodle Mountaineers 24–23 Garigal Guwayana
Kirton Cavaliers 22–28 Dunkirk Daredevils

Matchday Twenty-Three

Kirton Cavaliers 27–24 Halpenley Scorchers
Dunkirk Daredevils 30–24 Dodle Mountaineers
Garigal Guwayana 21–27 Cleorough Thorns
Avondale Stars 21–24 Pesfield Poopers
CIS Wanderers 22–24 Sentient Sapients
Chamberley Crocodiles 25–20 Chamberley Snakes
Betham Sunrisers 24–24 Avondale Avengers

Matchday Twenty-Four

Halpenley Scorchers 20–32 Betham Sunrisers
Avondale Avengers 22–30 Chamberley Crocodiles
Chamberley Snakes 30–28 CIS Wanderers
Sentient Sapients 24–27 Avondale Stars
Pesfield Poopers 29–26 Garigal Guwayana
Cleorough Thorns 24–22 Dunkirk Daredevils
Dodle Mountaineers 24–27 Kirton Cavaliers

Matchday Twenty-Five

Dodle Mountaineers 21–30 Halpenley Scorchers
Kirton Cavaliers 26–30 Cleorough Thorns
Dunkirk Daredevils 22–24 Pesfield Poopers
Garigal Guwayana 30–28 Sentient Sapients
Avondale Stars 23–25 Chamberley Snakes
CIS Wanderers 21–30 Avondale Avengers
Chamberley Crocodiles 24–24 Betham Sunrisers

Matchday Twenty-Six

Halpenley Scorchers 19–32 Chamberley Crocodiles
Betham Sunrisers 34–23 CIS Wanderers
Avondale Avengers 20–24 Avondale Stars
Chamberley Snakes 24–29 Garigal Guwayana
Sentient Sapients 29–32 Dunkirk Daredevils
Pesfield Poopers 30–22 Kirton Cavaliers
Cleorough Thorns 31–20 Dodle Mountaineers

The title race really is heating up as the SHIT approaches its final third. As predicted, the Chamberley Crocodiles and Betham Sunrisers have charged off into the distance, ten and eight points ahead of third place, respectively. The Crocodiles have been particularly impressive this round, winning eleven games and drawing one to leapfrog the Sunrisers for first position. Their only loss - on matchday fifteen against the struggling Avondale Stars - was an agonising one-point loss in a match that was theirs for the taking; but alas, that’s handball sometimes. Their draw, predictably, came against the Betham Sunrisers in one of the most hard-fought matches in SHIT history, the final result a 30-30 draw. However, tame losses to Garigal Guwayana and Dunkirk Daredevils in back-to-back games on matchdays 15 and 16 cost the Sunrisers, as did a draw with the Avondale Avengers. So despite not losing to the Chamberley Crocodiles - joining the Avondale Stars in being the only team to achieve such a feat - Betham will still need to up their game following the break for the Handball World Cup.

Rounding out the top four are the Pesfield Poopers and Cleorough Thorns - the former of whom have completed a remarkable comeback to climb back into third spot. From two wins and six losses after matchday eight, the Poopers have won fifteen and lost only three in the rounds since, including an eight-game win streak between matchdays nine and sixteen. However, with the Cleorough Thorns and the mid-table pack close on their tail, they will need to continue to play their best handball if they do wish to make their third WCHC appearance in a row. Talking about the Thorns, Koby Collits’ team have continued to play well, holding onto their spot in the top four from matchday fifteen by the barest skin of their teeth. Despite losing four games in a row to kick off the second round, the Thorns have not given up, bouncing back with seven wins from their final nine games to put their point tally on 32 - one above the Avondale Avengers in fifth place. It’s really been that kind of season for the Avengers; they were one goal away from being fourth after matchday fifteen, and now they’re one point away. Can they make a late burst and qualify for the international stage?

But if they’re going to do that, then they’re going to have to stop losing to other mid-table teams fighting for a lucrative top-four finish. Over the course of the second round, the Avengers lost to the likes of the Dunkirk Daredevils, Cleorough Thorns, Pesfield Poopers and Avondale Stars, with a good chunk of those games that they dominated. If they could stop throwing, then perhaps they would have a chance. Ultimately, though, Avondale has still been able to fight off challenges from beneath them. The Chamberley Snakes now sit three points beneath the Avengers in sixth place, while the Sentient Sapients are below the Snakes on goal difference. However, below those two, there’s not really much hope for the top four contenders. Both the Dunkirk Daredevils and Garigal Guwayana - of whom don’t really care about WCHC placement; they’re just out there for the fun of it - are on 25 points and bar a miracle run from either of those two sides, chasing down the seven-point difference to the Cleorough Thorns isn’t going to happen.

Then beneath them are the Avondale Stars. While they’ve done a whole lot better this round, winning eight games, including the Avondale derby and defeating the Chamberley Crocodiles, they’re still in no man’s land in tenth spot with only 23 points. With the top four lightyears away, they’re only playing for pride, as are the four teams beneath them in the table. The Halpenley Scorchers have continued to fail to capitalise on their strong start and while Kirton has had a couple of good games, a 7-1-18 record is still hardly enviable. Even so, it’s good enough for twelfth place, for the Dodle Mountaineers and CIS Wanderers have been predictably awful. For Dodle, their squad change-up after a wealth of retirements has not paid dividends and while CIS managed to string together two wins against the Cavaliers and Mountaineers at one stage, they haven’t looked like doing much more, although their margins of defeat have significantly lessened.

*  SHIT                      Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Chamberley Crocodiles      26   21   2   3   763  612 +151    44
 2 Betham Sunrisers           26   20   2   4   750  634 +116    42
 3 Pesfield Poopers           26   17   0   9   713  660  +53    34
 4 Cleorough Thorns           26   15   2   9   709  675  +34    32
 5 Avondale Avengers          26   15   1  10   690  660  +30    31
 6 Chamberley Snakes          26   14   0  12   683  683    0    28
 7 Sentient Sapients          26   14   0  12   697  698   −1    28
 8 Dunkirk Daredevils         26   12   1  13   690  683   +7    25
 9 Garigal Guwayana           26   12   1  13   675  695  −20    25
10 Avondale Stars             26   10   3  13   688  675  +13    23
11 Halpenley Scorchers        26    8   2  16   667  717  −50    18
12 Kirton Cavaliers           26    7   1  18   636  729  −93    15
13 Dodle Mountaineers         26    5   2  19   656  733  −77    12
14 CIS Wanderers              26    3   1  22   612  775 −163     7

Round Three

Matchday Twenty-Seven

Cleorough Thorns 29–24 Halpenley Scorchers
Pesfield Poopers 29–24 Dodle Mountaineers
Sentient Sapients 24–29 Kirton Cavaliers
Chamberley Snakes 20–26 Dunkirk Daredevils
Avondale Avengers 30–26 Garigal Guwayana
Betham Sunrisers 24–29 Avondale Stars
Chamberley Crocodiles 36–20 CIS Wanderers

Matchday Twenty-Eight

Halpenley Scorchers 25–30 CIS Wanderers
Avondale Stars 23–29 Chamberley Crocodiles
Garigal Guwayana 21–24 Betham Sunrisers
Dunkirk Daredevils 26–24 Avondale Avengers
Kirton Cavaliers 29–34 Chamberley Snakes
Dodle Mountaineers 24–27 Sentient Sapients
Cleorough Thorns 23–23 Pesfield Poopers

Matchday Twenty-Nine

Pesfield Poopers 29–22 Halpenley Scorchers
Sentient Sapients 23–27 Cleorough Thorns
Chamberley Snakes 29–24 Dodle Mountaineers
Avondale Avengers 31–24 Kirton Cavaliers
Betham Sunrisers 24–29 Dunkirk Daredevils
Chamberley Crocodiles 32–27 Garigal Guwayana
CIS Wanderers 26–25 Avondale Stars

Matchday Thirty

Halpenley Scorchers 21–24 Avondale Stars
Garigal Guwayana 35–19 CIS Wanderers
Dunkirk Daredevils 22–28 Chamberley Crocodiles
Kirton Cavaliers 27–24 Betham Sunrisers
Dodle Mountaineers 21–37 Avondale Avengers
Cleorough Thorns 32–24 Chamberley Snakes
Pesfield Poopers 24–28 Sentient Sapients

Matchday Thirty-One

Sentient Sapients 28–23 Halpenley Scorchers
Chamberley Snakes 30–27 Pesfield Poopers
Avondale Avengers 29–30 Cleorough Thorns
Betham Sunrisers 29–29 Dodle Mountaineers
Chamberley Crocodiles 38–24 Kirton Cavaliers
CIS Wanderers 28–31 Dunkirk Daredevils
Avondale Stars 32–24 Garigal Guwayana

Matchday Thirty-Two

Halpenley Scorchers 23–32 Garigal Guwayana
Dunkirk Daredevils 23–28 Avondale Stars
Kirton Cavaliers 24–25 CIS Wanderers
Dodle Mountaineers 23–32 Chamberley Crocodiles
Cleorough Thorns 30–29 Betham Sunrisers
Pesfield Poopers 29–27 Avondale Avengers
Sentient Sapients 28–29 Chamberley Snakes

Matchday Thirty-Three

Chamberley Snakes 31–21 Halpenley Scorchers
Avondale Avengers 24–27 Sentient Sapients
Betham Sunrisers 29–29 Pesfield Poopers
Chamberley Crocodiles 31–27 Cleorough Thorns
CIS Wanderers 29–29 Dodle Mountaineers
Avondale Stars 30–24 Kirton Cavaliers
Garigal Guwayana 29–23 Dunkirk Daredevils

Matchday Thirty-Four

Halpenley Scorchers 30–31 Dunkirk Daredevils
Kirton Cavaliers 24–30 Garigal Guwayana
Dodle Mountaineers 24–27 Avondale Stars
Cleorough Thorns 30–16 CIS Wanderers
Pesfield Poopers 27–26 Chamberley Crocodiles
Sentient Sapients 22–29 Betham Sunrisers
Chamberley Snakes 23–33 Avondale Avengers

Matchday Thirty-Five

Avondale Avengers 22–29 Halpenley Scorchers
Betham Sunrisers 24–27 Chamberley Snakes
Chamberley Crocodiles 27–24 Sentient Sapients
CIS Wanderers 28–29 Pesfield Poopers
Avondale Stars 29–22 Cleorough Thorns
Garigal Guwayana 29–23 Dodle Mountaineers
Dunkirk Daredevils 28–29 Kirton Cavaliers

Matchday Thirty-Six

Halpenley Scorchers 30–24 Kirton Cavaliers
Dodle Mountaineers 24–26 Dunkirk Daredevils
Cleorough Thorns 30–27 Garigal Guwayana
Pesfield Poopers 23–22 Avondale Stars
Sentient Sapients 24–27 CIS Wanderers
Chamberley Snakes 22–29 Chamberley Crocodiles
Avondale Avengers 24–26 Betham Sunrisers

For all neutral SHIT fans out there, we have bad news for you. Not only has, once again, the champion been decided three games out from the finale but to make matters worse, so have the remaining three teams. While there have still been interesting results all around, all in all, nothing unexpected has really occurred. The Chamberley Crocodiles have wrapped up their third consecutive title - not surprising from a side containing six players with international experience of some sort, and four players members of their respective national teams. Meanwhile, the other three WCHC spots have gone to the Betham Sunrisers, Pesfield Poopers and Cleorough Thorns, the latter of whom are an unassailable seven points ahead of the Chamberley Snakes in fifth place. For the Sunrisers and Poopers, this will mark their third appearance in the WCHC from three tournaments, while this will be the Thorns’ debut on the international stage.

Speaking of the Sunrisers, what the hell has happened to them? When we checked in after matchday 26 before the Handball World Cup - something which, by the way, Sylestone ended up winning after finally breaking their curse against Bollonich in the final - they were right up there with the Chamberley Crocodiles, challenging for their first title. After the Handball World Cup, though, Betham has simply not been able to keep up with the tournament favourites. Coming into the final round of the season, the Sunrisers were already two points behind Chamberley and right from the outset, quickly slipped further behind. First, they lost to the struggling Avondale Stars; a team that had well and truly dipped beneath expectations for a side consisting of quality internationals such as Skopja’s Venijaman Atanasov, Angelo Piotri from Juvencus and Jaroslav Nemec of Gatchingerrak Union’s Seven Stars. Following Betham’s 29-24 loss there, they were able to bounce back with a hard-fought victory across the strait in Acadiana, but then came the death blows. On matchday 29, a 29-24 home loss to the Dunkirk Daredevils was then followed by an even more disappointing loss - to the twelfth-placed Kirton Cavaliers. They couldn’t even beat the Dodle Mountaineers on matchday 31, instead squandering a 28-25 lead to draw 29-all. With eight matches left, the Sunrisers had fallen nine points behind the Crocodiles, giving up their opportunity to take out the title. Although they were still eight points clear of losing their position in the top four, with their current form slump, a WCHC spot was by no means secure. Although they did manage to snap out of it with a draw against the Pesfield Poopers and wins over the Sentient Sapients and Avondale Avengers, with three games remaining and a WCHC spot now secured, their title chances were nothing. On fifty points and only holding onto second place by two points, though, it had allowed the Chamberley Crocodiles to race away from them. On 62 points they were, with an outstanding 30-2-4 record and from now on, no one could beat them to the title.

Down at the other end of the table, proceedings have gone from bad to worse for the Dodle Mountaineers. Over the past ten games, they have only been able to secure two points from two draws and in what has really been an astonishing comeback from such a weak team on paper, the CIS Wanderers are no longer holders of the wooden spoon. With triumphs against the Halpenley Scorchers, Avondale Stars, Kirton Cavaliers and Sentient Sapients, while also coming incredibly close to taking points off the Pesfield Poopers in arguably their best game of the season. While they’ve only managed a mediocre 16 points, it’s still enough to climb into 13th place and if they can finish there, they will deem the season a huge success. Also down towards the bottom end of the table are the Kirton Cavaliers and Halpenley Scorchers - the latter in eleventh place on 22 points. In tenth, though, dwell the Garigal Guwayana, but on 35 points and only five behind the Chamberley Snakes in fifth, a couple of wins to finish off the season could see the Acadianans climb back up into the top half of the table.

Currently, the mid-table traffic jam sees the Snakes in fifth on forty points, only one point ahead of the Avondale Avengers in sixth. Beneath them are the Avondale Stars - who have regained some respect after their catastrophic start - and the Dunkirk Daredevils, each on 37 points. Then, in ninth, are the Sentient Sapients; a team who could be considered hard done by considering they boast an even, 18-0-18 record, but they’re only one point ahead of the Guwayana in tenth. While all six teams are only playing for pride and bragging rights, you can be assured that each and every one of them will be playing their hearts out.

*  SHIT                      Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Chamberley Crocodiles      36   30   2   4  1071  851 +220    62
 2 Betham Sunrisers           36   23   4   9  1012  901 +111    50
 3 Pesfield Poopers           36   23   2  11   982  919  +63    48
 4 Cleorough Thorns           36   22   3  11   989  930  +59    47
 5 Chamberley Snakes          36   20   0  16   952  956   −4    40
 6 Avondale Avengers          36   19   1  16   971  921  +50    39
 7 Avondale Stars             36   17   3  16   957  915  +42    37
 8 Dunkirk Daredevils         36   18   1  17   955  947   +8    37
 9 Sentient Sapients          36   18   0  18   952  961   −9    36
10 Garigal Guwayana           36   17   1  18   955  955    0    35
11 Halpenley Scorchers        36   10   2  24   915  997  −82    22
12 Kirton Cavaliers           36   10   1  25   894 1023 −129    21
13 CIS Wanderers              36    7   2  27   860 1063 −203    16
14 Dodle Mountaineers         36    5   4  27   901 1027 −126    14

Matchday 37

Betham Sunrisers 29–27 Halpenley Scorchers
Chamberley Crocodiles 31–29 Avondale Avengers
CIS Wanderers 23–29 Chamberley Snakes
Avondale Stars 29–24 Sentient Sapients
Garigal Guwayana 24–32 Pesfield Poopers
Dunkirk Daredevils 27–23 Cleorough Thorns
Kirton Cavaliers 21–32 Dodle Mountaineers

Just a game after jumping the Dodle Mountaineers for 13th spot in the SHIT, the CIS Wanderers have found themselves back where they probably should be - in last place. Ably defeated by the fifth-placed Chamberley Snakes - a team who will be satisfied with their season considering they are currently likely to finish above both Avondale franchises - the Wanderers found themselves relying upon the result between the Kirton Cavaliers and Dodle Mountaineers to go their way if they wished to stay off the bottom. However, the Mountaineers were simply way too good on the day, star defenders Owen Pitt and Enza Lavarini starring a 32-21 slaughtering.

Back at the top of the table, the Chamberley Crocodiles have continued to cut a swathe through their opponents, staving off a determined challenge by the Avondale Avengers in a two-point victory. The Betham Sunrisers and Pesfield Poopers were also able to take two points out of their clashes with the Halpenley Scorchers and Garigal Guwayana respectively, while the Cleorough Thorns were simply not at their best in Dunkirk, dealt with a surprising four-goal defeat to drop to fourth. But all in all, it didn’t really matter. They were still going to finish top four either way.

Matchday 38

Halpenley Scorchers 29–19 Dodle Mountaineers
Cleorough Thorns 30–22 Kirton Cavaliers
Pesfield Poopers 29–22 Dunkirk Daredevils
Sentient Sapients 30–35 Garigal Guwayana
Chamberley Snakes 24–27 Avondale Stars
Avondale Avengers 32–23 CIS Wanderers
Betham Sunrisers 33–28 Chamberley Crocodiles

Following their disastrous form over the past couple of months, the Betham Sunrisers once again regained their touch to remain the only team the Chamberley Crocodiles never defeated, coming out on top by five goals. However, neither of the two sides were quite at full strength, instead opting to rest key players in order to ensure they would be fit for the WCHC in coming months. Meanwhile, in the battle for ninth place that no one really cares about, the Garigal Guwayana were able to come out on top against Kirkham’s Sentient Sapients, keeping their chances of a neutral record at 19-1-19 possible.

With the Avondale Avengers and Avondale Stars sitting on 41 points apiece and in sixth and seventh respectively, the derby on the final matchday will essentially be a sixth-place playoff, although depending on the Snakes’ result, a victory for either side may send them into fifth. Considering how often the Avengers have been in fifth at crucial points of the season, you can be assured that some of their fans will be egging on the Snakes to beat the Garigal Guwayana in Acadiana, even though it will see them finish in sixth if they can beat the Stars.

Sometimes, a change can be good, even if it is for the worse.

Matchday 39

Chamberley Crocodiles 27–24 Halpenley Scorchers
CIS Wanderers 22–23 Betham Sunrisers
Avondale Stars 29–24 Avondale Avengers
Garigal Guwayana 29–28 Chamberley Snakes
Dunkirk Daredevils 31–23 Sentient Sapients
Kirton Cavaliers 24–27 Pesfield Poopers
Dodle Mountaineers 22–33 Cleorough Thorns

It’s been known for at least a month with utter certainty, but finally, the Chamberley Crocodiles have been awarded their third straight SHIT trophy, albeit with a rather complacent 27-24 victory over the Halpenley Scorchers at home. Their final record, though, was something to be marvelled. With 32 wins and two draws from 39 games, they finished with 66 points - an average of roughly 1.7 points per match. In second place are the Betham Sunrisers, sitting ten points behind the champions, having thrown away their title chances with a series of losses they should’ve been winning. Some might even argue that they deserved to be champions, having taken five points out of six from the Chamberley Crocodiles but alas, if you can’t beat the weaker teams, then you’re not going to be able to take it out, are you?

The Pesfield Poopers are in third place, having made up for a tumultuous start to the season with some excellent handball, challenging the league’s very best. However, due to their six early losses, they were never really in the hunt for the title and neither were the Cleorough Thorns - this season’s plucky upstarts. Finishing with 51 points, eight ahead of the Avondale Stars in fifth place, off to the international stage they would be going and totally deservedly, too. They’d shown they could beat anyone on their day, so it will be interesting to see how they go in a group with teams all of a similar calibre.

Speaking of the Avondale Stars, what a comeback they’ve made. From seven points after the first round and 23 after the second, they’ve won ten and lost three since in a rather dominant end to the season, finally beginning to really mould together and work well as a team. Their triumph over their cross-town rivals on the final day rounded off what had been a powerful display of handball following the Handball World Cup but with the top four so deeply entrenched, they never stood a chance at chasing any one of them down. Still, Stars fans will be satisfied, for they were able to overtake their cross-town rivals on the final day of the season - a result that saw the Avengers fall back down to seventh place, beneath the Chamberley Snakes, and equal on points with the Dunkirk Daredevils. After their performance in the first edition of the SHIT that earned them the status of “big four”, they have played well beneath standards over the last two tournaments, failing to qualify for WCHC both times. With next season likely being stalwart Isla McCartney’s final one, the Avengers will be determined to finish off her career on a high and get back into the esteemed top four.

Beneath the Daredevils are the Guwayana and Sapients, both of whom will be disappointed with their season returns. Although they weren’t that far off fifth place, neither were able to defeat the top teams regularly and as a result, that cost them. Even so, beneath them is a twelve-point gap to the Halpenley Scorchers in eleventh - the beginning of the “shit” teams in the SHIT. the Scorchers are followed by the Cavaliers and Mountaineers, who have only been saved from the humility of a third straight wooden spoon on goal difference by the CIS Wanderers, both sides only achieving sixteen points.

Overall, despite two new sides being entered into the league and Cleorough’s excellent tournament, there really wasn’t that much volatility within results compared to last season.

Will that change next season, or will we see more of the same?

*  SHIT                      Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Chamberley Crocodiles      39   32   2   5  1157  937 +220    66
 2 Betham Sunrisers           39   26   4   9  1097  978 +119    56
 3 Pesfield Poopers           39   26   2  11  1070  989  +81    54
 4 Cleorough Thorns           39   24   3  12  1075 1001  +74    51
 5 Avondale Stars             39   20   3  16  1042  987  +55    43
 6 Chamberley Snakes          39   21   0  18  1033 1035   −2    42
 7 Avondale Avengers          39   20   1  18  1056 1004  +52    41
 8 Dunkirk Daredevils         39   20   1  18  1035 1022  +13    41
 9 Garigal Guwayana           39   19   1  19  1043 1045   −2    39
10 Sentient Sapients          39   18   0  21  1029 1056  −27    36
11 Halpenley Scorchers        39   11   2  26   995 1072  −77    24
12 Kirton Cavaliers           39   10   1  28   961 1112 −151    21
13 Dodle Mountaineers         39    6   4  29   974 1110 −136    16
14 CIS Wanderers              39    7   2  30   928 1147 −219    16

---

Sylestone (SYL) Qualifiers
WCHC: Chamberley Crocodiles, Betham Sunrisers, Pesfield Poopers, Cleorough Thorns

[StrayaRoos]

* StrayaRoos Handball Cup  Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
1 Pale Handball Team        14   12   0   2   419  331  +88    24 Emu Shield|SHC Finals
2 Northern Waves            14   11   1   2   379  324  +55    23 SHC Finals
3 Southern Greyhounds       14    9   0   5   395  370  +25    18 SHC Finals
4 Adot Giants               14    7   0   7   377  381   −4    14 SHC Finals
5 Central Kangaroos         14    6   1   7   358  375  −17    13 SHC Finals
6 Western StrayaRoos        14    3   2   9   346  395  −49     8
7 Lions                     14    4   0  10   339  397  −58     8
8 Panem Handball Team       14    2   0  12   351  391  −40     4

* StrayaRoos Handball Cup  Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts                                
1 Pale Handball Team         8    7   0   1   233  183  +50    14  —   29–21  30–24  29–25  24–21 WCHC|Champions
2 Southern Greyhounds        8    5   0   3   212  207   +5    10 22–33   —   31–27  32–22  29–23 WCHC
3 Northern Waves             8    4   0   4   220  219   +1     8 23–35  27–29   —   29–22  35–24 WCHC
4 Central Kangaroos          8    4   0   4   210  209   +1     8 28–22  25–21  26–31   —   30–21 WCHC
5 Adot Giants                8    0   0   8   175  232  −57     0 19–31  21–27  22–24  24–32   —

StrayaRoos (STR) Qualifiers
Pale Handball Team
Southern Greyhounds
Northern Waves
Central Kangaroos

[Octapolis]

Greater Octapolis Handball League - Season 102

Team                                 Titles
Council's Chosen                         25
Greater Octapolis United                 22
Octapolis Elite                          18
Myrnkel                                  15
Rynxi Anas                                7
Tandres                                   5
Cansai Haia                               3
Elankpl                                   2
Marked Juxtaposition                      2
Deya Horizon                              1
Beta Phalanx                              1

Regular Season Results

Greater Octapolis Handball League      Pld     W    L     GF    GA    GD 
 1 Tandres                             108    90   18   3047  2630  +417 First Round Bye
 2 Alpha Spectrum                      108    90   17   3099  2660  +439 First Round Bye, WCHC
 3 Octapolis Elite                     108    88   18   3124  2641  +483 First Round Bye, WCHC, Champions
 4 Greater Octapolis United            108    80   26   3071  2655  +416 First Round Bye, WCHC
 5 Council's Chosen                    108    80   28   3025  2647  +378 Playoffs
 6 Beta Phalanx                        108    76   31   3023  2760  +263 Playoffs
 7 Marked Juxtaposition                108    76   32   3033  2660  +373 Playoffs
 8 Cansai Haia                         108    75   31   3017  2727  +290 Playoffs, WCHC
 9 Denka Rhil                          108    71   37   3007  2784  +223 Playoffs
10 Red Cannons                         108    70   36   2921  2789  +132 Playoffs
11 Rynxi Anas                          108    66   41   2933  2812  +121 Playoffs
12 Elankpl                             108    63   44   2991  2819  +172 Playoffs
13 Spblr Xtnz                          108    56   51   2903  2886   +17
14 Itla Botn                           108    51   57   2898  2905    −7
15 Foreka Nunl                         108    47   61   2886  2919   −33
16 Myrnkel                             108    46   62   2872  2965   −93
17 Epsilon Wall                        108    45   61   2826  2907   −81
18 Delta Squadron                      108    45   61   2808  2899   −91
19 Laksi Otan                          108    45   63   2859  2973  −114
20 Deya Horizon                        108    44   62   2905  3016  −111
21 Kajl Laertes                        108    33   74   2709  3040  −331
22 Xyreirl                             108    32   76   2685  2989  −304
23 Axon Juréè                          108    32   75   2723  2947  −224
24 Rylix Zomk                          108    31   77   2713  2972  −259
25 Phil Wailing                        108    23   85   2700  3139  −439
26 Eai Ieoi                            108    16   90   2612  3145  −533
27 Gulrtpnk                            108    16   92   2577  3166  −589
28 Jitl Modl                           108    13   94   2613  3128  −515

First Round
Council's Chosen (Mixed) 28–23 Elankpl (Kan Goren)
Beta Phalanx (Basalt-Ani) 24–22 Rynxi Anas (Fashtel)
Marked Juxtaposition (Brinoghan) 19–25 Red Cannons (Brinoghan)
Cansai Haia (Ysrbi) 31–29 Denka Rhil (Fashtel)

Quarterfinals
Tandres (Kan Goren) 24–29 Cansai Haia (Ysrbi)
Alpha Spectrum (Basalt-Ani) 31–24 Red Cannons (Brinoghan)
Octapolis Elite (Mixed) 32–25 Beta Phalanx (Basalt-Ani)
Greater Octapolis United (Mixed) 28–27 Council's Chosen (Mixed)

Semifinals
Cansai Haia (Ysrbi) 27–28 Greater Octapolis United (Mixed)
Alpha Spectrum (Basalt-Ani) 29–32 Octapolis Elite (Mixed)

Championship (Bo3) @ Octapolis Crucible
Greater Octapolis United (Mixed) 27–28 Octapolis Elite (Mixed)
Greater Octapolis United (Mixed) 25–24 Octapolis Elite (Mixed)
Greater Octapolis United (Mixed) 23–29 Octapolis Elite (Mixed)

Champions: Octapolis Elite (19th Title)
MVP: LW Sadai, Greater Octapolis United

---

Octapolis (OCT) qualifiers
WCHC: Octapolis Elite (Champions)
Greater Octapolis United (Runners-Up)
Alpha Spectrum (Semifinals Higher Seed)
Cansai Haia (Semifinals Lower Seed)

[Quebec and Shingoryeo]

Results

Quebec and Shingoryeo (QUE) qualifiers
Master nation of Gatchingerrak Union (GGU)
WCHC: Bathurst HC (Ligue-Boreale Champions), Montreal Koreana (Ligue-Boreale Finalist), Zenit Attawapiskat (Coupe de la Reine Champions), IRSEA-Anaia City (Coupe de la Reine-B Champions)

[Gatchingerrak Union]

2055-56 Gatchingerrak Superliga Season

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.

A no stranger to international sport, Gatchingerrak Union does have a past history of international football and hockey, where its western realms were represented as Norrehavn. It has hosted a Copa Rushmori and a World Cup of Hockey, and both sports are extremely popular. Handball is a popular sport for both men and women across most of the Union, but in particular the northern two-thirds of the nation where handball and indoor sports are readily played. The dualsex Gatchingerrak Superliga enjoys solid popularity, especially in Norrehavn, where the quality and popularity of volleyball have not been great in the recent half-century, but also in the eastern nations of Novopetrograd and the Gatchinovo citystate, where their popularity is outpaced by volleyball but the sport endures with little trouble.

The league enjoys decent parity, with the championship once again contended by both Nyhavn clubs, Fakel Gatchinovo and Armada Petrograd. Historic powerhouses Azovskiye Medvedi and BoIFK have struggled a bit more to increasing competition in the recent years, and the clear leveling of competition between the aforementioned Big 4 and rest of the Superliga, whose results tend to go down in a matter of progression curve, seem to indicate that the league isn't as stable as it has been in past years.

This cycle once again sees the same list of teams without change. This was not what was originally intended to happen, though it's not a permanent sign in any way. The disagreements shared between the respective national federations over revenue sharing on the top level, something that had already paralysed the football pyramid in the multi-national level here, had caused the nation to halt on promoting or relegating any side between the Superliga and the respective national leagues for the cycle. Whether this would mean ensuring financial stability of handball in respective states, even as they had continued decent performance at the latest HWC, remains to be seen. The expansion of preexisting powers in domestic handball, namely Quebecois Ligue-Nordique or the Sylestonian Handball Invitatonal Tournament, and the transfer of Seven Stars LB Jaroslav Nemec certainly didn't help those back in Rushmore either. Can they weather the storm?

2055-56 Gatchingerrak Superliga  Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts                                                                                  
 1 Belmorets Palmyra                 30   22   1   7   821  720 +101    67  —   29–27  21–24  29–19  25–31  23–24  21–24  27–24  31–23  29–29  33–24  27–21  24–23  29–20  29–24  28–16
 2 Naxos Nyhavn                      30   22   1   7   845  746  +99    67 24–27   —   25–24  30–31  24–24  30–28  25–26  23–22  32–24  24–27  27–23  23–22  29–27  27–23  31–28  35–21
 3 Nyhavn Håndbold                   30   22   1   7   822  751  +71    67 27–22  23–24   —   28–24  24–24  24–28  32–21  29–28  30–25  29–23  30–25  32–22  29–28  23–30  32–24  24–27
 4 BoIFK                             30   20   0  10   820  773  +47    60 23–22  24–26  28–29   —   29–27  27–31  31–24  23–28  28–29  26–27  29–32  32–23  32–24  32–27  24–23  29–25[/color=green]
 5 Armada Petrograd                  30   18   2  10   807  747  +60    56 23–24  24–22  21–22  23–26   —   26–32  26–24  29–21  27–26  27–21  32–22  25–26  29–20  34–29  27–22  21–23
 6 Fakel Gatchinovo                  30   18   1  11   809  780  +29    55 23–27  22–32  28–29  22–31  25–28   —   27–22  20–24  29–24  30–29  28–31  22–24  25–24  23–23  24–22  33–25
 7 Azovskiye Medvedi                 30   17   0  13   766  768   −2    51 24–28  22–33  24–31  21–24  37–27  28–29   —   24–30  23–26  28–27  27–23  27–24  23–22  29–19  29–24  28–24
 8 Lyngby IF                         30   16   1  13   777  789  −12    49 24–31  29–31  23–29  21–31  31–25  29–28  24–23   —   19–34  24–32  24–26  27–23  26–24  29–29  24–29  30–23
 9 SydIF                             30   15   2  13   830  782  +48    47 24–32  29–27  21–23  30–20  28–32  31–30  26–27  24–28   —   29–29  27–21  29–27  35–21  25–28  33–21  35–24
10 AG Espergærde                     30   11   6  13   794  798   −4    39 23–29  29–33  29–25  31–32  22–28  24–33  32–30  23–24  26–26   —   28–31  27–21  27–21  30–26  28–22  23–23
11 Landet-Landet Håndbold            30   12   3  15   782  799  −17    39 27–28  22–30  21–24  23–27  28–22  27–31  23–28  21–24  24–30  26–26   —   24–21  24–24  22–23  28–23  31–27
12 HCB Louny                         30   11   1  18   766  812  −46    34 24–29  23–33  25–28  24–25  27–28  20–29  23–28  28–24  27–28  28–24  31–31   —   21–26  29–20  32–28  29–26
13 Dinamo Sozh                       30    7   3  20   751  795  −44    24 31–24  27–37  21–24  24–28  19–23  21–24  22–24  23–24  28–26  24–24  28–29  28–30   —   27–24  28–24  27–24
14 Universitet Yagudina              30    5   5  20   738  823  −85    20 24–31  22–27  29–33  23–24  23–30  23–24  21–24  25–29  21–34  24–29  24–29  32–33  24–24   —   24–24  31–24
[color=red]15 MOZ Håndbold                      30    5   2  23   742  834  −92    17 24–28  19–23  33–30  27–30  22–32  25–29  23–24  23–31  24–21  23–24  24–30  24–28  33–31  21–23   —   30–30
16 Kisas HC                          30    3   3  24   723  876 −153    12 22–34  25–31  27–31  20–31  23–32  27–28  21–23  29–32  23–28  23–21  19–34  26–30  25–34  24–24  27–29   —

Gatchingerrak Union (GGU) qualifiers
Puppet nation of Quebec and Shingoryeo (QUE)
WCHC: Belmorets Palmyra, Naxos Nyhavn, Nyhavn Håndbold, BoIFK

[Quebec and Shingoryeo]

World Club Handball Championships - Cycle 13

Association Codes

AFT    Abanhfleft
BOL    Bollonich
DAR    Darmen
GGU    Gatchingerrak Union
KGS    Kriegiersien
LIS    Lisander
MYT    Mytanija
OCT    Octapolis
QUE    Quebec and Shingoryeo
STR    StrayaRoos
SYL    Sylestone

Procedural Notes

• All entries were accepted.
• Bollonischian federation's re-submission and Mytanar federation's misplaced submission are both accepted. The WCHC committee, currently based in Attawapiskat, Quebec and Shingoryeo, would like to remind the Bollonischian federation that re-submissions are only valid for one cycle, and that the next season must show sporting merit.
• There are forty-four entries from eleven nations.
• As with last cycle a small but noticeable part of ranking bonus were given to entries from nine associations who I have participated in either or both of last two HWCs. This partly helps establishing a bit more realistic picture with competitions (It'd not really make sense if a top 10 nation's has all their sides crashing out, for one!), though RP grade still matters lot more than ranking bonus. The WCHC continues to recommend all participants who submit their entries to sign up to the most recent edition of Handball World Cup whenever possible.

Final Site Selection

By default l'Arc-en-Ciel in Joongyeong, Quebec and Shingoryeo is selected to host the 13th World Club Handball Championship Final Four.

Preliminary Round

Associational champions from 3 of 4 highest-ranked associations - Sylestone, Bollonich, Quebec & Shingoryeo and Abanhfleft, directly qualify for the group stage. Defending WCHC champions, Kings of Fermont, automatically qualify to the group stage as both defending champions.

(KGS) Pony Town Unicorns          55–67                Cleorough Thorns  (SYL)  28-35 27-32
(OCT) Cansai Haia                 48–59          Mydeuzey Shooting Stars (AFT)  27-24 24-32
(KGS) Timesteam                   56–54         Sterling City Liberty HC (DAR)  24-27 29-30
(AFT) Ferale Beef                 48–49               Zenit Attawapiskat (QUE)  22-24 24-27
(KGS) Winter Rabbits              50–54                      HC Malemort (LIS)  24-27 23-30
(MYT) Atletik                     64–46                     Maihar Lions (BOL)  24-32 32-22
(SYL) Betham Sunrisers            54–45                            BoIFK (GGU)  24-28 26-21
(STR) Pale Handball Team          43–51                  Nyhavn Håndbold (GGU)  27-23 20-24
(GGU) Naxos Nyhavn                54–48                     Vreton Bulls (BOL)  20-27 27-28
(QUE) Montreal Koreana            61–47                       Litala '93 (MYT)  20-28 33-27
(MYT) Dinamo                      59–47                Central Kangaroos (STR)  24-32 27-23
(BOL) Karvian Tigers              55–50                   Northern Waves (STR)  23-26 29-27
(LIS) AC Kasandora                56–45                         Nauti HC (DAR)  24-29 27-21
(DAR) Scott City HC               55–58                   Alpha Spectrum (OCT)  29-27 28-29
(STR) Southern Greyhounds         51–60                 Immola Enforcers (AFT)  27-28 23-33
(SYL) Pesfield Poopers            58–48              HC Azhaar Blckroses (LIS)  28-31 27-21
(OCT) Octapolis Elite             57–53             Atletica Vila da Foz (LIS)  29-28 29-24
(OCT) Greater Octapolis United    49–51                 IRSEA-Anaia City (QUE)  29-27 22-22
(DAR) Liverpool HC                47–63                    Lions Muhr HT (KGS)  28-23 24-35
(GGU) Belmorets Palmyra           47–65                    GK Magevskaya (MYT)  28-24 23-37

Group Stage

Double round robin, with teams playing home-and-away. Top 4 from each group qualifies for Round of 16. No more than one side per nation is placed on the same group.

  Group A                        Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts                                
1 Betham Sunrisers                10    8   0   2   271  241  +30    16  —   29–28  23–24  27–24  29–23  28–15
2 IRSEA-Anaia City                10    7   1   2   282  255  +27    15 32–28   —   25–25  28–25  29–20  29–26
3 Kings of Fermont                10    4   2   4   255  261   −6    10 22–24  27–25   —   23–29  25–28  27–24
4 GK Magevskaya                   10    4   1   5   262  262    0     9 22–29  23–29  30–24   —   29–22  30–30
5 Immola Enforcers                10    4   1   5   264  266   −2     9 29–30  24–28  29–29  27–22   —   35–23
6 Lions Muhr HT                   10    0   1   9   237  286  −49     1 22–24  28–29  24–29  23–28  22–27   — 

Group B                        Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts                                
1 Chamberley Crocodiles           10    8   2   0   285  233  +52    18  —   27–27  29–24  24–22  25–18  31–24
2 Zenit Attawapiskat              10    6   1   3   283  258  +25    13 26–29   —   28–29  30–29  33–24  25–26
3 Nyhavn Håndbold                 10    6   1   3   284  269  +15    13 29–29  24–29   —   29–27  28–23  30–23
4 Mydeuzey Shooting Stars         10    5   0   5   276  263  +13    10 24–29  27–31  33–24   —   28–27  28–23
5 Alpha Spectrum                  10    2   0   8   243  291  −48     4 19–33  24–30  27–35  25–29   —   29–28
6 Timesteam                       10    1   0   9   227  284  −57     2 20–29  19–24  21–32  21–29  22–27   — 

Group C                        Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts                                
1 Pesfield Poopers                10    8   0   2   281  235  +46    16  —   22–26  28–23  26–21  37–28  35–23
2 Bathurst HC                     10    7   1   2   272  238  +34    15 21–22   —   24–24  31–29  25–28  29–22
3 Dinamo                          10    5   1   4   278  262  +16    11 22–32  25–29   —   28–29  24–21  33–25
4 Karvian Tigers                  10    5   1   4   266  269   −3    11 24–21  21–31  21–32   —   28–28  35–20
5 HC Malemort                     10    3   1   6   269  278   −9     7 24–27  21–25  31–35  28–29   —   32–26
6 Octapolis Elite                 10    0   0  10   231  315  −84     0 23–31  24–31  22–32  24–29  22–28   — 

Group D                        Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts                                
1 Cleorough Thorns                10    9   0   1   286  245  +41    18  —   30–25  24–22  25–22  28–23  27–24
2 Oui Orbiters                    10    5   2   3   261  258   +3    12 21–31   —   28–27  27–22  31–24  24–24
3 Montreal Koreana                10    5   1   4   265  250  +15    11 30–31  25–25   —   29–24  22–28  25–21
4 Naxos Nyhavn                    10    4   1   5   255  270  −15     9 30–29  21–29  21–27   —   28–24  32–28
5 Atletik                         10    3   1   6   257  264   −7     7 20–29  26–28  28–29  25–25   —   34–22
6 AC Kasandora                    10    1   1   8   244  281  −37     3 28–32  28–23  20–29  27–30  22–25   —

Round of Sixteen

The Round of 16, Quarterfinals and Semifinals fixtures are randomised. In case there is a normal tie, there will be a third match held to decide the series.

(QUE) Montreal Koreana            51–63                 Cleorough Thorns (SYL)  34-22 29-29
(GGU) Nyhavn Håndbold             51–51*                   GK Magevskaya (MYT)  23-24 27-28 (Re-match: 27–28)
(QUE) IRSEA-Anaia City            53–49                           Dinamo (MYT)  24-28 25-25
(GGU) Naxos Nyhavn                62–56                 Kings of Fermont (BOL)  22-32 30-24
(AFT) Oui Orbiters                50–52               Zenit Attawapiskat (QUE)  23-24 26-29
(SYL) Betham Sunrisers            49–54            Chamberley Crocodiles (SYL)  30-20 29-24
(QUE) Bathurst HC                 47–52          Mydeuzey Shooting Stars (AFT)  24-24 23-28
(SYL) Pesfield Poopers            63–43                   Karvian Tigers (BOL)  23-32 31-20

Quarterfinals Fixtures

Mydeuzey Shooting Stars (AFT) vs. Naxos Nyhavn (GGU)
IRSEA-Anaia City (QUE) vs. Chamberley Crocodiles (SYL)
Zenit Attawapiskat (QUE) vs. GK Magevskaya (MYT)
Pesfield Poopers (SYL) vs. Clerough Thorns (SYL)

[Quebec and Shingoryeo]

World Club Handball Championships - Cycle 13

Post 2.

Quarterfinals

(AFT) Mydeuzey Shooting Stars     57–49                      Naxos Nyhavn (GGU) 21-29 28-28
(QUE) IRSEA-Anaia City            44–52             Chamberley Crocodiles (SYL) 24-22 22-28
(QUE) Zenit Attawapiskat          48–59                     GK Magevskaya (MYT) 21-25 23-28
(SYL) Pesfield Poopers            49–58                  Cleorough Thorns (SYL) 29-22 27-29

WCHC 13 Final Four

The WCHC 13 Final Four is played at l'Arc-en-Ciel, Joongyeong, Quebec and Shingoryeo. The team pairings were randomised.

Semifinals

Mydeuzey Shooting Stars (AFT) 24–19 GK Magevskaya (MYT)
Cleorough Thorns (SYL) 31–26 Chamberley Crocodiles (SYL)

Third Place Match

GK Magevskaya (MYT) 21–32 Chamberley Crocodiles (SYL)

WCHC 13 Final

Mydeuzey Shooting Stars (AFT) 23–27 Cleorough Thorns (SYL)

The unexpected struggle of the Bollonischian clubs in this edition of WCHC has seen stronger competition across the board for several emerging associations who have taken significant leaps to present themselves as significant challengers. Two of the more notable cases have come from Mytanija and Abanhfleft, with both holding long history in international and domestic handball, and the successes of both GK Magevskaya and Mydeuzey Shooting Stars will be viewed as the start of a long era of heightened competition in WCHC circuit for cycles to come.

That said, it is often said that 'iron sharpens iron' and the very sentence can be applied to the Sylestonian association, whose dedication to the sport has been unparalleled and could only be rivalled by few others, as they have managed to fend off strong competition and field two teams into the Final 4. In the strong, capacity crowd found in heart of Joongyeong, it would be Clerough Thorns who would walk off the champions of the domestic handball to mark second consecutive cycle where both WCHC and HWC champions have come from the same nation.

---

OOC: Sorry for delays with the very last stretch of the WCHC folks. RL happened and then I ended up on the wave of other things after that.

I have not decided on when the next WCHC cutoff will be, but let's say the tentative deadline will be December 09 (Midnight EST). When I post the deadline post, it will also have the updated WCHC Post-13 spreadsheet.