Spotlight on handball in Olympics countdown

OLYMPICS:

OLDHAM is to showcase the Olympic sport of handball to mark the 600-day milestone to the start of the London 2012 event.

The Oldham Sports Centre is to host the December round of matches in the England Handball Association’s under-18s League on Saturday, December 4.

The event, from 1pm-6pm, will see fast and furious action in the dynamic indoor sport of handball involving teams from Chester, Warrington Wolves, Cannock, Bedford and one of the region’s newest sports clubs, North-East Manchester Hawks. Each team plays twice on the day.

To showcase the sport - the second biggest participation sport in the world for men after football and number one for women - there will be a special open day, and ‘have-a-try’ competitions between the matches.

Many youngsters will have been trying out handball for the first time in primary and secondary schools in the last few weeks as its popularity and availability grows.

Oldham Athletic Community Trust have been quick to lend their support to the sport and already have coaches going through Level One and Two handball, and beginning to run taster sessions across the borough.

And Colin Moore, OACT manager said: “There is a real optimism in the sport of handball that it could have the biggest impact on this country, post-Olympics. Oldham is really well placed to be able to deliver that increased activity.”