Monday, 30 July 2012
The atmosphere was initially really quiet after the first 3 unanswered points scored by Russia Ladies. even though Team GB was dominated by the Russians. The GB players were bouncing off the Russians left, right and centre. These Russian Ladies were tough. Every save made by the GB Goalkeeper was met with massive cheers. The play stopped for a second each time for the Goalkeeper to take the applause in. She was a professional player. The huge roars were reserved for every rare Team GB goal. It was like the movie “Dodgeball”. It was a bit partitioned but I really don’t think the Russian cared as they were wiping the floor with the opponents. The collective height of the Team GB could not compare with the Russians. The UK needs a national nuclear power plant league to generate the talent pool required to compete with the best from ex USSR states.
Handball is a bit like football but played with the hands, hence “Handball”. The player in control of the ball has to bounce every 3 seconds or 3 steps. The outfield players are not allowed to step inside of the “D”. However, they can be airborne and throw the ball inside. Defending was more about putting the body on the right spot to slow the opponent down. Therefore the bigger players did have the advantage as others had more distance to travel around.
The venue is the Copper Box located within the Olympic Park. I entered the ballot for these tickets because it was one of the few obscure sports which may not be as popular as 100m final with the added bonus of entry to the Olympic Park.
Adventures of Delboy 