Faroes Beat GB, but Hosts Win Tournament

Four Nations Tournament winners - Great Britain celebrate!

GREAT Britain were crowned winners of the Four Nations Tournament on Saturday, despite narrowly losing out 15-16 to the Faroe Islands in their final game at the English Institute of Sport in Sheffield.

The Faroes' victory meant they, Great Britain and Latvia were tied on four points each - and the fate of the Tournament was decided on goal difference in the match between those three teams, in accordance with EHF rules.

With results involving Turkey Under-21s having been stripped out, GB were left on +4, Faroes on -1 and Latvia on -3.

The evening began with an air of anticipation as the crowds arrived at the EIS with the GB knowing a win would see them lift the trophy in front of their home crowd.

However, the Faroes opened the scoring through their top-scorer Simona Petersen as both teams competed physically with a number of personal duels taking place all over the court.

Most noticeably was the threat posed by the Faroes Gurid Mortensen who acted as human brick wall for the GB attack, as well as converting a number of penalties to give the Faroes an early advantage.

A Daniela Sposi penalty on 13:01 brought the scores level at 4-4 and GB took the lead for the first time with another Sposi penalty just 30 seconds later.

Further strikes from Kelsi Fairbrother, Lynn McCafferty and Yvonne Leuthold opened up an 8-4 lead to GB by 20:39, but the Faroes replied through Ninna Johansen and Mortensen who then converted two penalties just before the break to take the teams in 8-8.

Left-winger Holly Lam-Moores gave GB the first goal of the second period, but Unn Kragesteen started to make her presence felt as she brought the game level again at 9-9. Fairbrother then stepped up again with two strikes, including a penalty, but the Faroes were never too far behind and the teams exchanged goals and penalties until midway through the second half as GB made some elemental mistakes in attack which put paid to them opening up a lead.

GB were helped with withdrawal of Mortensen through injury in the second half, but the Faroes were still more than a match for the home side as they continued to threaten through Petersen and Kragesteen and it was these who started to open up a lead for the Faroes.

First Petersen scored following a rebound off of Sarah Hargreaves’ head after it struck the post and then again following good build-up play from Kragesteen to make it 16-14 with less than five minutes left at which point GB called a time-out to rally their troops.

Following the time out GB were again guilty of basic errors, perhaps due to nerves, as Sposi hit the post, but Leuthold’s strike with just over a minute left got the crowd off of their feet to make it 16-15 to the Faroes.

With just 30 seconds left the crowd had thought GB had brought it back level but Britt Goodwin’s finish was ruled out for stepping inside the area.

However, the drama didn’t stop though as the Faroes called a timeout which worked up the crowd for the finale as GB desperately tried to snatch the ball from their opposition who played out the final seconds to clinch the win, but not the tournament.

Daniela Sposi top-scored for GB with five goals to end the tournament as the hosts top-scorer, but the title of the tournament top-scorer went to the Faroe Islands’ Simona Petersen with her eight goals in the match taking her final tally to 23 for the tournament.

Faroe Islands Scorers: Simona Petersen 8, Gurid Mortensen 4, Unn Kragesteen 2, Ninna Johansen 1, Una Olsen 1.

GB Scorers: Daniela Sposi 5, Kelsi Fairbrother 4, Yvonne Leuthold 3, Lynn McCafferty 1, Holly Lam-Moores 1, Britt Goodwin 1.

Text: Andrew McSteen, LOCSP.org

Great Britain v Faroe Islands – Preview

GB go into the match tonight knowing a victory will ensure they win the Women’s Four Nation International Handball Tournament.

With a 100% record in the competition so far, Britain will be looking to defeat a Faroe Islands side in great form following their impressive victory over the Turkey U21 side yesterday.

GB will face the Faroes full of confidence following an inspiring 25-20 victory against Latvia last night and left-winger Holly Lam-Moores, voted player of the match in that game, is looking forward to the test.

“The match against the Faroes Islands will be tough,” said the 18-year-old. “Personally, I want to just come on and do something today as I felt I had a poor performance against Latvia.

“The fans tonight will see a good fight and we’ve got a great fighting spirit, which is like our eighth man. British Handball is on a big high at the moment and we are working very hard – hopefully the home crowd can see us lift the trophy.”

Meanwhile, GB will have to be wary of the threat posed by the Faroe Islanders dangerous left-back Simona Petersen, who is poised to become the tournament’s top scorer as well as playmaker Asa Dam a Nystabo, who has been voted as the best player on the court in both her two games so far.

Faroe Islands manager Sofus dal Chrstiansen has said that his team is out for revenge following their 19-16 defeat back in April at the EHF Challenge Trophy.

The match starts at 6:30pm here in Sheffield, with a half time and full time report posted online.

Text: Andrew McSteen, LOCSP.org

Latvia Edge Turkey in Thrilling Encounter

Latvia's captain Ivita Asare struggles to get free of the Turkish defence.

LATVIA beat Turkey 22-21 to make it two wins out of three in the Women’s Four Nation International Handball Tournament here in Sheffield.

Nine goals from influential captain Ivita Asare helped them to victory, but it was their tightest match so far and they weren’t sure of their win until the last seconds of this enthralling encounter.

Turkey Under 21s went into the match looking to make amends for two straight defeats, and their whole squad showed a passion right from the warm-up - something that had been missing from their previous two games.

Digdem Hosgor opened the scoring for Turkey with 25 seconds on the clock as the opening moments saw scores traded.

Turkey’s initial positivity was soon dampened though as Julija Stanovova, Jolante Bicka and Ivita Asare with two stamped Latvia’s authority on the match to make it 6-2 midway through the half.

The young Turkish team were finding it impossible to breach the physically superior Latvians and were restricted to taking pot-shots on the goal from distance as they simply couldn’t get close enough to the goal as their frustration was compounded by a series of missed opportunities in front of the Latvian goal.

This frustration was relieved somewhat as Fatma Akgun scored Turkey’s first goal since in 13 minutes as her strike made it 6-3 to Latvia in the 20th minute, but this was quickly followed by a mistake from Hosgor, who lost possession in front of goal to Ina Gundega who scored on the fast-break to make it 7-3 to Latvia.

Turkey were buoyed on by their vocal squad support and rose to the occasion, scoring four goals in the space of two minutes to bring the scores within one as the physical Jolante Bicka and Nadezda Kalasnikova found themselves sitting out the final minutes of the half, after receiving two-minute suspensions within 30 seconds of each other.

With five seconds left on the first half clock Kezban Arslan scored for Turkey to make it 10-9 to Latvia but, but immediately following the goal they switched off for half time and allowed Asare to score an easy goal as Latvia went into the break two up at 11-9.

The second half started with a missed penalty from Latvia as they ensured that Hosgor’s threat was nullified by employing a series of players to mark her out of the game. This, however, ensured Hosgor herself could catch her breath and re-group for what was to be an evenly-matched exciting finale.

Turkey increasingly found rewards from their wingers and their regular scoring ensured that they were never more than two strikes away from the Latvians throughout the half as Latvia become increasingly physical.

But Turkey were more than a match for their opposition and rose to the challenge again as they bought the scores level through an excellent jump shot by Hatice Yildiz to make it 19-19 with eight minutes left, despite handing their opposition two guilt-edge opportunities to increase the lead as they gave away easy possession twice which the Latvians failed to capitalise on.

A frantic last minute saw Hosgor determinedly score to make it 21-21 with 40 seconds remaining, but Asare scored her ninth and final goal of the match to make it 22-21 as Turkey called a time-out to plan their final attack and intensify the occasion for the watching crowd.

With possession and nine seconds left on the clock, Turkey pushed for the equaliser, but couldn’t make their final chance count and the clock struck full time to finish the best game of the tournament for the neutral observer.

Turkey Under-21s Scorers: Kezban Arslan 6, Digdem Hosgor 5, Ceren Salur 4, Fatma Akgun 2, Neriman Sevgilican 2, Hatice Yildiz 1, Kubra Sen 1.

Latvia Scorers: Ivita Asare 9, Elita Ekkerte 5, Jolante Bicka 2, Julija Stanovova 2, Darja Guseva 1, Silvija Klavina 1, Ina Gundega 1, Agne Skabarde 1.

Text: Andrew McSteen, LOCSP.org

Turkey U21 v Latvia - Preview

Today sees the final round of matches of the Four Nations International Handball Tournament at the English Institute of Sport, Sheffield.

Turkey U21s face Latvia this afternoon and later today hosts GB will play a resurgent Faroe Islands, knowing that a win will see them lift the trophy on their home soil.

The young Turkish side will be looking to get something out of their visit to England following their opening day loss 22-13 against the hosts and their 24-10 defeat at the hands of the Faroe Islands yesterday.

Latvia, despite losing 25-20 against GB last night, will be hoping to draw on their opening day 23-21 victory against the Faroe Islands and will welcome the return of their influential left-back Jolante Bicka, who saw red early on in the second half against Britain.

Text: Andrew McSteen, LOCSP.org

GB Earn Coach's Praise

Good Times! Lynn McCafferty, left, and Holly Lam-Moores celebrate.

HEAD coach Jesper Holmris was pleased with his side’s performance in beating Latvia 25-20 in their second game of the Four Nations Tournament in Sheffield.

“It was a really good result,” he said. “We played really well and corrected a lot of the errors we made yesterday.

“I’m very happy with how the girls have performed - we seem to have got rid of the nerves and got down to the game.”

And Lynn McCafferty, who scored two goals but was a rock in defence, added: “It was an unbelievable result. We wanted to work really hard against them because they are really tall and we had to work hard to get any goals in the net.

“We were disappointed about our finishing, but we couldn’t have asked for anything better.”

GB Battle to Victory over Latvia

Team GB celebrate victory over Latvia.

Great Britain continued their excellent form with a well-deserved 25-20 victory over a strong Latvian side in their second match of the Women’s Four Nation Handball Tournament in Sheffield, with Daniela Sposi top-scorer with six goals.

Lenka Kocisova put Britain ahead for the first time in the sixth minute after Kelsi Fairbrother had cancelled out Latvia’s opener.

Lyn Byl then finished an attack in the best possible way to put them up 3-1 after eight minutes before Latvia started to settle and show their physical spirit which put paid to the Faroe Islands last night.

But that spirit proved a little too much for the referees at times, with influential half-left Jolanta Bicka being yellow-carded on two separate occasions midway through the first period, which the Latvians would come to regret later.

Yvette Frings scored on 20 minutes for GB to make it 7-6 which was added to by Britt Goodwin four minutes later, but Latvia held firm and the teams went into the break evenly poised at 8-8.

The second half saw Latvia open the scoring with Elita Ekkerte, but their celebrations were cut short as Fairbrother hit back just seconds later.

GB then scored again but one of the main turning points quickly followed as, just two minutes into the half Kocisova was fouled by Bicka on the edge of the area and yellow-carded warning meant she was shown red and sent to the stands.

If the Latvian team were deflated by this, they were further deflated by Hargreaves whose penalty save from Nadezda Kalasnikova enabled Lynn McCafferty to score and even up the scores at 11-11.

GB then took the lead thanks to Britt Goodwin’s finish following an excellent pass from McCafferty again before Biel was yellow carded and the subsequent penalty was scored by Kalasnikova to make it 12-12.

Latvian then took the lead again as they employed their pivot Lana Nikolajeva to become McCafferty’s shadow as they looked to numb the GB threat.

Daniela Sposi then brought the scores level again but just as GB had got back into the match Latvia then took a two-goal lead through Kalasnikova and Ivita Asare.

Yvonne Leuthold and then a penalty from Sposi brought GB back into it again, but it was down to left winger Holly Lam-Moores to start influencing the game as she scored on an excellent fast-break 16 minutes in to make it 16-16.

Good goals from Asare and Leuthold kept the scores equal, but Lam-Moores rose to the occasion, setting up Frings and then scoring herself in the space of a minute to make it 19-17 to GB as the team looked to pull away from their opponents in front of a vocal and partisan crowd.

Byl scored twice to further stretch the lead to 21-17 and despite Kalasnikova’s score to make it 21-18, the good teamwork Britain had shown throughout paid off as Sposi and Byl again scored.

The final act of the match saw Louise Jukes smash the ball home as the home team ran out 25-20 victors with a 100% tournament record so far and sent the crowd home happy and expectant that GB can take the tournament trophy with a victory over the vastly-improved Faroe Islands tomorrow night.

GB Scorers: Sposi 6, Byl 4, Goodwin 2, Lam-Moores 2, Kocisova 2, McCafferty 2, Frings 2, Leuthold 2, Fairbrother 2, Jukes 1.

Latvia Scorers: Asare 6, Ekkerte 5, Gundega 3, Kalasnikova 2, Guseva 1, Bicka 1, Skabarde 1, Nikolajeva 1.

Text: Andrew McSteen, LOCSP.org

GB v Latvia Preview

GB go into tonight’s match against Latvia with confidence following their opening win against the Turkish U21 side last night by 22-13, but will be missing the influential Michelle Skovgaard, who picked up an injury.

Latvia meanwhile, have a full squad to choose from and will be hoping to improve on their opening day performance against the Faroe Islands which they narrowly won 23-21.

The threat from GB will come from Lyn Biel and Britt Goodwin who both scored four apiece in that Turkish win, whilst the GB defence will be on their toes trying to stop Elita Ekkerte, who put seven past the Faroe Islands.

Text: Andrew McSteen, LOCSP.org

GB Relaxed and Ready for Latvian Test

GB Assistant coach Vigdis Holmeset.

The Four Nations blog caught up with Great Britain Assistant Coach Vigdis Holmset at their early training session this morning which even included a small-sided football match.

“We have been training every day for six days now, so the session this morning was really just a motivational warm-up.

“The coaching team got involved with a game of football, which normally sees the older members of the squad play the younger members. Normally the older members win, but today the younger players lost, so we are angry!

“We looked at the DVDs of the match yesterday as a coaching team and then followed it up at a team meeting with our players. Looking back at the game yesterday I am very happy; we should have scored more goals, but it is easier to work on changing our shooting than the way the team plays.

"We won’t know about the Latvia match until it starts, but we are ready. We know we can play very well and we are well prepared.

“The whole squad were at the Latvia match yesterday watching - but it is not the same to watch as it is to stand in front of them!”

Text: Andrew McSteen, LOCSP.org

Faroes Manager Keeps his Word

Faroe Islands manager Sofus dal Chrstiansen promised to us yesterday that his team would put in an improved performance today and he kept to his word as the Islanders ran out 24-10 winners against a deflated Turkish U21 side.

“We were very stiff against Latvia yesterday as we had had such a long journey and we were tired in our heads too. We spoke about this yesterday and it is important for me that the players have the right mentality in the group at all times.

“We knew that we were physically stronger today, especially defensively, the plan to stress them and always attack them and make them tired they had to do a lot of work in attack.

“In the first half our counter attack wasn’t so good, maybe the reason was that every time they shoot the ball they were too far away.

“In the second half we kept our tempo high so we kept stressing them.”

“When you are playing well the self-confidence is high and maybe we interrupt and change the attack and defence too much so the game plan changed.

“Our goalkeeper was very good and made some good saves as well as some good man-to-man work. Every time she did her man-to-man work well their self-confidence.

Text: Andrew McSteen, LOCSP.org

Defence let us Down, says Turkey Coach

Turkey Under-21s manager Zeynur Pehlivan spoke to the Women’s Four Nations International Handball Tournament blog after her sides’ comprehensive defeat at the hands of a resurgent Faroe Islands team.

“We didn’t defend very well today,” she said “If they can’t do that then the goalkeeper cannot do anything and our whole side is built on this.

“We do have a very young team here, as half of our players are away in Holland at another tournament.

“We made a few mistakes in the match, although this and the match against Great Britain yesterday are both good experiences for us to take into the European qualifiers.”

“Our final match against Latvia will be the same challenge for us – the same fight.”

Text: Andrew McSteen, LOCSP.org

Faroes Overwhelm Turkey

The Faroe Islands give the Turkish attack a rough ride.

Faroes Islands 24-10 Turkey U21s

The Faroe Islands comprehensively beat the Turkish Under-21s side 24-10 on the second day of the Women’s Four Nation International Handball Tournament.

Both sides went into the match on the back of defeats in their first games, but it was the Islanders who signalled their intent straight from the start as a vocal and enthusiastic bench was in stark contrast to the somewhat subdued demeanour of the Turkish team.

Turkey U21s, who lost 22-13 at the hands of GB yesterday, were boosted by the news that first choice goalkeeper Berna Zor had returned from injury, but her participation was limited throughout the match to picking the ball out of her net as the Faroes went on the rampage for goals.

The Faroes, who lost their opening match 23-21 against a physical Latvian side, seemed determined to win and the tone of the match was set in the sixth minute when an excellent flying score from Simina Hansen seemed to galvanise the whole Faroe Islands party and their vocal supporters in the stands.

This was quickly followed by a succession of great saves from the Faroe Islands Goalkeeper Erla Eliasen - and a string of missed opportunities and woodwork being hit by Turkey.

These missed opportunities seemed to deflate the young Turkish side, who seemed to let their heads drop which was compounded by Simona Petersen’s strike with two minutes left in the first half to make it 10-5 which was the score at the break.

The match continued in the same vein in the second half as the Faroes opened with two quick goals to set the initiative and following a series of two minute warnings for the Turkish team, the result was never in doubt as it ended 24-10.

Faroe Islands Scorers: Simona Petersen 9, Unn Kragesteen 5, Elin Staksund 2, Durita Christopherse 2, Ninna Johansen 1, Rebakka Justinesen 1, Gurid Mortensen 1, Laila Jespersen 1, Asa Dam A Nystabo 1, Simina Hansen 1.

Turkey U21 Scorers: Digdem Hosgor 7, Ceren Salur 2, Neslihan Yakupoglu 1.

Text: Andrew McSteen, LOCSP.org

Faroe Islands v Turkey preview

Faroes Islands v Turkey U21s - Preview

Both teams go into this afternoon’s match on the back of defeats in their first games at the Four Nations International Handball Tournament in Sheffield.

Turkey Under 21s, who lost 22-13 at the hands of GB on Thursday night, will be boosted by the news that first choice goalkeeper Berna Zor is in contention for a starting place following a finger injury that prevented her from playing in the loss to the hosts.

Zor trained with the team on Friday morning and also took part in the pre-match warm-up.

Meanwhile, Assistant Manager Nilufer Bircan has promised her side will put in an improved performance.

“The next game will be better because we are not very happy,” she said after the defeat to GB. “Our playmakers didn’t play very well and we made very simple faults so we couldn’t win the game.

“We mustn’t play like we did tonight against the Faroe Islands in our next game and it will be better.”

Meanwhile the Faroes, who suffered a tight 23-21 defeat against a physical Latvia side, are injury-free and will be looking to put in a stronger performance.

Text: Andrew McSteen, LOCSP.org

Turkey Vow to Bounce Back After GB Defeat

TURKEY’S assistant manager Nilufer Bircan vowed to bounce back after watching her side slump to a 22-13 defeat against GB on Thursday night.

The Turkish side seemed to run out of ideas against GB, and will need to lift their game if they are to bounce back with a victory over the Faroe Islands on Friday.

“The game was really hard but our goalkeeper and defence was ok,” she said. “But we had a problem with our attack and we are sorry about that.

Our goalkeeper had a finger problem last night [see separate story] but it is ok now, we have two good goalkeepers and we don’t have a problem with that now, but she will be better and tomorrow she will play again, we have a very young team.”

Text: Andrew McSteen, LOCSP.org

Holmris Heaps Praise on Victorious GB

Sarah Hargreaves Commands her area during GB'swin over Turkey.

AFTER watching his side secure a big win over Turkey Under-21s in their opening match of the Women’s Four Nations Tournament in Sheffield, head coach Jesper Holmris was full of praise.

Despite a low score average of 42 per cent and 30 missed shots, the tough GB defence meant they comfortably won their opening match.

“We played very well,” he said. “But we have to control things more. The defence was fantastic - we were very organised and aggressive - and we were willing to go for the fast break, which was great.

“And we didn’t make so many mistakes on those breaks, it was just that we didn’t score which happens sometimes. It was a very good start for us, and we have to be glad of the victory.”

While tough defence was key to the victory, goalkeeper Sarah Hargreaves played her part in the win with some superb instinctive saves.

“I didn’t feel good at the start, but the girls helped me to pick myself up,” she said afterwards. “The defence was really good which made it easier for me, but to be honest everybody was so up for it.”

Great Britain lead Turkey U21 at Half Time

Kelsi Fairbrother watches as she scores against Turkey Under-21s.

GREAT Britain made an emphatic start to their Four Nations Handball Tournament with a 22-13 victory over Turkey Under-21s - but their victory was marred by a knee injury to Michelle Skovgaard.

The left back had been one of the stars of the show in the first half and scored five goals, but 15 minutes into the second period she twisted awkwardly on the edge of the goal area and was carried off.

The game begun at a frantic pace with a series of yellow cards for both sides, but it was an impressive performance from Skovgaard that really got the home team settled in.

The crowd was lifted when an impressive interception and perfectly weighted long pass went to Kelsi Fairbrother who scored a spectacular airborne goal.

Turkey, whose preparations had been thrown into disarray the night before when their first choice goalkeeper Berna Zor broke a finger in a late night practice session, showed enough threat to cause GB worry but the home defence held firm with GB ‘keeper Sarah Hargreaves making a series of instinctive saves.

The first five minutes of the second half saw the scores locked at 9-8, with Turkey looking threatening until Holly Lam-Moores weighed in with a goal that broke the relative deadlock and allowed GB some breathing space.

It was then time for Lyn Byl, who plies her trade for Leverkusen in Germany, to make her mark as she scored two impressive goals in the space of a minute, which was then followed by some more excellent work by Hargreaves in the net.

Fairbrother had an injury scare herself when she was pushed in the back, but she returned for the second half to wreak havoc in the Turkish side.

A succession of strikes for GB saw them take a commanding lead going into the last ten minutes and as the lead grew, Turkey couldn’t cope with the pressure as Kubra Sen was red-carded and GB walked away with a 22-13 victory.

Great Britain scorers: Skovgaard 5, Byl 4, Goodwin 4, Fairbrother 3, Leuthold 1, Sposi 1, Palies 1, Lam-Moores 1.

Turkey U21 scorers: Hosgor 5, Salur 2, Sen 2, Arslan 1, Sevgilican 1, Yildiz 1, Akgun 1.

Text: Andrew McSteen, LOCSP.org

Turkey Goalkeeper Doubtful for GB Clash

TURKEY may be without their first choice goalkeeper for the clash with Great Britain tonight after she injured her finger in training on Wednesday evening.

18-year-old Berna Zor hyper-extended her middle finger while saving a shot in training at the English Institute of Sport in Sheffield on Wednesday. The finger was heavily strapped overnight, but by Thursday morning it had not improved.

Without a doctor or physio Turkey called on the services of Great Britain physio Emily Tyrer to help Zor, who plays club handball with Cankaya Bel. Tyrer suspected the injury was more serious than hoped, and after x-rays at Sheffield's Northern General Hospital she was diagnosed with a small fracture, which will need to be in a splint for six weeks.

Everyone at British Handball wishes Berna a speedy recovery.

Text: Andrew McSteen, LOCSP.org

Good work but more to do, says Latvia Captain Asare

Latvia captain Evita Asare was pleased with her team's 23-21 victory over the Faroe Islands in the opening game of the Women's Four Nations Tournament, but said there was work to do before their next match against Great Britain on Friday evening.

"We won the game, so of course it went well," said Asare, who scored four goals. "But there were a couple of mistakes in fast breaks where we lost the ball. In the second half the coach was giving us instruction which helped us to stop the mistakes.

"We needed to win and we did, but we have work to do. There will be some more combinations to go through before the next game to give us more options.

"It is a good start for us. We came here hoping - and expecting to win the tournament - but really we didn't know how it would go until we start."

Faroes manager Philosophical After Latvia Defeat

Faroe Islands manager Sofus dal Chrstiansen was philosophical after seeing his side lose 23-21 to Latvia, in the first game of the Women’s Four Nation Handball tournament in Sheffield.

“A few years ago we lost to Latvia, but in the years since then they have progressed a lot quicker than us through their experiences in Europe and at the World Cup," he said.

“Going into this game and the game against Great Britain I was very excited as it gives us a chance to compare ourselves and the progression.

“Our defence was ok but our counter-attack wasn’t too good and our attack had too many technical errors. Our team spirit was very good and our goalkeepers were very good.

“Several players in attack didn’t play the way they could play and our attack was very stiff and the balance between the line players and the wing players wasn’t as good as it normally is.

“We talked about what we thought was ok and what we have to improve, I’m very excited about the match tonight as I think Turkey will be very good and tough, it will be a different way of handball more technical, more quicker, more man-to-man, more physical."

Latvia Overcome Faroes in Opening Match

Latvia's Ivita Asare comes in for some close attention from the Faroe Islands.

An exciting opening match of the Women’s Four Nation tournament in Sheffield saw Latvia run out 23-21 winners in a tight affair against the spirited Faroe Islanders.

Latvia started strongly and opened up a lead midway through the first half as their physical and technical superiority began to show. With both teams employing a 6:0 defence, Latvia found it easier to put the ball in the net.

However, the Faroes looked to address the scoreline five minutes from the end of the first half by calling the first time-out and switching their goalkeeper.

The change seemed to inspire them as they began to get a foothold in the match and, following an exchange of penalties followed by a fast-break with the last play at the end saw the Islanders go in just three goals down.

The second half saw the Islanders come out all guns blazing with a series of fast-breaks combined with a 4:2 defence to get the game level, after which they reverted back to a 6:0 defence and the game settled down.

But the Latvians held their rivals at bay, and despite losing the second half goal tally they took the win and will be full of confidence going into their game against hosts Great Britain tomorrow night.

Latvia Scorers: Elita Ekkerte 7, Ina Gundega 5, Ivita Asare 4, Jolanta Bicka 2, Agne Skabarde 2, Lana Nikolaejeva 1, Dina Bergmane 1, Darja Guseva.

Faroe Islands Scorers: Simona Petersen 6, Durita Christopherse 3, Rebakka Justinsen 2, Gurid Mortensen 2, Heidi Maria Akselsen 2, Elin Staksund 2, Una Olsen 2, Ninna Katrina Johansen 1, Simina Hansen 1.

Text: Andrew McSteen, LOCSP.org

SPOTLIGHT ON: Mike Rotherham, Sports Psychologist

SPOTLIGHT ON: Mike Rotherham, Sports Psychologist

MOST elite athletes are born with a gift, but it often needs professional guidance to help that individual make the most of that natural ability.

Step forward Mike Rotherham, the GB Handball Team's sports psychologist.

The 29-year-old from Liverpool works with all the athletes as part of the team, helping them get used to the elite lifestyle and the pressures it brings.

"I work on a number of different levels with the athletes," he said. "I help them achieve a certain mindset so they can reach their potential. It's all about creating the right culture, ethos and values. They need to be independent and take control of their environment, because for many of them they are living away from home for the first time.

"We also work with the staff to make sure they all create the right environment to benefit the athletes."

Mike first became interested in sports psychology after hearing a news report about former Liverpool footballer Stan Collymore's problems.

"I'm a big Liverpool Football Club fan, and I remember seeing the reports about Collymore seeing a sports psychologist and I thought it looked interesting. I spent about nine years at Sheffield Hallam University getting qualified.

"I love the job - It's really interesting. Some athletes have a natural mental toughness like Ben Ainslie or Linford Christie, but others need to learn it. It's not about preaching to them, I have to be reactive so I don't have to deal with a situation later on."

SPOTLIGHT ON: Graeme Hutcheon, Video Analyst

SPOTLIGHT ON: Graeme Hutcheon, Video Analyst

GRAEME Hutcheon spends his days filming the GB Handball Squad in action, so that the coaches can analyse every move they make.

The 26-year-old from Kilmarnock in Scotland is the official video analyst, producing training aids for the coaches and recording the progress of the team - something which has formed an important part of the team's build-up to the Four Nations Tournament.

"I'm really looking forward to the matches," he said. "We do a lot of work in training which is good, but it's great to get into competition. It's much more intense for me because I'm filming both games and then preparing it ready for the coaches to use the next day.

"But it's worthwhile when I can see them using my footage as a training aid. I definitely notice specific differences between training and competition."

Graeme, who studied sports science at university and worked with Cardiff City Football Club for a year during his masters degree, added: "Usually I'm around the centre line and high up, which is the best place to be to catch the action. Sometimes I go down on court to get a players' eye view, and there are benefits from being at eye level, but it's best to be high up."

SPOTLIGHT ON: Emily Tyrer, Physiotherapist

SPOTLIGHT ON: Emily Tyrer, Physiotherapist

The 29-year-old from Kent has been full time with the British handball squad for 18 months, and will be the lead physiotherapist for GB during the Women's Four Nations Handball Tournament in Sheffield this week.

"I've been here the longest which is nice, seeing how everyone has improved," she said. "I've seen a lot of people come and go, players and staff, including Mike Plush who was the physio at the beginning when I first started. He was my mentor, but he works in boxing now."

But with the women's squad playing in Sheffield and the men in Oman, where would Emily rather be? "No question; I would much rather be here in Sheffield than out in the Middle East.

"On my average day I get up fairly early and can do about an hour of treatment with some of the athletes. Sometimes people need strapping or massage before training, then after lunch there's usually two of three hours of more treatment.

"When the players are playing I'm not too busy, but once they're chilling out between training and playing is my busy time. The day ends late for the physios, because when everybody is resting we are assessing and treating people.

"This job can be quite challenging for me, especially because we've got athletes who have come from different sports. That can lead to a few different injuries. Shoulders and knees are the main problem areas with handball, but especially knees with women because of their genetic make-up.

"But with GB it's mainly shoulder injuries because of the increase in training volume that many of them experience when they join the programme. All of the British-based players have had to increase the training volume significantly, and it hits them in their shoulders most."

Tournament Referees Announced

THE Women's Four Nations Handball Tournament will be refereed by a team of four top-class referees from Denmark and Macedonia.

Jakob Hansen and Martin Hjortshoj from the Danish Handball Federation will work as a team of two and will officiate three of the games, while Macedonian Handball Federation duo Sivana Karbeska and Marija Olieva have been lined up to referee the other matches.

Table officials for all matches will include British officials, who will gain valuable experience through their involvement with the Tournament. Technical official for the event is Colin Wills, from Nottingham.

Renault Support GB Handball

GB players Holly Lam-Moores, Cerys Walker, and Chloe Lam-Moores with Jim Schofield from Renault manchester.

BRITISH Handball's preparations for the London 2012 Olympics received a boost this week with the news that Renault Manchester are to support the Women's team during the Four Nations International Tournament this week.

The event in Sheffield from October 16-18 will mean many team officials and volunteers travelling long distances at different times of the day - and Renault stepped in to help by offering the use of a Renault Espace for the duration of the competition.

The Tournament will see Great Britain taking on Latvia, Turkey Under-21s and the Faroe Islands at the English Institute of Sport, and is being staged with help from volunteers from across the country.

Event manager Sue Whitehead said: "We are very grateful to Renault Manchester for the help they're giving us. Logistically we have a lot of people to bring together from different locations, and the vehicle Renault have provided will make life a lot easier."

With just under four years until the London 2012 Olympics, preparations are already well under way and the Women's Four Nations Tournament will play a vital role in the build-up as the team gains experience of playing against opponents from all over the world.

While some members of the squad play for teams across Europe, many live and train together at the GB Academy in Aarhus, Denmark, where they receive expert coaching in a country where handball is just as popular as football.

"At Renault Manchester we are always on the lookout to help local sporting teams and other organisations in whatever way we can," said General Manager Jim Schofield. "So when the handball team needed a car to get them to the tournament, we knew the Renault Espace would be perfect."

Fantasy Handball Site Launched

British Handball have teamed up with Fantasy Sport company Fantastar to bring you one of the first ever Fantasy Handball Sites.

Create your own fantasy team for the Women's 4 Nations Tournament and follow the event at fantastar.com