easter
if you have never been to see the euro hoCkey league – there may never be a better opportunity than this easter.
A
record three English and two Irish clubs have qualified for the last 16 knockout stage of the league. East Grinstead,
Beeston and Reading will fly the English flag in the Netherlands while Dublin clubs Glenanne and Pembroke Wanderers represent Ireland. Most of the big hitters of
European hockey have made the knockout stages, including hosts and 2009 champions HC Bloemendaal of the Netherlands led by Dutch star Teun de Nooijer (pictured left), reigning champions UHC Hamburg and last year’s semi-finalists RC Polo de Barcelona of Spain. Some English interest
is guaranteed in the quarter finals with the draw having thrown up a mouthwatering clash between England Hockey League rivals Reading, who have a host of international talent including defender Richard Mantell (below left) and the equally talented English champions East Grinstead. The winners of that Easter Saturday clash will play either KHC Dragons of Belgium or Rott-Weiss Koln of Germany for a place in the final four. The Rott-Weiss side, packed with
internationals including Germany’s Christopher Zeller, was widely tipped to win the EHL in 2009/2010 and they will be looking to put the misery of last season’s quarter- final loss to RC Polo behind them. Beeston have the best draw
of the English clubs. They play Dinamo Kazan in the opening game of the round on Good Friday. The Russians scraped into the final 16 with a single point
– from a 2-2 draw against KS Pomorzanin Turun of Poland. But the Bees will well remember that their debut EHL season fizzled out in 2010, after they took all before them in the pool rounds only to crash out in the round of 16 to KHC Leuven (Belgium) whom they had already beaten convincingly 3-0 in the pool stage. Pembroke Wanderes and then
Glenanne will follow Beeston onto the field on Good Friday. Wanderers take on Club de Campo. Added spice will come from the fact that Irish skipper Ronan Gormley (above) should be lining up for the Spanish side against his former club. Glenanne face runners up in the Dutch national championships, and former club of Barry Middleton and Ashley Jackson, HGC of the Hague.
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