Newcastle Vikings Handball Club’s men’s team returned to winning ways with a 22-15 home victory against the combined Leeds Hornets/University of Huddersfield outfit in Saturday’s England Handball North Regional Development League match at Temple Park Leisure Centre in South Shields.
Left-winger Gracjan Joppek got the Vikings off to a flying start with an early quick-fire hat-trick. Left-half Athbi Almarzouq and centre Robin Devilette then each scored three of their own either side of another Joppek strike and Matthew Lamb’s shot from the line position. Player-coach Jonathan Bastit claimed his first goal of the season after shoulder surgery, and Almarzouq added his fourth just before the break to give Newcastle a seven goal 13-6 half-time advantage.
However, the second half was an much more evenly matched affair as both teams traded goals throughout. Devilette and Joppek each added to their tallies before Lamb’s breakaway brace from the wing. Almarzouq netted another three with Joppek also scoring his sixth and seventh goals of the match, as the Vikings rounded out deserved 22-15 winners.
Newcastle Vikings: Daniel Walsh (GK), Athbi Almarzouq (7 goals), Gracjan Joppek (7), Thomas Harrison, Robin Devilette (4), James Porter, Jonathan Bastit (1), Matthew Lamb (3), Holger Schultz, Kamran Saeed