Three champions crowned at Australian Beach Handball Club Championship 2021

18 May. 2021

Three champions crowned at Australian Beach Handball Club Championship 2021

After three postponements due to internal border closures in Australia, the Australian Beach Handball Club Championship 2021 finally took place last weekend on the Gold Coast in Queensland.

Players from across Australia competed in three divisions – mixed, men’s and women’s – with a total of 20 teams taking part in the event. However, due to the closure of Australia’s borders, no teams from Oceania or Japan could travel to compete, while teams from Western Australia failed to make the trip because of the risks of internal border closures and quarantine requirements.

Over two days, exciting games that featured a plethora of goals and roller-coaster lead changes took place, with three teams crowned as champions.

In the mixed competition, Pirates won the title, ahead of runners-up Misfits, as BButts finished third, with Soul Birds finishing fourth.

Pirates’ Lucan Macreadie won both the MVP and top goal scorer awards in the mixed competition, while Misfits’ Franca Levin Olivera and Pirates’ Nick Bossinakis were named the best goalkeepers.

The men’s competition featured four teams with sixteen rounds played. Sydney University won the title, winning the final against South Australia Panthers 2-0. Sydney’s Mateusz Matlach won both the MVP and the top goal scorer awards. The winners also featured the best goalkeeper of the tournament, Tim Schubinger.

In the bronze-medal match, the Buccaneers beat the Titans 2-0.

The women’s competition was the most intense one. Six teams fought for the title, with Galahs taking a superb win in the final against Botany Bay (2-1) in a tense penalty shoot-out which Galahs won 12:10.

Botany Bay’s Allira Hudson was the top scorer of the women’s tournament, while Heather Cooper’s great games helped the Galahs lift the trophy.

For more information visit the Handball Australia Facebook page.

Photos: Handball Australia / Chris Seen Photography