A Sutton handball club is hoping to pull off a “giant-killing” when its team heads into the quarter-final of a national tournament.
Carshalton Titans, a National League South side and the only non-top tier team left, go up against five-time former winners and the Premier Handball League’s Warrington Wolves.
It’s been billed as a David versus Goliath story, and the Titans’ “free-scoring exploits” have got people noticing – racking as many as 40 goals against opponents this season.
They go into the last four tie of the England Handball National Cup men's tournament buoyed after knocking off another top-tier club – the Brighton Seahawks – during the last 16.
Head coach Thomas Andersen said: “For us it’s a massive story. We’ve never beaten a Premier Handball League team before, we’ve never got to the quarter finals.
“We’ve surpassed what we’ve done previously, so now we’re allowed to dream a bit.”
Titans saw off the Bristol Spartans by a huge margin of 40-9 in one of the highlights of the season before reaching the quarter-finals.
Anderson believes the secret to his team’s success is the squad’s depth, particularly junior players who have stepped up to the senior level.
He added: “It’s amazing to see players going from the youth or under-19 leagues up to the men’s, because they haven’t had [any problems].
“Quite often there are size issues, or confidence issues, but we just haven’t had that with our youth and under-19 players.
“This is the most success we’ve had at Carshalton Titans – we just want to continue that!”
The England Handball National Cup runs from December to May, and the Premier Handball League comprises teams from across England, in an eight-team format for both men and women.
If you’re interested in playing for Carshalton Titans then you can get in touch here, at carshaltontitanshandballclub@gmail.com
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