Impressive Harry leads the charge

TOP SCORER . . . Harry Morley

 
NORTH East Manchester Hawks produced a four-timer on a stunning weekend for the handball club.

These included league and cup wins for the men's team, a first league win of the season for the women and a cup success for the under-18s boys.

And the weekend was a personal triumph for winger Harry Morley as he scored an impressive 37 goals to lead the charge.

First up was a cup encounter for the men as they entertained Brighton at Oldham Leisure Centre and came out 37-26 winners with Jamal Braithwaite top scoring on 12 and fellow winger Morley netting nine.

Hawks struggled to find their rhythm early on - not helped by a serious knee injury to James Higgins - and trailed by five before recovering to lead 14-13 at the break.

A vastly-improved second-half saw the fast breaks of Braithwaite and Morley ease Hawks into a quarter-final home tie against Southampton or Coventry.

The next-day matches moved to the Soccerdome at the Trafford Centre and Morley scored 11 as the under-18s, reigning champions at this level, ran out 37-18 winners over Ealing HC. Hawks's man of the match was playmaker Josh McDaid.

The women made it a hat-trick of successes when they broke their duck for the season with a 29-26 win over West London Eagles (Ruislip). A superb debut from goalkeeper Megan Johnston pushed Hawks into an amazing 17-3 half-time lead, but the Eagles hit back and Hawks were hanging on for the victory.

Former Olympian Holly Lam-Moores led the way with nine goals, well backed up by Ellie Whitehead and Becky Barnes with five apiece.

A memorable weekend was complete when the men's team returned in a National League Super 8 encounter against the Eagles with a 42-29 victory.

The home side were feeling the effects of playing the previous day and trailed by five. A tactical change saw the influential Stefan Whaley, who missed the cup tie with a hand injury, team up with Morley and with a series of assists from playmaker Ryan Goodwin they ripped the opposition apart.

Morley was unstoppable with a personal tally of 17 as Hawks recorded their biggest win of the season against a team who had been third at the start the day.

Victory took the Hawks three points clear at the top but Warrington Wolves have two games in hand.

Delighted coach Donna Hankinson said: "The last 20 minutes of the first half against the Eagles was the best we have played all season.

"We seem to be growing in confidence and in attack we are taking men's handball on to another level."

The Hawks are in action at Oldham Leisure Centre on Sunday, February 26 with a men and women double-header against Cambridge.

Scorers: Hawks 37, Brighton 26 - Braithwaite (12), Morley (9), Jonathan Haworth (5), Ryan Goodwin and Matthew Barnes (3 each), Charlie Fletcher and Ed Page (2 each), Tyler Lowe (1).

Hawks 42, West London Eagles 29 - Morley (17), Haworth, Page and Whaley (5 each), Goodwin (4), Braithwaite (3), Jack Berry (2), Fletcher (1)

Hawks 29, West London Eagles 26 - Lam-Moores (9), Barnes and Whitehead (5 each), Emily Maddison (4), Ajhalia IBanga and Eliza Morgan (2 each), Ruth Anderson and Nicola Quick (1 each).

Under-18s - Hawks 37, Ealing 18 - Morley (11), Josh McDaid (6), Jack Berry and Tyler Lowe (5 each), Charlie Fletcher and Harry Thorpe (4), Talson Borges and Harry Phillips (1 each).