New Zealand Qualifies For World Championships

The Oceania qualifiers for the 2022 Beach Handball World Championships concluded 21-22 April 2022 between Australia and New Zealand in Coolangatta Beach, Gold Coast. The games were tight with both the Mens and Womens games requiring the third game for a result.

The New Zealand Women went down to Australia; losing by a shootout on game 1, winning game 2 and losing game 3.

Match 1 Australia v New Zealand. 2:1 (26:16) (12:15) [10 : 2 SO]

Match 2 Australia v New Zealand 0:2 (9:10) (10:11)

Match 3 Australia v New Zealand 2:0 (14:6) (20:8)

The New Zealand Men had the opposite result; winning by a shootout on game 1, losing game 2 and winning game 3 by shootout.

Match 1 Australia v New Zealand. 1:2 (18:20) (22:14) [6 : 7 SO]

Match 2 Australia v New Zealand. 2:0 (20:8) (16:10)

Match 3 Australia v New Zealand. 1:2 (14:15) (16:10) [8:9 SO]

The win means the New Zealand Mens Team qualifies for the 2022 Beach Handball World Championships in Heraklion, Greece in June and the World Games in Birmingham USA, July.

This is the first time New Zealand has qualified as of right to represent Oceania at the World Championships. They competed in the previous edition in 2018 when they were handed a wild card.

To finance their trip to the World Championship and World Games, the team has set up a givealittle page - https://givealittle.co.nz/cause/nz-mens-beach-handball-world-champs-and-games.

Womens Team

Francesca Graham (London)

Erin Roxburgh-Makea (Wellington)

Rowan Moloughney(Auckland)

Kate Denys (Canterbury)

Jordan Thorstensen (Wellington)

Annalise Wilson (Otago)

Kianna Dawson (Wellington)

Cassandra Dawson (Otago)

Kristina Hames (Otago)

Tahndae Wyatt (Wellington)

Reserves

Chantelle Murrell (Otago)

Maddy Hazleton (Wellington)

Laura Macready (Wellington)

“Watching both squads achieve historic results was a pleasure. It is a well deserved reward for the commitment and mahi the squads have put in over the last two years in the high performance programme. The future is bright considering that both squads being flush with players who have come through our youth development pathways." - Willy Silcock, NZHF Beach Handball Director

Mens Team

Gus Hamilton (Otago)

Paul Ireland (Wellington)

Olly Donaldson (Otago)

James Cochrane (Wellington)

Alex Brown (Canterbury)

Thomas Roxburgh (Wellington)

Pete Ellis (Canterbury)

Phil Ellis (Canterbury)

Cameron Ross (Wellington)

Max Brookes (Sydney)

Reserve

Tim Banks (Wellington)

© Scoop Media