Shropshire Handball girls are top three in the country

The county side, who were formed in the summer following beginners trials in June, made it through Midlands qualification to attend the showpiece event in Stoke Mandeville.

Coaches Ilona Loewnau, Roza Jozefowicz and Marek Porebny are the driving force behind the sport in Shropshire and watched as the girls claimed third place against far more experienced counties such as Greater Manchester, Essex, Sussex and Devon.

Squads of 16 boys and 16 girls took to the Midlands qualifiers at Aldersley Leisure Village in Wolverhampton and while the girls sailed through to the nationals, the boys suffered an agonising one-goal defeat to Nottinghamshire.

Loewnau, who is trying to raise the popularity of the Olympic sport in the region, described her pride at the sides' achievements following just a few months of coaching.

In total, eight members of her Shropshire Handball Foundry set up – Ralph Davies, Toby Jones, Jacob Sheffield, Jaymie Kerr, Jodi Bletcher, Ellise France, Becky Tichford and Taisha Dawson – have gone on to receive regional recognition by representing the West Midlands Academy side.

"At times nerves took the better of us, however the girls have shown tremendous potential and solidarity as a team on the pitch," said Loewnau.

"After only six months of training, having never played or heard of handball before, the girls took third in the country. I'm absolutely over the moon with the result.

"It was the biggest tournament the girls have ever participated in. They played six tough matches on the day, taking on four regional winners. But we had parents supporting and cheering us on and that was fantastic to watch and experience.

"I'm chuffed with how things are going in Shropshire. Since I established the Foundry we have actively been raising participation and awareness of handball among schools and in the community. The kids love the sport!"

Shropshire's academy set-up will be keen to recreate their success in 2017 when they get the year under way with a regional tournament in January back at Stoke Mandeville.

Loewnau, who arrived in the UK from Poland in 2005 and recently moved from Manchester, hopes that the competition will act as an opportunity for her young stars to catch the attention of national selectors and earn a call to the national academy squad.

Overseeing one of the nation's minor sports is not easy and the coach said promoting handball in the hope of receiving more funding is also an objective.

"These players will have the potential to become high-level players in the future," she added. "But unfortunately, handball does not get any funds like other sports such as athletics or swimming. We need funding from both government bodies and external sources to keep handball going.

"It's important for grassroots sports clubs to give the next generation of elite level athletes the best chance to succeed and to ensure home-grown talent rises through the handballing ranks. We can only do it with with adequate financial support."

If individuals or businesses are interested in sponsoring Shropshire's county outfit, they should contact Loewnau on 07783 880293 or via email: shropshirehandballfoundry@gmail.com.

Any boys or girls wishing to get involved in the sport can visit the Facebook page 'ShropshireHandballFoundry' where details ares available about clubs in Bridgnorth and Shrewsbury.