England’s Old Georgians stunned six-time champions HC Bloemendaal in a shoot-out in which James Mazarelo and Alan Forsyth produced star performances. Earlier, SV Kampong produced their best performance of the season to defeat Braxgata 5-0.
Kampong masterclass earns EHL FINAL8 spot
Three goals in a five-minute spell in the third quarter saw SV Kampong pull away from Braxgata and earn their ticket to the EHL FINALS next Easter.
They were calm and composed throughout the contest, their tight defensive formation allowing the Belgian side few openings and then they countered directly at speed.
The Utrecht club went in front from their first corner, Lars Balk slamming home the shot after two waves of attacks had been repelled.
Jens de Vuijst made it two in the 39th minute when he got a lovely touch to Rik Sprengers’ cross from the left after a lightning fast move.
Jip Janssen crashed in their second corner with a direct drag from the top and then Bram van Battum lifted the ball over Pirmin Blaak from close range for 4-0 in the blink of an eye.
That spell effectively killed off the contest and while Brax did win a stroke in Q4, that went incomplete, summing up their day. Duco Telgenkamp then added the fifth goal in the last five minutes to add an extra gloss to the scoreboard.
It means Kampong are the seventh side to join next Easter’s FINAL8 line-up with Brax settling for a ninth place ranking.
Mazarelo and Forsyth magic earns OGs spot at Easter festival
James Mazarelo and Old Georgians produced a stunning performance to eliminate six-time champions Bloemendaal in an epic shoot-out, completing the EHL FINAL8 line-up.
They led twice in normal time with Alan Forsyth scoring both before Bloemendaal also fought back, earning the 2-2 draw in normal time.
Old Georgians celebrate with their fans. Picture: Frank Uijlenbroek/World Sport Pics
But Mazarelo saved each effort from the Dutch side while Forsyth, James Albery and David Ames all smashed in early shots for a 3-1 shoot-out victory.
The first half bubbled up slowly with Bloemendaal building some momentum, forcing a big save from Albery off the line from a corner.
Albery’s deflected free then created the first goal just before half-time, Forsyth fishing the ball out of the sky and then slamming home from mid-circle.
The Dutch side were back on terms six minutes into the second half when Zach Wallace produced an amazing individual run to cut through and then flick in from a narrow angle.
But OGs were back ahead in jig-time, Forsyth again doing something special, catching a ball in from Liam Sanford and turning in one movement with the ball sling-shotting into the corner.
Lucas Veen equalised with four minutes left from a corner and they thought they had a winner in the last seconds when they forced the ball over the line from another corner.
It was pulled back, however, for a back-stick after a video review, sending the game to a shoot-out where the English side got their rewards.
Real Club de Polo and Banbridge earn ranking points
Real Club de Polo eased to victory in their Ranking Match as four first half goals set them up against Western Wildcats, earning Spain points for a 13th place finish overall. Marc Miralles opened the scoring with a drag-flick and Nicolas Alvarez touched in a great pass for 2-0.
Guillermo Fortuño extended the lead to three in spectacular style, flashing a reverse-stick shot into the roof of the net after a mazy run.Iain McFadden pulled one back with a powerful push after a slightly disorganised corner stop led to some clever improvisation.
Alexander Tinney celebrates a Banbridge goal. Picture: Frank Uijlenbroek/World Sport Pics
Alvarez got another with a beautiful behind-the-back touch to Iñaki Zaldua’s cross; Zaldua was credited with the next, his pull-back going in off a defensive foot. And that was how it remained through to the final whistle as Western battled hard but could not find a second goal to add to their total.
In the second Ranking Match, Banbridge rounded off the EHL Men KO16 weekend with a strong 4-1 win over HC Olten to ensure they landed a 13th place finish for Ireland for the second successive season.
The Irish side led from the second minute through Peter Brown’s penalty stroke and they looked good value for the win throughout.
Eddie Rowe doubled the led in the seventh minute with a neat touch after an upright backhand shot from his brother Charlie Rowe.
Johnny McKee made it 3-0 at half-time and then Louis Rowe finished off a great team move for the fourth. Olten got their first EHL goal in the closing minutes via Lukas Hengartner.
