The first round of the EuroHockey League was announced today. The first round matches consist of eight pools of three, with one club being eliminated from each pool to decide who goes through to round two. The matches will be played at two venues, the first of which will be Amsterdam. The second venue is still to be arranged.
English club, Cannock, have been drawn in Pool D and will play the strong Dutch side, Bloemendaal, and the Russian Champions, Dinamo Kazan. They will play in Amsterdam over the weekend of 24-26 October. The remaining British clubs will play the following weekend. Reading find themselves in Pool E with HC Rotterdam and Scottish outfit, Western Wildcats. Pool F also contains two British clubs, with East Grinstead and Azzurri Kelbourne sharing the pool with Belgian side Waterloo Ducks.
The draw in full:
Pool A: Club an de Alster (Germany), Club Egara (Spain), Pocztowiec Poznan (Poland).
Pool B: St Germain (France), Dusseldorfer (Germany), HC Bra (Italy).
Pool C: Grunwald Poznan, Amsterdam (Netherlands), Olimpia Kolos Sekvoia (Ukraine).
Pool D: Bloemendaal (Netherlands), Cannock (England), Dinamo Kazan (Russia).
Pools A-D to be played in Amsterdam during 24-26 October 2008.
Pool E: Reading (England), Rotterdam (Netherlands), Western Wildcats (Scotland).
Pool F: Azzurri Kelbourne (Scotland), East Grinstead (England), Waterloo Ducks (Belgium).
Pool G: RC de Polo de Barcelona (Spain, Hamburg (Germany), Lille (France).
Pool H: Leuven (Belgium), Atletic Terrassa (Spain), Three Rock Rovers (Ireland).
Pools E-f to be played at a venue to be arranged during 31 October - 2 November 2008.
