This morning the day for English supporters started as it had finished the day before, with a lot of ‘ifs’.
If East Grinstead won their protest against the score in their match with Luzerner (which they did. It was declared a draw), and if Arminen beat Luzerner (which most people expected they would), and if East Grinstead beat Partille (they’re from Sweden – do they play hockey in Sweden?), then EG would retain their top tier status and return to make a challenge for the Championships with a full squad next year.
Then came the ‘buts’. Possibly motivated by losing the appeal yesterday, Luzerner beat Arminen in their last Pool C match to go second in the pool. Then to rub salt into the wound, the Swedes proved they that really can play indoor hockey. Despite two goals from ‘Grinstead’s Daniel Koschyk (2), Dave De Prez, and Andrew Piper, there was no stopping them, and the match ended with an eye-watering scoreline of 12-4 in Partille’s favour.
Some evidence of the desperation that crept into the match was the fact three of Partille’s goals were from strokes and two EG players were sent to the naughty seat, including goalie David Kettle. It was a sad day for English hockey, as East Grinstead were condemned to the Trophy tournament in 2013, due in part (but not entirely) to the absence of the GB players (with the exception of Glenn Kirkham).
The bronze medal match was won by Dinamo Elektrostal who beat Spain’s Club Egara 6-4. The final between the host club, Der Club an der Alster, was played out before a packed house, with the organisers being forced to close the hall to further admissions for safety reasons. The Germans, despite reaching the final, had looked a little less than champions in their pool matches, but they really turned on something special in the final, beating Dutch side HDM 7-3 to take the Championships.
Full results can be found on our main web site at www.TalkHockeyRadio.co.uk . Pictures are still being uploaded to our pictures site at www.HockeyImages.co.uk. There will be a feature on the tournament in the March edition of our on-line magazine HockeyTalk, available to download later this week.
European Indoor Clubs Championships – final placings:
1. Der Club an der Alster (Germany) CHAMPIONS!
2. HDM (The Netherlands)
3. Dinamo Elektrostal (Russia)
4. Club Egara (Spain)
5. Partille (Sweden)
6. Luzerner (Switerland)
7. SV Arminen (Austria)
8. East Grinstead (England)
