Henley shine at National Championships

THE start of the men’s winter championships marked a defining weekend for Henley Hawks Men, who travelled to Bristol to compete against some of the best teams in the country.

With 15 teams from across the UK taking part, many of them long-established, top-ranked sides and regular table-toppers, the Hawks finished in a respectable seventh place overall.

A key feature of the Hawks campaign was the integration of players from Henley Hawks and Falcons Netball Club. The partnership began last season, when players from both clubs competed together at the men’s nationals in August, establishing the foundations for the combined squad.

Following that experience, joint training sessions resumed in November, enabling the group to build on earlier progress. As preparations continued, new players joined the squad and were successfully integrated, adding depth and balance ahead of the championships.

In their first match of the competition, Henley Hawks went down to a 38-2 defeat against reigning winter cup champions Knights Swords.

In their next match the Hawks saw off MK Dons 21-9 with a commanding performance, showing sharper connections and disciplined defence as confidence starting to flow through the side.

Momentum continued with another strong performance in their next fixture as the Hawks saw off Mercenaries 21-13.

A closely fought contest then saw the Hawks narrowly edged out 19-14 against Norfolk United.

Despite the result, the performance showed resilience, composure, and the ability to push a very experienced side right to the final whistle.

The following match saw the Hawks put in one of the standout performances of the weekend as they defeated Dynamite/ Kraken 18-11.

Hawks final match of the competition saw them go down 18-10 against a strong Northern Titans side.