In Slovakia, the men of ZV de Zaan held up well in Europe this weekend. In the group stage of the Challenger Cup they won all matches and thus easily qualified for the quarter-finals.
Things also went easily in Wijdewormer this weekend. The ladies and gentlemen of De Kraaien scored a total of sixteen goals. The men’s handball players of HV Zaanstreek have not yet found their way, losing again in Amsterdam. There was also rugby, badminton and more.
These are the sports results from last weekend.
Friday November 1
Water polo
The water polo men of ZV de Zaan won the national title and KNZB cup last season, which means they can now play in Europe in the Challenger Cup. The group matches of this European tournament were played this weekend in Novaky, Slovakia. There, the Zaandammers met three opponents in a group of four teams. The top two teams from each group qualified for the quarter-finals in January and February.
The opponents this weekend were: Hapoel Palram Zvulum from Israel, Zaibas from Spain and the Cypriot Apoel Nicosia. The first match was narrowly won.
| Competition | Rash | |
| The Challenger Cup man | ZV de Zaan – Hapoel Palram Zvulum | 8-7 |
Saturday November 2
Badminton
Swish is the only Zaanse badminton club that played with the first team this weekend. In Sports Center Mariahoeve in The Hague they lost to Drop Shot 2.
| Competition | Rash | |
| 2nd division division 3 | Drop Shot 2 – Swish | 6-2 |
Handball
Since this season, Saturday evening is often the time when the handball men of HV Zaanstreek come into action. They desperately need the points in the 2nd division, they have only won once so far. The team also fell just short in Amsterdam South.
| Competition | Rash | |
| Men’s room 2nd division | US – HV Zaanstreek | 35-31 |
Water polo
Only the ladies of ZV de Zaan played for the Eredivisie this weekend. It was a monster score against PSV. Furthermore, the men met Spanish team Zaibas in the second European match of the weekend. This second match was also won, meaning that De Zaan qualified for the quarter-finals of the European tournament.
| Competition | Rash | |
| The Challenger Cup man | EVK Zaibas – ZV de Zaan | 12-13 |
| Eredivisie ladies | ZV de Zaan – PSV | 22-3 |
Sunday November 3
Handball
The ladies of HV Zaanstreek have their first victory after three matches. There was a big win in Volendam.
| Competition | Rash | |
| 2nd class ladies room | Volendam 3 – HV Zaanstreek | 12-26 |
Hockey
Proud leader Kraaien ladies 1 played at home against number 5 Bleiswijk in round eight of the competition. That went easier than expected, the Zaanse ladies scored six goals.
The men also played at home. The occasional team also won big in the reserve competition. The loyal Kraaien audience was spoiled this Sunday afternoon.
| Competition | Rash | |
| Reserve comp. Gentlemen | Crows – AMVJ (10) | 10-0 |
| 4e klasse dames | Crows – Bleiswijk | 6-0 |
Rugby
In Almere, Zaandijk Rugby visited Bulldogs in the sixth round of the first phase of the competition. Both teams have won four games and lost one so far. The teams seemed evenly matched in advance, but the Zaankanters barely featured in the play and they lost.
| Competition | Rash | |
| 2nd class north (H) | RC Bulldogs – Zaandijk Rugby | 66-5 |
Water polo
The last Challenger Cup match in the group stage was early on Sunday morning. Opponent Apoel Nicosia from Cyprus was outplayed at 9:00 in the morning and the ZV de Zaan gentlemen remained undefeated in the Challenger Cup. Chris van den Dobbelsteen had a blast and became top scorer with six goals. The quarter-finals will be played from the end of January 2025.
| Competition | Rash | |
| The Challenger Cup man | ZV de Zaan – Apoel Nicosia | 21-2 |
By: Edwin Kleiss, Photo above: Crows hockey, earlier this year.
