Ruislip Eagles captain Hannes Mazur has said he is proud of his team despite their title challenge fading away in the final few weeks of the season.
Eagles beat Manchester HC 32-23 in their final match of the season but although it was their 10th victory in 14 league games, they ended up finishing third in the Super 8 table.
It was a season of what might have been for Ruislip as they were beaten in the semi-finals of the EHA Cup by Super 8 champions Warrington Wolves.
But they finished the campaign on a high note as, despite a long list of injured and unavailable players, they still managed to sweep aside Manchester and qualify for the European Challenge Cup next season.
Eagles were struggling before the match even got underway as congestion on the roads led to a reduced warm-up and delayed start.
Their rustiness showed as they only scored twice in the first 10 minutes, and although they improved as the half wore on, Manchester still led at the break 10-9.
A switch to a more aggressive style of play was the spark needed for a vastly superior display in the second period.
Inspired by Great Britain Under-19s captain Josh Da Silva – who scored seven of his 10 goals in the second half – the team quickly pulled away to lead 17-11.
The Eagles dominated and even with the injury to playmaker Marek Urban, replaced on court by sub goalkeeper Alex Pechlivanis, Manchester couldn’t stop Ruislip running out clear winners.
Mazur said: “We can proudly look back on a great season. We are qualified once again for the European Challenge Cup.
“This will allow the club to keep growing and give an opportunity to the team to compete against high standard European teams.”
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This post was last modified on 06/05/2015