Sport No need to sit on the sidelines There are many ways you can take part in sport and improve your fitness in Tower Hamlets. Our listings include everything from cricket to yoga and aerobics to taekwondo. see page 35 Tell the East End Do you have a sports club you would like to be included in our listings? If so email the details to... eastendlife.news@towerhamlets.gov.uk Silver lining for student Sanan Poplar trained fighter second in elite international karate competition Omer Kemaloglu, representing the UAE. He gave a magnificent performance, but was not quite sharp enough to take the gold medal against a rival who has been runner up in the last two European Championships, won the title in 2008 and also took a bronze at the 2009 World Games. Sana, a Tower Hamlets resident and reigning world Wado IKF champion, is a former world silver medallist and European bronze medallist. He is a member of the Azerbaijan karate squad, but also competes for England, representing the Veras Academy while studying in the country. For more about the club, visit www.verasacademy.co.uk UEL are leagues ahead A GOOD week for the University of East London yielded several league titles. The men’s football first team sealed their league title after they came from a goal down to beat London School of Economics at Memorial Park. After losing Nnamdi Egole-Harold to injury, they found themselves behind at half-time but equalised seconds after the restart through Jason Ngandu. Minutes later Stefan Neilson gave the hosts the lead with a great volley and the win was secured when Vendel Nunes sent Johan Caney-Brown clear to make it 3-1. The unbeaten record men’s volleyball 1sts and they finished the regular season with a convincing straight sets win against Brighton. The Sanan Aliyev team go into the BUCS Championship Cup in great form, having lost only one set in ten league games. Both hockey clubs also secured their respective league titles. The women’s team wrapped up theirs with a 4-2 win over Imperial College 4ths while the men matched that feat with a 4- 1 win against University College London 5ths. The women’s rugby team won their league with an impressive 52-17 win over the University of Essex. The men’s tennis team have all but wrapped up their title after a comprehensive clean sweep against Canterbury Christ Church 1sts. The netball 1sts and the men’s basketball 2nds also claimed notable victories BY PETER FAULKNER SANAN Aliyev is studying for a Masters degree in business, and he came within a whisker of proving himself to be a master at karate. Aliyev, 23, an elite international and member of the Veras Academy Karate Club in Poplar, Wapping cruise to the next level Hockey Wapping 5ths 4 – East London 4ths 0 THE stage was set. Wapping men’s fifth team were on the brink of promotion, but they knew East London’s fourth team would create problems. It was an early start at John Orwell Sports Centre and the conditions were awful for this clash that would determine the fate of a hard fought season for Wapping, even though they still had several games to play, or enable East London to get revenge and inflict a first defeat of the season on the Maroons. Wapping turned out a strong team and on 15 minutes they broke the deadlock. The ball was played into the D and after a small scrap at the spot a shot was fired off only for the keeper to save and somewhat unluckily for him, turn it into the back of his own net while searching for the ball. Wapping stepped up a gear and unmarked Ben Earnshaw made it 2-0. Five minutes before half-time a goal-bound shot from Graham Spiby was deflected off Ollie Perez to make it 3-0. East London had a handful of penalty corners in the second half and the better chances to score, but Wapping were resolute. Ten minutes from time competed in the third International Dubai Karate Open Championships in the United Arab Emirates and brought home a silver medal after five tough fights. In the first round of the 67kg category, Sanan had a bye then defeated a Russian, an Egyptian, Iranian and an Algerian on his way to another final where he faced tough Turkish international Graham Spiby fired home after a long corner. The win means Wapping Men’s fifths sealed promotion from East Division 5SE with five games to spare. Bishop’s Stortford Ladies 1st 1 – Wapping Ladies 1st 0 WAPPING dominated this East South 1 Division clash from the off and put the Stortford defence under pressure, but couldn’t take advantage. The second half began in much the same way, Wapping creating the better chances and the ball zipping past either side of the Stortford goal. Then with eight minutes to go, the home side won a penalty corner. A well-worked move saw them score from only their third strike of the game. Maldon 1sts 2 – East London 2nds 2 EAST London Men’s second team held the league leaders despite being short of players. A yellow card against Ali Bell for back stick left East London with ten men, which Maldon exploited to take a 1-0 interval lead. A rousing start to the second half saw East London level through Joe Nelmes before Maldon again went ahead. But East London fought back and a thumping strike by Mike Pettit made it all square. Football Cows knocked out of Capital Cup Tower Hamlets Women 1 – Denham Utd under-18s 2 SIX weeks after these two teams were first due to meet in this repeatedly-postponed Capital Cup quarter final match, Tower Hamlets’ hearts were broken at West Ham’s Memorial Park. With the pitch finally playable after weeks of dreadful weather, Tower Hamlets showed promise in the first five minutes but the well-organised Denham defence kept them at bay. Denham got their breakthrough midway through the first half, when one of their forwards hit an unstoppable effort into the top corner. The Cows approached the second half hopeful of capitalising on some decent possession, with the excellent Kate Warner influential in midfield. Denham, however, had the greater cutting edge and scored a second with only five minutes left on the clock. A late Cows’ goal from Natalie Keating was beautifully taken, but it was too little too late. The Cows can take heart from a solid performance in their first outing in 2014 where they displayed excellent fitness levels to match the Denham youngsters. £500 jackpot in soccer contest FOOTBALL teams in Tower Hamlets will be chasing a £500 prize next month if they can win a new seven-a-side competition. The event is being staged by Redcoat Football Club at Stepney Green Park on March 1 but, to be in with a chance of the £500 first prize, entries must be in by February 24. The tournament starts at 10am and there is an entry fee of £100 per team. As well as the cash prize there will be trophies for the winners and runners-up, and a prize for the top goal-scorer. The winning team gets free entry into the next event – for further details or to enter contact Suhail on 07411 113041 or Jahed on 07462 673820. 17 – 23 FEBRUARY 2014 N E W S F R O M TOWER HAMLETS COUNCIL AND YOUR COMMUNITY 35
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