Hockey: Becker seals top spot: Bronze for Ipswich as Hounslow falter

UHLENHORST, from Mulheim, Germany,won their seventh successive European Club Championship here yesterday when they beat the host club 2-0 in a cracking final. In a goalless women's final HGC, the Dutch club from Wassenaar, beat the defending champions from Germany, Russelsheim 4-3 in a penalty stroke shoot-out. The women's bronze medal went to Ipswich.

The men's final swung from end to end for 62 minutes before Patrick Bellenbaum deflected Sven Meinhardt's cross into the roof of the net. The game was put beyond doubt when Andreas Becker finally beat the Dutch goalkeeper Erik De Rooij from Uhlenhorst's ninth penalty corner.

Sandie Lister, with a rare goal for Ipswich, scored after 18 minutes to give the Suffolk side a 1-0 victory against Glasgow Western for bronze. After Debbie Rawlinson had sent Lister away for the Ipswich goal it was a backs-to-the- wall fight, particularly when, with Vickey Dixon struggling with a back injury, they were reduced to nine players following temporary suspensions to Annette Strange and Lucy Youngs. But with Nikki Osborne in fine form in goal, they held out.

Hounslow, after a bright opening spell against Durkheim, the German club, in their bronze medal game, wasted two early penalty corner opportunities and went on to lose 2-1. It was a disappointing end to their sixth successive year in European competition.

The Germans, with goals from Thorsten Bockler after 24 minutes and Christian Mayerhofer seven minutes from time, were drifting to a comfortable win when, with four minutes remaining, David Knapp slipped the ball home after the German goalkeeper had only half-blocked David Hacker's shot.

Results, Sporting Digest, page 35