Voice of Jewish Sport: Raiders masterclass leaves Hendon on ropes

LAST WEEK’S back page described the Cyril Anekstein Cup final as being the biggest sporting event of the weekend. Unfortunately for Hendon, the referee would have been forced to stop the match with barely half an hour on the clock had it have been a boxing fight such was Norstar’s dominance. They simply flew out the traps with a level of intensity Hendon have probably never experienced before, and were deservedly 3-0 up at the break. In fact, Hendon boss David Garbacz admitted as much saying: “I’ve never seen us so out-battled and out-fought as we were in the first half. Raiders boss Rob Richman knows when he’s on to a good thing, that being their 3-2 league win over Hendon six weeks ago which all but sealed the title. Using that performance as a blueprint for Sunday’s win, he said: “We spoke a lot about that. Our forwards that day really gave the Hendon defence a difficult morning and our aim was to try and replicate that; it was one of the main reasons we picked the exact same side.” Their season’s over and they have a brilliant double to show for their efforts. Hendon have a trip up north for the Peter Morrison Cup final, before the two resume their battle for League supremacy in September.

ONE OF the saddest emails to land in my inbox arrived last week containing news that Susan Halter had passed away, aged 87. Arriving in London as a 21-year-old Jewish refugee, she fled the Nazis one evening in 1944 when she was being marched towards Austria along with her family and friends. Escaping while forced to dig trenches along the way, she made her way to London and represented Hungary in the swimming event at the 1948 Olympic Games. She remained in the country before becoming a British citizen in 1950, the same year she married fellow survivor Roman Halter. While she didn’t compete in any further Olympics, she did continue to thrive in the pool. Part of the Masters circuit and competing in the 85-90 age group until a couple of months ago, she won medals in every event she took part in. A true hero, and inspiration to us all, she will be sorely missed.