Young and old 'Detonators' come to Gran Canaria

It might be mid-autumn already but the European beach handball season is not over yet. From 3 to 6 November the best club teams, among them a vast majority of national champions, will gather on the island of Gran Canaria to show off their skills at the EHF Beach Handball Champions Cup (all matches will be streamed live on www.youtube.com/ehfTV).

In Croatia, just like last year and the year before, multiple ebt Finals winners Detono Zagreb topped the podium and became national beach handball champions.

Detono Zagreb are one of the most successful beach handball clubs in Europe and the most successful in Croatia where they are nine-time national champions nine times.

They have won almost everything there is, but not the Champions Cup.

In the Cup's first edition in 2014, Detono finished as runner-ups, losing to Russian side Ekaterinodar in the gold medal match. In 2015 the 'Detonators' came fourth, losing already the semi-final to Ekaterinodar.

In the bronze medal match they were outclassed by BHT Auto Forum Petra Plock from Polands.

This year they hope for a better but to Gran Canaria with a really young team.

.@bhczagreb already on their way to @BHBGranCanaria have a safe trip! #crobeachhandball pic.twitter.com/9NpB2bICT2

— BeachHandballCroatia (@crobeach) October 30, 2016

Coach Mladen Paradžik picked ten players who will represent Zagreb at the Champions Cup.

Compared to last year, the most notable player missing is their star Ivan Jurić, who was voted best left wing at the World Beach Handball Championships in Budapest this year.

In a nutshell, Paradžik went for mix of young and old. The oldest player, 34-year-old Drago Fantić, is 15 years older than the youngest members, Ivan Dominik Hančić and Filip Goričanec.

Zagreb will play in Group B against BHT Auto Forum Plock from Poland, a team they know really well from many competitions including Champions Cup and the ebt Finals.

Their other opponents are the BC Sand Devils Minden e.V. from Germany, Pallamano Grosseto from Italy, V. Gaw from Portugal and the Swedish team Torslada HK. The first four teams of each group qualify for the quarter-finals.

Even though Detono will come to Gran Canaria with a changed team compared to the past, their desire to win is always present and they are likely to be a force to reckon with.

Detono Zagreb's squad for the EHF Beach Handball Champions Cup

Josip Matezović, Drago Fantić, Ivan Jugović, Igor Smolković, Frano Baković, Ivan Dominik Hančić, Filip Goričanec, Tibor Tkalčec, Jurica Šikoranja and Josip Leko