London Angels in the Jane Sandanski Arena

A flight of angels from London will be entering the Sport Center Jane Sandanski Friday evening to play HC Vardar junior in the Women’s Challenge Cup.

If you look for British names in the team roster of the London Angels HC, you will be looking in vain, though.

Apart from one Romanian and one Slovakian player, all players in the squad are Hungarian.

The team are debutants on the European stage, while their Macedonian adversaries reached Round 3 of the EHF Cup last season.

The two teams meet Friday in the first leg of the double-header, which has its return game Saturday afternoon in the same venue.

The other double-header in the Challenge Cup this weekend is taking place in the SRC “Sumadija” in Serbian Arandjelovac.

IBV Vestmannaeyjar are flying down from Iceland to meet WHC Knjaz Milos Arandjelovac Saturday and Sunday evening.

Arandjelovac’s finest achievement in their long European history has been reaching the group matches of the Champions League in the 2005/06 season, while their Icelandic visitors played in Round 2 of the EHF Cup last season.

WHC Danilovgrad are back in the Challenge Cup, in which they reached Round 3 two years ago, while they made it to Round 2 of the Cup Winners’ Cup last season.

Late Sunday afternoon, the Montenegrin outfit welcomes European debutants ZRK Mlinotest Ajdovscina from Slovenia in the Police Academy Sport Hall of Danilovgrad for the first leg between the two teams.

The return takes place in Slovenia a week later.

Two debutants on the European stage meet on Saturday evening on the Sportska sala “Mladost” in Bitola, Macedonia.

ZRK Pelister 2012 hosts KHF Shqipona from Kosovo for the first leg of a tie, which will conclude next Saturday.

Three ties will be decided as double-headers next weekend.

A full overview of Round 3 can be found here.

Photo credit: Attila Kranyik