TO the British public, the sport of handball departed as quickly as it arrived.

The game, fast and furious, was one of the stand-out sports of London 2012 - it came with a bang but went with barely a whimper.

Talk of building for the future, of legacies never really materialised as funding was cut and the Great Britain team disbanded with the closing ceremony to one of the greatest Olympic Games still fresh in the mind.

Edenfield’s Ciaran Williams was part of that journey; a journey that started as a five-year-old - watching his parents, Diane and Colin, both GB handball internationals - and ended with competing on the greatest stage of all.

But to end the way it did was a ‘bitter blow’ for him and his GB team-mates.

“We were left high and dry because we didn’t win a medal and didn’t show the potential to win a medal, with that all our elite funding was cut,” said the former Haslingden High School pupil. “This was a bitter blow and something, although justified by the powers that be, goes completely against the idea of inspiring our future champions.”

But Williams remains firmly involved in the sport. He lives, works and studies in Stavanger, Norway having moved there immediately after the Games with his Norwegian girlfriend.

He plays for Sandnes Handball Klubb, helping the team gain promotion to Division One but now concentrates on coaching and course work.

“I am studying a distance degree with the University of London in International Business,” added the 27-year-old. “I also work for an oil and gas company within logistics. Because of my studies, I don’t have the time to commit to playing and training but I am now coaching our Division Three side.

“I am really enjoying the new challenge and it looks as though we will be promoted this season.”

Williams looks back at London 2012 with fondness and regret - but either way, they are memories that will live with him forever.

“Competing in the Olympic Games was obviously the pinnacle of my career,” added Williams. “I had played in front of bigger crowds, for example, I played in front of 8,000 in the Bundesligia. But having 5,000 Brits cheering you on in the Copper Box tops that any day.”

But there were disappointments, both personal and as a team.

“We were gutted not to win the game against Argentina. That was the main goal of the Games for us, and on the day we underperformed and came up short. But that is sport. Also, I gave up the captaincy to concentrate on getting fit and ensuring being selected, again in hindsight, I should have believed in my own ability more, been stronger and stayed in the role.”

As an avid Manchester United fan, meeting Ryan Giggs, who captained the GB football team, was also a standout moment - but not as good as having family and friends around him when he finally achieved his dream.

“Meeting Giggsy was a great experience but the highlight was playing in front of my family, girlfriend, and friends,” he said.

“People who had supported me through the whole six year journey were there to share those special moments and that meant everything to me.”

Williams has enjoyed his first foray in to coaching and would love to be involved in the national coaching set-up sometime in the future.

“My immediate plans are to get my team promoted to the Second Divison here in Norway,” he added.

“My long term aims are to become involved in the GB/England national team set up as a coach.”

While handball still remains a popular sport in this country, it is having to build from grassroots up once again and Williams, who also attended Stubbins Primary School, hopes lessons can be learnt from previous mistakes.

“Sport England have supported England handball and with that they are making fantastic progress in terms of school development, coach development, and the progression of the men’s and women’s leagues at home,” said Williams who also played for Haslingden Handball Club.

“There is a long-term plan in place and they are building from the bottom up. If there are strong foundations, then the rest can be done over time. If there are weak foundations then we end up in the position we were with our men’s team.”

That said, Williams fears British handball is unlikely to compete at Olympic level again in the near future.

“To be completely honest those chances are not very good,” he said. “This is down to the time it takes to develop our nine and 10-years-old, to professional adults.

“There is no funding at senior level for elite teams right now, so unless this changes, the teams won’t be supported until they can prove they are medal contenders, and this will take at least 10 years.

“However, it is not an impossibility, and I hope I can be a part of the process at some point.”