By Staff Reporter
WINDHOEK, March 15 — Cohen Fistball Club (CFC 1) retained its dominance of the Bank Windhoek Fistball League by winning the first round of games in the National A League. Sport Klub Windhoek (SKW 4) also enjoyed an unbeaten run in the National B League, thanks to home turf advantage.
The men’s national announcement was the highlight of the first league round. Michael Baas, Andreas Minz, and Christian Knobloch had to select the Namibian team from a squad of 16 men spread over two continents. Four players from CFC made it to the list to represent Namibia in Germany during the World Championships in Mannheim from July 22 to July 29, 2023.
The Namibian team includes Karl-Heinz Traut, Thilo Wilckens, Wilko Hoffmann, Helmo Minz, Rico Kühnle Kreitz, Olaf Beiter (SKW), Dieter Kebbel (SKW), Florian Mosich (TSV Unterpfaffenhofen Germering), Tristan Minz (TSV Unterpfaffenhofen Germering), and Gian Rudolph (MTV Vorsfelde). Torben Winterbach (SFC) is on call in case of an injury. Andreas Minz was appointed as head coach, while Christian Knobloch was appointed manager.
The event also included matches in the Under 14 and 18 leagues and a tournament for the Under 11. In the Under 18 League, SKW A won 2:0 against Swakopmund Fistball Club (SFC) A and SKW B to lead the table. SFC A and SKW B were placed behind them in the second and third positions, respectively. SKW C advanced as the tournament winner in the Under 14 category. All three teams were equal with four points, so the ball difference was decisive. SKW B and SKW A were second and third, respectively. In the Under 11 youth category, SKW A won ahead of SKW B with a better ball difference of five points because both encounters ended in a 1:1 draw.
In the National A League, CFC 1 won all three games against CFC 2, SKW 1, and SFC 1. CFC 1 only lost sets after captain Helmo Minz injured himself in the fourth. SKW 1 is currently second in the table with seven points. SKW 1 and SFC 1 played the most exciting game of the day, which ended 4:3. The match took a toll on the Swakopmund-based team, losing the game against CFC 2.
SKW 4 was the team to beat in the National B League. They won all five games and deservedly led the log with 15 points. CFC 3 was victorious against all opponents except SKW 4. SFC 3, SKW 2, and SFC 2 placed third to fifth. SKW 3 came last with one point bonus. York Ahrens from the SKW’s youth team was named the Young Player of the Day. The only 15-year-old Marko Russmann from SFC 1 was named Player of The Day among the seniors.
The next event on the fistball calendar is the international Cohen Tournament on April 1, 2023. Two German-based teams from TSV Unterpfaffenhofen Germering will compete, and Austrians Fabian Greifeneder, Elli Kalteis, and Johannes Junglclaussen will support SKW. Junglclaussen won the bronze medal at the German Indoor Championships with his team TV Vaihingen. – Namibia Daily News
