CFC retains tourney trophy while DTS makes history

Windhoek 11 Feb-Cohen Fistball Club (CFC) kicked off its 2020 Bank Windhoek Fistball League campaign on a high note over the weekend in Swakopmund. The team retained the Opening Tournament trophy after a gripping comeback at the hands of bitter rivals Sport Klub Windhoek (SKW) 1, who took the Category A final match to the wire.
Deutscher Turn und Sportverein (DTS) also put in high performances to win the Category B final for the first time.
Group stages and semi-finals
Only eight took part in the tournament: three from the hosts Swakopmund Fistball Club (SFC), four from CFC, and a team representing SKW.
In the group stages, CFC 1, SFC’s under 50, SFC 2, DTS, and CFC 3 faced each other in Group A. As the defending champions, CFC 1 managed to brush aside their competitors, won all its four fixtures, and finished top of the group. DTS ended second, followed by CFC’s third team, while SFC’s Over 50 finished bottom of the group after losing all its fixtures.
SKW 1 defeated CFC 2, SFC 1, and CFC 4 in Group B. Backed-up by home turf advantage, SFC 1 overcame the two teams from CFC and finished second in the group. CFC 2 and 4 ended third and fourth, respectively.
In the intermediate round, CFC 3 and SFC 1 fought to the better end for the fistball players from the coast, while DTS lost the halfway round encounter against CFC 2. As a result, CFC 3, and 4, DTS, and SFC 2 progressed to the Category B semi-finals, while CFC 2 met SKW 1. CFC 1 faced SFC 1 in the Category A semi-finals.
Later, DTS and CFC 3 moved into the Category B final. “It was an exciting final where neither team was able to break away. Ultimately, DTS asserted itself with a two-point lead and was eventually crowned the Category B winner for the first time,” said Fistball Association of Namibia’s Media Officer, Helmo Minz. CFC 4 prevailed against SFC 2 in the game for the third spot.
CFC 1 and SKW 1 beat their opponents and advanced to the Category A final. Surprisingly, SFC 1 defeated CFC 2 to secure third place in the Category A.
Finals
Bitter rivals SKW 1, and CFC 1 once again battled it out in the Category A final and exhibited high-class fistball. Neither team was able to break away in the first set. The youngster, Karl-Heinz Traut, who moved up to the CFC 1 team, scored with almost every service and kept his team motivated. But in the end, SKW 1 narrowly secured the first set with a tightly contested 15:14 win.
In the second set, SKW 1 was much more consistent and won it 11:7. SKW 1 still needed to win a game to walk away with the title, and it looked perfect after a 6:1 and 9:6 lead. However, the new signing of SKW 1, Kristof Lerch, was injured and had to be replaced. With this in mind, CFC 1 explored this weakness and won this set. Cohen 1 also won the fourth set with 12:10.
In the final set, it was again CFC 1 who was hungrier for victory and ultimately defended its title after a 3:2 win.
Karl-Heinz Traut from CFC 1, walked away with the Player of The Day Award after his outstanding performance. Next up on the fistball calendar is the first round of the Bank Windhoek National Fistball League scheduled to take place on Saturday, 18 April 2020, at Cohen Fistball Club Sports Grounds in Windhoek.