WINDHOEK – The Sport Klub Windhoek (SKW) fistball team officially announced its squad members to represent Imawida at the Fistball World Club Championships, also known as Weltcup, to be staged in Windhoek on October 11 with club champions from South America and Europe also to be in action.
Imawida’s player-coach Stefan Grögli can fall back on a squad that is a good mixture of experienced and young players, with the reliable Michael Baas once again leading the attack for the Germans. A veteran of 69 caps for the national senior team, Baas also boasts a remarkable record of seven appearances in the World Club Championships.
He will be ably assisted by the prowess of Rico Kühnle-Kreitz, who gave an impressive showing for the Namibian Under-18 team at the European Championship in Austria earlier this year.
Former SKW lanky striker Arend von Stryk, who exchanged soccer togs for fistball while still at the pinnacle of his football career, is likely to add steel to the attack while the trio of Sven Wiedenroth, Christoph Kubirske and Michael Zimny form the first choice defensive line-up. Also in the team is U18 national team player Marc-Andre Witte.
The hosts will face some tough opposition in the shape of defending champions Ginastica Novo Hamburgo, who will have fond memories of their last visit to Windhoek, when they won the Weltcup for the first time in 20 years in 2010. The Brazilian champions are scheduled to arrive with Cyril Schreiber, the impressive Swiss spiker, in their ranks.
Schreiber is highly regarded in global fistball circles and finished 2nd at the recent World Games in Columbia. The 2nd international participant is reigning European champions TSV Pfungstadt from Germany, who have dominated fistball in their native land over the past couple of seasons. This young team will be led by 21-year-old spiker Patrick Thomas, who has not only led his club to glory but also won the men’s world championship in 2011 with the German national team despite his relatively young age.
By Staff Reporter