WINDHOEK – Last weekend’s DTS/Interpack Beach Volleyball tourney proved a huge success with a total of 22 teams taking part at the DTS Sportsgrounds in the capital.
The teams consisted of 8 men, 7 ladies, 4 mixed 4-a-side teams and 3 youth teams competing in the 2-a-side social division. The one-day tourney was played under excellent weather conditions and attracted a decent turnout with N$5000 in prize money at stake that saw the teams fighting hard to reach the podium. In the 4-a-side category, a total of 12 matches were played on the grass courts with Scoops winning all their games to walk away with the first prize, while Farmers Attack finished in 2nd spot with Fx Fitness adrift in 3rd place.
The three entrants in the 2-a-side youth/social category played 6 matches – leaving the combination of Absai Simon and John Anderson to emerge victorious ahead of Mandy Hugo and Chevonne Everson. Third place went to the youthful side of debutants Niklas Gerber and Valentin Schindler. The Ladies category saw the number one seeded team of Anita Kinder and Simone von Wietersheim fight their way to the semifinal to square off against the combination of Teja Lück and Karin Curschmann. The former triumphed to set up a thrilling final showdown with newcomers Wiebke Höritzauer and Birte Fahrbach who had earlier seen off the junior national team of Kim Seebach and Stephanie Palmhert in a closely contested encounter. Kinder and Von Wietersheim dominated proceedings and deservedly won the championship, leaving the pair of Seebach and Palmhert to pick up the pieces for 3rd place having dispatched Lück and Curschmann in 3 sets.
A total of 8 men’s teams battled it out in a highly competitive field of young and old players. Second seeds junior national team Jan Eric Sack and Roman von Ludwiger reached the semifinals with a win against the senior team of James Verrinder and Dirk Stein. Their next stop was a tie against the combination of Michael Sickel and Andreas Ewald, the qualifiers from the losers round. However, Sack and Von Ludwiger showed that their international experience gained this year was worthwhile, winning the match to qualify for the final where they came up against the number one seeded combination of Achim Lück and Peter Brinkmann.
In an action packed final, Lück and Brinkmann won the first set 22-20, but their opponents came back strongly in the 2nd set, winning 21-11, but going onto the decisive 3rd set veterans Lück and Brinkmann relied on their vast experience to claim a 15-12 lead to claim their first title this year. Heiko Prior and Arno Pack had to be satisfied with 3rd place at the expense of Sickel and Ewald in the playoff match for 3rd place. The next tourney takes place at the DTS fields in Windhoek on the 12th of next month.
By Staff Reporter