Staff Reporter
WINDHOEk – The 3rd round of the Bank Windhoek National Fistball League was played at Cohen Fistball Club (CFC) in Windhoek, last weekend, with hosts CFC 1, manufacturing a great performance that saw them recording their first win of the season, to leave them a mere adrift SKW at the summit.
Reigning champions Sport Klub Windhoek (SKW 1), kicked off the proceedings on a chilly morning, but despite the unfriendly weather conditions, Imawida won Group A to qualify for the semi-finals while Swakopmund Fistball Club (SFC) failed to replicate their performance of the previous round.
The coastal team could only record a set win against SKW 1 and lost to both CFC 2 and CFC 3 fielding strong teams in the shape of experienced internationals, CFC 2 and 3, battled it out in a tightly contested encounter.
The decider of the game came after three sets when CFC 2 narrowly won the match 2:1, their first win of the season. As a result, CFC progressed to the semi-finals.
Group B was completely dominated by CFC 1. The latter swept aside other teams to finish top of the group. SKW 2 beat CFC 4 and DTS 3:0 and 2:1 respectively.
SKW 2 took on CFC 1 without a defensive plan in the opening set but managed to rectify their sluggish start in the remaining two sets, but it was too late as Imawida second strings eventually lost 3:0.
The other match saw CFC 4 up against Deutscher Turn und Sportverein (DTS) whom they comfortably defeated.
The 3rd placed team in Group A, CFC 3, was pitted against the 4th placed team in Group B, DTS, in the first crossover. CFC 3 won this battle.
SFC registered their first win of the day outplaying CFC 4. In the final placement matches, SFC defeated CFC 3 to finish 5th while CFC 4 saw off DTS in the 7th and 8th placed match ties.
The two SKW teams squared up against each other in the first semis but it was SKW 1 that emerged victorious dispatching kid brother.
The other semis also saw two CFC teams fight it out for bragging rights with CFC 2 claiming the first set 15:14, but this was not enough as CFC 1 triumphed to book a place in the finals.
The match for 3rd place saw CFC 2 and SKW 2 up against each other and as the two old foes competed for supremacy, Imawida second strings took the lead. CFC 2 responded to level the score line but momentum shifted towards SKW 2 once more, who increased the lead to 2:1.
This meant SKW only needed to win another set to finish the game off. However, CFC 2 had other ideas and equalized again and in the end, SKW 2 picked up their game plan and defeated CFC 2 3:2.
Rivals SKW 1 and CFC 1 met in the finals and as the match kicked off, SKW 1 immediately started off on a fast pace.
CFC 1 on the other hand made numerous service errors and lost 9:2. CFC 1 later came back into the game, but it was too late as they lost the first set 11: 7. CFC 1 improved their game in the second set of which they won.
Towards the end of the match, CFC 1 refused to be dominated as they won the tightly contested third set.
The final score was 11:9 in favour of CFC 1 who secured their first and significant win of the season. Kirsten van Biljon from CFC 2 was voted Best Player of The Day for his exceptional match play.
Next up on the Fistball calendar is the Cohen Cup Tourney slated for Saturday, 7 July at the Cohen Fistball Club, south of Windhoek.