Windhoek – The first ever Bank Windhoek Junior Masters Cup hosted in Windhoek last weekend proved a hugely successful gathering with large crowds converging at the two tables at Maerua Mall.
The Masters Cup was hosted by Maerua Mall and presented by Proactive Sports Marketing and Management.
Eight of the country’s finest junior boys and five of Namibia’s best junior girls were invited to participate in what the organisers hope would become an annual event.
The first games kicked off on Friday evening, continuing the next morning, with the remaining participants from the previous night grilling each other in hard-fought matches with some almost reaching too close to call which kept the spectators in awe.
As the tourney progressed, it became apparent that the pair of Yannick Bohn and Dietrich Möwes were to fight out the overall win in the boys’ category among themselves. The pair eventually set up a date in the final match of the day and what ensued turned out to be a memorable game presenting the perfect ending to a great event.
Möwes had been the more consistent player, losing only a few sets throughout.
Bohn had been almost equally successful, but more lost sets meant the youngster from Windhoek had to win the last match in straight sets to take the win.
And what seemed nearly impossible almost became reality. Bohn started aggressively, taking the game to his opponent, as the top seeded Möwes could not find an answer to the attacks, losing the first set.
Things didn’t look much better for Möwes in the 2nd set as Bohn kept up the pressure to claim victory, leaving the 3rd and final set to settle it for good.
However, with nerves of steel, Möwes managed to turn things around in dramatic fashion and just edged past his rival to win the tourney and be crowned the Junior Masters Cup Champion by the closets of margins.
The end to the junior’s women’s final was almost as dramatic. Reese Saunderson and Kaitlyn Beukes faced off in their last games with both having won all their matches building up to the tournament finale.
But here Saunderson wasn’t going to let slip. The number one seed collected point after point. Later she lifted the winning cup into the air having beaten her arch rival 3:0.
“Judging by the positive experiences and the excellent feedback we received after this event, we look forward to make this an annual event and also host various other sports events at Maerua Mall,” Proactive’s Managing Director Heiko Diehl said.
Results overview:
Boys:
1. Dietrich Möwes
2. Yannick Bohn
3. Kean Tait
Girls:
1. Reese Sauderson
2. Kaitlyn Beukes
3. Raica Coelho
All participants:
Boys: Girls:
Yannick Bohn Reese Sauderson
Dietrich Möwes Kaitlyn Beukes
Delton Dreyer Cecile Voigts
Kean Tait Raica Coelho
Ewan Orlam Tayla-Reese Tait
Raimo Dengeinge
Zwandile Kooper
Fortune Hashoongo