Cohen wins Bank Windhoek Fistball National Cup tourney

The National Cup takes place after the Bank Windhoek Fistball League and is the final event in the Namibia Fistball Association's season calendar. 

The National Cup tournament, which was divided in two groups, saw seven participating teams compete for the top honours. CFC 1 defended the title in the Category A, while Swakopmund Fistball (SFC) emerged as winners of Category B.

The fixtures kicked off with games between CFC 1, SFC 1 and Sport Klub Windhoek 2 (SKW 2) who made up Category A. As expected, CFC 1 easily swept away its opponents during the group fixtures. SKW 2 finished second in the group, which allowed the team to book a spot in the Category A semi-finals.

Category B saw SKW 1, SFC 2, CFC 2 and 3 compete for bragging rights in this group. SKW 1 secured the first place while CFC 2 defeated their club mates CFC 3 and SFC 2. SFC 2 also got beaten by CFC 3 and had to be satisfied with a fourth spot at the end of the group stages.

SFC 1, CFC 3 and SFC 2 was thus relegated to Category B and played in a round robin mode to determine the winner. “Things got exciting in the match between CFC 3 and SFC 1, which ended in a 28:28 draw. Because SFC 1 won with more ball points against SFC 2, the fistballers from the coast were crowned the Category B national champions," said Fistball Association of Namibia's Media Officer, Helmo Minz.

CFC's first and second teams met in the Category A semi-final, of which the CFC 1 won confidently. The record champion SKW 1, marginally won against its second team, SKW 2, who also put up a fight in the second semi-finals. CFC 3 won the third and fourth placement match against SKW 2 in the Category A.

Arch rivals CFC 1 and SKW 1 faced each other in the final match day after the conclusion of the group fixtures. CFC 1 started off stronger and won the first set 11:5. As the match progressed, SKW 1 responded stronger and took advantage of CFC 1's service errors. As a result, SKW 1 finished as winners of the second set with an 8:11 score.

Filled with confidence, SKW started off stronger in the third set and led 0:5 before CFC 1 register a point in the set. However, CFC 1 fought back and finally won the set with 15:13. In the last set, CFC 1 moved into a faster mode of play and left nothing to chance. CFC 1 won the encounter 11:7 and thus the game and the Bank Windhoek Fistball National Cup. “This marks the end of a perfect season for the CFC, who have been dominant throughout the 2019 Bank Windhoek Fistball National League," said Minz.

CFC 1's Wilko Hoffmann walked away as the Player of The Day winner, while SKW 2's Robert Caspary, won the Most Valuable Player award. CFC 1's defender Thilo Wilckens, was awarded with the Player of the Year trophy.

“Bank Windhoek congratulates the Namibian Fistball Association on another successful year of organising this year's league and national cup. We are proud of our longstanding partnership to promote this and other smaller sporting codes in Namibia and give them a platform to take their sports to greater heights. Bank Windhoek looks forward to journeying with the association and players in 2020," Bank Windhoek's Public Relations Manager, André le Roux

“To our main sponsor, Bank Windhoek, thank you for the support throughout the season. The clubs, players and the Association, highly appreciates your contribution to making this league a success," concluded Minz.  

The Bank Windhoek Fistball National League will resume on Saturday, 8 February 2020 with the Bank Windhoek Opening Tournament in Swakopmund.