– What happened? –
At round six of the 2018 UCI Cycle-ball World Cup in Sangerhausen (Germany), four-time UCI World Champions and reigning European Champions Patrick Schnetzer and Markus Bröll (Höchst I) continued their flawless season by picking up their third win at their third tournament of the season.
Their opponents in the final were German Champions Obernfeld with their new line-up of André and Raphael Kopp. It was an open contest in which the Austrians’ early opener was immediately cancelled out by an equaliser from Obernfeld. Schnetzer and Bröll eventually fought their way to a 4-2 victory.
Schnetzer was the tournament’s top scorer with 24 goals, just ahead of Bröll (22).
Schnetzer and Bröll had eased their way through the preliminary round, scoring 33 goals while conceding just five. In Group II, Obernfeld dropped points to SC Svitavka in a 3-3 draw, and while Höchst beat the same opponents 8-3 in the semi-finals, Obernfeld faced a stern challenge from compatriots and eventual third-place finishers Waldrem before emerging with a 4-3 win.
Local heroes Eric Haedicke and Max Rückschloß (Sangerhausen) put in a respectable display for their World Cup debut, eventually finishing seventh.
Obernfeld’s second place in Sangerhausen moves them back into top spot in the overall UCI World Cup standings.
– What's next? –
The 2018 UCI Cycle-ball World Cup #7, in St. Gallen, Switzerland > 13 October
– Focus on St. Gallen (Mathias Klarer / Adrian Osterwalder) - SUI –
The Olma tournament in St Gallen, Switzerland, is the world’s oldest cycle-ball competition and will be held for the 72nd time in 2018. This city of 80,000 inhabitants first welcomed the UCI Cycle-ball World Cup in 2004 and has hosted a World Cup tournament every year since 2006. Local pair Matias Klarer and Adrian Osterwalder have plenty of experience and are currently one of the top teams in the Swiss second tier in their second season together. Klarer has already contested eight UCI World Cup tournaments at home, seven of them with Martin Kümin. After taking a short break he is now returning with Osterwalder for the second time after the pair finished ninth in 2017. Can they improve on St. Gallen’s previous best World Cup placing of eighth?