Archive - Aug 2009 - Story

The first long course gala of the 2009 swimming season, the Dillinger Cup produced some excellent results in Swakopmund over the weekend with several event records and Namibian records being established. Unfortunately the great performances were overshadowed by a sense of despondency as the Swakopmund Indoor Pool will soon be demolished to make way for a new hotel complex, thereby bringing to an end the rich history of the Dillinger Cup competition.

Namibian cyclist Erik Hoffmann gave himself a great 28th birthday present when he beat a field of top class competitors to win the Baden Wurtemberg Championships on August 22.

Competing against professional cyclists from amongst others the Swiss Team Neotel, KT Team Milram and the Bavarian Mapei Heizomat Team, Hoffmann gave a great performance to win the race ahead of Florian Forn and David Hesselbarth, both of Team Mapei Heizomat.

Otjiwarongo Municipality defeated Ondangwa Sport Centre 1-0 in the final of the NFA U16 Development Tournament at Gobabis to record their second title in the competition.

According to a press release by the NFA secretariat, the 2007 winners started their assault with a 3-0 drubbing of Kalkrand before succumbing to a 1-0 defeat to the 2008 winners Ongwediva.
Despite this defeat, Otjiwarongo emerged as Group C winners whenthey were awarded the points after their final group opponents Okahandja Town Council failed to turn up.

Tigers won the FNB Football Expo when they beat Eleven Arrows at the Sam Nujoma Stadium on Sunday. Arrows were reduced to 10 men midway through the first half when Bernadine Mbilizi was sent off for a foul, before Tangeni Shipahu scored the winner early in the second half. Arrows pushed hard in the final stages but Tigers’ defence stood firm as they held on for the victory.

Rehoboth qualified for the semifinals of the MTC Rugby Premier League in dramatic fashion on Saturday when they beat Wanderers 24-23 after an injury time winning try by replacement back Keagan Freygang. Wanderers seemed to be heading to victory with a 23-19 lead going into injury time, but with about four minutes of injury time played Freygang rounded off a backline move with a try in the corner and although he missed the conversion, it was enough to give Rehoboth victory and secure their place in the semifinals.

Eleven Arrows and Tigers progressed to the final of the FNB Football Expo after both recorded comprehensive victories against Oshakati City and Black Africa respectively. Fielding a new look side including Bernadine Mbilizi from Ranblers, Edward Asino from Hotspurs and Victor Helu from Civics, Arrows were in control for most of their match against Oshakati and took an early lead when Sheya Andimba intercepted a backpass to beat Ronny Smith from close range.

The Northern and Western Zones gave the Central zone a good run for their money in the first Interzone Artistic Gymnastics team competition organised and hosted by Excelsior Gymnastics Club on Thursday. Spectators were treated to some of the best quality gymnastics at junior level in Namibia.

In the Men's Artistic Level One competition the Northern Zone beat Central Zone with the slimmest of margins with a total team score of 142.20 points against the 142 of the Central Zone team.

The MTC Rugby Premier League reaches its climax this weekend when Wanderers take on Rehoboth at the Wanderers field on Saturday. A lot will be at stake, as the winning team will qualify for the semifinals while the losers will be eliminated from the knockout stages of the competition. United (53 points), Suburbs (43) and Kudus (40) have so far qualified for the semifinals of the Premier League and will be joined by the winner between Wanderers (38) and Rehoboth (37).

Brave Warriors defensive midfielder Oliver Risser has joined Norwegian Premier League club Lyn Oslo on loan from Norwegian third division club Manglerud Star.
Following some good performances for Manglerud Star, Risser sufficiently impressed Lyn Oslo who offered to take him on a loan contract. Lyn Oslo is one of Norway’s oldest football clubs, and former Brave Warriors defender Mohammed Ouseb also played for them during the 2003 season.

By Erwin Handura

Various Namibian Junior Hockey teams left for Harare, Zimbabwe on Wednesday to take part in the SADC Hockey Tournament scheduled for Saturday and Sunday between Zimbabwe, Botswana and Namibia.