14 Aug 2010 at 18:53 | Published by: Hans | Views: 10757 | News search

Reinhard Schuster, Austria and Antonella Flamini, Italy are the new Old-timers European Champions  (Photo by Jan Wolf 2010)

Antonella Flamini and Reinhard Schuster are the new Old-timers European Champions after today’s final match play in Cheb, Czech Republic.

These finals was probably the Ko-matchplay so-far in EMF and WMF history where the highest ranked after qualifications also did very well in the KO-play. In the men’s semifinals the total ranking sum was 2, 3, 4 and 8 = 17. Of course the nr 1 after qualification, Germanys Bernhard Kreutter, was missing, but so where a bit surprisingly all the other Germans men’s after the two first rounds. This is the second year in a row that no Germans men’s makes it into the quarterfinals individually.

Another quite amazing detail is the fact that all 4 quarterfinals was played as a match between two players from the same country. Two Austrians, two Czechs, two Swedes and two Italian meet.

In the ladies the category the four in the semifinals had the ranking sum of 1, 4, 6 and 10 making the sum 21. Two Germans and two Italians were facing each others in the Semifinals. The total sum of 17 and 21 making 38 means that this championship was the one containing the least KO surprises so-far.

Reinhard Schuster started his day by beating home player Zdeněk Andr in a match going all the way to the last lane and ending 4-3. After that he was knocking out two fellow Austrian Franz Reich and Peter Draxler before meeting another home player, 4th ranked Petr Vlcek. Reinhard didn’t give the home player much of a chance beating him by 6-1. In the final he meet the another great Minigolf legend Francesco Leuci of Italy.

Leuci with nickname Cecio started his day by beating the finish legend Marko Nuotio. Then he meets just as Schuster two fellow country men’s in a row, first Dieter Kaufmann and then Michele Graffeo. In the semifinal he meets the third ranked Swede Jan-Åke Persson. Leuci was the winner in a tight match by 6-4 and was facing Schuster for the final.

In the final Schuster won a really close match by 4-3 on the last lane. The Bronze match was won by the Swedish Jan-Åke Persson leaving the home nation without any individual medals.

In the ladies category the reigning Champion and top ranked German legend Gaby Rahmlow was hanging on a loose thread already in the first match winning only by 4-3 on the last lane against Austrian Johanna Knotzer. After that she knocked out last year’s bronze medalist Bernice Thors from Sweden. In the semifinal she had to meet her fellow countrymen and closer in the German Gold Team Alexandra Wirtz. Winning quite easy she was facing the Italian Antonella Flamini

Flamini started her day by winning against Swiss Lucia Schibli and Swedish Annelie Larsson in two relatively easy matches. In the Semifinals she got tougher meeting her Italian Team-mate Ornella Campora. After winning this match 5-3 she was up against the German reigning Champion for the final.

Even though Rahmlow was by sure the favorite in the finals it was the Italian that started best. The match was a close and tight match but in the end Flamini could secure the title by 5-4 on the last lane.

The Bronze match was had the same ending as the final where Italy was beating Germany for the Bronze. The Bronze landed around the neck of Ornella Campora.

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