Bad Bramstedt/Neumünster. The line-up was a cause for concern, but SG Gifhorn/Nienburg did not come away empty-handed at the end of the year in the badminton regional league. A wafer-thin 5:3 win at SG Hammer/Altenholz/Molfsee was followed by an equally wafer-thin 3:5 at Blau-Weiß Wittorf-Neumünster II. One player in particular made SG coach Hans Werner Niesner really happy.
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Praise for the “young woodpecker”
Leonie Wronna is currently playing for the German U19s in Ibiza, Rachel Andrew was not allowed to play in Germany by her Scottish doctors at the weekend due to an injury, Patrick Thöne was unable to play. But Gifhorn/Nienburg defied the resistance, and SG coach Niesner was particularly enthusiastic about the away Saturday – especially one player. Matteo Schinzel has long been more than just a substitute. “He is now in a position to win a doubles and singles in the regional league. That’s okay for such a young woodpecker!” praised Niesner.
Fearful looks towards Glasgow
Schinzel won the doubles alongside Callum Smith, who was eliminated from the Scottish Open in time on Friday. “We had planned firmly with Callum and watched the tournament in Glasgow on Friday with trepidation,” reveals Niesner. Gifhorn’s number 1 was a guarantee of success in Bad Bramstedt and also won his singles in three sets. The Austrian Martina Nöst also prevailed in the deciding round. “She has finally won another hairy match,” said the SG coach happily for his player. Since Holger Herbst also won his singles easily, Gifhorn celebrated a 5:3.
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The next day there was a mirror image with slight but crucial errors. Again, four of eight matches went into the deciding set. While SG Gifhorn won three of them on Saturday and triumphed, things went exactly the other way around in Neumünster.
On Sunday only Herbst won a three-set win (22:20), Schinzel and Smith together in doubles and in their singles failed to reach the finish line in any of the marathon matches. For the Scot, these were the first defeats on the court of this regional league season. In the end, the smooth victories of Nöst and the mixed team with the helpers Karen Radke/Max Layera were cosmetic results at 3:5.
The bottom line is that the goal for the weekend was achieved, Gifhorn/Nienburg finished the first half of the season with 6:8 points and five points ahead of the relegation places – and can go into the winter break with peace of mind.
AZ/WAZ
