FINAL : Paderborn win a thriller !!!
Finals Day at Turnhalle in Krefeld as Worms and Paderborn went head to head for the title, their fifth final in six seasons and their twelfth overall since 2007.
It went the full distance, of course it did, with Paderborn going 2-0 up, Worms fighting back to earn two championship balls at 10-8 in the fifth in the final match, before Simon Rosner took the final four points to give Paderborn yet another title.
Read on for the details, and quotes from
Andreas Preising, Michael Mühlbacher and Peter Schmidl
B&W Worms 1-3 Paderborner SC
#4 : Jens Schoor 1-3 Tobias Weggen 9-11, 11-7, 12-14, 7-11 (57m)
#1 : Sebastien Bonmalais 1-3 Aly Abou Eleinen 4-11, 11-6, 5-11, 7-11 (55m)
#2 : Greg Lobban 3-0 Dimitri Steinmann 14-12, 11-2, 11-5 (52m)
#3 : Yannik Omlor 2-3 Simon Rosner 7-11, 9-11, 11-9, 11-4, 10-12 (93m)
Weggen puts Paderborn ahead
#4 : Jens Schoor 1-3 Tobias Weggen 9-11, 11-7, 12-14, 7-11 (57m)
Tobias Weggen put Paderborn one up as he beat Jens Schoor in the opening match of the final.
Weggen looked in control in the first but Schoor came out firing in the second to level.
The third was crucial as Schoor saved four game balls before earning one of his only, only for Weggen to regain the lead 14-12.
The aderborn player opened up to 10-6 in the fourth, taking the match on his second opportunity in just under the hour.
“That was a tough win for me. I tried to move Jens a lot and that worked out quite well. He’s technically very good with the racket!” commented Weggen.
Eleinen puts Paderborn two up
#1 : Sebastien Bonmalais 1-3 Aly Abou Eleinen 4-11, 11-6, 5-11, 7-11 (55m)
The top string match went Paderborn’s way as Aly Abou Eleinen got the better of Seb Bonmalais in four games.
The Egyptian was on top in the first, but admitted afterwards to a loss of concentration in the second as the Frenchman levelled.
Eleinen regrouped to regain the lead 11-5, and surged 10-4 ahead in the fourth and although three match balls were saved the end was inevitable.
“Today I was able to find a good mix between patient play and my own attack,” said Eleinen.
Lobban keeps Worms’ hopes alive
#2 : Greg Lobban 3-0 Dimitri Steinmann 14-12, 11-2, 11-5 (52m)
It was a must-win third match for Worms, and Greg Lobban duly delivered to keep the tie well and truly alive.
It was a tough, long first game in which Dimitri Steinmann had game balls at 10-8 and 11-10, but the Scotsman hung in to take the lead 14-12.
He was dominant thereafter, taking the second 11-2 and forging 10-3 ahead in the third before closing out the match-saving win.
“I’m always happy when I can contribute a win for my Worms team!” said Lobban.
Rosner wins thriller as Paderborn reclaim the title
#3 : Yannik Omlor 2-3 Simon Rosner 7-11, 9-11, 11-9, 11-4, 10-12 (93m)
What a finale that was !!
No messing around with dead rubbers, will they won’t they play, which is an unfortunate feature of four player team matches, the scenario was simple – whoever won would claim the title for their Team/Club.
Paderborn captain Simon Rosner looked to be on the way to a comfortable win as he went two games up. But at 37 years old, could the former world #3 keep it going ?
Yannik Omlor, a mere 27 years of age but looking younger, fought back from 2-6 and 6-9 down in the third to cut the deficit, then breezed through the fourth with Rosner looking tired … surely he would go on to win ?
The final game was tense, and point for point. More points were won through errors than winners, and the score reached 8-all without anyone threatening to open a gap. The Paderborn side of the gallery were chanting “Si-mon, Si-mon, Si-mon” when their captain won points. Towards the end the Worms section chimed in with “Yan-nik, Yan-nik, Yan-nik.”
From 8-8 Yannik earned himself two championship balls at 10-8. He tinned both of them.
Rosner earned himself a match ball … turned to say “Why” when Yannik asked for a let on the second shot of the rally. A small pause before the referee said “Kein Let” … cue bedlam.
“Even though I’m already in the winter of my career, I’m always there when Paderborn needs me!” said Rosner. “It’s been like that for many years. Of course, the day will come when my president says that someone younger should come in for me. But that day hasn’t come yet. I’m also trying to play for the German national team for as long as possible!”
Andreas Preising, Chairman of Paderborn Squash Club :
“We are very happy about our German men’s team championship title. The strenuous work we put in was ultimately rewarded. The balance of power rule does pose a challenge now and then. Our top player Aly Abou Eleinen put in a great performance today. Our Swiss players, along with all the other Germans, are now a permanent fixture.
Sportwerk Hamburg were very hard to beat in the semi-finals. Today’s final was of course very dramatic. Dimitri failed to seal the deal after we had led 6-2. With Simon, after losing the third set, I thought it would be very close today. But it was purely a display of willpower on his part. Yannik played very well, though. Perhaps it was also a little respect for the squash player Simon Rösner that meant Yannik didn’t win by a whisker in the end.
The duel against Worms was on equal terms. The last set was really pretty awesome. It went back and forth again and again. Becoming German champions with the closest of all results is something special.
We are now well prepared for the upcoming European Cup in Roehampton, England at the beginning of September, where we want to make it difficult for the hosts!”
Michael Mühlbacher, Turnhalle owner and event organiser :
“We had a very nice event with the final round in the Krefeld gymnasium. The final was incredibly exciting. I would like to thank my entire team for the great work they did. This year we hosted the final round for the second time in a row.
However, things were a little different this year – on the one hand, we unfortunately didn’t have our own team this year, which is a shame, but it was still a little more relaxed for me than last year! Otherwise, the final round was relatively relaxed. Probably because of the date clashing with the holidays, the number of spectators was not as high as last time, but overall, I am very satisfied.”
Peter Schmidl, DSL Chairman :
“First of all, congratulations to Paderborner SC for winning the 2024 German Men’s Team Championship. We were able to experience one of the most exciting finals of a final round in the history of the DSL here in the Krefeld gymnasium.
“I would like to thank Michael Mühlbacher on behalf of the tournament organization team here in Krefeld, my DSL team with co-chairman Johannes Wessela, Christian Wucherer for managing the games throughout the season and Lennard Jessen for the DSL media work.
Steve Cubbins and Christian Lortat provided great pictures here in Krefeld for three days – thank you very much for that too. A special thank you goes to Michael Zehe for his years of commitment to squash with the ROWE company.
I would also like to thank Dunlop and all other DSL partners.
After the final round, however, is before the final round: We are now pleased to announce that the next final round will take place in Saarland next year in 2025, more precisely in Saarbrücken! The exact date is still to be determined.”
