Inline hockey ends tops

THE Namibian Inline Hockey team ended the year on a high note with a historic victory at the seventh South American Championships held in Sao Paulo, Brazil recently.

The Namibians won the championships and also walked away with several awards which signified the progress that the game has made in the past few years. The finals matched undefeated Team Namibia against Brazil A, a team that was largely composed of veteran players who recently won the 2006 International Inline Hockey Federation World Championship in Passau, Germany.Once again, Team Namibia as in their preliminary matches at the event, proved to be good for the hosts, winning the final game of the championships with a convincing 5-1 score line.Namibia’s Basti Faber scored twice, while Phil Boudreault, Cello Baas and Arne Rodenwoldt each added goals for the win.Namibia’s dominant performance in the tournament was also reflected by three individual players receiving tournament awards.Cello Baas was acknowledged with the Most Assists Award; Erik Rodenwoldt received Best Goalie Award; and Phil Boudreault was recognised as the Top Scorer and Most Valuable Player for the Championships.Six teams participated in the tournament and Team Namibia, an invited guest, was the only non-South American team present.Team Namibia was headed by captain Timo Giersch, with the rest of the team being composed of Arne Rodenwoldt, Vincent van Biljon, Riyaan Ely, Marco Debortoli, Erik Rodenwoldt, Marcel Baas, Bastian Faber, and Phil Boudreault.The team was coached by the Namibian national coach, Nate Blair, and accompanied by team manager, Ulrike Rodenwoldt.MATCH BY MATCH There were two group at the championships and Namibia was in Group 1 alongside Brazil B, and Sao Paulo, while in Group 2 Brazil A competed against Minas Gerais and Argentina.During the preliminary rounds, each team in Group 1 played round-robin games against each team from Group 2.Team Namibia played its first game against Argentina, and swept the Argentines aside with a massive score of 14-3.The second match proved a bit difficult for the Africans, but they ultimately edged out Brazil A 3-2 in a hard-fought contest.Team Namibia moved through the preliminary round undefeated, soundly beating Brazil’s regional team, Minas Gerais, 11-2, in the third and final game of the preliminary round.Team Namibia’s first place finish in Group 1 earned it a favoured seeding in the semi-finals, pitting Team Namibia against the second placed team out of Group 1 which was Sao Paulo.Once again Team Namibia won the match convincingly with a 7-3 drubbing, thereby earning the right to play Brazil A for a second time.The final match produced a lot of drama which in the end saw Team Namibia walking away with the title.Meanwhile, Team Namibia, through the Namibia Inline Hockey Association (NIHA) thanked the Brazil Inline Hockey organisers, who they said were warm and exceptional hosts.They also thanked the Namibia Sports Commission (NSC) for funding a large share of the costs that allowed the team to participate at the championships for the first time.The Namibian team is expected back in Namibia today at 12h55.The finals matched undefeated Team Namibia against Brazil A, a team that was largely composed of veteran players who recently won the 2006 International Inline Hockey Federation World Championship in Passau, Germany.Once again, Team Namibia as in their preliminary matches at the event, proved to be good for the hosts, winning the final game of the championships with a convincing 5-1 score line.Namibia’s Basti Faber scored twice, while Phil Boudreault, Cello Baas and Arne Rodenwoldt each added goals for the win.Namibia’s dominant performance in the tournament was also reflected by three individual players receiving tournament awards.Cello Baas was acknowledged with the Most Assists Award; Erik Rodenwoldt received Best Goalie Award; and Phil Boudreault was recognised as the Top Scorer and Most Valuable Player for the Championships.Six teams participated in the tournament and Team Namibia, an invited guest, was the only non-South American team present.Team Namibia was headed by captain Timo Giersch, with the rest of the team being composed of Arne Rodenwoldt, Vincent van Biljon, Riyaan Ely, Marco Debortoli, Erik Rodenwoldt, Marcel Baas, Bastian Faber, and Phil Boudreault.The team was coached by the Namibian national coach, Nate Blair, and accompanied by team manager, Ulrike Rodenwoldt.MATCH BY MATCH There were two group at the championships and Namibia was in Group 1 alongside Brazil B, and Sao Paulo, while in Group 2 Brazil A competed against Minas Gerais and Argentina.During the preliminary rounds, each team in Group 1 played round-robin games against each team from Group 2.Team Namibia played its first game against Argentina, and swept the Argentines aside with a massive score of 14-3.The second match proved a bit difficult for the Africans, but they ultimately edged out Brazil A 3-2 in a hard-fought contest.Team Namibia moved through the preliminary round undefeated, soundly beating Brazil’s regional team, Minas Gerais, 11-2, in the third and final game of the preliminary round.Team Namibia’s first place finish in Group 1 earned it a favoured seeding in the semi-finals, pitting Team Namibia against the second placed team out of Group 1 which was Sao Paulo.Once again Team Namibia won the match convincingly with a 7-3 drubbing, thereby earning the right to play Brazil A for a second time.The final match produced a lot of drama which in the end saw Team Namibia walking away with the title.Meanwhile, Team Namibia, through the Namibia Inline Hockey Association (NIHA) thanked the Brazil Inline Hockey organisers, who they said were warm and exceptional hosts.They also thanked the Namibia Sports Commission (NSC) for funding a large share of the costs that allowed the team to participate at the championships for the first time.The Namibian team is expected back in Namibia today at 12h55.