Zbrojovka fans have one more regular season game on Saturday. They hope for one more and a chance at promotion back to the top league. Photo credit: Bruno Zalubil.
Brno, May 15 (BD) — Second-place Draci host first-place Arrows tonight at 7; Lokomotiva hopes to get past loss when it hosts Dukla Saturday; Brno Cricket Club wins second in a row; Both Sígrs and Alligators play at home this weekend; and the Brno sports results and schedule.
MEN’S FOOTBALL
Zbrojovka Has Control With Two Games Left
For fans not able to attend the FC Zbrojovka game at FC Vítkovice last Saturday, the @Zbrojovka Twitter account proved invaluable — and it provided a nice soundtrack to the game: Ding, Ding, Ding.
The game — a vital one in the fight for promotion — started with a lot of action. Peter Štepanovský of Zbrojovka scrored at 3 minutes; Vitkovice scored at 5 minutes; then Štepanovský and Zbrojovka scored again at 7 minutes. Ding, Ding, Ding.
Eventually the fast-action rollercoaster ride settled and Zbrojovka won, 4-2, and maintained its position in third place in the Fortuna:Narodni Liga.
Zbrojovka (15-6-7, 51 points) has two games left and controls its own fate. Their final regular-season home game is against eighth-place Třinec (10-6-12, 36) on Saturday at 3 p.m. They finish the regular season at second-place Jihlava (16-7-5, 55) on May 25.
If Zbrojovka can maintain at least third place, they will have a chance to advance into the Fortuna:Liga next season, if they can win a home-and-away series against a low-level team from that upper league. Fourth place would mean a second year in the second league.
FC Hradec Králové (14-7-7, 49) is lurking just two points back, hoping for a Zbrojovka slip up.
Štepanovský, who scored both goals in the win over Hradec Králové on national television on May 7, had a run of four goals in a row with the two quick goals on Saturday. He has eight goals during this spring half of the season and 11 overall, which is even with captain Lukáš Magera for the team lead and second best in the league.
Zbrojovaka has 52 goals this season, two behind league leaders SK Dynamo Č. Budějovice (21-3-4, 66).
BASEBALL
Draci host Arrows Tonight at 7
Though the weather is not yet baseball-ish, the Czech extraliga is heating up.
Perennial champion Draci Brno are not at their customary top-of-the-standings position. Instead, the Draci (19-4) are a game behind the team that surprised them for the title last fall, Arrows Ostrava (20-3).
Those two teams will meet tonight (Wednesday) at MBS in south Brno. First pitch is 7 p.m. It will be the third time the Draci and Arrows will have met this season; they split the first two games.
Tomorrow (Thursday), Draci travel across town to play Cardion Hroši Brno (10-11, tied for fourth place) at 5 p.m.
Technika Brno (2-19) is last in the standings.
WOMEN’S FOOTBALL
Lokomotiva Needs to Shake Off Tough Loss
FC Lokomotiva-Horni Herspice took a step backwards when they struggled against visiting FC Viktoria Plzeň last Saturday, but their 0-5 loss is not the end of the season.
Lokomotiva is halfway through the Playout bracket of the country’s top women’s football league. In their first run through other three teams, they have two points from 1-1 ties at FK Dukla Praha and FC Hradec Králové. The 0-5 home loss to Plzeň is their worst of the season, besides games against the dominant Sparta and Slavia teams.
In any case, Lokomotiva has a four-point lead over last-place FC Hradec Králové, which lost 4-0 at Dukla on Saturday, with three games remaining. The last-place team will be relegated to the second league.
The Lokomotiva junior team just won the Czech Cup for its division, so staying in the top league would be an important boost for the future of the organization.
Lokomotiva plays twice more at home: next week against FK Dukla Praha on Saturday at 10:30 a.m. and against FC Hradec Králové on June 1 at 11 a.m.
CRICKET
Brno Cricket Logs Another Win
The Brno Cricket Club won its second match of the T20 season when it beat Vinohrady Cricket Club last Saturday in north Brno.
Brno was 94-4, from 16.3 overs. Rohit Ogale had 29 runs. Vinohrady had gone 93-8 from 20 overs.
The Brno Cricket Club (2-1) is officially at the top of the standings, although it has the same record as Prague CC and Prague Barbarians CC Vandals.
Brno will next play at home on May 25 when it welcomes Prague Barbarians CC Vandals. The match begins at 3 p.m.
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AMERICAN FOOTBALL
Weekend Double-Header for Brno American Football
Both Brno teams will play home games this weekend: the Brno Sígrs host the Ústí nad Labem Blades on Saturday at 3 p.m. and the Brno Alligators will host the Aquaponik Ostrava Steelers on Sunday at 2 p.m.
The Sígrs (2-3) were shutout last weekend at Ostrava, 16-0. The Alligators (0-5) have been outscored by more than a hundred points so far this season.
BRNO SPORTS RESULTS
Quick results for various Brno professional and recreational sports for the past week. Home team listed first (when applicable).
Wednesday, May 8, 2019
— Baseball: Arrows Ostrava 7, Draci Brno 5
Friday, May 10, 2019
— Baseball: Draci Brno 9, Třebíč Nuclears 2
— Baseball: Eagles Praha 4, Technika Brno 1
Saturday, May 11, 2019
— Men’s Football: Vítkovice 2, Zbrojovka Brno 4
— Rugby: RC Dragon Brno 24, RC JIMI Vyškov 27
— Women’s Football: Lokomotiva Brno – Horni Herspice 0, FC Viktoria Plzeň 5
— Baseball: Tempo Praha 3, Cardion Hroši Brno 0
— Baseball: Eagles Praha 7, Technika Brno 3
— Baseball: Třebíč Nuclears 9, Draci Brno 10
— Baseball: Technika Brno 4, Eagles Praha 16
— Cricket: Brno CC 94-4 (16.3 overs), Vinohrady CC 93-8 (20 overs)
Sunday, May 12, 2019
— Baseball: Draci Brno 4, Třebíč Nuclears 2
— Baseball: Tempo Praha 3, Cardion Hroši Brno 4
— Baseball: Cardion Hroši Brno 2, Tempo Praha 4
— American Football: Aquaponik Ostrava Steelers 16, Brno Sígrs 0
BRNO SPORTS SCHEDULE
The schedule for various Brno professional and recreational sports for the next week. All dates and times subject to change. Home team listed first (when applicable).
Wednesday, May 15, 2019
— Baseball: Draci Brno X Arrows Ostrava, 7 p.m.
Thursday, May 16, 2019
— Baseball: Cardion Hroši Brno X Draci Brno, 5 p.m.
Friday, May 17, 2019
— Baseball: Draci Brno X Cardion Hroši Brno, 7 p.m.
— Baseball: Arrows Ostrava X Technika Brno, 7 p.m.
Saturday, May 18, 2019
— American Football: Brno Sígrs X Ústí nad Labem Blades, 3 p.m.
— Women’s Football: Lokomotiva Brno – Horni Herspice X FK Dukla Praha, 10:30 a.m.
— Baseball: Arrows Ostrava X Technika Brno, 2 p.m.
— Men’s Football: Zbrojovka Brno X Třinec, 3 p.m.
Sunday, May 19, 2019
— American Football: Brno Alligators X Aquaponik Ostrava Steelers, 2 p.m.
— Baseball: Technika Brno X Arrows Ostrava, 2 p.m.
— Cricket: Prague CC X Brno CC, 3 p.m.
Monday, May 20, 2019
— Baseball: Draci Brno X Cardion Hroši Brno, 7 p.m.
The Brno Sports Report is published every Wednesday. All dates and times are subject to change. Most of the stories are about the traditional “English-speaking” team sports — football, hockey, baseball, basketball, American football, cricket, rugby, etc. — but it is also about the interesting local spectator and participation sports — tennis, badminton, running, horse racing, swimming, rock climbing, biking, etc. If you have any suggestions for what should be included, please comment below or send an email to brnosports@gmail.com.
