North Brno will be alive with passionate fans rooting for FC Zbrojovka and a return to the top Czech league. Photo credit: FC Zbrojovka.
Brno, May 29 (BD) — Lokomotiva guaranteed to return to top league next year; Hroši Brno join changed Draci in Top6; Overtime win boosts Sígrs postseason chances; Brno Cricket Club splits with Prague teams; and the Brno sports results and schedule.
MEN’S FOOTBALL
Zbrojovka Finishes Regular Season With a Flourish, Příbram Series Next
FC Zbrojovka has won six straight games by outscoring its opponents 21-3 to build momentum for an exceptionally important home-and-away series with 1. FC Příbram today (Wednesday) and Sunday.
Zbrojovka, which finished third in the Fortuna:Narodni Liga, will face Příbram, the third-to-last team in the top-league Fortuna:Liga, for the right to be promoted back to the Fortuna:Liga next season.
Game 1 is today (Wednesday) in Brno at Stadion Srbská at 6 p.m. Tickets are available at the gate, even though more than 6,000 had already been sold through Tuesday afternoon.
Game 2 will be in Příbram on Sunday at 6:30 p.m.
Zbrojovka finished its 30-game, first season in the second league of the Czech Republic with a record of 17-6-7 and 57 points.
The team rolled over second-place FC Vysočina Jihlava (17-7-6, 58 points), 1-6, on Saturday.
SK Dynamo Č. Budějovice (23-3- 4, 72) finished first and earned an automatic promotion. Jihlava plays MFK Karvina in an away-and-home series with a chance at promotion.
Zbrojovka has built a lot of momentum for the games against Příbram, beating Třinec, 5-0, and Jihlava, 1-6, in the past two weeks.
Because Zbrojovka had already earned third place in the standings coach Pavel Šustr mixed some younger players into the starting lineup against Jihlava. Twenty-year-old Antonín Růsek scored at 17 minutes; 19-year-old Martin Zikl scored at 41 and 52 minutes; 23-year-old Jakub Přichystal tallied at 43 minutes; 25-year-old Robert Bartolomeu added one at 72 minutes; and 21-year-old Ondřej Vintr finished it off at 77 minutes.
Twenty-two-year-old Jiří Floder gave up just one goal. He has allowed only three goals in 540 minutes. He has four shutouts since earning the starting spot in goal six games ago.
With the final offensive push, Zbrojovaka finished the regular season with a league-high 63 goals. Their 31 goals allowed were fourth best in the league.
WOMEN’S FOOTBALL
Lokomotiva Play Final Home Game Saturday
Lokomotiva now has a seven-point advantage over last-place FC Hradec Králové, the team that will visit South Brno on Sunday for an 11 a.m. game.
Only the last-place team will be relegated to the lower league at the end of the season, so the team from South Brno has accomplished its season-long goal of earning their keep in the top women’s league.
Next year, they will likele further incorporate younger players — and perhaps success — from the junior team, which won the country’s Junior Cup earlier this month.
The top Lokomotiva team beat FK Dukla Praha, 5-0, on May 18 to guarantee that they would stay in the top women’s league.
On June 9, Lokomotiva will finish play in the Playout Bracket when they travel to FC Viktoria Plzeň.
BASEBALL
Hroši Make Top6, Draci Shaken Up by Ostrava
Cardion Hroši Brno needed some wins in order to earn the right to play in the six-team advanced group for the second part for the Czech extraliga baseball season. They got three, sweeping a Saturday doubleheader in Olomouc, 2-9 and 1-5, and then beating the Skokani at home in Brno, 7-3, on Sunday.
The Hroši (13-14) will play in the Top6 against defending champion Ostrava Arrows (24-3, in the initial phase of the regular season), Brno Draci (22-5), Eagles Praha (18-9), Kotlářka Praha (16-11) and Tempo Praha (16-11).
The Draci, who finished the first 27 rounds early, started the Pick6 part of the season with three games against Ostrava last weeekend. It did not go well. The Draci lost in Ostrava 10-7 on Friday and 6-5 on Saturday, then lost their third in a row, 2-3, at home on Sunday.
Then, on Tuesday evening, the Baseball Czech Instagram page announced that Brno manager Arnošt Nesňal would not longer be the head coach of Draci Brno. There was no mention on the baseball.cz website or on draci.baseball.cz and the news could not be independently confirmed at press time.
Nevertheless, the Hroši and Draci will play three games this week: Thursday at 7:30 p.m. and Friday at 7 p.m. at MBS, and Saturday at 4 p.m. at the Hroši field.
Technika Brno (2-25) finished the first 27 games in last place. They will play in the lower group with Třebíč Nuclears (10-17), Olympia Blansko (10-17) and Skokani Olomouc (4-23).
AMERICAN FOOTBALL
Sígrs Win Big Overtime Game at Vysočina
The Brno Sígrs took a big step forward in their season when they beat the Eastern Division-leading Vysočina Gladiators in overtime on Sunday. The official score, as listed on the caaf.cz website, was 27-28.
Tyrone Clark led Brno, the visiting team, with three touchdowns, including a 3-yard run to tie the game at 27 with 3:19 left in regulation and another 3-yard run in overtime.
After the overtime score, quarterback Wesley Geisler scored the 2-point conversion on the ground.
The Gladiators were able to score an overtime touchdown, but their 2-point conversion failed.
The Eastern Division now has three teams with four wins: Vysočina Gladiators (4-2), the Aquaponik Ostrava Steelers (4-2) and the Brno Sígrs (4-3).
The Brno Alligators (0-7) were shut out in Ústí nad Labem, 30-0, by the Blades (2-5), who are in last place in the Western Division.
There are three games remaining in the regular season and, with the victory over the Gladiators, the Sígrs have a decent chance to advance into their second postseason in their second season in the top league of the country. They go to the Pilsen Patriots (2-4) on June 8, host Ostrava (4-2) on June 15 and host the Alligators on June 22 on the final weekend of the regular season.
The Alligators have a tough remaining schedule: at the Aquaponik Ostrava Steelers on June 9; home against the Vysočina Gladiators on June 16; and the June 22 matchup against the cross-town rival Sígrs.
CRICKET
Brno Cricket Splits Two Home Matches
The Brno Cricket Club split a cricket doubleheader with two Prague teams, beating the Prague Barbarians CC Vandals and then losting to the Prague Barbarians CC Visigoths, last Saturday.
The Brno Cricket Club is now 4-2 on the season.
Brno travels to Vinohrady CC 1st this Saturday for an 11 a.m. game. They return to Brno on June 8 against Prague CC, the second team, and on June 15 against Prague CC, the first team. Both matches start at 3 p.m.
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BRNO SPORTS RESULTS
Quick results for various Brno professional and recreational sports for the past week. Home team listed first (when applicable).
Friday, May 26, 2019
— Baseball: Arrows Ostrava 10, Draci Brno 7
Saturday, May 25, 2019
— Baseball: Skokani Olomouc 2, Cardion Hroši Brno 9
— Baseball: Technika Brno 6, Kotlářka Praha 11
— Baseball: Arrows Ostrava 6, Draci Brno 5
— Men’s Football: Jihlava 1, Zbrojovka Brno 6
— Baseball: Skokani Olomouc 1, Cardion Hroši Brno 5
— Baseball: Technika Brno 0, Kotlářka Praha 6
— Cricket: Brno CC 1st W 89/7 X Prague Barbarians CC Vandals L 88/10
— Cricket: Brno CC 1st L 110/10 X Prague Barbarians CC Visigoths W 112/7
Sunday, May 26, 2019
— Baseball: Cardion Hroši Brno 7, Skokani Olomouc 3
— Baseball: Kotlářka Praha 12, Technika Brno 2
— Baseball: Draci Brno 2, Arrows Ostrava 3
— American Football: Ústí nad Labem Blades 30, Brno Alligators 0
— American Football: Vysočina Gladiators 27, Brno Sígrs 28 (OT)
BRNO SPORTS SCHEDULE
The schedule for various Brno professional and recreational sports for the next two weeks. All dates and times subject to change. Home team listed first (when applicable).
Wednesday, May 29, 2019
— Men’s Football: Zbrojovka Brno X Příbram, 6 p.m.
Thursday, May 30, 2019
— Baseball: Draci Brno X Cardion Hroši Brno, 7:30 p.m.
Friday, May 31, 2019
— Baseball: Draci Brno X Cardion Hroši Brno, 7 p.m.
Saturday, June 1, 2019
— Women’s Football: Lokomotiva Brno – Horni Herspice X FC Hradec Králové, 11 a.m.
— Cricket: Vinohrady CC 1st X Brno CC 1st, 11 a.m.
— Baseball: Cardion Hroši Brno X Draci Brno, 4 p.m.
Sunday, June 2, 2019
— Men’s Football: Příbram X Zbrojovka Brno, 6:30 p.m.
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Saturday, June 8, 2019
— Baseball (Game 1): Kotlářka Praha X ardion Hroši Brno, 1 p.m.
— American Football: Pilsen Patriots X Brno Sígrs, 2 p.m.
— Cricket: Brno CC 1st X Prague CC 2nd, 3 p.m.
— Baseball (Game 2): Kotlářka Praha X Cardion Hroši Brno, 4 p.m.
Sunday, June 9, 2019
— American Football: Aquaponik Ostrava Steelers X Brno Alligators, 3 p.m.
— Women’s Football: FC Viktoria Plzeň X Lokomotiva Brno – Horni Herspice, 1 p.m.
— Baseball: Cardion Hroši Brno X Kotlářka Praha, 4 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.
