Photo Caption: The Brno Sígrs earned a postseason berth and the Brno Alligators ended their season on a high note. Unfortunately, all sports in the Czech Republic have been disrupted for two weeks by precautions against the spread of the coronavirus. Photo Credit: Brno Alligators / Martin Tajč.
Brno, Oct. 12 (BD) — The coronavirus ended many seasons prematurely this spring and it is now significantly disrupting the new seasons that have been attempting to begin this fall. All sports in the Czech Republic — from amateur to professional — have been suspended for at least two weeks.
Most teams were able to get in a final weekend of action. The schedules will need to be adjusted to account for the forthcoming two weeks of the pause.
The move is extreme, and has received some push back.
“It is a very unpleasant situation for Czech sport in general and basketball in particular,” said Daniel Kurucz, the head of women’s league competition. “We believed that the league would not stop, but now we must take the government’s decision and adapt. We can now mainly hope that the players will be able to return to the halls after two weeks and that the league competition will start as soon as possible. It should be noted that the players are largely professional athletes and with this decision we are actually taking their work for two weeks. A two-week break for Renomia ŽBL will cause both sporting and economic complications, and a longer break would only deepen them.”
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
Žabiny Win Twice Before Another Pause
In front of a backdrop of empty stands at Hala vodova, Žabiny Brno pulled away from KP Brno in the second half to win the first rivalry game of this young season between the Brno women’s basketball teams.
Žabiny Brno, which stared the season in quarantine, has now won two games since returning to the court — just in time to take another pause for two weeks.
Natálie Stoupalová led the game against KP Brno with 22 points, hitting 8 of 12 from 2-point range. Eliška Hamzová, a 19-year-old, is establishing herself as a new force on the team: she had 10 in the team’s victory over Loko Trutnov and added another 16 against KP Brno.
KP Brno was led by Kateřina Zohnová, who scored 16 points against her previous team.
Schedule changes will be announced. For updated information, go to the league website at https://www.zbl.basketball/. Use Google Chrome, right-click anywhere on the page and select “Translate to English”.
MEN’S BASKETBALL
Basket Brno Enters Pause with 1-2 Record
Basket Brno returned to Brno for its first home game in almost a month last Wednesday but got a different result, losing to BK JIP Pardubice 70-78. Their Saturday game at NH Ostrava was postponed when Ostrava announced that it had coronavirus infections. They are now 1-2 in three games.
The nationwide coronavirus restrictions will halt the season even longer.
Brno opened the season with a 78-61 home victory over GEOSAN Kolín on Sept. 11, then went into quarantine for the coronavirus. They returned three weeks later and lost at BK Opava.
Schedule changes will be announced. For updated information, go to the league website at https://www.nbl.cz/. Use Google Chrome, right-click anywhere on the page and select “Translate to English”.
AMERICAN FOOTBALL
Sígrs Prep for Postseason with another Win against Ostrava
Though the dates for the postseason are uncertain, the Brno Sígrs look primed and ready to make a run at the American Football Paddock League title.
The Sígrs finished the regular season as the clear leader of the Eastern Division when they beat the Ostrava Steelers, 40-16, on Saturday.
It was the second time in three weeks that Brno beat Ostrava, who was the runner up last season. Three weeks ago, the Sígrs scored just one touchdown to win. This time, after an early safety, the Sígrs built a 30-point lead with a steady scoring offense.
Igor Mašlanka, who caught the touchdown pass for the only score in the initial game, had two scoring receptions from quarterback Douglas Webster in the first half (49 and 50 yards).
Webster also ran for a 38-yard touchdown and threw scoring strikes to Kris Wedderburn (21 yards) and Andrii Husak (3 yards). Wedderburn finished the scoring with a 76-yard kick-off return in the fourth quarter.
Both the Sígrs (6-1) and the Steelers (4-4) will play in the postseason. The Sígrs are to play the Ústí nad Labem Blades (5-2) in Brněnské Ivanovice, though the date is to be announced. The winner of that semifinal game will play the winner of the Ostrava Steelers at Vysočina Gladiators (8-0) semifinal game, the date for which is also to be announced.
For updated information, go to the league website at https://www.caaf.cz/. Use Google Chrome, right-click anywhere on the page and select “Translate to English”.
Alligators End on High Note
The Brno Alligators will not be playing in the postseason, but they finished their season on a high note that should carry them over into their next season, which will be their 30th in existence.
The Alligators, however, didn’t make it easy on themselves. They were forced to rally at the Přerov Mammoths for a last-minute 28-31 victory on Sunday. Brno (3-5) built a quick two-touchdown lead, let up to allow four consecutive touchdowns and rallied for 17 points in the final frame.
David Kilian got the Alligators moving in the fourth quarter with a 48-yard touchdown run with 11:51 left in the game. That cut the lead to eight, 28-20. Then, Marcus Francis scored a one-yard TD and Kilian converted the 2-point conversion to knot the game at 28 with 4:52 left.
Veteran Jan Nestr won the game with a 24-yard field goal with no time on the clock.
The Alligators, who snapped a 13-game losing streak earlier in this season, went 3-2 in their final games, including a respectable five-point loss to the postseason-bound Ústí nad Labem Blades last weekend.
WOMEN’S AMERICAN FOOTBALL
Amazons Are Tops in Women’s League
The Brno Amazons are undefeated through four games this season. They are guaranteed a berth in the postseason and they are likely to play for the title in Rose Bowl VI.
For updated information, go to the league website at https://www.caaf.cz/. Use Google Chrome, right-click anywhere on the page and select “Translate to English”.
MEN’S HOCKEY
HC Kometa Start and Stop
After its season opener was postponed when much of the team and staff were infected by the coronavirus, HC Kometa Brno finally got back onto the ice this week for a competitive game. They split two home games before the latest nationwide stoppage was put in place.
In the first game, Kometa lost to HC Škoda Plzeň, 3-7, on Friday. Two days later on Sunday, Luboš Horký tied the game at 3 with a goal three minutes before the end of regulation; Brno won the game, 4-3, by shootout.
For updated information, go to the team website at https://hc-kometa.cz/. Use Google Chrome, right-click anywhere on the page and select “Translate to English”.
VOLLEYBALL
Brno Teams All in Middle of Standings
VK Šelmy Brno, the defending champions, reach this two-week pause in third place in the Uniqua Extraliga standings. VK Královo Pole, which experienced an outbreak of coronavirus, had been quarantined until Oct. 15 and the break will be extended by the recent national regulations. They are fifth in the league.
On the men’s side, Voljebal Brno is fifth with two wins and two losses.
For updated information, go to the league website at http://www.cvf.cz/. Use Google Chrome, right-click anywhere on the page and select “Translate to English”.
MEN’S FOOTBALL
Zbrojovka Wins MOL Cup Game
Zbrojovka got a win, its first of the fall, when it beat longtime rival Jihlava, 1-0, in a MOL Cup game on Wednesday. After an international pause, the nationwide coronavirus pause will keep the team on the sidelines.
The next game for Brno (0-1-5, 1 point) might be in Prague against defending champion Slavia Praha (5-1-0, 16) on Halloween, Oct. 31.
For updated information, go to the league website at https://fczbrno.cz/. Use Google Chrome, right-click anywhere on the page and select “Translate to English”.
WOMEN’S FOOTBALL
Horni Herspice Win Streak Snapped at 3
After three straight wins, Lokomotiva Brno – Horni Herspice dropped an opportunity when they lost 2-0 at last-place FC Viktoria Plzeň (2-0-5, 6).
Lokomotiva (3-0-4, 9 points), which started the season with losses against the top three teams of the league, was scheduled to play those top three teams again, but the impending coronavirus pause has thrown the schedule into disarray. They may return to play at first-place AC Sparta Praha on Oct. 31, before returning home to play third-place 1. FC Slovácko on Nov. 7.
For updated information, click here to go to the league website. Use Google Chrome, right-click anywhere on the page and select “Translate to English”.
BRNO SPORTS RESULTS
Quick results for various Brno professional and recreational sports for the past week. Home team listed first (where applicable).
Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2020
— Women’s Basketball: Slovanka MB X KP Brno, postponed
— Women’s Basketball: Žabiny Brno 98, Loko Trutnov 59
— Men’s Football (MOL Cup): Zbrojovka Brno 1, Jihlava 0
— Women’s Volleyball: Nusle 0, VK Brno 3
— Men’s Basketball: Basket Brno 70, BK JIP Pardubice 78
Thursday, Oct. 8, 2020
— Men’s Volleyball: Brno 3, Beskydy 0
Saturday, Oct. 10, 2020
— Women’s Basketball: KP Brno 65, Žabiny Brno 77
— Women’s Football: FC Viktoria Plzeň 2, Lokomotiva Brno H.H. 0
— American Football: Brno Sígrs 40, Ostrava Steelers 16
— Women’s Volleyball: Olymp 3, VK Brno 0
— Women’s Volleyball: Olomouc X Kr. Pole, postponed
— Men’s Basketball: NH Ostrava X Basket Brno, postponed
— Men’s Volleyball: Liberec 3, Brno 0
Sunday, Oct. 11, 2020
— American Football: Přerov Mammoths 28, Brno Alligators 31
— Men’s Hockey: HC Kometa Brno 4, Madeta Motor České Budějovice 3, extra time shootout
BRNO SPORTS SCHEDULE
No games are scheduled for two weeks. See the league and team website links above for more detailed information.
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 bruno@brnodaily.cz.
