The Brno Draci prevailed for the title last season, so Arrows Ostrava wants revenge. This week, those top teams of the Czech baseball extraliga will meet three times in what could be a preview of this season’s title series. Photo credit: Petra Voet.
Brno, July 8 (BD) — The Brno Cricket Club will have two matches at its North Brno field, an internecine match between the Raptors and Raiders and a Division 1 tilt for the Rangers; and the Brno Alligators get a bye to start a truncated summer season of American Football.
BASEBALL
Draci face Arrows in Possible Title-series Preview
As the Top Six phase of the extraliga baseball season moves to its third week, the teams from last year’s title series have established that they are both moving toward a championship-series rematch.
For a nice preview, they will meet this week: The Brno Draci, the defending champions, travel to Arrows Ostrava on Thursday (first pitch at 7 p.m.), then host games on Friday (7 p.m.) and Saturday (1 p.m.).
Both the Draci and Arrows are 4-2 in the Top Six. Eagles Praha (4-3) and Tempo Praha (4-3) are just a half-game back. Newcomer Sokol Hluboká (2-4) and Cardion Hroši Brno (1-5) are fighting for postseason seeding, as the Top Six phase continues for the rest of the month.
The Draci took two of three from Sokol Hluboká last weekend.
Hroši Brno were swept by Tempo Praha, including getting no-hit by Praha’s Marek Minařík in Game 1 of a double-header on Saturday, 7-0.
For updated information and the schedule for Czech extraliga baseball, go to the league website at https://extraliga.baseball.cz/. Use Google Chrome, right-click anywhere on the page and select “Translate to English”.
CRICKET
Saturday Double-header in North Brno
Brno Cricket Club teams dropped both matches on Sunday when the BCC Raptors (3rd XI) lost to Vinohrady Cricket Club Biancos and then the BCC Raiders (2nd XI) lost to Prague Cricket Club Rooks.
This weekend, however, at least one of the Brno teams will win because they play each other on their own field on Saturday at 11 a.m.
Afterwards, the top BCC team — the Division 1 BCC Rangers — will host the Prague Spartans CC Vanguards on Saturday. The match starts at 3 p.m. The Rangers were outscored last Saturday, but won nevertheless because the PCC Kings fielded an ineligible player.
The Brno Cricket Ground is in North Brno. Click here for a map. Parking is available nearby, although not past the bridge because of the restricted road. The nearest stop on Tram No. 1 is Kořískova. Bus 42 and 70 leave from Semilasso; get off at Žitná.
For updated information and the schedule for Czech Cricket, go to the league website at https://www.czechcricket.cz/ . Use Google Chrome, right-click anywhere on the page and select “Translate to English”.
AMERICAN FOOTBALL
Short Summer Season Starts This Weekend
The highest league of American football will start this week, but the only Brno team that is listed in the schedule — the Brno Alligators — will get a bye week for additional preparation.
Five teams decided to participate in the truncated season: Vysočina Gladiators, Přerov Mammoths, Prague Lions, Ostrava Steelers and the Brno Alligators.
The Alligators will start the season at home against the Prague Lions on July 17. The game is at Ragby Bystrc and starts at 4 p.m.
There are eight rounds to the season, which stretches through to the end of August. The top two teams will then meet for the title game.
Restrictions against the spread of the coronavirus pushed the 2020 season into the fall and then cut it short just as the postseason was starting, with the Brno Sigrs poised for success.
For updated information and the schedule for the Czech Association of American Football, go to the league website at https://www.caaf.cz/ . Use Google Chrome, right-click anywhere on the page and select “Translate to English”.
