HERTEN - Sven Daske was the big winner at the German championship in the classical games. Germany's best player won three golds and one silver in the four disciplines played in Herten. He only missed out on the title in one cushion and thus the repeat of his complete triumph in 2019, when he won in all four disciplines.
The participation was rather confusing. In the free game, six players participated, in the balk-line 71/2 only two participants. The championships were last played in 2019 as part of the German championships in Bad Wildungen. After that, the tournament was not played by Corona for two years.
Sven Daske won the free game undefeated and with decent performances. Already in this first discipline it became clear that Markus Melerski was in excellent form. He was the only player to finish a game in one inning. He eventually won bronze following Daske and Christian Pöther. In the balk-line 47/2, Sven Daske lost to Melerski. The match was one of the highlights at the tournament. In only 2 innings Melerski won 250-5 with a run of 182. Daske won the title thanks to a better average ahead of Melerski and Arnd Riedel.
Disappointing was the championship in balk-line 71/2, a discipline in which Germany had so many first-class players and was internationally successful. Only two players were at the start. Sven Daske won the championship, which was scheduled for three matches, against Christian Pöther without losing.
In the final discipline, the one cushion, four players took part. Markus Dömer secured gold with three victories ahead of Sven Daske and Markus Melerski. The best match was again between Daske and Melerski. The two players were tied after 13 innings (120-120) and 9.23 on average. The new champion Markus Dömer played his best match with 120 in 16.
Susanne Stengel-Ponsing was unbeatable in the women's event. She won gold with a remarkable performance. Her best match was 150-31 in 5 innings against Jennifer Assmann, who later finished third. Stengel-Ponsing also had the best run of the tournament with 142.
The one cushion podium with Markus Dömer on top
The ladies podium with Susanne Stengel-Ponsing as the gold winner