BATE Launches New European Cup Season
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SPORT The Minsk Times Thursday, July 21, 2011 11 Remaining in third division BATE launches new Belarusian men’s tennis team fails to move up a division in Davis Cup for at least one more season European Cup season Belarus lost to Hungary in the Europe/Africa Zone Group II sec- ond round, with the match hosted by Belarus’ best football club of recent years plays its first match of the second UEFA Godollo near Budapest. Belarusian Champions’ League qualifying round, against Northern Irish Linfield, in Belfast national team fi rst seed Vladimir Ig- natik facing our rival’s number two, Adam Kellner. Vladimir won eventu- By Yuri Karpenko ally, aft er facing tough opposition, with a tie-break settling the score in the fi rst Northern Irish footballers are set. Th e second ended in favour of the yet to make a real impression in Belarusian again but Kellner, despite Europe, with Linfield occupying being on the edge of defeat, demon- a modest 353rd position in the strated ardent resistance. At a certain UEFA club ratings (against Boris- moment, both players seemed to have ov BATE’s 83rd place). Meanwhile, an absolutely equal chance and the the country’s national team was in Hungarian snatched the third set. Still, the top thirty of the FIFA ratings Ignatik recovered from this small loss just two years ago. The difference and, doubling his eff orts, claimed the is easily explained. The Northern decisive set. Irish championship boasts only Th e next match was more sedate, semi-professional status, with no with Hungarian Attila Balázs easily professional clubs participating. defeating Sergey Betov, who had won Young footballers tend to move to not a single point in his previous single England as soon as possible, with matches for the national squad. Sergey the most talented joining the foot- woke up in the third set but still lost. ball academies of grand clubs. For Later, Max Mirny and Vladimir many, playing with the 3th or 4th Ignatik faced Kornel Bardoczky and English division is also possible. Marton Fucsovics. Tennis fans were on Linfield is also a semi-profes- the edge of their seats aft er two of the sional team, playing under the three sets ended in tie-break. Belarus slogan ‘Fortune Favours the Brave’ was losing but managed to break serv- and does tend to enjoy success at ice and then win the fourth set with home matches, having won the clear advantage. Northern Irish League 50 times. To earn overall team victory, one It’s hardly possible to find another more singles match was to settle eve- European club with so many home WWW.FCBATE.BY rything. In the next match, physical match victories. Despite their 125 Match — played in Belfast — enjoys equal fight, with many high spots and psychological weariness aff ected year history and many titles, they in the 38th minute, with a penalty diocre play from his squad. “I was that, in the return match, BATE Ignatik’s performance (he lost two presented only a modest threat to (a Linfield player used his hand to surprised by their weak perform- will make up for its mistakes, win- tie-breaks) in his match against At- BATE. Nevertheless, the Borisov deflect Maxim Skavysh’s strike). ance. We hoped to win and should ning a place in the Champions’ tila Balázs, leading to failure. With the team had their work cut out for The match eventually ended with have done. Before coming to League’s next round. “I’m con- score at 2:2, Sergey Betov and Adam them. a 1:1 draw. Northern Ireland, the team were vinced that we’ll play much better Kellner crossed rackets but the Belaru- In the fifth minute, halfback BATE head coach Victor Gon- playing well, being in good shape. in Borisov than we did in Belfast. sian failed to pose a serious threat to the Daryl Fordyce headed a goal into charenko admitted after the match It’s unclear why we performed so We have the chance to strengthen opponent, losing this match. the net, matched by Renan Bressan that he had not expected such me- badly,” he asserts. He promises our game.” New rally routes await racers Fifth Games for Nine Belarusian racing of the three states’ automo- at the Kievskaya Rus Rally, or eff ort since existing local crews aim to take part in bile sports federations’ rally in Ukraine, in July, with Rus- competitions are hosting the Vladimir Samsonov fi rst Friendship Cup committees achieved a pre- sia’s Pskov Rally continuing event. Crews can include for- the reality is that China leads Th e new international liminary agreement on the in September. Th e Decem- eign drivers where licenses in modern table tennis, per- event, organised jointly by establishment of this rally. ber Christmas Rally (a stage are granted. One Belarusian forming as part of their own the rally committees of Rus- Th e idea is not bad actually. of Braslav Rally Challenge), crew has a Lithuanian racer, national team and playing also sia, Belarus and Ukraine, was Th e new event will see each in Belarus, will complete the Darius Biesevičius, who was for other nations. We aren’t fi rst mentioned last Novem- country host a race within series. granted a Belarusian license one hundred percent sure that ber, during the Braslav Rally. the framework of their na- Th e new Friendship Cup to take part in the local cham- Vladimir will claim victory At that time, representatives tional events. Th is kicks off won’t involve any extra cost pionship earlier this year. at the Games in London, al- though he’s ranked among the top eight worldwide at present. World Cup recognition but no medal His target for the coming year is to keep this result.” By Yuri Kovalev less from an international Vladimir Samsonov In all, six Belarusian ta- event. Perhaps it’s a ‘trick’ to Belarusian ping pong ble tennis players are training Legendary Belarusian divert her opponents’ atten- team leader may take for the London 2012 event: rower Yekaterina Karsten tion before the coming World part in fi fth Olympics, Vladimir Samsonov and Vic- claims 2011 World Championship — to be host- although no medals are toria Pavlovich already have Academic Rowing Cup for ed by Bled, Slovenia. Places at expected from him at their Olympic tickets while women the London Olympics will be London Games Yevgeny Shchetinin, Vitaly Th ough the famed Bela- the main goal of the event. “Samsonov may appear Nekhvedovich, Veronika Pav- rusian failed to take the pres- As for the other Belaru- among the medallists at the lovich and Alexandra Prival- tigious trophy in Lucerne, sian crews, pair Yulia Bichik Olympics,” explains the head ova continue their struggle to fi nishing fourth in the fi nal and Tatiana Kukhta are coach of the Belarusian nation- earn places. race of the third stage, fans also doing well, having won al squad, Alexander Petkevich. At the end of October, remain happy, knowing that bronze medals at the World “However, it’s more likely that Minsk ping pong fans will the main start of the season Yekaterina Karsten competes in rowing race Cup rounds in Munich and a medal will be good fortune. be able to watch leading — the World Championship seemed able to ignore the sneaking ahead to claim third Hamburg. Fans were opti- We don’t foresee medals for world stars at Minsk’s Palace — lies ahead. unfavourable weather condi- place near the fi nish. Twigg mistic but the women failed him at the next Olympics — as of Sports. Th e Europe-Asia Before the fi nal women’s tions, retaining her lead from snatched her fi rst gold medal, to reach the fi nals. In the anticipated since the Atlanta match (featuring men only) single rowing race at Lake the beginning of the race. with Karsten too late to em- consolatory race, they pro- Games in 1996. Sadly, he’s will see the top fi ve players Rotsee, a strong wind began Karsten joined Mirka Knap- ploy her usual spurt near the duced a beautiful win over won no Olympic medal so far. from each continent battling to blow, placing the athletes kova of the Czech Republic end. It is the fi rst time since American and Italian rowers, In 2000, Samsonov went to the for supremacy, with only one under great stress. However, close behind daring Emma, 1999 that our ‘Yekaterina the but this was too late to change Sydney Olympics topping the athlete from any single nation New Zealand’s Emma Twigg with Xiuyun Zhang of China Great’ has returned medal- anything. world table tennis ratings but performing..