Vorrunde
The mission to defend the title at the Mörike CUP in Bempflingen threatened to fail in the first match on Thursday morning. While the women's defeat against the well-known strong Bempflingen team was expected, the three-set defeat of the men's 40s was a surprise. In the match tiebreak (1:9) nothing went right for Michael Mai and André Pitz. But the second set they won was enough for the overall victory in the final reckoning, as the men's team with Thomas and Daniel and the mixed team with Jean-Patrick and Verena Warin won clearly in two sets. On Thursday afternoon against Neckartailfingen, the men (Marcel and Andi), men's 40s (Thomas Müller and André Pitz) and the women (Carola and Laura) secured a reassuring 3:0 lead. The mixed team Benni Adam & Tanja Heinz were able to turn the game around after 3:6 and 3:4, supported by a magnificent fan crowd.
The group victory was made clear on Friday afternoon against Raidwangen. The men's doubles (Daniel and Tobias Heinz) and the MIXED doubles (Jean-Patrick and Verena) only allowed the Raidwangen team to win one game. The men's 40 doubles Thomas Müller and Christian Zeller struggled to beat Münzenmaier/Bauknecht 7:6/6:3. Carola and Laura were able to keep up with the pace against Judith Gneiting and Franzi Kneissler. The result 2:6/2:6 does not accurately reflect the performance of our Amazons.
Habfinale
In der anderen Gruppe kegelte Frickenhausen dank eines mehr gewonnen Satzes im Herrendoppel überraschend den TC Grafenberg raus. So war der TSV Frickenhausen unser Halbfinalgegner. Erwartungsgemäß taten sich die Herren 40 mit Michael Mai und Christian Zeller schwer gegen die Frickenhäusener, gewannen aber einen Satz. Umgekehrt verlief es im Hobbymixed. Benni Adam und Tanja konnten das Drama Matchtiebreak für sich entscheiden. Die Damen mit Xenia und Jana, und die Herren mit Marcel und Daniel sicherten am Samstag vormittag mit zwei klaren Zwei-Satz- Siegen den Finaleinzug.
Finale
After a surprising victory against TA TSV Riederich, TC Bempflingen reached the final for the first time in the 18th edition of the Mörike CUP. After a clear defeat for the women (1.1) and an equally clear victory for the men (0.0), Mai/Pitz were able to successfully take revenge for their opening defeat on Thursday. They went 3-0 ahead in the match tiebreak and brought it over the finish line with 10-4. No crime writer could have written a better script. In the heart-stopping final, Jean-Patrick and Verena Warin had to win the second set after a 7-6 first set, otherwise Bempflingen would have been able to lift the winner's trophy. The Warins kept their nerve in their first Mörike participation and sealed the deal with a 6-1 win. They were then able to receive the challenge cup from tournament directors Ilga Bommelströte and Jens Lauxmann. In 2024, the third-placed TSV Riederich will be the organizer of the Mörike CUP. Playing for TVG were: Carola Buchmann, Jana Haberzettl, Laura Ofner, Xenia Walter, Benni Adam, Tanja Heinz, Jean-Patrick and Verena Warin, Marcel Müllerschön, Tobias and Daniel Heinz, Tomas Schulte-Wieking, Andi Trissler, Michael Mai, Thomas Müller, André Pitz and Christian Zeller.
