29 Apr 2014 at 10:32 | Published by: mindthegap | Views: 14718 | News search

Sebastian Piekorz from Mainz  (Photo by MGC Mainz)

The Youth German Federal States Cup (Jugendländerpokal, abbreviated JLP in German) was held on the Concrete and Eternit courses in Mainz on the 25th and 26th of April. It is a junior team competition of the federal states of Germany. The minigolf associations of any German federal state (Bundesland) can form a team of 5 or 6 juniors (male or female). If at least one female junior plays for the team and the team consists of 6 players, the worst score of each team round is cut off. So only the best 5 scores per round count for the team. There were 5 combination rounds to go on Concrete and Eternit in turns.

Compared to last year's JLP the weather conditions were nearly ideal this year. It was quite mild and dry. The courses in Mainz are challenging, but on the other hand well known by the top players (and coaches) in Germany as Mainz has a men and a women team in the Bundesliga.

The vice champion team of the last two years, Northrhine-Westfalia, started badly and found theirself on the 5th place after the first round. But this was their worst round, and they caught up to the others round by round. Hessen started best with very good rounds on concrete and eternit and was in lead after the 1st combination round. Bremen/Lower-Saxony, the defending champion of the last two years, followed on the 2nd place. Northrhine-Westfalia caught up on eternit and was on the 3rd place after the 1st combination round. Only Rhineland-Palatinate could keep up with the leading trio, so it was a fight between these four teams for the rest of the competition. With excellent team scores in the 2nd and 3rd round on concrete Northrhine-Westfalia overtook Hessen, and with changing leads in the next rounds they were equal after 8 rounds. At the end Northrhine-Westfalia won with 1331 (ø 26.6), only 4 shots ahead of Hessen. Bremen/Lower-Saxony came 3rd with 1349 (ø 27.0). Two teams (Baden and Saarland) started with only 5 players, so all 5 scores counted every round. This is marked as a "Team Streicher" in the team results list.

Michaela Zwirlein from Murnau (Bavaria), on the 4th place last year, won the female kids category with 267 (ø 26.7), followed by Patricia Gras from Lorsch (Hessen) only 3 shots behind. Sarah Schumacher from Inzlingen (Baden), last year's vice champion, came 3rd with 281 (ø 28.1).

It was quite a narrow decision in the male kids category. Lukas Lindemann from Homburg (Hessen) won with 280 (ø 28.0), only 3 shots ahead of Steven Weiß from Mannheim (Rhineland-Palatinate). Julian Möhler from Niederstetten (Württemberg), on the 2nd place last year, came 3rd only 2 further shots behind this year.

Last year's winner in the female kids category, Maike Haupt from Herten (Northrhine-Westfalia), started in the female juniors category this year - and won again - with 273 (ø 27.3), 6 shots ahead of Isabell Raschke from Diepholz (Lower Saxony), who was on the 3rd place last year. Laura Heckel from Arheilgen (Hessen) reached the 3rd place with 288 (ø 28.8).

The male juniors category provided a fight between two local players from Mainz (Rhineland-Palatinate), Manuel Szablikowski and Sebastian Piekorz. Manuel won with 248 (ø 24.8), 5 shots ahead of Sebastian. Ingmar Heipel from Arheilgen (Hessen) ended up on the 3rd place only further two shots behind. Last year's winner Marc Pape from Homburg (Saarland) reached the 4th place this year.

The best score on concrete was a 24, played by 4 players, but there was only one blue round on eternit, a 19 by Christian Zielaff from Wesel (Northrhine-Westfalia).

Links to results, reports, photos and and videos, all in German language:

»Results
»Online reports by Joachim Eichhorn
»News from the JLP (Interviews, photos, etc.)
»Reports, photos and short videos on DMJ facebook website
»Online reporting on AUWI minigolf forum
»Video course notes (very interesting for those who aren't so familiar with concrete and eternit!)
»Film by Allgemeine Zeitung Mainz
»Report from practice by Christian Somnitz
»Report 1st competition day by Christian Somnitz
»Short reports by different authors from Federal State Baden
»Photo galleries by MGC Mainz

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