A home final – BC Bischmisheim seeking title number 11
This weekend (29/30 April 2023) sees the final-four tournament for Germany’s badminton team championship being held in Saarbrücken. This contest between the top four federal league teams from the 2022/23 season is being organised by 1. BC Bischmisheim for the second time: in 2018 the Saarlanders secured the title in front of a home crowd.
Whilst defending champions 1. BC Wipperfeld and SV Fun-Ball Dortelweil qualified directly for the final tournament to compete for the Riegel cup in Saarbrücken’s Joachim-Deckarm-Halle thanks to sitting first and second in the rankings once the league was complete, the multiple champions from Saarland placed third so had to secure their starting spot for their home tournament by winning the post-league quarter final play-offs. BCB has qualified for the final four for past five years and reached the final every time, winning it three times.
The final four will see semi-final matches between 1. BC Wipperfeld and TV Refrath and between SV Fun-Ball Dortelweil and 1. BC Bischmisheim on Saturday. The two semi-finals will take place simultaneously on the same court from 4 p.m. The final of the 2023 German team championship will be held on Sunday from 2 p.m. The ten-time German champions from Saarbrücken are confident and highly motivated to take home an eleventh championship title, and the home advantage and support should definitely work in their favour.
The defending champions from Wipperfeld, with former BCB player Marvin Seidel from St. Ingbert, are the favourites to win the title. Last year they were able to narrowly beat BCB in a dramatic final with a final score of 4:3. This year, the runners up want to get their own back for last season’s close defeat. Team manager Peter Käsbauer is taking an optimistic view of the final spurt towards the championship title, and plans to compete with the full team line-up. The potential that the team’s best line-up offers, with its numerous national players, and the strong, vociferous support from a home crowd mean that the Saarlanders have a realistic chance of taking home title number 11 at their home final.
We are looking forward to an exciting and varied final four in Saarbrücken and wish BC Bischmisheim much luck and every success.