Intersport-Masters in Sindelfingen: Lemgo wins – a lot of work ahead for fifth-placed SG Flensburg

Former German champion TBV Lemgo has won the “Intersport”-Masters in Sindelfingen. The team of the new coach Peter Meisinger triumphed in the final against Meisingers former club TV Großwallstadt 29:23. Nordhorn became third after a 32:30 against Göppingen.  Champions League participant SG Flensburg-Handewitt were ranked fifth, former Champions League  winner SC Magdeburg finished the tournament as seventh.

Champions League runner-up SG Flensburg was not at all satisfied with the performance at the Intersport-Masters, which SG Magdeburg won last season. The team from the German-Danish border finished the tournament in Sindelfingen in fifth place after winning the placement match against TuSem Essen 27:25 after seven metre throws. In the prelimiary  round there was only one victory for the SG – 32:29 against Balingen after losing 27:29 against Großwallstadt and 31:32 against Nordhorn. “We are disappointed with this tournament as we wanted to win the title again”, said manager Anders Dahl-Nielsen after the match  against Essen: “We have certain problems with injured players, but this should not be an excuse. Now we are lucky to have another two weeks before the season starts.” Coach Kent-Harry Andersson has the same opinion: “We were tired, and we made to many technical mistakes.”

Against Essen it was mainly line player Jonny Jensen, who brought his team into the final seven-metres decision, and there keeper Dan Beutler caught two throws. In the group matches it was  clear after two defeats that Flensburg would not be able to win the title again. “We are here for testing, so many players of the ‘second row’ played a lot time”, second coach Jan Paulsen said after losing against Großwallstadt and Nordhorn. Best SG-player in Sindelfingen was Michael Knudsen.
SG Flensburg-Handewitt left on Sunday evening  to a three-day-training-camp to Switzerland, where another test-match is played against St. Gallen.