Dunlop DKC became national badminton champions for the second time in club history last Saturday. In the Eredivisie final in the Maaspoort in Den Bosch, the residents of The Hague defeated FIT Almere 5-1. Dunlop DKC was also the best club in the Netherlands in 2015.
Dunlop DKC entered the final battle as favorite. In the regular competition, coach Dennis Lens’ team finished first, which earned them a direct ticket to the final. Almere came second in the competition. As a result, it had to try to secure a place in the finals via play-offs against number three Drop Shot. And the Flevolanders also succeeded in this, reaching the final battle for the sixth time ever. Just as much as Dunlop DKC. Almere, just like the formation from The Hague, only managed to win once; in 2020.
While Dunlop DKC sometimes suffered from setbacks in previous (lost) finals – for example, leader Mark Caljouw injured his hand just before the final battle in 2023 – Lens now had a fully fit selection. That also meant that he had to make difficult choices. For example, the coach did not choose Gijs Duijs in the men’s doubles, who usually forms a pair with Michiel Kruijt. The latter now took office with Caljouw. Lens’ choice turned out well. The Almere duo Alex Vlaar/Dyon van Wijlick was defeated 21-18 and 21-16. The only loss for Dunlop DKC was somewhat taken into account. Alyssa Tirtosentono and Marlies Baan had to compete against national selection players Kirsten de Wit and Cheryl Seinen. The DKC ladies still offered good resistance, but still lost narrowly with two scores of 21-19.
Dunlop DKC took a 2-1 lead with a fairly simple win by Jaymie Laurens over Diede Odijk. DKC player Joran Kweekel had some difficulty getting rid of Noah Haase, especially in the first game. Game one went to the same Haase in extra time. In the future, Kweekel started to play better and better, and the Almere player’s tank seemed to be slowly emptying. Kweekel won the next games 21-14 and 21-4.
The next singles could already make the decision as Dunlop DKC had taken a 3-1 lead and it was no longer possible to catch up after five match points. It should come as no surprise that Caljouw won against Dennis Koppen. But not everyone saw it coming that the only 16-year-old DKC player Flora Wang defeated Alida Chen (former Dunlop DKC and number two in the Netherlands) almost at the same time. Wang took the first game, survived a number of set points in the second game, but still won 22-20. This made the score 5-1 and that meant the win for Dunlop DKC. The closing mixes did not have to be played. After 2015, Dunlop DKC can call itself the best club in the Netherlands for the second time.
Bron DKC
Continue Reading
2024-03-25 12:08:55
#Dunlop #DKC #conquers #national #title #club #history
