Too Many Leagues, Too Few Players
The penultimate match weekend of the 2023/2024 season has just wrapped up. All three of our club's league teams played their matches in rounds 19 and 20. Unfortunately, not every team was able to field a full roster—let alone a full-strength lineup. And that was naturally reflected in the results.
Let's begin with our top league squad, aside from the men's Extraliga. The First League team faced two away games. On Saturday, March 2, they travelled to face Moravská Slavia Brno. The harsh truth is that our "C" team couldn't field a full lineup for either match this weekend. Only Vít Kadlec and the Morávek brothers—Radim and Jindřich—took to the tables in South Moravia.
Despite the rocky start due to the shorthanded squad, the trio put in a solid performance. They stayed competitive with the home side for most of the match. However, the team was missing points from Vít Kadlec, who had a very underwhelming weekend—scoring only once. That proved costly, as the final score ended 10–7 in favor of the home team.
A similar story unfolded on Sunday in Nový Jičín, where the same trio competed. Once again, points were lacking from our Extraliga "B" team member. The Morávek brothers delivered a flawless performance, and had one more point been earned, the team could have pulled off a surprise win. Unfortunately, they had to settle for a draw.
In the Second League, our team hasn't tasted victory in three consecutive rounds. On Saturday, they fell 3–10 in Orlová. Of the quartet of Jonáš Rak, Filip Válek, Daniel Vitásek, and Oliver Vincenec, only the first two managed to score points.
Sunday's match at local rivals TTC Ostrava didn't go much better. The squad, led by Jonáš Rak and completed by Jan Lisztwan, Jaroslav Jůza, and Jakub Plachta, lost 10–5. The team continues to struggle and remains in 10th place—a relegation playoff spot.
Unlike the rest of our squads, the Third League team recorded a crucial win. The strong lineup of František Chaloupka, Jaroslav Jůza, Jan Lisztwan, and Jan Krupník swept past Valašské Meziříčí with a convincing 10–1 victory.
However, they couldn't build on that success. A slightly altered lineup—with Dan Vitásek and Filip Válek replacing Jůza and Lisztwan—lost 2–10 to league favorites Nový Jičín. Nevertheless, the single win moved the team to 8th place in the standings, temporarily pulling them out of the relegation zone. Still, the final rounds will determine the fate of the team, so nothing should be taken for granted.
