It was the first time that City Games stopped in Maribor to play games. In the middle of the nature in Maribor´s island nice event took place and five teams competed for victory. It was once again proved that experienced teams have advantage and there were only one very well experienced team in Maribor. Home team Štajerske vijolice, current vice champions of Slovenia and silver medalists in international final two years ago, just ruled the event. They achieved 52 points, while second and third placed teams Se vseeno from Duplek and Ptuj won 33 and 32 points.

 

Maribor managed to win in every single game out of six what is unique in this season of City Games. They showed great performance in flying water polo, achieving more than 300 points more than others. Actually they played every game so good that there were no proper team to beat them. Štajerske vijolice had standardly strong swimming team even strengthen with Olympic swimmer Martin Bau, which competed in Rio in 1500 freestyle. Martin was yesterday perfect in all swimming part of games on City Games.

 

But it was much more even for the silver. Duplek started well in flying water polo and tourist rescuing, taking second place, nevertheless, Ptuj was better in the next three games – treasure, prosciutto and water basket. The last game paddle was decisive and Duplek´s men were stronger.

 

We have to pride two other teams – Pesnica and Mariborski tekači (Maribor´s runners) which totally changed their usual sport but still gave their best, try until the very end and have lots of fun.

 

Mariborske vijolice entered the Slovenian final with this victory and will for sure try to win this year and go to Biograd na Moru, where international part of competition will take place.

 

RESULTS:

1^st place: MARIBOR, Štajerske vijolice – 52 points (red)

2^nd place: DUPLEK, Se vseeno – 33 points (yellow)

3^rd place: PTUJ, Ptuj – 32 points (blue)

4^th place: PESNICA, Peklenski fantje – 9 points (dark blue)

5^th place: MARIBOR, Mariborski tekači – 4 points (orange)

 

Photo: Jan Mastrović

The first big news today was that team Krk, the current Croatian winner, couldn´t make it to the Vir – to the Croatian final (health problems). So everything changed in the blink of the eye. Other teams received a gift – an open way to win the final and to become a team who will represent Croatia in international semi-final. Two teams were much better than others from the beginning and in the end the luckiest were team Ploče, Plina Istočna, while the second placed Šibenik, Šubićevac, which brought many spectators from Šibenik, were totally happy about their result, because all they wanted tonight was having fun. The bronze went to the team which successfully replaced Krk – Karlobag, Cesarica.

 

Even Karlobag had great support, despite they were informed only few hours before the final to compete in Vir. It was six games that was played in the final – flying water polo, sea alka, tourist rescuing, prosciutto, sea basket and paddle.

 

In flying water polo the result was very tight between all teams. 10 points took Ploče for the result of 194 points, 8 points deserved Karlobag – 174 points, while 6 points won Šibenik (Šubićevac). It was again very tight in sea alka, where Ploče again took 10 points (10), Šibenik (Šubićevac) 8 points (7), while the third place was shared between three teams – Vir, Šibenik (A je to) and Karlobag (4). Šibenik (Šubićevac) then rescued their tourists the fastest and got close to the leading team, while Karlobag was still close enough to both of the leading teams to come to the top.

 

Very interesting was prosciutto, where five teams came within two and a half seconds. The luckiest in this game of milliseconds were the borrowed player that competed for Ploče, but his victory was really the lucky one. Šibenik Šubićevac was very close behind, the same as young talented player with big potential from Valpovo. Sea basket was not played perfectly for no one, while many players missed the basket in hurrying up too much. We also have to congratulate to many girls swimmer that competed really good. One of those was Iva Grivičić, which competed in European and World Championships in swimming in the past. The seconds were again lucky for Ploče, Šubićevac took 8 and Karlobag 6 points.

 

In the last game paddle everything was still possible, but Ploče showed their great experience and took all 15 points which brought them the first Croatian title and ticket to the international semi-final, that will take place in the end of August in Biograd na Moru. Ploče is the forth team to qualify – first three were Kragujevac (Serbia), Herceg Novi (Montenegro) and Trebinje (BiH). But we have to mention that the competition in the final was not as strong as it could be – Pag didn´t compete this year at all, while Krk couldn´t make it to the final. Also Komolac showed they are very perspective team so in the future Croatia will have many excellent teams and will be for sure even closer to win the international title again after many years.

 

PLOČE, Plina Istočna: ˝After many years we finally made it. Today´s victory was well deserved, I think that from the first game there were no proper competition for us. I don´t know what would happen if Krk was here, I believe we would have win anyway. It is hard to say what will happen in the final, because it is a new level of competition there, only best teams compete. We will try our best and see what happens.˝

 

ŠIBENIK, Šubićevac: ˝As we already said before, we wanted to have fun and to give our best. We did that and it is awesome. We didn´t expect to be so good. When Krk didn´t come, some options have revealed and it was really super event for us. Our team was excellent, our spectators were fabulous. Ploče was better today and we congratulate them for winning and we wish them all the best in Biograd.˝

 

KARLOBAG, Cesarica: ˝We are satisfy, we have to admit the first two teams were much better so I honestly congratulate them. We came a little out of form (as always), but with some training I believe we could be in much higher level. But we gave our best, we left the heart in the sea and we repeated last year´s third place so we cannot be unsatisfied. I am very proud of my team and our spectators. I told them today we will play in the final and the whole village immediately sat in the cars and come here to cheer for us. It is what makes us so special, the whole village support us. So it is not six-packs that make us good (because we don´t have it), it´s our heart. And heart is the strongest muscle.˝

 

RESULTS:

1^st place: PLOČE, Plina Istočna – 63 points (yellow)

2^nd place: ŠIBENIK, Šubićevac – 49 points (blue)

3^rd place: KARLOBAG, Cesarica – 29 points (green)

4^th place: VIR, Vir – 24 points (dark blue)

5^th place: ŠIBENIK, A je to – 22 points (orange)

6^th place: VALPOVO, Žabari – 14 points (red)

Foto: Jan Mastrović

Today is a day when Croatian final will be played in the island Vir. We will see six different teams that deserved the final ticket through qualification and challengers (except home team Vir that have a right to play in the final as a home team). Team Krk – Daj Mare is the current favorite and is for sure the favorit for winning the title, considering some of the best teams are missing.

 

But let´s start with those who made it to the final. The first one who entered the final event was in challenger in Belišće in Slavonija team Valpovo – Žabari. They fought a great battle with home team Belišće, but in the end their superior show ended with sufficient seven points advantage. The second finalist was known in Šibenik, where also two teams played it much better than others. Ploče – Plina Istočna made it to the final, winning over very good team Komolac for seven points. They have experience in playing in the final, but not the fresh one. None experience with the final have the next team that qualify in Okrug – Šibenik – A je to. It was good competition there between four teams, but Šibenik was stronger in the end. On the other hand current champion Krk – Daj Mare didn´t have decent rival in Malinska, winning the event with 15 points advantage, comparing to others. The last finalist we got in Zubovići (Novalja) where the winner ended with the smallest difference – only one point. The lucky one was Šibenik – Šubićevac, one of the three teams that played in the last year´s final and will play in this year´s.

 

Teams will play six games – flying water polo, tourist rescuing, water alka, prosciutto, water basket and paddle. Three out of six teams played five of these games in challenger, while both teams from Šibenik – A je to and Šubićevac played only three of them. If this is advantage to them (maybe they are better in water games, while they played mostly games in the land), we will witness tomorrow. For what we saw, Ploče made some excellent times in Šibenik and they seemed like a good swimmers. Being a good swimmer will for sure be advantage tomorrow. Krk was the best in flying water polo, but it is a different position and way of doing it in different location. Valpovo made impressive time in prosciutto, while tourist rescuing was good for almost every team. We don´t know what to except of a home team, but we know for sure they will do their best in the home town.

Foto: Jan Mastrović

The fifth and the last Croatian challenger was played last night in nice little town on the island Pag, called Zubovići. The winner has won the ticket for the national final that will take place on 10. August on Vir. The last finalist is, after great and tight battle, team Šubićevac from Šibenik. They won 30 points, while second placed Cesarica from Karlobag achieved only one point less. Between other two teams – home team Zubovići, Novalja and Plitvička jezera, we saw great competition for bronze and the strongest in the end was home team (17 points).

 

In nice atmosphere in Zubovići, where City Games started with a little delay because of traffic jam, where part of the competition and organization team got caught, four teams played seven different games – tourist rescuing, barrel race, prosciutto, donkey race, suck race, fisherman´s crates and paddle.

 

The best start succeeded to team Plitvička jezera – they finished tourist rescuing the fastest. But then they got three zeros in a row so they fall out from the places that leads to the final. Karlobag in the other hand started really bad and that cost them important and decisive points in the end. They won three out of last four games but it was still not enough. Šibenik was first only in one game, but played it very constantly. That was in the end the key for winning the event and winning the last place in Croatian final.

 

On Vir we will see six teams – Valpovo, Ploče, Šibenik (A je to), Krk, Šibenik (Šubićevac) and home team Vir.

 

ŠIBENIK, ŠUBIĆEVAC: ˝We have been to the final last year but it didn´t turn out as we wished so we ended on the fifth place. This year we for sure came to have fun, but we wanted to go to the final too. So we are really happy. We expected to play a little more of water games, but we still managed to win the gold. In the final we expect to have fun, mostly.˝

 

RESULTS:

1^st place: ŠIBENIK, Šubićevac – 30 points (green)

2^nd place: KARLOBAG, Cesarica – 29 points (orange)

3^rd place: ZUBOVIĆI, NOVALJA, Bumburak – 17 points (blue)

4^th place: PLITVIČKA JEZERA, Padobranci – 14 points (red)

 

Foto: Jan Mastrović

It was the current Croatian champion Daj Mare from Krk that was total favorit for winning the fourth national challenger and it ended with no surprise. Krk won in their home place, in Malinska, Krk, winning 50 points. The second place went to team Mali Lošinj, Tri maruna, achieving 35 points, while bronze took Umag – Petrovija with 29.

 

Again there were six games, played by five teams – flying water polo, barrel race, tourist rescuing, prosciutto, water basket and paddle. And from the beginning it was clear that well experienced Krk is a class of its own. They were the best in five out of a six games, while in one game they came second. As even their captain admitted, the result is not shown the real picture while other teams were not as close experienced as the Croatian champions. It was much better battle for the second place. Mali Lošinj and Umag were even after fifth game, so it was the paddle that decided the second placed team. Mali Lošinj were stronger and they appreciated the silver, but even more they appreciated the great day and evening they spent in a good company.

 

More or less it was so for every team, but Krk. They for sure played seriously, trying to reach the final where they will try to defend their title. This year´s final will be very strong and we have only one finalist left to get. We will get it tomorrow in island Pag and the best six teams will played against each other very soon – on 10. 8. on island Vir, where the winner will continue their way to the international competition.

 

KRK: “We are satisfy with our result. Watching the points you could say we cannot do better, but we can. We played against local teams that are not as experienced as we are. We will change team a bit for a final to be stronger there. We will train now because competition in the final will be strong and with bit of luck we can win again, but we have to be at least one step better there. It´s the win we always want, we are not interesting about anything else.”

 

RESULTS:

1^st place: KRK, Daj Mare – 50 points (dark blue)

2^nd place: MALI LOŠINJ, Tri maruna – 35 points (red)

3^rd place: UMAG, Petrovija – 29 points (green)

4^th place: NJIVICE, Barakude – 16 points (blue)

5^th place: RIJEKA, PomFRI – 4 points (yellow)

 

Foto: Jan Mastrović