After finishing top of the WKL in 2007-08, Cardiff City have automatically qualified to participate in the first round of the Europa Cup. The Cup’s western division will be held in Luxembourg over the weekend of the 4/5 October. CCKC will battle against league winners from Catalonia (CKV), Portugal (CCO), Russia (STSR), France (Bonson), Scotland (St Andrews) and hosts Luxembourg (KCLRL), but only the top two teams will proceed to the second round held in January.

The players participating in the event will be (in alphabetical order): Ramzi Barbir, Susan Belfourd, Elaine Dunlop, Zoe Gabica, Chris Gubby, Ceri Jones, Max Lloyd, Ian O’Sullivan, Julie Prosser and Kat Smith.

The schedule of play for the weekend will be as below, with each match lasting 2×20minutes:-

Friday 03/10
KCLRL vs STSR
CKV vs St Andrews
Cardiff City vs CC Oeiras

Saturday 04/10
Bonson vs St Andrews
Cardiff City vs OSTU-STSR (Orel)
KCLRL vs CCO
Bonson vs CKV
Cardiff City vs St Andrews Uni.
CKV vs KCLRL
CCO vs Bonson
STSR vs St Andrews
Cardiff City vs CK Vacarisses
KCLRL vs Bonson
CCO vs STSR

Sunday 05/10
St Andrews vs KCLRL
CCO vs CKV
STSR vs Bonson
Cardiff City vs KCL Roude Leiw
St Andrews vs CCO
STSR vs CKV
Cardiff City vs FJEP Bonson
Closing ceremony

CCKC have trained at least once a week over the korfball summer break to prepare for the anticipated high level matches they will be facing. Also part of their preparation was a round robbin friendly pre-season mini-tournament versus the London based teams of West London Wildcats, Kingfisher, Cambridge, Croydon and Bec. Unfortunately, CCKC did not win any of these matches (only 25 minutes long each) but a big improvement could be noticed in the way the team played together over the course of the day.

The results of the preparation matches on 27th Sept were as follows:-
CCKC 3 - 4 Bec
CCKC 2 - 5 Kingfisher
CCKC 2 - 4 Cambridge
CCKC 8 - 10 WLW
CCKC 1 - 4 Croydon

Representatives from all 3 Cardiff city teams joined together as “the grass snakes” to do battle at the first ever Gloucester tournament. With stunning Korfballing weather, a good mix of opposition and the ever trusty Wales gazebo, the day was shaping up to be almost perfect. The only question that remained was whether our playing could live up to expectations…

(Read on …)

23-2

Susan Belfourd (3), Peter Fabik (5), Jack Newman (4), Ceri Jones (4), Zoe Gabica (3), Ramzi Barbir (4), Kat Smith, Elaine Dunlop.

Elaine Potter, Julie Prosser, Kate Saunders, Kate Brewer, Aidan Dickson, Rob Davies, Ian O’Sullivan (1), Stuart Wood, Max Lloyd (1)

19-6

Ramzi Barbir (4), Elaine Dunlop (1), Zoe Gabica (3), Chris Gubby (1), Susan Belfourd (2), Peter Fabik (4), Ceri Jones (3), Julie Prosser, Ian O’Sullivan (1), Kate Brewer 

Saturday saw all 3 Cardiff City teams in action against Cardiff Uni at Howells school, the results were as follows

Chiefs (City 2)   v  Uni 2
    10                   2

Cane toads (City 3)   v  Uni 3
   12                            5

Cyclones (City 1)  v  Uni 1
   22         1

Full match reports will be posted shortly.