Lokomotiva Beroun have finished the 2013 CZRLA season undefeated with a comprehensive 44-22 away defeat of Prague Vikings in the final round of the Championship. The victory will give Beroun even more confidence in this weekend’s Grand Final when they again face the Vikings in an effort to become the first Czech Rugby League Club to go through a full season winning every game they contested.
Leading Beroun forward, Vitezslav Drazka, was philisophical about the result, stating that Beroun, “treated this game as an opportunity to give extra game time to some of our rookie players and to try a few different combinations. We are satisfied with the result”.
In the other final round CZRLA 1st Division match, 2011 premiers the Pardubice Jets defeated a gallant Vrchlabi Mad Squirrels outfit 12-6 on home turf. Both clubs will look at 2012 as having been a season of expansion in terms of playing numbers, and an opportunity to give their players much needed further rugby league experience, before contesting an expanded 2013 CZRLA 1st Division Champioship.
Mikulov Roosters won the inaugural Czech Rugby League 2nd Division Championship. The Moravian-based club travelled to Slatinany with the four other Czech 2nd Division clubs and won three matches on a snow covered field that was a veritable bog by the end of the day’s tournament. The innovative Czech 2nd Division – contested by five new clubs in 2012 – saw each of the clubs host one round each for a reduced-time round-robin tournament.
Mikulov went into the final round sitting equal second with Usti nad Labem behind Havlickuv Brod. Havlickuv Brod started the season in a blaze, but have spluttered through the last two rounds of the Championship. Mikulov will now face Usti nad Labem in the 2nd Division Grand Final, the preliminary to the 1st Division Grand Final in Beroun this weekend.
Chrudim, the host of the final tournament day, showed vast improvement, winning three and drawing one match. CZRLA President John Anderson expressed his satisfaction with the progress of Czech Rugby League in 2012, and particularly the 2nd Division: “The physicality of the 2nd Division teams has been equal to, and at times even superior, to that displayed by the teams in the Czech 1st Division Championship in 2012, and promises to provide teams who will hit the ground running when called up into the 1st Division in 2013, as well as further depth of talent for the national team when the Czech Republic competes in international fixtures in 2013”.
Czech national team captain and Mikulov founder, Pettr Sedina, was pleased with the Roosters 2012 results thus far, but is looking forward to an intense Grand Final encounter with Usti. “The guys have worked really hard in training and improved gradually over the season with every game. We now look forward to a tough game with Usti in the Grand Final, and beyond that to competing in the 2013 Czech 1st Division.”
Pictured: Czech 2nd Division.