Thursday, 21 June 2012

Upper Austria defends the team title, Carinthia aims for the stars

Tomorrow promises to be a gripping day at the Austrian championships. Not only will the first section of the singles take place, but the Austrian team championships will also be decided. Teams from five states are competing, and Upper Austria has set itself the clear but challenging goal of defending the title.

The Upper Austrians competing for the championship are Roland Englbrecht, Josef Schwarz Jr, Iris Murray and Astrid Kneifl – a strong team, but one which the Carinthian team is determined to face down. The local heroes' team, made up of Andrea Skorianz-Jenull, Dieter Köfler, Markus Stock and Gerfried Puck, was able to set a strong precedent in the S-level jumping and can be regarded as title favourites tomorrow as well. But the Styrian team – Markus Saurugg, Mario Bichler, Barbara Belousek and Simon Johann Zuchi – are also awaiting their chance. A win for the riders from the green province would mean their sixth title, whereas Upper Austria would match Styria's record of five titles by defending their title and a win for Carinthia would increase their record to three championship titles.

The Lower Austrians – Simone Scheiblauer, Anton Martin Bauer, Alice Janout and Christian Schranz – will also be strong competitors, while the mixed team of Vorarlberg/Vienna have an outside chance. This team includes Helfried Knotz, Christian Rhomberg, Franz Aschenbrenner and Rob Raskin. All the states should heed the call: tomorrow is the time to root for your local favourites, and whoever wants to do so live should come to the GHPC, where admission is free.

Source: REITSPORTNEWS – Die Pferdesportagentur