On the way to the fascinating mid-week clashes

February 15, 2022

On the way to the fascinating mid-week clashes

The 12th weekend of the Baltic Handball League took place just a few days ago, featuring eight exciting matchups. The battle for higher rankings and playoff qualification is getting tougher and tougher. During the midweek matches, Lithuanian clubs will compete, while the defending champion Lithuanian port city team will face visitors from Latvia.

Wednesday, 16 February.

First and foremost, we would like to congratulate all Lithuanians and the whole State of Lithuania on State Restoration Day on behalf of the three Baltic States!

VHC Šviesa Vilnius – Varsa-Stronglasas Alytus | 14:00

Arena: Vilnius sport school Tauras hall

The teams of Vilnius and Alytus are at quite different places in the standings. VHC Sviesa is in third place and just a few wins away from making the playoffs, whilst Varsa is in a life-or-death position. However, given the current state of the teams, it appears to be a difficult battle. The Vilnius team’s coach, Zygimantas Sinkevicius, emphasized: “We have already played Alytus three times this year. All of the games were extremely close. We anticipate a tough battle on Wednesday.”

The last meeting was extremely difficult, and it was a fight to the very last second. In October, the Lithuanian capital city team prevailed (28:27). Alytus coach Egidijus Petkevicius expressed his regret following the first encounter, but vowed to give it his all on Wednesday: “We will aspire to a rematch in Vilnius. We’ll try to win in Vilnius; there’s nowhere for us to go.” “Each new meeting with VHC Sviesa is like a re-enactment of last year’s Lithuanian league final. We will try to rematch,” Varsa captain Gintautas Adamkevicius said.

HC Dragunas Klaipeda – ZRHK Tenax Dobele | 19:00

Arena: BI Baziu valdymo centras

A meeting of neighbors is in the standings. Dragunas, the current Baltic Handball League winners, are seventh, while Dobele, their Latvian rivals, are sixth. It is worth noting, that the Lithuanian port city club has played two fewer matches than its opponents. The captain of Klaipeda City’s team, Arvydas Bucis, feels that the teams are quite similar in current form, not just in terms of numbers: “The teams are evenly matched, and neither managed to get the points last weekend, so it should be an exciting battle. The cost of winning a duel is very high.”

In October, the Latvian side won the first meeting. That time, despite being behind by two goals after the first period, Dobele won at 28:25.

Thursday, 17 February.

Granitas-Karys Kaunas – HC Vilnius | 19:00

Arena: LVA

Another battle between neighbors in the standings. The hosts, Granitas Kaunas, are in fifth place with 23 points, while their opponents are one step above with 24 points and one game in hand. The current form of the teams is very similar, with Kaunas having dropped just one point in their last four matches, while Vilnius has dropped two. Both clubs handled their opponents last weekend with two victories each. “Granitas is in great shape right now, especially in defence, so we will have to find extra resources to get a win on Thursday,” said HC Vilnius captain Martynas Lapinskas.

The first meeting in October was won by the Lithuanian capital’s team, when they defeated their rivals from Kaunas 32:29 in a tough duel. “Thursday’s game against HC Vilnius will be worth 4 points because it’s not only a BHL game, but also a Lithuanian Handball League game. We lost the first game, so I think it will be an extra motivation for us,” said Granitas coach Vaidotas Grosas.