On Saturday, the LaZala Mölkky – Indoor Hungarian Cup and qualifier competition was held in Zalaegerszeg, hosted by Zrínyi High School. The sport, which is both entertaining and tactical, was organised by the ZAC–LaZala Mölkky Association. The Zalai University Sports Association (ZESE) entered the competition for the first time in its history with four participants and achieved a remarkable result straight away.
Regarding the competition, Levente Karvalics, president of the Hungarian Mölkky Association, said that the Indoor Hungarian Cup was held for the second time in Zalaegerszeg, providing an opportunity for indoor competition during the November-February period. He highlighted that the tournament not only decided the fate of the cup but also the right to participate in the European Championship.
This year's field was outstanding even on a national level: 18 teams started, including new ensembles and young players. The participants began their battles in three groups, followed by a knockout stage. During the organisation, the federation also tested several accelerating solutions, for example, advancing based on goal difference in case of a 1:1 draw.
Behind the leading teams from Sárvár, Szigetszentmiklós and Zalaegerszeg on the ranking list, several emerging clubs have also appeared: Badacsony, Szigliget, VEDAC Veszprém, Budapest Radnóti, Székesfehérvár and Tatabánya were also represented.
The ZESE played bravely and successfully against strong opponents in the group stage, progressing with three wins, one draw, and one loss.
In the round of 16, they advanced with a 2-0 result, and in the quarter-finals, with a 1-1 result, they qualified thanks to a better points difference.
In the semi-final, the university team secured their place in the final with a 2-0 victory against the Zrínyi girls' team, the ZMG Champions.
In the final, the strongest team in the tournament, Fakopáncs–Szigetszentmiklós, awaited ZESE. In the close match – similar to the group encounter – the Szigetszentmiklós team proved to be better once again, and ZESE ultimately finished in a highly valuable second place.
The cup – similar to the Sitke qualifier – was won by the Fakopáncs–Szigetszentmiklós team (László Detre, László Nagy, Tamás Pintér, Ákos Persa), so they will form the national team competing in the Nations Cup.
As they already have a spot in the European Championships at club level, the second-placed ZESE team (Jóna-Horváth Jázmin, Bella Dániel, Jóna István, Kovács Máté), by decision of the federation, received the right to participate in the Mölkky European Championships.
A team from Zalaegerszeg also finished in third place under the name ZMG Champions (Bojana Korpics, Boglárka Pete, Flóra Takács), further strengthening the city's position in the national team rankings.
The organisers have indicated that in the future, the tournament will be held in Zalaegerszeg using a Swiss system with a fixed six rounds, in order to tighten the schedule and make the results more reliable.
The Mölkky European Championship will be held in Prague from February 28th to March 1st.
Our results
Group stage
Sárvári CHESS – ZESE 0:2
Vendsyssel - ZFC 0:2
ZESE – Kapusik Team 1:1
Finn Hal, Budapest–Radnóti – ZESE 0:2
ZESE – Fakopáncs–Szigetszentmiklós 0:2
Quarter-final
Csótai–Kúti Team – ZESE 0:2
Quarter-final
ZESE – Goat Cheese–ZMG Zalaegerszeg 1:1
Semi-final
ZESE – ZMG Champions 2:0
Final
Fakopáncs–Szigetszentmiklós – ZESE 2:0