Lire en français The first day of the 2 Towers tournament in La Rochelle has given its verdict. 84 matches between 9am and 7pm. The Lucien Maylin pool had its surprises and big matches. Let’s summarize what happened.
Group A: Saintes in (almost) control !
Tenth of the last D1, Saintes finished at the first place of group A ! With a changed team that welcomed Nicolas Merlier and Quentin Thomazo, who played left-handed, from Rennes. Frédéric Estier, the new player from La Rochelle, also played in this competition with his former teammates. Add to that the experience of Paul-Emile Noirot-Cosson and you have a winning machine that finishes this first day in first place. Xavier Beaulieu’s teammates had a run of six consecutive wins before losing their last game to Dinan (1-0).They are ahead of Fontenay, the winners of the Puy-en-Velay leg who failed to take advantage of Saintes’ slip-up against Dinan by drawing against Diderot XII.
The U24 men’s team put in a good performance to beat Dinan (3-2). The Bretons still finished in third place.
Ranking
1- Saintes
2- Fontenay
3- Dinan
4- Diderot XII
5- Morlaix
6- Pessac
7- U24 M
8- Nantes
Group B : Le Puy and La Rochelle domination
We had a nice mano à mano between the teams of Le Puy and La Rochelle who finish with the same record of five wins, one draw and one defeat. The win of Yohann Castella’s teammates against the Rochelais allows them to finish in first place, ahead of their weekend hosts. Clermont is not far in third place. The Auvergnats are one of only two teams still unbeaten on the first day and can hope to improve on their second place from the Velay tournament.
The Elites Women are also looking for a better result than in the first stage of the French Open League where they finished in third place. Jacques Bréchaire and his players are aiming to qualify for the grand final in Sarcelles on 23 and 24 April.
The Neuilly Squale Team had a difficult day, having to play almost all their matches with five against six after Alexandre Ginet was injured in the 3-2 loss to Le Puy.
Ranking
1- Le Puy
2- La Rochelle
3- Clermont
4- Elite F
5- Occitan Warriors
6- Pessac 2
7- Neuilly
8- Les Wasochs
Group C: The unstoppable 8th !
The French Elite Women team has gathered fifteen players for this 2 Tours tournament. Just like in Puy-en-Velay, they compete in both pool B and pool C. If the path to victory seems difficult to reach in group B, for group C, it’s not the same deal in pool C. Unlike TDV, Rémi Honoré, the tournament organiser, has confirmed that they will not be downgraded. They are therefore the ideal candidates for the final victory. However, they will have to deal with the formidable team of Le Chesnay, which they have only beaten by two goals. The Franciliennes won the stage in Puy-en-Velay and want to confirm their good start to the season. It’s very close behind with the teams of Rendinantes, HOPE and the U24 women who are on the lookout for a slip-up by the favourites.
Ranking
1- La 8ème
2- Le Chesnay
3- Rendinantes
4- HOPE
5- U24 F
6- La Rochelle F
7- NOUEST
8- Diderot XII
Tomorrow’s programme
