World Cup 2023

31
Aug
2023

Sjoelen World Cup 2023 – Day 0

Today was a big day – the UK’s first ever sjoelen team registered at the World Cup in Beneden-Leeuwen, Netherlands! We also played our first ever international match, against the lovely Sonja and Robert Pick from Team Suriname. We lost – but it was a hard fought match and we even drew on one of the boards.

This evening saw a meeting of the head coaches, where we discussed the next two World Cups and heard about how sjoelen is developing in all the participating countries, especially in South Korea – more on that to come later.

Tomorrow, we’ll be playing in the qualifying rounds of the individual competition, and we may play again in the open pairs tournament.

Finally, we may have some exciting news about the team competition (which we aren’t currently scheduled to be playing in), so watch this space…!

Posted by sjoelenuk in Tournaments, leagues and competitions, World Cup 2023
14
Jun
2023
First UK team to play in Sjoelen World Cup

First UK team to play in Sjoelen World Cup

Husband and wife team Bethany Burrow and James Atherton will represent the UK at the Sjoelen World Cup in the Netherlands in August. They will compete against players from across the world at the tournament, which will take place in Beneden-Leeuwen from 31 August to 2 September. This is the first time that the UK has had representation in the World Cup – the UK is not a traditional Sjoelen-playing country.

The World Cup has been postponed twice due to the Covid pandemic. Bethany said, “The opportunity to represent my country has been worth waiting for and, to be honest, it’s given us extra time to practice, but it’s been a hard time for the organisers.”

Competition is expected to be stiff at the tournament, with strong teams from the Netherlands and Sweden competing against players from many other countries.

In UK terms, Bethany is a veteran of the sport, having learned to play as a child, while James is a relative newcomer. He learned to play after Bethany encouraged him to get a Sjoelen board for his brewery, Beerblefish Brewing Co., a couple of years ago.

On their chances in the World Cup, James said, “Let’s face it, we’re not there to win against the Dutch superstars, but this is a starting point for the UK team and will hopefully put the country on the map as one that plays Sjoelen.”

Posted by sjoelenuk in Tournaments, leagues and competitions, World Cup 2022