It had been a while since we last faced Hazenkamp. Last indoor season, the soon-to-be largest korfball club south of the Waal in Nijmegen had proven way too strong for a then already injury-struck Débaldérin. Star players like Bart Merks and Reinier Schreuder either started that match unfit or had to leave the game early — and this time, they weren’t even present at all. Reinier did act as emergency ladies’ reserve and coach, though.
Other names had to step up. Finding enough players, especially ladies, was quite a challenge, but Inge and Ella agreed to each play a half, Lotte was willing to see how long she could last, and Nathalie volunteered just hours before kickoff to fill the final spot. This way, Débaldérin could “simply” start with four ladies and four gents in this classic showdown against Hazenkamp from “Nimma” (Nijmegen).
At the last minute, the lineup had to be tweaked because Niels’s warm-up consisted of fetching his shoes from his parents’ house — fortunately, they live close by. As a result, Niels and the also late-arriving Ella began on the bench. In the attack, Matthijs, Deen, Anne, and Inge were fielded by Reinier. In defense, the team lined up Bart S, Tom, Nathalie, and Lotte. The formation raised a few eyebrows, but afterward Reinier insisted that there was a strategy behind it: if everything clicked, we would win. “I went for the high roll,” he would later say.
Débaldérin started off sluggishly. Hazenkamp featured a few new faces but also plenty of familiar ones from previous encounters. One of these familiar opponents opened the scoring against Lotte — although the scoreboard was (still) missing. Deen then created a great chance for Matthijs, who finished well, and unlike later moments in the match, wasn’t penalized for defended shooting.
After the “vak” switch, it was once again a good setup play — this time Nathalie feeding Lotte — that paid off. Hazenkamp quickly responded with familiar scorers, bringing it to 2–3. Despite Bart’s opponent creating many dangerous inside moves, Hazenkamp didn’t really pull away. Tom kept picking up well defensively, and Anne tied the game again with a shot from distance.
This opened the door for Débaldérin’s more dynamic attacking section. With some lovely play and sharp finishing, Débaldérin pulled ahead to 5–3. Deen added a great goal but then conceded two on the other end, leveling the score at 6–6. Niels had by then entered the game and, capitalizing on the space after an attacking rebound, calmly finished from close range. However, Bart’s opponent managed to get free and score a running-in shot soon after.
Shortly afterward, referee Kamiel — who had already disallowed a few goals for defended shooting — indicated there was one minute left in the first half. Débaldérin’s second attacking unit seemed determined to set up a quick, high-tempo attack, but after 4–5 passes, they got stuck with Bart holding the ball near midfield. After a few fake shots searching for an opening, he decided that a 9-meter shot was the best chance — even if just for a rebound. He was right: the ball dropped cleanly through the hoop from way up above the campus. The opponent found this pretty unsportsmanlike.
Thanks to an interception, Débaldérin even had a chance for a 9–7 halftime lead. Bart again threatened a shot but this time passed to Nathalie, whose 5-meter shot just narrowly missed. Halftime.
“Stay sharp,” “We can really win this,” “Help each other,” “Box out for rebounds,” “Drop back if you have to,” “No unnecessary chances, what did we agree on? It’s a waste.” Anyone who has ever experienced a halftime speech from Reinier knows the drill. There was also some grumbling about the opponents’ ball handling. Despite pressure, they always managed to find their feed player, leading to a lot of running-in and turnaround shots. High lobs, sharp passes to the outside hand, or even bouncing passes on the (admittedly very good) artificial turf — you name it. This last point wouldn’t have annoyed me so much if I didn’t know that Hazenkamp usually plays on poor-quality natural grass back home in Nijmegen. They’re not a hiking club, so how is this their specialty? I (especially I) openly wondered.
The second half began. Ella replaced Inge. Lotte was still doing fine because she had been very cautious in her attacking efforts — even more so in the second half. Hazenkamp immediately equalized. Bart S came off after conceding a goal, and goals became scarcer. It briefly looked tough for Débaldérin until Niels buried his second mid-range shot of the night.
Soon after, Hazenkamp scored a running-in shot, and Nathalie scored a short shot, making it 10–10. It became a real war of attrition. Matthijs scored his second validated chance, Hazenkamp hit from long range. Just before the final men’s substitution, the ladies from the second student-like attacking unit were deadly: an outside shot from Nathalie and the always reliable (“she never misses”) free pass from Lotte gave Débaldérin some breathing room.
But with 12 minutes still to go, anything was possible. Hazenkamp kept creating chances, but without any long, threatening attacks. On the other end, Anne, Ella, Matthijs, and Niels absolutely ruled the air, leading to long possessions — even if they didn’t always translate into good chances.
Only one more goal was scored in this exhausting final phase: 13–12. For Débaldérin, there was joy after a hard-fought and well-earned victory. For Hazenkamp, there must have been a lot of disappointment — especially since their penalty shot percentage seemed to rival that of PKC in the Korfball League finals, and that’s not a compliment.
Next Tuesday, Débaldérin faces an away game in always cozy Oss. Sign up! [Editor’s note: this match has already taken place, but there are still 3 other matches you can sign up for in the Hangout.]
Scorers: Lotte (3), Matthijs (2), Bart (2), Niels (2), Nathalie (2), Anne, Deen