Meadow Cup Musings / Round Two
Zino Stiles-Johnson – Correspondent for TSS
2025 Meadow Cup – ROUND TWO
ALPS BRACKET
Anras 4, Sölden 17 v Pontarlier 20, Zurich 28
Lucerne 22, Munich 20 v Passau 2, Spittal 14
CASTLES BRACKET
Salzburg 26, Chambéry 15 v Mulhouse 3, Cortina 0
Interlaken 9, Oberammergau 11 OT (9-9) v Mettmenstetten 16, Scheibbs 21
FARMS BRACKET
Vienna 10, Leoben 9 v Brenta 11, Bergamo 7
Bülach 5, Moena 19 v Bern 18, Fulpmes 15
VALLEYS BRACKET
Innsbruck 25, Imst 16 v Bad Ischl 23, Füssen 11
Besançon 5, Sankt Moritz 0 v Chamonix 8, Villach 28
ROUND THREE
ALPS BRACKET
Sölden v Zurich
Lucerne v Spittal
CASTLES BRACKET
Salzburg v Mulhouse
Oberammergau v Scheibbs
FARMS BRACKET
Vienna v Brenta
Moena v Bern
VALLEYS BRACKET
Innsbruck v Bad Ischl
Besançon v Villach
In their two matches in the 2025 Meadow Cup, the Besançon Artisans of the Harvest League have defeated Zillertal 14—3 and Sankt Moritz 5—0, yet their 1.5 points allowed average through two rounds is not the outstanding defensive effort of the Cup. And that is because the Mulhouse Railmen have not allowed even one point yet, book-ending their 6—0 victory over in Ebensee in Round One with an even more impressive 3—0 shutout of Cortina on Saturday, June 7 in what promised to be – and then proved to be – the consensus Match of the Week.
And while your correspondent was being facetious when I “predicted” a 1—0 outcome in the Riflers-Railmen match, every informed Wiesespiel fan foresaw a tight, low-scoring affair coming. And while 3-time Tor Medal winner Marcello Rinaldi is probably the most accomplished Gate in the Meadow Game (with apologies to Felix Moser and Hugo Thurner), Laurent Petit’s yeoman work for Mulhouse was the equal of that of Rinaldi. One three-point skot by Forward Marcel Alsace with 35 minutes remaining accounted for all the scoring.
The Riflers’ two-time Menger Medal winning manager, the affable Dominic Rossi, led the applause for their French conquerors after the match. “Like anyone who loves this sport, I will be very excited to watch this superb defense try to stop Paul Lackner, Hugo Thurner, Elias Hoffer and the rest of the Edelweiss. What an appetizing match.”
I will hope to be in attendance when Mulhouse meets Salzburg, whose offense looked precise and lethal in their 26—15 defeat of a game Chambéry outfit, who, though knocked out of the Cup, will consider their summer a success, having beaten their neighbors in Grenoble in Round One. Lackner looks untouchable right now, though he seemed to take an awkward step in a pit in the meadow while he was dashing for another skot against the Elephants.
But, the match I attended on Saturday saw me happily ensconced in the stands as Chamonix visited Villach, where 80-something year old superfan Clara Muhr led the Tirolerhuts’ fans in synchronized cheers and dances. The Chamois have slipped precipitously in the past few seasons and will battle in the Harvest League this season, but they were in the Tyrol League only four years ago. They were eager to stifle the hometown party atmosphere on this lovely Austrian summer day, but the Huts dominated the match 28—8.
The universal respect and love for Center Frank Hofferan and his collection of Waldmüller and Kernan Medals sometimes obscures this fact: Hofferan is a very, very good Center, and while he joked pre-match about losing weight this year and discovering – much to his surprise – that the Villach team training facility has a weight room, he in fact looked lean, muscular and formidable.
He and top-notch Schleissmann Wald Koppensteiner dictated play, and Chamonix looked like a team that will languish in the Harvest, if not slip further down the pecking order. As for Villach’s prospects: the Alpine League looks muddled this year – who knows who will earn promotion, but this young writer with an old-school mentality is not reticent in declaring that I, like that fireball Clara Muhr, very much want to see the Tirolerhuts back in the Tyrol League.
PLAY OF THE WEEK:
While I was watching The County earn its way into the Third Round, where they’ll face the Besançon Artisans, I received a text that said, in all capital letters and punctuated by an army of exclamation points, “Look up the run that Ozi just made!” So I did. So have you. So, we’ve all seen it, but nonetheless, let’s dedicate a few lines of print history to Ozi Mannheim’s crackerjack skot from his own defensive zone, during which he pinballed off every Pontarlier 57 he could find, seemingly twice each, to score from 70 meters out and boost Zurich’s lead in a match that remained tight until this memorable effort from the current Thaler Medal holder. Mannheim is a joy to watch, and his energy and the Tirggel’s resurgence seem to promise exciting times for the Zurich faithful.
MEN OF THE WEEK:
3] Frank Hofferan, Center, Villach Tirolerhuts.
Hofferan was the best player on the field (the other 19 players would agree, though Hofferan would shrug that off) in a comprehensive dismantling of the Chamois. He looks like a younger, quicker version of himself.
2] Gabriel Furrer, Forward, Lucerne Cheesemakers.
Munich expects excellence from itself, and Jurgen Hawksteader and the rest of the Lederhosen have been bold in declaring that they will return to the top. 20—18. Two minutes remaining. Lucerne’s quick-footed Farmhand Gabe Furrer emerges from a wild mid-field tangle and bursts into the Hose attack zone. Four plays later, he pushes in, with a handful of seconds left, for the skot that gives the Cheesemakers their 22—20 win and a Round Three contest against Spittal.
1] Ozi! That is: Ozwald Mannheim, Schleissmann, Zurich.
See above (again and again!).
NEXT WEEK – ROUND THREE ATTRACTIONS:
3] Brenta v Vienna
A match featuring two Tyrol League teams in early June …? A match to which both Managers have pledged full participation from their front-line players …? Yes, please.
2] Besançon v Villach
This match has much of the same appeal as the game in place #1 below: a stifling Artisans defense will hope to keep Villach’s offense – serviceable in Round One and powerful in Round Two – in check.
1] Salzburg v Mulhouse
The dangerous Edelweiss offense is the unstoppable force facing, in the role of the immoveable force, the stubborn and so-far unbreachable Railmen defense. The difference may be that while Mulhouse has a mediocre offense, Salzburg’s gate line features Hugo Thurner and Elias Hoffer – both of whom finished in the top five voting for the most recent Tor Medal; the Flowers’ talent just runs deeper. Nonetheless, this is an enticing match that explains the indispensable nature of the Meadow Cup: how long would fans wait to see these two teams … one in the Tyrol League and the other in the Wheat) … play otherwise …?
AND A FEW PREDICTIONS:
While I practice journalism, I also love to speculate, as you do, dear reader, on the fascinating upcoming matches and their possible outcomes. So, here, for fun, are several amateur prognostications:
3] Bern defeats Moena by 20 points. After Mule Brunner picked up an ankle injury and missed most of the Armed Bears’ close 18—15 decision against Fulpmes, surely the Janissaries of the Harvest League do not want to face a man who wants to prove during every match that the Bears will win the Parzer Pair, win the 2025-26 Tyrol Cup, win everything. I forecast a 30—10 scoreline, with current Klammer Medal and Purtscheller Medal holder Brunner accounting for 13 points.
2] Bad Ischl v Innsbruck
Bad Ischl have imposed their will on two opponents so far, scoring 28 and 23 points in their wins in Rounds One and Two. Their fellow Wheat League denizens from Innsbruck recorded a workmanlike 9—1 Round One win and rediscovered their offense in a 25—16 Round Two victory over the Bell Men of Imst. The Salzkammer have been the more threatening team, but I believe that some Original Eight mojo will carry the day for the Downhillers, 17—15.
1] Mulhouse will keep Salzburg’s scoring to a modest level, but in doing so, will have to pull back on an already sluggish offense, and thus lose in an outcome that does the French team great credit. I will say something in the neighborhood of 12—6.