After their great success on the international stage and their historic victory in the 2000 European Cup in Skopje, it took the women’s bowling team from Novi Bečej seven full years to confirm their undisputed quality on the domestic scene as well. After conquering Europe, the Jedinstvo women finally won the Serbian championship title.
Following several unsuccessful attempts, when the title had slipped away from them in the closing stages of the championship, the Jedinstvo women’s team from Novi Bečej finished the 2006/2007 season at the top of the Serbian Super League, securing their second national championship title.
Led by experienced national team player Đenđi Kirti, Jedinstvo opened the season with two victories. They defeated Toza Marković from Kikinda at home and Jagodina away, winning both matches by a convincing 7:1 scoreline.
After their excellent start, however, the Novi Bečej team suffered a 3:5 home defeat against Pionir from Subotica in the third round. It seemed that the championship title would once again remain out of reach. But the defeat was quickly overcome the following week, when Jedinstvo travelled to Novi Sad and defeated SPC Vojvodina 7:1.
That victory put Jedinstvo at the top of the table, a position they would hold until the end of the championship.
Throughout the season, the Novi Bečej women displayed remarkable consistency. They recorded 15 victories and suffered only three defeats. Two of those defeats came against Pionir, both by a narrow 5:3 scoreline, while the third came against Hajduk in Kula, where Jedinstvo lost 7:1.
When the decisive stage of the championship arrived, Jedinstvo remained composed and highly convincing. In the final three rounds, they defeated Radnički from Kikinda 6:2, Ada computers in Novi Sad 7:1, and then finished the championship in spectacular fashion at home, beating Venus from Bačka Topola by a perfect 8:0.
Jedinstvo finished first with 30 points, one point ahead of their major rivals Pionir from Subotica.
Final Standings – 2006/2007 Season
| Pos. | Team | P | W | D | L | Score | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Jedinstvo (Novi Bečej) | 18 | 15 | 0 | 3 | 107:37 | 30 |
| 2. | Pionir (Subotica) | 18 | 14 | 1 | 3 | 98:46 | 29 |
| 3. | SPC Vojvodina | 18 | 11 | 1 | 6 | 81.5:62.5 | 23 |
| 4. | Kristal (Zrenjanin) | 18 | 10 | 2 | 6 | 80.5:63.5 | 22 |
| 5. | Hajduk (Kula) | 18 | 9 | 1 | 8 | 75.5:68.5 | 19 |
| 6. | Venus (Bačka Topola) | 18 | 8 | 0 | 10 | 64:80 | 16 |
| 7. | Toza Marković (Kikinda) | 18 | 6 | 1 | 11 | 61.5:82.5 | 13 |
| 8. | Radnički (Kikinda) | 18 | 5 | 2 | 11 | 56.5:87.5 | 12 |
| 9. | Jagodina | 18 | 4 | 2 | 12 | 49.5:94.5 | 10 |
| 10. | Ada computers (Novi Sad) | 18 | 3 | 0 | 15 | 46:98 | 6 |
Jedinstvo’s Championship Squad
Eleven bowlers represented Jedinstvo during the season:
- Đenđi Kirti – captain and coach
- Ivana Eremić
- Monika Kiš
- Livia Santo
- Kornelia Kosoruš
- Erika Kolarević
- Andrea Vaš
- Hermina Rajber
- Ildiko Kormanjoš
- Erika Šimon
- Marta Ernješi
The team’s technical manager was Bogomir Momirov.
Ivana Eremić, Monika Kiš and Livia Santo played in all 18 matches, while Đenđi Kirti appeared in one match fewer. Kornelia Kosoruš played 11 matches, Andrea Vaš nine, Erika Kolarević eight, Hermina Rajber five, Ildiko Kormanjoš two, while Erika Šimon and Marta Ernješi each appeared in one match.
Đenđi Kirti recorded the most victories, with 16. Ivana Eremić won 15 matches, Monika Kiš 14, Livia Santo 10, Kornelia Kosoruš seven, Erika Kolarević six, Hermina Rajber three, and Ildiko Kormanjoš one.
Kirti also had the highest average score, with 530 pins. She was followed by Livia Santo with 512, Erika Kolarević with 510, Monika Kiš with 507 and Ivana Eremić with an average of 500 pins.
“My Dream Has Come True”
After winning the championship title, team captain Đenđi Kirti could not hide her excitement:
“I am absolutely thrilled. My dream has come true. I have carried this wish with me since 1983, when I started playing this sport. I am happier today than I was seven years ago in Skopje, when we surprised everyone – including ourselves – by winning the European Cup. We have been building towards this title for years, and it kept slipping away from us. Now we can finally say – we are the best.”
Ivana Eremić proudly added:
“This is a fantastic achievement. We finally managed to reach the finish line ahead of our great rivals from Pionir Subotica. We had a well-balanced squad which, from the very beginning of the championship, had only one goal – to win the title.”
Andrea Vaš made a full contribution to the title during the first half of the season, but for family reasons she could only support the team from the sidelines in the second half:
“I am absolutely delighted that we finally won first place. It was much harder for me to watch the matches than it was to play. I am sorry that I will not be part of the team in the autumn when we play in the European Champions Cup.”
Team technical manager Bogomir Momirov proudly emphasized:
“This is a great success, and the title is even more special because all our players are from Novi Bečej. We do not have a single player from outside the town.”
The congratulations were also joined by Laslo Makra, founder of the women’s club, its long-time coach and former coach of the women’s senior national team:
“From the bottom of my heart, I congratulate the girls on winning first place and the Serbian championship title. They earned this through their work and dedication a long time ago. They had finished second three times, and now they have finally moved ahead of their great rivals from Subotica.
Let me remind you that Jedinstvo were champions of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in 1993, but under the name Jedinstvo DEKO, with bowlers from Bačko Gradište. Today, this team is exclusively the product of the Novi Bečej bowling school.
What more can be said at the end, except that all the work invested in developing our own players was not in vain.”
A Championship Generation
By winning the Serbian championship in 2007, the Jedinstvo women crowned years of hard work and proved that their European success in Skopje had been no accident. Seven years after winning the European Cup, the women from Novi Bečej became the best team in their own country as well.
For a generation of players developed in Novi Bečej, the title represented a special confirmation of the strength of the local bowling school. The European trophy won in 2000 thus received its continuation on the domestic stage – in 2007, Jedinstvo became champions of Serbia.
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