30 April 2011 / Categories: Recent Results and Events, 2011 IC GB v IC Austria, Vienna, March 19th & 20th 2011 IC Austria won 13 matches to 7 A strong and distinguished IC team travelled to a cold and windy Vienna in March to take in the amazing sights of Vienna city centre and to play against an even stronger Austrian side who were out for revenge following a narrow defeat to IC GB in the Caribbean in January. Although the Austrian IC team were indistinguishable from the Austrian national team, we were very well matched, with six matches being decided in the 3rd set tie-break. Overall though, the Austrians were too strong for us and the match captain must, of course, shoulder the responsibility for a 13-7 defeat. Gill Brook deserves a special mention as the only undefeated GB player, whilst her husband took a well deserved weekend off from Chairman duties and won two matches out of three. Our hotel was comfortable but 30 minutes from the city centre. This was due to two major conferences being held in Vienna over the same weekend which filled up the hotels and restaurants in the city centre. This minor problem was more than compensated for by the attention paid to us by Peter Lund, the Austrian captain who met most of us personally at the airport and did a great job in ‘herding cats’ over the weekend and joined us to share a wonderful meal in Vienna’s oldest hotel next to Mozart’s house in the city centre on Friday night. A particular highlight was the match dinner held at Altes Zechhaus, a 16th century restaurant in the stunning vineyard village of Gumpoldskirchen 30mins outside Vienna. Complete with lederhosen, traditional Austrian accordion music and 18 certificate wine labels, the meal and company created a wonderful climax to the weekend. Peter Lund was deservedly made an honorary member of the IC of GB and Henk remembered the IC of Japan and the Japanese people during their time of great adversity following the earthquake. Match manager Bill Gowans taking on the Austrians The teams of GB and Austria Katherine Laidler and Jeremy Woods Conversation between David Waite and Karen Hunter Phil Brook and Peter Pokorny Mark Cox underdressed? Susie’s Wiener Waltz New honorary member Peter Lund with GB captain wearing IC of Japan tie Dinner at Altes Zechhaus Previous Article GB Team for Compass European Challenge Selected Next Article IC vs Oxford & Cambridge Universities - Ladies Print 5202