Nimes Olympic
Last lawn. After 11 days of National, the Crocos are 11th in the standings. It's also interesting to look at where the club stands in the other rankings. Let's first take the one that annoys: the classification of lawns! Since last season, a pitch championship has also existed in the National as in Ligue 1 and Ligue 2. And after six matches played at the Antonins, Nîmes is quite simply last knowing that only 15 clubs are counted. The Nîmes lawn is far behind, being the only one to receive an average of less than ten (9.22). The penultimate is the Armand-Chouffet stadium in Villefranche-Beaujolais with 12.09. It is true that the pitch was in a catastrophic state at the start of the season. The good news is that the surface of the Antonins has improved significantly since August and is looking better. The score should therefore rise again this Friday against Quevilly. The Crocos have almost taken one more point since receiving Boulogne, proof that the state of the field is improving. Regarding attendance, Nîmes ranks 12th with an average of 1,650 spectators at the stadium, which represents 9,900 spectators since the start of the season. We are very close to last season's figures with an average of 1,635 spectators. The supporters who make themselves heard and noticed especially outside with in particular the use of smoke bombs in Aimargues, Villefranche, Beaucaire and recently in Bourg-Péronnas. The bill should also be hefty for the club with more than fifty machines lit. Finally, regarding the fair play ranking, Nîmes is only in 15th place with 28 yellows conceded and two red cards.
The players immortalizing the last victory at Costières • Photo Yannick Pons
Already two years. Today, November 5, 2024, it has already been exactly two years since Nîmes Olympique played its last match at the Costières stadium. On a beautiful autumn afternoon, 9,462 fans witnessed a final victory for the Crocos in a den that hosted the adventures of the NO for 33 years. Before recovering a piece of net, lawn or even a seat for some. Jean N'Guessan, who only stayed on loan for one season, made history by being the last scorer and gave the team a 1-0 victory against Bordeaux. Only Delpech, Dias and Labonne, present on the match sheet that day, are still at the club. After a few Nîmes women's matches, the venue is now abandoned and even more so with the departure of the associations from the adjacent rooms. With Rani Assaf's new stadium project at a standstill, the city of Nîmes has already launched avenues for a renovation of the enclosure because the club will undoubtedly return there one day. It remains to be seen when?
USAM
Wesley Pardin was recalled to the Blues • Photo USAM
Pardin among the Blues. It's the international handball break, for two weeks the Green team does not play. The opportunity to re-mobilize while the black streak is now six defeats in a row in the championship. During this period, several players left for the selection. This is the case of Wesley Pardin called up with the France team to face Sweden and Norway in the EHF Euro Cup. Rémi Peyre was also called up to the Blues but with the U21s for a double confrontation against Denmark. In U17, the young Jordan Fluet was selected. As with every break, Mohammad Sanad and Mohab Abdelhak have joined the Egyptian selection which will play twice against Japan. Among the young pharaohs, Youssef Loaloa was also called up. Finally, the list of internationals is completed by the young Bastien Lafosse and Clément Grosjean who are part of the France A Beach Handball team.
Table tennis
Felix and Alexis Lebrun will return to Parnasse • Photo Norman Garden
The Lebruns are back. For the first time, on Halloween night, the Lebrun brothers, team bronze medalists at the Paris Olympics, played in the championship at Parnasse. The new stars of world ping pong appreciated the atmosphere of the Nîmes hall where 2,000 spectators were present. Or double the attendance compared to Pablo-Neruda. “It’s a treat to play here, the room is magnificent and the atmosphere was great”reacted Hérault resident Félix Lebrun after the 3-2 victory against Hennebont. The two brothers will return to the den of USAM on November 14, still in Pro A, to face Pontoise-Cergy. Perhaps the opportunity to cross the 2,000 people mark.
Baseball 5
Indi Culianez-Huge and Olivier Skenadji • Photo Unîmes
A Nîmes shines. After Nathan Crégut with the French senior team, it is another Nîmes Baseball 5 player who recently stood out. France was bronze medalist at the U18 European Championships in Clermont-Ferrand and thus qualified for the 2025 World Cup in Mexico. In its ranks, the young blues notably include Indi Culianez-Huge, a member of the France division of Baseball5 who has been training for a year with the Nîmes Alligators. A French team coached by Olivier Skenadji from Nîmes who teaches this discipline to Staps students at the University of Nîmes. As a reminder, the Nîmes baseball club, the Alligators, will organize the 5th edition of the Baseball5 French Open on February 1 and 2, 2025 at the brand new Ludivine Furnon sports hall.
