BRANDENBURG - The last rostrum of the European championship belonged to the big names playing on the small tables. With his team, Frédéric Caudron won his second gold of the tournament. It made him and Raul Cuenca the most successful players of the week, out of all 500. The artistic player from Turkey, Serdar Gümüs, prolonged his title, a young pins player showed once again that Italy rules this discipline, and CEB chairman Bennie Deegens spoke the closing words: the mega-event has lived up to its reputation, and will return to Brandenburg in two years time.
The flags in front of the Stahlpalast waved for the last day. The spotlights in the well-lit billiard arena, with flags of all countries high above the tables, were aimed at the last champions, after ten days of high performance in 800 matches of all disciplines. The armada of gold left the stadium. Most players, like the new 3-cushion champion Marco Zanetti, the Spanish revelation Raul Cuenca, Turkish team winners Tayfun Tasdemir and Can Capak, the virtuoso balkline players and the Italian 5-pin specialists, had already left for home. The closing ceremony was there for the last single event winners: De Goeie Queue in 3-cushion for club teams on the small tables, Cerdar Gümüs as winner of the artistic billiards.
Frédéric Caudron (two golds, one silver) and Raul Cuenca (one gold, two bronzes) were the individual stars of the tournament. The Belgians were the leaders in the overall medal table, ahead of Italy, France, Spain, Turkey and the Netherlands, that took the most medals: 11.
On the ten day schedule, the most prestigious disciplines (3-cushion individual and 3-cushion for national teams) had been planned in the first weekend and early in the week. As a result, this European pearl in the crown had no real climax, and the stands were sparsely filled on the closing days.
The classic encounter between Frédéric Caudron and Eddy Merckx, on the small table for a change, was the highlight of the last day. For these two Belgians, playing 3-cushion on a 2.10 table is like Formula 1 racing on a kart track. The kiss is the main enemy on the small table, other than that, the game has few secrets. Eddy Merckx had already excelled with a run of 18, earlier in the club event, and Caudron now finished his quarterfinal with a run of 16. He won the Belgian clash thanks to runs of 12 (1st inning) and 17 (3d inning), leading the match 35-0 after four innings and finishing his one-man show 40-11 in 6.
De Goeie Queue met Andernos in the final, and showed its superiority. Frédéric Caudron beat Roland Forthomme 40-12 in 11 innings, Jean Paul de Bruijn got past Thibaut Espada with a 40-26 in 19.
The champions, the highlights, the medal ranking:
Marco Zanetti (55) celebrated one of the finest titles in his long career, in the opening weekend of Brandenburg. It was only the second European crown for the Italian, who beat Frédéric Caudron in a strangely one-sided final (40-14 in 11 innings). ,,I dedicate this title to my family, my friends and the supporters who have always stood by me.''
The new European champion had a rocket start, and it gave him a rarely seen advantage of 29 to 1. Caudron had played very well in the earlier rounds, and he had beaten Dick Jaspers in the semifinal just two hours earlier. But he had no reply to the demonstration of excellence from his former Agipi teammate. ,,I have played my best final ever, it feels fantastic'', said a joyous Zanetti.
The final day of the individual 3-cushion championship started with Caudron-Jaspers (40-30 in 19) and Zanetti-Martinez (40-29 in 23). Dick Jaspers will remain the nr. 1 on the world ranking, with just 2 more points than Dani Sánchez in second place. Third is Frédéric Caudron, fourth Marco Zanetti.
Two overjoyed Turks, Tayfun Tasdemir and Can Capak, embraced in the arena after their victory over title holder The Netherlands in the final. Turkey became the new European champion for national teams, after a spectacular last two rounds. The seasoned Turk Tasdemir and his younger, up and coming countryman Capak were given a standing ovation.
It was the second title for Tasdemir, the first international success for Capak. ,,I am so proud of our team and so happy for Turkey.''
The Turks dominated the final, the Dutch could not even come close: 40-19 in 14 innings. The fireworks were found in the Turkish semifinal against Greece. The later champion was 30-9 behind, after 15 innings. ,,In the first half, we were completely outplayed'', admitted Tasdemir. The pep talk between the Turks at halftime worked wonders.
The match pivoted, the Turks started an offensive and won the match after a brilliant second half: 40-33 in 22. That win against their 'neighbor' gave them a shot in the arm for the final. The podium was completed by Greece and Denmark.
The ranking of this European championship determines the seeding for the next world championship in Viersen, where for the first time, only sixteen teams will take part.
The very best players in the world when it comes to 1-cushion, battled it out for gold. Belgian Frédéric Caudron was the winner, for the fourth time in a row. Jean Paul de Bruijn, with six European titles to his name, was beaten in the second half of the match. It ended 120-63 in six innings.
These two, the best in their discipline, met on numerous occasion before. The Dutchman ruled from 2001 to 2007 with six victories, Caudron now won his fourth in a row and ninth in total. Caudon said about the development of 1-cushion: ,,We have improved the system in such a way, that during the construction of a run, we hardly ever run into trouble. I call it the Belgian school.''
The champion had already impressed in his semifinal against Raymund Swertz when he made a phenomenal run of 118, missing just two points from the finish because of a butage. The final was evenly balanced at 63-65, when Caudron found perfect control and ran 55 and out. Jean Paul de Bruijn had beaten Raul Cuenca in the other semi, 120-42 in 9 innings.
His first European title and international success was the highlight of the week for Raul, who works as a nurse in a hospital. It was his third medal, having previously won the bronze in 1-cushion and 47/2.
Dave Christiani, silver winner twice in a row in this event, was full of admiration for his opponent. ,,He played just about the best balkline I have ever seen.'' The bronze went to Arnim Kahofer and Esteve Mata.
The 37-year old Spaniard Raul Cuenca crouched over the billiard table crying, with his hands over his face, overcome with emotions after the most glorious moment in his career. He won the final of the 71/2, beating Dave Christiani in a magnificent match: 200-8 in a single inning. His catharsis was endearing, the Spanish player cried for minutes and was first congratulated by his compadre Esteve Mata. ,,My brother in billiards"' he said later.
His first European title and international success was the highlight of the week for Raul, who works as a nurse in a hospital. It was his third medal, having previously won the bronze in 1-cushion and 47/2.
Dave Christiani, silver winner twice in a row in this event, was full of admiration for his opponent. ,,He played just about the best balkline I have ever seen.'' The bronze went to Arnim Kahofer and Esteve Mata.
The Turkish title holder in artistic, 61-year old Serdar Gümüs, prolonged his title in an exciting final against 65-year Belgian Walter Bax. The match was levelled by the Turk from Izmir after he was 2-1 down. In the final set, he took the win 31-18.
On the stage were the 20-year old Jop de Jong from the Netherlands, one of the biggest talents ever in this discipline. He was only beaten by Walter Bax in the semi-final, who told him: ,,Don't worry, young man, your time will come soon.'' The other bronze winner was Jean Reverchon.
20-year old Spaniard Carlos Anguita from Los Naranjos won the 3-cushion event under 21. In the final, he beat Frenchman Adrien Tachoire 30-18 in 23. For the reigning Spanish champion, it was the best victory in his young career. Two years ago, he ended third in the European championship.
The Dutch promise Sam van Etten (20) was head and shoulders the best player in the free game under 21. The tall guy from Noord Holland won two of his three matches in a single inning. The final, against Belgian Stefan van Hees took three innings, and it ended 300-17. It was van Etten' s second win in this discipline, he will now transfer to the seniors.
16-year old Frenchman Maxime Panaia won his second consecutive gold in the 3-cushion under 17, on the small table. His final against Italy's Alessio d'Agata had an exciting finish. It ended 30-30 (in 26), and the first shootout ends 1-1.D'Agata then starts with four, and Panaia runs a winning five. During the award ceremony, the young French talent was draped in his national flag.
The title in 3-cushion on the small table was won by 37-year old Radovan Hajek, an airconditioning mechanic from Ostrava in the Czech Republic. The title holder, Kenny Miatton from Belgium, was beaten in the final: 40-26 in 25. Favorites like Eddy Merckx, Birol Uymaz and Ahmet Bayatli had been eliminated earlier.
The European title for club teams in the free game went to BC Oissel from France, with BC Horna from the Netherlands coming in second, BC De Coeck from Belgium third.
Bryan Eelen from Belgium won the title in the free game under 17. He beat Dutchman Leon Dudink in the final: 200-49 in 5 innings.
The final of the pins discipline once again demonstrated how dominant the Italians are, with seven of the last eight players in the field. between one and two million players are regulars of this game in Italy. The Danes were easily beaten in the final match.
The top ten of the medal ranking:
1 Belgium, 4 gold, 4 silver, 1 bronze
2 Italy, 4-2-3
3 France, 2-2-3
4 Spain, 2-0-6
5 Turkey, 2-0-2
6 Netherlands, 1-6-4
7 Czech, 1-0-1
8 Germany, 0-4-5
9 Denmark, 0-1-2
10 Switzerland, 0-0-2.
Serdar Gümüs defends his title on final day of the ChampionshipsToday was the final day of the European Billiards Championships in Brandenburg an der Havel/Germany. Three more goldmedalist were searched and found.The Artisique-event was the closing event of this years Championship and the countless fans in the Stahlpalast and at home watching the livestream saw a revenge of the 2015-final between Serdar Gümüs (Turkey) and Walter Bax from Belgium.The goal was to win 3 sets while you have to solve 7 figures in each set.
In the beginning both players acted without any mistakes until the seventh figure. Then Bax missed and therefore lost the first set. But that didn’t seem to bother him as he played brillant in the following two sets. The Belgian made absolutely no mistake and took the lead. In the forth set Bax even had a matchball as he was ahead 22:21 before the last figure. But he let out this opportunity so Gümüs had the chance to return into the match. He seemed to have nerves made of steel, made the points and rescured himself into the fifth and final set.
Then again Bax looked like the winner as Gümüs missed the forth figure. But just a few moments later it was Bax who showed nerves by missing the fifth figure. And after Gümüs solved the sixth figue and took a 31:18-lead he was in a very comfortable position. He was sitting in his chair, watching his opponent trying to escape this situation. Bax gave his best but failed by just a few centimeters. So it was Serdar Gümüs again who could celebrate his second European title after 2015. Jean Reverchon (France) and Jop de Jong from the Netherlands both received the bronze medal during the final awards ceremony.
New European Champion for 3-Cushion club-teams is BC De Goeie Queue from Belgium. Frédéric Caudron, Jean-Paul de Bruijn and Wesley de Jaeger were in total control of the whole event and had no problems beating the french opponents from Andernos in a one-sided final. Caudron beat his fellow countryman Roland Forthomme by a clear score of 40:12 after only 11 innings. At the same time De Bruijn was leading against Thibaut Espada after 14 innings so the title was already secured for De Goeie Queue. The final result of this match was 40:26 after 19 innings in favor of de Bruijn In the semifinal Caudron and De Jaeger beat the Dutch team from Apeldoorn (Eddy Merckx/Jordy de Kurijf) while Andernos eliminated AKK Brno from Czech Republic. Martin Bohac lost versus Thibaut Espada and Radovan Hajek was chanceless against Roland Forthomme. The turkish title holders from Mecidiyeköy were ousted by the team from Apeldoorn in the quarterfinal.
The final of the 5-Pins individual event for players under 21 years of age saw many ups and downs for both opponents. Max Gabel from Germany won the first set but Andrea Ragonesi equalized the score very fast. In set 3 the Italian was already up by 48:39 but Gabel accomplished the necessary eleven points for the 2:1-lead. Then it was Ragonesi again to get back on track and enforce the final set.There it was the German who took an early 31:19-lead but this time Ragonesi scored very high for the equalizer. Later, at 39:34 in favor of Gabel he had a great chance to increase the lead but failed. As Ragonesi also didn’t score very well, the young player from the host nation was still in a tiny 43:42-lead but it was Ragonesi being at the table. This time the Italian favorite kept his nerves and made the necessary eight points for the title and the gold medal.
In total 16 new European Championship were crowned in the previous ten days. The whole event was organized very well and all helpers, officials and referees did a fantastic job. The spectators in the venue and at home via Livestream saw exciting matches and great sport. In his final words, CEB-president Bennie Deegens already referred to the next European Championships in two years, which will also take place in the Stahlpalast in Brandenburg an der Havel/Germany.
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Brandenburg , day 9.
What a great final in the Cadre 71/2-event between Raul Cuenca (Spain) and Dave Christiani from the Netherlands! The Dutch opened the match with a run of just eight balls as Cuenca came to the table for the first time. And for the last time…, because he ran the necessary 200 balls in one inning. As both had equal innings Christiani had no chance for a comeback anymore. So the Dutch had to be satisfied with the silver medal again. Two years ago the same happened to him as he fell short to his fellow countryman Raymund Swertz.
The bronze medals go to the Austrian Arnim Kahofer, who made a real marathon of disciplines in the last nine days, and to Esteve Mata who lost in the semifinal against his spanish colleague and later winner Raul Cuenca.
Meanwhile Serdar Gümüs from Turkey is on a good way to defend his title in the discipline Artistique. As he was seeded for the last 16 he entered the event this early morning. After beating Benoit Clement (France) everybody expected the German Thomas Ahrens as next opponent but he surprisingly lost to Sergio Sanchez (Spain) in the first round.
Afterwards Serdar Gümüs had no problems with Sergio Sanchez so he booked his place in the semifinal on late Saturday evening. His opponent will be Jean Reverchon (France), while Walter Bax (Belgium) will face Jop de Jong from the Netherlands. So a revenge of the final of 2015 between title holder Gümüs and Bax is still possible.
The 5-Pins individual event for players under 21 years of age is in hand of the Italian and German players. Max Gabel who already won the bronze medal with the German team played against his fellow countryman Michel Peters while Andrea Ragonesi faced Giovanni Foti in the semifinals. Gabel won his match with 3:1-set and Ragonesi left no doubt about his skills against Foti. Now the winners will meet in the final on Sunday.
Last not least the club-team-event is still underway but the final 8 are fixed. Titel holders are the Turks from Mecidiyeköy. Birol Uymaz who was in the winning team two years ago and his partner Ahemt Bayatli will face the Dutch from Apeldoorn in the quarters. Eddy Merckx from Belgium is playing for this club so you can say that this will be a tough team to beat.
Nevertheless BC De Goeie Queue from Belgium might be the biggest favorites. Frédéric Caudron and Jean-Paul de Bruijn are the most famous duo in the tournament. Very good chances for at least a medal will have the players from Andernos (France). Roland Forthomme and Thibaut Espada are the favorites against the team from Havirov/Czech Republic.
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Turkey are the Team-ChampionsThe Turkish duo Tayfun Tasdemir and Can Capak are the new European Team Champions in 3-Cushion-Billiards. Today they won the title against the A-Team from the Netherlands. At the beginning the score was almost even but the Turks were ahead with a few points after seven innings. With the score at 17:11 in favour of Turkey they made a run of 13 points.
After the short break the Dutch couldn’t make a comeback and after 14 innings they had to congratulate their opponents for the title win. For the first time in the history of the event the matches were played with scotch-double, meaning both players shoot alternately. With the Turks playing like a real team during the whole event they were well deserved gold medalists, even though they were almost eliminated in the semifinal by the Greek team. They were already in a 31:9-lead as Turkey made an unbelievable comeback to win the match. In the second semi-final the Netherlands made an easy win over the Danish duo who qualified for the top four by beating France in the quarterfinal.
The group stage is underway in the Cadre 71/2-event. In total 24 participants are divided into eight groups of three players. Only the winner of each group qualifies for the quarterfinal. The winner of 2015, Raymund Swertz from the Netherlands, started with a win as well as his fellow countryman Dave Christiani who was his opponent in the final two years ago. Raul Cuenca from Spain, another medalist from 2015, also managed to win his first match by beating Dieter Steinberger from Germany. Thomas Nockemann, a German hope who won the bronze medal 2015, lost his first match and will need a clear win in his second to maintain his chance for the top 8.
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Italian 5-pins squad is still unbeatable
On Day 7 of the European Billiards Championships in Brandenburg an der Havel/Germany only two more disciplines had been finished.
As usual the team-event for 5-Pins-players was dominated by the Italian players. They already won all medals in the individual tournament and today they continued were the stopped two days ago. In the final against Danmark the match was already decided after the first two single matches and the double. Italy was ahead 3:0 so the relay which brings two points wasn’t necessary to play.
The same happened in the semi-final against Switzerland while Germany and Danmark had a thrilling match. The host nation was up 2:1 after the singles and the doubles but was down in the relay for a long time. But the race was until 200 points and the Germans fought back. Steffen Exler managed to take the lead and it looked like he would win but in the end he wasn’t able to close the match. His opponent from Danmark seemed to have the better nerves and made the final points after being down 183:197.
The 3-Cushions-event saw Belgiums title holder Kenny Miatton on a very good way to defend his gold medal from 2015. He was seeded for the final stage of the last 32 and managed to win the first three matches to earn a place in the semifinal. There he faced Ahmet Bayatli (Turkey) and with high runs of 10 and 7 he was able to also win this match. At the same time Radovan Hajek from Czech Republic beat Karl Makik (Austria) by a score of 40:20.
The final was therefore Miatton versus Hajek with the Belgian as the favorite but a final is still a final and everything can happen. The czech player knew that too and he gave his best to succeed. After runs of 11 and 6 points he was up a few points and managed to transport this lead over the finish line. Gold medal for Radovan Hajek!
Furthermore the group stages of the 3-Cushion team-event was played today. For the first time a so called scotch-double was played where the two players of each nation had to shoot alternately. Germany experienced a little desaster as both the A-Team as well as the B-Team failed to reach the quarterfinal. Sweden and Spain are also out at this early stage of the tournament. They were in one group with the Dutch B-Team which was the strongest duo in the end.
In the quarterfinal on later Thursday evening Belgium will face Greece while France is playing against Danmark. Besides that Netherlands A is playing his own B-Team as well as the two Turkish duos.
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Brandenburg,fifth day.
Leppens wins thriller versus Swertz
Today’s highlight of the European Billiards Championships in Brandenburg an der Havel/Germany was without a doubt the final of the Cadre 47/2 tournament. Eddy Leppens (Belgium) played against Raymund Swertz from the Netherlands and both played on the highest level.
Leppens opened the final with a run of 250 points. That was also the goal to reach in this match so he could go back to his chair and watch how Swertz would handle this situation. What he saw was just amazing. The Dutch seemed to be unimpressed and handled the pressure. He made point after point to equalize the game. Unbelievable!
So another 25 points had to be played and it was Leppens again who had to begin. He only made 3 points and it looked like he would loose now. But surprisingly Swertz missed the opening shot and received no point! So the new European Champion is Eddy Leppens from Belgium.
During the semi final between Swertz and the title holder Xavier Gretillat (Switzerland) something similar happened. Swertz had reached the 250 points after two innings and Gretillat only needed 12 points to equalize. But he also failed with the opening shot. At the same time Leppens beat Raul Cuenca from Spain by a score of 250:174 after four innings.
In the 5 Pins Team-Championships the group stages had been completed today. On late Wednesday evening the quarterfinals will take place. Title holder and favorite for the gold medal is the Italian squad as usual. They will face Spain, whilst the host nation Germany will play against the outsiders from Luxembourg. Last not least France will play Danmark and Switzerland against San Marino.
The third event played today were the group stages in 3-Cushions on the small table. A few matches of the single elimination stage of the top 32 are already played and the biggest name in the tournament that has reached the last 16 is Eddy Merckx from Belgium. He had no problems beating Stephan Kohout from Czech Republic. The new Champion will be crowned on Thursday.
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Brandenburg, Fourth day.
Caudron not concerned after yesterday’s defeat
On day 4 of the European Billiard Championships the 1-cushion tournament and the 5-Pins-event was the focus. In total 24 players participated in 1-cushion and we are down to only four players at the end of the day. In the quarterfinals Jean-Paul de Bruijn from the Netherlands eliminated Jean-Francois Florent (France) with high runs of 61 and 42 by a clear score of 120:12 after five innings. He will face Raul Cuenca (Spain) in tomorrow’s semi-final whilst title holder Frédéric Caudron (Belgium) will play against Raymund Swertz (Netherlands). After yesterday’s defeat in the 3-Cushions-final Caudron showed his class and seemed to be unconcerned from the previous day’s result.
More or less an Italian championship, the 5-Pins-tournament began this morning with the single elimination stage. In the past some of the German players have fought back against the strong Azzurri but this year that didn’t happen. From the eight players left seven of them are from Italy. Title holder Michelangelo Aniello needed five sets to win his first match but managed to win in three clear sets in the last 16 against his fellow countryman Camilo Gomez. The only non-italian left is Finn Mortensen (Denmark). He will face Matteo Gualemi in the quarterfinal.
The 3-Cushions-Tourney for players under 17 years of age has been underway since this morning. Only eight players are left for tomorrow’s quarterfinal. So far the biggest favourites for the title are Dylan Parent (Belgium) and Alessio D’Agata from Italy who were the only players with an average higher than one point per inning. However that could mean very little as we have learned over the last four days.
Today also the group stages of the Libre U19-event has been played. Only nine players started yesterday and now eight of them are left for the quarterfinals on late Monday evening. Only Maxime Schreiner from Luxembourg has been eliminated so far. Sam van Etten from the Netherlands had the best average in the group stages and is still the favorite for the gold medal. Simon and Lukas Blondeel are the remaining German hopes. They will face Jason Petit (France) and Anders Henriksen (Danmark) in the round of the last 8.
Additionally, tournaments in Cadre 47/2 and 3-Cushions on the small table began today. Only a few matches have been completed until now. Most of the players will have their first game on Tuesday.
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Brandenburg, third day.
Marco Zanetti new 3-Cushion-Champion
Four years ago Marco Zanetti from Italy became the European Champion in 3-Cushion-Billiards in a brilliant final against Christian Rudolph from Germany. Today he repeated his great success by beating Frédéric Caudron from Belgium. The final itself was surprisingly one-sided as Zanetti played like he was from another planet. He started with a 15:1-score after 3 innings and just a few moments later he increased his lead to 29:1.
His opponent from Belgium was trying everything to come back into the game but couldn’t manage to score more than just a few points. Zanetti, who had an average of almost 6,000 at one time, missed now and then but in the end he made the points needed to win the match by a score of 40:14 after eleven innings.
„To win this title again is one the biggest successes in my career. Especially in the beginning of the game I played brilliantly. I think you can’t play better. In the second part I struggled a bit but managed to transport the lead over the finish line“, said a very happy Zanetti right after the match.
In the semifinals Zanetti also scored well in the beginning and took an early lead over David Martinez from Spain. The final result was 40:29. At the same time Frédéric Caudron showed his abilities by beating Dick Jaspers from the Netherlands with 40:31.
The new European Champion in the discipline 3-Cushions for players under 21 years of age is Carlos Anguita from Spain.
His opponent Adrien Tachoire (France) took an early 5:1-lead but just a few innings later Anguita began to score and was ahead 16:6 at half-time. Right after the break Anguita continued his smaller runs while Tachoire was unable to follow. After 23 innings the final score was 30:18 in favour of Carlos Anguita who celebrated his first international title.
The new gold medalist in the Free Game for players under 17 was also determined today. Leon Dudnik (Netherlands) faced Bryan Eelen from Belgium which was a big surprise as both finished only second in the group stages. In the semifinals Dudnik elminated Yohann Alderbonn from France as Eelen beat Enzo Riquart (also France) in a thriller by 200:194. The final was more or less an easy business for Eelen as he ran 129 points in a row. That was good enough to win the match by a score of 200:49 after five innings.
In the club teams-event U19 the new European champions come from Billiard-Club Oissel. The French youngsters won all four matches against the opponents from the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg. The Dutch team from Horna finished second whilst BC De Coeck (Belgium) won the bronze medal.
Meanwhile the first group matches were played in 1-cushion. One of the favorites is Frédéric Caudron who won his first match against Alain Remond from France by a 100:76-score after nine innings. But today’s best match was played by Raymund Swertz from the Netherlands. The former European Cadre-Champion finished his match after only three innings.
Last not least the group stages of the 5-Pins-Tournament has been played. As usual the Italians dominated this stage of the tournament as they won 10 out of 16 groups. Another three Azzurri are seeded for the final stage and will join the tournament tomorrow.
Brandenburg, day two.
Top 4 determined in 3-Cushions
The European Billiards Championships have officially opened. Earlier today the president of the European Federation CEB, Mr. Bennie Degens from the Netherlands, spoke the opening words and welcomed all players, referees, coaches and fans. The opening ceremony was accompanied by various musicians and artists.
With the spectator‘s eyes mostly on the 3-Cushion-Event, the 32 players that were left this morning are now down to only four. Frédéric Caudron (Belgium), Dick Jaspers (Netherlands) and Italy’s European Champion of 2013, Marco Zanetti, as expected, have all reached the semis. The biggest surprise of the tournament so far is without a doubt David Martinez from Spain. Currently ranked number 127 in the world, today he showed his European opponents his real skills. Martinez beat Roland Forthomme (Belgium), Tonny Carlsen (Danmark) and Adnan Yüksel from Turkey to reach the final four. The semifinal and the final will be played on Sunday. It will be one of the highlights of the whole tournament. The winner will receive 6,000 Euros.
In the 3-Cushion Tournament for players under 21 years of age the participants of the final have been determined. Carlos Anguita from Spain will face Adrien Tachoire (France) in Sunday afternoon’s final. Tobias Bouerdick (Germany) and Mario Mercader (Spain) lost their semifinals and finished third, both will receive the bronze medal at tomorrow’s awards ceremony. Tom Löwe from Germany was surprisingly eliminated by Mario Mercader in the quarterfinals. After his results from the group stage Löwe was mentioned mostly as the gold medal favorite.
Meanwhile seven players under 17 completed the group stages of the Libre-Tournament. The qualifiers for the semifinals are Enzo Riquart, Yohann Alderbonn (both from France), Leon Dudnik (Netherlands) and Bryan Eelen from Belgium. Dudnik has only won one of his three group matches but that was good enough to finish second. Jeppe Kjolby (Danmark) and Guillaume Julliat (France) also won one match but both had a lower average than Dudnik.
Five teams compete in the U19 Libre Club-Team-Event that began today. They are playing a round robin-system but only the first three matches have been completed so far. The youngsters from Billard Club Oissel (France) and Horna (Netherlands) should be the favorites for the title.
You can follow the action live on www.kozoom.com. You can also check out the EC media site http://www.germantour.net/karambol_em_brandenburg_2017_media_tool.asp?id=49. You will find the latest pictures along with reports in three languages. You can download the programme, the time table and much more.
All results: http://competition.kozoom.com/en/home/3637/chain/2/
Brandemburg, Day one.
European Billiards Championships is underwayThis year’s European Billiards Championships began today. Following 2013 and 2015 the City of Brandenburg an der Havel/Germany is the host of the continental championships for the third time in a row. Around 500 players from 20 nations are competing for 16 titles in the next nine days.
On Friday the first disciplines kicked off. The 3-Cushion-Event is one where many of the superstars of the sport are involved. While 16 players are already seeded for the single elimination stage, another 48 are divided in 16 groups to determine another 16 players for the final round.
Not all group matches are completed so far but a few participants for the next round have already been found. One of them is Semih Sayginer from Turkey who will have a chance for a good result here in Brandenburg. But before he could celebrate his first place in his group he had to survive a very difficult situation in the deciding match against Jean-Christophe Roux from France. Sayginer was down 25:28 and needed five points for the win. He played a very concentrated game in this part of the match and it was clear that it was time for him to play his best Billiards. He made the necessary points and will face one of the seeded players in Saturday‘s single elimination stage.
Also through to the next round are Javier Palazon (Spain) and Jean van Erp from the Netherlands whilst Arnim Kahofer from Austria has been eliminated by Palazon‘s team mate David Martinez.
The German hopes are in hand of Martin Horn and Dustin Jäschke. Both already won their first group matches. The youngster Jäschke played a brilliant first match with an average of 2,500 per inning.
The future 3-Cushions-Stars are competing in the Under 21-Event. 16 players in four groups fighting for spots in the quarter final. Tom Löwe from Germany did very well so far, he has already won two matches and is the only player to have an average of more than 1,000 per inning. Also his fellow countryman, Tobias Bouerdick, a former European Under 17 Champion, has made it to the second stage of the tournament. He finished second in his group, only Carlos Anguita from Spain was a little stronger than the player from the host nation.
You can follow the action live on www.kozoom.com. You can also check out http://www.germantour.net/karambol_em_brandenburg_2017_media_tool.asp?id=49
You will find the latest pictures along with reports in three languages. You can download the programme, the time table and much more. Results: http://competition.kozoom.com/en/home/3637/chain/2/
Brandemburg 2017/04/23.
The clock is ticking! The opening shot of this years European Billiards Championships is going to be made this Friday in Brandenburg an der Havel. This major billiards event unites all popular billiards disciplines in one big Championship hold biennially. More than 500 athletes from 20 nations are going to compete not only for European titles but also for the World Games qualification which is taking place in Poland later this year. Besides that, this years price money, a whopping 105.000,00 € is also worth competing for.
The sports enthusiastic city right outside the borders of Berlin hosted the competition twice before in 2013 and 2015. Since the European governing body for billiards sport CEB made formidable experiences regarding organisation and team work with sports officials as well as city represantatives and operators of the venue "Stahlpalast" it was obvious to host the Championships there once again.
"Being indispensable associates the city of Brandenburg as well as on site coordinator Helga Blawid allow us to organize and host this mammoth event with 16 new Champions being crowned over the course of 10 days. The Axxon-Hotel and its beautiful Stahlpalast will once more be a reliable and interested partner on our side", announces CEB president Bennie Degens from the Netherlands.
The numerous different titles that are fought for consist of all the disciplines brought together such as three cushion, free play, one cushion, balkline, birilli and artistique played in three divisions such as men's, U21 as well as U17. Introducing the youth into the competition was an important factor for the organizers since "they are the future of our sport and we want them to be as close to their idols as possible", says Degens.
The whole event lasting from April 28th till May 7th will be free of admisson charge. Local spectators are more than welcome to join the audience. Viewers from home will also be provided with a high quality live stream from www.kozoom.com which will be broadcasted worldwide. On top of that there will be daily press releases in three languages as well as professional pictures to be found on http://www.germantour.net/karambol_em_brandenburg_2017_media_tool.asp?id=49