(picture credits by Laurent Pirou)
From the start of the World Championship the matches have been played in a „full house”. One had to be very early to have a sitting place to watch the sixteen players disputing the 8 places to be filled in in the two final groups in the „Centre de Jade „ in Saint-Brevin.
Finally after two days of very intense competition the two groups have been composed by the players Blomdahl, De Bruijn, Villiers and Caudron as winners of their groups and Gretillat, Petit, De Backer and Zenkner.
In the first group Fréderic Caudron and Tornbjorn Blomdalh could qualify for the semi-final but it was French player Johann Petit who was winning the hart of the public with a run of 145 in his last match. In the other group local player Bernard Villiers fought as a „pittbull” for his place and Wolfgang Zenkner could just not finish his last match as he would like to have. Later on during the official banquet he declared that this has been his last match as an international player. Many congratulations to this great champion !
Finally it where Jean-Paul De Bruijn and Xavier Gretillat who could qualify for the semi-final.
Tornbjorn Blomdahl who surprised many „connoisseurs” about his ability to play the One-Cushion in such a good way had to find his stronger opponent on Sunday-morning in Jean-Paul De Bruijn. The same happened with Xavier Gretillat against Fréderic Caudron.
The final match started rather slowly as both opponents Caudron and De Bruijn where very aware of the strength of each other and after a very close start it was finally the Belgian Fréderic Caudron who was recognized as one of the most talent-full in this discipline who became for the first time in his sportscarreer World Champion One Cushion. Dutch Jean-Paul De Bruijn could not become for the second time World Champion but proved to be a very valuable runner up.
The organization by the local club, the organizing Committee and her President was tremendous but was most of all to be thanked to Jacques Deneufve former international official and former President of the French Federation.
All involved persons where agreeing that this championship was not only organized in a fantastic way by the French Federation for the seek of the discipline. On beyond this the success of the championship was a clear demonstration that the One Cushion discipline needs to be continued to be organized and has her place on the calendar of the UMB in the upcoming next years.