Alain Remond as best player to semi-finals

Alain Remond as best player to semis

HAARLO - Alain Remond is with one European title to his name (2003) not directly the big favorite to win the European Championships one cushion in Haarlo this weekend. The Frenchman is nevertheless the best player on average (18.00) and with the highest run (89) who's moving up to the semifinals, where he will play with Henri Tilleman, Frédéric Caudron and Michel van Silfhout for a place in the final. The semifinal will be tomorrow (Saturday) at 18.00.

Alain Remond began his three matches in Group A with a victory against Van Silfhout (300-89 in 13), then beat Gretillat (150-125 in 9) and played the best match of the preliminaries against Le Roy last night: 150-52 in only three innings. He finished as first in the group. Michel van Silfhout was the second semi finalist thanks to a tough victory in the late evening match against Gretillat: 150-147 in 30 turns.

Remond, who lives Margny-lès Compiègne, has not the palmares of a real top player. He is the best Frenchman for the moment in his favorite discipline, won seven French titles in one cushion and was once European champion: in Cervera (Spain) in 2003, where he won the title before Michel van Silfhout and Jean Paul de Bruijn.

To play the final of the championship Remond must beat Frédéric Caudron in the semi-final. The Belgian finished as second in Group B with a defeat against Henri Tilleman. The Dutchman, who plays for his home crowd and will meet his compatriot Van Silfhout in the semifinals, had the best average in his group.

Tilleman ended with six match points in three matches and averaged 15.51, Caudron with four match points and 12.44. The Belgian played once over ten innings, against Zenkner, but ended with a strong match against Villiers: 150 in 7.

The semi finals are:
Remond Caudron
Tilleman-Van Silfhout.