3-Cushion
ZELE - Who was, among all the big names, almost the best billiard player in the Belgian league this week? Frédéric Cauron, Torbjörn Blomdahl, Eddy Merckx, Eddy Leppens, Martin Horn..., to name a few of the world's best players? No, you're wrong. It's Raymond Ceulemans, the 79-year-old phenomenon, cheerful and fresh back from a tough surgery (pacemaker), but obviously in a great form. His opponent, the Hague-born Jeffrey Jorissen, had a strong start, but then the legend overtook him with little runs of nine, to finish the match with five, five and seven. My doctor, said Raymond after the match, gave me the best dope there is. He said when I was healing: you can do all that you want again, except step into the boxing ring.
Fifty supporters in the billiard hall, including the real admirers, must believe what they see. The master, who turns eighty in July, showed some magic caroms at the table and finished the match to 42 points in 17, good for 2.400 average. The venue rewards him with a thunderous applause. ,,I am pretty well again'', smiles the all time champion, who shone last Sunday in the Dutch league with a final run of 17!!
We must say: two players did slightly better in average this week. Roland Forthomme defeated Martin Horn 50-33 in 17 innings and Jef Philipoom, occasional leader in the BC Deurne team, won in 20 innings vs Raimond Burgman 50-24.
But back to this Tuesday evening, at the Quality in Zele... Who tries to find his way, doesn't have enough with four 'tom-toms'. The venue amongst a few vague companies, nobody can even suspect that here they play billiard on a global level. Beautiful, dark ambience to play billiards, carom playing on one side of the room, snooker in the other corner. The drinks are almost prewar: one Hoegaarden and one coffee? Four euros please, sir. The only blemish? Even the pretty Mrs. Raymond Ceulemans, the ageless Angèle, is supposed to sip her spa from a bottle.
Belgian billiards at its very best.
The two leaders, De Goeie Queue and BC Deurne, played one day before. This is a charming evening, we think, to look some high class billiards a nice ambience. So, I decide to travel to the Quality in Zele, not least because the 'Ceulemanses' are the visitors for the local team with Eddy Merckx, Peter De Backer, Jeffrey Jorissen and Mathieu Vlerick.
Two sub-top teams meet each other and when you join the Ceulemans table, you are not are treated to the best stories. You're spoiled on a scale with 32 pieces of hot snacks and get the witticisms of Kurt Ceulemans for free, the man with the most subtle humor in Belgian billiards.
Dirk Vlerick (I will never again believe him when he says that he will stop with the team) announced between two matches to be the main sponsor for the next year. That makes him the local hero for this evening. His son, Mathieu, who runs a flourishing business of French fries at the Dampoort in Gent, who entered the footsteps of his father in his young years, also appears to be able to play billiards very well. He swipes Bart Ceulemans, the youngest, from the table with 42-19 in 22 innings.
At the other table, Raymond first brings the score in balance against the Hague Jeffrey (,,where did you buy the box in your body, Raymond, I would also like one) and the Ceulemanses dominated the second session. Peter ran away from Eddy Mercks with a thirteen-run shortly before the break, took a 23-8 lead and eventually won 50-34 in 34. And Kurt, with an ingenious final sprint against Peter De Backer, finished 50-43 in 30. That brings the victory to Mister 100, 6-2 against the always feared opponent.
Peter Ceulemans is about in the form of his life and successively defeated Torbjörn Blomdahl, Martin Horn, Jean Paul de Bruijn and Eddy Merckx in the past weeks. What a pity, that the leading player of the Ceulemans team won't leave for the World Cup in Luxor next week. Peter De Backer had some good news after a weekend in which he beat his Belgian team mate Eddy Merckx in the Netherlands: ,,I was called by five teams these days to find another team in the Netherlands.''
Jef Philipoom, the leader of BC Deurne this week, should get the honor he deserves. The 'Pulderbos lion', as he is called in his better days, is even better in average with a 2.500 match against Raimond Burgman, 50-24. And of course, the Deurne boys take the win, amongst others by Ludo Dielis' win against Biljartvrienden, facing Hans van der Wurf, the invisible opponent: 42-10 in 42.
The Goeie Queue is still two points ahead of Deurne after the 6-2 win over Kortrijk. Frédéric Caudron was the best of his team against Ronny Brants, 50-41 in 25 innings. Zanzibar was the better of Herentals, and as said, the awesome Roland Forthomme is the best man this week. Biljart Express beat De Ploeg 6-2 en Op de Meir remains in the top three after the 6-2 win over De Witte Molen. The match on centercourt: Eddy Leppens-Glenn Hofman 50-43 in 25.
Roland Forthomme, best of the week with a win over Martin Horn: 50 in 17
Peter Ceulemans enjoys the win, Raymond, the legend, takes a bite from a sandwicht after the match