3-Cushion
GRAVELINES – After the first day of the French team championship in the top division three cushion, Billiards Club of Andernos is on top of the ranking. The team with the strong Belgians Roland Forthomme and Peter De Backer defeated the opponent Gravelines in its own home 7-1.
The two other Belgians, Martin Spoormans and Ronnie Daniels, playing for Gravelines, showed their good form in recent weeks, but could not threaten Forthomme and De Backer in the Belgian clashes.
The Andernos team with its president Bernard Baudoin took 1.389 average, Gravelines finished 1.257. Andernos led after the first session 3-1.
Jérôme Barbeillon outsprinted Ronnie Daniels in a stunning final stage 50-47 in 43 innings. Gilles Stopin showed his best with a draw against Francis Connesson: 50-50 in 41 innings. Connesson took advantage and led for a long time, even 36-20, but Stopin recovered with 20 points between the 28th and 33rd inning.
Peter De Backer made the gap against Fréderick Roelants at 22-13 and later ran out to 35-19 with a short attack. The Belgian finished with eight and one: 50-21 in 27.
Roland Forthomme hung on to the win in the second part of the match, when he left Martin Spoormans behind with successive runs of 5 , 3 , 4 , 4 and 4 to 42-32 in 22 innings and then finished off to gain 50-44 in 29.
Andernos thus is the provisionally leader, until November 21, when the match between Albert and Laxou is played.