3-Cushion
SLUISKIL - For the second year running, Dallinga-Frans Bevers from Sluiskil won the title in the highest three cushion league. The team from the province of Zeeland (already Cup winners this season) grabbed the "double" against De Heeren/Millers Biljarts, winning 2-6 on Saturday and 5-3 (one forfeit) on Sunday.
The league season ended with a bizarre twist, the match on Sunday was not exactly good public relations for the sport. Dick van Uum from Utrecht, 4th board player for De Heeren, was sent home by his own team manger Dirk Snip, because after a night of heavy drinking, he was incapable of presenting himself in a proper manner.
Dirk Snip said: ,,I have been around for a long time in this sport, but this is something I have never seen before. There was no doubt in my mind, considering the other team members, the sponsor and the audience, I could not let this guy play. It would have been an utter embarrassment to the sport.''
The spectators who had come to witness the play-off climax were treated to high-quality and exciting matches in the three remaining games. The title however, was a done deal before the first carom.
The KNBB (Section chairman Santos Chocron) decided that Dallinga could not be the victim of Dick van Uum's inappropriate behavior. Jan Kikken, team captain for Dallinga: ,,We were leading 2-0, could theoretically still lose 2-6, but points made would no longer be decisive for the title, so we were champion before play started.''
The six other players did everything they could to give the match the splendor deserving of a play-off climax. Jean Paul de Bruijn had lost to Frans van Kuyk on Saturday, but pegged back. The only Zeeland native in the winner's team now won 45-24 in 24 innings.
Eddy Leppens had a tremendous start against Eddy Merckx, who could not get going early in the match: Leppens ran a ten and was leading 40-17 in 12 innings. But Merckx was not going to be steamrolled, and put up a fight.
The double world champion and current Belgian champion looked at his 23-point deficit, and started scoring. He produced 33 points in five innings (6-0-9-13-5) to be the first to cross the finish line. Leppens did ever so well to equalize with a six.
Frédéric Caudron and Dick Jaspers put the icing on the cake with an exhibition match. The two world class cueists entertained the audience with three cushion of the highest quality. The Dutchman won, from 22-19 in 5 and 41-32 in 14, finishing 50-46 in 20.
It gave Dallinga the "double" for the second year running; both the championship that had been announced by the lead they had built up in regular league play, and the Cup.
Dallinga recorded with three a fantastic team average on this closing day: 2.311. The last league match showed high quality games all over: Eddy Merckx en Eddy Leppens (2.941), Dick Jaspers (2.500), Frédéric Caudron (2.300) en Jean Paul de Bruijn (1.875).
The team from Zeeland ended the league with 39 points from 22 matches (one loss, against Jorissen), ahead of De Heeren with 32 and Pressplate/Machielsen.fa with 30. The champions team will have a different line-up next season, as we all know by now. Frédéric Caudron and Jean Paul de Bruijn will still be a part of the team that will then be sponsored by Marco Jansen and AEJ. Dick Jaspers and Eddy Merckx, coincidentally their opponents today, will be the new hired guns.
This team with Frédéric Caudron, Dick Jaspers, Eddy Merckx and Jean Paul de Bruijn (substitute Jerry Hermans) wants to make a bid for the Europa Cup.
Section chairman Santos Chocron, on behalf of the KNBB, presented the players with the cup and the medals that come with the league championship.