3-Cushion
RIJSBERGEN - The first of a coveted trilogy of Cups has been won. The Dutch 3-cushion team AEJ/Dallinga from Sluiskil with its star players Frédéric Caudron, Dick Jaspers, Eddy Merckx and Jean-Paul de Bruijn won the National Team Cup today in Rijsbergen, beating the home team of Pressplate-Machielesen.The final started off on a somewhat equal footing: Roland Forthomme won the first against Frédéric Caudron 15-6 in three innings, but Dick Jaspers (15-11 in 5), Eddy Merckx (15-9 in 8) and Jean-Paul de Bruijn (15-4 in 10) immediately gave Dallinga back the advantage.
The early stages of the final were an instant demonstration of class, with three runs of nine scored by Jaspers, Forthomme and Caudron, who produced points that left the spectators breathless. When Eddy Merckx put Barry van Beers 2-0 behind and Dick Jaspers (15-3 in 3, closing run of 8) did likewise against Peter Ceulemans, the match was already close to a decision. After an hour of play, five cueists were on the scoreboards with attractive averages: Dick Jaspers 4.100, Frédéric Caudron and Roland Forthomme 2.500, Eddy Merckx 2.133 and Peter Ceulemans 2.000.
Dick Jaspers was the first to seal the deal: 15-5 in 11, 15-3 in 3 and 15-8 in 5, averages 3.462/1.833). He missed out on 4.000 average because of a few misses in the closing innings. Peter Ceulemans later said: ,,Too bad you missed three times before the final point'' Jaspers' response: ,,Yes, sloppy.'' It was then up to Eddy Merckx, Frédéric Caudron or Jean Paul de Bruijn to finish. Caudron's win over Forthomme (3-1) was decisive: Dallinga had a 4-0 lead and a solid set advantage, they were out of reach.
It was the third consecutive Cup win for Dallinga. With Frans Bevers as sponsor, they also won in 2013 and 2014 in Zundert, then with Frédéric Caudron, Eddy Leppens, Jean Paul de Bruijn and Glenn Hofman. Frédéric Caudron won his eighth Dutch Cup, still three behind Frans van Kuyk, an eleven time winner. The next mission for the Dallinga team is the semi-final of the play-off, then the Europa Cup for club teams in Istanbul. The Dutch formation is the big favorite to steal that title from Turkish holders Bahcelievler.
Team manager Jan Kikken will accompany his players to Istanbul and has his eyes firmly on the "treble". It would be a fantastic final chapter in his 30 year career, managing the best players of Holland and Belgium.
The Dallinga team splits up after this season: Dick Jaspers has announced his new contract with HCR Prinsen, Eddy Merckx will play for A1 Biljarts next season. ,,It will do the league good'', said Belgian champion Eddy Leppens, after he had been beaten by Caudron this Sunday afternoon. ,,It is so strange that Dick Jaspers plays on second board, and Eddy Merckx, who would seldom lose even as first player, is on board three. That will change next season, so we will see more top matches and a closer race.'' First, the Dallinga team who broke the world record team average this year to set it on 2.597, wants to close this season in style.
The national team title will be the next crown. The European Cup, for years owned by the Agipi foursome and by the Turks in recent years, will be a tougher challenge. The Sluiskil four showed excellent form this week. Dick Jaspers had been strong for weeks already, Frédéric Caudron carried the flag with honor, winning all his matches and averaging over 2.000. Eddy Merckx and Jean Paul de Bruijn are also strong elements of this chain of four. It was inevitable that this team would dominate in the Dutch and Belgian leagues and Cup.
Their lead in the Dutch division of honor was such, that the title would have been theirs months ago, had it not been for the play-off system. These cross-finals between the nrs. 1 -4 of the regular league will keep the tension alive to the last day. This Cup tournament with eight teams was left with four contenders on the final day. Dallinga took a 4-0 lead on Saturday against MCR/De Uitspanning and turned that into 8-0 when Frédéric Caudron got even with Eddy Leppens (who beat him in the Belgian Cup final last week): 3-0 (2.368/1.666).
Dick Jaspers on the adjacent table had a walk in the park against Dave Christiani, who had played so well earlier, but now was drubbed badly: 15-3, 15-11, 15-4, averages 1-956/0.857. Pressplate conceded a single match to Biljartcafé Jorissen on Saturday (Herman van Daalen beat Raymon Groot), but in the other matches, the home team was victorious.
On Sunday Peter Ceulemans won the decider against Jean van Erp 3-1: 15-9 (4), 11-5 (12), 15-6 (10), 15-7 (7). Barry van Beers had gotten the better of Jeffrey Jorissen on Saturday evening (1.730) and he had not lost a set in the tournament. Roland Forthomme had it easy in Sunday's last match against Glenn Hofman, when at 2-2 the final was already in the bag. The Belgian made it a "quickie" fifth set, to win 3-2.
The cup winner is leaving for the European cup this week, but will play first of all the first match for the play-offs, tomorrow (Monday) in The Hague against Biljartcafé Jorissen. The return is on Wednesday in Sluiskil. The winner of this battle will meet the winner of thet match between Pressplate and De Uitspanning.
The final result of the cup final:
1 Dallinga/AEJ 9 matchpunten, 1.672, hoogste serie 12.
2 Pressplate Machielsen. fa 8-1.212-10
3 MCR De Uitspanning 4-1.097-12
4 Biljartcafé Jorissen 4-1.088-9
5 De Distel Biljarts 3-0.933-9
6 HCR Prinsen 3-0.971-8
7 Ripa Recycling Pearle 0-0.941-12
8 Van Wanrooy Transport 0-0.894-7.
