3-Cushion
LIER - The Mister 100 in Lier is getting ready to face the final and decisive BTS tournament this season. ,,We're going to make something special,'' said Angèle, the wife of Raymond, in Sluiskil last week during the final of the Dutch playoffs.
Sixteen players, the leaders of the Belgian ranking at the end of the cycle, will qualify for the Superprestige in Lommel. Eddy Merckx is the number one with only the final tournament in the Mister 100 left to play. The preliminaries are already in full swing, the final is on June 30.
The Belgian players receive ranking points for the championship in Blankenberge, the Belgium Cup in Hooglede and four BTS tournaments. Three of them have been played: in Sint Niklaas, in De Goeie Queue in Malle and in the Wimbledon in Sint Truiden.
Two players compete in the Mister 100 for the top position. Eddy Merckx has gathered 200 points so far, Frédéric Caudron is second in his shadow, he’s only five points down (195). Roland Forthomme (135), Peter Ceulemans and Eddy Leppens (both 132) complete the top five.
Peter De Backer, who earned 60 points by winning the Belgian Cup, climbed to sixth place with 100 points, ahead of Jef Philipoom with 90.
Eddy Merckx got his 200 points with 60, 42 and 60 points in the BTS tournaments. He won in Sint Niklaas and Sint Truiden. Merckx received eight points for the Belgian Cup and 30 for the Belgian championship.
Frédéric Caudron won the tournament in De Goeie Queue, got 42 points for his final place in the Belgian Cup and 24 for the fourth place at the Belgian championship.
Roland Forthomme thanks his third place to the national title, which he won in Blankenberge in the final against Eddy Leppens. The player from Liège took 12, 18 and 27 points in the BTS tournaments and 18 in the Belgian Cup.
Peter Ceulemans excelled by regularly performances with 42, 27 and 18 points in the BTS, 30 in the Belgian Cup and 18th in the championship.
Pascal Claus is the big surprise in the ranking of sixteen players with a thirteenth place. That position he gained with his 18 points in the Belgian Cup and ten in the Belgian championship.
For the last places 12 to 16 there’s gonna be an exciting battle in the Mister 100: Pascal Claus, Kurt Ceulemans, Thomas Broux and Patrick Kesteloot are close together. Frank de Groof (17th), Dirk Weeremans (18th), Bart Ceulemans (19th) and Geert Meylemans (20th) will do a last attempt to qualify for the Superprestie.
Eddy Merckx has the highest average so far over five tournaments, with 1.945 ahead of Frédéric Caudron 1.720, Roland Forthomme 1.577, Eddy Leppens 1.568, Jef Philipoom 1.425 and Peter Ceulemans 1.398.
The top sixteen of the ranking before the last tournament in the Mister 100:
1 Eddy Merckx, 200 points
2 Frédéric Caudron, 195
3 Roland Forthomme, 135
4 Peter Ceulemans, 132
5 Eddy Leppens, 132
6 Peter De Backer, 100
Jef Philipoom 7, 90
8 Francis Forton, 78
9 Ronnie Daniels, 75
10 Martin Spoormans, 72
11 Steven van Acker, 70
12 Davy van Havere, 62
13 Pascal Claus, 56
14 Kurt Ceulemans, 52
15 Thomas Broux, 52
16 Patrick Kesteloot, 46.