1-Cushion
MALLE - The battle between the two best one cushion players in the world, Frédéric Caudron and Jean Paul de Bruijn, seems already decided after two days. The expectations were very high prior to the Kozoom Challenge, but in reality the match to 1500 caroms was more or less a one man show. The Belgian played on the high level he is used and put his opponent at a severe backlog of more than 300 points: 1050-728, a 322 points difference.
Tomorrow, Sunday, there are three other sessions to 150 points to go, but the Dutch specialist requires a little miracle to come back in the match. The world champion three cushion however seems too far away in the score and is both versatile and cool-headed. De Bruijn, with his peak in the last session (run 135) couldn't deal with the leader and was actually so far not good enough.
The question must be: will the final day turn out into a demonstration of the winner and a formality for the final score, or is the underdog able to show the audience a short, sparkling revival?
According to the two matadors themselves there are a few apparent reasons for the remarkable score after two days. Caudron feels much more at home on the tables, is dominant and decisive on all fronts and hit the big gap with his perfect runs.
Two times, the Belgian passed the hundred score: in the first session 109, today, in the fifth and sixth session, he finished with 70 and continued with 85: a brilliant run of 155. And in the last session tonight, Caudron attacked again from the start with a mighty run of 91.
Jean Paul de Bruijn, until tonight's last round, when he ran his first over hundred, was unable to demonstrate his class in high runs, in which he is a specialist in his better days. The Dutchman missed the precision and rarely answered Caudron's high runs with more than thirty or forty points.
His weakness in the fight was, as he called it himself between the fifth and sixth session, that he ,,did not feel the table'' and therefore could not build up his runs. ,,I need a flawless timing and placement, but I can't feel this table,'' he said almost desperately.
How comes..., because he plays often enough on these tables (Verhoeven) and was already more than 500 caroms on his way? He explained: ,,It's a combination of factors: each placement and each ball that I play with reverse English is slightly difficult. And after all these misses, you lose your confidence.''
Frédéric Caudron saw the torment in the game of his opponent: ,,Jean Paul doesn't play good'', he said half way the battle. ,,We all can see that. And for me it is perfect so far: I've built a lead at the start with that 109. And now I may start in each set with a compact position.
Moreover, it is good for me that I can stop after 150 points, because at this stage of my career, I can't keep my focus in the long runs.''
The overall level of the battle is raised during the last rounds on the second day. Caudron has 20.78 average now and may continue tomorrow with his 32 run he finished the seventh session.
De Bruijn raised his average with the run of 135 to 14.56. With that revival, he also decreased the margin, which had been 398 at most, to 263. But with his last run, Caudron built it up to 322 again.
The score after exactly 50 innings:
Caudron 1050-De Bruijn 728 (Caudron may continue at 32 in the 50t inning).
Tomorrow, Sunday, the last sessions are scheduled at 11.00, 14.30 and 17.00.