Carom
The tournament is called the GP Jef van der Meersch, in honor of the former dermatologist, billiards fan, organizer, good friend of Raymond Ceulemans and amiable man. In Sint Niklaas, Belgium, tonight will be played the semi finals and final of the second VES tournament of this season. Eddy Merckx and Kurt Ceulemans play one semifinal, Frederic Caudron and Roland Forthomme the other. The winners will meet each other in the final later this evening.
Jef (Jozef) van der Meersch was a widely loved man in the Belgian billiard world and beyond. He retired as a dermatologist, but still regular received some patients. Also on the day he died, on Wednesday, September 15 this year. ,,If I must die, then I prefer to do it with the cue in hand'', he often said to his friends. And so happened on an age of 78 years.
His wife Marijke told later: ,,He had helped in the morning a woman with child in his practice. At night he went to play billiard. I said, when he left: ,,Make that you win, hè.'' But at the billiard, he became unwell and later in the hospital he died. For him it couldn't be a better dead. Medicines and the cue, that was his life.''
The Grand Prix Jef van der Meersch in Sint Niklaas has been played with 108 participants in the qualifications. Tonight there are four players left. Eddy Merckx as the last of the four joined the final players last night. He defeated Frédéric Mottet 40-8 in eleven innings, again a match on a very high level in this tournament after Francis Forton and Peter Ceulemans with averages of 4.000 (40 points in ten innings).
The first semifinal between Merckx and Mottet will be played tonight at 18.00 hours. Caudron and Forthomme then meet each other for the other place in the final, which will be played at the end of the evening.