Carom
RONCHIN - The European billiards championship for youth, under the name Euro Youth, was officially opened this Saturday morning in Ronchin, France. There was a crowded room with players and spectators for the ceremony. Diane Wild, president of the European federation, the mayor of Ronchin and the European youth sports leader Dietman Schintgen launched the go-ahead for the biggest championship for youth in the history of the CEB. The tournament, which already started on Friday, lasts until Monday. Also today, the start was made with the European Ladies Cup in the discipline free game.
The Spaniard Carlos Anguita defends the most important title in France: three cushion under 21. The other game disciplines are free game and 5 pins. The youth is divided into two classes: under 17 and under 21. Furthermore, a championship for club teams is played. Sixteen players take part in the ladies' cup, including the French top player Magali Declunder.
The tournament is housed in the arena of the Stade Leo Lagrange in Ronchin, near Lille. Diane Wild has to admit that the arena with twelve billiards is excellent, but there is too little room for the audience to watch the players. At the opening ceremony, there were some 150 spectators and not more than twenty chairs near the bar and on the edge of the arena.
The chairman Diane Wild, CEB: ,, We had to decide within two months after the election of the new board whether we would organize this tournament. And we all agreed to make the start. This is a wonderful opportunity for young people to play this championship for the first time in our history. It is already a success with about sixty young players and players. All of whom take their support. But of course, for our next tournament, when we have more time to preparair, we want to host more spectators in the room. The organization now needs all tables, because the ladies' cup is also played. We shouldn't do that together in one tournament next time.''
In the first rounds of two days, in three-cushion under 21, Carlos Anguita, Gwendal Marechal, Stef van Hees and Michael Vink remained unbeaten with two wins. The 17-year-old French champion Maxime Panaia belongs to the contenders in two classes (under 17 and under 21). He played the very best match in these two days (25 in 17), but has one win and on loss in both classes.
In three cushion under 17, the best match was played by Turk Dogukan Corbaci: 25 in 14 innings, 1.790 with a run of 9, albeit on the small table. The Dutchman Jordy Jong made a strong impression in free game under 21, in which he took his first match against Simon Blondeel (250-124 in 3) and also defeated the French favourite Pierre Martory 250-5 in 4 innings with a final run of 240. The Belgian Stef van Hees also won his two matches vs Anders Henriksen and Sébastien Verel.
In the European ladies cup, Magali Declunder started with a small table match of 120 in 3 innings. The Belgian Karolien Matthijs (5 innings) and the Dutch Christel Willemse (120 in 9) also belonged to the best lady players.
Many players and spectators in the arena for the opening ceremony
Dutch player Jordy Jong, one of the stars on the opening days