Carom
NIEUWEGEIN - Two weeks after the end of the regular competition in the league, the play-offs for the title race in the Netherlands take off this week. The semi-finals between four teams, which qualified for the title race, meet in a home and an away match.
The four teams are: Dallinga-Frans Bevers, De Heeren-Miller Biljarts, Pressplate/Machielsen.fa and De Distel Biljarts.
Jan Kikken, the team leader of the reigning champion, hopes for a farewell to the current team with the double: the cup and the championship. But competition is big with De Heeren-Miller as the main rival.
The Amsterdam team, which will show up for the last time in this line-up, was already a tough opponent in the cup final, but Dallinga took the win with a better end rush.
The semifinals are a double meeting (at home and away) played between 6 and 10 May. Followed by the finals on Saturday 24 and Sunday 25 May.
Dallinga-Frans Bevers will play its first match at home against De Distel. Pressplate-Machielsen.fa starts with a home match against De Heeren-Miller Biljarts.
Dallinga plays in the strongest line-up with Frédéric Caudron, Eddy Leppens, Jean Paul de Bruijn and Glenn Hoffman, but has to miss Caudron in one of the semifinals. Caudron and De Bruijn will also play next year in Sluiskil. The recent cup winner sees Eddy Leppens and Peter De Backer leave for Sander Jonen's new team and Glenn Hoffman moves to Biljartcafé Jorissen.
De Heeren has two former world champions on top: Dick Jaspers and Eddy Merckx. Frans van Kuijk is an excellent number three and Dick Uum completes the team. That team loses Jaspers and Merckx to the new team in Sluiskil for next year. Van Kuyk moves to Oosterhout.
Pressplate-Machielsen.fa comes to the tables with its permanent line-up, Roland Forthomme as leader, Peter Ceulemans on two, Barry van Beers, who had an excellent season and on four youth player Raymon Groot.
De Distel, which managed to advance on the final day, has three very experienced players in the team who are feared by every opponent: Jef Philipoom, Gerwin Valentijn and John Tijssens.
The schedule for the playoffs:
Semi-finals:
Tuesday, May 6, 19.00 pm: Pressplate-Machiesen.fa-De Heeren/Millers Biljarts.
Wednesday, May 7, 19.00 pm: De Heeren-Pressplate
Thursday, May 8, 19.00 pm: Dallinga-Frans Bevers-De Distel Biljarts
Saturday, May 10, 19.00 pm: De Distel-Dallinga.
Finals:
Saturday, May 24, 13.00 pm: 1st match
Sunday, May 25, 13.00 pm: 2nd match.