3-Cushion
ZUNDERT - The applause from the stands was for Frans van Kuik, who just had made his last carom against Jean Paul de Bruijn. The disappointment was to read at the faces of the players of Delta to read. The team from Zeeland was so close to a place in the finals of the Dutch cup. They just had to win two sets in the two last matches against Crystal Kelly. Eddy Leppens was playing against Frédéric Caudron, Jean Paul de Bruijn against Frans van Kuik.
Meerten Dallinga, the chairman of the Delta team, said before the semi finals: ,,Now it really can not go wrong for us no more, we just have to save our advantage.'' Peter de Backer admitted and said: ,,We must go to the finals now, otherwise we will never do it no more.''
But in billiards sometimes a small miracle can happen . Frédéric Caudron, usually superior in his matches against Eddy Leppens, was devouring his opponent with an impressive difference: 15-0, 15-7 and 15-7. Caudron began with nine and finished with eight, just to show how strong he was. He played an average of 3.000, against just under one for Leppens.
That match was finished, while Frans van Kuik and Jean Paul de Bruijn were embroiled in a strong battle at the other table. And it must be said: in the match Frans van Kuik, the player of Crystal Kelly, dominated from the start. He won the first two sets and put his opponent under severe pressure. De Bruijn stroke back one time, with a winning third set, but then quickly was beaten in the fourth: 3-1 (15-6, 15-10, 5-15, 15-2). The difference was evident: Van Kuik played 1.515 average, De Bruijn 1.064.
Van Donge en De Roo also took the two matches in the second session against Snellen Recycling and secured thereby the 8-0 victory over the home team. Dick Jaspers defeated Roland Forthomme 3-0, Jean van Erp did the same with Harrie van de Ven, Torbjörn Blomdahl made a great performance against Peter Ceulemans, 3-1 and an average of 2.478 and Martin Horn defeated Barry Beers 3-2.
Overlooking the team averages, the favorite for tonight is Van Donge en De Roo: 1.815 against 1.537 for Crystal Kelly. But every billiard expert knows that in the top of three cushion nobody can predict a winner in this battle.