NIEUWEGEIN - The champion lost two of his world stars, the competition is stronger than ever and there is a great battle coming up in the Dutch three cushion league. The hunt for the title is opened within ten days in the weekend that the Superprestige in Belgium is finished. We have to get used to some new team names, new line-ups, but not so much is changed. Twelve teams are fighting for four places in the play-offs to decide the champion. Dick Jaspers, Eddy Merckx and Frédéric Caudron are divided again into three teams which are among the contenders for the title. The best news is that these three world class players meet each other again, including the matches aganst Roland Forthomme, Martin Horn, Eddy Leppens, Murat Naci Coklu, Frans van Kuyk and Glenn Hofman.
The tension is back in the Dutch league where Delta/Frans Bevers (Dallinga) and later AEJ/Dallinga were unbeatable for years. The main sponsor, AEJ, promised a three years contract, but failed to fulfill his financial obligations and regrettably abandoned the best team in the world.
Meerten Dallinga, the chairman of the champion team, did a step backwards in the ambitions and formed a Zeeland team around the world star Frédéric Caudron. Jean Paul de Bruijn is his second, the remaining players face a great challenge.
Dick Jaspers, the number two in the world, has moved to Haarlo to join Dinand Prinsen's billiards stronghold, where he is the leader now of HCR Prinsen's strong team including Christian Rudolph, Anno de Kleine, Jelle Pijl and Raymund Swertz.
Eddy Merckx is the figurehead of A1 Biljarts, the former champion which eagers to play a significant role again in the top of the league. Merckx's teammates are Raimond Burgman, Martien van der Spoel and Henk Blauwblomme, who is in the best sixteen in the Superprestige in Belgium.
Eddy Merckx
Eddy Leppens
The Belgian champion Eddy Leppens sticks to the MCR/De Uitspanning team where Dave Christiani is an excellent second man, Thorsten Frings a feared opponent and Sander Jonen the fourth man. Roland Uytdewillegen and Ivan Stitschinsky are strong substitutes.
Frans van Kuyk is the new leader of a pretty new team (Eekhoorn from Oosterhout), which is composed by Jerry Herman and has a solid base for the next three years. Kurt Ceulemans, Jerry Herman himself and the talented young Belgian Kenny Miatton are the main values. The Brabant team has the most famous reserve in the world (Raymond Ceulemans) and can also rely on the sympathetic Spaniard Jose Maria Mas.
Holland Mineral/Bousema has three foreign top players with Murat Naci Coklu, Stefan Galla and Lars Dunch, but also attracted Therese Klompenhouwer for the position on four. The ladies world champion returns to the honour league for eighteen matches, after she played previously in Verbrugge (18) and Amsterdam (14) on the highest platform.
Martin Horn, who will not play all the games, is the spearhead in the Post Luchtkanalen team, playing its matches in De Hazelaar with Davy van Havere, Henk Habraken, Wilco van Wijk and Marc Celen. Kay de Zwart and Bert van Manen are the reserves.
Gerwin Valentijn leads the experienced team De Distel with Jef Philipoom, John Tijssens and Hans van der Wurf as teammates. Adrie Demming, Puck van Aart and Wim Pelders are ready to strengthen the team on the fourth position if the team needs them.
Glenn Hofman returned from Colombia after his marriage with Andrea
Glenn Hoffman returned from Colombia this week after his wonderful marriage with Andrea. Two of his teammates from The Hague, Jeffrey Jorissen and Herman van Daalen, were with Glenn during the South American party. The team (Glenn Hoffman, Jean van Erp, Jeffrey Jorissen, Herman van Daalen) is now called Buffalo.nl and is definitely a big contender for the playoffs.
The same for the STZ Zundert team, the number two of last season in the final with Dallinga, that has retained its solid foursome with Roland Forthomme, Peter Ceulemans, Barry van Beers and Raymon Groot.
VDO from Oss and 't Hartje/Van Wanrooy from Oosterhout are facing the difficult task to match with all these strong competitors. Arie Weyenburg and Clemie Wanrooy are the most known players in the team of VDO, Ad Broeders is the leader of 't Hartje/Van Wanrooy with his teammates Frank Martens, Yves Schiettecatte and Wim van Cromvoirt.
The competition starts on Sunday, August 30th, on September 6 the next full program is planned. Then there is a two weeks stop because of the World Cup in Korea.
The first double weekend is 26 and 27 September, the second and final on 30 and 31 January next year. The stop is between December 13th and January 3rd.
Frédéric Caudron is leading Dallinga's champion team
The first weekends of the competition:
August 30:
STZ Zundert-'t Hartje/Van Wanrooy
VDO-A1 Biljarts
Buffalo.nl-Post Luchtkanalen
De Distel-Dallinga.com
HCR Prinsen-Holland Mineraal/Bousema
MCR/De Uitspanning-Eekhoorn
6 September:
Eekhoorn-HCR Prinsen
Holland Mineraal/Bousema-De Distel
Dallinga.com-Buffalo.nl
Post Luchtkanalen-VDO
A1 Biljarts-STZ Zundert
't Hartje/Van Wanrooy-MCR De Uitspanning
20 September:
't Hartje/Van Wanrooy-A1 Biljarts
STZ Zundert-Post Luchtkanalen
VDO-Dallinga.com
Buffalo.nl-Holland Mineraal/Bousema
De Distel-Eekhoorn
HCR Prinsen-MCR De Uitspanning.
Therese Klompenhouwer returns to the honour league in Holland
The teamleaders:
Dallinga.com: Patrick Vasseur
HCR Prinsen: Michel van Silfhout
Holland Mineraal/Bousema: Ronny Hazewinkel
Eekhoorn: Jerry Hermans
MCR/De Uitspanning: Ben Ouwendijk
Post Luchtkanalen: Rinus Persons
De Distel: John Tijssens
Buffalo.nl: Cor Trampe
VDO: Arie Weyenburg
A1 Biljarts: Addy Wienk
STZ Zundert: Jan van Kerkoerle
't Hartje/Van Wanrooy: Ad Broeders.