Carom
BARCELONA - The Spanish league for teams is reaching his climax: in four places there will be played for places in the final rounds this weekend. The final is in Tomelloso in two weeks. The teams of Caseta Nova and Gandia are favored for the title.
Caseta Nova is playing without Murat Naci Coklu in the group in Paiporta. Daniel Sánchez, Tayfun Tasdemir, Ruben Legazpi and Javier Palazón. The Spanish/Turkish combination must be able to qualify easily for the finals.
BC Gandia, the team that misses Frédéric Caudron, who's playing in the Netherlands under the European Championship balkline and one cushion this weekend, comes to the start with Eddy Leppens, Sergio Jimenez and Alfonso Legazpi. Coral Colón with Roland Forthomme, Carlos Crespo, Ricardo Garcia and Jose Maria Más is one of the big contenders too.
The 18-year-old David Zapata plays for the team of Casino de Cartagena with Jose Carrasco, Carlos Martinez and the former European junior champion David Martinez. The Murcia studying Zapata has played a strong season in the league. He is the fourth on the individual ranking with the maximum of twelve points and an average of 1.194.
The leader in the ranking is Ruben Legazpi with twelve points in six matches and an average of 1.455, followed by Jose Maria Más with 1.348 and Antonio Ortiz with 1.326. Dani Sánchez lost one match, but played the highest average with 1.527.
In the semifinals of the championship a dozen players from outside Spain will participate in the teams. The most widely known are Tayfun Tasdemir, Jérémy Bury (for Alicante with Sergio and Jorge Canto and Adrian Legazpi), Nikos Polychronopoulos (Villalba with Robinson Morales, Armando Moreno, Joseba Escribano and father and son Valentin Andaluz), Roland Forthomme, Peter Ceulemans (Murcia with Raul Hernandez, Jesus Jimenez) and Jean van Erp (Gran Match with Rafa Garrido and Ruben Estrada).
The Spanish finals are played to 40 caroms (the Spaniards never play in sets). Two of the teams in each group qualify for the final round.
The group composition:
Group A (Gandia): BC Gandia, Gran Match, BC Barcelona, David Betis Florida.
Group B (Sabadell): Coral Colón, BC Murcia, BC Villaba and Dany 'Els.
Group C (Alicante): BC Alicante, Casino Cartagena, BC Bollullos, BC Valladolid.
Group D (Paiporta): BC Paiporta, Caseta Nova, BC Sierra Blanca and CE Idella.