Top players have a travelling week

NIEUWEGEIN - Several players who are active in the Dutch Eredivisie can look forward to a busy week and some serious commutes. None more so than Frédéric Caudron and Jean Paul de Bruijn of Dallinga: the Sluiskil aces start on Saturday with two matches in the classic disciplines for A1 Biljarts and Etikon, then travel to Groningen for a cup match with Dallinga. On Sunday that team again finds itself in Rosmalen to play Post Luchtkanalen. De Bruijn has one day off to regroup, and on Tuesday he will travel to the World Cup in Istanbul, where he will try to regain his top-12 position on the world ranking.

Busy days for the billiard players, Dick Jaspers, Eddy Merckx, Roland Forthomme, Murat Naci Coklu, Eddy Leppens and Therese Klompenhouwer will also make the trip to Istanbul for the 5th World Cup of the year. Dave Christiani has cancelled. ,,It is a pity, but I have decided to play the balkline prelims. I want to book my place for the Grand Dutch, so I'll have to let this World Cup go by.'' The Sunday has a few crackerjack matches in the Eredivisie, which will then pause until 8 November, due to the World Cup and the Ladies Nationals in Oosterhout.

The best playbills are Eddy Merckx - Murat Naci Coklu, Roland Forthomme - Dick Jaspers and Glenn Hofman - Eddy Leppens. That Eredivisie round will be an excellent test of form for the players. It is mighty important for them to hit peak quality in the Turkish metropolis, in view of the world ranking. But also, it is important for the Eredivisie teams to be a contender for the play-off positions. MCR/De Uitspanning an STZ Zundert have made the best start, in that respect. The teams in the middle will attempt not to lose touch, in the coming months. Two matches in the upper half will get the most attention: A1 Biljarts will travel to Holland Mineraal and Buffalo.nl will receive  table leader MCR/De Uitspanning in "the cauldron of The Hague". Can Glenn Hofman, back in form the last few weeks, surprise Eddy Leppens? What will the encounter between Jean van Erp and Dave Christiani bring? The player from Limburg is in the best form of his life, he says. His opponent from Brabant is not one to shout from the rooftops, but he was again impressive in the Belgian league this week.

As Buffalo receives the table leader, Zundert will play host to Dick Jaspers' HCR Prinsen. A1 Biljarts has switched a home- for an away game, against Holland/Mineraal/Bousema. Then there are two Brabant clashes: VDO at home against De Distel and 't Hartje/Van Wanrooy against Eekhoorn.

The full program for Sunday:

Post Luchtkanalen-Dallinga.com (12.00 uur, all other matches 13.00 uur)

Van Havere-Caudron, Van Wijk-De Bruijn, Van Manen-Van Acker, Pijnenburg-Vasseur

Holland Mineraal/Bousema-A1 Biljarts

Merckx-Coclu, Burgman-Galla, Van der Spoel-Klompenhouwer, Wienk-Spilleman

't Hartje/Van Wanrooy-Eekhoorn

Broeders-Van Kuijk, Martens-K. Ceulemans, Schiettecatte-R. Ceulemans, Cromvoirt-Hermans

STZ Zundert-HCR Prinsen

Forthomme-Jaspers, P. Ceulemans-De Kleine, Van Beers-Pijl, Groot-Swertz

VDO-De Distel

De Laet-Valentijn, Weijenburg-Philipoom, Wijnen-Tijssens, Pijnenburg-Demming

Buffalo.nl-MCR/De Uitspanning

Hofman-Leppens, Van Erp-Christiani, Jorissen-Frings, Van Daalen-Uijtdewillegen