Top players need to make a quick switch

VLAARDINGEN –The Grand Prix in Oosterhout is barely finished when the 5th round in the Dutch Eredivisie is on the schedule. Top players such as Raimond Burgman, Jean Paul de Bruijn, Glenn Hofman, Jean van Erp en Barry van Beers will need to make a quick switch and think about the team interest first and foremost.

Especially the top duel between TOVV.nl/MCR and Dallinga-Frans Bevers in Vlaardingen is eagerly anticipated. It’s the nrs 1 and 2, both with a perfect record, that meet in almost their strongest line-ups. The team from Zeeland misses only Eddy Leppens, who is active in a triathlon in the Ceck Republic, but with Frédéric Caudron, Jean Paul de Bruijn, Glenn Hofman (both playing extraordinarily well in the Oosterhout GP) and Peter De Backer, they still have a rock-solid line-up.

Their opponents are on alert, but they too have sailed all the seas. TOVV have seasoned players and they performed well in the early rounds. There is no question that Eddy Merckx, Frans van Kuyk, and Richard Bitalis will once again be a candidate for the title.
Dave Christiani is missing for the same reason as Eddy Leppens, he is a participant in the triathlon. The form of the others is not under suspicion. Eddy Merckx has had fantastic weeks, with the world title in Porto as the culmination. Frans van Kuyk this week beat Frédéric Caudron in the Belgian league.

Snellen Recycling-A1 Biljarts will also be a tough fight. Both teams did not start the season well at all, and are looking to improve.

“Zeeuwse” newcomer Lands Welvaren/Iets Anders has a rather simple assignment: to beat Post Luchtkanalen, the nr. last, in Sportfoyer De Hazelaar in Rosmalen. Francis Forton, Jack Wijnen, Ronny Daniëls and Kees Wittens will be the favorites, Post Luchtkanalen’s Wilkowski, Celen, Van Wijk and Van Berkel have not yet been able to make an impression.

The other team from Zeeland, Martens Cleaning, have a difficult opponent in Van de Broek Biljart/Hanbat that played well in the early rounds. The Amsterdam team is 3d on the table with 6 pts from 4 matches. The likeable Korean Inwon Kang leads the team, and he will play Martin Spoormans on sunday. Jean van Erp will play Frans van Schaik, Raymond Ceulemans takes on Dick van Uum and Jens van Dam meets Sander Jonen.

Holland Mineraal-Van Wanrooij Transport and FDV Jacoby/Schuler Cues-Dekker Keukens are the two remaining matches of the round. Dekker wants to improve their ranking, and they have a strong player on the third board: Jef Philipoom who beat Eddy Merckx in Belgium last Monday, in a sensational match. He also performed well in the Superprestige, and slowly finds peak form.