3-Cushion
SCHILTIGHEIM - What should have been the great Agipi's farewell party, turned out into the celebration of the title for Andernos. The final of the French title race for club teams in the Agipi arena finished with a sensational climax: not the big favorite and multiple French and European champion Agipi, but Andernos, seen as a feared outsider, triumphed 6-2 in the final. The new champion played in the final match with a team average of 2.000 (196 caroms in 98 innings). That is a new French record.
Just a few insiders in billiards will have expected this apotheosis. The Agipi team with its famous stars rarely had been so focused to win this tournament. The most successful team ever, for years unbeatable in Europe, said farewell to the competition this weekend and the famous Agipi venue definitely closed its doors in these finals. The main sponsor and organizer behind the successes, Agipi director Claude Fath, underlined at the end of the tournament once again that great years, but had no doubt expected another farewell.
More than ever, Frédéric Caudron, Marco Zanetti, Jérémy Bury and Jean-Christophe Roux were the favorites to win the gold team medals, but two of the four stars in the team were totally out of form and lacked the fighting spirit. Andernos could benefit flawlessy: the team won the title for the first time in its history.
Team captain Bernard Baudoin said afterwards: ,,We are really very proud to win this French title with the high level we have achieved over two matches. We defeated Agipi in its own home, that's a huge success. The guys in my team have done a tremendous job.'' Roland Forthomme, who beat both Martin Horn and Marco Zanetti and finished 2.127 overall, passed on his three teammates in the joy. The Belgian: ,,It was a great team effort, especially by the two French players, who also remained unbeaten.''
The final day was an unexpected demonstration of high class of the French team that is domiciled in Andernos les Bains, near Bordeaux. Jérôme Barbeillon (2.173 average), 65-year-old salty dog Francis Connesson and the key players Filippos Kasidokostas and Roland Forthomme felt very well that the team with its established names was riddled with cracks during the final stages.
The first signs of decline announced themselves at the European cup battle last year, when the team was defeated by the Turkish top team. Missing out on the French title, was an unexpected knockout and disrupted the day of farewell.
Bernard Baudoin said: ,,We knew that our team had a chance to win, because Agipi was weakened. Marco Zanetti and Jérémy Bury, who were the very heart of the creation of this Agipi team, suffered a very sad day and couldn't reach their normal level.'' Roland Forthomme: ,,This championship gives us a sort of historical feeling. We were the organizer of the European Cup in 2005, the year after we had finished second when Crystal Kelly won. That year, Agipi won its first European title. It was the start off for an era in which they were unbeatable. And now it is exactly ten years later: and we have defeated this Agipi team in their own arena.''
Andernos started the final game already with a psychological advantage from the first round. Roland Forthomme: ,,We both had beaten Laxou 6-2, but we were already pretty far ahead on average.'' When Jérôme Barbeillon (50-28 against Bury in 25 innings) and Francis Connesson (50-38 vs Roux 24) took a 4-0 lead before the break, they not only gave the team the 34 caroms advantage, but also the advantageous points from the first game were counting.
The challenger only needed 50 points out of two matches in the second session (with Forthomme against Zanetti and Kasidokostas against Caudron) to be the new champion. And the team managed to finish the mission: Forthomme even won his excellent match against Zanetti with ease (50-31 in 18) and only Kasidokostas to Caudron, when Andernos had secured itself as the new title holder: the Belgian won 50-46.
Bernard Baudoin said during the ceremony that his club is probably playing with two teams in the main league next season. The champions will show up in the same line-up as this year, the 'shadow team' with Peter De Backer, Frédéric Mottet, Mark Boignières and Bernard Baudoin.
And now, said the team captain, we're gonna make a party, it's gonna be a long night in Strasbourg.
The final of the French championship will be held in Andernos next year.
