3-Cushion
NIEUWEGEIN - The Dutch league, with all his strong and international teams, gets the kick-off tomorrow with a derby between two opponents from the same organization. Frans Bevers from Sluiskil and Martens Cleaning from Kapelle will face each others at the opening day of 21 rounds. Both teams will come to the start with two Belgians as their main players and two Dutch players on the positions three and four.
The big question at the start of the league is: which teams will be the great contenders for the title now the champion Van Donge en De Roo and the number two Crystal Kelly have been retired. Dick Jaspers, Torbjörn Blomdahl, Martin Horn and Jean van Erp will due to that reason not play in the league for the first time in many years. The sponsor refused to participate, as we all know, because he didn't want the playoffs at the end of the competition.
Frédéric Caudron, Frans van Kuyk, Raimond Burgman and Raymond Ceulemans all have found another team after Crystal Kelly stopped sponsoring. They have been transferred to other teams.
The derby in De Vroone in Kapelle must be a guarantee for a few exciting matches on the first day. Frédéric Caudron meets Martin Spoormans in the main match of the afternoon. Spoormans is an opponent for Caudron who really should not be underestimated, as has often showed in these confronations the past. Eddy Leppens is playing against Raymond Ceulemans, which is certainly an interesting meeting.
Dekker Keukens-Van de Broek Biljarts/Hanbat is the match in which Jérémy Bury makes his debut as the frontman of the team. Jef Philipoom, his opponent, knows how difficult the start can be after the great performance of the Frenchman in Suwon. ,,I will do everything to beat Bury on his first day here in Holland'', the Belgian predicted. Gerwin Valentijn meets the Korean Inwon Kang in this match.
Kurt Ceulemans and Roland Forthomme play on the center court in the duel between DKM Tools and Snellen Recycling. Peter Ceulemans is the second man for Snellen.
Eddy Merckx, who just has returned from a week in the World Cup in Suwon and afterwards a few demonstrations, plays against Steffan Galla in the match between TOVV.NL/MCR and DBL Holland Mineraal. The Turks Tasdemir and Coklu stay at home and miss the competition start. Frans van Kuyk meets Anno de Kleine at table two.
Hatrans/Twente faces at home (the Grolsche Veste) A1 Biljarts. Christian Rudolph is facing Dion Nelin, Ad Koorevaar duels with an old friend: Raimond Burgman.
Berendhaus Groep/Horeca makes his debut in the highest leagu against the former De Vrachtkar (now De Hazelaar) with the main match between Thorsten Frings and Wesley de Jaeger.
The match start at 13:00 Sunday afternoon.