3-Cushion
SLUISKIL - The best team in which Frédéric Caudron and Dick Jaspers have ever played and thus the best three cushion team ever, completed his third major mission today. The European Cup for club teams, the Dutch cup, the Belgian championship were already won before.
On a sunny Sunday afternoon in Sluiskil, with a crowd of true billiard lovers around the arena, the star team also took the third national title in a row. The worlds best team Dallinga/AEJ prolonged its title Dutch champion after two wins against Pressplate/Machielsen in the final of the playoffs.
In the away match in Zundert, on Friday night, the Dallinga boys won already 6-2 (only Eddy Merckx lost to Barry van Beers), on Sunday afternoon, in the Sluiskil arena, the 'Zeeuwse' stronghold remained unbeaten with its four top players: 8-0.
The score at the break (4-0 thanks to Dick Jaspers and Jean Paul de Bruijn) was already enough to extend the title. The two remaining matches yet were played to enjoy the audience.
Frédéric Caudron defeated in the last match of the season Roland Forthomme 50-22 in 20 innings. ,,The tension was gone, so we could play an exhibition'', Caudron said later. ,,I was in a better form than Roland.''
Dick Jaspers defeated Peter Ceulemans after a strong final part of the match 50-30 in 26 innings.
Eddy Merckx now took the initiative against Barry van Beers and won 50-43 in 29 innings.
Jean Paul de Bruijn was a lot better than Raymon Groot, but had a difficult finish with many bad positions at the end and a few unlucky balls, 50-42 in 46 innings.
Frédéric Caudron summarized the season, in which Dallinga/AEJ and De Goeie Queue won all that they could win, with all kinds of satisfaction. ,,This is the best team I've ever played for,'' the Belgian concluded. ,,Better even than the team Agipi, that was unbeatable for years in France and in the European Cup.''
The frontman of the team added that he will play in Sluiskil next year 'for 95 percent', just like Jean Paul de Bruijn. The two other star players, Dick Jaspers and Eddy Merckx, have announced that they leave the team: Jaspers to HCR Prinsen, Merckx to A1 Biljarts. The Sluiskil audience said goodbye to the two players and team leader Jan Kikken after this last match in a very successful year.
Meerten Dallinga, chairman of the Sluiskil club, could not definitively say how the team will look like next season. ,,First we're going to evaluate this year once again'', he said. The most obvious is that Caudron and De Bruijn, the two leaders, will play in a new team with the current players of Verbrugge, Steven van Acker, Bart Ceulemans, Berry Dallinga and Patrick Vasseur.
