3-Cushion
ANDERNOS/SCHILTIGHEIM - The second day of the French team competition, with the five world's top players in action, was closed with an 8-0 victory for the favorite Agipi team over Gravelines. Andernos and Laxou and played a draw: 4-4.
Martin Horn (Laxou), Frédéric Caudron (Agipi) and Jérôme Barbeillon (Andernos) were the stars of the evening with matches of 2.273, 2.174 and 2.000 average. Horn swirled in Andernos along Roland Forthomme with 50-17 in 22 innings.
Frédéric Caudron had a slow start against his country fellow man Martin Spoormans, but then flatted out to the finishes in his familiar style: a few high runs in the final sprint: 50-27 in 23.
Martin Horn is performing on a high level already for long time in the competitions in which he shows up. The German, who announced a temporary World Cup stop this year, apparently feels free from pressure now... nevertheless the billiard world wants him to make a quick comeback.
Andernos and Laxou played a match with two faces. Before the break Francis Connesson (50-37 in 56 innings against Matthieu Franck) and the excellent playing Jérôme Barbeillon (50-24 against Pierre Soumagne 25) led the home team to 4-0. Then, Torbjörn Blomdahl (vs Kasidokostas) and Martin Horn (against Forthomme) levelled the score.
The German outclassed his Belgian opponent, Torbjörn Blomdahl decided the match against Filippos Kasidokostas, both of them not on their best, in the last innings. The Greeks could equalize, but missed at two caroms of the draw and the full win for his team (50-48 in 46).
Agipi won the match against Gravelines unthreatened: only Jean Christophe Roux felt some resistance of Gino Gremaind (50-43 in 53). Jérémy Bury overran Frédéric Roelants in the other match before the break (50-32 in 27).
Marco Zanetti ( 50-36 in 28 against Ronnie Daniels) and Frédéric Caudron, who made the highest day-run (11) in his final shot against Martin Spoormans, nothed the full win for Agipi.