Balk-Line 71/2
ANDERNOS - Dutch player Raymund Swertz and German Sven Daske move to the semi finals at the Classic Race 71/2 with the maximum of match points. The two highly qualified balk-line players, who also happened to play the final match at the last European Championship in this discipline (Swertz took gold, Daske silver), were the first to reach the semi's of the tournament at the Kozoom Studio in Andernos. The two other players for the semi-finals came from a resit round: Dave Christiani is Daske's opponent tomorrow, Sunday (12.00), Swertz will play in the early match against Johann Petit, the only French player left for the final day (10.00).
The reigning European champion Raymund Swertz achieved by far the best level in the run-up and is the absolute favorite for the final win. His match against Dave Christiani showed Swertz to be the pearl in the discipline that, unfortunately, is so rarely seen anymore in the national and international tournaments and championships. Swertz is a specialist in playing at high speed and scoring high runs in the balk-lines.
He demonstrated that against Dave Christiani, his compatriot, in a match in which he scored 304 points in one hour with an average of 50,67. By way of comparison: Swertz became European champion in Brandenburg with exactly 50,00 on average.
Sven Daske, the other double winner after two days, did not reach that level at all. The German, who recently has been playing almost exclusively three cushion, lacked rhythm, focus and form to make high runs. In his second match, he was lucky that the Dutchman Michel van Silfhout looked nervous and restless, did not score on the lines and played a bad match. The German went through the finish line with 179 points in 8 innings (22,38 average, highest run 75), the Dutchman scored 158 in 14 innings (11,29, highest run 35).
Two Frenchmen had already been sent home with two losses before the last evening matches. Willy Gérimont, the winner of the previous Classic Race in 47/2, played far below his normal level, as did Jean Francois Florent, who also failed to play his best billiard in the Kozoom studios.
The fight in two matches, between four one-time losers, resulted in a nice battle. Dave Christiani sent out the third Frenchman, Brahim Djoubri, in a match that was decided in Dutch favour in the closing stages: 248-225. Therefore, Christiani qualified for the semi-final against Daske (12.00). The other match turned into a thrilling finish with Johann Petit, cheered by his French fans, as the winner over Michel van Silfhout in the final part.
The semi-finals on Sunday are:
10.00: Swertz-Petit
12.00: Daske-Christiani
Raymund Swertz, the reigning European champion, is the main contender for the final win
Sven Daske, in the semi finals against Dave Christiani
Dave Christiani took his second chance for a place in the semi finals