Carom
BRANDENBURG AN DER HAVEL - The European top players in three cushion kick off the European championship in all disciplines on Friday (24th April). The tournament in the Stahlpalatz in Brandenburg, with 24 billiard tables in the huge arena, where Kozoom.com will broadcast all the matches for its members, lasts until Sunday 3rd May. In these ten days all kinds of carom billiard disciplines are shown, individually and by teams, from free game to balk line, from three cushion to one cushion, artistic and 5 pins.
On the opening day, 48 of the 64 players in three cushion come to the tables. Sixteen players, with title holder Marco Zanetti as first seeded, will start off at the knockout stage on April 25 with a total of 32 players. Sixteen players from the preliminaries (the winners of sixteen groups of three) are rewarded by a ticket for the main tournament. The semi-finals and finals are on Sunday April 26. In the groups is played to 30 points, in the knockout rounds to 40 caroms.
The sixteen seeded players are: Marco Zanetti, Dick Jaspers, Eddy Merckx, Frédéric Caudron, Torbjörn Blomdahl, Tayfun Tasdemir, Christian Rudolph, Dani Sánchez, Jérémy Bury, Roland Forthomme, Filippos Kasidokostas Murat Naci Coklu, Lütfi Cenet, Jean Paul de Bruijn Eddy Leppens and Ruben Legazpi.
The prize money for the winner is 6.000 euro, the number two receives 3500, the numbers three and four 2.000 euros.
Also on Friday, three cushion for players under 21 years starts with among others Berkay Karakurt, Gwendal Marechal, Joao Ferreira and Geoffrey Dresselaerts. The sixteen players are divided into four groups of four. They play to 25 points in the groups, 30 in the knock-out rounds with a 50 innings limit.
Moreover, from Friday 24 until Sunday, April 26th the free game for players under 17 and for teams under 19 will be played. The young German Simon Blondeel is one of the favourites for the title under 17. The major contenders in the tournament for teams under 19 are the Dutch Horna team with Sam van Etten, Ferry and Jordy de Jong and the German DBC Bochum with Simon Blondeel, Lukas Blondeel and Tobias Bouerdick.
On Saturday (April 25) the one cushion battle will be launched with Frédéric Caudron (the title holder), Jean Paul de Bruijn as his major challenger, Torbjörn Blomdahl, who made his debut last year, Xavier Gretillat, Eddy Leppens, Johann Petit, Nicolas Gerasimopoulos, Arnim Kahofer, Marek Faus, Esteve Mata, Dave Christiani, Raymund Swertz, Bernard Villiers, Alain Remond and Michel van Silfhout.
The final is on Tuesday, April 28th at 17.00. In the group stage is played to 100 points with eight groups of three: the winners qualify. In the knockout is played to 120 caroms. The winner will receive € 2.000, the runner-up 1000 and the numbers three and four 750 euros.
Sunday, April 26, is the start for players under 21 free game: main contenders are the Dutch Sam van Etten and Ferry Jong and the Germans Simon and Lukas Blondeel.
The Dutch player Raymund Swertz won two gold medals in the balkline games at the last European championship
The full schedule from the start to the finish:
April 24-26: Three cushion seniors
April 24-26: Three cushion under 21
April 24-26: Free game under 17
April 24-26: Free game teams under 19
April 25-28: One cushion
April 26-28: Free game under 21
April 26-28: 5 pins
April 27-28: Three cushion under 17
April 27-29: Balkline 47/2
April 28-May 1: Three cushion small table
April 28-30: 5 pins country teams
April 30-May 1: Free game ladies
April 30-May 3: Three cushion small table club teams
April 30-May 2: Three cushion country teams
May 1-May 3: Balkline 71/2
May 1-3: Artistic
May 2-3: Three cushion ladies.
The artistic podium at the last Europeans in 2013 with tne Belgian Eric Daelman on top