3-Cushion
The three cushion world championship has been postponed this year to early 2021, the World Cups and other international events are questionable for the coming months or have been definitely removed from the calendar. The well-known team competitions are in preparation, although it is still a long way to the new starts in the Netherlands, Belgium, France and Germany. The mainly news so far has been that Dick Jaspers will play in a dream team in the Netherlands with Eddy Merckx and in France with Marco Zanetti. That glorious combination, Jaspers/Zanetti, is not improbably as well for the German league.
How does summer look like for the top five players on the world rankings? Are there any new plans for the team competitions and the line-ups? Will they stay at home until the new start, or do they aim for a short holiday outside?
Kozoom spoke in short interviews with Dick Jaspers, Marco Zanetti, Torbjörn Blomdahl, Eddy Merckx and Tayfun Tasdemir: finally a little freedom again after 80 days at home without billiards.
Dick Jaspers, not known as a real team player, is happy with new offers from the teams in the Netherlands (SIS Schoonmaak) and from Kozoom in the French league. The Dutch number one in the world is selective in his choices, but realizes that game rhythm is important for the coming months. ''There is a real chance now that we will be due to Corona without matches in international events for ten months now. So, we have more time for team matches, although I will always dose it, playing with teams. We are mainly looking forward to the new international start to make further plans. The new teams are a more or less a compensation for being without matches for such a long time. And for the teams: I enjoyed playing for Magdeburg for ten years and actually the mission was done after we took the German title last year. It makes me very happy to return to Andernos, where I played before. In the Netherlands, I don't want to be in a leading role for my new SIS team, but I do want to participate in competitions now that we have no events outside.''
Marco Zanetti says it's too early for speculations about the new season, new opportunities and new teams. ''We actually don't know anything yet, because of the uncertainty about traveling and flying to other countries without going into quarantine. It is true that the football competitions start again, but let's stay realistic about billiards. Almost all tournaments have been cancelled for this year. And we don't get any other news from the UMB and CEB, not even a letter of solidarity or other explanations.''
The top five players in the world rankings for next season want to seize opportunities to keep up the rhythm. Not only Dick Jaspers in the Netherlands, France and possibly in Germany or Portugal. Marco Zanetti was already playing for Kozoom in France last year and will start next season with Dick Jaspers, Gwendal Maréchal and Jérôme Barbeillon as his teammates. ''I don't want to go into other rumours, it is far too early for that. I don't like gossips." Torbjörn Blomdahl lost his Dutch team, but plays in Germany (Merklinde), France (Laxou) and Coupe d'Europe with FC Porto. ''I received a new offer from the Netherlands, but it's too many kilometres for one play one match. I will only consider playing for more teams when the time will come that I can't longer win tournaments.''
Eddy Merckx missed the promotion to the highest leagues in Germany (Velbert) and in France (Courbevoie) due to the early stop. The Belgian star player remains the leader at Biljart Expres in Belgium and will lead the new SIS team with Dick Jaspers in Carl Verhoeven's brand new billiard stronghold in the Netherlands. "There is nothing to change for me, because I have always tried to play as many matches as possible for my teams.'' Tayfun Tasdemir spent 80 days at home in Turkey with his wife and newborn child. ''We just now are allowed to go outside since one week and I will go for practicing again for the first time. It is too early for a planning to play for teams. It will be more difficult to get sponsors everywhere. I hope for Germany, but the sponsor from Stuttgart has not yet approached me.''
That Turkish sponsor, Mr. Kabak (Stuttgart), wanted to also bring Jaspers and Zanetti together, but due to business troubles in Corona crises, these plans are not sur for now. In the 1st Bundesliga, it is known that the Magdeburg sponsor has stopped and that the Jaspers will leave. Dion Nelin has found a personal German sponsor for himself for three years. The Dutch team competition also has its uncertainties: following HCR Prinsen (Jaspers/Blomdahl/Leppens), the Zeeland team with Forton, Brants and Weeremans will disappear.
In the French league, where La Baule already quit last year due to Frédéric Caudron's suspension, there was good news for Kozoom's team, but Morangis has lost the main sponsor, what means that Ruben Legazpi and Peter Ceulemans are looking for another team.
For the summer break, the holidays of the top five players mainly take place at home.
Dick Jaspers: "For sure I'm not going to travel south, because I don't know what I have to look for in a swimming pool."
Eddy Merckx: "I definitely wil not going for any flight, at most we will go to the Netherlands for a weekend with friends."
Torbjörn Blomdahl: "I will stay at home. I did some commentary for Dick Jaspers' kozoom training and some new things are coming up."
Marco Zanetti: ''I am focussing on other things at home, not on billiards for the time being. And luckily, we are healthy during this time of crisis."
Tayfun Tasdemir: "I used this time to take a rest at home and enjoy my wife and child."