Who will be the European successor of Dick Jaspers

PORTO - The European billard federation has announced the groups for the championship three-cushion, that will be hold from 16 to 19 June in Porto. The field consists of 32 players, including defending champion Dick Jaspers, 22 speles sended out by their federation, one wildcard and eight players who are seeded based on their position on the European ranking.

The tournament will be played in the Palácio da Bolsa R. Ferreira Borges in Porto. The group matches are on 16 and 17 June, the eighth and quarter-finals on June 18 and the semifinals and finals on June 19. The winner will receive 5300 euros, the number 3300, decreasing to 330 euros for the last sixteen players in the end ranking.

Dick Jaspers defends the title he won last year in St. Wendel in a final against Eddy Merckx. Thanks to Jaspers Raimond Burgman may represent the Netherlands as second, Jean van Erp is the third Dutchman.
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Peter de Backer is sent by his federation Belgium, Frédéric Caudron and Eddy Merckx may participate due to their position on the ranking.
That also applies to Torbjörn Blomdahl, Martin Horn, Filipos Kasidokostas, Tayfun Tasdemir and Jef Philipoom.

The poule formats are:
Group A: Dick Jaspers, Andreas Efler, Sameh Sidhom, Arie Salomon.
Group B: Eddy Merckx, Christakis Christoforou, Ramon Hamm, Michel Boulaz.
Group C: Frédéric Caudron, Raimond Burgman, Paulo Andrade, Toni Hannula.
Group D: Torbjörn Blomdahl, Lutfi Cenet, David Pennör, Thorsten Frings.
Group E: Martin Horn, Nikos Polychronopoulos, Tonny Carlsen, Slobodan Soro.
Group F: Filipos Kasidokostas, Daniel Sánchez, Jean van Erp, Ivo Gazdos.
Group G: Tayfun Tasdemir, Jérémy Bury, Danilo Brajkovic, Peter de Backer.
Group H: Jef Philipoom, Marco Zanetti, Manuel Rui Costa, Balázs Leb.