SCHILTIGHEIM - The two main players of Agipi, Frédéric Caudron and Marco Zanetti, need a shining start for their team in the upcoming hours after an unexpected kick-off against Andernos. The champion team suffers a 4-0 deficit because Jérôme Barbeillon and Francis Connesson has built a favorable margin.
The group with BC Deurne as third team, fighting for two places in the semi-finals, opened the first skirmishes in the European Cup in Schiltigheim. Agipi is the favorite of course to enter the semifinals, but a win against Andernos will take some hard work.
Jérôme Barbeillon defeated, not for the first time this year, the player with whom he has took the European team title in his own country. The Andernos player had a smooth start against Jérémy Bury with a nine run in the first innings (13-9), looked at a backlog some innings later (18-23), but after 26-27 in the 21st inning sprinted to a victory in 29 innings: 40-36.
Francis Connesson crept into his usual role with some theater and many gestures, but in the meantime he scored regularly against Jean Christoph Roux. The home player had a dramatic start. He looked a 29-7 deficit after sixteen innings. Roux made a small come back to 22-33 in 24, but couldn't break through the defense of Connesson (40-36 in 36 innings).
In the second session (12.30) Frédéric Caudron meets Roland Forthomme and Marco Zanetti faces Peter De Backer.