LIER - The run-up to the final day was less impressive than in his previous tournaments, but eventually Frédéric Caudron showed his supremacy again in the BTS tournament in Lier. The Grand Prix Salle d'Eau, this Sunday, turned out into a final between the number one in the world and in Belgium and the local hero Kurt Ceulemans. Before the final match, Caudron defeated one of his major rivals in the semis, Eddy Leppens.
Thanks to his fantastic performance in this season with four wins in four BTS tournaments, Caudron increased his position at the Belgian ranking. He is at the end of the BTS cycle by far the leader ahead of Eddy Merckx, Eddy Leppens, Roland Forthomme and Davy van Havere.
,,This victory was not so easy as the previous three tournaments in which I played higher averages. But on the final day, I played well on the final day with matches in 20 and 16 innings'', said Caudron in the Mr. 100, where the entire Belgian federation board and some well known former players were among the spectators in the well-filled arena.
Caudron may already look back on the best year in his career in his own country. ,,It never happened before that I won almost all tournaments in one season, Belgian championship, four BTS ranking tournaments. The only tournament I didn't win was the Belgian Cup, won by Eddy Merckx.''
Caudron played an excellent match in the semi-finals against Leppens (40-28 in 20). Kurt Ceulemans defeated Marcel Celen 40-28 in 39. In the final match, Kurt Ceulemans shone in the equalizer with a run of nine. It was not enough to threaten the absolute star of the BTS cycle who won 40-32 in 16 innings .
The rankings after the fourth BTS tournament:
1 Frédéric Caudron, 315 points
2 Eddy Merckx, 177
3 Eddy Leppens, 153
4 Roland Forthomme, 114
5 Davy van Havere, 106
6 Marco Janssen, 102
7 Kurt Ceulemans, 90
8 Steven van Acker, 82
9 Peter De Backer, 80
10 Ronny Brants, 78
11 Peter Ceulemans, 76
12 Jef Philipoom, 72
13 Kenny Miatton, 70
14 Ronny Daniels, 65
15 Marc Celen, 65
16 Francis Forton, 64.
For next season, there are three BTS tournaments on the calendar: Leopold Série (Brussels), Kon. Eeklose BC and Mister 100 Lier. The organization is negotiating with a fourth tournament.