Biljart Express the best in Belgium: 4th team title

TURNHOUT – The team Biljart Express definitely clinched the title in the Belgian team competition this Tuesday evening. Without Eddy Merckx, who is playing in Turkey at the European Championships, the home match against T's Place was won 6-2. The winning team consisted of Frans van Kuyk, Dave Christiani, Martin Spoormans and Guy van Litsenborg. Biljart Express finished with 35 match points out of 21 rounds of play.

Herstalien's team came closest, but counts 6 points behind with two games to play. Mister 100, the defending champion, has 27 points out of 21 matches, the same as Op de Meir. Driebanden club De Leug has 26 points with one match to play.

The standings at the bottom are still exciting, except Promotion Team ends in last place. The team headed by Jean Paul de Bruijn lost 6-2 to De Leug 2 this week and cannot overtake the second last team. De Ploeg has 14 points out of 21 matches, De Witte Molen 13 out of 20 and De Leug 2 13 out of 21.

Biljart Express was not really threatened by T's Place in the championship match, despite the absence of leader Eddy Merckx. Frans van Kuyk beat Huub Wilkowski 40-25 in 19, Dave Christiani won 40-23 in 29 against Patrick Kesteloot and Guy van Litsenborg was stronger than Berry Dallinga 40-34 in 31. Only Martin Spoormans lost his match for the championship team against Marc van der Spiegel 40-39 in 32 after leading 30-20. Spoormans missed his last point for the equaliser. ’’This is too bad, because I had won all the matches in the second round, but fortunately we are the champions now,'' Spoormans said. The championship party will be celebrated in the last match on April 29.

Biljart Express took the first four Belgian titles with Eddy Merckx, Frans van Kuyk, Gerwin Valentijn, Martin Spoormans and Guy van Litsenborg, among others.

BC De Ploeg 1 and Op de Meir played a draw this week. Dustin Jäschke drew against Jef Philipoom in 33 innings and Joey de Kok against Barry van Beers in 36 innings. Eddy Willems beat Roland Uytdewillegen 40-27 in 24 and Wesley de Jaeger was the better of Roger Roefs 40-17 in 29.

Therese Klompenhouwer was the best of the day for De Leug's team with a win over Jerry Hermans: 40-21 in 21 innings (1.904 for Therese). De Leug won 5-3. Jeffrey Jorissen and Peter Ceulemans played to a draw in 25 innings.