SCHILTIGHEIM - Jérémy Bury and Jérôme Barbeillon will meet each others in the final of the French championship this evening at 19.00. It promises to be a real classic between two players who belong to the top three of the French three-cushion.
Jean Christophe Roux, the title holder, missed the train on his way to the final. He stumbled over Pierre Soumagne in a spectacular match. Soumagne resisted the champion in the penalty shootout after a draw-score at 50-50. When Roux finished the match, Soumagne had collected 42 points. The young Frenchman howerver made the eight caroms that he needed for the tie and then won the penalty shootout to five points 5-3.
Jérémy Bury had shone with an impressive run of nineteen earlier in the eighth finals. The highest seeded Frenchman in the world rank didn't have any problems with Pierre Soumagne in the semifinals this morning. He won the match 50-22 after a final run of six and an average of 1.851 on the scoreboard.
Jérôme Barbeillon met Xavier Clausse at the other table, who surprisingly had reached the top four by a win in the quarterfinals against Cédric Melnytschenko. Barbeillon, who beat Francis Connesson in the quarterfinals, stopped the march of Clausse, he won 50-27 in 41 innings.
Premium pass holders can watch the final between Bury and Barbewillon live on kozoom.