ZUNDERT - The Dutch cup for teams is won by Dallinga/Frans Bevers after a great fight in the final match. The defending cup holder, with Frédéric Caudron and Eddy Leppens as its leaders, knocked down the main contender De Heeren/Millers in battle for gold. The next mission for the team, which will continue in a new, unprecedented line-up next year, is the prolongation of the championship.
The supremacy in the final round was not as big as expected. Frédéric Caudron overpowered Dick Jaspers impressively in the match of the giants (3-0, three winning sets in 6 innings), but the matches on three other tables were super exciting.
The other Belgian player in the winning team, Eddy Leppens, decided the final in a real thriller against Eddy Merckx, who started that game with a two sets advantage, but then Eddy Leppens showed to have a better final sprint than three Belgian pro cyclists at the same time in the sprint with Swiss Fabian Cancellara in the Tour of Flanders.
The cup winner was collectively the best, although it was not immediately seen in the final. Jean Paul de Bruijn couldn't continue when he took advantage against Frans van Kuyk and saw his opponent sprint away at the end. And Glenn Hoffman, on the fourth table, was in trouble as well in his duel with Dick van Uum. Frédéric Caudron was the only player showing his impressive skills in his match against Dick Jaspers: 15-10, 15-11 and 15-3, the three sets all in six innings (2.500 vs 1.500).
Eddy Leppens missed the start and was 2-0 down against Merckx, who took sets with 15-11 and 15-7. Then, when it really mattered, Leppens started his attack and set the pace for a great comeback: to 2-2 with 15-9 (8) and 15-7 (3) and eventually to the glorious win.
The showdown in the final with two excellent teams, concealed the lack of tension in the run-up to the real final. The preliminaries only turned out into a fight between A1 Biljarts and Holland Mineraal, for the second position.
In the semifinals, De Heeren was even the better than Dallinga on average (1.819/1.348). The cup holder bested Pressplate 6-2 after Peter Ceulemans bested Eddy Leppens.
Jean Paul de Bruijn couldn't stop Frans van Kuyk in an highs-and-lows match. Moreover, Glenn Hoffman performed with the handicap of a strong headache in his last games. ,,I was nog really fit in the final game against Dick van Uum, but I must say that he was strong'', said Hofman.
The Dallinga team received the bad news after the final that Meerten Dallinga, the director of the team, had been injured by an accident with his road bike in the morning and taken to hospital.
The cup winner is now looking for the double in this line-up: the championship after the cup win. Eddy Leppens, a top five player both in the Netherlands and Belgium, still has no team for next year. Glenn Hoffman leaves for the Jorissen team in The Hague.
Frédéric Caudron and Jean Paul de Bruijn show up in the new dream team next year with Dick Jaspers and Eddy Merckx.
The final ranking with matches, points, averages and highest runs:
1 Dallinga/Frans Bevers 5-9-1.507-11
2 De Heeren/Millers Biljarts 5-8-1.569-9
3 Holland Mineraal 4-4-1.254-10
4 Pressplate/Machielsen.fa 4-4-1.220-8
5 A1 Biljarts 3-3-1.027-10
6 Biljartcafé Jorissen 3-1-1.092-9
7 Van Wanrooy Transport 3-1-1.058-8
8 Garage Verbrugge Hyundai 3-0-0.952-9.
Dick Jaspers was on average the best (2.280) ahead of Frédéric Caudron 2.184, Eddy Merckx 1.744, Frans van Kuijk 1.671 and Eddy Lepperns 1.548.