BIRMINGHAM - The cameras are not yet on the world's top of three-cushion on the first days of the World Games in Alabama. Dani Sánchez had a brilliant start on the opening day of the tournament on Wednesday with a world class match against Korean Chang Hoon Seo (40-18 in 12 innings, 3.333 on average) and Dick Jaspers (40 in 16), Eddy Merckx (40 in 16) and Torbjörn Blomdahl (40 in 29) were the other winners in the first rounds of the World Games in three-cushion.
Billiard fans all over the world unfortunately cannot watch the matches in an era when billiard matches can be seen live in the whole world of sports. The World Games, started with sixteen world top players, did not put cameras in the billiard arena to broadcast the matches. The WCBS (World Billiard Organisation) apologises to thousands of billiard fans who are surprised at the lack of images. The World Games organization has announced that live streaming will only start on the last two days of the three-cushion event. This Saturday and Sunday, the semi-finals and final are played.
The billiard audience therefore missed the flashy start of Dani Sánchez, Eddy `Merckx, Dick Jaspers and Torbjörn Blomdahl at these World Games. The Spaniard Sánchez, of the four European winners on the opening day of the Games, made a brilliant start with a victory over Chang Hoon Seo. Sánchez launched himself with 7 in 6 innings and went on the attack with runs of 9 and 13 in the 9th and 10th innings of the match, extending his lead and eventually winning 40-18 in 12.
Dick Jaspers opened the tournament against the only American in the field, Pedro Piedrabuena. The Dutchman had a 22-6 lead after 9 innings, ran out to 38-8 with a run of 16 in the 10th inning and needed six more innings for the last two points: 40-11 in 16.
Eddy Merckx started just as well against Eric Tellez from Costa Rica. The Belgian hardly had any opposition and built up his lead with runs of 9 in the eighth inning (23-1 lead!) and 8 in the 14th inning for an eventual score of 40-16 in 16 innings.
Torbjörn Blomdahl and Martin Horn made it a real fight in their match, in which the Swede took the initiative in the 8th and later in the 20th inning with runs of 8 and 7. The German scored 7 and 5, but came up five points short in the final game (40-35 in 29).
The scores in the first four matches brought the following games on the schedule in the next round, the session with eight winners (quarter-finals):
Dick Jaspers-Torbjörn Blomdahl (11.30 Alabama, 18.30 West Europe)
Dani Sánchez-Eddy Merckx (14.00 Alabama, 21.00 Western Europe).
Today, Thursday, the eight other players in these World Games play for a place in the quarter-finals:
11.30: Quyet Chien Tran-Javier Teran
14.00: Tayfun Tasdemir-Jose Juan Garcia
17.30: Sameh Sidhom-Pedro Gonzalez
20.00: Marco Zanetti-Kouji Funaki.
The World Games in billiard are played in one big hall with room for about 300 spectators. In the arena of the Sheraton ballroom, four billiard tables are placed side by side: one for men's pool, one for women's pool, one for snooker and one for three-cushion.
The live stream for Saturday and Sunday (according to WCBS) can be found at:
https://www.theworldgames.org/pages/twg2022streaming
The billiard arena with four match tables in the Sheraton ballroom in Birmingham, Alabama
The camera's are focused on the World Games, but not in the billiard arena on these opening days
Dani Sánchez had the best start at the World Games three cushion
Dick Jaspers won his opening match against American Pedro Piedrabuena
