STANBUL - The comparison arises more and more: in football, Barcelona won the championship in Spain with its star players, the cup last Saturday and they try to beat Juventus next week to win the European Cup. The billiard players of Dallinga/AEJ, with its four undisputed star players in three cushion, are also close to the triple after the took their first (and last) European Cup this Sunday afternoon in Istanbul.
The comparison has no real value at all, of course, because the Spanish football millionaires celebrate their triumphs on a stage which is only a dream world for the billiard players. But with a little imagination, Caudron, Jaspers and Merckx can be named, in the perception of the billiards world, the Messi, Neymar and Suarez of the blue cloth.
For one year, the four billiard players have been brought together this season in one team with the prospect of a three-year contract with the sponsor. That's what it will turn out to be, as it looks for the time being, as all parties know now after the negotiations. That is the reason that the team is falling apart.
The medal hunt and record hunt were very impressive, nevertheless. The Dallinga team has written its name in golden letters in the record books. The world record team average was the highlight four players produced in the league: 200 caroms in 77 innings, good for an unprecedented team effort of 2.597 average.
The Dutch/Belgian team was on its very best again this weekend in the battle for the European Cup, where the Turkish Bahcelievler was the twofold defending champion and the Dallinga team was unbeatable in its line-up. The new European greatness, so is called Dallinga/AEJ: the team defeated in the final Andernos 4-0. The competition was, as it is usual in the team competitions in billiards, stopped when the decision had fallen.
Frédéric Caudron fulfilled his role as team captain brilliantly in the match against Filippos Kasidokostas, took an early lead (24-5 in six innings), had a small slip, but had a comfortable lead at the finish (40-24 in 19). The second Belgian in the team, Eddy Merckx, also shone on the final day with two wins and got the better of Jérôme Barbeillon in the final. The Frenchman, one of the best players in the tournament was beaten 40-17, like Caudron in 19 innings .
The race was stopped when Jean Paul de Bruijn’s score was 30-30 against Francis Connesson and Dick Jaspers led 35-20 (16 innings) against Roland Forthomme.
Frédéric Caudron, who was on top again after the glory years with Agipi and Crystal Kelly, countered eagerly to the criticisms in an interview afterwards: ,,We always heard the same story: the team was too strong for the others and so the league had no tension.’’
,,What's the problem with that in top sport’’, Caudron quoted, ,,there was a sponsor this year that brought together this team with strong players. As it happens with football teams as Real Madrid, Barcelona and other big teams. I may also point to the Turkish team that won the European Cup two years in a row. This is a team that doesn’t play competition, but it’s brought together only for European matches. We play at least every week with our team in the league.’’
The Dutch team from Sluiskil is allowed now to organize the tournament itself next year. Meerten Dallinga, the president of the club, assured after the cup win that the plans to organize are ready. ,,We only want to do it in the way Agipi did, so with two billiards and four days instead of three.’’
The team composition will change anyway: Dick Jaspers and Eddy Merckx leave at the end of this season. And the team coach Jan Kikken stops due to uncertainty in the sponsor atmosphere, although the coach said in his interview in front of the camera: ,,I will not take back my decision, but it will hurt to say goodbye.’’
The European Cup - and perhaps in next week the national title – is a culmination of a year that has brought nothing but success. They quickly were named the dream team and won everywhere, unchallenged, in the Dutch and Belgian league, in the cup final and now in the European Cup final.
Frédéric Caudron, the leader, Dick Jaspers, by far the best Dutch billiard and Jean Paul de Bruijn remained unbeaten this weekend in the group stage against Andernos and All Games Alcamo (Italy). Only Eddy Merckx, the best player of the final day, lost on one carom on Saturday against the Frenchman Jérôme Barbeillon.
In the semi-finals on Sunday, Dallinga had dealt with FC Porto, with the Belgians Caudron and Merckx in the main role. The absolute surprise in the semi-finals was the elimination of the double European Cup winner by the team of Andernos that, thanks to Jérôme Barbeillon, Francis Connesson and Roland Forthomme grabbed a 5-3 win against the Turks.
The individual ranking on average:
1 Frédéric Caudron 2.162
2 Tayfun Tasdemir 1.967
3 Eddy Merckx 1.870
4 Dick Jaspers 1.858
5 Jean Paul de Bruijn 1.848
6 Lütfi Cenet 1.764
7 Adnan Yüksel 1.656
8 Torbjörn Blomdahl 1.603
9 Filippos Kasidokostas 1.582
10 Jérôme Barbeillon 1.574
11 Dion Nelin 1.523
12 Dani Sánchez 1.486
13 Joao Ferreira 1.438
14 Murat Naci Coklu 1.413
15 Tonny Carlsen 1.395
Highest runs:
1 Jean Paul de Bruijn 15
2 Dick Jaspers 14
3 Lütfi Cenet 13
4 Tayfun Tasdemir en Adnan Yüksel 10
6 Jérôme Barbeillon, Torbjörn Blomdahl, Lars Dunch, Joao Ferreira, Roland Forthomme, Filippos Kasidokostas 9.
The stage with the teams of Dallinga/AEJ, Andernos, FC Porto and Bahcelievler.