KIELCE/POLAND - The European B team is the overall winner of the WCBS tournament, organized for the second time by the world federation UMB. The tournament was played in Kielce, Poland, with six teams from all over the world, playing with four men and four women in each team. The four disciplines were snooker, three-cushion, pool and heyball. Europe B and Asia B qualified from the regular competition and won the semi-finals. Europe B won the final 5-3 and was awarded by the top prize. The winners were best in the two snooker disciplines, men's three-cushion, men's pool and women's heyball.
Europe B won 7-1 over Africa/Rest of the World in the semi-finals, while Asia B beat Asia A 5-4. Most notable was the victory of Ryuuji Umeda, the Japanese who became world three-cushion champion in 2007 in Ecuador, against current world champion Phuong Vinh Bao, helping Asia B to the 5-4 victory.
Ruben Legazpi defeated Riuuji Umeda 40-23 in the three-cushion final, for Asia B, Vietnam's Kien Tuong Phung won 25-20 over Dutch Karina Jetten. The scores were balanced in the pool with a win for Europe by Daniel Maciol and for Asia by Seo Seoa of Korea. In heyball, Ana Gradisnik of Slovenia won for Europe and Mohd Reza Hassan of Malaysia for Asia B. Wendy Jans won women's snooker 3-0 against Vidya Pillai from India. That led to Europe B winning 5-3.
Asia A won the third-place match against Africa/Rest of the World 7-1.
In the regular run-up, in which all teams faced each other, Torbjörn Blomdahl remained unbeaten in three-cushion but his Europe A team could not qualify. Tianqi Shi won all her matches in women's heyball, but Asia A could not survive the semi-finals, despite a win by China's Tianqi Shi against Narantuya Bayarsaikhan.
The tournament did not get all the top players at the start, as, for instance, in three-cushion, Dick Jaspers was not invited and Therese Klompenhouwers, both Numbers 1 in the world, had cancelled. Myung Woo Cho was also missing among the Asians and in other disciplines Jasmin Ouschan and Kelly Fisher, among others, were absent.
The youngest players of the tournament were Dennis Laszkowski (Germany, heyball) 19, Seo Seoa (South Korea, pool) 21, Nina Torvund (Norway, heyball) 22, Bojana Sarac (Serbia, pool) 22, Tianqi Shi (heyball, China) 24,
The oldest players in the tournament were Torbjörn Blomdahl (three-cushion, Sweden, 61) Javier Vera (three-cushion, America) 58, Ryuuji Umeda (three-cushion, Japan) 55, Claudia Marcela Lalinde (three-cushion, Colombia) 53, Karina Jetten (three-cushion, Netherlands) 52 and Yuko Nishimoto (three-cushion, Japan) 50.
The overview of the semi-finals:
For Europe B, in the match against Africa/Rest of the World, seven of eight players won their match. In three-cushion, Ruben Legazpi was the strongest against Sameh Sidhom (40-30) and Karina Jetten won against Güzin Mujde Karakasli 25-22. There were also wins for Michael Georgiou, Wendy Jans, Daniel Maciol, Bojana Sarac and Oliver Szolnoki. Only Ana Gradisnik was defeated in the heyball by her opponent.
The Asian clash was a thriller, just won 5-4 by Asia B. Ryuuji Umeda, former world champion, had a major part in it with a 40-31 victory over Phuong Vinh Bao. Vietnamese Kien Tuong Phung won the women's three-cushion 25-16. Women's pool in particular, featuring India's Vidya Pillai, was wildly exciting with a 7-6 win.
The final score after the regular competition with the six teams in a battle where all teams faced each other was (played, match points, wins):
- Europe B 40-93-139
- Asia B 40-88-132
- Asia A 40-84-129
- Africa/Rvdw 40-73-92
- America 40-72-107
- Europe A 40-70-98
The top four teams advanced to the semi-finals.
The individual standings (top three) in the various disciplines:
Three-cushion men
- Torbjörn Blomdahl, Europe A 5-14
- Sameh Sidhom, Africa 5-12
- Phuong Vinh Bao, Asia A 5-11
Three-cushion women:
- Claudia Marcela Lalinde, America 5-13
- Güzin Mujde Karakasli, Africa 5-13
- Karina Jetten, Europe B 5-11
- Kien Tuong Phung, Asia B 5-11
Snooker men:
- Michael Georgiou, Europe B 5-13
- Victor Sarkis, America 5-11
- Mateusz Baranowski, Asia A 5-11
Snooker women:
- Wendy Jans, Europe B 5-13
- Ng On Yee, Asia A 5-13
- Vidya Pillai, Asia B 5-11
Pool men:
- Bader Alasadhi, Asia B 5-13
- Daniel Maciol, Europe B 5-13
- Gerson Martinez, America 5-11
Pool women:
Seo Seoa, Asia B 5-12
Bojana Sarac, Europe B 5-11
Annita Kan Jaya, Asia A 5-11
Heyball men:
- Oliver Szoinoki, Europe B 5-12
- Maximilliano Ossandon, America 5-12
- Amiri Amine, Africa 5-11
Heyball women:
- Tianqi Shi, Asia A 5-15
- Narantuya Bayarsaikhan, Asia B 5-12
- Ana Gradisnik, Europe B 5-11
The total prize money was US$140,000.
De winnaars van het Europese team
De runners up van het team van Azië B
The three cushion final won by Ruben Legazpi (right) over Riuuji Umeda, referee Paul Brekelmans
The three cushion ladies final won by Kien Tuong `PLhung (right) over Karina Jetten. Referee Christel van Reekum
Belgian lady Wendy Jans, left, an important player in snooker for Europe B