European youngsters play for titles in Italy

VERDERIO - Five titles are at stake at the European billiards championship for players under 21 and 17 in Verderio, Italy, next weekend from 27-30 April. The most important is the three-cushion championship for players under 21, in which Turk Denizcan Akkoca will defend his title. Burak Hashas, the world under-25 champion, has not signed up. He does play in the under-17 championship at the small table.

The best and biggest line-up will start in the European Under 21 Championship, where 24 players compete for the title with well known names like Denizcan Akkoca, Lukas Mortensen, Nikolaus Kogelbauer, Seymen Özbas, Dimitrios Seleventas, Nathan Duriez and Amir Ibraimov. That tournament will last the full four days. On Thursday, preliminary rounds start from 9am. The matches are over 25 points, later in the knockouts over 35.

The European championship, played at Verderio in Lorbardy, organized by the Italian federation, is part of the Euroyouth Longoni Next gen, for which two Grand Prix tournaments are played and this European championship. Those three tournaments count towards the European ranking.

Apart from the European Under-21 Three-cushion Championship at the match table, four more championships will be played: European under-17 small table, under-21 5-pins, under-21 biathlon for nation teams with a total of nine teams and under-21 free game. The under-17 free game will not take place due to a lack of participants.

 The tournaments and participants (27-30 April):

 Three-cushion under 21 with 24 players:

8 groups of 3, first 2 to best 16, 25 points, 35 in knockouts

Denizcan Akkoca (Tur)

Lukas Mortensen (Den)

Nikolaus Kogelbauer (Aus)

Marcos Morales (Spa)

Mustafa Oguz Ceylan (Tur)

Seymen Ozbas (Tur)

Hakan Gorguc (Tur)

Adullah Kaya (Tur)

Dimitrios Seleventas (Gr)

Daniel Sainz-Pardo (Spa)

Sergio Martinez (Spa)

Nick Rosier (Bel)

Daniel Kristiansen (Den)

Nathan Duriez (Fra)

Amir Ibraimov (Ger)

Tangui Duriez (Fra)

Christos Falangas (Gr)

Luis Pinto (Port)

Goncalo Santos (Port)

Nathan Legendre (Fra)

Joris van ‘t Zelfden (Neth)

Andy Nab (Neth)

Paolo Turla (Ita)

Mirko Russino (Ita)

5-pins under 21:

Emanuel Cucchiara (Ita)

Frederico Diciolla (Ita)

Nick Haake (Ger)

Erian Herrebrecht (Fra)

Jonas Söndergaard (Den)

Selahattin Özkul (Tur)

Marius Kroonen (Neth)

Joan Orbea (Spa)

Luigi Aniello De Grolamo del Mauro (Ita)

Felix Schrobback (Ger)

Casper Östergaard (Den)

Yigit Baran Kara (Tur)

Free game under 21, 4 players:

Nathan Legendre (Fra)

Nick Dudink (Neth)

Samuel Vanderveken (Bel)

Arthur Picard (Fra)

Biatlon national teams under 21:

Total of 9 teams

Denmark 1: Lukas Mortensen, Jonas Söndergaard

Italy 1: Emanuel Cucchiara, Paolo Turla

France 1: Nathan Duriez, Erian Herrebrecht

Netherlands 1: Marius Kroonen, Joris van ’t Zelfden

Germany 1: Amir Ibraimov, Nick Haake

Turkey 1: Selahattin Özkul, Yigit Baran Kara

Spain 1: Marcos Morales, Joan Orbea

Denmark 2: Daniel Kristiansen, Casper Östergaard

Italy 2: Federico Di Ciolla, Mirko Russino

Burak Hashas is playing for a new title: the European at the small table under 17

Three cushion under 17, small table

15 players, 3 groups of 5

Burak Hashas (Turkey)

Semet Aygun (Tur)

Kivanic Burkan Yildrim (Tur)

Arturo Daniel Zotov (Spa)

Toni Garcia (Spa)

Luca Philipoom (Bel)

Toon Bollansee (Bel)

Christos Kisniarov (Ger)

Jacob Ide (Ger)

Bruno Martinez (Spa)

Quentin Watbled (Fra)

Charles Legendre (Fra)

Joeri Wilkowski (Neth)

Nicolas Cermak (Cze)

Mio Svensson (Swe)