ZUNDERT - The Dutch teams STZ Zundert and L&B Ledermode play the final double for the team championship in Holland on Friday 7 and Saturday 8 of June. L&B from Hoeven won the double game against SIS Schoonmaak, the Zundert team beat Bousema Lochem 8-0 on Sunday-evening, after the teams had tied 4-4 on Saturday. The two finalists were the numbers 3 and 4 after the regular competition. SIS Schoonmaak, that finished first and Bousema Lochem, the number 2, were outplayed fort he final. The fans of the two final teams can visit the matches by bycicle. The distance between Zundert and Hoeven is 15 minutes.
The brothers Barry and Rik van Beers started the victory match for Zundert in the return against Bousema on Sunday evening. Barry beat Wesley de Jaeger 40-35 in 32. Rik defeated Frans van Schaik 40-31 in 40 innings. Because of that position at the break, Zundert only had to score one more match point in the second part. Roland Forthomme forced a quick decision in his match against Stefan Galla. The Belgian, who was unable to play in the first match because of his obligations in his own country (Belgian cup), did a great job, led 32-15 after eight innings thanks to runs of 8 and 7 and eventually won 40-33 in 14. Peter Ceulemans was the first to finish against Johan Loncelle. The Belgian opponent, who made such a wonderful come-back this year, came closer with two caroms at a score of 40-36 in 31 innings: 40-38. As a result, the final score was in the match was at 8-0.
The first final match is in Hoeven on Friday 7 June, the return on 8 June in D'n Hoek in Zundert.
The dreams of the Hague billiard team SIS Schoonmaak, which entered the play-offs for the championship as the number 1 team, were disturbed cruelly in the clash with L&B, that won the home match 6-2 and played 4-4 in the return in The Hague. Eddy Merckx and Peter De Backer were the big stars in the winning team from Hoeven.
The SIS team, that has been on top of the competition all the way, ends the play-offs in a minor. The difference between the two teams was made by the leading players of the two teams. Eddy Merckx and Peter De Backer won their two matches against Glenn Hofman and Raimond Burgman. For The Hague, Jean van Erp remained in balance with Dave Christiani and Jeffrey Jorissen won twice against John Tijssens.
The leader of the Hague team, Glenn Hofman, failed in the double match with Eddy Merckx, who will be the new leader of SIS next year in Hofman's place. Merckx was the better of Hofman all the way. In Hoeven, the match finished 40-23 in 23 innings, in The Hague the punishment was even more painful: Merckx won 40-18 in 25 innings. Raimond Burgman lost twice to a strong Peter De Backer, who played the best average over two games of the eight players (2.051). Glenn Hofman was strangely the worst of the eight players in average (0.854). Eddy Merckx was the double winner with 1.666, Burgman and Jorissen achieved averages of 1.641 and 1.454.
The loss of the championship in the Dutch league and missing the cup final was very disappointing for the reigning champion SIS. The team leader Cor Trampe reacted after the elimination in the play-offs: "It is time to stop with this system of play-offs. The leader after the competition must be the champion.''