PARIS/LA BAULE - The French team competition, with a total of eight teams, will start today (Friday 19 October) with two groups of four and new rules. All matches will be played on Friday, changing the date of playing is not allowed. The number of caroms is 40 instead of 50 in the past. As in the previous years, the two best teams of the groups qualify for the final round with four teams. The finals are played in La Baule, 1 and 2 June 2019.
The team of La Baule defends its title and has welcomed a new, strong team player, Tayfun Tasdemir. The team has the line-up now with Caudron, Tasdemir, Bury and De Bruijn. The main competitors are Morangis with Merckx and Leppens, Andernos with Forthomme and Polychronopoulos, Laxou with Blomdahl and Horn, Colmar with Coklu, Nelin and Capak and Albert with Peter Ceulemans and Hofman. The two newcomers are Saint Quentin (Martinez / Zapata) and Courbevoie (Panaia).
Group A will start tomorrow, Friday, with the Andernos-Courbevoie and Colmar-Morangis matches. In Group B, Laxou plays against St Quentin today. Albert starts for his own crowd against La Baule.
The teams and the players:
Group A:
La Baule: Frédéric Caudron - Tayfun Tasdemir - Jérémy Bury - Jean-Paul de Bruijn - Ronny Brants - Mikael Devogelaere - Joel Switala
Laxou: Torbjörn Blomdahl - Martin Horn - Jef Philipoom - Pierre Soumagne - Eric Kremer-Leclaire - John Paul Six - Eric Tromas - Damien Queney
Albert: Peter Ceulemans - Glenn Hofman - Gerwin Valentijn - Cedric Melnytschenko - Xavier le Roy - Valery Callens - Olivier Jonard - Frederic Jonard
Saint Quentin: David Martinez - Juan David Zapata - Gwendal Marechal - Kevin Perrotin - Alexis Rouaud - Nathan Duriez - Morgan Delame - Roman Leduc
The schedule of six match days in the regular competition, with four matches on the same day:
Group A:
19/10: Laxou-St Quentin, Albert-La Baule, 30/11: La Baule-Laxou, St Quentin-Albert, 4/1/2019: Albert-Laxou, St Quentin-La Baule, 1/2: La Baule-St Quentin, Laxou-Albert, 8/3:
La Baule-Albert, St Quentin-Laxou, 5/4:
Laxou-La Baule, Albert-St Quentin.
Group B:
The teams and players:
Morangis: Eddy Merckx - Eddy Leppens - Birol Uymaz - Jean-Christophe Roux - Jean Reverchon - Cyril Miossec - Fabrice Puigvert - Thomas le Coat
Andernos: Nikos Polychronopoulos - Roland Forthomme - Jérôme Barbeillon - Filippos Kasidokostas - Francis Connesson - Marc Boingnères - Frédéric Mottet - Bernard Baudoin
Colmar: Murat Naci Coklu - Dion Nelin - Can Capak - Andreas Efler - Frédéric Beghin - Jerome Riotto - Dany Boutet - Jean Haby
Courbevoie: Marin Echeverry - Bruno Videau - Maxime Panaia - Hervé Delforge - Guillermo Murillo - David Gallais - Laurent Davy - Dany Hachem
The schedule:
19/10: Andernos-Courbevoie, Colmar-Morangis, 30/11: Morangis-Andernos, Courbevoie-Colmar, 4/1/2019: Colmar-Andernos, Courbevoie-Morangis, 1/2:
Morangis-Courbevoie, Andernos-Colmar, 8/3: Morangis-Colmar, Courbevoie-Andernos, 5/4: Andernos-Morangis, Colmar-Courbevoie.