3-Cushion
HURGHADA - The blond girl with high heels, who was looking forward for many weeks to the start, is almost out after one match. ,,I will need a lot of angels,'' said Sharon van Dijk before her first match. Two hours later, after a painfull loss: ,,It was so warm in the room and the table was so difficult,'' she claimed.
And she was gone again, Sharon van Dijk, who debuts at a World Cup and is part of a large group of people from Brabant in the Netherlands. She was defeated in her first match by Jack Wijnan, a compatriot, who smiled after a win 15-2, 15-2. ,,I am happy, in any case, that I could play against, many people will be jealous...''
Karina Jetten played a marathon at the end of her match, in a hot room, where she really started well with 15 in 15 innings, but then got in troubles and needed a narrow escape (15-14 in the third set) to beat Piet Smits.
Bart Ceulemans won two sets in 21 innings, Tom Ronge grabbed his second against Bo Tonning 15-14. Lot of tension so in those first matches of the day.
Ten o'clock this morning, the World Cup was about to start.
Tonnie Carlsen walked around nervously: ,,I'm fifth on the reserve list, but I still hope that I can play.''
Walter Jurado (Germany), who last night still was hoping for a little miracle, already knew: ,,There is no chance that I will play.''
Wim van den Berg from the Netherlands: ,,I'm sitting here in my billiard cloths, the hundred euro's for inscription are burning in my pocket.''
But it was all wishful thinking, because the players on the reserve list, are only allowed to replace players who have to perform on the first day. And everyone appeared on time in the room.
Wim van den Berg: ,,You do not know how very sorry I feel about this. I was with my wife on holiday in Portugal when the inscription would open at 12.00. We were ready to do at 11.30, but I have waited until 12.00. I signed up at 12.03, but... I was 48th on the reserve list. And we had already booked our trip to Hurghada...''
When something is happening later today, Tonnie Carlsen will be the first, but nobody actually expects it. The World Cup in Hurghada is so popular that no one will stay at home.
Nabil Salama, who brings the score sheets into the billiard room, could tell around 11.00: ,,The tournament is completely full, there is no place for reserve players.''