SAINT DIZIER - The French player Emmanuel Lefranc is back as a specialist in free game in his country. Twelve years after his title in Metz in 2003, Lefranc won the Masters championship this weekend when he beat Pascal Dessaint in the final match 400-144 in seven innings. The championship was played in Saint Dizier.
The new champion played his five matches over 400 points in 4, 8, 1, 5 and 7 innings. In the quarterfinals against Willy Gérimont, Lefranc finished in one inning: 400-17. Pascal Dessaint also played one match in one inning in the preliminaries.
Even more remarkable was the match in the quarterfinal between Xavier Le Roy and Jean-François Florent. Le Roy started with 400, Florent equalized. Then both players made 40 points from the break. In the second extension, Le Roy was missing the break shot, Florent scored one time and won the match.
In the semifinals, Pascal Dessaint bested Jean-Francois Florent 400-266 in 8, Emmanuel Lefrance defeated Pierre Martory 400-34 in five innings.
The Masters podium in France after the free game finals