LISBON/GRONDAL/VIENNA - The first group winners in five stages for the European Cup three cushion for teams are already known. The Turkish team Gaziantespor, with Frédéric Caudron as lead player, has already advanced with three victories for the finals in Porto. The team on top of its group defeated the main rival, Coral Colon, 8-0. The Spanish team Madrid Escuela, with Ruben Legazpi as key leader, has also secured fort he finals the Vienna group. The French champion CetSi Morangis is the almost certain winner in Grøndal. Buffalo.nl and Andernos play for the group win in The Hague and the Danish Ferericia Billard Club leads with two wins in Lausanne.
As expected, Gaziantespor with Caudron, Tasdemir, Coklu and Capak, is superior in the Lisbon group: Can Capak was one of the stars in the team with a 40 caroms match in 13 innings and a run of 17 in the twelfth inning. The Turks won twice 8-0 and 6-2 against Op de Meir, when Tayfun Tasdemir lost to Ivan Stitschinsky. The Turks have 1.749 average after three matches. Marco Zanetti shone in the Lausanne group with a win in 12 innings and a run of 14.
Buffalo.nl won its two matches in The Hague 6-2, Andernos made a half misstep against Mecidiyekoy Spor and thereby has to win the last match against Buffalo.nl to be group winner. Glenn Hoffman and Jean van Erp were the best players in the Buffalo team, Filippos Kasidokostas won his second match in twenty innings.
Madrid Escuela defeated the team of WBA Wien in Vienna 8-0 with a team average 1.590. Valentin Andaluz was the best winner against Herbert Thür 40-17 in 20. Rubén Legazpi defeated Arnim Kahofer 40-34 in 30, David Martinez won in 24 and Javier Palazón in 27 innings.
CetSi Morangis is unchallenged on top in the Grøndal group after a victory over the home team 6-2. Eddy Merckx bested Dion Nelin (40-36 in 24) Eddy Leppens beat Tonny Carlsen (40-31 in 27), Jean Reverchon beat Lars Dunch (40-23 in 30), Richard Bitalis lost to Brian Knudsen 40- 31 in 43.
The Portuguese team FC Leca is unbeaten in Lausanne. The frontrunner of the team, Escudeiro, lost his two matches, the other three players, Fernandez, Pals and Aranha, were the match winners: four match points in two games.
Coral Colon is the best number two in the groups so far with 1.350 average and one match to play, Grøndal has 1.216.
The Gaziantespor team with Tayfun Tasdemir, Gökhan Salman, Murat Naci Coklu, Can Capak and in the front Frédéric Caudron with his best fan (his mother) qualified for the European final in Porto.
The Spanish team with Ruben Legazpi, Javier Palazón, David Martinez and Valentin Andaluz is already in the finals