MAGDEBURG - The German three cushion league for teams is led after five rounds by BC Magdeburg, the team with Dick Jaspers, Dion Nelin, Markus Schönhoff and Michael Puse. After a double weekend with four match points, the leading team is one point ahead of BC Munich, BC Stuttgart is three points down. The ranking is turned upside down after five rounds: title favorites like BCC Witten (Leppens, Lindemann), Bergisch Gladbacher (Soumagne, Ceulemans), Bottroper (Hofman, Rudolph) and BC Elversberg (Caudron, Philipoom) are in the lower part of the bundesliga.
The leader, BC Magdeburg, won its match against Bergisch Gladbacher 7-1 this Saturday and bested BC Elversberg 6-2 on Sunday. Dick Jaspers was the better of Pierre Soumagne (40-21 in 28), but lost to Frédéric Caudron with the Belgian in a strong show up: 40-20 in 13 innings. Dion Nelin was the best man for Magdeburg on Saturday with a win over Peter Ceulemans, 40-27 in 14. Markus Schönhoff (draw against Dustin Jäschke, win over Volker Marx) and Michael Puse (win against Raspel and Linnebacher) remained unbeaten, like Nelin with his two wins. The Dane beat Jef Philipoom 40-28 in 23 on Sunday.
BC Munich surprisingly took the role of main pursuer. The team is headed by the Greek Kostas Papakonstantinou, with his countryman Kostas Kokkoris, Johann Schirmbrand and Christos Christodoulidos. On Saturday, Munich beat Bottroper 6-2, on Sunday BCC Witten 8-0. Papakonstantinou went past Glenn Hoffman (40-38 in 28) and edged Ronny Lindemann (40-33 in 26), Kokkoris stood out Francis Forton (40-35 in 31) and Volker Baten (40-15 in 18). Christian Rudolph was the best in the German clash with Johann Schirmbrand, 40-33 in 33.
BC Stuttgart 1891 is one of the contenders for a high position with its Turkish top guns Tayfun Tasdemir and Murat Naci Coklu. The number three in the ranking following Magdeburg and BC München, achieved a double win this weekend: on Saturday, BCC Witten was beaten 5-3, on Sunday Bottrop 6-2. Coklu remained unbeaten playing Lindemann (40-40 in 23) and Forton (40-23 in 23), Thorsten Frings won both his matches, Tayfun Tasdemir defeated Eddy Leppens 40-26 in 17 and lost to Christian Rudolph on Sunday, 40-35 in 19.
BSV Velbert played one match this weekend and kicked down Merlinde 8-0. Eddy Merckx had a narrow escape against Markus Dömer (40-39 in 23), Jean Paul de Bruijn got the better of Jens Eggers 40-32 in 25.
BC International and Bergisch Gladbacher met on Sunday, Martin Horn snatched the win against Pierre Soumagne (40-34 in 23), Peter Ceulemans beat Norbert Roestel 40-33 in 36.
The ranking in the bundesliga:
1 Magdeburg 5-13
2 BC Munich 5-12
3 BC Stuttgart 5-10
4 Velbert 5-8
5 Bottroper 6-7
6 BCC Witten 6-7
7 BC International 5-7
8 Bergisch Gladbacher 6-7
9 BC Elversberg 6-5
10 Merlinde 5-5.