3-Cushion
HURGHADA - The Belgian player Ronny Brants (54) didn't show up in World Cups for some years, because he lost interest in making long and expensive trips abroad. He has his work now as a driver for a courier service and not so much time for billiards. The Belgian (who lives in Kortrijk) has two favorite tournaments: the Belgian championship and the Belgian Cup.
Nevertheless, Ronny Brants was starting off for the Hurghada World Cup today, where he survived in his first appearance, not without being in trouble for a while. Tomorrow (Monday) he will meet his next two opponents.
Ronny Brants was around the 25th position in the world ranking in his younger years. He's even more proud of his other record list: ,,I was six times in the semi-finals of the Belgian championship for the last ten years. That tournament gives me always a special feeling, I always feel very strong there.''
That he came to the World Cup in Hurghada, has a reason: Bennie van Goethem, the Belgian referee, who was on the table for a match over 90 innings (!) today, is the leader of the Belgian team De Witte Molen.
,,He asked us to come to this World Cup with the whole team. We have a great team, with four guys who all support each other. And we're here with three of the four: Glenn Hoffman, Francis Forton and I, only Ad Broeders could not come, unfortunately.''
For more than ten years he's been away from the World Cup circuit, or actually he did not: ,,I have played all the tournaments in Sluiskil, because it is close to my home. But, far away, I can't go: I work as a courier and make very long days. From four in the morning untill four or five in the afternoon, around 260 hours per month. Work, sleep and not too much time for play billiards.''
He started against the Dutchman Jacky Dekkers this morning, whom he defeated 30-15 in 34. The Turk Ozkan Ozfidan was much stronger. ,,I started well with 15 in 9 innings, but then he came back and we went together to the finish. He missed his last carom at 29-26, then I closed the match with four.''
The World Cup of Hurghada was delayed for two hours and more on this first days, with matches of seventy, eighty and ninety innings.
The tournament continues in the coming days without three young Spanish talents: Juan David Zapata, David Martinez, who was in the main event in the Porto World Cup and the European junior champion Antonio Montes.
The trio has cancelled their participation for the World Cup in Egypt, because today (Sunday) was the final day of the Spanish Championship. ,,We had to fly on Sunday, the day of the finals in Spain'', was Juan Zapata's excuse for not showing up in Hurghada.
The cancellations mean that not only today's group winners come back on the second day. Four runners-up will be added to the list of players who come to the billiards tomorrow (Monday).