GKS Katowice won the regular season by defeating Fortis Bilard Kielce 12:8 in the decisive match. During the 3rd Convention of the Billiard Ekstraklasa at the Silesia City Center, the semifinal double-headers were also played, the results of which determined the lineup for the autumn final and the third-place playoff. At the end of the year, Fortis Kielce and GKS will face off once again for the gold. The City of Katowice was the partner of the convention.
End of the regular season
As part of the 3rd Convention, the final three rounds of the regular season were played first. The previous matches took place at Galeria Echo in Kielce and Galeria Łódzka. Now, it was time for the Silesia City Center in Katowice. This is exactly where the crucial matches took place, deciding relegation as well as promotion to the playoff phase.
Round 7
TCF HUB - Retro Team Kraków vs Akademia Bilardowa Rokietnica 12:4
Fortis Bilard II Kielce vs Auta.ch - 147 Break Warszawa 12:7
Akademia Bilardowa Rokietnica vs GKS Katowice 7:12
Auta.ch - 147 Break Warszawa vs TCF HUB - Retro Team Kraków 12:7
Round 8
Akademia Bilardowa Rokietnica vs Fortis Bilard II Kielce 9:12
Europool Arkadia Tczew vs GKS Katowice 6:12
Bank Spółdzielczy w Sokółce - Piotrowski Żuraw Białystok vs Strefa Łódź 11:12
Europool Arkadia Tczew vs Fortis Bilard Kielce 1:12
Round 9
Bank Spółdzielczy w Sokółce - Piotrowski Żuraw Białystok vs Europool Arkadia Tczew 12:8
Fortis Bilard Kielce vs TCF HUB - Retro Team Kraków 12:9
Auta.ch - 147 Break Warszawa vs Strefa Łódź 12:9
GKS Katowice vs Fortis Bilard Kielce 12:8
The biggest hit of this convention was the clash between GKS Katowice and Fortis Bilard Kielce, who had the exact same number of points at that moment. The hosts won 12:8, finishing the regular season in first place. The team from Kielce had to settle for completing this stage in second position.
On the other hand, the promotion of the Fortis II Kielce squad to the playoff phase was a true sensation. Although the young players of the second team had a weak start to the Ekstraklasa season with three consecutive losses, they left no room for doubt in the following matches that they truly deserved a spot among the best. Bartosz Rozwadowski and company secured their promotion to the Billiard Ekstraklasa TOP 4 with victories over Auta.ch - 147 Break Warszawa and Akademia Bilardowa Rokietnica!
The lineup of teams participating in the playoffs was completed by Strefa Łódź, who defeated their direct rival for promotion, Bank Spółdzielczy w Sokółce - Piotrowski Żuraw Białystok, 12:11. It is worth noting that the 2021 Polish Champion, Akademia Bilardowa Rokietnica, suffered a sporting relegation this season. The team, whose key player is Radosław Babica, recorded only one victory this season. The second candidate for relegation was the team from Warsaw, which saved itself from dropping down in the final round by defeating Strefa 12:8.
REGULAR SEASON TABLE: https://pzbil.pl/liga/bilardowa-ekstraklasa/info/
Semifinals on the fourth day of the convention. Final in autumn
Due to the positions held in the regular season, the opponent for the first-placed "Gieksa" was the fourth-placed Strefa Łódź, while the runner-up, Fortis Bilard Kielce, faced the third-placed Fortis II Kielce in the semifinals. It is worth highlighting that this is the first such case in the history of the Polish Billiard League where two teams from the same city have reached the Final 4.
The billiard players from GKS Katowice were the first to secure their place in the final, defeating Strefa Łódź 12:8 in both matches. The visiting team fought as hard as they could, but it was not enough against the GKS squad, who were in excellent form that day. The MVPs of these matchups were the local billiard players: Daniel Macioł and Dominik Jastrząb.
"We were carried by the atmosphere created by our fans, and we really owe them a big thank you. It was great. We are thrilled to advance. We are a tight-knit and well-prepared team. I think we handled this task very well," points out Jastrząb from GKS, a team that has not tasted defeat yet this season.
There was no surprise in the second semifinal pairing either, as Fortis Bilard Kielce beat its reserve team 12:9 and 12:2, respectively. Fortis II put up a fight in the first match, but the second encounter was decisively dominated by the "first team."
"We are glad to have found ourselves in such fine company, and the fact that we played a derby match only added to our motivation to perform well. Unfortunately, we ran out of gas at the end," admits Adam Pałczyński.
Thus, Fortis Bilard Kielce and GKS Katowice will face each other in the grand final this autumn. This is a rematch of the previous season, in which the "Gieksa" players proved to be better. However, it is worth noting that a penalty shootout was needed to determine the winner in 2025, which promises that this time we can also expect excitement down to the final ball. Strefa Łódź and Fortis II will face off in the third-place matchup.
Karol Skowerski from Fortis Bilard Kielce admits that the semifinal clash with the second team was a unique experience for him.
"I run training sessions with some of these guys on a daily basis, I know them very well, and I know what they are capable of. It is pleasing that they played great, especially in that first match. I am proud of them. Ahead of us is the autumn final, for which we need to prepare. We are aware of our shortcomings. Our Achilles' heel is the break, and that's what we need to focus on. In my opinion, there is no single clear favorite; anything can happen, as the previous season showed. The double-header against GKS will definitely be interesting," Skowerski adds.
The partner of the 3rd Convention and the Ekstraklasa semifinals was the City of Katowice. The Billiard Ekstraklasa is organized by the Polish Billiard Association. On a daily basis, 78 teams participate in the Polish Billiard League, which consists of four competition tiers. Re-runs of all matches will be broadcast by SPORTKLUB POLSKA, and live matches were streamed on TVSPORTSPL.
Partners: ML Bilard, Mezz Cues, Aramith, Iwan Simonis, Clash Steel, RS Active, Galeria Silesia City Center w Katowicach, Miasto Katowice, GKS Katowice, JJ Energy Group, Obi, SportKlub, Ministerstwo Sportu i Turystyki, Galeria Echo Kielce, Galeria Łódzka, Strefa Łódź, Kieleckie Centrum Bilarda.
Media patrons: AzBilliards (USA), Pro9 (UK), Alison CHANG (Taiwan), 77.billiards (Philippines), Wiadomosci-Lodz.pl, Podlaski Sport, tcz.pl, WKatowicach.eu, Echo Dnia, Radio Kielce, TVP3 Kielce, Radio FAMA, Eska2, Telewizja Tetka, Telewizja Świętokrzyska, Radio eM Kielce, Radio Rekord, wKielcach, CKsport.pl, On Cue Podcast bilardowy, LoveKrakow.pl and Radio Tczew, Gazeta Tczewska, Tczewska.pl, TVP 3 Katowice.