THE HAGUE - Most teams in the Dutch league already launched their line-ups for the next season, while the battle for the national team title is still in full swing. Sixteen rounds have been played, this Sunday, the twelve teams are in competition for the 17th round. On six laps of the end, SIS Schoonmaak and HCR Prinsen have a pretty comfortable lead over the main pursuers. Seven teams are in the race for the third place in the playoffs. The first transfers for next year are now known. Therese Klompenhouwer makes her come-back in the premier league for DPC in Vlaardingen, where she will show up in sixteen matches at least. ,,I am very happy with this transfer'', she said when the transfer was announced. ,,This was a special week for me: promotion with my team in Belgium to the highest class, a the new contract in the Dutch league. It really motivates me, especially now that I have played well for months and made the step to 1.2 on average. With more matches coming up against top players, more training and tournaments, I am convinced that I can raise that level even more.''
In Jorissen's billiards arena in The Hague, one of the contenders for the play-offs faces the leader and his fans on Sunday afternoon. Team Eekhoorn from Oosterhout has started the final sprint and is in the top three position. SIS Cleaning is ready for a new challenge. The leader Glenn Hoffman is in top form and won 17 matches in a row in the competitions and the last Grand Prix. Jean van Erp is in the winning mood and as a collective, the team from The Hague has impressed in the long season. Frans van Kuyk, Kurt Ceulemans, Kenny Miatton and Jerry Hermans have to be on their best in this ambiance. Nice detail: both teams will enter the next competition in the same line-up.
HCR Prinsen misses its leading player Dick Jaspers for the away match against A1 Biljarts. In the German bundesliga, the last two rounds are played on Saturday and Sunday and the championship is at stake. Jaspers is virtually eliminated with Magdeburg. Eddy Leppens still has a chance to win the title with BCC Witten, yet the Belgian is playing for Prinsen this Sunday.
Peter Ceulemans is missing in the Zundert team for the same reason. The German league is given priority, because Bergisch Gladbacher, where Ceulemans is the leader, is on top and can take the championship. In other teams, players like Martin Horn, Stefan and Markus Galla and Christian Rudolh are missing. Zundert plays an away match against De Veemarkt on Sunday.
Bousema Lochem is host to Dallinga.com with the match between Murat Naci Coklu and Frédéric Caudron as the most striking poster. DPC plays an away match against 't Hartje/Van Wanrooy with Birol Uymaz and David Martinez as spearheads in the team. L&B Ledermode is on a mission for the two points against MCR, although this team performed strongly against DPC last week.
The matches and line-ups for Sunday:
Bousema Lochem-Dallinga.com
Coklu-Caudron
Salman-De Bruijn
De Jaeger-Van Acker
Spilleman-B. Ceulemans
SIS Schoonmaak-Team Eekhoorn
Hofman-Van Kuyk
Van Erp-Ceulemans
Burgman-Miatton
Jorissen-Hermans
De Veemarkt-STZ Zundert
Wilkowski-Forthomme
Grossjung-B. van Beers
Weeremans-R. van Beers
Dericks-Uijtdewillegen
A1 Biljarts-HCR Prinsen
Van der Spoel-Leppens
Blauwblomme-De Kleine
De Zwart-Pijl
Wienk-Swertz
't Hartje/Van Wanrooy-DPC
De Backer-Uymaz
Van Havere-Martinez
Martens-Spoormans
Broeders-Bitalis
MCR-L&B Ledermode
Sciacca-Merckx
Hoefnagels-Christiani
N. Loenen-Valentijn
B. Loenen-Tijssens.