BRANDENBURG - Two happy Turkish players, Tayfun Tasdemir and Can Capak, hugged each other in the European arena after the victory in the final against the dethroned champion The Netherlands. The new crowned European champion in three cushion for nation teams is Turkey, after a spectacular finish at the Stahlpalast in Brandenburg. The Turkish star player Tasdemir and the still young promise Capak were rewarded by standing ovation. For Tasdemir, it was his second European title, for Capak his first major international success. ,,I'm so proud for our team and for Turkey.''
The final match showed a very logical score, because the two Turks demonstrated a much better form in the golden match than the two Dutch title holders, 40-19 in 14 innings. More sensational was the miraculous comeback Tayfun Tasdemir and Can Capak realized in the semi-final against Greece. The knock-out for the later champion was near by when an almost hopeless 30-9 in 15 innings was on the score board. Tasdemir: ,,We were completely knocked down in the first part and couldn't match at all with the opponent.'' But the pep-talk between the two Turks in the break worked miraculously.
Suddenly, there was a reborn team at the table in the second half, with a remarkably strong Tasdemir and a brilliantly playing Capak. The score first was reduced to 30-20, after a first rebound of nine, then to 32-29, and the Turks took their first lead in the 20th
inning (35-33). The turnaround in the game was amazing: the so strong started Greeks were caught by an unexpected blackout. Where the Turks finished 9-4-5-2-4-1, Nikos Polychronopoulos and Kostas Kokkoris were knocked out after a poor series of 0-1-1-1-0-0-0, good for a final score 40-33 in 22 innings.
,,That's the magic of billiards, the difference between scoring well and scoring poor'', Polychronopoulost commented. ,,Before the break, it all went well for us, after the stop it was the other way round. We can't blame ourselves, we played a very strong tournament.''
The switch in the Turkish/Greek bump inspired the later champions to a magnificent final. Tasdemir: ,,We knew that we had to play on our best to beat the double European champion. The team play was so wonderful and thanks to that decisive 13-run, we deserved the championship. We played a stunning final round with almost two average.''
Dick Jaspers showed his admiration: ,,We haven't got any chance to stop these strong Turks.'' Raimond Burgman: ,,We were defeated by a fantastic opponent. Therefore, we are not disappointed. We were chasing a hat-trick, but after two gold medals, the silver is also a nice reward.''
The podium was completed by Greece and Denmark.
Semi-finals:
Netherlands-Denmark 40-23 in 24
The smooth start of the Dutch, with a lead of 25-1 in six innings, was decisive for the match end. There was a 21-7 as well, including two lucky shots by Dick Jaspers. And what the Danes tried to do, they couldn't get their rhythm. Lars Dunch was the best of the two, Allan Schröder was a bit unlucy and not at his best. The total performance was too little to threaten the opponent. The Danes were amiable losers and finished in style, the Dutch were never in danger.
Turkey-Greece 40-33 in 22
The Turks made a sensational comeback out of the blue. The start of the match was dominated by the Greeks, who made a fresh and powerful impression with Nikos Polychronopoulos and Kostas Kokkoris. They took comfortable lead: 30-9 in 15 innings. Tayfun Tasdemir: ,,We played a bit unlucky and couldn't get grip on the game.'' The match turned upside down after the break. The big lead was first reduced by a run of 9, followed by 4 and 2. From then on, only the Turks were ruling the game. The turned the score into their favour in the 20th inning (35-33), two innings later, Tasdemir made the winning point: 40-33.
The final ranking (average, highest series):
1 Turkey 1.869-13
2 Netherlands A 1.467-10
3 Greece 1.666-9
3 Denmark 1.100-8
5 Belgium A 1.328-10
6 France 1.462-9
7 Netherlands B 1.084-8
8 Turkey B 1.205-6
9 Belgium B 1.254-7
10 Germany A 1.072-7
11 Austria 1.062-12
12 Finland 1.052-5.
The ranking of this European championship determines the tickets for the World championship for nation teams next year in Viersen, where for the first time only 16 teams will show up.
Two happy Turks on stage after their victory in the final
The final stage with Turkey, the Netherlands, Greece and Denmark
Can Capak in the final match: I'm so proud for our team and for Turkey.''