OOSTERHOUT - The UMB three cushion World Cup cycle will have its centre of gravity in Europe in the coming years. Both in the Netherlands and in Belgium, the world top returns to the calendar with organizations in Blankenberge and Veghel. The new series in the Netherlands was launched this Thursday during the national cup finals in De Bussel in Oosterhout. The first World Cup will be played next year in Veghel, Brabant from 21 to 27 October 2019, followed by two World Cups in 2020 and 2021. The foundation BEN (Biljart Evenementen Nederland) is the organizer. Paul Brekelmans, interim chairman of the three-cushion section, was the first to announce the news. The last World Cup tournaments in the Netherlands were played in Sluiskil.
The World Cup cycle annually counts six to eight tournaments with the entire world top in three cushion. This year, Antalya (Turkey), Ho Chi Minh (Vietnam), Blankenberge (Belgium), Porto (Portugal), La Baule (France) and Hurghada (Egypt) are on the calendar and a tournament in South Korea can be added. Kurt Ceulemans said in Blankenberge this week that this World Cup will be organized for one year, but probably also for three years. The Dutch World Cup surely is already for three years on the UMB calendar.
Harry Mathijssen and Ad Smout of the BEN foundation are known as organizers of the Dutch Masters (five times), the Dutch cup final (two years) and the pentathlon. ,,We really wanted to organize on a higher level and planned to bring the World Cup back to the Netherlands. With the supermarket chain of Jumbo we have a great sponsor, so it will be named the UMB Jumbo World Cup. De Blauwe Kei in Veghel is the location, because the head office of Jumbo is located there. The tournament is played in a theatre of a big complex with a capacity of 700 places.''
The three World Cups will be on the calendar during the week in which the World Cup in La Baule is held this year and last year. Turkey and Porto are also planned for Europe for the coming years.
Paul Brekelmans of Three Cushion section is particularly pleased with the new project. ,,We also organize a World championship three times for juniors and ladies in the next years. That brings the Netherlands all the way back on the map as a billiard country. We hope that the youth will be inspired by it, because it's very important that we now can see the entire world top at work.''
Dick Jaspers, the only top ten player in the Netherlands, was also pleasantly surprised: ,,What a great news for billiards. The organizers already have a huge reputation and show that with these World Cups now.''