VEGHEL - The fifth 2019 World Cup in Veghel, Netherlands, from 20 to 26 October, will be played with the maximum field of 150 participants. The registration of this next UMB World Cup started this Monday, August 26 and will run until September 29. Dick Jaspers leads the 14 seeded players of the world ranking, two Dutchmen and one Egyptian receive a wildcard and there were already up to hundred (97) players on the reserve list after one day. The first World Cup in the Netherlands since Sluiskil in 2009 shows a big interest from all over the world. The UMB system of registration offers place to 132 players for the qualification rounds, has reserved places for players from the top 98 of the world ranking list and an additional number of 20 Dutch people.
Paul Brekelmans, one of the organizers on behalf of the Dutch three cushion section, admits that the system has led to some discussions in his own country. The registration wil be done according to the UMB rules. Players from the top 96, who still want to register, have two more days. to do so after today. Starting 29th of August, the reserve list will be supplemented. On the first day of registration there are already 97 players on it, without Dutch players.
Paul Brekelmans: ,,We have a maximum number of Dutch players for this World Cup, like other organizing countries. This year, for the World Cup in Blankenberge, only 20 Belgians were allowed to play outside of the seeded players and the Belgian wildcards. These rules are to not allow hundreds of Korean and Vietnamese players for a World Cup in their own country. We only have to comply with it, and actually that is a pity, because 30/40 Dutch people have responded tthat they would like to participate."
The 14 players already confirmed are Dick Jaspers, Marco Zanetti, Tayfun Tasdemir, Semih Sayginer, Eddy Merckx, Jae-Ho Cho, Quyet Chien Tran, Sameh Sidhom, Murat Naci Coklu, Jérémy Bury, HaengJik Kim, Martin Horn, Jung-Han Heo and Torbjörn Blomdahl. The three wildcards have been awarded to Ahmet Abdallah from Egypt on behalf of the UMB, Jean van Erp on behalf of the organization and Barry van Beers on behalf of the KNBB.
There is space for players from the top 96 of the standings from positions 18 to 98. The most known names already registered are Dani Sánchez, Sung-Won Choi, Nikos Polychronopoulos, Roland Forthomme, Gwendal Maréchal, Peter Ceulemans, Lütfi Cenet and Can Capak. Each federation may also send 1 player. That already applies to Raymon Groot playing for USBA, Paulo Andrade for Portugal, Turgay Orak for Turkey, Kostas Antonatos for Greece and Ronny Lindemann for Germany. And also the twenty Dutch players, who have been appointed by the federation. All the remaining places are supplemented with players from the reserve list.
Paul Brekelmans: ''What we know from the past and the recent World Cups is that those thirty places for the federations and 80 from the top 96 of the rankings will certainly not all be filled. For example, around 45 players were added from the reserve list to the field for the World Cup in Blankenberge. "The current reserve list includes 18 Turks, 14 Germans and 12 Belgians. The best known are Jef Philipoom (no. 11), Jean Reverchon (20), Jose Maria Mas (33), Adrien Tachoire (35) and Peter De Backer (43).
The 24 referees consist of 17 Dutch, 6 Belgians and 1 German.
The World Cup in Veghel is played in 'De Koekbouw', Noordkade in Veghel. The organization is in the hands of BEN with Harry Mathijsen and Ad Smout.
Paul Brekelmans, president of the Dutch three cushion section and one of the organizers of the World Cup in Veghel