SLUISKIL - The team leader Jan Kikken looked at the scoreboard and whispered: ,,This could turn out into a historic day.'' Two teams, AEJ/Dallinga and Capelle-De Terp, the number one and the number last on the ranking, were close to the break. Dick Jaspers had just made a run of twelve, the Sluiskil team was leading at two billiards by more than twenty caroms.
The team leader almost proved right: the Dallinga foursome, in a blistering form, was indeed well on its way to a world record team average, after Dick Jaspers won in 18 innings, Jean Paul de Bruijn in 24 and Frédéric Caudron after the break in 17 with a high run of fifteen. The only player who still had to finish was Eddy Merckx, the shared world's number on, but unfortunately the Belgian could not finish the race record. He won, of course, his match against Dan Breur, but needed 28 innings. Therefor Dallinga finished 2.298.
The world record remains in the hands of the Dutch Van Donge en De Roo team with 2.380. The former champion team played that record in Zundert, 2009, where Jean van Erp finished 50 caroms in 18 innings, Torbjörn Blomdahl in 20, Dick Jaspers in 21 and Martin Horn in 25 innings.
The difference in scores in Sluiskil were poignant: Martin Spoormans had only sixteen points on the scoreboard against Caudron, Emilio Sciacca, playing a dreadful match, only five (!!) against Jaspers, Dan Breur 31 against Merckx and Peter van Lieshout 13 against De Bruijn 13. The total state: 200-65.
The Zeeland top team, after its stunning win, keeps on ruling supremely and brought the gap to six points with eight matches to play. Three pursuers, Pressplate-Machielsen.fr, MCR De Uitspanning and De Distel Biljarts bunch tightly together with 19 points in 14 matches.
Biljartcafé Jorissen can't deal with the pressure for the time being and dropped down in recent weeks. The Hague team is now on the fifth place, three points down in the ranking behind the numbers two, three and four.
Jorissen suffered an important loss on the fourteenth matchday against Pressplate. Peter Ceulemans was the best man in on his team with a win versus Jean van Erp (50-43 in 22 innings). Roland Forthomme defeated Glenn Hoffman (50-41 in 41), Barry van Beers bested Jeffrey Jorissen 50-35 in 31.
De Distel Biljarts, headed by Jef Philipoom, settled in the top four after the 6-2 win against A1 Biljarts. The leader himself, Philipoom, was the only loser in the team: Raimond Burgman left the Belgian on ten points: 50-40 in 32. Frans van Kuyk, Gerwin Valentine and John Tijssens pulled off the full win for the team.
MCR De Uitspanning spoiled one point in the away game against Post Luchtkanalen. The absence of Eddy Leppens weakened the team. Dave Christiani played a strange match: with 17 from the break, 29-2 ahead after six innings and 36 innings for 50-48 against Davy van Havere. Richard Bitalis (50-16 against Bert van Manen) secured one point for MCR. Roland Uytdewilligen could not live up to his present form and was beaten by Wilco van Wijk (50-37 in 55).
Holland Mineral remains close to the sub-top after the 6-2 victory vs Ripa Recycling. Van Wanrooij won the match against HCR Prinsen 6-2.
The team with Jaspers, Horn, Blomdahl and Van Erp is still the world record holder.
The top ranked teams in the league:
1 Dallinga 14-25
2 Pressplate 14-19
3 MCR De Uitspanning 14-19
4 De Distel Biljarts 14-19
5 Biljartcafé Jorissen 14-16
6 Mineral Holland 15-16.