HOOGLEDE – Belgian champion Eddy Leppens, who for years looked destined to make finals and then lose them, has made the current season the best in his career by winning the coveted Belgian ’double’. The 45-year old player from Limburg won his country's individual Cup by beating Frédéric Caudron 3-2 in a superb high-quality final: 15-11 (6), 8-15 (4), 15-1 (1), 2-15 (2) en 15-9 (8).
The proud winner first commented about the sparkling final match, then realized what a wonderful chapter he had just added to Belgian billiard history. ,,I was always viewed as a non-winner, but these two titles (Belgian champion and Belgian Cup) will have taken care of that reputation’’, he said in the arena, after the emotions had settled.
,,We all know how hard it is to beat the Belgian top players, especially Frédéric Caudron in a final. I did all of it now, I've beaten Eddy Merckx in the Belgian championship and Caudron in the Cup. It's the best year I could have wished for.’’
The last match of the tournament had two highlights: Caudron running out the second set with eleven, then Leppens running out the third set with fifteen. Frédéric Caudron later realized: ,,This must have been one of the better matches played in recent years.’’ And indeed: can 3-cushion be played with more grace and finesse than this? It had not been a tournament of outstanding quality, just a few matches over 2.000, until Frédéric Caudron and Eddy Leppens came to the table and gave the event an unexpected and formidable climax.
A hundred spectators in the Gulden Zonne in Hooglede, none of them having to pay for admission, were treated to the 27th edition of the Belgian Cup, the best in history.
x Eddy Leppens won the first set 15-11 in six innings.
x Frédéric Caudron leveled by taking the second set 15-8 in four, with a closing run of eleven.
x Eddy Leppens won the third set with a perfect run of fifteen, after Caudron had scored a single point from the spots: 15-1 in one.
x Frédéric Caudron then made it 2-2 in sets when he ran eight and seven to win the fourth set in two innings: 15-2 in two.
The averages after four sets: Caudron 3.231, Leppens 3.077.
That level dropped a bit when the decider was played and it was all about the marbles. Caudron had poor start, which gave Leppens a 6-0 lead after three innings. That became 12-7 to Leppens, when Caudron procuded a magical bank shot but he was not really rewarded for it. Finally, Leppens could seal the deal with a closing run of three. It was his second victory in the Belgian Cup, the first being back in 1993 when he beat Ludo Dielis in the final.
Eddy's route to this year's final was easy ( a 3-0 victory over Davy van Havere), Frédéric Caudron had to work hard as he had to earlier, on Saturday. Leppens Sunday morning match was textbook, with good position play and decisive runs when he needed them. ,,It felt so different from Saturday, when I had a bad day’’, said Leppens later. ,,I was lucky to sneak through against Martin Spoormans, even if my final run of six was pretty good.’’
A different Leppens showed up on Sunday morning, with only the first set in some doubt, ending 15-14 in 11 innings. The second set started with a run of six, quickly followed by a seven: 14-1 in three innings.
Same scenario in the third set: a run of nine to lead 13-7, and on to the finish line on auto-pilot. Frédéric Caudron had no walkover by any means, against giant-killer Ronny Brants. The outsider rose to the occasion, as he had done several times in past editions of ’Hooglede’ and ’Blanken berg’. The Flemish courier had robbed Roland Forthomme and Jef Philipoom of their hopes in earlier rounds, and had no intention of throwing the towel against Caudron.
Frédéric, who had just returned from a business trip to Korea and Italy, did not feel 100 %. ,,I don't want to use it as an excuse, but it is evident that I am lacking energy.’’ That semifinal could have gone either way. Ronny Brants won the first set 15-14 in thirteen, Caudron the second with 15-5 in seven, Brants the third with 15-8 in eight and Caudron the fourth with 15-9 in nine. The decider was a gem by Caudron: a furious start by Brants put him 8-3 behind, then a lucky shot turned into a deciding run of twelve.
The podium was completed by Davy van Havere, the Cup winner of 2012, who beat Brants for third/fourth place, 15-9 (11) and 15-13 (9). Peter De Backer ended fifth when he beat Martin Spoormans: 15-4 (12) and 15-14 (9). Roland Forthomme ended seventh after a win over Marc Dellaert: 15-7 (12) and 15-10 (10).
