HAARLO - The final step to the big final in the play-offs at the Dutch premier three cushion league will take place tonight (Tuesday, June 19). The two teams that finished in the Buffalo league behind SIS Cleaning meet in the return today in the billiard arena HCR Prinsen. The opponent is Team Eekhout, the first match ended in 4-4. The Haarlo team has an advantage in caroms: 150-123.
The home team obviously plays at full strength, because Dinand Prinsen, the team leader, is eager to take the championship. That means Dick Jaspers, the world top player, who was in the spotlights during the World Cup in Blankenberge, will lead the team. De Brabant player is in an unprecedented form and full of confidence.
Eddy Leppens is the number two for HCR Prinsen. The Belgian was the absolute best in the previous meeting in Oosterhout, in which he put a generous lead in caroms on the board against Kurt Ceulemans. Leppens has an unfortunate World Cup behind him. He lost to Semih Sayginer at one carom after two misses at the end in difficult positions.
Anno de Kleine and Jelle Pijl are the numbers three and four, who were defeated in the previous meeting before the break. Dick Jaspers and Eddy Leppens later brought the match into balance.
The Brabant team is in the winning mood after a great success at Thessaloniki in an international tournament. Team leader Erik van Woerkom saw his team shine in the line-up that also comes to the billiards tonight. Frans van Kuyk who showed a few high quality matches in Thessaloniki, Kurt Ceulemans, Kenny Miatton and Jerry Hermans.
The question is: will Kurt Ceulemans be recovered from a week in which he was the great World Cup organizer in Blankenberge. More than once he walked around in the early morning hours, and sighed: ,,We made it four o'clock tonight and I had to be here again at seven o'clock.'' The short nights with a highlight in a great players' party at Het Witte Paard, didn't seem to tucker the organizer. Kurt Ceulemans remained sharp until the end and with his World Cup performance, he has put down one of the best in the last years.
Today, Kurt with his team travel to the distant Haarlo in the knowledge that Team Eekhoorn has beaten Prinsen twice in the competition. There will be tension in the Prinsen home. After all, it is all about a place in the final against SIS Schoonmaak, the Hague team that can prepare themselves for the battle in which the championship is at stake. The final match will be played in De Veemarkt in Doetinchem on Saturday and Sunday. Tonight in HCR Prinsen the match starts at 7, broadcast live by Kozoom.
The final matches in De Veemarkt start at 19.30 on Saturday, the second match at 18.30 on Sunday, also broadcast live by Kozoom.
The matches:
Jelle Pijl-Jerry Hermans
Anno de Kleine-Kenny Miatton
Eddy Leppens-Kurt Ceulemans
Dick Jaspers-Frans van Kuyk.