THE PREDATOR EUROPEAN SENIORS CHAMPIONSHIPS readies to enter its final day as all three categories played down to the last 16 of 9-ball, the last of the four disciplines. Currently Germany leads the medal table but that could all change with the destination of five more golds to be decided and with Portugal and Turkey snapping at their heels.
Taking place at the De Bonte Weever Hotel in Assen, the Predator European Seniors Championship features 159 players from 24 countries contesting four disciplines of pocket billiards across three categories – men, 45-plus and 55-plus and 45-plus ladies.
The 55-plus division sees the three earlier gold medal winners, Henrique Correia, Reiner Wirsbitzki and Martin Steinlage, all clustered together in the bottom half of the draw. That means only one of them can make the final and that opens up opportunities among the rest of the field.
One such player hoping to take advantage is Sweden’s Tom Eksell who progressed with an 8-5 defeat of Andras Varadi (Hungary). Eksell was at the Youth European Championships in Slovenia in the summer as team leader and coach of the Swedish squad but is hoping to make his mark on the table this time.
He said, “It was tough as my break was really, really bad so I struggled the whole match but, in the end, it worked out well. You always have to have the focus down to the last ball; that’s the main thing.
“I had a tough straight pool tournament and tough 10-ball and 8-ball but it’s beginning to work which is strange because 9-ball is normally the worst discipline but I’ve played my best in 9-ball. We’ll see what happens but I’m aiming for gold.”
In the ladies, the two previous gold medallists – Sinem Kokten and Yvonne Ullmann-Hybler - are going strong as the last 16 gather but looking to make a big impact in the final tournament is France’s Nathalie Rohmer. An 8-ball gold medallist last year, she defeated Jum Zwijnenburg (NED) 6-4 to remain in the competition but feels she will need to improve to progress.
Commented Nathalie, “It’s difficult for me as I’m not a regular at these European Championships, but for 9-ball I do want that trophy! If my form and focus are OK then I can have a chance here. But sometimes I can focus and sometimes not so it is very difficult for me. It’s a beautiful tournament, though and Predator and the EPBF make the best conditions. There’s no excuse not to play well.”
The 9-ball resumes on Wednesday morning at 9.00, with the semi-finals set for 12.30 and the final at 14.30. Following that, the team semi-finals start at 16.30 and the finals are at 16.30.
Streaming of Tables 1 and 2 for the duration of the Predator European Seniors Championships can be found on YouTube, via the Pro Billiard TV channel - https://www.youtube.com/@ProBilliardTV
For all results, live scoring and draw, visit www.epbf.com/tournaments/european-championships/
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