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EPBF Dynamic European Championships 2012
8-Ball, 9-Ball, 10-Ball and 14.1 for Men, Women and Wheelchair
Alvisse Parc Hotel
Route d�Echternach
L-1453
Luxembourg
www.parc-hotel.lu
www.epbf.com
www.epconline.eu
www.kozoom.com - PPV LiveStream (24 tables/24 streams)

21-31 March 2012

Preliminary rounds finished in 9-ball individuals

Konrad Piekarski (POL). Foto: EPBF/DK
Piekarski victorious over Novosad

Wednesday, 28 March 2012: After heavy fighting, Konrad Piekarski (POL) in the end was able to eliminate Evgen Novosad (UKR) out of the 9-ball tournament with 9:7.

It was tough for Piekarski to find into the match. Novosad played more solid in the beginning and used his chances to gain a 3:1 advantage over Piekarski. Then suddenly one could feel a jolt in Piekarski�s game. The youngster who will soon turn 19 years seemed to get more confidence in his performance. He played much stronger and manage3d to tie the match at 6:6. Novosad seemed to be shocked and could not focus on his game anymore. That�s when Piekarski saw his chance and stone cold won the racks which were needed to take him into the single elimination round of the final 64 players.

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Other notable results include Bahram Lotfy (DEN) defeating Eric Robaine (FRANCE) with 9:4.

Other notable results include Bahram Lotfy (DEN) defeating Eric Robaine (nothing) with 9:4.
9-ball individuals continued

Ivica Putnik (CRO). Foto: EPBF/DK
Putnik through after hard work

Wednesday, 28 March 2012: After a long match over 17 racks, Ivica Putnik (CRO) stayed on top of Paddy McLoughlin (IRE) with 9:8.

The match was a head to head race all the way through. Both players played on an even level and made some mistakes. In the end, McLoughlin seemed to cross the finish line first and went on the hill, taking an 8:7 lead over Putnik. But Putnik struck back and levelled the match at 8:8. Then, McLoughlin had a dry break and Putnik got to the table. He played some good shots but missed the 5-ball. However, the ball went into another pocket and allowed Putnik to stay at the table and run the rack and win the match with 9:8. Tough luck for the Irish.

Other notable results include Ralf Souquet (GER) winning against Albin Ouschan (AUT) with 9:6. Marcus Chamat (SWE) eliminated Eric Robaine (FRANCE) form the winner�s side with 9:3.

In the women�s division, Jasmin Ouschan (AUT) beat Kim Christin Witzel (GER) with 7:2. Chantal Manske (GER) defeated Tamara Rademakers (NED) with 7:6. Line Kjoersvik (NOR) won her match over Amalia Matas (ESP) with 7:6.

Team competition and 9-ball individuals from today onwards

Nick van den Berg releasing all his tension. Foto: EPBF/DK
Netherlands made heavy weather of defeating Slovakia

Wednesday, 28 March 2012: Team Netherlands defeated Team Slovakia in a very tight match with 2:1.

Day 8 started with the team competition of the Dynamic European Championships. Nr. 2 seeded Team The Netherlands, consisting of Niels Feijen, Ivar Saris and Nick van den Berg had to compete with Team Slovakia which was made up of Jakub Koniar, Milan Klobucnik and Jaroslav Polach. What looked like an easy task for the Dutch on paper turned into a dramatic thriller. Feijen had won the 10-ball 8:6 while Saris had lost the 8-ball with 4:8. That made the score in the team match 1:1. It ball boiled dow

n to the 9-ball match between Nick van den Berg and Jaroslav Polach. Van den Berg was definitely favoured to win this match but Polach cannot be underestimated. In fact, the Slovakian consistently performed on a high level and brought the Dutch team to the verge of defeat. He was already leading 8:6 over van den Berg and The Netherlands would have been shocked if they were defeated in the first round of the Team�s event. However, �El Nino� van den Berg struck back and after a furious fight tied the match at hill-hill. He broke the final rack with a power break shot and ran the rack under high pressure, getting an8:7 victory over Polach. That took care of the Dutch team winning 2:1 over unlucky Slovakia. The Dutch will now deal with team Russian in the next round of the winner�s side while team Slovakia goes to the loser�s bracket.Other notable results include team Russia defeating team Serbia with 3:0. Team Austria was victorious over Team Poland 2:1 with Werner Scheu winning the deciding match in 10-ball over Radoslaw Babica with 8:5.

After 13:00 CET, the event continues with the 9-ball individuals competition.

8-ball competition finished at Dynamic European Championships in Luxembourg

Left to right: Natalya Seroshtan, Jouni Tahti and Mario He. Foto: EPBF/DK
He, Seroshtan and Tahti go for glory

Tuesday, 27 March 2012: The three European 8-Ball Champions 2012 are Mario He (AUT), Natalya Seroshtan (RUS) and Jouni Tahti (FIN).

In the men�s division, the final match was a catastrophe for opponent Artem Koshovyi (UKR). He had played so well during the event but in the final, the balls definitely rolled for He. The Austrian demolished Koshovyi with 8:0 and demonstrated his performance skills in a very impressive way. �I am really happy to have won this tournament�, said He, �I still can�t believe it.� �I hope all my friends in Austria will party tonight and celebrate this historic victory with me�.

In the women�s division, 15-year-old Natalya Seroshtan ended Marika Poikkijoki�s winning streak with some very good pool. After 5 racks, Seroshtan was ahead with 4:1. Again, a shot-clock was introduced to the match since Poikkijoki used too much time for her shots. Whether that affected her game or not can only be guessed. But it definitely did affect the performance of young Seroshtan. She remained strong at the table and won deservedly 6:3. �This victory means so much to me�, she said very modest when interviewed after the final. When asked about a role model, she said �Jasmin Ouschan, of course!� Jasmin heard that and threw her a big smile and gave thumbs up for her play.

In the wheelchair division, Jouni Tahti (FIN) grabbed the 13th European Champion title of his career. He defeated Roy Kimberley (GBR) after a long and hard battle with 5:2.

Poikkijoki wins over Ouschan!

Marika Poikkijoki (FIN). Foto: EPBF/DK
Mario He and Artem Koshovyi in the men�s final

Tuesday, 27 March 2012: In an epic thriller, Marika Poikkijoki (FIN) ousted favourite Jasmin Ouschan (AUT) from the 8-ball competition with 6:5.
Poikkijoki had a good start and took a 1:0 lead over favoured Ouschan. She then had a good break shot and ran the next rack as well. The pace of the match however, was way too slow. Especially Poikkijoki took too much time for her shots. So it was no wonder that the tournament director Ed de Jonge decided to have a shot clock introduced into the match. At a score of 3:2 for Poikkijoki, the shot clock was started. The match lasted already over one hour. And it was definitely an advantage for Ouschan since she played much faster and is more used to be playing with a shot clock. Already in the 6th rack, Poikkijoki got a time foul call and lost the rack for that reason. Ouschan tied the score to 3:3. The match has improved after the shot clock was started. It was much nicer to watch and Poikkijoki seemed to arrange herself with it. She took a 4:3 lead over Ouschan. But Jasmin fought back. She won two straight racks in a row and went on the hill, leading 5:4. Then it was Poikkijoki�s break shot. She executed a good break shot and ran the rack, tying the match at 5:5. Then Ouschan broke and the cue ball jumped off the table. What a drama for Ouschan! Poikkijoki went to the table and ran again all balls, clearing the table and eliminating the most dominant player from the 8-ball competition with 6:5. The other semi-final in the women�s division was played between Russian youngsters Natalya Seroshtan and Darya Sirotina. Both played in last year�s junior EC and are talented new faces in the women�s division. The match was quite open with Seroshtan having the better break shot. In the end, she could benefit from her advantage and win the match with 6:4
In the men�s division, Mario He (AUT) defeated Francisco Diaz (ESP) in a heartbreaker with 8:7. At a score of 7:6 for He, the Austrian was at the table and had the chance to win the match. But he missed the last ball of his group. Diaz ran out and tied the match hill-hill. Then Diaz broke dry and He ran out. The other finalist in the men�s division will be Artem Koshovyi (UKR) who won against Andreas Gerwen (SWE) with 8:3.

In the wheelchair division, the final match will be played between Jouni Tahti (FIN) and Roy Kimberley (GBR). Tahti defeated Fred Dinsmore (IRE) with 5:4 after trailing 0:4. Kimberley ousted Tankred Volkmer (GER) from the 8-ball event.
The final matches will be played at 19:45 CET.

He terminated Makkonen for a spot in the top 4

Mario He (AUT). Foto: EPBF/DK
8-ball quarterfinals all played

Tuesday, 27 March 2012: In a match that was not as close as many spectators expected it to be, Mario He (AUT) outfought Petri Makkonen (FIN) with 8:4.

Makkonen should have gone in front but he missed an easy 6-ball in the first rack and instead of him drawing first blood against He, he allowed the Austrian to go ahead. In the next few racks, Makkonen could be watched when making mistakes on relatively easy shots whereas He seemed to be more �in the zone� and focussed. No wonder, the scoreboard showed 5:1 in favour of He after 6 racks. Then Makkonen seemed to get a bit better into game. He fired the 8-ball over one rail into the called pocket and made the 2:5. Was that the turning point for him? Not according to He�s liking. Mario He allowed Makkonen to take two more racks but played very strong and won the match with 8:4. As a summary it can be stated that Makkonen made too many avoidable mistakes and was not able to benefit from He�so what errors.

Other notable results from the 8-ball quarterfinals include Francisco Diaz (ESP) overpowering Ruslan Chinakhov (RUS) with 8:7. With the same result, Artem Koshovyi (UKR) remained victorious over Tomasz Kaplan (POL). In the women�s division, Jasmin Ouschan (AUT) and Marika Poikkijoki (FIN) both won their matches and will now face each other in the upcoming semi-finals.

Earlier today, the first two rounds of 9-ball were played. Erki Erm (EST) defeated Konstantin Stepanov (RUS) with 9:6. Artem Koshovyi (UKR) fell to Milinko Vukajlovic (SRB) with 7:9. In the clash of two very experienced players, Ralf Souquet (GER) remained the upper hand over Bruno Muratore (ITA) with 9:2. Denis Grabe (EST) lost to Francisco Diaz (ESP) with 7:9. IN the wheelchair division, Henrik Larsson (SWE) received an unexpected defeat against Eduard Karamatic (CRO) with 4:7.

The event is hosted by the European Governing Body for Pool, the European Pocket Billiard Federation (EPBF) and organized by International Billiard Promotion (IBP). For further information and reference please go to the federation website www.epconline.eu , follow us on twitter @EPBF_News or contact our press office.

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