Radon Plaza Hotel
Džemala Bijedića 185
Sarajevo
Boznia
www.radonplazahotel.ba
www.epbf.com
www.europeanpoolchampionships.com
www.kozoom.com
4 - 11 August 2013
Gold Medalists Barbara Bolfelli and Reiner Wirsbitzki
Bolfelli and Wirsbitzki claimed the titles in 10-ball
The finals of the 10-ball individuals have been played. In the seniors division, Reiner Wirsbitzki (GER) took the Gold Medal. The title in the ladies division was snatched by Barbara Bolfelli (ITA).
The senior's final was tight and went along back and forth. Wirsbitzki's opponent Vegar Kristiansen (NOR) was a tough opposition. The German got momentum first and got a small two rack advantage over Kristiansen taking a 3:1 lead. Then it was Kristiansen who fired back and capitalized from Wirsbitzki's mistakes. But Kristiansen had two big problems in the final: He could not get a position on the 1-ball after his break shot and he could not get the pace of the table. Very often, Kristiansen played the cue ball at the wrong speed. However, he managed to get on top of Wirsbitzki with 5:3. In the 9th rack, he could have made it to the hill when Wirsbitzki missed a make-able 5-ball but he scratched when he got to the table. Wirsbitzki grew strong when he saw that Kristiansen could not finish the match. Now he went along and pocketed balls, winning rack after rack. In the end, Wirsbitzki won the match deservedly with 7:5 and claimed the first Gold Medal for Germany in this tournament.
The ladies final was not so tight. Bolfelli dealt with Ann-Sofie Löfgren from Sweden. After four racks Bolfelli was leading 3:1. Then, Löfgren got the chance to get a rack back from Bolfelli but she pocketed the 10-ball and scratched. That brought Bolfelli to a comfortable 4:1 lead. The 6th rack brought the decision. Löfgren didn't come up with any more resistance and finally had to give in to stronger Bolfelli.
The event will continue tomorrow with team and 8-ball competition.
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Vegar Kristiansen (NOR)
Storm has to settle again for a Bronze Medal
In a semi-final match that was packed with good shots and powerful pool, Vegar Kristiansen (NOR) eliminated Tom Storm (SWE) with 7:3.
It was a match between two big players from the past... who are still sharp. Both of them have proven at these Dynamic Billard European Championships that they are still able to come up with excellent pool. Additionally, Kristiansen has received his luggage today so now he was finally able to play with his glasses and his own cue stick. The match promised to be a classic and it started accordingly. After six racks, the score was 3:3. Kristiansen was able to get a small 3:1 lead but Storm pulled those racks back from him. In the 7th rack, Storm should have taken the lead but he missed an easy 5-ball and left it to Kristiansen to take the 4:3 lead. The following racks proved to become a nightmare for Storm. Kristiansen won rack eight with good safety play. In rack nine, Storm missed an easy 8-ball. What a catastrophe for the likable Swedish. That avoidable mistake took Kristiansen on the hill with 6:3. The 10th rack became a thriller as well. Storm got ball in hand at a certain stage and tried to play the 3-ball into the 10-ball to take a shortcut win. But the 10-ball was hanging in the pocket, staying on the slate. Both contestants then tried with several shots to pocket the 10-ball. It was Kristiansen who succeeded first and won this decisive rack. 7:3 was the final result which booked Kristiansen a place in the Gold Medal match while Storm again had to settle for third place.
The other semi-final match between Reiner Wirsbitzki (GER) and local hero Dino Cerimagic (BIH) also became a thrilling showdown. After twelve racks, the match was tied at 6:6. The pressure was on Cerimagic. The crowd really wanted him to win this match. After Muratovic last week in the junior's, this would be the second medal in the short history of the federation from Bosnia & Hercegovina. Could he come up with more than Bronze? Unfortunately for him, Wirsbitzki played concentrated, strong and cold as ice in the 13th rack, pocketing all balls he needed to win the match and proceeded into the final against Kristiansen.
Kim Uytenbogaardt (NED)
10-ball down to quarter-finals
German #1 senior player, Reiner Wirsbitzki, vanquished Michael Stark (AUT) with 7:3.
It was probably the match of the wasted chances for Stark. In the third rack he should have taken the lead. But instead, he dogged the 7-ball and left it hanging over the pocket for Wirsbitzki. The German played solid as always and ran his racks. With the presents he received from Stark, Wirsbitzki was soon able to take a nice 4:1 lead. In the 6th rack, Wirsbitzki played a poor safety shot and invited Stark to make the gap between them a bit smaller. But Stark again could not benefit from Wirsbitzki's mistake. This time, he left the 10-ball in the pocket for Wirsbitzki. After that, the match changed a bit and Stark took two racks in a row. At 5:3, Wirsbitzki went for his time-out. He came back fresh and ready for more action. Stark broke and scratched with the cue ball. That was his last action in this match. Wirsbitzki ran that rack and the next one with his own break to win the encounter with 7:3. He will now proceed to the quarter-final and play against Paolo Costa (POR) who ousted Wirsbitzki's teammate Martin Schwab by a whisker with 7:6.
Other notable results from the round of the last 16 players in the senior's division include Roger Lysholm (NOR) wasting no time with Andreas Bucher (SUI), winning his match with 7:1. Tom Storm (SWE) also booked his seat in the next round, eliminating Angelo Salzano (ITA) with 7:3.
In the ladies division, Barbara Bolfelli (ITA) won her winner's qualification match over Susanne Wessel (GER) in a heartbreaker with 5:4. Ilona Zalmanova (CZE) defeated Wienke Thamsen (GER) with 5:3 in the same round and sent her to the loser's side.
Manuel Pereira (POR)
Straight pool competition finished
The first medals have been taken at the Dynamic Billard EPBF European Championships for Seniors and Ladies. Manuel Pereira (POR) got the better of Kim Uytenbogaardt (NED) in the final match with 75:17.
Both players had to stand very tough semi-finals. This could be noticed in the final match since the two contestants seemed to be a bit off their normal game. As a result of that the match was characterized by many safety shots. It even got to a point when the tournament direction had to impose a shot clock on the match. After one hour, the score was only 31:5 in favor of Pereira. Whenever a shot-clock is imposed on a match, it usually boils down to who gets accustomed to it fastest. In this case, it was Pereira who found his rhythm and got some momentum going, playing an inning with 25 points which brought him two points away from victory. Uytenbogaardt had no opposition to offer to that anymore. With two more balls pocketed, Pereira took the first Gold Medal in this event.
Kim Uytenbogaardt (NED)
First huge upset in straight pool
The biggest surprise of the tournament so far! Kim Uytenbogaardt (NED) overcame favored Tom Storm (SWE) in the semi-final of the senior's straight pool division with 75:70.
The odds were all on Storm. His performance in the straight pool competition has been second to none so far. His opponent has also won all his matches but by far not as spectacular as Storm did. So no wonder, everyone expected a clear run for Storm. But Uytenbogaardt did not agree with that. The Dutch senior player never gave up. In the early stage of the match, Storm ran away as expected. He missed a ball at 15:0 but Uytenbogaardt could not capitalize from it. He only made a few points before he allowed Storm back in. As the match went on, Storm took a comfortable 54:15 lead and things looked like a walk in the park for him. But two things happened unexpectedly. Storm missed easy shots and took the wrong decisions at times. When the time for a safety shot was there, he decided to go for it. This , plus an Uytenbogaardt who always believed in himself and stayed calm lead to a situation where Storm missed a ball being in the lead with 70:53. The pressure for the Dutch was unbelievably high. But he managed it and controlled his nerves, pocketing 22 balls and winning the match with 75:70.
In the other semi-final, Manuel Pereira (POR) remained victorious over Reiner Wirsbitzki (GER) 75:52.
Vegar Kristiansen (NOR)
10-ball competition started in Sarajevo
Vegar Kristiansen (NOR) just defeated Tomasz Malinowski (POL) in the first round of the 10-ball individuals with 7:3.
The match itself was quite unspectacular. But the fact that Kristiansen is still waiting for his luggage adds a bit spice to it. He had to borrow black trousers, he borrowed a house cue stick from the local bowling alley and he is without his glasses that he desperately needs. "Not my tournament so far", stated the modest Norwegian, "it's too hot for me here being from Norway. Also, playing without my glasses constitutes a nightmare for me". However, he only lost last night in the quarter-final of the straight pool competition and now took his first victory in 10-ball. The first four racks were divided between the two players to get to a score of 2:2. But then the mistakes increased sharply. With a bit of luck and the better positional play, Kristiansen succeeded to take a 4-rack advantage over Malinowski, now leading 6:2. In the 9th rack, Malinowski played some great safety shots and forced Kristiansen to commit a foul. With ball in hand, Malinowski ran out and tried to stay in the match. One could see that Kristiansen really struggled with his eyesight. In the next rack, Malinowski should have taken another point back from Kristiansen since he was at the table with three balls left. But Malinowski dogged the 8-ball. That was enough for Kristiansen to finish the match, winning with 7:3. He will play the winner's qualification round next while Malinowski has to take a cruise through the loser's side.
Other notable results from the first rounds in 10-ball include defending Champion Henrique Correia (POR) wiping the floor with his opponent Markku Savolainen (FIN) 7:0. Kurt Deklerck (BEL), multiple Champion in several wheelchair divisions, won his first match over Johann Schernthaner (AUT) with 7:1. Last year's silver medalist Frank Willner (GER) also won his first 10-ball match with an uncontested 7:4 victory over Werner Scheu (AUT).
In the ladies division, Monika Oeschger (SUI) stayed on top of Maarit Gerkmann (FIN) with a score of 5:4. Barbara Bolfelli (ITA) had a furious start and won her match over Lidia Moreira (POR) clearly with 5:1.
Tom Storm (SWE)
One-man-show again from Swedish legend
It looks as if no-one is able to stop Tom Storm (SWE) at the Dynamic Billard EPBF European Championships for Seniors and Ladies.
His latest victim was Martin Schwab (GER). In 25 (!) minutes, Storm eliminated Schwab with 75:3 in three innings. Storm plays so dominant that his opponents do not seem to have any remedy against him. When asked after the match about his good shape he replied: "Actually, I stopped playing three years ago. I started playing again earlier this year. It's like riding a bicycle, you know. You learn it once and never forget how to do it". He is obviously one of Europe's most talented and gifted players. Other players need a lot of practice and are still not able to come up with anything like Storm's performance. It will be very interesting to see whether he will be able to continue on this extremely high level.
Other notable results from the round of the last 16 players include Marko Hartikainen (FIN) ending Giorgio Margola's (ITA) hopes for a medal in straight pool with 75:12. Reiner Wirsbitzki (GER) won against Henrique Correia (POR) with 75:49. Gijs van Helmond's (NED) straight pool experience was terminated by Manuel Pereira (POR) with 75:37.
The semi-finals will be played tomorrow at 18:00 CET with the final match to follow right after them.
Giorgio Margola (ITA)
Margola ousted Karlsson
With 75:58 points, Giorgio Margola (ITA) eliminated former Champion Kent Karlsson (SWE) from the straight pool individuals.
Karlsson as well as Margola are experienced straight pool players. Way back in 2002, Karlsson held the title in senior's straight pool. Too bad for them to meet so early in the round of the last 32 players. After 16 players have been eliminated, the system changed from double to single knock-out. Margola ran off like a printer. He took a 24:1 lead in the first inning. In doing so he set down the yardstick for the match. Karlsson, who is also capable to run high innings, seemed to be impressed by Margola's good start. But he fought his way back in the match and played a run of 21 points to take a 37:26 lead himself. In the very next inning, Margola answered that with a run of 32 balls, now leading 58:37. That was the second shock that Karlsson received in that match. He could not really recover from it. Margola was always on top of the action and finally took Karlsson out with 75:58.
Other notable results include Tom Storm (SWE) finishing Sascha Manojlovic (SUI) with 75:30. Reiner Wirsbitzki (GER) won his match with 75:47 over Luis Torres (POR). Last year's runner-up, Gijs van Helmond (NED), who had to make his way to the single elimination stage through the loser's bracket, had to deal with Stefano Bazzana (ITA), straight pool Champion from 2011.
After four innings, Bazzana was leading comfortably with 61:35. He only needed one more rack to book his seat in the next round. But van Helmond seemed to have a strong objection against it. He emphasized that by not letting Bazzana to the table anymore, running the remaining 39 balls he needed for the victory.
Tom Storm (SWE)
Senior's European Championships start with a demonstration of power
With the straight pool individuals, the Dynamic Billard European Championships for Seniors and Ladies have begun in Radon Plaza Hotel in Sarajevo, Bosnia & Hercegovina.
The defending Champion Rene Peeters (NED) does not compete this year in Sarajevo. Instead, some well known names from past times have come to demonstrate their skills. Probably the biggest name with five gold medals and a total of 15 medals at European Championships is Tom Storm from Sweden. He played his first two matches already and won both of them with a commanding lead. In the first round, he defeated Rado Doroslovac (SLO) with 75:12 in nine innings. That was a warm-up for him. In the first winner's round, Storm smashed Rune Espeland (NOR) 75:4 in only four innings, including a high run of 46 points. Storm needed exactly 23 minutes for the whole match. That performance showed what is still to expect from the Swedish legend. He definitely belongs to the favored players in the senior's EC. It will be more than interesting to see him clashing with other strong straight pool players.
Other notable results include Reiner Wirsbitzki (GER) creaming Henrique Correia (POR) with 75:21. In this match, nine European medals and five titles clashed. Correia being the favored player with four Gold and one Silver medal whereas Wirsbitzki achieved one title and three Bronze medals. The past record obviously spoke in favor of Correia but today's reality seemed different. Wirsbitzki found his rhythm while Correia seemed to struggle. In the end, the victory for Wirsbitzki was never really endangered. #1 seeded player, last year's silver medallist Gijs van Helmond (NED) fell in his first match to Michael Stark (AUT) with 62:75.
Frank Willner (GER) managed to turn an 8:46 deficit against local player Dino Cerimagic (BIH) into a 75:68 lead. Willner needed 20 innings for that and had a high run of 20 points. The next opponent was Willer's teammate Christophe Creter. The match went back and forth and after nine innings, Creter was leading 71:38. It looked like everything was over for Willer in that encounter. But he hung in there and got some points back. Still, he could not turn the match into a victory. After a total of 12 innings, the final score on the scoreboard displayed a 75:67 result in Creter's favor.
The ladies will step in tomorrow when the 10-ball competition is started.
The event will be streamed LIVE on up to 20 tables at www.kozoom.com/en/pool-billiard/
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.billiardapps.com or contact our press office.
