Ine Helvik and Vegar Kristiansen (both NOR)
The next medals have been awarded at the Dynamic Billard European Championships for Seniors and Ladies at the Golden Tulip Jagershorst Hotel in Leende, The Netherlands. Vegar Kristiansen (NOR) and Ine Helvik (NOR) took the titles in the 10-ball division. Three out of a total of 8 medals including both titles went to Norway today.
The final match in the seniors division was as fiercely fought over as expected. Reiner Wirsbitzki (GER) as well as Vegar Kristiansen (NOR) both have a lot of experience and several titles under their belt. In total, they have won 7 titles and won 24 medals on former European Championships. So this time, a real favourite could not be spotted at all before the match. And the match confirmed that assumption. They both took racks in turn and their play was determined by a lot of tactical and safety elements. In the end, Kristiansen turned out to be the stronger player today. His safety play as well as his pocketing skills outmastered Wirsbitzki. He took three consecutive racks and made 8:5 the final score in his favour. Kristiansen seemed to have more power left in the end of the match.
Top Eight Finishers Seniors 10-ball
1. Vegar Kristiansen (NOR)
2. Reiner Wirsbitzki (GER)
3. Christian Johannesen (NOR)
Murat Ayas (SUI)
5. Henrique Correia (POR)
Dino Cerimagic (BIH)
Csaba Nagy (HUN)
Jan Keller (DEN)
In the ladies division, EPBF Board member Ine Helvik started out as strong as she performed in the semi-final match earlier today where she clearly wiped the floor with her opponent Wienke Thamsen (GER) and won 6:1. Her opponent in the final match, Nathalie Rohmer (FRA) had a bit more work to do. She needed 9 racks before she was able to finish Barbara Bolfelli (ITA) 6:3. In the final, Helvik continued as dominant as she played in the semis and even before that while Rohmer missed a few shots too many. Consequently, after 5 racks the scoreboard displayed a 4:1 lead for Helvik. But the match was not over yet. Rohmer pulled one rack back from Helvik but the Norwegian had a straight answer for her, winning the next rack and getting on the hill at 5:2. Helvik was at the table with her own break coming up. She had some balls down and a nice layout in front of her. She went ahead and played that rack rock solid. However, her nerves obviously played a trick on her when she dogged the 10-ball and left a long shot for Rohmer. The French also missed the 10-ball and left it for Helvik who pocketed it and crowned her strong performance with her first title on a European Championship level ever.
Top Eight Finishers Ladies 10-ball
1. Ine Helvik (NOR)
2. Nathalie Rohmer (FRA)
3. Barbara Bolfelli (ITA)
Wienke Thamsen (GER)
5. Ann-Sofie Lofgren (SWE)
Stella Julien (FRA)
Patricia Ignesti (ITA)
Cristina Moscetti (ITA)
Earlier today, more rounds in the team competition have been played. In the seniors division, the losers side was up today. Teams Finland and Portugal won both their matches. They will be up in the loser’s qualification round. Finland will play Switzerland will the Portuguese team will have to deal with the German team. In the ladies division, Teams Germany and Portugal have made it to the semi-finals which will be played on Saturday afternoon at 14:30 CET.
Tomorrow, the Dynamic Billard European Championships for Seniors and Ladies at the Golden Tulip Jagershorst Hotel in Leende, The Netherlands will continue at 09:00 CET with the first matches of the 8-ball individuals.
Every day, one match from the events will be shown LIVE on the Facebook page of the EPBF. All Facebook users may check out the high standard of quality which is provided for all the events and see what the Kozoom members receive all the time. You can see all the matches live via www.kozoom.com who stream the whole event on 23 tables on the internet LIVE. The FB live matches are announced on the EPBF Facebook page around noon every day. Results and schedules can be found at www.europeanpoolchampionships.eu so why not come and check out all the LIVE action of the Dynamic Billard European Championships for Youth.
The event is hosted by the European Governing Body for Pool, the European Pocket Billiard Federation (EPBF) and organised by International Billiard Promotion (IBP). For further information and reference please go to the federation website www.europeanpoolchampionships.eu, visit us on Facebook or check out our youtube channel for regular news clips or contact our press office press@epbf.com.
