A BOLA – Full of Portugal in the European Pool (Billiards)
The seven athletes from Portugal in competition this Friday at the European Pool Championships, a competition organized by the European and Billiards Federation (EPBF) and on the 12th of the current month in Lasko (Slovenia) Pool runs, all of them, qualify for the second day of competition of the individual competitions of the discipline of ‘Ball 10’ of this variant of billiards.
The ‘Straight Pool’ (or ’14+1′) contests concluded on Thursday, with Miguel Silva and Sara Rocha to individuals securing two ninth places for Portugal, the second of four individual events, the ‘Ball 10’: there will still be the individual events of ‘Ball 9’ and ‘Ball 8’, in addition to the collective events (by Teams), in both sexes.
In the women’s event, Sara Rocha and Vânia Oliveira Franco survive the first of two days of this ’10 Ball’ discipline, which wins the partial who pockets the ball with this number, but has to start pocketing the balls in order (first to 1 , then 2, then 3, up to the 10 ball), having the possibility to attack on the way in two ways: or pocketing the 10 ball with the white while playing the ‘order ball’ that he has to play (with another ) number) or on top of the ball, throwing a ball up 10… and pocketing this in a hole in the table.
This Friday, Sara Rocha beat Frenchwoman Camille Chevrier, 6-1, but fell (3-6) against Spain’s Amália Matas (4-6). The Braga player faces Polish Izabela Lacka on Saturday (9 am local time, minus one in mainland Portugal), in a women’s contest with 37 players in the competition.
Vânia Oliveira Franco, from Vânia, lost to Germany’s Melanie Sussenguth (3-6) and will face on Saturday (9.45 am from Lisbon) the winner of Camille Chevrier’s duel and Norwegian Nina Torvund.
Américo guaranteed ‘five out of five’ Portuguese in the men’s ’10 ball’
To the female duo in competition in the ’10 Ball’, Portugal joins the male quintet: Américo Francisco, João Grilo, José Pedro Pereira, Miguel Silva and João Sousa.
João Grilo won this Friday the Swedish Ragnar Gronsten in the ‘black’ (8-7) and lost 5-8 to the Polish Wojciech Szewczyk: he faces Saturday (8 hours from Lisbon) the Bosnian Ajdin Piknjac.
José Pedro Pereira won the Slovenian Mitja Gradisnik by 8-5 and then, in the ‘black’ (8-7) the Croatian Filip Bermanec: he is already in the final frame of 64 athletes (out of 113 who started the competition), and will play the 32nd of the final on Saturday morning (11.30 am in mainland Portugal) against a rival yet to be named.
Also in the 32nd final and playing Saturday at the same time, the Madeiran Miguel Silva. Miguel touched Spanish Diego Pedro Sion and Serbian Zoran Svilar this Friday, both by the 8-6 mark. Will have to wait as recaps to meet rival.
In turn, João Sousa beat the Italian Gianmarco Tonini by 8-6 but could not resist (4-8) the Polish Mieszko Fortunski. He will face on Saturday (9.45 am of mainland Portugal) the Norwegian Jonas-Kvalsund Hansen in the repechages.
The last Portuguese at the table this Friday in Lasko was Américo Francisco. A defeat against Turkey’s Saki Kanatlar (7-8) was a bad start to the day, but the Portuguese player once again survived in the competition, after beating Steve Heeb (Liechtenstein) in the afternoon, in a duel that ended a few minutes ago, by 8-2.
Américo Francisco returns to action on the ’10 Ball’ at these Pool Europeans on Saturday, when it is 9.45 am in mainland Portugal, against one of the legends of this billiards variant, known as ‘Terminator’: the Dutchman Niels Feijen.