THE OPENING DISCIPLINE at the EPBF European Seniors Championships concluded today as the medals were decided in the 14.1 45-plus and 55-plus divisions. From 91 starters, it was Spain’s Francisco Diaz-Pizarro who prevailed in the younger category, while the over 55s were dominated by Serbian Miroslav Kremenovic, who was returning the European Championship action after a five-year absence.
The final of the 45-plus division was contested by two players with plenty of experience as well as plenty of medals at the European Seniors. Jorge Tinoco (Portugal) was no stranger to the podium with a bronze and silver last year and two golds in 2021. Francisco Diaz-Pizarro, the irrepressible Spaniard, could also claim a host of medals both in the Seniors as well as Men’s divisions.
Diaz got things underway but was docked two points following his unorthodox, illegal break. He got the first legal points on the board but with the pack still locked up, there was plenty to do. It was
Tinoco who opened it up pocketing the green stripe, and he methodically went through the table before scratching with four balls left on the table after the cue-ball took a nudge.
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Diaz left the 10 as the break-ball and with a couple of clusters he did very well to clear the table and take a 15-10 lead going into the third rack. Diaz was on a roll as he controlled the table, showing some lovely finesse as he moved into a 29-10 lead.
Diaz looked in trouble in the next with the pack barely shifted and in the end at 33-10, he missed on the only available ball to get Tinoco back into the fray. He was presented with the same problem as his opponent and his attempt to move a ball or two out of the pack came to nothing. He once again scratched trying to play a safety and left a ball on for Diaz. The Spaniard couldn’t affect the table and it was Tinoco who made the inroads as he completed it, to leave himself trailing 35-17.
Tinoco managed to release some balls following his opening shot and looked well-positioned to make some progress. He worked his way through the table to get the score to 30-35 in the race-to-75. A bad miss from Tinoco though, on his break-off ball, derailed his momentum and let Diaz back in. He proceeded to clear up to lead 51-31 and put himself within sight of the finishing line.
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Diaz got into trouble midway through the next but bailed himself out with a difficult long red stripe to keep his run going. He got out leaving the cue ball and the 1-ball both on the bottom rail for the next rack as he led 65-31, ten balls away from victory. Diaz was looking unstoppable and he comfortably dispatched the required balls to record a 75-31win for the gold medal.
Commented Diaz-Pizarro, “I got good rolls in every match. In the last 32 I was down 32 to nothing and that was the worst match for me but I made a 58 and came back. I broke like that in the opening rack because it’s a race-to-75 and I thought I couldn’t take a chance with the break. For a race-to-125 I would break in a regular way.
“I make balls which is the most important thing. You can play good position and good everything but if you don’t make the balls, you don’t continue. It was a great tournament for me and I’ll be celebrating tonight!”
Medals – 45-Plus 14.1
Gold: Francisco Diaz-Pizarro (ESP)
Silver: Jorge Tinoco (POR)
Bronze: Meric Reshat (GER) & Karlsson (SWE)
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In the inaugural 55-plus 14.1 title went to Serbia’s Miroslav Kremenovic who defeated Kari Johannson (Finland) 75-54. The Serb’s last visit to the EC Seniors was in 2018 where he claimed a silver in the 10-ball division. The 55-year-old from Novi Sad, just qualified on the lower age limit and certainly made the most of it, running undefeated through the tournament.
Commented Kremenovic, “I’d had success back in 2018 but then Corona came along and that stopped any chance to travel to the European Championships but it’s great to be back. In my younger days work meant that I didn’t have much time for billiards but I’m enjoying it now. I tried 100% and am looking forward to the other disciplines.”
Medals – 55-Plus 14.1
Gold: Miroslav Kremenovic (SER)
Silver: Kari Johannson (FIN)
Bronze: Matteo Mariotti (ITA) & Manuel Pereira (POR)
Play continues on Tuesday with 10-ball action in all three divisions.
The Championships can be followed on a daily basis on https://www.epbf.com/tournaments/european-championships/ and every match from every table is streamed live https://www.reelive.de/stream-preview/eurotour/events