Press Release, 9 April 2025 (Day 2)
EC Three Cushion National Teams and Individual | 8 - 13 April 2025
Türkiye Crowned Team European Champion
What a thrilling final!
At the 3-Cushion Team European Championship, Türkiye's second team claimed the European Championship title today. In a dramatic match, especially in the final phase, they triumphed 3:1 over Greece 1 in front of a packed crowd and home audience, celebrating victory on their home turf in Ankara.
In the match between Berkay Karakurt and Kostantinos Kokkoris, the Türkiye player maintained a six to eight point lead towards the end, while the match between Tayfun Tasdemir and Nikos Polychronopoulos on the neighboring table grew increasingly intense. In the end, it was Tasdemir who was first to reach the magic number of 40 points at 40:38. However, Polychronopoulos impressively tied the match in his final inning.
With that, all eyes were on Table 2 and on Berkay Karakurt. The Türkiye player had already missed a few match points, but on his third attempt, he sealed the deal. With a 40:32 win over Kokkoris, he secured the championship title for Türkiye.
Kostantinos Kokkoris impressed with the highest run of the final, scoring ten consecutive points. He had already shone in the semifinals with a run of 13, while Tayfun Tasdemir stole the show in the quarterfinals with a run of 19 points against Jean van Erp (Netherlands).
Türkiye also impressed statistically, achieving the best overall average of 1.818 and the best team match average of 2.758.
Semifinals:
In the semifinals played this afternoon, Türkiye 2 faced Netherlands 1. Dick Jaspers and Jean-Paul de Bruijn, who recently won the World Championship in Viersen, Germany, aimed for a historic double win.
Both matches remained close throughout, but in the final third, the Türkiye players Tasdemir and Karakurt pulled slightly ahead.
In the second semifinal, Greece 1 met their compatriots from Greece 2. These matches were also closely contested and seemed destined for a draw. However, Kostantinos Kokkoris eventually overtook his teammate Kostas Papakonstantinou, securing victory following Polychronopoulos' earlier win.
Quarterfinals:
Defending champion Germany was narrowly eliminated by the second Greek team this morning. After a win from Martin Horn and a loss for Ronny Lindemann, the match went into a Scotch Double. Here, the Greek pair Kostas Papakonstantinou and Dimitrios Seleventas secured victory with a 15:11 scoreline.
Also eliminated in the quarterfinals were Belgium 1, Netherlands 2, and France 1.
Preview:
The 3-Cushion Individual European Championship begins tomorrow, Thursday. A total of 64 athletes will compete, with 48 of them entering the qualification rounds. This initial phase will last until Friday midday, when the seeded players will join the final round of the top 32.
Defending champion Torbjörn Blomdahl from Sweden, who, together with David Pennör, was eliminated during the group stage of the team event, will be hoping for a stronger showing in the individual competition. The multiple world and European champion certainly has bigger ambitions.
Results of the Day:
Quarterfinals:
Türkiye 2 – Netherlands 2: 4–0
Belgium 1 – Netherlands 1: 1–3
Germany 1 – Greece 2: 2–4
France 1 – Greece 1: 1–3
Semifinals:
Türkiye 2 – Netherlands 1: 4–0
Greece 2 – Greece 1: 0–4
Final:
Türkiye 2 – Greece 1: 3–1
Gold Medal: Türkiye 2
Silver Medal: Greece 1
Bronze Medals: Netherlands 1 and Greece 2
All Results: https://www.eurobillard.org/events/ec3cnt-478.html
Photogalleries April 9th:
Quarterfinals
https://billard1.net/photos/2025/CEB/09-04-1/
Semifinals
https://billard1.net/photos/2025/CEB/09-04-2/
Final
https://billard1.net/photos/2025/CEB/09-04-3/
Podium Ceremony
https://billard1.net/photos/2025/CEB/09-04-3-ceremony/
Press Release, 8 April 2025 (Day 1)
EC Three Cushion National Teams and Individual | 8 - 13 April 2025
The top 8 have been determined
This Tuesday, the annual 3-Cushion Team European Championship kicked off in Ankara, Turkey. A total of 24 teams were divided into eight groups of three to determine the qualifiers for tomorrow’s quarterfinals.
Defending champions Germany lived up to their favorite status in Group A, playing against Norway and Spain 2. Without losing a match, they advanced to the final eight. Group B promised much more excitement, featuring Spain 1, Turkey 2 and Finland. The Finnish team put up a brave fight but had to concede victory to their opponents. This set up a direct clash between Spain and Turkey 2 for the group win. Tayfun Tasdemir clearly defeated Ruben Legazpi 40:15, and Berkay Karakurt convincingly beat Sergio Jimenez 40:28, securing the quarterfinal spot for the hosts.
Group C was a thriller between Turkey 1 and the Netherlands 2. After both teams had beaten Switzerland, their head-to-head match became decisive. Jean van Erp narrowly defeated Yilmaz Özcan 40:37, while Barry van Beers lost to Ufuk Kapisuz. With both teams tied on points, the overall average decided the outcome. The Netherlands 2 edged ahead with 1.083 vs 1.068, progressing to the next round and handing the host nation a minor setback.
Clear results came from the newly crowned world champions Netherlands 1, featuring Dick Jaspers and Jean-Paul de Bruijn, who played in Group D. After drawing with Belgium 2, they delivered a clean 4:0 victory against the Czech Republic in the final match of the day. Since Belgium 2 and the Czech Republic also drew, that result was enough to push the Netherlands into the quarterfinals.
Belgium 1 emerged as the winner of Group E. Eddy Merckx and Peter Ceulemans first dominated Austria with a 4:0 win and later clearly defeated the young German B team. In Group F, favorites France 1 were dominant. After a clear 4:0 victory over Sweden 2, Jeremy Bury and Mikael Devogelaere also beat Portugal in the evening match. Portugal had earlier secured a 4:0 win over Sweden 2.
Already eliminated from the tournament is Sweden 1, featuring multiple World and European Champion Torbjörn Blomdahl. Although the Scandinavians defeated Italy 4:0, Greece 2 did the same. Their direct encounter ended in a draw, but the overall average favored the Greek team.
With their backs against the wall, Greece 1 still managed to reach the final round by defeating France 2. In their first group match, they drew with Denmark, so a win against France 2 was crucial. Nikos Polychronopoulos and Konstantinos Kokkoris kept their cool and beat Maxime Panaia and Adrien Tachoire 4:0.
Quarterfinals on April 9 at 9:30 a.m. local time:
Türkiye 2 vs Netherlands 2
Belgium 1 vs Netherlands 1
Germany 1 vs Greece 2
France 1 vs Greece 1
Photogalleries April 8th:
Session 1
https://billard1.net/photos/2025/CEB/08-04-1/
Session 2
https://billard1.net/photos/2025/CEB/08-04-2/
Opening
https://billard1.net/photos/2025/CEB/08-04-3-opening/
Session 3
https://billard1.net/photos/2025/CEB/08-04-4/
Session 4
https://billard1.net/photos/2025/CEB/08-04-5/
Session 5
https://billard1.net/photos/2025/CEB/08-04-6/
Session 6
https://billard1.net/photos/2025/CEB/08-04-7/
Results & Further Information:
Pictures & Social Media:
During the event, new photos will be published several times daily on our social media channels. In the evening, they will be available in compact and organized galleries on the CEB website.
All games are played on Simonis cloth with Aramith billiard balls.
Follow the event live on Kozoom.
If you have any questions regarding the event, please feel free to contact us via email.
CEB Press Office
Organizer:
Confédération Européenne de Billard
Host:
Turkish Billiards Federation
Venue:
Gölbaşı International Billiards Complex, Ankara
Media Contact:
Email: media@eurobillard.org
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