The draw has produced an exciting clash for these round of 16 matches, which begins this morning at 9 am with a Montpellier-Nice match, whose results we will provide as soon as the match ends. In case of victory, the Azurians would face the winner of the confrontation between Evreux and the local team of Nevers. Double reigning champions of the “Trophée des Villes,” the Nice DUC has learned to cope without Philippe Quintais. The Azurian team is still the favorite. Behind them, there are plenty of contenders to claim the 2011 edition of the “Trophée des Villes.”
Winner of the “Trophée des Villes” in 2009 and 2010, Nice still relies on its World Champions, Suchaud and Lacroix, associated with Cortès, with the indispensable Calissi under 22 years old. The Corsican team of Ile Rousse, crowned in 2008, has undergone a transformation but keeps as its foundation Le Boursicaud, the World Champion, and Grazzini, to whom Santini and Tolaini are added.
Revamps also took place at Evreux, the 2010 finalist, which will rely on father and son Darodes, the 2011 French triples champions, with Reinaud and Gambert by their side, as last year.
The Rhône-Alpes region abounds with good players, and the team from Bron certainly stands out, with Perret’s experience adding to the talents of Fournié, Hidalgo, and Vang. In Dreux, Philippe Quintais has rebuilt a team in pursuit of new challenges. He will tackle this one with Amri, Thibault, and Guéven Rocher.
Marseille also aspires for greatness by combining the expertise of Vilfroy and “Passo” Schatz with the current flair of Puccinelli, the European champion, and winner of the Pétanque Masters, with Kehiha under 22 years old.
With the ever-reliable Weibel and Le Bourgeois, Metz will also bank on Messaoud and Donnen for successful ventures.
The danger can come from anywhere
Another team with strong arguments is Allier, under the Moulins colors, with Lucien, Dasnias, Demuth, and Da Venda, who had made a mark by winning the Youth Pétanque Masters in 2007.
With Potier, Boutelier, Pietrzak, and Marion, Lille looks formidable, as does Valence with Kerdjou, Guille, Peyron, and Savin.
Finally, a special mention goes to Monaco, whose national teams are the 2011 European vice-champions for both seniors and under 23. Follow the journey of Galleau-N’Diaye-Louis and Pierre Lucchesi.
In the group lying in wait, we should not forget to mention the presence of Saint-Etienne, Nevers, Avignon, or even Angers. This is to say that for three days the danger could truly come from anywhere.
The draw
Top of the table
1 – Nice/Montpellier
2 – Évreux/Nevers
3 – Caen/Strasbourg
4 – Toulouse/St Étienne
5 – Avignon/Albi
6 – Ile Rousse/Dreux
7 – Metz/Angers
8 – Laon/Monaco
Bottom of the table
9 – Bourges/Valence
10 – Dijon/Auxerre
11 – Cahors/Moulins
12 – Chalons-en-Champagne/Pougues-les-Eaux
13 – Saint-Paul-de-la-Réunion/Lille
14 – Sarlat/Montauban
15 – Marseille/Ax-Les-Termes
16 – Bron/Le Puy-en-Velay
The schedule
Friday, November 25
9:00 am: Round of 16 in doubles (top of the table)
10:30 am: Round of 16 in doubles (bottom of the table)
12:30 pm: Round of 16 in triples (top of the table)
2:00 pm: Round of 16 in triples (bottom of the table)
Starting from 3:30 pm: Round of 8 in doubles then triples
Starting from 5:30 pm: Eliminations for the precision shooting competition
8:00 pm: 1st and 2nd quarter-finals in doubles
Saturday, November 26
8:00 am: 3rd and 4th quarter-finals in doubles
9:00 am: Start of the complementary competition
11:00 am: Quarter-finals in triples
Starting from 7:30 pm: Semi-finals in doubles
Sunday, November 27
9:00 am: 1st semi-final in triples
10:30 am: 2nd semi-final in triples
2:00 pm: Final
TV Broadcasts
Watch the “Trophée des Villes” on Sport+:
Round of 16: Sunday, December 4 at 10 am – Replays: Monday, December 5 at 7:30 am, Tuesday, December 6 at 12:15 am (in the night from Tuesday to Wednesday), Wednesday, December 7 at 2 pm
Round of 8: Sunday, December 11 at 9 am – Replays: Monday, December 12 at 7:30 am, Tuesday, December 13 at 6:30 pm
Quarter-final 1: Sunday, December 18 at 9 am – Replays: Monday, December 19 at 7:30 am, Wednesday, December 21 at 11:30 am, Friday, December 23 at 4:45 pm, Saturday, December 24 at 7:45 pm
Quarter-final 2: Sunday, December 25 at 9:30 am – Replays: Sunday, December 25 at 9:15 pm
Quarter-final 3: Sunday, January 1 at 11 am
Quarter-final 4: Sunday, January 8
Semi-final 1: Sunday, January 15
Semi-final 2: Sunday, January 22
Final: Sunday, January 29
Best Of: Sunday, February 5
