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eFlicker.net
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eFlicker World Table Football Awards 2006
(9/10/06)
Efrem Intra has capped an excellent season by being voted Player of the Year in the 2006 eFlicker World Table Football Awards.
The Italian - who won the youth title at the 1999 European Championships - emerged from a position of a relative unknown amongst his country's many notable players to become world champion in June, beating Massimo Cremona in the final, then finished the season by claiming his first Major, at Mattersburg in August.
With a good level of concentration, Intra has proved very hard to beat.
He had given a hint of what was to come when he triumphed at the Brussels Open at the start of the year, amid a tough field in the Belgian capital, before wining the Beausoleil Grand Prix at Easter.
Intra also enjoyed success with his Stella Artois Milano team.
And his achievements have been recognised by his fellow players, as he took almost half the votes cast in the main category of the inaugural World Table Football Awards.
World Cup runner-up Massimo Cremona claimed second place in the poll, just ahead of Vasco Guimaraes and Eric Verhagen.
Delphine Dieudonne pipped Kamilla Kristensen to the female award, despite being beaten by her rival at the 2006 World Cup. Belgium’s Dieudonne has however excelled in the main section of many of Europe’s key tournaments, and she reached the semi-finals of both the Charleroi Grand Prix and the London Open.
There was though Danish success in the youth category as Kristian Staal Nielsen, who picked up individual and team medals at U15 level in the World Cup, was voted Young Player of the Year ahead of world U19 champion Stefano Buono.
The Future Talent Award proved the most closely fought category, with just 3 votes separating the top four. Mark Gauci was eventually highlighted as the pick of the up and coming players, after winning the South Queensferry Open and reaching both finals of March's international double header in his Maltese homeland.
The accolade of Team of the Year was a little more clear cut as Eagles Napoli, who have dominated the Majors in recent seasons, finished some way ahead of DEVILS Austria and Perugia in the voting.
The development of Maryland SC - the Club of the Year - received recognition not only from within America, but also from sectors of all of the major European playing nations.
The east coast club hosts the acclaimed US international double header, boasts a youth section with over 70 players - making it the largest such league in the world - and has the national champions at U19 (Patrick Sheridan), veteran (Paul Eyes) and effectively open (Zach Walker) levels. Much of the rapid expansion and advancement is down to the hard work of Paul Eyes.
Amsterdam's Grand Prix was selected as the best tournament on the circuit for the season. The Dutch competition provides great organisation, with few delays, a nice venue, good transport arrangements for competitors and - for some - nice evening entertainment! As one person pointed out, all that's missing is for a bunch of great Italian players to take part.
* The winner of the eFlicker Merit Award will be announced later this week.
* All winners will be immortalized online in the forthcoming eFlicker Hall of Fame.
* Next year's World Table Football Awards will see the addition of three new categories: Pan-Pacific Player of the Year (non-European), International Fair Play Award and Best Publication (website or magazine).
1 - INTRA Efrem ITA - 49 votes
2 - CREMONA Massimo MLT - 11
3 - GUIMARAES Vasco POR - 10
= - VERHAGEN Eric NED - 10
5 - BOLOGNINO Massimo ITA - 7
6 - FLORES Carlos ESP - 1
1 - DIEUDONNE Delphine BEL - 41 votes
2 - KRISTENSEN Kamilla DEN - 38
3 - GUYOT Françoise FRA - 4
4 - LENZ - EXLER Bettina AUT - 2
= - SCHERBAUM Michaela AUT - 2
6 - WESTRADE Bénédicte BEL - 1
1 - STAAL NIELSEN Kristian DEN - 25 votes
2 - BUONO Stefano ITA - 19
3 - BELLOTTI Mattia ITA - 17
4 - PORTUGUÊS Ruben POR - 12
5 - LEROY Justin BEL - 9
6 - NULLENS Arnaud BEL - 5
1 - GAUCI Mark MLT - 19 votes
2 - BENNETT Kasper ENG - 17
= - DELAUNOY Erwin BEL - 17
4 - PORTUGUÉS Ruben POR - 16
5 - FRAIKIN David BEL - 12
6 - KEGENBEIN Björn GER - 5
1 - EAGLES NAPOLI ITA - 30 votes
2 - DEVILS AUSTRIA AUT - 20
3 - ACS PERUGIA ITA - 19
4 - TSC STELLA ARTOIS MILANO ITA - 14
5 - CLUB REGGIANA SUBBUTEO ITA - 2
= - SC CHARLEROI BEL - 2
1 - MARYLAND SC USA - 26 votes
2 - BRUSSELS SC BEL - 15
3 - TFC MATTERSBURG AUT - 14
4 - ASOCIACIÓN MURCIANA ESP - 13
= - SMV DELFT NED - 13
6 - LEGA-LIGA ODENSE DEN - 10
1 - AMSTERDAM Grand Prix (April) - 19 votes
2 - BOLOGNA Major (May) - 18
3 - BRUSSELS International Open (January) - 15
4 - Europa Cup for clubs, MURCIA (November) - 14
5 - MONS Major (March) - 13
6 - MATTERSBURG Major (August) - 7
Where the votes were from (by voters' nationalities)
Italy - 24
USA - 17
Belgium - 14
England - 11
Netherlands - 8
Malta - 6
Austria - 3
Spain - 3
Cyprus - 1
France - 1
Germany - 1
Northern Ireland - 1
Portugal - 1
Undetermined - 5
NB: Some people did not cast a vote in all categories.
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