Austria’s national Billiards team will compete in the prestigious Four Nations Billiards International on November 23-24, 2024. This traditional European English Billiards event will take place in England, near Birmingham.
Originally a Three Nations event featuring England, Ireland and Northern Ireland, Austria joined the competition following efforts by Andrew Grice, a key figure in the Austrian Billiards scene, who sadly passed away too soon. Since its inclusion, Austria has become a permanent member of this elite tournament.
National team banner Four Nations 2024: @ ÖSBV/patrickstegmeier
The Austrian team for 2024 includes current national champion Martin Schmidt and former champion Patrick Stegmeier, who also serves as team captain, both from Vienna. Joining them are Christian Pleschko, the top-ranked player of the 2023 Austrian Billiards League, and Josef Elias Wimmer, both representing the Upper Austrian regional league. The six-member team is rounded out by Austria’s most active international player Carl Walter Steiner and Thomas Janzso, also from Vienna, who was the only Austrian player to reach the knockout stage at this year’s WBL Austrian Open.
The Four Nations format features each country playing against every other team twice – once in a Timed Format (90 minutes per match) and once in a Points Format (two games of 150 points per match).
Reigning champions and record holders England are the top favorites, led by Rob Hall, vice world champion and current number three on the WBL world rankings.
The event will take place at the Landywood Snooker Club, the same venue that recently hosted the WBL World Billiards Championship.
Title banner: © patrickstegmeier