3-Cushion
LOCHEM - Dutch player Anno de Kleine, 54 years of age, was never more aware than today: there are days and matches in the life of a 3-cushion player, when it all falls into place. A good form, a good feel, the focus, many high runs in that one match, and the character to withstand the pressure.
On this particular day, De Kleine rose to the occasion. The former soccer player recorded a world class match in the Dutch eredivisie: 50 points in 9 innings. It is not on a par with Eddy Merckx's outlandish world record (50 in 6), but still, a 50 in 9 is rarely seen even in international 3-cushion.
Top players Frédéric Caudron (twice), Marco Zanetti and Torbjörn Blomdahl are the only other players who have managed to make 50 points in 9 innings!
It was the high point of Anno de Kleine's career, this weekend in the match between Holland Mineraaal and Biljartcafe Jorissen, with Jean van Erp as his opponent (50-7). ,,I started with a 12, ran a 16 a few innings later, and also closed the match with a 12. It is a super feeling, I am so happy with this.''
,,We all know how difficult 3-cushion can be, but sometimes they just roll the way you want them to, as they did today. I always arrive an hour early, and I know that I had a good feel. I ran an 11 during warm-up.''
His personal best so far had been a match in Oosterhout, against his current teammate Naci Coklu, where he ran an 18 and finished 50 in 14 innings. That personal best is now 5 innings lower.
De Kleine's scoresheet against Jean van Erp: 12-0-1-4-16-5-0-0-12.
The man from Helmond, born in Kampen, a payroll administrator for a company with 2000 employees, started playing billiards at the tender age of 7, in the cafe of his father Henk de Kleine, a once national champion in one-cushion. Anno first chose a career in soccer, one season for Willem II, many more for the top amateurs of Geldrop.
His team Holland Mineraal won their match against Biljartcafé Jorissen 5-3, Jeffrey Jorissen once again being the best player of his foursome (50-33 against Stefan Galla in 22 innings).
All other matches on that 16th day of play were overshadowed by de Kleine's performance, even though there were other quality matches. Frédéric Caudron (50-21 against Roland Forthomme in 20 innings) and Eddy Leppens (50-23 in 22 against Peter Ceulemans) brought in the win for table leader Dallinga-Frans Bevers. At halftime they were 2-2, after Barry van Beers had powered over Glenn Hofman to win 45-36 in 22, and Jerry Hermans had beaten Raymon Groot 45-25 in 38.
Partycentrum Osdorp made half a mistake in their away game against Van Wanrooy Transport, where Jan Arnouts (45-44 against Dick van Uum) and Ad Broeders (45-19 in 20 , having started with 22 points in 3 innings against Sander Jonen) won their matches. Eddy Merckx and Frans van Kuyk could repair the damage in the second session, to make it 4-4.
A1 Biljarts brought home an 8-0 after their trip to 's Landswelvaren. The nrs. 1 and 2, Raimond Burgman and Martien van der Spoel were home in 22 and 26 innings. Capelle de Terp beat Garage Verbrugge 8-0, thanks to a big win by Martin Spoormans over Bart Ceulemans (50-13 in 27) and a good match by Richard Bitalis against his former pupil Therese Klompenhouwer (50-43 in 33).
De Distel Biljarts, with a good performance by Jef Philipoom (50 in 26) stayed in the hunt with a 6-2 victory over Aardexpress.