3-Cushion
CAPELLE A/D IJSSEL - The first victory, in the run-up to a long week, was impressive for Dick Jaspers. The Dutch champion was the best in the Grand Prix in Capelle a/d IJssel by defeating Martien van der Spoel in the final match 40-26 in 17. This Sunday, Jaspers shows up for an important match with Prinsen in the main Dutch division, after which the 'Brabander' is heading for South Korea, where this year's 5th World Cup is played. Win and be the best in a Grand Prix in his own country still gives Jaspers an extremely pleasant feeling. It's his 58th GP victory in his career, his second consecutive after the Grand Prix in Rosmalen. He's also back on top on the ranking for the Masters. "I was not in a super form, but played a very good tournament," he said on Saturday evening.
,,In a Grand Prix in the Netherlands, you'll always come across strong players like Jean Paul de Bruijn, Raimond Burgman, Jean van Erp, Glenn Hofman and Dave Christiani. I have to be very sharp and focused to not be surprised. I had a wide margin in almost every match, but forty points is always tricky. Glenn Hofman had a strong start against me, Martien van der Spoel, who doesn't play many finals, was also good this tournament, but eventually I could finish it off in each match by making the gap at the end.''
In the knockout phase, Jaspers triumphed against Sander Jonen (40-32 in 25), Jean Paul de Bruijn (40-29 in 24), Glenn Hofman (40-30 in 15) and finally Martien van der Spoel (40- 26 in 17). Hofman had the best start took a lead with a run of nine, but Jaspers replied immediately with two consecutive runs of 8 and 10.
,,The victory is good for my self-confidence'', assured jaspers. ,,I'm looking forward to tomorrow's match against Eddy Merckx, because we are on top with Prinsen and this is an important opponent in the battle for the top spots. After my match, I leave for South Korea. A World Cup is even more important, of course. I will have to adapt, because now we played on Royal Pro, that's quite different from Simonis, on which all major tournaments are played. I'm surprised every time by Royal Pro, because of sharp carré and the extreme speed. But okay, I don't really care about it, it's nice to play and we just have to switch quickly. I'm glad I've been able to play seven games, that's good for my rhythm.''
Martien van der Spoel came up to the final by a victory over Dave Christiani 40-22 in 24. Christiani shone in the round before, in the quarterfinals, with the best average in the knockout against Jeffrey Jorissen: 40-21 in 14 (2.857/1.500).
The group winners of the first qualifying round in the main tournament were Dick Jaspers (2.222), Jeffrey Jorissen (1.791), Frans van Schaik (1.643), Dave Christiani (1.573), Jean Paul de Bruijn (1.480, with a 40-in-13 match ), Raimond Burgman (1.463), Therese Klompenhouwer (1.333) and Martien van der Spoel (1.016).
The final ranking at the Grand Prix in Capelle:
1 Dick Jaspers 2.074-13
2 Martien van der Spoel 1.231-9
3 Dave Christiani 1.650-11
4 Glenn Hofman 1.458-9
5 Jeffrey Jorissen 1.740-95
6 Jean Paul de Bruijn 1.464-11
7 Frans van Schaik 1.358-13
8 Raimond Burgman 1.424-8
9 Jean van Erp 1.652-119
10 Roland Uijtdewillegen 1.393-9
11 John Tijssens 1.297-9
12 Therese Klompenhouwer 1.203-13
13 Huub Wilkowski 1.114-8
14 Tom Beemsterboer 1.069-11
15 Ruud Nieuwenburg 1.000-7
16 Sander Jonen 1.000-7.
Dick Jaspers lifts his cue after the winning point in Capelle
The four final players Glenn Hofman, Martien van der Spoel, Dave Christiani and Dick Jaspers