3-Cushion
BERLICUM - The red, white & blue of the Dutch flag waved for Dick Jaspers once again, after the Jumbo Masters tournament of 2018. The best 3-cushion player of his country lengthened his reign with another year, in truly dominant fashion. Nobody could hold a candle to the now 19-time champion in Berlicum, where the sixteen best had gathered. It is no coincidence that he is the only Dutchman high up on the world ranking, he is miles ahead of the rest.
That gap between Jaspers and the was again obvious this past week. The player from the Brabant province was superior from start to finish. Even in his two closing matches, when he faced players with a large group of very vocal supporters, he remained calm and unshakeable. In the final, Harrie van de Ven lost by a sea mile (40 - 13 in 14), and Jean van Erp, putting up a good fight as he did, also came up short. Van de Ven, the revelation of the tournament, said afterwards: ,,We can all beat each other on the day, but it is so difficult to get past Jaspers.'' Dick himself said, after those two matches in a cauldron of supporting enthusiasm: ,,I am so focused, fans cheering for my opponent do not bother me in the least. It is just great to play in an ambiance like this.''
The 52-year old maestro, in his fine white-and-grey outfit, walked the floor of the Masters just oozing class. He is currently the nr. 3 on the world ranking and could have climbed a spot, but as Eddy Merckx won the Belgian title, nothing changes in the top 3: 1 Caudron, 2 Merckx, 3 Jaspers. The Low Countries still have a grip on global 3-cushion and showed it on their home turf this week.
Dick Jaspers was the head honcho on these Masters, with nothing but wins from day one. Barry van Beers, Martien van der Spoel and Therese Klompenhouwer were his victims in the group stage, where he averaged 2.222. In the quarterfinal he defeated Jean Paul de Bruijn 40-11 in 19, then Jean van Erp in the semi 40-34 in 23, and finally van de Ven in the final. Jaspers commented: ,,I always love to play our nationals, and I know I should not underestimate anyone. The level in the Netherlands is pretty high. I am always the player with the highest tournament averages, but in matches to 40 points, you remain vulnerable. There are at least ten players who can, on occasion, play 2 or 2,5 average. You have to judge the positions well, work hard and have a slither of luck. You have to be on your toes and ready to strike.''
It was against Jean van Erp in the semi, that Jaspers could only make the difference late in the match. ,,This was my most difficult match, because I was tense and I wanted to win no matter what. Jean is a tough cookie, who is also capable of doing all the hard work to win. I knew he would have that army of support behind him, but that is business as usual, and it's fine. He had asked his fans to keep it fair and respect his opponent, but they always do. It does not bother me at all, during the match. The Masters is the best event the Netherlands has, and I love the atmosphere. These organizers have truly changed a lot. The audience is wonderful, they are involved, there is electricity in the room. This is what billiards needs. Compared to 10 or 20 years ago, we've made giant steps. I can't thank the two principal organizers enough for what they've accomplished.''
When asked if maybe he has outgrown the Netherlands, Jaspers is brief and certain:. ,,Not at all. I know I need to keep working at it. Maybe the opposition was a bit weaker this time, but to win the Masters, you have to be on top of your game. I do admit, players like Burgman, De Bruijn, Christiani were struggling. It is a pity that some players have plateau'd and no longer progress, but they are still very good billiard players. But at the top, this sport can be cruel. You may have put in all the practice, but that does not guarantee that you are going to do well. I've learned that the hard way, in many World Cups.''
Jaspers is looking forward to the new year, with many challenges. The prize money gets doubled, there are new events on the calendar, a new era is beginning. ,,I look forward to being a part of that. My ambition is to win more major events, and I have the motivation to do that. I put in the hard work, and I know what I am doing. This will be an exciting year for all of us.''
Harrie van de Ven, even though he could not make an impression in the final, played a fine week. His comeback after an unfortunate doping suspension was impressive: he remained unbeaten in the group, beat Barry van Beers in the quarters (40-29 in 24), then Raimond Burgman in the semi (40-26 in 21), only to be ruthlessly denied by Jaspers in the final.
Raymund Swertz, the balkline expert who made his Masters debut, won over many fans with his approach to 3-cushion. The player from Limburg beat two contenders: Glenn Hofman and Jean van Erp. The latter got his revenge in the K.O, stage, winning 40-27. Swertz, who is tutored by Burgman, looked back with satisfaction. He said later: ,,I am going to pivot my career from here on. I'll play more 3-cushion, not that much classic disciplines. It is a challenge for me to see how far I can go in 3-cushion. I'll still compete in balkline because I love to do that, but my focus will be more on 3-cushion.''
Jean van Erp, helped by his terrific crowd, was the only one who could keep up with Jaspers, to a degree. His loss in the semifinal made it his tenth finish in the last four, at the Masters. He won the tile once (2015), was runner-up once, and third place finisher on eight occasions. ,,That makes me proud, even though I realize that only winning counts.''
Of the remaining top players, Raimond Burgman was the best, helped by his experience. Dave Christiani was disappointing, with just a single win (over De Bruijn), and a mediocre 1.184 general average. Glenn Hofman, twice runner-up in past years, lost to Swertz in the group and to van Erp in the K.O. He can't have been happy with his performance. Jean Paul de Bruijn has been struggling all season, had a win and two losses in the group but lucked into the quarterfinals where Jaspers ran all over him: 40-11 in 19.
The organization was showered with compliments after the event. Ferry van der Veen from The Hague was again the MC (some love him, some think he's over the top), and he claimed to be the first initiator of a "wave" in a billiard arena. Ad Smout, co-organizer with Harry Matthijssen, looked back as a happy man. ,,We give the people what they want, and they like it better every year. The stands were filled every day, 325 a day means 1300 people during the event. That is just great. On the final day, we had to disappoint visitors, because the place was simply packed.''
Final ranking of the Jumbo Masters 2018:
1 Dick Jaspers 2.181-11
2 Harrie van de Ven 1.356-9
3 Jean van Erp 1.473-7
3 Raimond Burgman 1.215-7
5 Jeffrey Jorissen 1.403-9
6 Raymund Swertz 1.225-7
7 Barry van Beers 1.312-7
8 Jean Paul de Bruijn 1.149-9
9 Martien van der Spoel 1.202-8
10 Dave Christiani 1.184-5
11 Glenn Hofman 1.112-11
12 Huub Wilkowski 0.981-6
13 Roland Uijtdewillegen 1.048-12 (high run of the tournament)
14 Therese Klompenhouwer 0.987-6
15 Sander Jonen 0.964-7
16 Frans van Schaik 0.747-6.
The four final players: Jean van Erp, Raimond Burgman, Dick Jaspers and Harrie van de Ven
Dick Jaspers with the trophee at the Masters
The champion coming up in the arena