3-Cushion
KAATSHEUVEL - The final phase at the Billiard Masters will restart today (Saturday) with the eight players who were expected for the title battle. Jean Paul de Bruijn tops the ranking after two days with the maximum match points and 1.643 average. Dick Jaspers recorded the second average (1.578), and spoiled in the final group round one match point against Jean van Erp.
That match was the most discussed after the preliminaries and most spectacular because Jean van Erp forced the way to the quarters with his draw (and runs of 7 and 5 at the end). Therefore Frans van Schaik was send home.
The extroverted Amsterdam is one of the unexpected (after his win vs Jean van Erp) absents in the final rounds, like Jeffrey Jorissen, who showed no form and Harrie van de Ven, who was very close in his match against Raimond Burgman but ultimately lost. Dave Christiani was the second in the group.
In the group with Jean Paul de Bruijn, Barry van Beers was an excellent second with 1.561 average. Martien van der Spoel (unbeaten) passed the preliminaries smoothly and Glenn Hoffman with some troubles in his last two matches, but thanks to a final victory against Bert van Manen.
Barry van Beers finished way ahead of Jeffrey Jorissen, who was so strong at last year's Masters, but already can't show his form for a few weeks. That seems a Hague problem: Glenn Hoffman complains about bad feelings, Jean van Erp, despite his nice match against Dick Jaspers, doesn't play high averages this season, Jeffrey Jorissen has a setback in his progression.
,, I don't believe in form'', Glenn Hoffman said, after the victory against Bert van Manen. , he reaped after a tough final stage (40-34 in 45). ,,Billiards is a stange sport, today I can play very bad, tomorrow on my highest level. Nobody can predict it in this sport.''
Martien van der Spoel, this year the only player with Dick Jaspers (3 victories) who won a Grand Prix tournament, for sure will show up with confidence in the final rounds. The sympathetic player from Nijmegen won his three matches in 31, 30 and 33 innings. Thereby he was one of the most solid players in the preliminaries.
The final ranking after the preliminaries:
Group A:
1 Dick Jaspers 5-1.578-8
2 Jean van Erp 3-1.063-7
3 Frans van Schaik 2-1.114-7
4 Therese Klompenhouwer 2-0.990-6.
Group B:
1 Jean Paul de Bruijn 6-1.643-11
2 Barry van Beers 4-1.561-6
3 Jerry Hermans 2-0.928-5
4 Jeffrey Jorissen 0-0.793-6
Group C:
1 Martien van der Spoel 6-1.276-6
2 Glenn Hoffman 4-1.105-9
3 Bert van Manen 2-0.905-7
4 Wiljan van den Heuvel 0-0.903-5
Group D:
1 Raimond Burgman 6-1.333-10
2 Dave Christiani 4-1.219-8
3 Harrie van de Ven 2-1.157-10
4 Huub Wilkowski 0-0.773-5.
The matches for the quarter-finals (today):
13.00:
Jean Paul de Bruijn-Jean van Erp
Dick Jaspers-Barry van Beers
15.00:
Martien van der Spoel-Dave Christiani
Raimond Burgman-Glenn Hoffman.