The world champion, Therese, is in full control

OOSTERHOUT - The seventh Dutch title of Therese Klompenhouwer did not feel like it was just a lap of honor, she said. It could have been, after the WC in Turkey that preceded the national final in De Eekhoorn in Oosterhout. But no, Therese was motivated as she always is, won her matches by a margin and bested Karina Jetten in the final by 30-20 in 25 innings. Nobody was surprised by the end result, the world champion was in full control of the final and kept her opponent at arm's length.

When it was over and done, she was happy and relieved. ,,I feel dead tired, that's why things did not go all that smoothly'', said Therese. ,,It was difficult to stay focused, but in the final I was sharp again.'' And I loved the welcome I was given: a banner outside and applause when I walked in. That was wonderful. I've burnt the candle on two sides for a while now, which can be fun, but it's also exhausting. It was worth it, and now I've added this seventh title.''

What was her evaluation of this 24-player format, where the level of play at the bottom was - it has to be said - embarrassingly low? Therese: ,,I liked the fact that there were new faces in the last sixteen. The level has not really gone up yet, but several of the girls said they will start to practice hard to be there again next year. That is a good thing. And what Daisy Werdekker was classy, beating Monique Wilkowski to make it into the quarters.''

Karina Jetten, in the shadow of the champion, played an excellent tournament, and her average was not a country mile behind: 0.984 versus 0.811. Her best match was the quarterfinal against Sylvia Eckel, winning 30-6 in 27 innings.

Gerrie Geelen and Joke Breur made it to the semis by beating Daisy Werdekker (30-14 in 61) and Monique van Exter (30-29 in 63). These players have been around for many years, and they still manage to stay ahead of a younger generation.

The top ten: (average, high run):

1 Therese Klompenhouwer 0.984-8
2 Karina Jetten 0.811-5
3 Gerrie Geelen 0.615-5
4 Joke Breur 0.471-3
5 Daisy Werdekker 0.348-4
6 Hanny Hultermans 0.292-3
7 Monique van Exter 0.464-6
8 Sylvia Eckel 0.329-4
9 Miriam Pruim-Emmens 0.460-5
10 Charissa Beemsterboer 0.339-4.