MEXICO CITY - Dick Jaspers has just returned from a promotional tour in Mexico, where he was invited by Daniel Campos and his brothers. The Dutch top player was a guest for one week and attracted many billiard fans for exhibitions every day in Mexico City and surrounding areas. Many top players in three cushion and artistic billiards have toured and played in Mexico for the last ten years. Three Campos brothers and their father are the founders of the Billar Total México organization and are billiards pioneers in their country. Dick Jaspers: "They do fantastic work to promote their sport."
Mexican billiards has not a great history on the world stage. The best ranked World championship player ever was Luis Avila, who finished third when Raymond Ceulemans won and Marc Zanetti was second at the 2001 World championsip in Luxembourg. Other known players were Artur Bone (third in 1987 in Cairo), famous artistic player Roberto Rojas was the 2002 World champion in this discipline in 2002, Javier Vera and Miguel Torres. Alan Campos played for Mexico at the World championship for national teams in Viersen. And for now the Mexicans also have the brothers Hernández and Raymundo Muños.
Daniel Campos: ''In Mexico there are many good club owners, who organize tournaments like last week in León, Guanatjuato, with 280 players, of which Almaraz was the winner. I think we have more than 2000 clubs in Mexico City and 10.000 players that regularly play in tournaments all over Mexico. Furthermore, 40 artistic players.''
Dick Jaspers: ''I saw again that it's an experience to play billiards in Mexico with the Campos brothers. I played in the Hollywood Club and other clubs in Mexico City each afternoon and evening for a lot of public matches over 25 points, followed by photo sessions, like they often do in Korea. It's hard to travel in the metropolis, but I like it. The atmosphere and culture are very exuberant in Mexico."
Daniel Campos: ''We have a lot of organizations with my brothers: I am 38, Victor is 42, Alan 34 and my father Victor, who plays artistic billiards, was national champion and played three times at a World championship: he is 64. Alan took second place at the Pan American junior championships and participated in Viersen, 2011. Together, we organize the events, we invite top players to promote billiards in Mexico."
Dick Jaspers made a Mexico trip already in 2010 for the first time. And other major players followed, like Frédéric Caudron, Semih Sayginer, Torbjörn Blomdahl, Dani Sánchez, Eddy Merckx, Tayfun Tasdemir, Filippos Kasidokostas and Murat Naci Coklu. ''We also organized four events in billiards artistic and many three-cushion tournaments with good prize money."
The next events are the international artistic tournament from 20 to 22 February and 25 to 27 February and a tour with Dion Nelin from 23 to 28 April. "Billiards is immensely popular in Mexico," Daniel Campos assures, although the country lacks real top players in the world. With the promotional events and the exhibitions by top players, the Campos brothers are trying to make the sport even more popular in the coming years.
A full house at the Hollywood Club during Dick Jaspers' exhibiton in Mexico City
The Campos poster for Dick Jaspers and other top players