3-Cushion
VLAARDINGEN - Losing the Masters, two weeks ago, was a mistake Dick Jaspers rarely makes. In the Grand Prix Vlaardingen this weekend, he showed he is the best. Jaspers won the first tournament of the season in a cycle of four, with a glorious general average of 2.352. He beat Frans van Schaik from Amsterdam in the final, and that opponent must be called the sensation of this Grand Prix. Van Schaik defeated Jean Paul de Bruijn, Jeffrey Jorissen and Dave Christiani, before he was finally halted by the event's winner: 40-21 in 14 innings.
The climactic match once again demonstrated how dominant the best Dutch player is. Jaspers took an early lead (18-1 in 4 innings after a run of 10), extended that lead with another run of 10 later on, and was never in danger. Undefeated, he made his crusade through the main tournament.
Jaspers' first victim was Therese Klompenhouwer: 40-22 in 22 innings, then Glenn Hofman 40-13 in 16, in the semi Barry van Beers 40-10 in 11 and finally Frans van Schaik who got beaten in 14 innings.
The player from Amsterdam had, to quote Jaspers 'the tournament of his life.' Compliments were his share. ,,It was wonderful to see how Frans was on Cloud Nine, how proud and happy he was. But I also realized he could be dangerous in the final . His typical Amsterdam humor can break his opponents' concentration. It did not bother me though, I could stay focused. And frankly, I was never in danger in this match, or in any of the earlier ones.''
Jaspers was understandably happy with his 55th victory in a Dutch Grand Prix and satisfied with his performance. "I was able to hurt all my opponents with a quick start. That feels good. I played well, in terms of attack and defense. I did well in the Grand Prix's these last few years, even though it did not happen for me internationally. I realize many players can be a danger, in the Netherlands too. Barry van Beers, Dave Christiani, Raimond Burgman, Jean Paul de Bruijn, Glenn Hofman and several others. You need to be sharp, a loss is just around the corner. The Masters were proof of that. I did have the best average there, again, but I happened to lose one at the wrong time.''
Frans van Schaik saved the best for last, in this event. His play in the flight stage was not impressive, with a win over Tom Beemsterboer (40-33 in 31), loss against Jean van Erp (40-16 in 14) and finally a win over Sander Jonen with a score of 40-33 in 37.
From the K.O. stage though, Van Schaik was amazing. He beat Jean Paul de Bruijn by a point (40-39 in 28), then Jeffrey Jorissen (40-32 in 28) and also Dave Christiani (40-33 in 29 innings).
The organization in Vlaardingen was flawless, and there was much praise for the condition of the tables.
Final score (average, high run):
1 Dick Jaspers 2.352-10
2 Frans van Schaik 1.309-10
3 Barry van Beers 1.555-11
4 Dave Christiani 1.207-11
5 Raimond Burgman 1.903-11
6 Jean van Erp 1.809-12
7 Jeffrey Jorissen 1.391-8
8 Glenn Hofman 1.330-8
9 Jean Paul de Bruijn 1.445-9
10 Huub Wilkowski 1.410-10
11 Martien van der Spoel 1.372-10
12 Ad Koorevaar 1.253-9
13 Adrie Demming 1.183-9
14 Therese Klompenhouwer 1.112-7
15 Roland Uytdewilligen 0.980-6
16 Albert Kooistra 0.914-8.
Frans van Schaik was the sensation of the tournament with his place in the final