3-Cushion
HOOGERHEIDE - After a week full of emotions, interest, interviews and congratulations, the reality in Ludo Kools' so quiet life is slowly returning. The title at the Masters, last week in the Beneluxtheater in Berlicum, Brabant, which made him the new Dutch champion in three cushion, succeeding Dick Jaspers, has made the 53-year old Brabant billiard player in one fell swoop a famous Dutch sportsman. He, the timid former carpenter from the cycling village where Adrie van der Poel once had a big fan club, is now the centre of attention of his fellow villagers.
His life has been turned upside down since he stood on top of the podium at the Jumbo Masters with Dick Jaspers, Raimond Burgman and Jean van Erp, the big names in Dutch three-cushion. ''When I came home from the championship, people were waiting for me. I suddenly appeared on the radio, people from broadcasting companies and newspapers came to my house. The mayor and councillor came to my house with flowers. It was really a madhouse of reactions, acquaintances of, friends, neighbours, billiard players, congrats from people I hadn't seen or heard in thirty years. I still have two feet on the ground, but it did a lot to me.''
He was totally unprepared for it, the billiard player who made his Masters start, who was the last of sixteen finalists for the Masters, who was seen as an outsider. On the first days of the tournament, he came into a flow that kept on going, after the preliminaries, the quarter-finals and finally on the final day. The local billiard hero Jean van Erp was beaten in the semi-finals and then, Raimond Burgman, the four-time champion, in the final. The happiness, the euphoria radiated from Ludo Kools after the miraculous final, the outsider who left the well known national top guns behind.
He is back to normal now. Ludo Kools, a week after he became the most sensational Dutch champion in history, likes to look back: ''In my first reactions I could only say: it is a miracle, unreal, miracles really do exist. I still realise that, because this happens only once, but never again. But I do think that I did not win this title by luck. I looked back at the match against Burgman in the final. I even missed three match balls, so it was well deserved that I won. I also made wonderful balls against Jean van Erp, two bank shots, of which I now realise: 'you did it well, Ludo. It was not just luck.''
The lovely last ball, the champion's ball, was one to never forget. Ludo: ''It was not the most fantastic ball of my tournament, but it was a dangerous situation, with a kiss in it, that I could avoid very well. What happened to me then, I still can't understand now, so many days later. I have seen that not only I was under pressure, also the big players. Frans van Kuyk, my teacher, told me that beforehand. You can do it Ludo, he said, take your chances and stay calm, then you can go far.'' The brand new and historic champion more than lived up to that.
The last man of the Sprundel team of Aartsbouw, the number last in the Dutch premier league, has surpassed himself by far. The secret of his mission? ''I have improved myself remarkably thanks to Frans van Kuyk'', he assures. ''At home, I have a match table downstairs, but I did not play very well there. When I was with Frans, I said: the balls run different at your table than on mine. He came to have a look at my billiard in my home: the rubbers on the cushions were 25 years old, they were dead. We replaced them and then I could train much better. Every billiard has its own character. And what happened? I didn't recognise myself at these Masters, but I kept telling myself, it was all real.''
Ludo Kools will definitely go to the World championships in Korea from 20 to 24 October. ''That chance will never come again'', he realises. ''For a moment I thought: shouldn't Holland send a better player to the world championships? But now I think: the top players should have played better. I will surely go. The only thing I would like is for my wife to come along. She supported me, she would like to come with me to the World championship. But I don't know if that is possible.''
Ludo Kools will do everything to be at his best Asia, the most impressive billiard country in the world. ''I shall use the whole summer to practice more, raise my level, take a few lessons from Frans van Kuyk and make sure I can get the maximum out of myself. I really believe that a little man can go far on a big stage.''
Ludo Kools with the flowers during the Masters ceremony
The happy new Dutch champion
The focus on Ludo Kools' face in his match with Jean van Erp in the semi finals