BERLICUM – His entrance at the Masters as the lead singer in the hard rock band Kiss makes him an eccentric figure in the billiards arena. The slow starter, or late bloomer Adrie Demming (56) has been shining among the well-known Dutch billiards players for several years now and this week is playing the Masters in Berlicum for his fifth time. He's popular among fans, a man who works 40 hours in a week in the field with many professional players. But Demming can regularly beat big names. That was also on this final qualifying evening, where Dick Jaspers was the star player with a run of 17, by far the best in three days.

In the Masters, which culminate in the knockouts this Saturday, Adrie Demming defeated Jean Paul de Bruijn, a four-time former Dutch champion, this Friday afternoon, thus eliminating the Zeeuw player in the preliminary rounds. The other very recent story around Demming: last week in the Dutch competition, he knocked out Raymond Ceulemans, the 88-year-old billiards legend, 40-16 in 15 innings. That confirms his assertion that Demming is still making great progress in his career. Demming: "I work as a railway security guard, from Groningen to Maastricht, let’s say. That's why I always had too little time to practice. This year, I built a house and bought my own billiard table. My expectations are a bit higher now, playing in the Masters for the third time in a row. I regularly go to Frans van Kuyk for technical advice and want to continue to develop."

"My weakness has always been that I wasn't mentally strong. I started well in matches, but could suddenly fade. I felt that again here against Jeffrey Jorissen, and I was afraid it would happen again against Jean Paul de Bruijn. Then, suddenly, things can go wrong. I sometimes call it the "trembling fever." I worked hard on it last year with a mental coach, and there's definitely been improvement. I know it's not too late and that I can still make progress." He beat Jaspers last year, Ceulemans last week, and now De Bruijn at the Masters. ,,That gives me confidence for even better times.’’

This Friday against De Bruijn, Demming took a 21-9 lead, then briefly faltered, allowing the Zeeland player to close the gap to 30-27. In the end, it was Demming again who delivered the knockout blow at 40-36 in 25. Jeffrey Jorissen remained undefeated in this group with a victory over John van der Stappen (40-26 in 21). This newcomer, from Gelderland, remained without match points.

Jean van Erp, not yet in his best form in front of his home fans, fought his way to a 40-32 in 36 victory in his final match against Harrie van de Ven, even dethroning Dave Christiani on top on average. "My game isn't great to look at yet," Jean van Erp admitted. "But tomorrow will be the real start; that's when I'll step into the tournament." Dave Christiani lacked inspiration in the final game, where Huub Wilkowski capped his attack with 11, 4, and 4 in the last four innings with a win.

Dick Jaspers entertained the packed stands with a brilliant run of 17 and sent Erwin Kivits off the line 40-29 in 21. At the other table, the tension was palpable. Raymund Swertz started with an 18-6 lead in 10, the second part of the match belonged to Sam van Etten. The North Holland player seized his opportunity with a comfortable win (40-33 in 25) and continued his tournament, where Swertz closed the door on himself.

The final match was between Glenn Hofman and Barry van Beers, with the Hague born already secured first place. Raimond Burgman and Kay de Zwart played for the last of the eight qualifying rounds. Barry van Beers missed the win in the final round against Hofman with by three bankshots and a miscue. The final score was a 40-40 draw in 24 innings. Raimond Burgman had the best final sprint against Kay de Zwart: 40-35 in 30 and was the eighth player to go to the final rounds..

The final scores of the four qualifying groups:

Group A:

1 Dick Jaspers 6-1,764-17

2 Sam van Etten 4-1,300-7

3 Raymund Swertz 2-1,174-6

4 Erwin Kivits 0-1,045-6

Group B:

1 Glenn Hofman 5-1,714-11

2 Raimond Burgman 4-1,297-8

3 Kay de Zwart 2-1,147-7

4 Barry van Beers 1-1,233-7

Group C:

1 Jean van Erp 4-1,200-7

2 Dave Christiani 4-1,136-10

3 Huub Wilkowski 3-1,321-11

4 Harrie van de Ven 1-1,000-10

Group D:

1 Jeffrey Jorissen 6-1,643-11

2 Adrie Demming 4-1,450-10

3 Jean Paul de Bruijn 2-1,410-8

4 John van der Stappen 0-0,883-5

The final session decided the top three-day winners. Dick Jaspers finished first, ahead of Jeffrey Jorissen and Glenn Hofman. The 8-way knockout matches on Saturday are:

12:30 PM: Jaspers-Christiani

2:30 PM: Van Erp-Demming

4:30 PM: Hofman-Burgman

6:30 PM: Jorissen-Van Etten

The final scores of the four qualifying pools:

Glenn Hofman closed the pre rounds with a draw vs Barry van Beers

The self-made rock start Adrie Demming at the Masters

Dick Jaspers, finally an attack with 17

Dave Christiani in the well filled arena

Jean van Erp, not that happy face after the pre rounds

Erwin Kivits, a stylish farewell at the Masters

Sam van Etten won his match vs Raymund Swertz to qualify