ROSMALEN - Two matches before the end of the Grand Prix in Rosmalen, where today (Saturday) only the semi-finals and final are played, Dick Jaspers is on track for a wonderful record. The Dutchman averaged 2.777 in five matches (200 caroms in 72 innings), but still has to play in the semis against Raimond Burgman this this afternoon at 13.00 and when Jaspers wins this match, he meets the winner of the match Jean van Erp-Barry van Beers in the final.
Jaspers is on fire, no doubt about that. After his return from the World Cup in Ho Chi Minh City, where he only had a set-back in the final match against Frédéric Caudron, the Dutch star player started a superior series at the Grand Prix in Rosmalen.
He defeated Herman van Daalen (40 in 14 innings), Adrie Demming (40 in 19) and in a world class match Wiljan van den Heuvel (40 in 7 after 37 points in four innings) in the group stage. Then, in the knockout, Jaspers bested Kay de Zwart in 21 innings and in the quarterfinals last night Martien van der Spoel with a final run of 20 and 40 in 11 on the scoreboard.
Therefor Jaspers is close to the record Frédéric Caudron played two weeks ago in a Belgian Grand Prix in Dampremy: 2.790 (against Jaspers 2.777 now). That is not an official world record, but Caudron rightly says: ,,An average which is played in an official tournament, should be recognized as a record.''
The world record overall average has been allocated so far to Torbjörn Blomdahl and Dani Sánchez, 2.739 in a World Cup.
After his match in the group stage, in which Jaspers kicked of with 8-13-12-5 (37 in four innings), he was 20-12 down in the quarterfinals against Martien van der Spoel at the break. Three innings later, Jaspers had finished the match with 4-4-20.
The results in the quarterfinals of the Grand Prix in Rosmalen were:
Dick Jaspers-Martien van der Spoel 40-20 in 11 (highest run Jaspers 20).
Raimond Burgman-Frans van Schaik 40-31 (27)
Jean van Erp-Peter Heerkens 40-21 (24)
Barry van Beers-Dave Christiani 40-38 (23).