CAPELLE - Many billiard players would have lost count long ago, but not Dick Jaspers. The 58-year-old top player from Brabant knew by heart that he stood at 65 GP winst before the start in the Capelle Grand Prix and he is far from planning to retire from billiards. On Saturday night in Capelle, Jaspers won his 66th, this time in a final against Huub Wilkowski. The first of four Grand Prix events this year, followed by Rosmalen, Sittard and Doesburg, kicks off the new rankings. Dick Jaspers has been launched and does not want to miss out for the Nations World championship in Viersen, as he did this year.
The best Dutch billiard player has to stay home for Viersen this year and fervently hopes Jeffrey Jorissen and Jean Paul de Bruijn are good replacements. ''Bit of a strange feeling that I'm not there, but it's good for now,'' he observes rather resignedly. Not that Jaspers doesn't know what to do with his time. ’’Next week I leave for Boston to give three days of clinics, so a lot of teaching, which is definitely worthwhile.''
The top form he showed in the Bogotá World Cup (by far the best average of the entire world top with 2.352) was followed up this week in the French team league with a match of 40 in 15 innings. ’’I didn't play particularly strong in the Grand Prix, mind you, but persevered well,'' he confessed. ’’I did think Raymund Swertz and Huub Wilkowski made a very good impression, for example.'' For what the conclusion about himself is worth, as Jaspers got through the preliminary round and the knock-outs almost effortlessly, even if it was without those exceptional averages.
,,I came from busy times, but I’ve been in worse spot,'' Jaspers argued. ,,Especially in the World Cup, I played very well. I lived towards that very much. It was bitter to be eliminated with those high scores in the quarter-finals against an excellent Sidhom. But I was certainly satisfied with my high level. And now those three days of Boston await, then a demo in Rumpt and the French competition in Andernos. But indeed it will be strange not to play Viersen.''
Dick Jaspers won the Grand Prix in Capelle with 1.666 on average, Huub Wilkowski was number two with 1.282 ahead of Adrie Demming and Dave Christiani. Raymund Swertz was a very nice second in average with 1.652 and had the highest runs together with Jeffrey Jorissen: 13.
Huub Wilkowski started the final against Jaspers excellently and even led 8-0 for a while. Jaspers had already ensured balance at 11-11 in 4, took the lead for the first time at 18-15, Wilkowski still struggled at 19-18, but saw Jaspers run away to 25-18, 29-20 (in 12) and finally 40-27 in 16. For Jaspers, it was the confirmation of a good form, Wilkowski had not been so good in recent weeks, but feels the confidence rising by this second place. Wilkowski, who is not a full-pro, as he runs a business with his wife Monique, played 1,700 over four games in this Grand Prix. He equalled his best performance in a Grand Prix: a year and a half ago, Wilkowski lost the final in Doetinchem to Jean Paul de Bruijn.
In the knock-outs (1/8th final), Dick Jaspers first beat Gerwin Valentijn 40-20 in 27, won in the quarter-finals against Raymund Swertz 40-34 in 23, in the semi-finals against Dave Christiani 40-32 in 31 and in the final against Huub Wilkowski (40-27 in 16). Wilkowski won successively against Raimond Burgman with penalties (after 40-40 in the shoot-out 8-1) and against Adrie Demming in the semi-final 40-37 in 24.
Adrie Demming, a Grand Prix finalist before, surprised everyone with his performances. In the groupsa with 4 for the main tournament, the Roosendaal player first outsmarted Gerwin Valentijn, Jeffrey Jorissen and Menno de Vries. In the knock-outs with 16, Demming beat another Brabant player, Jack van Peer 40-31 in 29, in the quarter-finals he won against Jerry Hermans (40-33 in 31) and finally he was beaten in the semi-finals by Huub Wilkowski 40-37.
The final ranking in the GP Capelle:
- Dick Jaspers 1.666-11
- Huub Wilkowski 1,282-11
- Adrie Demming 1,316-11
- Dave Christiani 1.111-9
- Raymund Swertz 1.652-13
- Raimond Burgman 1.375-12
- Jerry Hermans 1.231-11
- Harrie van de Ven 1,213-11
- Jean Paul de Bruijn 1,389-9
- Barry van Beers 1,350-9
- Jean van Erp 1,333-7
- Gerwin Valentijn 1,128-9