SINT WILLEBRORD - Dick Jaspers will play full time again in the Dutch premier league in the coming season. The 58-year-old Brabant star player makes the switch from SIS Schoonmaak to Capelle SPC and has an agreement to play almost all matches for the Kozoom league. ’’I will enjoy playing many matches in the Netherlands again,'' Jaspers motivates his transfer. ’’I must say that I got a great offer from Puck van Aart, the team sponsor in Capelle. I honestly received a lot of offers from teams in the Netherlands, but this was by far the best. So I chose for this transfer.''
In previous years, Dick Jaspers barely played two or three matches in a season for SIS Schoonmaak, the team with which he played one of his rare league matches last Sunday, winning over Nikos Polychronopoulos.
Dick Jaspers has no intention of changing much about his annual calendar, but has nevertheless made this surprising choice. He will continue to play competition in France and will do a little less in Germany, as those matches are also scheduled in weekends. ’’My preference from now on is in the Netherlands, also because it is a nice challenge. They want more strong players, probably from one or two players from France. Maybe Jérémy Bury and Mikaël Devogelaere. I have now been in contact with Dan Breur, the team leader, who is very enthusiastic. They really want to build a team that can compete well in the premier league.''
Capelle SPC made promotion from the first division with 37 points, followed by De Veemarkt with 33 points. Jef Philipoom was front man, but will leave the team. In his place, therefore, comes Dick Jaspers as the leading player. Puck van Aart, the sponsor, lives in Veenendaal himself and owns the Paperclip, a company in greeting cards.
Jaspers' new start in the Netherlands is indirectly related to the uncertainty on the international calendar. ’’We must see what will happen in South Korea and whether the big tournaments or invitations there will continue. And stil I can say, that my priority will always remain in the World Cups of course and the major championships. Fortunately, the Dutch league takes that calendar into account. I hope to play around 20 matches. My departure from SIS has been on good terms. I had a nice talk with Carl Verhoeven, the SIS owner. He wants to change with the team and has lost an expensive player with me. That might lighten his new plans. I keep saying Carl is a fantastic person with a heart for the sport of billiards.''
Jaspers will soon skip the Grand Prix in Rosmalen as he plays the play-offs with Intermarché in France that weekend. ’’I know that will jeopardise my ranking,'' Jaspers realizes. ’’That could again mean that I can miss out on the World Team Championship, but I have been playing for Kozoom with Bernard Baudoin for years and in this case I have to play for my team in France.''
The Dutch number one also calculates that at the international calendar it will be harder to keep up with the top. ''Of course I want to keep performing well in the World Cups and at the World championship, but the competition gets tougher every year. For instance, I was eliminated by Ruben Legazpi at the last European Championships because he played better. The influx of great, new talents is so big that scoring high in the World Cups is becoming more and more difficult. I hope not, of course, because I feel super good, but it can also be a minor year. That's why I also choose to play more competition.''
Dick Jaspers, a new step in his career