Dutch already looking further than the Masters

BERLICUM - Two of the Dutch who play all the World Cups went to a downright thriller on the second day at the Masters. Sam van Etten and Jeffrey Jorissen came up for a hard-fought draw against each other, but are not yet sure of the knock-outs with 8. Dick Jaspers has completed his first job, unbeaten as he was in his first two appearances (2.352 on average). And also certain of the knock-outs for now is Joey de Kok, after victories over Glenn Hofman and Dave Christiani.

The top Dutch players in three-cushion contest the title in the coming days, but are also looking further afield. Dick Jaspers, for instance, is not yet sure whether he will go to this year's World championship for nations teams in Viersen for the Netherlands. That depends on whether he plays the semi-final or final at the Masters. Apart from Jaspers, the places for European Championships and World Championships are also at stake, as the number of candidates queues up. Dutch three-cushion takes an increasingly prominent role in global billiards.

The interest is still growing every year: just look at the Dutch who will travel to all the World Cups this year. Dick Jaspers, of course, is already doing that on the basis of his high ranking, shortly behind the world number one. Jeffrey Jorissen, Sam van Etten, Volkan Cetin, Huub Wilkowski and Joey de Kok have also signed up for all 2024 World Cups: Bogota, Ho Chi Minh, Ankara, Porto, Veghel, Seoul and Sharm El Sheikh. Glenn Hofman, the No 3 from Sharm, joined them a short while ago, Jean Paul de Bruijn (No 3 from Veghel) did so this week just before the Masters. And a little further up the rankings, Jordy de Kruijf is the ninth Dutchman to join the world's top and sub-top everywhere.

The Jumbo Masters, surely, decides these days about the World Championship in Viersen: four players still stand a chance for the two places representing the Netherlands. Jeffrey Jorissen is currently number one, followed by Barry van Beers, Dick Jaspers and Dave Christiani. Jaspers stands the best chance, as top favorite for the Masters. ,,I would love to play, but if it doesn't work out, I don't really mind,'' assured Jaspers, who is known to prefer individual tournaments where ranking points can be earned. Jeffrey Jorissen has to survive the pre-rounds at the Masters to be sure for Viersen.

So, the Jumbo Masters matters in more ways than one. As always, the second day, Thursday at the Beneluxtheater, was a day for the first survivors or the first dropouts. Dick Jaspers already put his stamp on the round with the knock-outs. With one day of preliminaries left, the players who are out after the second day are Kay de Zwart, Raymund Swertz and almost certainly Volkan Cetin.

Group summaries:

It was the match many were looking forward to, but the quality did not outweigh the excitement. Sam van Etten and Jeffrey Jorissen, the two winners on the first day in Group A, dueled for qualification but cramped up within sight of the finish line. It turned into a disappointing encounter for the lead in this class, which ended in a draw. Sam van Etten attacked with a nice 10 shortly before the break (28-19, but came back with four misses and gave Jorissen chances to fight back. The match went extremely laborious, with unexpected misses, in which the young North Holland player's winning point took too long out. That’s why his opponent was able to equalize at 40-38 with 2.

The other match with Frans van Schaik was of a much higher standard from the Amsterdam side. That brought the tension back somewhat: Van Schaik won against Swertz 40-14 in 22 (1.818) and raises his average. That could affect the climax. Both Jorissen and Van Etten cannot afford to lose in the last games: Jorissen-Swertz, Van Etten-Van Schaik.

Standings in Group A:

1. Sam van Etten 3-1,250-10
2. Jeffrey Jorissen 3-1.0981-8
3. Frans van Schaik 2-1,152-9
4. Raymund Swertz 0-0.857-5

Sam van Etten played a draw with Jeffrey Jorissen and is on top with 3 match points

Jeffrey Jorissen, one of three candidates in his group

How deep a slump can be, Jean Paul de Bruijn showed in Group B in his match against Barry van Beers. The Zeeuw's energetic start (20 in 8, 2.500 on average) was followed by an strange series of misses (17 innings, 13x0, 3x1 and 1x2), which meant De Bruijn eventually lost 40-26 in 30 and 0.866 n average. Jerry Hermans, two points loser against De Bruijn the previous day, had a magnificent come-back against Volkan Cetin: 40-17 in 23. Three players will decide tomorrow which two go to the best 16.

Standings in Group B:

1. Barry van Beers 4-1.481-5
2. Jerry Hermans 2-1,471-8
3. Jean Paul de Bruijn 2-1.100-7
4. Volkan Cetin 0-0.829-4

Barry van Beers leads his group and shows an excellent form

Jerry Hermans won his match and keeps his chances

Joey de Kok is in a nice range at this Masters. In Group C, he was the second player before the knock-outs in the shadow of Dick Jaspers. The Zeeuw, like JP de Bruijn, even had the best average of those four after two games and wins over Glenn Hofman and Dave Christiani: 1.379 with a highest run of six. The other three players are battling it out for the second plate. Glenn Hofman has 2 points, Huub Wilkowski and Dave Christiani only 1. Glenn Hofman, who won over Wilkowski 40-30 in 25 (1,600) will play against Christiani on Friday.

 Standings in Group C:

1. Joey de Kok 4-1,454-6
2. Glenn Hofman 2-1,425-7
3. Huub Wilkowski 1-1.228-5
4. Dave Christiani 1-1,137-8

Joey de Kok following Jaspers to the knock-outs after two days

Glenn Hofman is back in the race after his win over Wilkowski

The leading position in Group D will no longer be in danger, as Dick Jaspers seems to be out of contention with four match points and the highest average. Raimond Burgman only has a chance if he wins against Jaspers, Jean van Erp needs to win against Kay de Zwart.Dick Jaspers made short work of Jean van Erp in the Brabant match, in which he took the final distance with a run of nine. Jean van Erp, who was initially evenly matched, dropped out after the break. Raimond Burgman and Kay de Zwart were way out of sync on pace and average. Burgman won 40-33 in 44.

The standings in D:

1. Dick Jaspers 4-2.352-12
2. Jean van Erp 2-1,274-6
3. Raimond Burgman 2-0.986-6
4. Kay de Zwart 0-0.775-3

Dick Jaspers can prepare in his last match for the knock-outs

Raimond Burgmans, not yet in his best form, always dangerous to the end