ROSMALEN - The star of 51-year-old Raimond Burgman from Heemstede is shining as in his very best years with a three-wins-in-a-row streak in major Dutch tournaments. The 2016 star in the Grand Prix events and the Masters even beat the likely winner Dick Jaspers in Rosmalen for the third time in three recent matches and finished it off in the final against Jean van Erp (40-22 in 17 innings (2.352/1.294). The victory was Burgman's third this year after the Masters (final against Glenn Hofman) and the Grand Prix in Vlaardingen (final against Jaspers).
Most of all, his victory over Dick Jaspers in the semi-finals captured the imagination. The undisputed Dutch top player on the world's three cushion stage seemed unbeatable in Rosmalen, including a fantastic match (40 in 7 innings), a final run of 20 and a phenomenal average after five matches. Raimond Burgman stopped the winning streak on Saturday, when he was the better of Jaspers in the semi-finals (40-31 in 22). He concluded after the match: ,,Dick is not a robot...'' He continued in a brief review: ,,I beat Dick three times in a row, that's very special. Actually, I like to play against him, although my tactic is that I never play against names. I play my own game. But of course, when you beat Jaspers, you can say, you really deserve to win the tournament.''
Raimond Burgman grew to his best form after a slow run-up and was on his best when there was pressure on every shot in the final phase. ,,The match against Jaspers was very defensive in the first ten innings. There were only a few good positions. I was the first who could break through and start scoring. Dick came back later with a run of eight, but I immediately answered with eight and retained the advantage.'' Jean van Erp, who bested Barry van Beers in the semi-finals by a point, could only threaten Burgman at the start of the final match. He ran eight from the break, but it was his last serious action in the final.
,,I could take over with some solid runs'', explained Burgman. The difference after the first inning was that I made forty points and Jean only fourteen.'' ,,I played a good tournament, with a bit of luck sometimes, but you have that coming when you play well, they often say. I have a good feeling anyway, after my wins this year. I am unbeaten in three consecutive tournaments now, that means I didn't lose in eighteen matches. And now, to win for the third time against Dick, is very special now that he's on his best already for some months.''
Dick Jaspers, who finished third, took the highlights in his match against Wiljan van den Heuvel (40 in 7 innings), with his final run of twenty in the match against Martien van der Spoel and a final average of 2.457 over six games. Jean van Erp sparkled on his way to the final with a run of fifteen, beat Barry van Beers to the line (one point), but ran into a very strong Burgman in the final.
Dave Christiani, fifth in the ranking, finished with the second best average, behind Jaspers: 1.706. Therese Klompenhouwer could look back on an excellent tournament, in which she was eliminated by Frans van Schaik 40-39, but averaging 1.223 (and a run of 12), the fifth average in the ranking.
The final ranking at the Grand Prix in Rosmalen (average and highest run):
1 Raimond Burgman 1.647-12
2 Jean van Erp 1.463-15
3 Dick Jaspers 2.457-20
3 Barry van Beers 1.138-8
5 Dave Christiani 1.706-11
6 Martien van der Spoel 1.184-9
7 Frans van Schaik 1.056-10
8 Peter Heerkens 0.985-6
9 Therese Klompenhouwer 1.223-12
10 Jeffrey Jorissen 1.196-12
11 Herman van Daalen 1.140-8
12 Kay de Zwart 1.008.
The Dutch ranking:
1 Dick Jaspers 504 punten
2 Raimond Burgman 382
3 Jean van Erp 332
4 Dave Christiani 230
5 Barry van Beers 230
6 Jean Paul de Bruijn 208
7 Frans van Schaik 206
8 Jeffrey Jorissen 170
9 Glenn Hofman 162
10 Martien van der Spoel 152
11 Bert van Manen 148
12 Therese Klompenhouwer 126.
Raimond Burgman and Jean van Erp at the start of the final match
Dick Jaspers, after two world class matches, was beaten by Burgman
Jean van Erp, strong performance, run of 15, couldn't stop Raimond Burgman in the final