BERLICUM - Nobody begrudged him his title of Master 2016. Raimond Burgman (51), who became the new Dutch 3-cushion champion on Sunday in a final against Glenn Hofman, is viewed by many of his colleagues as an epitome of character and sportsmanship. He addd a fourth Maters title to his tally, thirteen (!) years after he won his third.
He completely owned the final, beating Hofman by a margin of 50-28 in 26, 1.923/1.077. It was never a match, because the player from The Hague simply could not keep up. Glenn Hofman no longer had the confidence he showed in the days before the final. Raimond Burgman realizes better than anyone that if you live in the era of Dick Jaspers, there are few chances to win in the Netherlands. The Masters statistics show it. The seasoned Burgman played ten finals already, losing five of those to Jaspers. The great tactician from Heemstede did a lot better against other opponents: he beat Jaspers once, Koorevaar once, Habraken once and now Hofman. It made him a happy man, even if he showed little exuberance. And yet there was aglow, when during the closing ceremony Paul Brekelmans of the Dutch federation said: ,,We could not wish for a better coach than today's Master.''
The Dutch crown was reluctantly handed over by Jean van Erp in "De Durpsherd" in Berlicum, to one of the most experienced players of the Low Countries. Dick Jaspers now failed to win the national title two times in a row, and he misses out on the 30 important world ranking points. De Biljartpoint Masters of 2016 will be remembered as an astounding success for organizers Ad Smout and Harry Matthijssen, who again had to find a new location for the event. The response they got: packed stands for four days and nothing but enthusiasm from the crowd. The best news was, that the KNBB's 3-cushion section has granted the Masters event to the organizers and the location for three additional years. It was cheered by players and spectators alike.
It was not a coincidence that these 27th Masters were won by the only player who remained undefeated during the tournament. Three wins in the group stage (1.481) brought Burgman into the quarterfinals with ease. He then beat the singing billiard player Ad Koorevaar, a surprise quarterfinalist. In the semi, there was a hard fought win over Barry van Beers (50-46 in 41). And finally, Burgman cruised through the final, where he did maintain his high level and Glenn Hofman couldn't. It was a beautiful run of nine that sealed the deal, the last point a spectacular pique that brought the spectators to their feet.
The rostrum was completed by Jean van Erp and Barry van Beers, who shared the bronze. The abdicating champion (Van Erp) had a weak Saturday, and it cost him the title. Final score of the Biljartpoint Masters 2016: 1 Raimond Burgman 1.483-10 2 Glenn Hofman 1.602-16 3 Jean van Erp 1.540-7 4 Barry van Beers 1.220-15 5 Jean Paul de Bruijn 1.520-9 6 Ad Koorevaar 1.075-8 7 Bert van Manen 0.957-7 8 Martien van der Spoel 1.156-8 9 Dick Jaspers 1.693-8 10 Dave Christiani 1.172-10 11 Frans van Schaik 1.044-10 12 Kay de Zwart 0.860-7 13 Roland Uijtdewillegen 1.030-10 14 Therese Klompenhouwer 0.840-7 15 Jeffrey Jorissen 0.877-6 16 Sander Jonen 0.717-4.