Feijen completes European Championship nineball hat-trick in Slovenia

Dutchman Neils Feijen landed his third European Championship nineball title after defeating Daniel Guttenburg in Slovenia

Niels Feijen, the 45-year-old multi-titled Dutch star, added another championship to his resume as he over-powered Austria’s Daniel Guttenberg in the final match of the men's nineball discipline at the European Championships in Lasko, Slovenia. It was his second gold medal in nineball and eleventh overall.

Coming into the match as a big underdog, Guttenberger made just too many mistakes and against a player of Feijen’s calibre, they were ruthlessly punished. The Dutchman’s confidence was in full bloom from the very start of the match and it grew with every successive rack won.

Feijen commented: “People say it’s a young man’s game and it is and it isn't. As long as you stay fit and keep improving and you stay hungry, then it's anybody's game. The older you get, the commitment changes a little bit. I’m a family man and I have other things on the side, so my commitment and drive are not like it was in my 20s and 30s.

“But I'm going to enjoy this now. We're going to jump in the river across from the hotel and enjoy the night. It's an amazing feeling and it's not getting any easier, the level of play is so high. But to win two bronzes and to finish it off with a gold is a great feeling.”

Feijen won the lag and saw the 1 ball drop into the corner pocket and quick-fire combination on the two and nine gave him the opening rack. Guttenberger, playing in his first ever European Championship final, looked very comfortable as he ran through the balls to level the score at 1-1.

Feijen pushed out in the next after five balls were locked together around the head rail. The Austrian gave the table back and both players went back and forth with safeties. Guttenberger looked in the ascendancy after Feijen left the three ball out which Guttenberg potted. He did all the hard work but missed a relatively simple five into the centre pocket and The Terminator took his chance and the lead at 2-1.

A dry break from the Austrian left a messy table as the rack became tactical. Feijen, though, failed to put the 1 ball safe and Guttenberger, rather than pot it, laid an easy snooker that left Feijen few options. He went for a one rail escape but missed to give ball in hand. Guttenberger, though, missed the 5 ball when the run out looked favourite and Feijen once again, took the opportunity to increase his lead to 3-1.

Feijen made the one and two balls on the break and with a makeable shot on the 3 ball, managed the run out to give himself a very tidy 4-1 lead. Guttenberger was under some pressure now. Coming into the match as the underdog, he really needed to stick with Feijen but a few needless mistakes had let the Dutchman forge ahead. Another bad error from the Austrian handed the table back to Feijen, and looking the picture of determination, he cleared up to take a 5-1 lead in the race to nine.

Feijen looked unstoppable in the next as he ran out, executing shots to perfection, to move his lead to 6-1. It looked like mission impossible for Guttenberger, and it became worse when he scratched pocketing the 2-ball and handing an open table to his opponent. Feijen though made an uncharacteristic slip as he missed the six ball and Guttenberger wrapped it up to trail 6-2.

Three balls went down for Feijen on the break and with a shot on the three ball, the run out looked a certainty and he increased his lead to 7-2. Guttenberger made two balls on his break and with the three ball available into the centre pocket, it was a golden chance to stop the rot. Holding off his nerves, he ran out as the score moved to 7-3.

Another crushing break from the veteran Dutchman saw two balls drop and he made no mistakes as he quickly ran out to reach the hill. In the next, with no pocket available for the two ball, Guttenberger tied the cue ball up behind the four ball. Feijen's escape left a long pressure two ball which the Austrian potted and held himself together well to take the rack.

With the title a rack away, Feijen played a perfect break. The balls were all out in the open, and the master Dutchman ran out for his eleventh European Championship Individual gold medal.