Jan Verhaas
Encyclopedia
Jan Verhaas is a Dutch
snooker
referee
. He lives in Brielle
.
. The Billiards Association tried to further internationalise the sport by bringing on Verhaas.
His first professional match as a snooker referee was in 1993 (a match between Tony Drago
and Steve Davis
). In 2003 he became the first man from outside the UK
to referee the final of the World Snooker Championship, and has since refereed the 2006 World Final
between Peter Ebdon
and Graeme Dott
. Verhaas was in control of all three Masters finals which Paul Hunter
won, and he describes them as his most memorable matches.
During his time as a snooker referee, Verhaas has been involved in some controversies. He was the referee of the infamous match between Stephen Hendry
and Ronnie O'Sullivan
at the 2006 UK Championship in York
. During the match O'Sullivan walked out of the arena, forfeiting the match at 4-1 down. On 21 January 2007, he was the referee of the final of the Masters
between Ronnie O'Sullivan (again) and Ding Junhui
, in which he ejected at least one fan from the Wembley Arena
for heckling and shouting abuse at the 19-year-old Chinese
star.
For several years he also refereed nine-ball pool
tournaments organised by Matchroom Sport
. This included several appearances at the Mosconi Cup
and the initial Matchroom-organised World Pool Championship in 1999, which was won by Efren Reyes
.
Verhaas played a notable role in Ronnie O'Sullivan's record 10th maximum break. After finding out that there was no special prize for completing a 147, O'Sullivan shook hands with opponent Mark King
after potting the last pink. Verhaas interjected and persuaded O'Sullivan to finish his break.
Dutch people
The Dutch people are an ethnic group native to the Netherlands. They share a common culture and speak the Dutch language. Dutch people and their descendants are found in migrant communities worldwide, notably in Suriname, Chile, Brazil, Canada, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, and the United...
snooker
Snooker
Snooker is a cue sport that is played on a green baize-covered table with pockets in each of the four corners and in the middle of each of the long side cushions. A regular table is . It is played using a cue and snooker balls: one white , 15 worth one point each, and six balls of different :...
referee
Referee
A referee is the person of authority, in a variety of sports, who is responsible for presiding over the game from a neutral point of view and making on the fly decisions that enforce the rules of the sport...
. He lives in Brielle
Brielle
Brielle , also called Den Briel is a town and municipality in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland, on the north side of the island of Voorne-Putten, at the mouth of the New Maas. The municipality covers an area of 31.12 km² of which 3.63 km² is water...
.
Career
After working as a process operator for Shell Chemicals, Verhaas qualified as a class 1 snooker referee in 1990. At the age of 25, he was discovered during a tournament in RotterdamRotterdam
Rotterdam is the second-largest city in the Netherlands and one of the largest ports in the world. Starting as a dam on the Rotte river, Rotterdam has grown into a major international commercial centre...
. The Billiards Association tried to further internationalise the sport by bringing on Verhaas.
His first professional match as a snooker referee was in 1993 (a match between Tony Drago
Tony Drago
Tony Drago is a professional snooker and pool player from Malta. He won the 2003 World Pool Masters Tournament beating Hsia Hui-kai 8–6 and also reached the quarter finals of the World Snooker Championship...
and Steve Davis
Steve Davis
Steve Davis, OBE is an English professional snooker player. He has won more professional titles in the sport than any other player, including six World Championships during the 1980s, when he was the world number one for seven years and became the sport's first millionaire...
). In 2003 he became the first man from outside the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
to referee the final of the World Snooker Championship, and has since refereed the 2006 World Final
World Snooker Championship 2006
The 2006 888.com World Snooker Championship professional ranking snooker tournament was held at the Crucible Theatre, Sheffield, and was scheduled for 15 April through 1 May 2006, but continued into the early hours of 2 May 2006. Ending at 12:52 a.m...
between Peter Ebdon
Peter Ebdon
Peter "Ebbo" Ebdon is an English professional snooker player and former world champion renowned for his remarkably focused, determined style of play.-Early years:...
and Graeme Dott
Graeme Dott
Graeme Dott is a Scottish professional snooker player from Larkhall in Scotland. He won the 2006 World Championship, which was his first ranking title after four previous runner-up spots...
. Verhaas was in control of all three Masters finals which Paul Hunter
Paul Hunter
Paul Alan Hunter was an English professional snooker player. His media profile developed swiftly and he became known as the "Beckham of the Baize" because of his good looks and flamboyant style....
won, and he describes them as his most memorable matches.
During his time as a snooker referee, Verhaas has been involved in some controversies. He was the referee of the infamous match between Stephen Hendry
Stephen Hendry
Stephen Gordon Hendry, MBE is a Scottish professional snooker player. In 1990, he was the youngest-ever snooker World Champion, at the age of 21. He has won the World Championship a record seven times and was snooker's world number one for eight consecutive years between 1990 and 1998, and again...
and Ronnie O'Sullivan
Ronnie O'Sullivan
Ronald Antonio "Ronnie" O'Sullivan , is an English professional snooker player known for his rapid playing style and nicknamed "The Rocket". He has been World Champion on three occasions , and is second on the all-time prize-money list, with career earnings of over £6 million, behind only Stephen...
at the 2006 UK Championship in York
York
York is a walled city, situated at the confluence of the Rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. The city has a rich heritage and has provided the backdrop to major political events throughout much of its two millennia of existence...
. During the match O'Sullivan walked out of the arena, forfeiting the match at 4-1 down. On 21 January 2007, he was the referee of the final of the Masters
2007 Masters Snooker
-Final:-Qualifying:The 2006 Masters Qualifying Event were held between 4 and 9 November 2006 at the English Institute of Sport in Sheffield, England...
between Ronnie O'Sullivan (again) and Ding Junhui
Ding Junhui
Ding Junhui is a Chinese professional snooker player. Ding Junhui is China's most successful player ever, having become only the second teenager, after John Higgins, to win three ranking titles...
, in which he ejected at least one fan from the Wembley Arena
Wembley Arena
Wembley Arena is an indoor arena, at Wembley, in the London Borough of Brent. The building is opposite Wembley Stadium.-History:...
for heckling and shouting abuse at the 19-year-old Chinese
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
star.
For several years he also refereed nine-ball pool
Pocket billiards
Pool, also more formally known as pocket billiards or pool billiards , is the family of cue sports and games played on a pool table having six receptacles called pockets along the , into which balls are deposited as the main goal of play. Popular versions include eight-ball and nine-ball...
tournaments organised by Matchroom Sport
Matchroom Sport
Matchroom Sport is a sport event promotions company founded by the English entrepreneur Barry Hearn. It first came to attention in the sports of snooker and boxing and is also involved in pool, bowling, golf , fishing, darts and poker...
. This included several appearances at the Mosconi Cup
Mosconi Cup
The Mosconi Cup is an annual nine-ball pool tournament contested between teams representing Europe and the USA since 1994. The trophy is named after American player Willie Mosconi, and is modeled on and compared to the Ryder Cup in golf...
and the initial Matchroom-organised World Pool Championship in 1999, which was won by Efren Reyes
Efren Reyes
Efren Manalang Reyes is a Filipino professional pool player and a two-time world champion. Reyes is considered by many to be the greatest all-around pool player in the history of the game. He is affectionately nicknamed "Bata" and "the Magician".-Early life:Reyes was born in Pampanga in 1954...
.
Verhaas played a notable role in Ronnie O'Sullivan's record 10th maximum break. After finding out that there was no special prize for completing a 147, O'Sullivan shook hands with opponent Mark King
Mark King (snooker player)
Mark King is an English professional snooker player. He has not yet won a ranking tournament, but came close when he was a beaten finalist in the 1997 Regal Welsh Open and the 2004 Irish Masters.- Career :...
after potting the last pink. Verhaas interjected and persuaded O'Sullivan to finish his break.
Major finals
- World ChampionshipWorld Snooker ChampionshipThe World Snooker Championship is the leading professional snooker tournament in terms of both prize money and ranking points. The first championship was held in 1927; since 1977, it has been played at the Crucible Theatre, Sheffield, England...
– 2003, 2006, 2008, 2011 - UK ChampionshipUK Championship (snooker)The UK Championship is a professional ranking snooker tournament. It is the second biggest ranking tournament after the World Championship and is one of the Triple Crown events.-History:...
– 2005, 2006, 2008 - MastersMasters (snooker)The Masters is a professional snooker tournament and the second longest running tournament outside the World Championship. Although not a ranking event, it is regarded as one of the most prestigious tournaments on the circuit, earning the second biggest prize money.-History:The tournament was held...
– 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2007, 2009, 2010