Nick van den Berg (born 24 May 1980) is a Dutch professional
pool
Pool may refer to:
Water pool
* Swimming pool, usually an artificial structure containing a large body of water intended for swimming
* Reflecting pool, a shallow pool designed to reflect a structure and its surroundings
* Tide pool, a rocky po ...
player. He was the runner up at the 2005
WPA World Eight-ball Championship
The WPA World Eight-ball Championship is a professional eight-ball pool tournament sanctioned by the World Pool-Billiard Association (WPA), initially contested from 2004 to 2012 in Fujairah, United Arab Emirates.
After not being held for several ...
, where he lost to Wu Chia-ching 11–5 in the final. He is a multiple time winner of events on the
Euro Tour
The Euro Tour is a series of professional pool events set around Europe, founded in 1992, and created by the European Pocket Billiard Federation. The Tour's first event was the ''Belgium Open'', held on May 29 – 31, 1992. The event was won by M ...
European Pool Championships European Pool Championship (also called Dynamic European Championships) is a pool competition organized by the European Pocket Billiard Federation (EPBF). The tournament is held annually since 1980. It should not be confused with the series of small ...
, Van den Berg has represented Europe at the
Mosconi Cup
The Mosconi Cup is an annual nine-ball pool tournament contested since 1994 between teams representing Europe and the United States. Named after American pool player Willie Mosconi, the event is comparable to the Ryder Cup in golf and the Weber ...
on eight occasions, winning the event on six occasions as well as tying the event in 2006.
Career
Van den Berg's best performance in a world championship was in 2005, where he reached the final of the
WPA World Eight-ball Championship
The WPA World Eight-ball Championship is a professional eight-ball pool tournament sanctioned by the World Pool-Billiard Association (WPA), initially contested from 2004 to 2012 in Fujairah, United Arab Emirates.
After not being held for several ...
. At the event, he defeated
Christian Reimering
Christian Reimering is a professional pool player from Leverkusen, Germany. Reimering reached the last-16 stage of the world championship on four occasions. He did so at the 1993, 1998, and 2010 event in nine-ball, and the 2005 WPA World Eight-b ...
10–4, Naif Aljaweni 10–4 and
Francisco Bustamante
Francisco Bustamante (born December 29, 1963) is a Filipino professional pool player from Tarlac, Central Luzon and the 2010 World Nine-ball Champion, nicknamed "Django", after the lead character of the 1966 film of the same name,Wu Chia-ching. Chia-ching would win the final 11–5, who won both the nine-ball and eight-ball world championships in the same season.
Van den Berg has won ten events on the
Euro Tour
The Euro Tour is a series of professional pool events set around Europe, founded in 1992, and created by the European Pocket Billiard Federation. The Tour's first event was the ''Belgium Open'', held on May 29 – 31, 1992. The event was won by M ...
, with a further five silver and six bronze medals. He won his first medal at a Euro Tour event in 2000, where he finished runner-up to
Johnny Archer
Johnny Archer (born November 12, 1968 in Waycross, Georgia) is an American professional pool player. He is nicknamed "the Scorpion" (his zodiac sign is Scorpio, and one of his sponsors is Scorpion Cues). On June 8, 2009, Johnny Archer was nomin ...
at the ''2000 Italy Open''. He won his first event two years later in 2002 winning the Austrian Open. In both 2002, and 2006 van den Berg was the most successful player, scoring the most ranking points over those two seasons. Van den Berg's last tournament victory came at the 2017 Portugal Open, having not won an event since 2014. At the event, he defeated
Konrad Juszczyszyn
Konrad Juszczyszyn (born 28 November 1993) is a Polish professional pool player. Juszczyszyn won the 9-Ball event at the 2018 European Pool Championship. Juszczyszyn is also a runner-up on the Euro Tour, reaching the final of the 2015 German Op ...
9–5, Witalij Pazura 9–8,
Tomasz Kapłan
Tomasz Kapłan (born 14 January 1984) is a Polish professional pool player. He won the 2011 European Pool Championships in the discipline of Straight pool. He has played on the Euro Tour since 2009, reaching the semi-finals on three occasions, ...
9–6 and Mark Gray (9–3) to reach the final. There, he faced
David Alcaide
David Alcaide Bermúdez (born 14 December 1978) is a Spanish pool player. He is a two-time winner of the World Pool Masters, winning the 2017 event, defeating Jayson Shaw 8–7 in the final, and again in 2019 defeating Alexander Kazakis 9†...
, where he won 9–5.
At the
World Cup of Pool
The World Cup of Pool is an annual international single-elimination tournament for doubles teams in nine-ball pool competition. The event has been dominated by the Philippines and China, with both nations winning the event on three occasions.
His ...
, van den Berg has partnered
Niels Feijen
Niels Feijen (born 3 February 1977, The Hague) is a Dutch professional pool player, from the Hague. His nickname is "the Terminator". In 2014 he won the WPA World 9-ball championship.
Career
In 2001, Feijen reached the finals of a nine-ball t ...
on several occasions to make a Dutch team. At the 2013 World Cup of Pool, the pair defeated Scotland 7–2, India 7–5, Japan 9-8 and Finland 9–4 to play
Dennis Orcollo
Dennis Orcollo (born January 28, 1979), is a Filipino professional pool player, nicknamed " RoboCop" and has been called "The Money-Game King" throughout the Philippines and the United States.
Early life
Orcollo is the second of four brothers. ...
and
Lee Van Corteza
Lee Vann Corteza, also spelled Lee Van Corteza, (born 1 March 1979 in Davao City, Philippines) is a Filipino professional pool player.
in the final. The pair led the final 7–3, but eventually lost the match 8-10. The following year, they reached the final again, after a 9–1 victory in the semi-finals. In the final, they played Karl Boyes and
Darren Appleton
Darren Appleton (born 8 February 1976) is an English pool player, best known for playing Eight-ball, Nine-ball and Ten-ball pool.
, and lead at both 6-3 and 9–7, but lost on a 10–9.
Van den Berg represented Europe at the
Mosconi Cup
The Mosconi Cup is an annual nine-ball pool tournament contested since 1994 between teams representing Europe and the United States. Named after American pool player Willie Mosconi, the event is comparable to the Ryder Cup in golf and the Weber ...
eight times between 2002 and 2017. He made his debut in the competition in
2002
File:2002 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 2002 Winter Olympics are held in Salt Lake City; Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and her daughter Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon die; East Timor gains East Timor independence, indepe ...
, in what was Europe's first win since the 1995 Mosconi Cup. In participating in the 2002 edition, aged 22, he was the youngest player to compete at the Mosconi Cup, until American
Skyler Woodward
Skyler Woodward (born May 7, 1993) is an American professional pool player. At the 2017 World Cup of Pool, he was the runner up, alongside Shane Van Boening. Woodward has represented the United States each year in the Mosconi Cup since the 2015 ...
in 2015. At the event, he won three matches, including a 5–0 win partnering with
Steve Davis
Steve Davis (born 22 August 1957) is an English retired professional snooker player who is currently a Sports commentator, commentator, musician, DJ, and author. He is best known for dominating professional snooker during the 1980s, when he rea ...
, and losing twice. He returned for the 2003 Mosconi Cup, but would only play in the
2006
File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro 2006 Montenegrin independence referendum, votes to declare ...
edition before rejoining at 2010 Mosconi Cup for three seasons. He later also played in the
2015
File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the Apri ...
and
2017
File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a ser ...
events. In total, van den Berg has played in eight Mosconi Cup events, winning six, losing one in 2003 and tying one in 2006.
Van den Berg has won the
European Pool Championship European Pool Championship (also called Dynamic European Championships) is a pool competition organized by the European Pocket Billiard Federation (EPBF). The tournament is held annually since 1980. It should not be confused with the series of small ...
s on six occasions. He won the
straight pool
Straight pool, which is also called 14.1 continuous and 14.1 rack, is a cue sport in which two competing players attempt to as many billiard balls as possible without playing a . The game was the primary version of pool played in professional ...
event in 2012, 2013 and 2015
nine-ball
Nine-ball (sometimes written 9-ball) is a discipline of the cue sport pool. The game's origins are traceable to the 1920s in the United States. It is played on a rectangular billiard table with at each of the four corners and in the middle of e ...
event in 2009 and 2011,
Eight-ball
Eight-ball (also spelled 8-ball or eightball, and sometimes called solids and stripes, spots and stripes or rarely highs and lows) is a discipline of pool played on a billiard table with six pockets, cue sticks, and sixteen billiard balls (a ...
in 2014, and straight pool in 2012, 2013 and 2015.
Van den Berg lives in the Netherlands, and plays for Club 8,
Amsterdam
Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the Capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population ...
. Whilst van den Berg has not officially retired from pool, he has not played in a professional competition since 2017.
Titles
* 2017
Mosconi Cup
The Mosconi Cup is an annual nine-ball pool tournament contested since 1994 between teams representing Europe and the United States. Named after American pool player Willie Mosconi, the event is comparable to the Ryder Cup in golf and the Weber ...
* 2017
Euro Tour
The Euro Tour is a series of professional pool events set around Europe, founded in 1992, and created by the European Pocket Billiard Federation. The Tour's first event was the ''Belgium Open'', held on May 29 – 31, 1992. The event was won by M ...
Portugal Open
The Portugal Open (formerly named Estoril Open) was an ATP and WTA clay court tennis tournament in Portugal. The event took place at the sports complex of Jamor in Oeiras, of which Estoril Court Central is the most prominent show court. In 20 ...
* 2015
Mosconi Cup
The Mosconi Cup is an annual nine-ball pool tournament contested since 1994 between teams representing Europe and the United States. Named after American pool player Willie Mosconi, the event is comparable to the Ryder Cup in golf and the Weber ...
* 2015
European Pool Championship European Pool Championship (also called Dynamic European Championships) is a pool competition organized by the European Pocket Billiard Federation (EPBF). The tournament is held annually since 1980. It should not be confused with the series of small ...
14.1
* 2014
Euro Tour
The Euro Tour is a series of professional pool events set around Europe, founded in 1992, and created by the European Pocket Billiard Federation. The Tour's first event was the ''Belgium Open'', held on May 29 – 31, 1992. The event was won by M ...
Euro Tour
The Euro Tour is a series of professional pool events set around Europe, founded in 1992, and created by the European Pocket Billiard Federation. The Tour's first event was the ''Belgium Open'', held on May 29 – 31, 1992. The event was won by M ...
European Pool Championship European Pool Championship (also called Dynamic European Championships) is a pool competition organized by the European Pocket Billiard Federation (EPBF). The tournament is held annually since 1980. It should not be confused with the series of small ...
8-Ball
* 2013
Euro Tour
The Euro Tour is a series of professional pool events set around Europe, founded in 1992, and created by the European Pocket Billiard Federation. The Tour's first event was the ''Belgium Open'', held on May 29 – 31, 1992. The event was won by M ...
European Pool Championship European Pool Championship (also called Dynamic European Championships) is a pool competition organized by the European Pocket Billiard Federation (EPBF). The tournament is held annually since 1980. It should not be confused with the series of small ...
14.1
* 2012
Mosconi Cup
The Mosconi Cup is an annual nine-ball pool tournament contested since 1994 between teams representing Europe and the United States. Named after American pool player Willie Mosconi, the event is comparable to the Ryder Cup in golf and the Weber ...
* 2012
Euro Tour
The Euro Tour is a series of professional pool events set around Europe, founded in 1992, and created by the European Pocket Billiard Federation. The Tour's first event was the ''Belgium Open'', held on May 29 – 31, 1992. The event was won by M ...
European Pool Championship European Pool Championship (also called Dynamic European Championships) is a pool competition organized by the European Pocket Billiard Federation (EPBF). The tournament is held annually since 1980. It should not be confused with the series of small ...
14.1
* 2011
Mosconi Cup
The Mosconi Cup is an annual nine-ball pool tournament contested since 1994 between teams representing Europe and the United States. Named after American pool player Willie Mosconi, the event is comparable to the Ryder Cup in golf and the Weber ...
* 2011
European Pool Championship European Pool Championship (also called Dynamic European Championships) is a pool competition organized by the European Pocket Billiard Federation (EPBF). The tournament is held annually since 1980. It should not be confused with the series of small ...
9-Ball
* 2010
Mosconi Cup
The Mosconi Cup is an annual nine-ball pool tournament contested since 1994 between teams representing Europe and the United States. Named after American pool player Willie Mosconi, the event is comparable to the Ryder Cup in golf and the Weber ...
* 2010
Euro Tour
The Euro Tour is a series of professional pool events set around Europe, founded in 1992, and created by the European Pocket Billiard Federation. The Tour's first event was the ''Belgium Open'', held on May 29 – 31, 1992. The event was won by M ...
European Pool Championship European Pool Championship (also called Dynamic European Championships) is a pool competition organized by the European Pocket Billiard Federation (EPBF). The tournament is held annually since 1980. It should not be confused with the series of small ...
9-Ball
* 2008
Euro Tour
The Euro Tour is a series of professional pool events set around Europe, founded in 1992, and created by the European Pocket Billiard Federation. The Tour's first event was the ''Belgium Open'', held on May 29 – 31, 1992. The event was won by M ...
Euro Tour
The Euro Tour is a series of professional pool events set around Europe, founded in 1992, and created by the European Pocket Billiard Federation. The Tour's first event was the ''Belgium Open'', held on May 29 – 31, 1992. The event was won by M ...
Euro Tour
The Euro Tour is a series of professional pool events set around Europe, founded in 1992, and created by the European Pocket Billiard Federation. The Tour's first event was the ''Belgium Open'', held on May 29 – 31, 1992. The event was won by M ...
Mosconi Cup
The Mosconi Cup is an annual nine-ball pool tournament contested since 1994 between teams representing Europe and the United States. Named after American pool player Willie Mosconi, the event is comparable to the Ryder Cup in golf and the Weber ...
* 2002
Euro Tour
The Euro Tour is a series of professional pool events set around Europe, founded in 1992, and created by the European Pocket Billiard Federation. The Tour's first event was the ''Belgium Open'', held on May 29 – 31, 1992. The event was won by M ...