12 March 2006
Challenge Matches at the International Pool Tour Qualifier in Weert

Nick and Alex Lely were invited to take Mike Sigel's place in Weert, both playing Challenge Matches against lucky winners of a draw. Their opponents could win a free entry for a qualifying event and Alex and Nick could win one thousand dollars per match. The format was they had to play two opponents simultaniously, thus running from one table to another. That didn't stop them from putting on an excellent show, with Alex winning 6 out of 8 and Nick 5 out of 6 matches. The best part? Nick ran a six-pack, earning him a sweet 5000 dollar bonus. Additionally, he made two 8-ball breaks, earning him a cool 500 dollar a piece. Total earnings for Alex: 6000 dollar. Total earnings for Nick: 11.000 dollars. Not bad for a weekend's work. A full week of trainingscamp with the Dutch squad surely paid off. During the week, Nick ran a nice 237 at straight pool. Still no record yet, but he's getting there. Nick would like to thank the IPT-organization for this wonderful opportunity. He can't wait till July, when the first IPT-event of 2006 will take place in Las Vegas.

26 February 2006
Dutch Grand Prix: 1st place

A nice victory in Den Haag at the Dutch Grand Prix. The semi-finals featured a line-up which has seen many times before: Niels Feijen - Alex Lely and Nick van den Berg - Gilliano Smit.

In the end it was Nick who beat Alex Lely 9-7.

3 February 2006
Straight Pool record under attack

Nick will try and break the Dutch Straight Pool record, during a 5 day-session. From 13-17 February (Monday to Friday), he will start his attempts at 12.00 and will play till 17.30, on "table nr. 2" at Club 8 Amsterdam.

The current Dutch record is held by Alex Lely, with a run of 272 balls. Next comes Niels Feijen with 259 and then Nick with 258. The European record is held by Thomas Engert (490) and the World Record by Willie Mosconi (625).

Nick commented: "This is going to be a real challenge. It's not so hard shooting 100+, but a +300 series takes stamina, a bit of fortune but most of all  upper concentration, every shot! I think a +300 series should be possible after a few days of practice. I've never really tried to set a personal record. My current record is too low, I reckon and too old as well. I'm up for it."

Nick's attempts will be closely watched by several independent "judges", in case he makes it, so it can go in the books as an "official record".

Everybody is more than welcome at Club 8 Amsterdam (www.club-8.nl)

21 January 2006
Praha, Czech Republic: Nick van den Berg wins Eurotour Czech Open.

Nick's early hill-hill loss in the 2nd round of the Czech Open left Nick one chance to win the title: he had to win 9 matches in a row to clinch it. And that was exactly what he did. After Nick had qualified for the last 32 players, he was unstoppable and disposed himself of players like Ralf Souquet, Christian Reimering, Stephane Cohen and finally Darren Appleton.

Nick's win not only means a nice payday of 5.000 euro, but also a 2nd place on the overall Eurotour Ranking.

Nick van den Berg - James Taylor 9-8
Nick van den Berg - Craig Riley 8-9
Nick van den Berg - Gianluigi Aremllini 9-1
Nick van den Berg - Allessandro Torrenti 9-7
Nick van den Berg - Marcel Kirsten 9-7
Nick van den Berg - Craig Riley 9-7

Last 32: Nick van den Berg - Mick Hill 9-4
Last 16: Nick van den Berg - Ralf Souquet 9-4
Quarter Finals: Nick van den Berg - Christian Reimering 9-5
Semi Finals: Nick van den Berg - Stephane Cohen 9-4

Final: Nick van den Berg - Darren Appleton 9-1

12 January 2006
Negotiations with new sponsors have started

The management team of Nick van den Berg have started negotiations with several international companies wanting to sponsor Nick for 2006. In the light of his great achievements in 2005 and present developments, i.e. the start of the International Pool Tour in February/March, which will generate an enormous amount of television and other media exposure throughout the world, the management team appear to have an easier job than ever finding a good sponsor for Nick.

Quoted Dave Goldstein, Personal Manager of Nick van den Berg: "Not so long ago, it was pretty hard finding the right sponsor for any pool player, including Nick. Even though we've had great successes over the last few year, partnering among others with Party Poker (Party Gaming), Gamepoint (Spelpunt), Global Antiques, Cupido Tickets and others, I believe the time is right to set the standard for the years to come. Pool is the biggest indoor sport in the world, and the fastest growing sport all together. With the starting of the International Pool Tour and the great events of Matchroom, such as the World Pool Championships, partnering with Nick seems the right thing to do. Sponsors have picked up on that, and rather than looking for a sponsor for Nick, they're now looking for him. We hope to have a partnership agreement with an international company, no later than 1 March. Nick does not just want any company to be his sponsor, so we have a task ahead of us. Yes, companies can still get in touch with us. We haven't decided yet."

Sponsorship requests may be directed to the Management team of Nick van den Berg.

11 January 2006
Nick renews contract with JOBA Leisure BV.

Nick van den Berg and JOBA Leisure BV renewed their sponsorship agreement this week. JOBA, exclusive distributor of all BUFFALO/ADAM products are pleased to have Nick on board for another three years. "Nick has always been a great ambassador for our products. He's professional and highly marketable. It's fabulous to see him make all this progress in just one year. We expect even more from him this year!"

Nick van den Berg: "JOBA has been there for me since the beginning of my career. They're a great sponsor and have excellent products which I test out on a frequent basis. I'm proud to be associated with them. Thanks to them, I won't have to worry about the material I use".

Nick van den Berg plays with a custom Musashi cue (Made by ADAM.BUFFALO) with ACSS shaft. His practice table is a Buffalo Pro Pool Table equipped with Milliken Super Pro Cloth.