Zeskamp 1969-70 comprised 12 teams

Teams for Zeskamp 1969-1970:

Assen, Bolsward, Stadskanaal (North)
Goes, Helmond, Valkenburg aan de Geul (South)
Dronten (Flevopolder), Genemuiden, Rheden (East)
Alphen aan den Rijn, Hoogland and Wieringermeer (West)

The 1969-1970 series of Zeskamp was contested by twelve teams sourced from the north, the south, east  and west of the Netherlands. Each Domestic Heat featured six teams (three teams from one region and three from another) fighting it out. Each of these twelve teams would play three times over the course of the six heats. The six teams with the highest aggregate scores qualified for Jeux Sans Frontières 1970 and the Zeskamp Final. The winner of the final went forward to a Super Final, in which they met the 1968 Zeskamp winners.

It is not clear as to how the destinations of the Jeux Sans Frontières qualifiers were determined. Apart from one team, all the others followed their order of finish in the league into the International heats. The highest scoring team went to International Heat 1, the second highest to International Heat 2 and so on, with the final qualifier going to International Heat 7. Aalten, winners of Zeskamp 1968, filled the remaining place at International Heat 6, the Dutch home heat.

NL

Zeskamp 1969-1970

Heat 2

Event Staged: Saturday 8th November 1969
Venue: Audihal, Sassenheim, Zuid-Holland, Netherlands

European Transmissions (Local Timings):
Nederland 1 (NL): Saturday 8th November 1969, 8.20-9.35pm (Live)

Weather Conditions: Not applicable as event was staged indoors

Teams (South and West): Alphen aan den Rijn v. Goes (Zuid Beveland) v. Helmond v.
Hoogland v. Valkenburg aan de Geul v. Wieringermeer

Team Members included:
Alphen aan den Rijn - C. Boer (Co-Team Coach), C. Boonstra (Co-Team Coach), Paul Goederaad (Co-Team Coach), W. N. Verkerk (Co-Team Coach), R. Wolters (Team ‘Thinker’), Ad van Ommen (Team Captain), Jan Bedee, Hans van der End, Eddy Gesmen, Hans ‘t Hart, Dini de Heij, Lony Holtkamp, Jim Koster, Ria van Rietschoten, Jan Rijvers, Marlène Spek, Wilma van Uunen-Goedhart, Wim Verhagen, Cock Verkade, Dick Verkade, Ria Verkade-Groenevelt, Jos Vrisekoop;
Goes (Zuid Beveland) - B. Hoogendoorn (Team 'Thinker');
Helmond - L. Bodenstaff (Team 'Thinker');

Hoogland - Paul Boon (Team Coach), E. van Valkengoed (Team 'Thinker'), Gerard van den Heuvel (Team Captain), Sjef Boon, Henk van de Corterlet, Gerard van Dijk, Carla Ebing, Eugène Eijssen, Henny van Hamersveld-van de Wardt, Ans Hilhorst, Kees van de Hoven, Diny Hulsegge, Mart Keet, Greet van ’t Klooster, José van ’t Klooster, Margreet van 't Klooster, Bert Kreijne, Gerard Kreijne, Jan van Middelaar, Elly Nieuwenhuizen, Kees de Ridder, Wim de Ridder, Annelies Schoonderbeek, Johan Smink, Truus Smink, Nel Tondeur, Evert Valk, Stien van Wee-van de Wetering;
Valkenburg aan de Geul - J. Koster (Team 'Thinker');
Wieringermeer - R. van Zoonen (Team 'Thinker').

Game Results and Standings

Result

 Team

Points

League Aggregate

1st
2nd
3rd
4th
5th
6th

 A • Alphen aan den Rijn ●
 H • Hoogland
 Go • Goes (Zuid Beveland)
 He • Helmond

 W • Wieringermeer
 V • Valkenburg aan de Geul

26
23
21
20
17
12

26
23
21
20
17
12

The Host Town

Sassenheim, Zuid-Holland

Sassenheim is a town with a population of around 16,000 inhabitants located in the province of South Holland, 30km (18½ miles) south-west of Amsterdam, 23km (14¼ miles) north-east of Den Haag and 34km (21 miles) north of Rotterdam. It covers an area of 6.62km² (2.55mi²) of which 0.23km² (0.08mi²) is water.

The name Sassenheim consists of two parts; the first 'Sassen' meaning Saxons, and the second portion 'heim' is Low German for ‘home’. The town dates back to around the 1st century AD when the Romans laid foundations of a settlement there. The discovery of a 2,000 year old well with a diameter of 125cm in Sassenheim also indicates that there was a relatively large Germanic settlement in the area. During the 4th century, there was a period of great movement of people and this included the Romans and the Frisii (Germanic tribe) who left the area and headed south. The reason for this movement can be contributed to the exceptionally high North Sea tides and the associated coastal erosion. Many fled to what is now Flanders in Belgium and Kent in England. By the late 5th century and early 6th century, the area was re-inhabited by people who are now called Friesians. But it was not until the 14th century that the marsh land created by the continual silting was able to be tamed with dikes and cultivated. Once this was achieved, the population began to rise slowly and by 1369 there were 33 houses with 133 inhabitants living in Sassenheim. This figure grew to 69 houses with 276 inhabitants by 1623.

During the 17th and 18th centuries, wealthy merchants built their magnificent summer residences along the Heerweg, the current High Street, but apart from a few exceptions, they are now all gone. Around 1860, Sassenheim really blossomed with the emergence of flower bulb cultivation. The census of 1899 showed that the population had grown to around 1,950 inhabitants. However, after the Second World War (1939-1945), the emphasis was placed on re-growth and attracting light industry to the area. This ultimately had a knock-on effect and resulted in the bulb-growing industry in the village to disappear.

The town was formed between the towns of Leiden and Lisse on the eastern edge of the old coastal dunes where the main road from Leiden to Haarlem was located. Along this road many castles and estates were built, including the mansions along Hoofdstraat (Sassenheim's Main Street) dating from the early 1900s. The village church is built on a dune top and portrays a variety of construction styles.

One of the most interesting attractions in Sassenheim is the ruins of Kasteel Teylingen (Castle Teylingen). The castle was the original residence of the Lords of Teylingen and served as protection for the Rhine dike and the road to the city of Haarlem. In 1282, the fief fell to the Counts of Holland because the Lords of Teylingen had no direct heirs. The keep, which is part of the circular curtain wall, dates from this period. Later the castle functioned as a hunting lodge and a forester's residence for the Counts of Holland. The most famous forester was Countess Jacoba van Beieren (1401-1436), who resided there until her death on 9th October.

During the Eighty Years' War (1568-1648), especially during 1572 and 1574, the castle was heavily damaged. In 1605, restoration work commenced and saw the residential tower rebuilt with a more comfortable residence in front. Following a fire in 1676, when the roof of the keep was destroyed, the castle was left in disrepair. The castle and its surrounding buildings were then sold in 1801, with the stipulation that the keep and the curtain wall could never be demolished. Two squires, with the name of Van Teylingen (no direct descendants), bought the remaining parts at a public auction in 1857, but the ruins once again became property of the state in 1888. After this, the preservation of the castle was mainly aimed at consolidation and in 1975, the Teylingen Castle Foundation was founded. Since then, the partially filled in moat has been dug out, the entrance bridge reconstructed and the ruins opened to the public, but only on an appointment basis only.

During the Second World War (1939-1945) when Germany invaded Netherlands, there was a pun that asked “En wat vinden de Duitsers het mooiste dorp in Nederland? Sassenheim!” (“What is it about Sassenheim, that the Germans would consider it to be the most beautiful village in Netherlands?”) “Want daar vinden ze de S.A., de S.S. en hun Heim" (Because there they will find - the SA (Sturmabteilung or Brown Shirts), an Adolf Hitler (1889-1945) protection service), the SS (the Schutzsaffel, Hitler’s paramilitary organisation) and their Heim (the German word for home).

The Visiting Towns

Alphen aan den Rijn is a town with a population of around 150,000 inhabitants in the province of Zuid-Holland and is located 16km (10 miles) south-east of Sassenheim.

Goes (Zuid Beveland) is a town with a population of around 38,000 inhabitants in the province of Zeeland and is located 92km (57 miles) south of Sassenheim.

Helmond is a town with a population of around 91,000 inhabitants in the province of Noord Brabant and is located 114km (71 miles) south-east of Sassenheim.

Hoogland is a town with a population of around 12,000 inhabitants in the province of Utrecht and is located 58km (36 miles) east of Sassenheim.

Valkenburg aan de Geul is a town with a population of around 16,500 inhabitants in the province of Limburg and is located 176km (110 miles) south-east of Sassenheim.

Wiereingermeer is a town with a population of around 13,000 inhabitants in the province of Noord-Holland and is located 79km (49 miles) north of Sassenheim.

The Venue

Audihal

The games were played in the Audihal, a large car warehouse in Sassenheim owned by automobile importers Hart Nibbrig en Greeve.

The two entrepreneurs had originally set up single businesses in the 1920s in separate locations around Netherlands to import expensive luxury cars, bicycles, motorcycles and even airplanes from Japan, the United Kingdom and neighbouring Germany. However, the actual story of the Audihal began in 1924, when Greeve and partner De Fremery founded a garage in Zahnstraat, Den Haag selling imported DKW (Dampf Kraft Wagen) cars. Although DKW were merged with Audi AG in 1932, the cars were still manufactured under the DKW marque. After the Second World War (1939-1945), the DKW factory at Zschopau was in the Soviet zone of Germany. The engineers fled to the west and immediately wanted to build the cars again. With the help of Hart Nibbrig, Greeve acquired new premises in Sassenheim at an old abandoned asphalt factory.

The assembly plant was opened in 1955, employing 120 workers and SKD (semi-knocked down) kits were bought and collected from Düsseldorf where the DKW plant was located. However, when the DKW plant moved, it became too expensive to continue to import SKD kits. This sealed the fate of the factory and it closed down in 1961 with around 13,500 cars in total having been built at Sassenheim.

However, the company did not stand on its laurels and renovated the building and used it to display and sell imported Audi vehicles, from which the hall took its name. The hall measured an incredible 150m x 120m (492ft 1½in x 393ft 8½in) and covered an area of 18,000m² (193,750ft²). Built on two levels, it had an upper viewing gallery on which perspective clients could view the cars on offer and was where the offices were housed. The floor space was also used for clients to inspect and try the cars for comfort and size.

Business activities in Sassenheim ceased in 1996, when the hall was closed and gutted. Today the hall no longer exists, although on its site are new premises of Greenib Real Estate BV (the name being taken from Greeve and Nibbrig) who now trade in property ownership.

Returning Teams and Competitors

Ad van Ommen, team captain for Alphen aan den Rijn, would participate again in the same role for the Dutch national teams at consecutive Jeux Sans Frontières Christmas specials staged in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, in 1973, and Aviemore, Scotland, in 1974.

Made in Colour • This programme may exist in Dutch Archives

NL

Zeskamp 1969-1970

Heat 3

Event Staged: Saturday 6th December 1969
Venue: Brabanthal (Brabant Hall), 's-Hertogenbosch, Noord-Brabant, Netherlands

European Transmissions (Local Timings):
Nederland 1 (NL): Saturday 6th December 1969, 8.20-9.35pm (Live)

Weather Conditions: Not applicable as event was staged indoors

Teams (North and South): Assen v. Bolsward v. Goes (Zuid Beveland) v.
Helmond v. Stadskanaal v. Valkenburg aan de Geul

Team Members included:
Assen - H. Mylanus (Team 'Thinker'), Frits Busscher (Team Captain, non-playing), Fré Bos, Ari IJdemaar, Harry Jonser, Menno Keizer, Ruth Klasses, Egbert Nijstadt;
Bolsward - Bertus Niewenhuis (Team Coach), Sietse Kingma (Team 'Thinker'), Cor Wielenga (Team Physio), Maaike Keizer (Scoregirl), Johan Hamburg (Team Captain, non-playing), Baukje Altena-Vallinga, Henk Arends, Henk Bangma, Andries Bleeker, Siepie van Dijk, Suze Doper, Broer Eekma, Tonny Ferwerda, Klaas Hettinga, Agatha Huisman, Froukje Huisman, Johan Huisman, Rein Huisman, Jan Kooistra, Aggie de Lang-Bootsma, Joop de Lang, Dominicus Lolkema, Simona Odinga, A. Rijpma, Frans de Vreeze;
Goes (Zuid Beveland) - B. Hoogendoorn (Team 'Thinker');
Helmond - L. Bodenstaff (Team 'Thinker');
Stadskanaal - J. Groot (Team 'Thinker');
Valkenburg aan de Geul - J. Koster (Team 'Thinker').

Games included: The Rubber Rings, Roll Out the Barrel, The Human Bicycles, The Water Carriers.

Game Results and Standings

Result

 Team

Points

League Aggregate

1st
2nd
3rd
3rd
5th
6th

 As • Assen ●
 B • Bolsward
 Go • Goes (Zuid Beveland)
 V • Valkenburg aan de Geul
 He • Helmond
 S • Stadskanaal

30
27
23
23
19
17

51
51
44
35
39
35

The Host Town

's-Hertogenbosch, Noord-Brabant

's-Hertogenbosch, literally ‘The Duke's Forest’, is a city with a population of around 140,000 inhabitants in the Dutch province of North Brabant. It is located 80km (50 miles) south of Amsterdam, 60km (37¼ miles) south-west of Rotterdam and 39km (24¼ miles) west of Nijmegen. In speech, the Dutch seldom use the formal 's-Hertogenbosch but rather the colloquial Den Bosch meaning ‘The Forest’.

The city's official name refers to Henry I, Duke of Brabant (1165-1235), whose family had owned a large estate at nearby Orthen for at least four centuries. He founded a new town located on some forested dunes in the middle of a marsh. At age 26, he granted 's-Hertogenbosch city rights and the corresponding trade privileges in 1185. His reason for founding the city was to protect his own interests against encroachment from Gelre and Holland (historical counties) and, from the outset, conceived the city as a fortress. However, the city was destroyed in 1203 in a joint expedition of Gelre and Holland, but was soon rebuilt. Some remnants of the original city walls can still be seen today. In the late 15th century, a much larger wall was erected to protect the greatly expanded settled area with artificial waterways being dug to serve as a city moat, through which the rivers Dommel and Aa were diverted. Until 1520, the city flourished, becoming the second largest population centre in the territory of the present Netherlands, after Utrecht.

After World War II, plans were made to modernise the old city, by filling in the canals, removing or modifying some ramparts and redeveloping historic neighbourhoods. Before these plans could come into effect however, the central government declared the city a protected townscape with most of the historic elements having been preserved. In contrast to cities like Rotterdam, 's-Hertogenbosch survived the Second World War relatively unscathed.

's-Hertogenbosch has the oldest remaining brick house in the Netherlands, 'De Moriaan', which was built at the beginning of the 13th century. In the 1960s, De Moriaan was renovated to its former glory based on a famous 16th century Dutch painting called De Lakenmarkt van 's-Hertogenbosch (The fabric market of 's-Hertogenbosch). In the north of the old city, the hexagonal powder arsenal, or Kruithuis, still exists, one of only two of its kind in the country. The city has its own food speciality, the Bossche Bol, a giant profiterole, 12cm (5½in) in diameter and somewhat larger than a tennis ball, which is filled with whipped cream and coated with dark chocolate.

Once a year, the city changes its name to Oeteldonk. Contrary to popular belief, ‘oetel’ in the name is not a referral to a frog but a facetious reference to the 's-Hertogenbosch Bishop Adrianus Godschalk (1819-1892) who came from the village of Den Dungen and often expressed censure against the 'pagan' carnival festivities. ‘Donk’ is a reference to a dry place in the marsh. The frog is however a symbol often used during Carnival, and it is a symbol of the Oeteldonk Marsh. This change however only lasts for the three days of carnival, even though the original meaning has long disappeared into the background. During this three-day festival, the current elected mayor hands over his duties temporarily to ‘Peer vaan den Muggenheuvel tot den Bobberd’, the bürgermeister of the carnival.

The Visiting Towns

Assen is located 167km (104 miles) north-east of 's-Hertogenbosch.

Bolsward is located 153km (95 miles) north of 's-Hertogenbosch.

Goes (Zuid Beveland) is located 100km (62 miles) west of 's-Hertogenbosch.

Helmond is located 34km (21 miles) south-east of 's-Hertogenbosch.

Stadskanaal is located 182km (113 miles) north-east of 's-Hertogenbosch.

Valkenburg aan de Geul is located 100km (62 miles) south-east of 's-Hertogenbosch.

The Venue

Brabanthal

The games were played in the Brabanthal which was the world’s largest livestock market when it opened its doors in 1931.

Very little is known of the building but its opening coincided with that of the then tallest building in the world, the Empire State Building in New York.

Made in Colour • This programme may exist in Dutch Archives

NL

Zeskamp 1969-1970

Heat 4

Event Staged: Saturday 3rd January 1970
Venue: Markthal, Doetinchem, Gelderland, Netherlands

European Transmissions (Local Timings):
Nederland 1 (NL): Saturday 3rd January 1970, 8.20-9.35pm (Live)

Weather Conditions: Not applicable as event was staged indoors

Teams (East and West): Alphen aan den Rijn v. Dronten (Flevopolder) v. Genemuiden v.
Hoogland v. Rheden v. Wieringermeer

Team Members included:
Alphen aan den Rijn - C. Boer (Co-Team Coach), G. Blauw (Team ‘Thinker’), Paul Goederaad (Team Physio), Ad van Ommen (Team Captain), Hans van der End, Eddy Gesmen, Piet de Jong, Jim Koster, Margriet Peters-Bongers, Ria van Rietschoten, Jan Rijvers, Marlène Spek, Cor van Tol, Wilma van Uunen-Goedhart, Kees Veenswijk, Ans van der Veldt, Cock Verkade, Dick Verkade, Ria Verkade-Groenevelt;

Dronten (Flevopolder) - Ino Meijer (Team Coach), C. van Noort (Team 'Thinker'), Jo Tennekes (Team Physio), Mieneke Geluk (Score-girl), Henk van Bruggen (Team Captain), Bea van Bruggen, Henk Dibbits, Frans van Eekelen, Bennie Geling, Jetse Hartmans, Birk Hoornsman, Anneke Kleefstra, Boukje van der Laan, Wim Nijenhuis, Floris Roozendaal, Marton Rotyis, Nel Schut, Christ Smulders (Reserve), Ina Steijn, Gert-Jan van Tilburg, Gurbe Veenstra, Hero Veenstra, Alie Huis in't Veld, Hilda Zijlma;
Genemuiden - A. Hoekman (Team 'Thinker');
Hoogland - Paul Boon (Team Coach), E. van Valkengoed (Team 'Thinker'), Gerard van den Heuvel (Team Captain), Sjef Boon, Henk van de Corterlet, Gerard van Dijk, Carla Ebing, Eugène Eijssen, Henny van Hamersveld-van de Wardt, Ans Hilhorst, Kees van de Hoven, Diny Hulsegge, Mart Keet, Greet van ’t Klooster, José van ’t Klooster, Margreet van 't Klooster, Bert Kreijne, Gerard Kreijne, Jan van Middelaar, Elly Nieuwenhuizen, Kees de Ridder, Wim de Ridder, Annelies Schoonderbeek, Johan Smink, Truus Smink, Nel Tondeur, Evert Valk, Stien van Wee-van de Wetering.
Rheden - H.J.L. Krijnen (Team 'Thinker');
Wieringermeer - R. van Zoonen (Team 'Thinker').

Game Results and Standings

Result

 Team

Points

League Aggregate

1st
2nd
3rd
4th
5th
6th

 D • Dronten (Flevopolder) ●
 H • Hoogland
 G • Genemuiden
 W • Wieringermeer

 R • Rheden
 A • Alphen aan den Rijn

29
25
24
21
18
17

52
48
42
38
34
43

The Host Town

Doetinchem, Gelderland

Doetinchem is a town of around 57,000 inhabitants in the province of Gelderland. It is located 105km (65¼ miles) south-east of Amsterdam, 122km (75¾ miles) north of Heerlen in the far south, 141km (87½ miles) south of Groningen in the far north and, given the obscure shape of the country, it lies just 12km (7½ miles) north of the German border town of Emmerich am Rhein. The town’s boundaries straddle the Oude IJssel (Old Ijssel) river, in a part of the province called the Achterhoek, at an elevation of just 14m (45ft 11in) above sea level.

The first reference to the name of Doetinchem is around AD 838 in a document which mentions ‘Duetinghem’, a settlement with a small church. In AD 887, there is another mention of ‘Deutinkem’, a fortress with a church which had been given to the then Bishop of Utrecht. For a long time, Doetinchem remained a small place but around 1100 it started to grow and in 1236, Doetinchem was granted city rights by Count Otto II of Gelre and Zutphen, and in return the town provided taxes and soldiers for the Count’s army. In 1226, after suffering from several attempts by plunderers, the town’s wall was raised by a metre (3ft 3in). There were four barriers in the wall which, being weak points, were replaced over time by four large city-gates known as the Hamburgerpoort, the Waterpoort, the Gruitpoort and the Hezenpoort. Later a moat was dug around the wall and a rampart was built in front. The town’s central windmill, De Walmolen (Dutch ‘wal’ = wall and ‘molen’ = mill), stands on the remains of this rampart. Despite these defences, Doetinchem was besieged many times and during the Eighty Years' War (1568-1648) was besieged and conquered twice. However, eventually the walls became seen as redundant (or perhaps ineffective) and in 1672, they were torn down. However, it was not until the second half of the 19th century that the city-gates and most of the ramparts were removed.

From its early years, Doetinchem had been an important market-place for farmers to sell their wares with a market held in the central square, Simonsplein, right up until the Second World War. The town also has three windmills. In the town centre, there is the already mentioned De Walmolen (built 1851) with a sail span of 23m (75ft 5½in), Aurora (1870) with a sail span of 20.66m (67ft 9½in) and Benninkmolen (1921), the largest of the three with a sail span of 23.1m (75ft 9¾in). All these mills are open to visitors, usually on one weekday morning and at other times by appointment.

An interesting and fascinating point about the town’s museum, De Stadmuseum, is that it has had quite a colourful history since it first opened in the early part of the 19th century. Starting off in the cellar of the town’s castle, it was moved to a former prison building in Nieuwstadstraat. Another move followed to 27 Grutstraat, the site of a former hairdressing salon. A final move in 2011 to its present home, was to 2 Nispenstraat, the site of the former post office.

The Visiting Towns

Alphen aan den Rijn is located 114km (71 miles) west of Doetinchem.

Dronten (Flevopolder) is located 74km (46 miles) north-west of Doetinchem.

Genemuiden is located 75km (47 miles) north of Doetinchem.

Hoogland is located 68km (42 miles) north-west of Doetinchem.

Rheden is located 19km (12 miles) west of Doetinchem.

Wieringermeer is located 132km (82 miles) north-west of Doetinchem.

The Venue

Markthal

The games were played in the Markthal, a livestock hall in the centre of the city. Records show that there had been an animal market held on Houtkampstraat since 1832. However, it was not until a commission appointed by the city’s councillors to investigate the possibilities, that a prominent cattle market was established on the site on 13th December 1880. The council decided to provide financial support and set up the ‘Vereniging tot bevordering van het Marktwezen in de gemeente Stad Doetinchem’ (Association for the promotion of the market in the municipality of the city of Doetinchem). The market-hall was officially opened on 31st May 1881, with royal assent being received on 11th July 1882. On 6th June 1895, the council established a separate weekly piglet market on Simonsplein (Simon Square).

At first, the cattle market was held monthly, in-between the occasional horse markets, but after 27th January 1908, the cattle market began to be held fortnightly. On 21st April 1910, pigs and piglets also began to be traded on the Houtkamp site. After the Second World War, the cattle market was held on a weekly basis, and in order for smaller livestock such as sheep and goats to be sold, it was decided to build a canopy. This was officially opened on 16th May 1957 by the Queen's Commissioner for the province of Gelderland, Mr H.M. Bloemers. The livestock trade reached its peak in 1961 when as many as 130,000 head of cattle were traded. The hall was also used for other purposes including indoor sports and pop concerts. However, due to ever-rising costs and reduced incomes, the site was sold and the building demolished in 2008 and today it is now a housing development.

Made in Colour • This programme may exist in Dutch Archives

NL

Zeskamp 1969-1970

Heat 5

Event Staged: Saturday 31st January 1970
Venue: Pluimveehal, Barneveld, Gelderland, Netherlands

European Transmissions (Local Timings):
Nederland 1 (NL): Saturday 31st January 1970, 8.20-9.35pm (Live)

Weather Conditions: Not applicable as event was staged indoors

Teams (North and West): Alphen aan den Rijn v. Assen v. Bolsward v.
Hoogland v. Stadskanaal v. Wieringermeer

Team Members included:
Alphen aan den Rijn - C. Boer (Team Coach), G. Blauw (Team ‘Thinker’), Paul Goederaad (Team Physio), Ad van Ommen (Team Captain), Piet Beelen, Hans van der End, Wim wan Gerven, Eddy Gesman, Piet de Jong, Pini de Jong, Jim Koster, Wim van der Laan, Margriet Peters-Bongers, Ria van Rietschoten, Jan Rijvers, Marlène Spek, Cor van Tol, Wilma van Uunen-Goedhart, Kees Veenswijk, Ans van der Veldt, Ria Verkade-Groenevelt;

Assen - H. Mylanus (Team 'Thinker'), Frits Busscher (Team Captain, non-playing), Fré Bos, Ari IJdemaar, Harry Jonser, Menno Keizer, Ruth Klasses, Egbert Nijstadt;
Bolsward - Bertus Niewenhuis (Team Coach), Sietse Kingma (Team 'Thinker'), Cor Wielenga (Team Physio), Maaike Keizer (Scoregirl), Johan Hamburg (Team Captain, non-playing), Baukje Altena-Vallinga, Henk Arends, Henk Bangma, Andries Bleeker, Siepie van Dijk, Suze Doper, Broer Eekma, Tonny Ferwerda, Klaas Hettinga, Agatha Huisman, Froukje Huisman, Johan Huisman, Rein Huisman, Jan Kooistra, Aggie de Lang-Bootsma, Joop de Lang, Dominicus Lolkema, Simona Odinga, A. Rijpma, Frans de Vreeze;
Hoogland - Paul Boon (Team Coach), E. van Valkengoed (Team 'Thinker'), Gerard van den Heuvel (Team Captain), Sjef Boon, Henk van de Corterlet, Gerard van Dijk, Carla Ebing, Eugène Eijssen, Henny van Hamersveld-van de Wardt, Ans Hilhorst, Kees van de Hoven, Diny Hulsegge, Mart Keet, Greet van ’t Klooster, José van ’t Klooster, Margreet van 't Klooster, Bert Kreijne, Gerard Kreijne, Jan van Middelaar, Elly Nieuwenhuizen, Kees de Ridder, Wim de Ridder, Annelies Schoonderbeek, Johan Smink, Truus Smink, Nel Tondeur, Evert Valk, Stien van Wee-van de Wetering;
Stadskanaal - J. Groot (Team 'Thinker');
Wieringermeer - R. van Zoonen (Team 'Thinker').

Game Results and Standings

Result

 Team

Points

League Aggregate

1st
2nd
3rd
4th
5th
6th

 As • Assen ● ● ●
 A • Alphen aan den Rijn ● ●
 B • Bolsward ● ●
 S • Stadskanaal
 H • Hoogland ● ●
 W • Wieringermeer

28
21
20
18
17
15

79
64
71
53
65
53

Assen qualified for Jeux Sans Frontières at Lugano, Switzerland:
staged on Wednesday 24th June 1970

Alphen aan den Rijn qualified for Jeux Sans Frontières at West-Berlin, West Germany:
staged on Wednesday 2nd September 1970

Bolsward qualified for Jeux Sans Frontières at Avignon, France:
staged on Wednesday 22nd July 1970

Hoogland qualified for Jeux Sans Frontières at Cardiff, Great Britain:
staged on Wednesday 5th August 1970

The Host Town

Barneveld, Gelderland

Barneveld is a town with a population of around 30,000 inhabitants in the province of Gelderland known for its poultry industry and large Protestant community. It is located 53km (33 miles) south-east of Amsterdam, 28km (17½ miles) north-west of Arnhem and 90km (56 miles) west of Enschede, at an elevation of just 10m (32ft 9¾in) above sea level.

Since the middle of the 15th century, the town council and municipality departments have been located in Barneveld. Centuries ago, the village of Garderen was the former centre of the municipalities, but in the course of years, Barneveld became uniquely more important. For centuries, this borderline was the cause of many conflicts and fights between Gelderland and Utrecht. In one of these fights, the heroic soldier Jan van Schaffelaar (1445-1482) jumped from Barneveld's tower in order to save the lives of his fellow soldiers. And by doing so, his name will forever be associated with Barneveld, and there is a statue honouring him in the town. The tower of Barneveld's oldest church is a reminder of former days and of ancient Barneveld in that the church is the centre of town with the streets running off from there. Barneveld has earned its precious position in the region by having different markets. In former days, sheep, poultry and wool trade were very important, nowadays Barneveld is widely known by its egg auctions, horse fair and small cattle market.

One of the local landmarks is the church known as De Hoeksteen (The Cornerstone), located in the village of Voorthuizen just north of Barneveld. When viewed from above, the building is similar in shape to that of an open peacock’s tail. It was opened in 2008, and has a seating capacity of 2,550 people. The tower with its pointed copper pyramid is approximately 47m (154ft 2in) high.

With the town’s poultry background it is only fitting that the headquarters of Moba, the world's largest manufacturer of egg grading and packing machines, have been based in the town since the company’s inception by Job Mosterd in 1947.

The Visiting Towns

Alphen aan den Rijn is located 65km (40 miles) west of Barneveld.

Assen is located 116km (72 miles) north-east of Barneveld.

Bolsward is located 101km (63 miles) north of Barneveld.

Hoogland is located 16km (10 miles) west of Barneveld.

Stadskanaal is located 132km (82 miles) north-east of Barneveld.

Wieringermeer is located 88km (55 miles) north-west of Barneveld.

The Venue

Pluimveehal

The games were played in the Pluimveehal (Poultry Hall) in Barneveld which was built in 1957. Chickens and poultry had long been an established industry in the area and Barneveld was known as ‘chicken city’. The hall itself was a large self-contained covered unit and when not being used as a poultry market it was converted to host equestrian competitions and shows. However, with no seating in the hall, spectators had to sit on straw bales.

So obsessed was the town with chickens and eggs, the major equestrian competition held here was even called ‘The Golden Egg’ and took place on February 1st of each year. National horse rider Cees Schimmel always attended with his faithful horse Sabaneza. In 1974 it became a temporary sports hall with a pool which was heated from special high performance boilers. Sadly, the hall no longer exists as it was demolished in 2010 after staging 53 years of ‘The Golden Egg’ competition.

Team Selection and Training

The two marathon runners, brothers Cock and Dick Verkade, who had served the Alphen aan den Rijn team well up to this point, were both unavailable for selection for this Zeskamp Heat 5.

Cock had sustained an injury in the week before the event and was replaced  by athlete Wim van Gerven of the Spartaan Athletics Association from Lisse.

The reason for Dick's absence was not explained, but he was replaced by Piet Beelen, another athlete and clubmate of van Gerven.

Another Verkade brother, Rein Verkade, was a reserve for the Alphen aan den Rijn team in this event.

Made in Colour • This programme may exist in Dutch Archives

NL

Zeskamp 1969-1970

Heat 6

Event Staged: Saturday 28th February 1970
Venue: Pluimveehal, Barneveld, Gelderland, Netherlands

European Transmissions (Local Timings):
Nederland 1 (NL): Saturday 28th February 1970, 8.20-9.35pm (Live)

Weather Conditions: Not applicable as event was staged indoors

Teams (South and East): Dronten (Flevopolder) v. Genemuiden v. Goes (Zuid Beveland) v.
Helmond v. Rheden v. Valkenburg aan de Geul

Team Members included:
Dronten (Flevopolder) - Ino Meijer (Team Coach), C. van Noort (Team 'Thinker'), Jo Tennekes (Team Physio), Mieneke Geluk (Score-girl), Henk van Bruggen (Team Captain), Bea van Bruggen, Henk Dibbits, Frans van Eekelen, Bennie Geling, Jetse Hartmans, Birk Hoornsman, Anneke Kleefstra, Boukje van der Laan, Wim Nijenhuis, Floris Roozendaal, Marton Rotyis, Nel Schut, Christ Smulders (Reserve), Ina Steijn, Gert-Jan van Tilburg, Gurbe Veenstra, Hero Veenstra, Alie Huis in't Veld, Hilda Zijlma;
Genemuiden - A. Hoekman (Team 'Thinker');
Goes (Zuid Beveland) - B. Hoogendoorn (Team 'Thinker');
Helmond - L. Bodenstaff (Team 'Thinker');
Rheden - H.J.L. Krijnen (Team 'Thinker');
Valkenburg aan de Geul - J. Koster (Team 'Thinker').

Game Results and Standings

Result

 Team

Points:

League Aggregate

1st
2nd
2nd
4th
4th
6th

 D • Dronten (Flevopolder) ● ● ●
 G • Genemuiden ● ●
 He • Helmond
 Go • Goes (Zuid Beveland)
 R • Rheden
 V • Valkenburg aan de Geul

31
22
22
17
17
12

83
64
61
61
49
47

Dronten (Flevopolder) qualified for Jeux Sans Frontières at Como, Italy:
staged on Tuesday 9th June 1970

Genemuiden qualified for Jeux Sans Frontières at Namur, Belgium:
staged on Wednesday 8th July 1970

The Host Town

Barneveld, Gelderland

Previously visited in Heat 5.

The Visiting Towns

Dronten (Flevopolder) is located 45km (28 miles) north of Barneveld.

Genemuiden is located 60km (37 miles) north-east of Barneveld.

Goes (Zuid Beveland) is located 138km (86 miles) south-west of Barneveld.

Helmond is located 75km (47 miles) south of Barneveld.

Rheden is located 34km (21 miles) south-east of Barneveld.

Valkenburg aan de Geul is located 144km (90 miles) south of Barneveld.

The Venue

Pluimveehal

Previously visited in Heat 5.

Made in Colour • This programme may exist in Dutch Archives

Teams Qualifying for Domestic Final and International Series

NL

Zeskamp 1969-1970

Domestic Final

Event Staged: Saturday 25th April 1970
Venue: Groenoordhal (Groenoord Hall), Leiden, Zuid-Holland, Netherlands

European Transmissions (Local Timings):
Nederland 1 (NL): Saturday 25th April 1970, 8.20-9.35pm (Live)

Weather Conditions: Not applicable as event was staged indoors

Teams: Alphen aan den Rijn v. Assen v. Bolsward v.
Dronten (Flevopolder) v. Genemuiden v. Hoogland

Team Members included:
Alphen aan den Rijn - C. Boer (Team Coach), G. Blauw (Team ‘Thinker’), Paul Goederaad (Team Physio), Ad van Ommen (Team Captain), Hans van der End, Eddy Gesman, Piet de Jong, Jim Koster, Margriet Peters-Bongers, Ria van Rietschoten, Jan Rijvers, Marlène Spek, Cor van Tol, Wilma van Uunen-Goedhart, Kees Veenswijk, Ans van der Veldt, Cock Verkade, Dick Verkade, Ria Verkade-Groenevelt;

Assen - H. Mylanus (Team 'Thinker'), Frits Busscher (Team Captain, non-playing), Fré Bos, Ari IJdemaar, Harry Jonser, Menno Keizer, Ruth Klasses, Egbert Nijstadt;
Bolsward - Bertus Niewenhuis (Team Coach), Sietse Kingma (Team 'Thinker'), Cor Wielenga (Team Physio), Maaike Keizer (Scoregirl), Johan Hamburg (Team Captain, non-playing), Baukje Altena-Vallinga, Henk Arends, Henk Bangma, Andries Bleeker, Siepie van Dijk, Suze Doper, Broer Eekma, Tonny Ferwerda, Klaas Hettinga, Agatha Huisman, Froukje Huisman, Johan Huisman, Rein Huisman, Jan Kooistra, Aggie de Lang-Bootsma, Joop de Lang, Dominicus Lolkema, Simona Odinga, A. Rijpma, Frans de Vreeze;
Dronten (Flevopolder) - Ino Meijer (Team Coach), C. van Noort (Team 'Thinker'), Jo Tennekes (Team Physio), Mieneke Geluk (Score-girl), Henk van Bruggen (Team Captain), Bea van Bruggen, Henk Dibbits, Frans van Eekelen, Bennie Geling, Jetse Hartmans, Birk Hoornsman, Anneke Kleefstra, Boukje van der Laan, Wim Nijenhuis, Floris Roozendaal, Marton Rotyis, Nel Schut, Christ Smulders (Reserve), Ina Steijn, Gert-Jan van Tilburg, Gurbe Veenstra, Hero Veenstra, Alie Huis in't Veld, Hilda Zijlma;
Genemuiden - A. Hoekman (Team 'Thinker');
Hoogland - Paul Boon (Team Coach), E. van Valkengoed (Team 'Thinker'), Gerard van den Heuvel (Team Captain), Sjef Boon, Henk van de Corterlet, Gerard van Dijk, Carla Ebing, Eugène Eijssen, Henny van Hamersveld-van de Wardt, Ans Hilhorst, Kees van de Hoven, Diny Hulsegge, Mart Keet, Greet van ’t Klooster, José van ’t Klooster, Margreet van 't Klooster, Bert Kreijne, Gerard Kreijne, Jan van Middelaar, Elly Nieuwenhuizen, Kees de Ridder, Wim de Ridder, Annelies Schoonderbeek, Johan Smink, Truus Smink, Nel Tondeur, Evert Valk, Stien van Wee-van de Wetering.

Game Results and Standings

Result

 Team

Points

1st
2nd
3rd
4th
5th
6th

 A • Alphen aan den Rijn ● ● ●
 D • Dronten (Flevopolder) ●
 As • Assen ●
 B • Bolsward
 G • Genemuiden
 H • Hoogland

32
25
24
20
11
8

Alphen aan den Rijn qualified as Winners of Zeskamp 1969-1970
for Jeux Sans Frontières at Rotterdam, Netherlands:
staged on Wednesday 7th July 1971

The Host Town

Leiden, Zuid-Holland

Leiden is a city which lies at sea level elevation with a population of around 120,000 inhabitants in the province of South Holland. It is situated on the Oude Rijn (Old Rhine) river, a 52km (32¼ miles) branch of the Rhine, and is located 16km (10 miles) north-east of Den Haag and 36km (22¼ miles) south-west of Amsterdam. The city lies at what has traditionally been an important junction where waterways and roads cross and will enchant all who visit. The city is famous for its almshouses, university, museums and glorious history. The spirit of the Golden Age lives on here, a place where artist Rembrandt (1606-1669) was born and inspired so many other influential painters. But even after this era, Leiden continued to attract scientists, artists and industry. The canals, the historical buildings, the alleyways, the treasuries of knowledge, culture and science in Leiden are definitely worth a visit.

By the end of the 15th century, Leiden was the largest city in the county of Holland. This was largely due to the international cloth-making industry. However, the economic tide began to turn with the advent of the 16th century. The reformation led to mass prosecution of Protestants and in 1572, Leiden joined the Dutch resistance against Spain's oppression. The people of Leiden succumbed to disease and starvation and the Spanish nearly conquered the city. However, they successfully drove the troops out on 3rd October 1574. The great liberation, known as Leidens Ontzet (Relief of Leiden), is still lavishly celebrated today. This huge party is not the only result of the Spanish occupation but also that the city was allegedly given the university as a reward for its heroic resistance.

The Relief marked the beginning of a new Golden Age. In 1577, tens of thousands of Dutch people from the south flocked to Leiden on account of their Calvinist faith. These were experienced textile workers and business people who helped revive the failing wool industry in Leiden with new products, techniques, capital and labour and Leiden became the second largest city after Amsterdam. Despite major plague epidemics, the population quadrupled resulting in the city being expanded in 1611, 1644 and again in 1659, when the network of canals was laid out in its current incarnation. At the height of the boom around 1670, the city was densely populated by some 60,000 people. After Amsterdam, Leiden is the city with the most canals with the city’s historic centre having more than 28km (17¼ miles) of canals and waterways. To cross all these waterways, you obviously need bridges, and Leiden has no less than 88!

The city’s wool industry was steadily declining in the 18th century with work drying up and people moving elsewhere. This downturn caused by the failing wool industry led to unrest and the ongoing war waged by Napoleon Bonaparte (1769-1821) only aggravated the situation. The final straw came when Leiden was struck by catastrophic disaster. On 12th January 1807, a ship loaded with 17,400kg (38,360lb) of gunpowder exploded in the middle of Leiden, killing 151 persons. Over 2000 others were injured and some 220 homes were destroyed. King Louis Bonaparte (1778-1846) personally visited the city to provide assistance to the victims. Although located in the centre of the city, the area destroyed remained empty for many years, with the space eventually turned into a public park in 1886.

After 1815, the city began to show signs of recovery once more when Leiden's industry began to diversify during the second half of the century with emerging new sectors such as metal, printing and canning. Leiden underwent a dramatic transformation during the last 30 years of the 20th century. In the 1960s, it was a rundown industrial city with the university as its main claim to fame. By the early 1980s, the industries had disappeared, and unemployment was rampant. However, the city managed to again bounce back by tapping into new sectors.

The Visiting Towns

Alphen aan den Rijn is located 11km (7 miles) south-east of Leiden.

Assen is located 167km (104 miles) north-east of Leiden.

Bolsward is located 122km (76 miles) north-east of Leiden.

Dronten (Flevopolder) is located 94km (58 miles) north-east of Leiden.

Genemuiden is located 118km (73 miles) north-east of Leiden.

Hoogland is located 60km (37 miles) east of Leiden.

The Venue

Groenoordhal

The games were played in the Groenoordhal, the largest of a complex of halls called the Groenoordhallen, which played host to a large regional cattle market for several decades. It was built in 1969 on land that had originally been part of the Groenoord Estate.

In 1355, Leiden was given an urban extension, which led to the Haarlemmerstraat being located within the city walls. The swampy area outside of the walls was reclaimed and on the polder, garden nurseries, fruit farms and the Groenoord were created.

In 1572, the city council decided that all wooden buildings on the nurseries had to be demolished to protect the city from being set alight during a siege. As the cloth industry expanded, a window field was set up in the western part of the Groenoord. On wooden windows, the painted wet sheets were stretched to dry.

In 1756, Johan Aegidius van der Marck (1707-1770), chief officer of the city of Leiden, requested that he be allowed to build a playhouse on the grounds of his country estate. This consisted of a house with a beautiful dome, a carpenter's house, a fishing pond, a park, a peach greenhouse, three pieces of warmus land and 50 rods of pasture (0.3125 acres or 1,264.64m²). The total area was about six hectares (60,000m² or 645,835ft²) and covered the area which today is surrounded by the main railway line to the west, Willem de Zwijgerlaan to the south, Gooimeerlaan to the east and the Stinksloot dyke to the north. After Van der Marck's death, the land was passed down to his brother. When he, too, died in 1788, the land and all its property were sold by his heirs and then, in the early part of the 19th century, it was resold to Abraham Harteveld, Jr. (1793-1866). He constructed a large house on the land in 1830 or thereabouts, which was given the name Groenoord. His mother died in 1837 at the Groenoord house.

The estate and house then remained in private hands for almost a century. The last owner of the estate was artist Floris Henrik Verster van Wulverhorst (1861-1927) who lived there with his wife Jenny Kamerlingh Onnes. In 1926, following her death a few years earlier, he sold the country estate to the municipality of Leiden for the princely sum of 27,000 guilders (roughly £2,500 at the time), equivalent to approximately £110,000 in 2020, under the proviso he could remain in residence until his demise. He was a one-eyed man and within a year of the sale, he was found drowned in the carp pond in the garden.

The house was then rented out to the art critic and expert Willem Cornelis Feltkamp and his cousin Willem Hendrik Mühlstaff (1894-1982), painter and director of the Rotterdam Academy of Art, who during the war offered shelter to amongst others, painter and graphic artist Dirk Hidde Nijland (1881-1955).

The forest of more than 400 trees remained standing for a long time, much to the delight of hikers and children at play. However, during World War II (1939-1945), it was cut down by mainly black-market traders for their own gain, barring one large chestnut tree.

In 1960, the lease on the property was cancelled by the municipality and the country estate was demolished in 1961 to make way for a new residential area and a complex of halls that would host the regional cattle market and other large events.

Comprising several small halls and one large hall (the Groenoordhal), the Groenoordhallen (Groenoord Halls) building was quickly put to effective use. In addition to its main purpose, it was also regularly used for sports meetings, television broadcasts and music concerts by bands such as Genesis, U2, The Police, Dire Straits, Iron Maiden, Fleetwood Mac, Queen, Metallica, Santana, Kiss, The Osmonds and Backstreet Boys, among other events.

However, following the FMD (Foot and Mouth Disease) crisis of 2001, the cattle market was no longer viable and finally closed its doors in 2005. Following some renovation work, the hall was reopened and hosted many national and international trade fairs, exams, product presentations, conferences, parties, concerts and other events including Disney on Ice and paranormal shows.

In 2006, the Groenoordhal played host to tennis. A Davis Cup promotion / relegation match between the Netherlands and the Czech Republic was held there, with the Netherlands losing 1-4 and being relegated. However, despite all its uses, it was decided that the hall had run its course by the middle of 2009, and in order to make way for homes and business premises, the Groenoordhallen building was to be demolished.

The demolition was postponed until mid-2010 and then the work finally started, after which only the tower and part of Escher Groenoord Plaza remained.

Returning Teams and Competitors

Following his success at leading Assen to a place in Jeux Sans Frontières, team captain Frits Busscher would return to participate in Zeskamp 1970-1971 as team captain of Rolde.

Additional Information

Qualifying teams came from the North (Assen and Bolsward), the East (Dronten (Flevopolder) and Genemuiden) and the West (Alphen aan den Rijn and Hoogland) of the Netherlands. None of the three teams from the South qualified for the Domestic Final or Jeux Sans Frontières. The 1968 Zeskamp winners, Aalten, hail from the East of the country.

Made in Colour • This programme may exist in Dutch Archives

NL

Zeskamp 1969-1970

Super Final

Event Staged: Saturday 23rd May 1970
Venue: Groenoordhal (Groenoord Hall), Leiden, Zuid-Holland, Netherlands

European Transmissions (Local Timings):
Nederland 1 (NL): Saturday 23rd May 1970, 8.20-9.35pm (Live)

Teams: Alphen aan den Rijn v. Aalten

Game Results and Standings

Team Members included:
Aalten - Hans Prinsen (Team Coach), Bert Hoogendijk (Team Captain), Rose Beyer, Gerrit Heusinkveld, Alex Ormel, Dick Schoppers, Wim Somsen;

Alphen aan den Rijn - C. Boer (Team Coach), G. Blauw (Team ‘Thinker’), Paul Goederaad (Team Physio), Ad van Ommen (Team Captain), Hans van der End,Eddy Gesman, Piet de Jong, Jim Koster, Margriet Peters-Bongers, Ria van Rietschoten, Jan Rijvers, Marlène Spek, Cor van Tol, Wilma van Uunen-Goedhart, Kees Veenswijk, Ans van der Veldt, Cock Verkade, Dick Verkade, Ria Verkade-Groenevelt.

Result

 Team

Points

1st
2nd

 A • Alphen aan den Rijn ●
 NL • Aalten ●

19
18

The Host Town

Leiden, Zuid-Holland

Previously visited in Domestic Final.

The Visiting Towns

Aalten is a town with a population of around 28,000 inhabitants in the province of Gelderland and is located 145km (90 miles) south-east of Leiden.

Alphen aan den Rijn is located 11km (7 miles) south-east of Leiden.

The Venue

Groenoordhal

Previously visited in Domestic Final.

Additional Information

This Super Final pitched 1969-1970 Zeskamp winners Alphen aan den Rijn against Aalten, who had won Zeskamp in 1968.

To avoid confusion with two teams display the letter A on their tops, the Aalten team as reigning Dutch Champions, were allowed to wear kits display the national letter code of the Netherlands, NL.

Made in Colour • This programme may exist in Dutch Archives