Comeback Queen
For the third consecutive Classic Tour event, Karen Corr rebounded from an earlier loss to win a tournament championship. This time Corr did it at the Women’s Professional Billiard Association Midwest Classic at Palace Billiards in Villa Park, Ill., Oct. 11-14, recovering from a loss to Fisher in the winner’s-bracket finale to oust Fisher in the final, 7-4.
Corr, who has swept all five 2001 Classic Tour events this season excluding the Billiard Congress of America 9-Ball Championships, extended her points lead in the WPBA rankings over Fisher with the victory. The $7,500 payday also pushed Corr’s 2001 WPBA Classic Tour earnings to $45,000, surpassing last year’s total of $40,500, with the 2001 WPBA National Championships still left to play this season. Fisher collected $5,500 for second, while Gerda Hofstatter earned $4,500 for third — her best finish since winning the BCA 9-Ball Championship in May 2000.
2001 World Championships Cancelled
The World Pool-Billiards Association has cancelled the 2001 World 9-Ball Championships for women and juniors, according to a press release from John Lewis, the WPA secretary.
The tournament had been scheduled for Nov. 14 – 18 in Ottawa, Ont., Canada, and had been awarded to “Les Productions 14.1,” the promoter that handled the 2000 event in Quebec City. No reason for the cancellation was given.
The 2002 event will be held June 26-30 in Taipei, Taiwan under the auspices of WPA-confederation member, the Asian Pocket Billiard Union, according to Lewis.
BCA Organizes Billiards For America Day
The Billiard Congress of America has designated Nov. 10 as Billiards for America Day, and is coordinating an industry-wide effort to raise money for relief funds established to benefit victims of the Sept. 11 terrorist attack.
The BCA, working with the American Poolplayers Association and the Women’s Professional Billiard Association, will provide pool rooms and league operators with promotional posters and tournament packages. Billiard retailers and manufacturers are encouraged to donate money or products to support the effort.
Tokyo Tourney Gets Nod From WPA
The World-Pool Billiard Association has given its blessing — and financial backing — to the much-discussed 100,000,000-yen Tokyo 9-Ball tournament scheduled for Nov. 11-14 in Japan.
Promoted by a new organization, The International Billiard Council, the prize fund is worth approximately U.S. $820,000, the highest in pool history. According to a press release from WPA treasurer John Lewis, “The WPA have no concerns about the organizers and are confident that all promises will be fulfilled.” Additionally, WPA chairman Ian Anderson announced that the world governing body will guarantee U.S. $100,000 of the prize fund.
More information about the tournament and a concurrent expo is available at www.tokyo-9ball.com.
Amsterdam Tournament Postponed Until 2002
NEW YORK (Sept. 14)–The Amsterdam 9-ball Open scheduled for Sept. 19-23 at Amsterdam Billiard Club in New York City has been postponed until sometime next year according to proprietor Greg Hunt.
The charity event benefiting the Paul Sorvino Asthma Foundation scheduled for Wednesday, Sept. 19, will go on as planned at the Eastside location (East 86th Street at 2nd Ave.) from 7 -10 pm. For more information, call 212.570.4545.
Comfortable at the Top
Top-ranked Karen Corr widened her points lead over No. 2 Allison Fisher, winning by the narrowest of margins at Sandia Casino on Sept. 9. Corr’s 7-6 win over Fisher in the final of the Classic Tour’s fourth stop of the season netted Corr $7,500, and doubled her lead over Fisher in the rankings to an 80-point advantage.
The former snooker stars were even at 6-6 heading into the final game, where Corr pulled out the win to give her victories in all four Classic Tour stops this season. Only Jeanette Lee’s victory at the Billiard Congress of America 9-Ball Championships has kept Corr from a perfect 2001 season thus far.
Lee, who recently captured the Gold Medal for the United States in the women’s 9-ball division of the World Games in Akita, Japan, finished in third place. Ewa Laurance took fourth.
Centre of Attention
Francisco Bustamante narrowly edged Earl Strickland in the final of the Ladbrokescasino.com World Pool Masters at Lakeside Shopping Centre in Essex, England, on Sept. 2. The two players were knotted at 6-6 in the race-to-seven final played in the bustling shopping mall, before Bustamante keyed on Strickland’s empty break in the final rack to claim a 7-6 win and his second World Pool Masters crown.
The victory netted Bustamante £10,000 (approx. $14,400), while Strickland settled for the £5,000 runner-up prize.
“He never made anything on the break,” said Bustamante, who was backed by a large Filipino support group that also cheered on third-place finisher Efren Reyes. “The Filipino people in the audience were amazing, there were so many of them it was like playing in Manila. I’m so pleased to win this championship again; I’m playing in the US Open next week so it will be great to arrive there with this title in the bag.”
Going For Gold
American Jeanette Lee and Taipei’s Ching-Shun Yang captured the 9-ball divisions of the 6th World Games in Akita, Japan, Aug. 16-26. Lee took home the Gold Medal after beating Ireland’s Karen Corr, 9-3. Lee’s finish gave the United States a second-best 15 total Gold Medals during the Games, and a combined 31 medals to place third overall behind leader Russia (44) and second-place Germany (35) in the medal count.
Yang knocked off Germany’s Ralf Souquet, 11-8, in the final to claim the Gold Medal. Despite Souquet’s defeat, Germany’s medal count was boosted when Souquet’s countrymate Thomas Engert topped American Jon Kucharo to claim the bronze medal.
Belgium’s Bjoern Haneveer edged Filipino Marlon Manalo, 4-3, to take the snooker Gold Medal, while Spain’s Daniel Sanchez upset Dick Jaspers, 40-30, to earn the Gold in carom.
Mexico’s Ismaez Paez, who suffered a heart attack before one of his matches early in the 9-ball tournament, underwent heart surgery and is currently recovering.
Diliberto Cleared Of All Charges
Pool legend Danny Diliberto was acquitted of all charges after a jury trial in U.S. District Court in Buffalo, N.Y., according to the prosecutor, Asst. U.S. Attorney Tony Bruce.
Diliberto had been indicted in a drug-trafficking case along with 14 others including former 9-ball stand out Dennis Hatch and his father, Gregg Hatch. Diliberto, a Buffalo native and boyhood friend of Gregg Hatch, had insisted on a trial to answer the charges of conspiracy and cocaine possession and sales, while 12 other defendants in the case pled guilty. The elder Hatch was sentenced to 20 years in prison, while the younger received house arrest and probation.