ELIZABETH, Ind. -- As far as pool players are concerned, Shane Van Boening isn't the most boisterous of the bunch. So when it comes to one-pocket, a discipline that isn't exactly a regular part of his game, the soft-spoken 28-year-old had to laugh after polishing off his second consecutive victory in the Derby City Classic's one-pocket division.

"I really haven't played it since last year," he said, shortly after ousting Joey Gray in the final. "But I pick it up. I can learn from just watching."

And just the same, Van Boening wouldn't want to admit it, but what he lacks in experience, he can compensate nicely with a boatload of skill and a pedal-to-the-metal aggressive approach. For example, in the 11th round, Van Boening faced Brandon Shuff, who had just given him his first loss in the prior round. Down 2-1 in the race to 3, Van Boening was just one ball from elimination, with Shuff collecting the first seven. But the lanky South Dakotan found the slightest opening and quickly cleared the remaining eight balls. He then won a defensive struggle in the fifth game for the gripping 3-2 win.

With a surprisingly easy 3-0 over Efren Reyes, Van Boening was just a match away from defending his title. There, he'd face Joey Gray, a relatively unknown player who was the last remaining unbeaten player before losing to Reyes in the ninth round. A 25-year-old from Oklahoma City, Gray is a one-hole specialist who has collected a number of titles on the Midwest Tour. Stringing together wins in Derby City, Gray quickly made a name for himself. While Van Boening and Reyes battled on the TV table in the Accu-Stats arena, he matched up with Darren Appleton on a satellite table. Controlling the match from the onset, Gray clinched his spot in the final, 3-1.

"This is what I've been dreaming about since I was 10," he said. "I'm excited to be in the final. I just have to stay relaxed and play one-pocket."

If nerves were an issue for the untested hopeful, he didn't show it in the final's first game. Van Boening erred on a thin cut, leaving an opening for Gray. He quickly rattled off seven balls to claim the first game, 8-3. But that's when things went sour. He ceded a bit of control on his break, leaving a ball just inches from Van Boening's pocket. A lengthy defensive struggle was then broken when Van Boening drilled a table-length bank and got out to even the set.

Gray repeatedly tried to suffocate the ultra-offensive-minded Van Boening. But in the end, the defending Master of the Table had too much. Van Boening took the next two racks to close out the final, 3-1.

With a second-place finish in banks and the one-pocket title, Van Boening has a commanding lead in this year's all-around points race. He has a combined 220 points through the first two events, with the 9-ball division just two rounds into play. Shuff is second with 140, meaning Van Boening could clinch the $20,000 win with a respectable finish in 9-ball.

"I'm excited knowing where I am," Van Boening. "Coming here, my goal was to win the all-around again. It's not over yet, but I'm looking forward to what's going to happen over the next few days."

ELIZABETH, Ind. -- If the game of one-pocket is best played by those with decades of experience with the cerebral discipline, the finalists in Derby City Classic one-pocket championship must be wise beyond their years. Shane Van Boening, who won last year's title, is just 28 years old; his opponent, Joey Grey, is all of 25.

The two will face off Thursday evening on the TV table in the Accu-Stats Arena at the Horseshoe Casino in Elizabeth, Ind. With both players on one-loss, meaning they've already exercised their re-buy options, the title will be a single race to 3.

Van Boening bought his way into the final with a relatively easy 3-0 win over five-time one-pocket champ Efren Reyes. Gray, meanwhile, ousted Darren Appleton on a satellite table with almost equal ease, topping the U.S. Open champ, 3-1.

Looking toward the $20,000 Master of the Table contest, which is awarded to the top performer in all three main divisions, Van Boening has opened up a considerable lead. With a second-place finish in the banks division, the American is guaranteed 200 points. Virginia's Brandon Shuff is in second after two events, with a total of 140 points. While the 9-ball division is just a round and a half old, Van Boening looks in prime position to repeat as the Derby City all-around champion.

ELIZABETH, Ind. -- In the 10th round of the one-pocket division at the Derby City Classic, Shane Van Boening had an opportunity to take a commanding lead in the race for the $20,000 Master of the Table award.

Van Boening, the reigning all-around champion, took 100 points for a second-place finish in the opening 9-ball banks event, while Shuff earned 80 points with his third-place performance. This afternoon, with Shuff on one loss and Van Boening unbeaten, a Van Boening win would've put plenty of distance between him and the field. But Shuff responded with a resounding 3-0 win on the Accu-Stats TV table.

Using his buy-back option, Van Boening remained one of the six players to progress to the 11th round. And, as luck would have it, he drew Shuff once again. Additionally, John Brumback, himself still in the all-around hunt with a fourth-place finish in banks, is taking on Darren Appleton. Joey Gray, the lone unbeaten player, is matching up with Efren Reyes.

One-pocket play will continue through this evening, with the final scheduled for 8 p.m. (EST). But for anyone who's familiar with the free-wheeling Derby City Classic, schedules are often exercises in futility. With at least three rounds left to be played, the champion will be crowned at a time to be determined.

In the Fatboy 10-Ball Invitational, one of the many satellite events happening alongside the main tournaments, three of the four semifinalists have been decided. Alex Pagulayan blasted past a hot-shooting Rodney Morris, 15-9; Stevie Moore outlasted Warren Kiamco in an often-sloppy late-night match on the TV table; and Francisco Bustamante followed up his opening win over Shane Van Boening with an easy win over Mike Dechaine.

The last semifinalist will be either John Morra, winner of the 9-ball banks division, and Shuff. Because of Shuff's performance in one-hole, the match has been postponed until an appropriate time can be found.

Morra took a decisive second set, 3-1, for his first DCC title. (Photo by Dave Thomson-www.mediumpool.com) As the saying goes, it’s better to be lucky than good. But when John Morra shot his way into the final rounds of the banks division at the 2012 Derby City Classic, he was equal parts of both.

The 22-year-old Canadian remained unbeaten through the first 11 rounds in the 404-player event. Thanks to Derby City’s unique buy-back system — a modified double-elimination system where a player can buy back into the event after a first loss — Morra was the only unbeaten player among the final three, joining Shane Van Boening and Brandon Shuff.

That’s when Morra caught a bit of good fortune. He received the bye, assuring a spot in the final while Van Boening and Shuff matched up in what effectively a semifinal. Van Boening, who won the one-pocket division last year and the 9-ball title in 2009, ousted Shuff for a shot at Morra.

Knowing he’d have to knock off Morra twice, Van Boening pulled out a hill-hill victory in the first set, 3-2. But Morra, long considered an up-and-coming talent in North America, responded by taking the first game of the decisive second set. In the next rack, though, a bizarre exchange put Morra on the hill. With Van Boening needing just one ball to even the set at a game apiece, the American called a four-rail bank. Van Boening, instead, made the ball off two rails and then proceeded to pick up the cue ball as if he had won the game. Referee Ken Shuman then awarded the rack to Morra, because Van Boening’s shot was illegal and his moving the cue ball was unsportsmanlike conduct.

Van Boening responded by winning the next game, 5-2, but that was as close as he would get to winning his third Derby City discipline. Morra fought his way back from a 4-2 disadvantage to win the set, 3-1, and take his first Derby City title.

The Seminole Pro Tour, perhaps the closest thing the United States had to a legitimate nationwide professional circuit, is no more. According to a release from the Seminole Tribe, the tour's end resulted from "an executive decision."

"The amount of support that the Tour has had has been overwhelming," the release stated. "The countless correspondence that has been received expressing their support for the Tour has not gone unnoticed. The Seminole Pro Tour and the Seminole Tribe would like to say, “Sho-naa-bish (thank you).”

A bright spot on the American pool scene the last few years, the Seminole Tour added a total of more than $135,000 in prize money to its five events in 2011. But the Seminole Tribe, which has sponsored Corey Deuel and Vivian Villarreal in recent years, opted to cease all of its pool-related ventures.

As a long time member of the Billiard Congress of America (BCA), CSI supports the BCA in their recently announced pro pool initiative to provide funds to send North American players to international events. CSI is one of the first industry leaders to support the BCA initiative as a “2012 Official Contributor to International Competition.”

A solid framework for both North American and world professional pool has long existed, with the World Pool-Billiard Association (WPA) as the world body, and the BCA as the WPA member for North America. CSI commends the BCA on their commitment renewal as the “Governing Body for Cue Sports in North America.” CSI supports the BCA as the governing body, its pro points program, and the player selection process for international events.

With a decline in US player participation in world events, the time has come to change the structure of how pro pool in North America is supported. This is a great step in building that structure which will allow the top US and Canadian players to continue to compete and represent their countries internationally.

CSI, which produces the “US Open 10-Ball Championship,” one of the BCA pro point events, believes the future and strength of the sport lies in creating a synergy between the industry, the amateurs, the professionals, and the general public. Two years ago CSI launched the USA Pool League with that goal in mind, and a portion of CSI’s proceeds from the USAPL is pledged to promote and fund pro awareness.

We at CSI encourage industry support of the BCA in their new endeavor. In the past, CSI partnered with five other industry leaders to help support and fund the BCA Hall of Fame. It is time for all organizations that have the sport and industry foremost in mind to band together in support of the BCA.

CueSports International (CSI) is dedicated to creating more choices for all players. In the past seven years CSI has directly paid out approximately seven million dollars to players. CSI is the parent company of the BCA Pool League and the USA Pool League. CSI also produces independent events such as the US Bar Table Championships, the Jay Swanson Memorial, the US Open One Pocket Championship and the US Open 10-Ball Championship. Visit www.playcsipool.com, www.playbca.com and www.playusapool.com for more information about CSI and its divisions.

CSI leads the billiard industry in the development of technology. For more information on the state-of-the-art software systems for league and tournament management visit www.leaguesys.net and www.ctsondemand.com.

Team Europe captured its fourth Cup in five years with a one-sided victory in Las Vegas. (Story by Luke Riches; photos by JP Parmentier-Matchroom Sport)


EUROPE has successfully defended the PartyPoker.net Mosconi Cup following a convincing 11-7 victory over the USA at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. It was Holland’s Niels Feijen, in his seventh Mosconi Cup, who downed the winning 9 ball, sparking mayhem as his teammates flooded the arena.

It also delivered Feijen the Most Valuable Player award, achieved for two singles and two doubles wins.

"It got a bit shaky but they went in,” he said of his 6-3 victory over Rodney Morris to seal the Mosconi Cup. “I just want to thank the crowd, the British and Europeans, and you need them to make it. There were some immense moments and thanks to the coach for doing a super job.”

The Americans, who had trailed 10-5 at the start of the day, won the opening two games to leave the Europeans looking a little edgy.

"Even this morning, there was pressure on us and we knew they would come out strongly. There was some heat to get over the finish line but these guys are just so good,” Feijen said.

"Being the Most Valuable Player is something I've been dreaming about for 7 years, every year I've played in it."

Johnny Archer, playing in his 15th Mosconi Cup was stoical in defeat. "We lost a couple of matches we should've won and they blitzed us in a few matches,” he said. “We all gave it our best and will do it again next time. Hats off to their team, they hung in there when things didn't look good."

The opening match of the day saw Shane Van Boening put in an excellent performance to keep U.S. hopes alive as he comfortably beat Nick van den Berg, 6-2. The South Dakota Kid kept his team in the competition on Saturday night when he beat the same opponent in a close match, but this time he pulled away from a 2 -2 tie to take the victory.

Still fighting, a dogged display from veteran Johnny Archer kept Team USA’s hopes alive as he downed Darren Appleton, 6-3. The Scorpion took the opening two racks before he missed a 4 ball in the third to give Appleton a great opportunity which he accepted to take his first rack of the night. However, a loose safety gave Archer the opportunity in the next, which he converted to move into a 3-1 lead. That soon became 4-1 as the 4 ball kicked the 9 ball into the center pocket for the second golden break of the tournament.

A poor break shot from Appleton gave Archer every chance in the sixth game but he missed a bank shot on the 5 ball and Appleton made it 2-4.

He took the seventh but Appleton missed a cut on the 2 ball in the next though and Archer held his nerve to reach the hill. He completed a break and run to seal the victory and reduce the deficit to three.

It was left to Feijen to bring home the title for Team Europe as he faced off against Morris. The Hawaiian had not been at his best this week, but had showed flashes of his top form at times.

A poor safety from Morris gave Feijen an opportunity in the opener but he scratched, drawing the ball down table and into the centre pocket and Morris, with ball in hand, ran out. Feijen took the next with a tidy run out and went into a 2-1 lead when Morris scratched on the break and handed him an open table.

Another excellent run out, this time from Morris, leveled the score at 2-2, before Feijen took the lead, thumping a tricky 9 ball into to the top corner pocket. He increased that lead as he was given ball in hand after a Morris foul and Europe were two racks away from glory.

That became one rack as Feijen took the next before a dry break from the Dutchman gave Morris a chance in what was a high quality match, and the Hawaiian ran through the table to reduce arrears to 5-3.

Morris broke in the next and with the table open, he missed a horrible pot on the 2 ball. Feijen though, with nerves creeping in, missed it himself. Finally a shocking safety from Morris on the 5 ball was to prove to be the Americans last contribution to the event as Feijen ran out for a glorious victory.

The Europeans had plenty to celebrate after taking a 4-1 lead on Day 1. (Photo by Matchroom Sport) Any home-field advantage held by the Americans in the 2011 Mosconi Cup, running through Sunday at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, went out the window on Thursday afternoon. The team competition — decided by the first team to win 11 matches — opened with a stunning display of grit from the European side.

Chris Melling, the only rookie on an otherwise highly experienced Team Europe, looked a bit shaky in his debut in the opening match, which featured all 10 players in a new format that matched two players per rack. Playing opposite Mike Dechaine, Melling didn't get out of his chair as the American rookie cleared from the break. But the Brit got his chance his next time around. On the hill, 6-5, Melling clinched the opening point for Team Europe by steadying his nerves for a testy clearance.

But Melling couldn't keep rolling in his next match, a double contest with Nick van den Berg against Team USA's Johnny Archer and Shawn Putnam. The Americans roared back from a 3-1 hole to take the match, 6-4. Archer, making his 15th appearance in the transatlantic competition, steadied his partner after a rough start. With both players exchanging fist bumps with each pocketed 9 ball, Archer and Putnam looked at ease as they knotted the contest at 1-1.

The momentum, though, quickly returned to the visiting team. Niels Feijen bombed Rodney Morris, 6-0, in a singles set to give Europe the advantage. Things only got worse for the Americans. Dechaine and Shane Van Boening grabbed a 4-0 lead in the doubles set against Ralf Souquet and Darren Appleton. But the young guns opened the door for perhaps Europe's two strongest players when Dechaine missed a tricky 9 ball to go up 5-2. Instead of being on the hill, Team USA watched the Europeans swipe the next three racks for a 6-4 victory.

Up 3-1 entering the final singles match, Team Europe was playing with house money, as newbie Melling squared off with Van Boening, considered America's strongest player by many. Early in the set, the 28-year-old showed why he's so highly regarded, as he grabbed a 3-0 lead over Melling. But again, the European side would not surrender. Melling inched back into the set, eventually knotting the match on the hill, 5-5. He took the deciding rack to finish what certainly must be considered a dream first day for Team Europe.

With a 4-1 lead in hostile territory — Team Europe lost the 2009 Cup, the last in Las Vegas — the visiting squad looks to keep things rolling on Day 2. The Americans, meanwhile, must regroup and find a way to finish matches. First-time coach Charlie Williams will be counted on heavily to repair the psychological damage of a disastrous opening day.

More information on the 2011 Mosconi Cup, visit www.matchroompool.com. The live Internet stream for the Mosconi Cup is available for purchase through www.livesport.tv.

Date: December 2, 2011
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Billiard Education Foundation Scholarship Opportunities for High School Seniors

The Billiard Education Foundation (BEF) is pleased to announce that they are now accepting applications for the 2012 scholarship awards. The objective of the BEF Academic Scholarship Program is to grant scholarships to high school seniors who have benefited from the sport of billiards and are pursuing a college education.

The BEF Academic Scholarship Program is divided into two categories: Excellence in Education scholarship (a single $2,000 award) and Aiming for Higher Education scholarships (three individual scholarships at $1,000 each). Each applicant will be considered in both categories; only one completed application is required and must be postmarked no later than Monday, April 2nd, 2012. Applications can be downloaded at the BEF website: www.BilliardEducation.org.

Students must adhere to the following scholarship criteria:
1) hold a minimum 3.0 cumulative GPA (on a 4.0 scale);
2) must have an ACT score of at least 23 or SAT combined score (critical reading + math) of 1050 or higher; 3) submit a 500-1000 word essay on how billiards has been an integral part of their life;
4) must be accepted to an accredited undergraduate academic program by June 1;
5) must attend an accredited undergraduate institution and carry at least 12 hours per semester.

The final application must also include a letter from the applicant outlining academic achievements, leadership and/or community service work, a description of the applicant's background and career objectives plus personal and professional (academic) goals. Applicants must also submit an official High School Transcript and SAT/ACT scores.

The Billiard Education Foundation has awarded over $200,000 in scholarships since 1993. Said BEF executive director Laura Smith, “The BEF is proud to help young adults who have benefitted from billiards to offset their education expenses and become our future leaders.”

About Billiard Education Foundation
The Billiard Education Foundation (BEF) was formed in 1993 as a 501 (c)(3) non-profit charitable organization committed to furthering the standard of excellence and leadership within the billiard community by engaging in activities related to the education and cultural advancement of tomorrow’s leaders. The BEF funds academic scholarships, produces the Junior National 9-Ball Championships, offers opportunities for billiard athletes to attend the WPA World Junior 9-Ball Championships and promotes “Pool In School” programs. For more information about the BEF please visit www.BilliardEducation.org.

To become a sponsor, make a donation or inquiry, please contact Laura Smith at info@BilliardEducation.org or phone 303.926.1039.

If Team USA expected a boost from holding home field advantage at December's Mosconi Cup, the Americans received a bit of good news on Wednesday. Matchroom Sport announced that the arena, built inside the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, will be expanding to accommodate more rowdy fans.

The original seating plan called for a capacity 395 fans. But in response to growing demand for the competition, set to run Dec. 8-11, the arena will now have a maximum of 500 seats. Tickets are currently available through Ticketmaster (www.ticketmaster.com) and the MGM (www.mgmgrand.com). Prices run from $35 for one-day tickets to $120 for the full four days.

Considering the success of the Mosconi Cup in recent years, highlighted by a thrilling return to London's York Hall in 2010, the increased attention is to be expected. Once dominated by Team USA, the Mosconi Cup has been captured by Europe in three of the last four years. But the Americans will be buoyed by the hometown crowd in Las Vegas, where they cruised to an upset victory in 2009.

Amid the hostile crowds, though, the European squad will not be lacking in experience. Ralf Souquet, making his 15th appearance in the Mosconi Cup, will be joined by Nick van den Berg, Niels Feijen, Darren Appleton and Chris Melling. Only Melling will be a new arrival on the big stage, with the other three boasting a combined 12 appearances.

The Americans will also boast an experienced roster, led by 15-time Team USA member Johnny Archer. He will be joined by Rodney Morris (7 appearances), Shane Van Boening (4), Shawn Putnam (1) and newcomer Mike Dechaine.

For more information, please visit www.matchroomsport.com.

Fisher reveled in her first world title. (Photo courtesy www.my147.com) Considering much of the talk in women's pool has been about the rising stars emerging out of Asia, Kelly Fisher showed that the established guard wasn't ready to cede power so easily. The 2009 BD Player of the Year and former WPBA No. 1 finished a dominating performance at the World 10-Ball Championship with a 10-4 win over Taiwan's Tsai Pei Chen, winning her first world title.

Tsai looked to be in prime shape to take her first world title, knocking out Rubilen Amit in the quarters and Ga Young Kim of Korea in the semifinal. But Fisher was equally impressive, eliminating Lai Hui Shan of Taiwan and China's Yu Han en route to the final.

In the race-to-10 championship match, Fisher and Tsai split the first half-dozen games. The table was playing tight, and Fisher opted for a controlled break while Tsia used all the power she could muster. Still, neither player had much success on the break, which is common in 10-ball. But Fisher then took full advantage of a miss from Tsai. The Brit took that rack to edge ahead, 4-3, and went on to win the next five games. On the hill 9-3, Fisher allowed her opponent just one more rack before closing out the title, 10-4. Fisher buried the final 10 ball and raised her cue in the air.

"I can't believe that I've finally done it," she said. "It really hasn't hit me yet.

"I've had alot of ups and downs the past couple years, and haven't really won anything. It's frustrating sometimes, but I kept working on my game and trying to get better. And then finally I had a good result last week in China getting to the finals, and then came here and won. It proves you just have to stick with it."

CHESAPEAKE, Va. -- When Darren Appleton came to the table with ball in hand and an 11-6 lead in the race-to-13 U.S. Open final, the crowd sensed Shawn Putnam's last chance followed his cue ball into the side pocket. And if Appleton's dominant performance wasn't enough, at that exact moment, the pop of a champagne cork was heard behind the packed grandstands.

Fittingly, Appleton cleaned up that open table and the next to clinch the 36th U.S. Open 9-Ball Championship, his second consecutive win in Chesapeake, Va.

Sitting in the hot-seat, Appleton rolled through the early racks against Putnam, who had lost to the Brit earlier in the event. Consistently pocketing the wing ball on the break -- he made a ball on all 13 breaks, scratching just once -- Appleton literally played perfect pool en route to a 6-0 lead. On his way through the seventh rack, he finally erred, as the cue ball found the corner pocket.

Putnam cleaned up to get on the board, with the partisan crowd erupting in support. He managed to close the gap to 6-3. But the match never slipped from Appleton's control. In a match dominated by safety play, Dynamite Darren proved to have more firepower.

Putnam's last-ditch effort put him within five, 11-6. But that final scratch proved his final appearance at the table. Appleton calmly cleared the final table, screaming "Yes! Yes! Yes!" with cue overhead upon clinching the title.

"It feels absolutely wonderful," he said, pocketing the $30,000 top prize. "I don't know what it is, but I feel totally at home here."

Putnam, meanwhile, collected his $15,000 prize knowing there was little he could do.

"I'm happy with how I played," he said. "I just didn't get many chances. But I'm ecstatic that I finished second at the U.S. Open."

In addition to a strong runner-up finish, Putnam also shot his way onto the 2011 Mosconi Cup team, his second appearance after making the squad in 2005.

No doubt he will see Appleton there. The Brit admitted to a bit of nerves before the final match, perhaps heightened knowing what was at stake in the final.

"I hadn't won a big event this year," he said. "It's always hard to get that first one. And I know that if I win, I will get invited to more major events next year."

But the moment he broke open the first rack, Appleton seemed completely at ease. His shotmaking was unparalleled and his break unquestionably efficient.

And for that, Appleton gave credit to an earlier opponent. In a mid-week match, he faced Canadian Jason Klatt, who promptly ran seven straight racks for a 7-2 lead. Appleton then faced a 6-10 deficit before taking the final five racks for a thrilling comeback win.

"When I played Jason, he was breaking great," Appleton said. "So I really tried to just copy his break and that seemed to work."

Winning his second straight U.S. Open title, Appleton joins Mika Immonen and Nick Varner as the only back-to-back titlists in the event's 36-year history. As for a third title, the Brit isn't ready to think about that just yet.

"Next year's a long ways away," he said. "I just want to enjoy this one for now.".

CHESAPEAKE, Va. -- One set from the U.S. Open 9-Ball Championship, Shawn Putnam doesn't sound like someone lost in the moment. The 40-year-old American is on the verge of what will be the biggest title of his career by far. But he doesn't have time to think.

"Right now, it's just about staying focused," he said, moments after outlasting a hard-charging Alex Pagulayan in the left-side final. "I can't get distracted."

Putnam, long among America's best, has notched his share of titles across the country. His biggest, the 2005 UPA Pro Players Championship, solidified his spot on that year's Mosconi Cup team. But he's in uncharted territory now, just 13 racks from one of the most prestigious titles in the game.

In that match with Pagulayan, Putnam pulled ahead in a somewhat sloppy start to the race to 11. With an 8-4 lead, though, he watched as Pagulayan collected the next four to tie it up. Putnam quickly responded to get on the hill by drilling a 4-9 combo and then jumping in the 1, while going two rails for position on the 2.

Pagulayan made a last ditch effort in the 19th rack, but an errant 8-9 combo allowed Putnam to close out the set.

Appleton, meanwhile, is back in the hot-seat, just where he was a year ago. The reigning champion has sights set on becoming the third back-to-back U.S. Open winner, joining Mika Immonen and Nick Varner.

"I'm totally comfortable here," he said after trouncing Pagulayan, 11-6, in the hot-seat match. "I'm in love in the U.S. Open."

The final, set for a 7:30 p.m. (EST) start, will be a race to 13, win-by-two, with a cap at 15 (so if it's tied at 14-14, the next game will decide the title).

CHESAPEAKE, Va. -- Approaching midnight on Friday at the U.S. Open 9-Ball Championship, six players remain but only four will be alive for tomorrow's final matches.

The hot-seat match, which will take place at 1 p.m. (EST) tomorrow, will pit reigning champion Darren Appleton against 2005 champ Alex Pagulayan. Earlier today, Appleton had a relatively easy time with American Shawn Putnam. The Brit held a lead throughout the race to 11, with Putnam collecting a few late racks before falling, 11-7.

Pagualayn, meanwhile, had a difficult time early in his set with Larry Nevel. The two repeatedly found themselves locked in safety battles, with the Filipino gaining a slight advantage midway through the match. That lead grew from 6-3 to 7-4 to eventually getting on the hill, 10-5. Nevel took a pair of racks, but Pagulayan closed it out, 11-7.

On the left side, in the matches where the losers exited in fifth place, both sets were never in doubt. Huidji See, who earlier this year won the World 10-Ball Championship, put on a clinic against Japan's Kenichi Uchigaki. The Netherlander pulled ahead, 5-0, on his way to an 11-4 victory.

On another table outside the Accu-Stats arena, Dennis Hatch trounced Warren Kiamco. Entering the set on a seven-match winning streak, the American was visibly confident as he broke open the match early. He turned a 5-2 advantage into an 11-5 win.

See will face Putnam later this evening, while Nevel and Hatch will bring plenty of firepower to their set.

CHESAPEAKE, Va. -- Dinner time on Friday night at the 2011 U.S. Open 9-Ball Championship, and there remains twelve players in the hunt for the title. But the man to beat remains reigning champion Darren Appleton. The Englishman outlasted Johnny Archer on Friday afternoon, edging the American, 11-9.

The Brit will face Shawn Putnam later this evening. Putnam has made a strong run through his 61-player bracket, topping Earl Strickland and World 9-Ball champ Yukio Akagariyama. The other right-side semifinal will see Alex Pagulayan face Larry Nevel.

On the one-loss side, international stars outnumbered American hopefuls. Filipino journeyman Warren Kiamco continues plotting through the left side, much like he did last year en route to a fourth-place finish. He faces Akigariyama.

Other matchups include Oscar Dominguez vs. World 10-Ball titlist Huidji See, Antonio Lining vs. Kenichi Uchigaki and Dennis Hatch vs. Archer.

Play will continue tonight until just four players remain. Tomorrow's schedule starts with the hot-seat and fourth-place matches at 1 p.m. (EST). The left-side final will follow at 3 p.m., with the final set for 7 p.m.

CHESAPEAKE, Va. -- Thursday at the U.S. Open 9-Ball Championship is the day that separates the contenders with the pretending hopefuls. And this time around, the eliminations were plentiful, leaving just 32 players in pursuit of the most prestigious title awarded on American soil.

Of the eight remaining players on the unbeaten side of the 251-player bracket, just two have previously conquered the Chesapeake field — and those two will square off on Friday afternoon. Johnny Archer, relatively unchallenged through his first five matches, will face reigning champion Darren Appleton.

In the other winners-side sets, World 9-Ball champ Yukio Akagariyama matches up with Shawn Putnam, who edged a hard-charging Earl Strickland, 11-8; reigning World 10-Ball king Huidji See will face Alex Pagulayan; and Japan's Kenichi Uchigaki will have to handle a hot-shooting Larry Nevel.

While the winners side is packed full of usual suspects, a few dark horses are lurking on the one-loss side. Twenty-four players are still in the hunt, though they will have to string a number of victories together to challenge for the 36th U.S. Open title.

Always a crowd favorite, Earl Strickland — complete with his 70-inch, 29-ounce cue — will face the winner of the Oscar Dominguez-Jayson Shaw match. And the Pearl isn't the only elder statesman still alive. Nick Varner, winner of back-to-back titles 20 years ago, will face Charlie Williams on the one-loss side.

As far as Cinderella's slipper goes, longtime instructor Stan Shuffett looks to be in line for the glass slipper. Among the most highly respected teachers of the game, Shuffett sprinted through the unbeaten side of the bracket before falling to Alex Pagulayan, 11-4. He responded with a resounding 11-1 victory over Donny Mills, which sets the stage for a set with England's Daryl Peach on Friday.

The U.S. Open will continue through Saturday night. For updated brackets, visit www.azbilliards.com. BD will be on-site when the champion is crowned on Saturday night, so be sure to check back.

CHESAPEAKE, Va. -- On the surface, Danny DiLiberto and Ralf Souquet don't have all that much in common. DiLiberto epitomizes the golden age of the hustler, a player who survived by outwitting and outplaying his competition on the road. Souquet is the prototype of the modern professional, shunning the action side of the game while packing his trophy cases full of major titles.

But on Thursday night, at the BCA Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, those differences faded away. In the ballroom of the Chesapeake Marriott, the two entered the sport's most exclusive club together. And both showed plenty of appreciation for the other.

DiLiberto, introduced by fellow Hall of Famer Pat Fleming, tossed his usual wit Souquet's way to begin his speech. When asked by a fan if, in his prime, he could've beaten Souquet, DiLiberto apologized for saying yes.

"Because when I was in my prime, you were 3," he added.

In an acceptance speech that quickly turned into a litany of his best stories from 50-some years in the game, DiLiberto displayed his passion for the game — and the wit that has made him an unparalleled commentator on Fleming's Accu-Stats productions.

Souquet was then introduced by longtime friend Thomas Overbeck, currently the press officer for the European Pocket Billiard Federation. The 42-year-old German, the first European pool player inducted into the BCA Hall, relished the fact that the honor was a result of others validating his achievements.

And Souquet, still alive in this year's U.S. Open, is far from ready to sit on his laurels. Recently winning the World Pool Masters, World Cup of Pool and EuroTour Hungary Open, Souquet dropped a set this afternoon to Antonio Lining of the Philippines. But he's still alive on the one-loss side of the bracket, next facing former Mosconi Cup teammate Niels Feijen.

Souquet eyed a spot in the third round, but it wasn't easy. (Photo by Ashi Fachler). Two days into the 2011 U.S. Open, the biggest stars of the game aren't immune to early-round scares from a few of the lesser-known in the 251-player field. With play beginning Saturday, nearly two full rounds have been played on the winners-side bracket. Headliners among those already dispatched to the one-loss side include last year's runner-up Corey Deuel and recent World Cup of Pool winner Thorsten Hohmann.

Deuel received a bit of an unfortunate draw, facing Lo Li-wen in the opening set. A Tokyo resident who was born in Taiwan, Lo is a world-class player — and he showed that skill in an 11-8 victory over the American. Hohmann, meanwhile, advanced to the second round, where he was upset by North Carolinian Michael Fuller. Fuller, while far from a mainstay among America's elite, does have a strong regional record, so the 11-8 victory was not completely shocking.

Hohmann's teammate in the World Cup, Ralf Souquet, nearly joined the ranks of top-seeded players to lose early in the week. The German, who will be inducted into the BCA Hall of Fame on Thursday evening, escaped an upset bid from Shaun Wilkie in the second set. The 42-year-old, who has been on a tear in recent weeks, eked into the third round by an 11-10 score.

Although the bracket nearly filled to its capacity of 256, a few top Filipinos are conspicuously absent. Francisco Bustamante, Efren Reyes, Dennis Orcollo and Ronnie Alcano did not make the trip. Check back for details on why these elite players are not in Chesapeake, Va.

Billiards Digest will be updating live from the Chesapeake Convention Center from Thursday evening through to the championship set on Saturday, so stay tuned for updates!

Bi took her first major title at the Shenyang championship. (Story by Ted Lerner; photos courtesy my147.com.)

Bi Zhu Qing stands no more than 4’11”. But Sunday night in Shenyang, this tiny woman became a giant of women’s pool and a sporting hero in the most populace nation on earth. This after the relatively unknown from Beijing defeated world No. 2 and heavy favorite Chen Siming, 9-7, to capture the 2011 Women’s World 9-Ball Championship.

Bi’s title win capped an incredible day for the 23-year-old. Up until Sunday, she was mostly unknown beyond her professional peers in China, where the women’s game is wildly popular and its top players are legitimate stars. She is ranked No. 7 in China and 81st worldwide and had never won any pool tournaments of note.

That all changed on the last day of the Women's World 9-Ball Championship in Shenyang, China, a northeastern city of seven million people. After she quietly worked her way through the field at the Liaoning Hunnan Sports Training Arena beginning Thursday, Bi shocked defending champion and world No. 1 Fu Xiaofang in Sunday’s semifinal, 9-6. Playing the role of underdog perfectly, Bi played seemingly without a care in the world, while the pressure of stardom and expectation appeared at times to get to Fu.

Bi’s final match against Chen later in the evening, played in front of over 1,200 people, didn’t go quite as smoothly as the semifinal against Fu, and she could have very nearly lost. But Bi freewheeled long enough to build up a decent cushion and held on down the nervy stretch to cross the finish line first.

For Chen the loss was a major disappointment, but like Fu earlier, the mantle of expectation seemed to weigh heavily on her shoulders. The 17-year-old pool prodigy has won three big tournaments in the last year and a half, including a gold medal in snooker in the Asian games. As a result she has built up a major following and entered the final a heavy favorite to capture the crown. Chen, though, spent most of the middle part of the match looking uncomfortable and slightly out of sorts, as her deadly accuracy failed her on several occasions. Chen made a great fight back at the end, but it was too little too late.

An anxious Chen had barely escaped against Han Yu in the second semi-final, but at the beginning of the race-to-9, alternate-break final she looked like she had shrugged off any of those previous anxieties as she quickly moved up 3-0. But then the cracks returned to Chen’s solid game, while at the same time Bi settled back in underdog mode and started relaxing as she had against Fu.

Up 3-1, Chen snookered herself and handed the table to Bi, who eventually cleared. In the next rack Chen missed a cut on the three, and Bi pounced and tied the match.
Bi continued her fine rhythm in rack seven while Chen kept sliding downhill. Bi played a lock down safety and forced Chen into a foul. With ball in hand Bi quickly went up, 4-3. After a mandatory break, Chen sank the 1 on the break, but then missed a very makeable 2 ball. Bi stepped up and mowed down the colors for a two-rack lead. In the next rack, Bi kept Chen in her chair and nailed a 4-9 combo to make it six straight racks and a 6-3 lead.

Chen settled down with a break and run in rack 10. In the next frame, though, Chen got unlucky when she scratched while attempting a jump shot and fell behind, 7-4. Chen then dug in for a big time fight back as she broke and ran rack 12, then won a safety battle in rack 13 and cleared to move within one at 7-6.

Chen looked like she was about to tie the proceedings but she suffered an unlucky scratch which allowed Bi to move to the hill and one away from the title. Rack 15 was filled with tension and drama as the two couldn’t break up an 8-9 cluster. Finally Chen showed her mettle by forcing Bi to foul. It was now 8-7 in favor of Bi, but with Chen breaking next, it was anyone’s final.

For Chen, though, it was not to be. She got to the table and tried to draw the cue back full table for a sure 2-9 combination. The cue didn’t cooperate as it traveled too far and into the corner pocket. Bi then nailed the 2-9 for an unlikely world championship.

“I’m very happy, very excited,” Bi said afterward as a throng of media snapped the new champion’s picture. “That’s the best I ever played. Fu and Chen are great players and to beat them both in one day makes me proud. I was more nervous during the finals than in the semi-finals but I wanted to do my best because this was my chanced to achieve my dream. So I tried to relax.”

Chen hardly seemed disappointed as she joked with Bi in the media room afterwards and posed for photos. She realized that she hadn’t played her best and, with a gracious manner typical of all the Chinese women pool players, gave full credit for the win to Bi.

“The first three racks I played well,” Chen said. “But after that, Bi played better than me. I’m happy for her.”

Bi won $30,000, while Chen took home $15,000.

Van Boening captured his second Seminole Tour title. Marching to the hot-seat at the Steve Mizerak Championship — the Seminole Pro Tour's season-ending, $50,000-added event — Shane Van Boening made the most of an otherwise difficult road through the 58-player double-elimination bracket. In a field full of America's best, while light on international talent, the 28-year-old matched up with his share of big-named opponents.

In just the second round, Van Boening faced current American No. 1 Mike Dechaine — and cruised past him, 9-3. He then outlasted Corey Deuel and Richie Richeson, both by 9-3 score lines, before pounding Johnny Archer, 9-4. Facing Florida's Hunter Lombardo for a spot in the final, Van Boening again dominated the set, racing to a 9-2 victory.

On the left side, Donny Mills bounced back from an earlier loss to Lombardo. Mills topped Dennis Haar, 9-3, before squeaking past Alex Pagulayan, 9-8. Just a set from the final, Mills then ousted Lombardo in third in another hill-hill affair.

In the single-set race-to-11 final, Van Boening got on the board first as he jumped out to an early 2-0 lead. But Mills then knotted things at 2-2. After Van Boening swiped six of the next seven for what seemed like a commanding 8-3 lead, Mills again responded. He collected the next half-dozen racks to square the set at 8-8. But Van Boening's wave of momentum returned, and he took the next three to polish off the victory, 11-8.

For Van Boening, the Mizerak title is his third major crown on American soil in 2011, after earlier capturing the Derby City All-Around and U.S. Open 10-Ball events.

Souquet (right) and Hohmann clowned around after topping Thailand in the final. Germany became the first ever European winners of the World Cup of Pool as they made light work of surprise finalists Thailan, recording a superb 10-4 victory and claiming the gold medals and $60,000 at the SM Mall North in Manila, Philippines.

Thorsten Hohmann and Ralf Souquet put in an inch perfect performance to run away with the match in sharp contrast to their semifinal match earlier in the day, when they labored to a pedestrian win over Korea.

They clearly gave themselves a good talking to between matches as they returned with the type of form that has made them two of the most feared players in the world. For Souquet it was a culmination of a magnificent seven days that saw him win the World Pool Masters last Monday and his total haul for the two Matchroom Sport-promoted events has been $50,000.

“It’s still hard to believe and it hasn’t sunk in yet," said a jubilant Souquet. "We really worked hard for the title and held ourselves together.

“We had a really hard semifinal that could’ve gone wrong, and I played awful against Korea but Thorsten carried me to the final.

“I always said you can only lose as a team, and we certainly won as a team. Playing here in Manila in the Philippines is the best thing that has happened to pool.”

The Thailand pair of Kobkit Palajin and Nitiwat Kanjanasri can be justifiably proud of their efforts. Surrounded in South East Asia by powerhouse pool nations like Taiwan and the Philippines, the unheralded Thais played superbly throughout the tournament.

Their semifinal showing, defeating Taiwan 9-3, was one of the best performances of the event, but the Germans were unstoppable in the final. Thailand had never got beyond the first round in previous appearances in the event but opened up with a decent win over Holland. They beat Estonia in the next round before outplaying Poland in the quarters. The two Thais receive $15,000 each for their efforts.

Souquet and Hohmann had opened their account with a whitewash against Australia and then beaten Malaysia in the second round. They put out Filipino legends Efren Reyes and Bustamante in fine style in the quarter final before scraping through against Korea in the semis.

“There were 32 great teams and this is definitely one of the highlights of my career and I am very proud to be on Ralf’s side,” Hohmann said.

The PartyPoker.net World Cup of Pool features 32 two-player teams representing 31 nations – hosts Philippines have two sides. The total prize-fund is $250,000 with $60,000 going to the winning pair.

Newly elected into the Hall of Fame, Souquet still has plenty of star power. Ralf Souquet claimed his sixth World Pool Masters title by defeating the Philippines' Dennis Orcollo in front of a packed house at the SM Mall North in Manila, Philippines. The jubilant German screamed with joy as he downed the final 9 ball, banishing a succession of heart-breaking defeats in the Philippines capital city.

He lost to Ronnie Alcano in the final of the 2006 World Pool Championship in this same city and then he and Thorsten Hohmann were narrowly beaten in the final of the 2009 World Cup of Pool at the hands of Efren Reyes and Francisco Bustamante.

Following on from his recent induction into the BCA Hall of Fame, Souquet put in two stellar performances. In the semifinal, he erased a 7-4 deficit to beat Darren Appleton before following that up with a solid performance in the final.

"It seems to be my tournament for whatever reason,” Souquet said. “I've made the final eight times and won six and lost twice. It's not only a dream come true but also the icing on the cake to win it here in the Philippines.

"It's the fifth final I've played in the Philippines but the first time I've won one, which makes it all the more satisfying!"

The final was tight in the early stages. At 3-3, neither player was making the most of the break, before Orcollo nailed one in eighth game to set up a runout and establish a two-rack lead at 5-3.

Souquet scrapped back into contention at 5-5, and then produced a superb break shot that saw four balls drop and leave him a shot. From there he cleared to move into a 6-5 lead.

Souquet then broke and ran the next two racks for yet another World Pool Masters victory.

"The Philippines is the country of pool and it's where the sport is such a big thing,” Souquet said. “There are so many great players like Efren Reyes, Francisco Bustamante, Dennis Orcollo, Roberto Gomez and I could go on. It's just so tough to win a tournament here.

"But it's so great here as you have so many great fans that love the sport and the players are treated the way they should be."

Thorsten Hohmann, undoubtedly one of the favorites in the 64-player field at the World Tournament of 14.1, did little to disappoint in the opening round-robin stage. The 2006 World Straight Pool Champion went unbeaten, winning all seven matches to advance easily into the 32-player knockout round.

But in the one-and-done phase, Hohmann really got rolling. The 32-year-old German rolled through all five of his opponents, posting 100-ball runs in each match en route to the $20,000 title.

In the final, Hohmann faced Mike Davis, the first American to advance to the final in the years since Dragon Promotions revived the 14.1 franchise in 2006. But Davis was no match for Hohmann, who put together a run in the triple digits to establish a big lead. Davis put together runs of 38 and 41, but the German easily closed out the match.

Though not officially sanctioned by the World Pool-Billiard Association, and thus not an official world championship, the World Tournament provided Hohmann with yet another major 14.1 crown to add to his impressive resume.

Sigel was untouchable in his first seven 100-point matches. At the Dragon Promotions World Tournament of 14.1, Mike Sigel showed that he can still walk the walk. In the event's opening round-robin phase, the Hall of Famer went undefeated through seven 100-point matches. Not only that, Sigel shut out reigning champ Oliver Ortmann, 100-0.

But Captain Hook wasn't the only player to emerge from the opening phase unscathed. Thorsten Hohmann, Rodney Morris and Charlie WIlliams also went undefeated through the round-robin stage, where the 64-player field was divided into eight groups of eight, with the top four from each flight advancing to the 32-player knockout round.

A majority of the favorites — including Johnny Archer, Mika Immonen and Stephan Cohen — advanced easily. In addition, legends like Ray Martin and Allen Hopkins also impressed as they booked spots in the knockout bracket.

Single-elimination play, which will run through the championship on Friday, will consist of 200-point matches.

Please visit www.worldstraightpool.com for further details.

In the month since the Association for Billiard Professionals and U.S. Open promoters Barry Behrman and Shannon Behrman Paschall reached an agreement to end the players' boycott of October's event, things remained rather quiet.

As it turns out, things were too quiet.

In an Aug. 25 letter published on AZBilliards.com, Barry Behrman wrote, "It seems to me that a couple of days after our press release [the ABP] should have gladly put out [its] own also saying that all is well and that the boycott has been lifted. As a matter of fact, on the ABP website it still says that there is a boycott. How's that for being late?"

On Monday afternoon, Dennis M. Walsh, the ABP's general counsel, distributed a press release officially ending the boycott that was presumed over three weeks ago. According to the release, the ABP did not see a need to echo what Behrman said in his announcement of a deal, something that the ABP conceded "may have been an error."

The ABP acknowledged that the U.S. Open promoters have shown a willingness to reorganize their business: "Since Barry and Shannon have restructured their business model, we feel confident that the problems of the past are behind us and that moving forward, we can all expect greater things from Barry and Shannon in cooperation with the ABP."

Advance tickets are now on sale online for the 2011 Billiard Congress of America Hall of Fame Banquet, the United States Billiard Media Association (USBMA) announced today. The dinner banquet, at which pool greats Ralf Souquet and Danny DiLiberto will be formally inducted into the BCA Hall of Fame, will take place Thursday, Oct. 20, at the Marriott Chesapeake Hotel, Chesapeake, Va., in conjunction with the 2011 U.S. Open 9-Ball Championships.

The banquet, honoring Souquet and DiLiberto as the 58th and 59th inductees into the sport’s hallowed shrine, will also be attended by previous inductees and will feature testimonials celebrating the pair’s illustrious careers. Cocktails (cash bar) will be served from 4:30 pm – 5:00 pm, with dinner and the formal induction ceremony running from 5:00pm – 7:00 pm.

“I’m very excited about having the BCA Hall of Fame Banquet at the U.S. Open again this year,” said U.S. Open founder and promoter Barry Behrman. “The banquet is always one of the highlights of the week.”

As was the case in 2009 and 2010, play at the U.S. Open will be suspended during the banquet. “We want to give Ralf and Danny the respect they deserve,” U.S. Open promoter Barry Berhman said. “Matches will resume at 7:30 pm that evening.”

Advance tickets are $55 per person (or $500 for a table of 10) at www.usbma.com/HallofFame2011. Advance ticket sales will end Oct. 16. Tickets purchased at the U.S. Open will be $60 per person. Seating is limited.

The 2011 BCA Hall of Fame Banquet is being produced by the USBMA, in cooperation with the Billiard Congress of America and the U.S. Open 9-Ball Championships.

Souquet becomes the first European male player to enter the Hall. (Photo by Lawrence Lustig-Matchroom Sport) Globetrotting German star Ralf Souquet and multi-talented Buffalo legend Danny DiLiberto have been voted into the Billiard Congress of America Hall of Fame, the BCA announced today. Souquet, 42, and DiLiberto, 76, will be formally inducted during ceremonies at the Chesapeake Marriott in Chesapeake, Va., Thursday, Oct. 20. Voting was conducted by the United States Billiard Media Association and BCA Hall of Fame Board.

Souquet becomes the first European male player to be elected to the BCA Hall of Fame. In addition to being a dominant presence on the Euro Tour for two decades, Souquet has captured numerous major international titles and has scored some of his greatest wins on American soil. In addition to winning the WPA World 9-Ball Championship (1996), World 8-Ball Championship (2004) and World Games gold medal (2009), Souquet has won the U.S. Open 9-Ball Championship (2002) and the BCA U.S. Open 14.1 Championship (2000), and twice captured the BCA Open 9-Ball Championship trophy (2003, 2006). Additionally, Souquet has won the Derby City Classic 9-ball title three times, and the World Pool Masters four times.

“This is very nice,” Souquet said. “It’s a great honor. When you talk about the greatest players, like Archer, Reyes, Strickland, they are all in the Hall of Fame. So to be on the same list with them is a great achievement.

“You become aware of the Hall of Fame when you hear players announced at tournaments, and when I knew I was on the ballot I started thinking about it more.”

Souquet finished second in 2010 voting to Francisco Bustamante.

DiLiberto took a longer route to the Hall of Fame, having been on the ballot for many years. The 1972 Johnston City All-Around champion was removed from the ballot several years ago, but returned to this year’s ballot at the recommendation of the Hall of Fame Board’s Veterans Committee.

“I’m really choked up,” said DiLiberto, who also won the BCA National 8-Ball Championship (1981), the World One-Pocket Championship (1983) and the National Pool Classic 9-ball championship (1984). “I really thought they would wait until I was dead to put me in!”

Four weeks after the Association for Billiard Professionals announced many of its members were boycotting this year’s U.S. Open 9-Ball Championship, the dispute between the players group and Open founder/promoter Barry Behrman has been resolved.

ABP legal representative Dennis Walsh and Behrman — along with Shannon Paschall, his daughter and co-promoter — reached an agreement on Aug. 3 that effectively ended the potential boycott.

As outlined in the signed contract, the promoters of the U.S. Open, set for Oct. 16-22 in Chesapeake, Va., have agreed to:

- Place the $50,000 in added money into an escrow account, which will be managed by the Billiard Congress of America, by Sept. 20;

- Direct all entry fees collected before the week directly to the BCA to be placed in the escrow account;

- Deposit a total of $162,000 — the amount equal to prizes for the top 64 players, based on a full field of 256 — into the account by Oct. 19, three days into the U.S. Open;

- Pay all players finishing 65th-96th in cash.

Those players who finish in the top 64 will receive checks direct from the BCA, with CEO Rob Johnson and BCA Board Treasurer Ivan Lee managing the escrow account. The ABP, meanwhile, has agreed to lift the boycott and participate in an Oct. 14 pro-am event.

While the negotiations between the two sides had devolved into a war of words, a massive boycott was perhaps an unlikely ending. For the players, the U.S. Open has the potential to be a significant payday, even if prizes were distributed in a tardy fashion. Also, the event is among those used for Matchroom Sport’s Mosconi Cup rankings, which will determine three slots on the European and American teams.

For Behrman and Paschall, meanwhile, continuing to delay payments to players was a major problem that needed to be addressed. Behrman, in his release following the agreement, promised to tweak his business partnerships.

“It is time for us to restructure our methods of receiving funs from sponsors, vendors and others, in order to be able to pay players in full at the event,” he said.

“We feel the players’ needs were justified, as pool is in a dire state,” Behrman also wrote. “We were hapy to be able to work out a solution that will protect all parties and appreciate the ABP bending a little, so that we could all reach an agreement.”

Barry Behrman and Shannon Behrman Paschall, Promoters of the U.S. Open 9-Ball Championships, regret to announce that the negotiations between themselves and the board of directors of the ABP have come to an impasse. Behrman had thought that his offer would ensure their participation, but this has not proven the be the case. What Behrman had offered was:

1) $50,000 to be escrowed 30 days prior to the event, as per our requests to allow enough time for invitations and travel arrangements.

2) Balance of monies to be available the week of the event and all players paid at the conclusion of their final match.

3) As collateral, the corporate seal, papers and rights to the US Open 9-Ball Championships, Inc. which are owned by us free and clear of any debt or liens.

"In short, I have offered them my life's work, and Shannon's future for collateral. I have no doubt that all prize monies will be available this year and all future years due to increased income from internet streaming rights, international television rights and sponsorships. We have made arrangements with Pat Fleming of Accu-Stats Video Productions and David Thomson of Medium Pool in order to air this year's event in more than 26 countries in Asia with 175,000,000 + viewers and we are negotiating at present to have the event shown in the United States, Europe, and Canada with more to come on board between now and the beginning of the event. While I understand that I have been tardy with payments in the past it must be abundantly clear to everyone that things will be different from now on. I would not be willing to give up my Championship as collateral if things were not different."

Behrman continues: "The U.S. Open 9-Ball Championship will go on this year as scheduled. We have already heard from many players whose names appeared on the boycott list that they were not aware that their names were on that list and they they have no intention of participating in the boycott. We now know, for instance, that Darren Appleton will be defending his title at this year's event. I fail to understand how players, who continually request to be treated as professionals, can take such an unprofessional stand as to demand a full escrow in advance of the time that they know my sponsorship dollars are available to me. Most of the sponsorship monies do not arrive until the week of the Championship and so there is no way to escrow monies in advance that are not available to me. Indeed, upwards of $150,000 in revenues are generated during the week of the event and it is those monies that provide the bulk of the of the prize monies."

"My daughter and I truly believe that most of the world's best players will participate in our event. It simply makes no sense for them not to when I have explained to them that the monies will indeed be there and that they will get paid on time. Since the players that are boycotting my event are attempting to do harm to the event, we have no choice but to rescind our policy of paying the entry fees of any past champions who are capable of playing and decide to participate in this boycott. This has been a gift, not a given, and will be taken away for the duration of the U.S. Open."

"It should be noted that EVERY player from the 2010 U.S Open has been paid every penny they were owed from the event. While it is regrettable that they were not all paid at the time of the event, we did pay 92 of the 96 places who earned prize money at the event and the other four players have all been paid in full."

"We look forward to seeing all of our old friends as well as meeting some new ones this year and to having yet another full field of champions from throughout the world to put on the greatest show in pool, the U.S. Open.

By AzB Staff - 2011-07-14

From ABP General Attorney Dennis Walsh

Chicago, Illinois- It is with regret that the general professional body of the Association of Billiard Professionals will not be attending the 2011 US Open 9-Ball Championship promoted by Mr.Barry Behrman. Nor will these ABP pros attend the Masters 10-Ball or any event promoted by Mr.Behrman because of monies owed to players and lack of secure funds of prize money before each of his events.

One of the goals of the Association of Billiards Professionals is to provide a platform where touring professionals can pursue the sport they love as a full time career and achieve reasonable financial success. To that end discussions have been ongoing since last year with representatives of the US Open and representatives of the ABP.

Repeated attempts by the ABP organization to obtain guarantees that the prize money will be in place have been refused and therefore it is with regret that the Association and its members have decided to neither support nor attend the 2011 US Open 9-Ball Championship. Notwithstanding the Association’s deep respect for Barry Behrman for his contribution to pool these many years, the players simply cannot commit their time and their expenses for an uncertain payday.

"As a former US Open 9-Ball champion, it's painful to not be able to attend this year, as it is always great to play in it. However, the ABP and its goals are more important than my personal goals, and we need to start taking the necessary steps to pave the way for the future of the game and its up and coming stars."- Rodney Morris, ABP Board of Directors

"It is with sadness that I must withdraw from one of my favourite tournaments ever. In doing so, I hope the sacrifices we are making raises the standard of the elements that our beautiful sport lacks. The ABP's goals are to the benefit of the sport and to restore the confidence of cooperation between players, associations and promoters alike. I stand behind this vision fully. " - Mika Immonen, ABP Board of Directors and Two time US Open 9-Ball Champion.

"The US Open is the greatest and most prestigious event on American soil. I am truly sorry we cannot attend this event. But we have an obligation to protect all players now and in the future. I am hopeful in the future all things will be worked out so all players can participate in all great and safe tournaments." - Johnny Archer, President of the ABP.

Regardless if this is a BCA or WPA Sanctioned event, the following ABP Professional Players will not attend:

1. Johnny Archer USA
2. Mika Immonen FIN
3. Efren Reyes PHI
4. Francisco Bustamante PHI
5. Darren Appleton ENG
6. Shane Van Boening USA
7. Rodney Morris USA
8. Alex Pagulayan PHI
9. Dennis Orcullo PHI
10. Thorsten Hohmann GER
11. Lee Van Corteza PHI
12. John Schmidt USA
13. Corey Deuel USA
14. Huidji See NED
15. Mike Sigel USA
16. Nick Varner USA
17. Buddy Hall USA
18. CJ Wiley USA
19. Tony Drago MLT
20. Raj Hundal ENG
21. Karl Boyes ENG
22. Imran Majid ENG
23. Marcus Chamat SWE
24. Roberto Gomez PHI
25. Carlo Biado PHI
26. Warren Kiamco PHI
27. Antonio Lining PHI
28. Jundel Mazon PHI
29. Shawn Putnam USA
30. Mike Davis USA
31. Stevie Moore USA
32. Oscar Dominguez USA
33. Charlie Williams USA
34. Dennis Hatch USA
35. Jeremy Jones USA
36. Allen Hopkins USA
37. Scott Frost USA
38. Ernesto Dominguez MEX
39. Kim Davenport USA
40. Rob Saez USA
41. Tony Crosby ENG
42. Art Wiggins USA
43. Tommy Najar USA

Akagariyama collected the final two racks for a riveting 13-11 victory. (Photo courtesy Raya Sports) Just a month ago, it appeared as if Yukio Akagariyama's time had come. The lanky Japanese sharpshooter blistered the field at the World 10-Ball Championships on his way into a semifinal match with Holland's Huidji See. Though See eventually took that match and the world crown, Akagariyama flashed the potential to win titles.

Little did anyone expect it'd be four weeks later. At today's final in the World 9-Ball Championship at the Al Sadd Sports Club in Doha, Qatar, Akagariyama outclassed two-time world titlist Ronnie Alcano in a slugfest final, 13-11. Managing to hold a small lead throughout the extended set, Akagariyama watched Alcano string together a pair of racks to knot the match at 11.

But the Filipino would not be able to overtake Akagariyama, who climbed on the hill then broke and ran the final rack for the victory.

For Akagariyama, though, surviving close calls was the usual order of business for his championship run. He easily advanced out of the group stage, but the 64-player knockout round spelled heavy drama. Akagariyama dispatched Filipinos Carlo Biado, 11-8, and Vicenancio Tanio, 11-10, to earn a spot in the semifinal round.

There, he had his hands full with Englishman Mark Gray, who put together a momentous comeback with his Japanese counterpart on the hill. But in the case game, Akagariyama calmly cleared the table for a spot in this afternoon's final.

While the crowd, bolstered by a contingent of Filipinos working and living in Qatar, was decidedly pro-Alcano, Akagariyama proved the better player today. His first world title, and the first for his country since 1998, netted Akagariyama $36,000, while Alcano settled for $18,000 in second-place monies..

For the better part of the last week, the title favorites in the field at the World 9-Ball Championship jockeyed for position in the 128-player field — working through the group stages and into the first round of play in the knockout bracket of 64.

But Thursday was jammed full of high drama as the remaining 32 players battled through three elimination rounds, leaving just the four remaining title hopefuls. The Filipino contingent, well supported by expatriates living in Doha, Qatar, pushed three players through to the semifinals. Former 9-ball titlist Ronnie Alcano and reigning 8-ball king Dennis Orcollo are joined by countryman Vicenancio Tanio. England's Mark Gray fills out the final four.

Perhaps the prohibitive favorite, Orcollo has blistered his opponents on his way through the knockout stage. He trounced reigning champ Francisco Bustamante in the round of 16, 11-7, then trounced former 9-ball king Daryl Peach, 11-4, to earn a spot opposite Alcano in tomorrow's semifinal.

While Orcollo has been dominant throughout, Gray has escaped a number of tight sets on his way through to his match with Tanio. The Brit narrowly escaped a pair of hill-hill sets early in single-elimination play, ousting Kuo Po-Cheng and Chris Melling in the case games. In the quarterfinal round, the former European No. 1 faced a determined Shane Van Boening. Up 4-0, Gray looked to be cruising to an easy victory. But the American responded, winning the next five racks to take a one-game lead. Gray responded in turn, climbing on the hill, 10-6, but Van Boening again fought back, this time closing the game to a single game at 10-9. But with an open angle in the 20th rack, Gray closed out the furious challenge and survived to fight another day.

Bustamante will not repeat as World 9-Ball Champion. (Photo courtesy Matchroom Sport) When play began on Thursday at the World 9-Ball Championship in Doha, Qatar, 32 players remained in the knockout bracket. When the last ball drops this evening, just four will remain. Considering the frenetic pace of eliminations, drama won't be hard to find at the Al Sadd Sports Club.

And if the early returns from the Round of 16 are any indication, players and spectators might want to make appointments with their cardiologists on Saturday. Shane Van Boening, the last of the two Americans in the 128-player field, survived an epic battle with England's Darren Appleton. As the two see-sawed toward the finish line, Appleton climbed on the hill first at 10-9. But Van Boening, who's in search of his first WPA-sanctioned title, responded by collecting the final two racks for a thrilling hill-hill victory. Into the quarterfinal round, set for Thursday evening, Van Boening will face the winner of the Mark Gray-Antonio Gabica match.

In other results, reigning champion Francisco Bustamante had dreams of a back-to-back performance dashed by fellow Filipino Dennis Orcollo. Orcollo, the reigning world 8-ball king, thumped his Hall of Fame countryman by an 11-6 count. He will square off with 2007 world 9-ball titlist Daryl Peach in the quarterfinals.

In other results:
Vicencio Tanio beat Ralf Souquet, 11-9
Carlo Biado topped Yukio Akakariyama, 11-9
Toru Kuribayashi ousted Antonio Lining, 11-8
Ronnie Alcano edged Chang Yu Lun, 11-9

Lombardo ousted Austrian Mario He on Wednesday, 11-8. Based on past performances, Antonio Gabica has often been viewed by pool fans as an extremely talented player who tends to wilt when it comes to big time pressure situations.

However, Gabica stepped up in the biggest way possible under massive pressure this afternoon and defeated former world champion Mika Immonen, 11-10, in a dramatic finish in the round of 64 at the 2011 World 9-Ball Championship in Doha, Qatar. Gabica now advances to the final 32 tomorrow while Immonen, one of the game’s premiere players, has been eliminated. “I’m just lucky to win,” said Gabica after the game, co-opting a famous phrase from his country’s Efren Reyes.

As expected on the first day of the single-elimination knockout stage, the heavy pressure and dramatic finishes weren’t confined to one table. England’s Mark Gray found himself on the verge of elimination after being down 10-6 to Taiwan’s Kuo Po Cheng, who has twice been runner-up in this event. But the 37-year-old Brit toughed it out and ran for the finish line in a hard fought 11-10 win.

“I’ve had a really tough draw this whole tournament and I haven’t really gotten in the grove,” Gray said afterward. “ So to be in the final 32 of the World Championship, I’m over the moon.” Unfortunately for Gray, the road he’s on is about to get even rockier as he next faces the hottest players in the tournament, fellow Englishman Chris Melling. Melling trounced Hwang Yong of Korea in a match that took just 45 minutes.

In other matches in the first two sessions on Wednesday, Shane Van Boening advanced with a comeback win over Russia’s Konstantin Stepanov. Van Boening rallied from a 6-2 deficit and took control of the match late to win, 11-8. Van Boening now faces Taiwan’s Chang Jung Lin, who easily beat the Philippines’ Joven Alba, 11-5.

Hunter Lombardo, the only other American alongside Van Boening in the field of 128, has raised plenty of eyebrows with his run into the round of 32. The 32-year-old Floridian advanced to the knockout stage with a hill-hill victory over Majid Waleed. He then ousted Mario He, 11-8, in his first match in single-elimination.

One of the biggest surprises of the day was the relatively easy victory for Japan’s Lo Li-Wen over former world champion Thorsten Hohmann. After starting out with a 4-1 lead, Hohmann simply fell apart, while Lo, who’s playing in his first ever world championship, missed one ball the entire match. Lo will now face Filipino Venancio Tanio, who surprised the Netherlands’ Nick van den Berg. The Dutchman started out strong against the Filipino overseas worker but then took a back seat as Tanio caught fire, running the rack seven times when he broke. Tanio won the match 11-7.

Sessions 3 and 4 in the round of 64 will take place later in the day. The field will be cut to 32 players after today, and to 4 players after play finishes on Thursday.

The WPA will be providing complete coverage from inside the Al Sadd Sports club throughout the tournament. Fans around the world can follow matches as they happen via our live scoring platform. The live scoring button can be seen on the front page of the WPA’s new and improved website, www.wpa-pool.com. There you can also see the brackets icon which will give you updated standings from each group and the knockout stage. Fans can also get instant updates, insights and scores by following the WPA on Twitter. Our Twitter user name is @poolwpa. You can go directly to our Twitter page at, http://twitter.com/poolwpa

[Report filed by Ted Lerner]

Van Boening won a pair of sets to advance to the single-elimination round of 64. (Photo by Lawrence Lustig) Shane Van Boening will be the first to admit that he hasn’t performed up to his expectations overseas. The American star has only won twice outside of the U.S., knocking off 10-ball tournaments in Aruba and Nicaragua. However, the American has aspirations to win the world championship overseas.

Last evening, on the center table at the Al Sadd Sports Club in Doha, Qatar, Van Boening took a big step toward achieving his dream when he narrowly defeated former double world champ Wu Chia-Ching (now known as Wu Jiaqing) in a 9-8 cliffhanger. With the victory, the American qualified for the single-elimination knockout round of 64 at the 2011 World 9-Ball Championship, which begins Wednesday.

While the South Dakota native craves a big win overseas, he isn’t just trying to win the world championship for himself. As one of only two American participants (alongside Hunter Lombardo), Van Boening is trying to bring the championship to the U.S.

“It’s motivation because I’m pretty much here by myself,” Van Boening said after defeating Wu. “I want to win this for the USA.”

When asked why many American players are becoming scarcer on the growing international scene these days, Van Boening says that “the other American players don’t like to travel. And there’s a lot of pressure with all the expenses to go this far. I just like to play anywhere I can. I love to travel the whole world and play pool.”

Van Boening feels confident that he can progress far in this year’s World Championship, where the field of 128 is as strong as ever. Two years ago he came here and reached the semifinals of the Qatar Open, which was the tournament that would become the current World 9-Ball Championship.

Van Boening is just one of many big names who made it through to the final 64 in Doha. The third day of the World 9-Ball Championship was given over to the winners’ side of the group matches, and 32 players have now advanced into the final 64, which begins Wednesday. There have been no major upsets so far, and nearly all of pool’s big names have gone through to the knockout stage. Many people are crediting this development to the very tough table conditions, which always favor better players, and puts added pressure on everyone else, especially if they haven’t had much experience at this level.

Dennis Orcullo easily beat Venezuela’s Jalal Yousef, 9-3. The young gun Carlo Biado waltzed over Korea’s Lee Gun Jae, 9-2. And Hall of Famer Francisco Bustamante defeated Kuwait’s Alazmi Majed, 9-4. For England’s Chris Melling, it was another powerhouse performance from pool’s hottest player right now. Melling cleared every single time he had the break and trounced a very capable Lo Li-Wen, 9-2. The burly Brit has now won two tournaments in a row, including the WPA-sanctioned China Open, and hasn’t lost in 16 matches.

Other players who qualified in the first session and looked very strong were last year’s semifinalist Kuo Po Cheng, Mika Immonen, Canada’s Chris Orme, England’s Imran Majid and France’s Stepan Cohen.

The day’s second session saw mostly routs from some big names. Germany’s Ralf Souquet , current World 10-Ball Champion Huidji See of the Netherlands, England’s Karl Boyes and Taiwan’s Chang Jung Lin all went untouched. Thorsten Hohmann struggled a bit but passed the grade. Three out of four Filipinos made it the round of 64, including the hard-hitting Jeffrey De Luna and Efren Reyes.

Reigning U.S. Open champion Darren Appleton found himself in a tough match with Bader Al Awadi of Kuwait. Appleton was down 5-3 before coming back to win, praising the progress of the local lads afterward.

“These Middle Eastern guys have improved a lot in the last two years,” Appleton said. “You’ll see a few of them getting to the last 16 for sure. I wouldn’t be surprised to see one of them get to the final within two years.”

The evening session confirmed that the Europeans have all but taken over pool, as the Netherlands Nick van den Berg and Niels Fiejen played strong and booked spots in the final 64. So too did 18 year old Austrian Mario He, who won an 9-8 tester against Taiwan’s Hsu Kun Lai.

The group stages wind up on Tuesday at the Al Sadd Sports Club with all matches do-or-die as players from the losers side of each bracket compete for the final spots in the round of 64.

The WPA will be providing complete coverage throughout the tournament. Fans around the world can follow matches as they happen via our live scoring platform. The live scoring button can be seen on the front page of the WPA’s new and improved website, www.wpa-pool.com . There you can also see the brackets icon which will give you updated standings from each group and the knockout stage. Fans can also get instant updates, insights and scores by following the WPA on Twitter. Our Twitter user name is @poolwpa. You can go directly to our Twitter page at, http://twitter.com/poolwpa

[On-site report filed by Ted Lerner]

Fisher erased an early deficit in the final for a 7-4 victory. For her first 13 years on the Women's Professional Billiard Association's Classic Tour, Allison Fisher collected titles at a seemingly impossible clip, averaging well more than four victories a year from 1996 to 2008. But just as quickly as Fisher began her domination on the women's tour — she won in her second appearance — the Hall of Famer couldn't find her way back to the winner's circle.

But after going just days under three years since her last win on the WPBA Classic Tour, Fisher returned to her familiar surroundings at last weekend's U.S. Open at the River Spirit Casino in Tulsa, Okla. Overcoming an earlier hill-hill loss to Ga Young Kim, she took a bit of revenge in a 7-4 championship-clinching victory over the Korean star.

Before Fisher made her way back to the final, though, she faced elimination in three consecutive matches. After losing to Kim just a match from advancing to the eight-player single-elimination bracket via the winners side, Fisher then battled Xiaoting Pan on the left-side. She trounced the Chinese star by a 9-3 count and sealed a spot in the quarterfinals.

In the shortened races to 7, Fisher then edged Kelly Fisher, 7-5, and Korean Cinderella Erica Park, 7-2, for a spot in the final. Kim, meanwhile, edged Vivian Villarreal, 7-5, and Jasmin Ouschan, 7-2.

From the start of the final, Kim established control by winning three of the first four racks. But after edging out to a 4-3 lead after Fisher tied the set, Kim saw her hopes for a fourth U.S. Open victory quickly vanish.

Fisher collected the next three racks to get on the hill, 6-4. With the break, she pocketed the 1 ball and was left with an angle on a 2-9 combination. She dropped the championship-clinching 9 without difficulty, ending her WPBA winless streak with her fifth U.S. Open title.

Melling took down the biggest title of his career — and $40,000. (Photo by Bethan L. Sage) Give Chris Melling an inch, and he takes a mile.

That’s just how Chinese Taipei’s Hsu Kai Lun must feel right now, as the burly Englishman put on one of the most powerful displays of 9-ball seen in the professional game in some time, capturing the China Open in an all out rout, 11-3.

Melling won $40,000 and, in the process, declared loud and clear that he will be a force to be reckoned with among an already-strong heap of English and European pool players for the foreseeable future.

“That’s the best I’ve ever played,” an ecstatic Melling said moments after lifting the trophy. “I knew I would win the match when I was up 6-2. I knew then it would be tough for him to come back. I was just playing too good.”

Anyone who happened to catch one of Melling’s matches inside the Shanghai Pudong Yuanshen Stadium yesterday and in the semifinal today could see he was the clear favorite to take the crown. The Englishman, who was twice a world champion in English 8-ball and has only been playing competitive 9-ball for two years, was literally oozing confidence. Everything about him — the way he walked around the table, his extremely fast play, the way he stared down layouts and especially the audacious way he potted difficult balls and moved the cue ball around — spoke of a man with a winning attitude. He never gave his opponents any breathing room, pounced on the smallest of mistakes and quickly put racks on the board.

Hsu must have not had time to realize what hit him. The 22-year-old Taiwanese had literally come out of nowhere to reach the finals of the China Open. He’s ranked no. 10 in Taiwan, but he had never before played in an international men’s event. Still, he showed some of the same powerhouse skills that Melling had exhibited when he blew out the Philippines’ Ronnie Alcano earlier in the day, 11-3.

It didn’t take long into the final race-to-11, alternate-break match to realize, though, that Hsu was in over his head on this day against the Englishman. The two were all square after four racks but from there, Melling ran away with the match.

In rack five, Melling made a very difficult pot on the 1 that opened up the rack and got him the lead. In the next frame he played a world class snooker off of Hsu’s safety that quickly led to another point. A minute later, he was up 5-2 after a break and run out.

From there, the fast playing Brit piled on the points, all the while taking on and converting daring shots that most players would be afraid to pull out of their bags. Hsu simply had no answer. Melling raced right to the finish line and the championship with a resounding 11-3 win.

Coming on the heels of his quarterfinal finish in May’s World 10-Ball Championship in Manila, Melling is sure to crack the World Pool-Billiard Association’s Top 10 rankings. The European No. 2 is also looking very seriously at a spot on the coveted Mosconi Cup team.

With this extremely impressive performance in Shanghai this week, the 32-year-old Brit appears to have a very bright future in pool — just listen to his attitude when he talks about playing in the pressure cooker that is the world of professional pool.

“I didn’t feel nervous at all out there,” Melling said. “I love playing under pressure. I love the crowd and playing on TV.

“I’m not saying I’m a great player. But there’s a difference between being a good player and being a great player. A good player can play well in the poolroom and in small tournaments. Great players can win under pressure in an atmosphere like this. I’m just beside myself right now. Absolutely unbelievable.”

Over in the women's division, Fu Xiao Fang appeared immune to the pressure as she defeated defending champion Chen Siming, 9-3, in an all-Chinese affair.

With her impressive victory, Fu won $30,000 and cemented her status as China’s best player. She has now won two major tournaments in the last year, including the World 9-Ball Championship in Shenyang, China. In addition to stamping her class on the highly popular and competitive world of women’s pool in China, the victory now moves the 25-year-old to the top of the world rankings.

The match, played in front of several hundred people inside the Shanghai Pudong Yuanshen Stadium, and an estimated nationwide television viewing audience of over 10 million people watching on China’s CCTV, was expected to be much closer. But the usually unflappable Chen made some uncharacteristic mistakes, all of which cost the 17-year-old phenom.

The two stars split the first four racks before Fu grabbed the lead and, from there, hightailed it all the way to the title. In the fifth rack Chen twice fouled, the last one leading to a nervy and difficult clear for Fu. In rack six, Fu and Chen engaged in a long safety battle, before Chen missed an open shot on the 1. Fu then ran out for a two-rack lead.

Chen couldn’t seem to get comfortable while Fu stayed steady, and Fu soon went up 5-2. Chen faced a pivotal rack in the next frame and after missing an opening on a long 1 ball, she went on to play a lock down safety that earned her the point. Little did she know, however, that it would be the last rack she would win.

Fu just refused to buckle and would hold a tight reign on the proceedings the rest of the way. A terrific long pot on the six down the rail won her the next rack for a 6-3 lead. Chen fouled twice in the subsequent frame and Fu moved up by 4. Then Fu broke and ran out to go on the hill.

In the final rack, Chen broke but got nothing down and left an open shot on the 1 ball. From there the balls presented a basic layout and Fu cleared to claim the title.

“I played really well,” Fu told a throng of Chinese media after the match. “The pressure was big but Siming had some mistakes, and maybe I have more experience than her in big events.”

Chen claims $15,000 for getting runner up and will now move down to the second spot in the WPA world rankings

- Ted Lerner

Van Boening had victory in his sight at the U.S. Open 10-Ball Championship. (Photo courtesy Dale Shank-shankshotmedia.com) Rarely challenged on his way to the hot-seat of the U.S. Open 10-Ball Championship, Shane Van Boening had his work cut out for him in the single-set race to 11. Facing David Alcaide, the American found himself on the wrong side of a 5-1 score line.

But a dry break from the Spaniard provided Van Boening with his chance to settle into his surroundings. And once Van Boening cleared the next two racks, the 27-year-old was well on his way to conquering U.S. Open 10-Ball, which was promoted by CueSports International and held alongside the BCA Pool League National 8-Ball Championships at the Riviera in Las Vegas. Van Boening took seven consecutive racks to run his advantage to 8-5, before Alcaide could stop the bleeding. He dropped a tricky billiard to close within two games, but Van Boening responded as he had previously. On the hill, he forced Alcaide into a foul, then cleared the open table to claim the title.

On his way to his second major victory of the year (after winning the all-around crown at January's Derby City Classic), Van Boening had little difficulty navigating the 96-player fiend. He trounced a host of Americans, including a pair of 8-0 whitewashes over Scott Frost and Brandon Shuff and an 8-5 triumph over Corey Deuel in the hot-seat match.

Alcaide, meanwhile, went about his business on the left side of the bracket after falling to Frost in just the fourth round. He responded with seven wins on the one-loss side, including hill-hill victories over Efren Reyes and Danny Harriman. He also ousted Ralf Souquet and took revenge on Frost by the same 7-4 score. He then booked a spot in the final with an 8-6 win over Deuel in the left-side final.

But while Alcaide's hot shooting continued into the final, Van Boening would not be denied. His overwhelming comeback netted the American $15,000, while Alcaide settled for $8,500. Deuel collected $6,500 for his third-place performance.

See led throughout in his title-clinching victory. (Photo by Raya Sports) Entering the 128-player World 10-Ball Championship, Huidji See was hardly among those dozen likely title contenders. The 29-year-old Dutch journeyman was without a defining victory. He hadn't won a EuroTour title; he hadn't, despite spending plenty of time on U.S. soil, snapped off a quality national event; he hadn't displayed much of a killer instinct, outside of a strong runner-up finish at the 2007 World 14.1 Straight Pool Championship.

But at last weekend's World 10-Ball Championship, See wasn't interested in the reality of his situation among a murderer's row of international world-beaters.

How else can you explain a 29-year-old journeyman navigating the 128-player bracket at the World 10-Ball Championship to snap off a career-making $60,000 title?

"This is a dream come true," See told the Manila Standard Today. "I felt like it was only a dream and I have to pinch myself several times to see if it’s real — and it’s real."

The dream became reality with an 11-8 win over China's Fu Jianbo in the championship match. But before that, See began his march to his breakthrough victory with a disappointing 9-5 loss to David Rothall in the opening round of group play.

With players divided into 16 groups of eight, with four players advancing from each flight via double-elimination play, See had to win a pair of matches for a spot in the 64-player single-elimination knockout round. He easily crushed Hussain Abdulmajed, 9-5, but then faced the titanic task of topping Ralf Souquet in an elimination match.

See responded, posting a shocking 9-4 victory over the German, who departed in a disappointing 65th place. But for See, the match was far from his last surprising result. In the knockout bracket, he strung together three wins over Yousseff Jalal, 9-3; Ricky Yang, 9-7; and Taiwan’s sensation Ko Pin-Yi, 9-6. In the final eight, See trouned the quick-stroking Tony Drago, 9-4, and then ousted Japan’s emerging talent Yukio Akakariyama, 9-6.

In the final, See faced China’s super-talented Fu Jianbo, who has won a pair of World Cups of Pool (in 2007 and 2010 with countryman Li Heiwen) and the 2007 International Challenge of Champions. But See was in control from the start of the race-to-11 final. He grabbed leads of 4-1 and 6-2, slowly plodding his way to the finish line.

Fu challenged late, closing within a rack at 8-7. But See took two of the next three to get on the hill, 10-8. When Fu erred while banking the 3 in the 19th game, See had his route to victory.

Just 23 years old, Dechaine is among America's most talented young players. Since Shane Van Boening went from fledgling pro to U.S. Open champ and BD Player of the Year in 2007, the United States has not been fertile ground for young talent. Sure, a few players have raised eyebrows on the national level at one or two events. But for the most part, the national pool paradigm has remained relatively unchallenged for nearly a half-decade.

This past weekend, however, at the Ultimate 10-Ball Championships, 23-year-old Mike Dechaine proved he belongs in the conversation of the upper echelon of American talent.

From the small coastal town of Waterville, Maine, Dechaine captured the biggest title of his young career with a hard-fought 12-10 win over Jeremy Jones.

Among a field of 93 players in the Frisco (Texas) Hotel and Convention Center, Dechaine was dominant through his first five matches, which included a 8-3 pasting of Johnny Archer. But opposite Jones in the winners-side final four, Dechaine dropped a heartbreaking 8-7 set to the lanky Texan.

On the left side, Dechaine regained momentum with a pair of easy wins over Jeremy Sossei and Charlie Williams. Then in the left-side final, he stood just a rack from elimination, with Canadian young gun Jason Klatt on the hill, 9-7. But Dechaine then collected the final three racks — all defensive affairs — to take a spot in the final, 10-9.

The two finalists traded racks in the single-set race to 12, with Jones edging ahead, 10-9. But Dechaine again showed his mettle on the big stage, by cleaning up after a Jones miss and then clearing from his break to get on the hill, 11-10.

Jones looked in line to meet his young opponent on the hill, but he misplayed a thin cut on the 4 ball, leaving it in the jaws of the corner pocket. Dechaine then mopped up the open table for the title.

The women's division, meanwhile, represented more of a return to the status quo than anything else. Allison Fisher, unparalleled in accomplishments over the past decade and a half, captured her biggest payday since June 2008.

Fisher faced her first test in the fifth round, opposite Kelly Fisher. Allison prevailed, 7-5, then trounced upstart Angel Paglia, 7-2, for the hot-seat. On the left-side, Kelly Fisher rattled off wins against Monica Webb, Line Kjorsvik and finally Paglia, 8-2, to earn her spot in the final.

In the race-to-10 final between Fishers, Kelly looked in total control as she stretched her lead to 7-4. But Allison responded by collecting the next six for a dramatic return to the winner's circle by a 10-7 score.

Dechaine took home $16,600 for his win, while Fisher pocketed $5,600.

With the win, Hohmann took his first major title on Philippine soil. From the World Pool-Billiard Association, Thorsten Hohmann and Chen Siming have taken the titles at the Philippine Open.

Chen won in dominating style, never giving Kelly Fisher a breath of air as her offensive style left few opportunities for challenge. The 17-year-old Chinese native defeated Fisher, 9-3, and is yet the latest superstar female to emerge from China.

Thorsten Hohmann had a bit more of a battle on his hands in his victory. He and Ralf Souquet went rack for rack with never more than a single point between them until Souquet gained his first lead of the match at 10-9 in the race to 11. From there Hohmann won the next two racks to claim the title. When Hohmann won the rack to get him to double-hill it was his third hill-hill match in the last four. He had also won against Carlo Biado and Ricky Yang by the same margin.

Hohmann captured $30,000 with the win, while Chen took home $20,000. Both runner-ups pocketed half that of the champion.

Matchroom Sport, the promotions firm behind the Mosconi Cup, has announced a major change its newly installed rankings system, which will be used to select three players from both the American and European sides.

The American points list, formerly scheduled to be a combination of eight domestic events and four international tournaments, has been trimmed to 10 events. Most significant, Matchroom Sport has eliminated the four international events (the Beijing Open, World Pool Masters in the Philippines, China Open and World 9-Ball Championship in Qatar). Two double-elimination stops on the Seminole Pro Tour will take their place.

Considering the significant financial burden assumed by many American pros to travel and compete in Asia, the change will be welcomed by many Mosconi Cup hopefuls who are not fixtures in international events. As detailed in the March issue of BD (Wingshots, pg. 12), perhaps only a half-dozen Americans (Johnny Archer, Shane Van Boening, Corey Deuel, Rodney Morris, Charlie Williams) regularly compete in such tournaments.

Additionally, the points list will omit each player's poorest performance, so rankings will actually be an accumulation of nine of ten tournaments. Considering September's Turning Stone Classic, a points event, clashed with Matchroom's World Cup of Pool, this tweak will allow the two Americans selected for the World Cup event to compete without being disadvantaged in the Mosconi Cup rankings.

San Souci excelled in all games, collecting major titles in 9-ball, 10-ball and straight pool. Just 10 weeks after the death of pro great Wade Crane, the pool world has suffered another stunning loss. George “Ginky” San Souci, who came to the game late and enjoyed meteoric success before being sidetracked by neck ailments, died Tuesday, March 8, in New York City. San Souci was 39. Cause of death has yet to be released.

Born and raised in the Yorkville section of Manhattan, San Souci stumbled into the game in the post-“Color of Money” 1980s, when, as an 18-year-old, he and his cousins started visiting the then-trendy Chelsea Billiards for late-night entertainment. Soon he was hooked on the game and eventually dropped out of high school. Within a few years, San Souci was playing in tournaments, and by the mid ’90s was en route to four consecutive Player of the Year honors on the Tri-State Tour in the Northeast. He was also selected as the Billiards Digest Rookie of the Year in 1995.

San Souci’s rise in the pool world peaked in 1998-99 when he won the Camel Pro Billiard Series Charlotte 10-Ball Open (his first pro tour win), the National Straight-Pool Championship and the BCA Open 9-Ball Championship in a nine-month span. San Souci underwent surgery to replace a herniated disk in his neck in July 1999, and “retired” from pool in 2002. In recent years he had returned to the table, playing sporadically in pro events.

San Souci is survived by his sister, Irene San Souci.

Not that the otherwise affable Filipino would admit to it, but Dennis Orcollo had to be a bit perturbed he wasn't invited to the 112-man World 8-Ball Championship, held Feb. 19-26 in Fujairah, U.A.E. Instead, the diminutive dynamo, who was not among the automatic invites, despite collecting a number of major titles in recent years, had to earn his spot in the event through qualification tournaments.

Not surprisingly, he got his spot in the main event. And also not much of a shock, Orcollo then outlasted the field to take his first WPA-sanctioned world title.

Orcollo, who earlier this year won the Derby City Classic's 9-ball division, overcame an early defeat from countryman Efren Reyes in group play. With 14 groups of eight players, each flight sent four into a final single-elimination bracket (with the top eight players getting first-round byes).

After topping Mazen Berjawi, 7-3, in his first match, Orcollo then moved into a match of elimination after Reyes topped him, 7-5. But Orcollo responded with a 7-5 win over Joyme Vincente for a spot in the knockout phase.

The 32-year-old opened play with two very different matches against France's best. He whitewashed former 14.1 world champ Stephan Cohen, before narrowly escaping an early exit with a 9-8 win over Vincent Facquet. As it turned out, that match was the last hint of a challenge for Orcollo.

He trounced American Shane Van Boening, 9-4; Takhti Zarekani, 9-2; and David Alcaide, 9-3. The final, against last year's runner-up Niels Feijen, was another exercise in break-and-run pool.

Orcollo opened up the race to 10 by running five straight racks. Halfway home, he watched as Feijen mounted a bit of a comeback, at one point inching within two at 5-3. But after a Feijen miss, Orcollo slammed the door. He broke and ran the next two for an 8-3 advantage, before he scratched on the next break.

Feijen, though, was unable to convert and missed a long attempt in the corner pocket. Appropriately, Orcollo ran the rack and a half for the 10-3 win.

The World 8-Ball Championship is just the latest in a quickly growing list of major titles. In addition to his two titles of 2011, Orcollo also has won the World Pool Masters (2010), Predator International 10-Ball event (2009), Qatar World 9-Ball Open (2008) and the 2007 EnjoyPool.com (BCA) 9-Ball Championship.

Orcollo (right) bombed Takhti Zarekani, 9-2, and David Alcaide, 9-3, for his spot in the final. Few days in professional pool can rival the break-neck speed of Friday at the World 8-Ball Championship. Not only are players stringing together impressive multi-rack runs, but the bracket will narrow from the 16 to two, leaving just the finalists for tomorrow's championship match.

Dennis Orcollo, fresh off a victory in the 9-ball division at the Derby City Classic, punched his ticket in the final with a string of impressive victories. Facing Shane Van Boening in the round of 16, the Filipino turned a 4-1 deficit into a 9-4 victory, swiping the last eight racks to bounce the American out in ninth place.

Orcollo then trounced surprise quarterfinalist Takhti Zarekani of Iran, 9-2, and finally Spain's David Alcaid, 9-3.

A match from his first world title, Orcollo will have his hands full against last year's runner-up, Niels Feijen. The Dutchman, returning to full-time training after the birth of his daughter last fall, dominated Oliver Medinilla in the round of 16, advancing by a count of 9-4.

But he then faced a huge challenge in the quarterfinal from countryman Nick van den Berg. Tied at 4-4, Van den Berg took the next three, then edged on the hill at 8-7. But Feijen, who lost last year's crown to Karl Boyes in the case game, won the next two racks for a dramatic comeback.

In his semifinal against Darren Appleton, Feijen saved himself from such high-wire acts. The steely 34-year-old emphatically punched his ticket to the final with a 9-0 whitewash of the Brit in Friday's final match.

Appleton (right) will face Alcano on Friday. The opening days of the 2011 World 8-Ball Championship saw 112 players jockey for position in the sprint of a single-elimination bracket of 64. With just two rounds of knockout play, just 16 players remain in contention for the first World Pool-Billiard Association's first title of the year.

One thing already settled in the Fujairah (U.A.E.) Exhibition Centre: There won't be a repeat champ. Britain's Karl Boyes, who topped Niels Feijen a year ago, was trounced by Mika Immonen on Thursday afternoon. The reigning champ had to watch as the Finn, himself with world titles in 9-ball and 10-ball, strung together seven racks to open the race to 9. Boyes nabbed a single game before Immonen iced his spot in the 16, 9-1.

Britain's hopes now rest on Darren Appleton, one of the top finishers in the group phase. The reigning U.S. Open champ is far from a long-shot here, though, after dominating English 8-Ball. In fact, the 8-ball world crown was high on the 2010 Player of the Year's wish list for the new season.

Shane Van Boening is the lone American still alive in the bracket. While Corey Deuel failed to emerge from the group stage, Van Boening was joined in the round of 32 by Rodney Morris and Earl Strickland. But Van Boening, fresh off a strong performance at the 2011 Derby City Classic, was the only one to survive the next round, with an easy 9-2 win over Jalal Yousseff.

On Friday, he will face Dennis Orcollo in a rematch of the Derby's 9-ball finale, taken by the Filipino. Orcollo is joined in the round of 16 by countrymen Ronnie Alcano, Joven Alba and Oliver Medinilla.

Van Boening went vertical to win his first Derby City Classic all-around title. (Photo courtesy David Thomson-mediumpool.com) ELIZABETH, Ind. -- The Derby City Classic is a nine-day celebration of pool that offers just about everything a fan could ask for. Tournaments run nearly 24 hours a day. Money games run nearly as constant, with players of all types and all skills matching up for sums small and large. But at the 2011 DCC, all the festivities and all the action were summed up in one single shot.

In the case game of his 9-ball semifinal, Shane Van Boening, chasing the $20,000 all-around crown given to the top player in the banks, one-pocket and 9-ball divisions, stared down a long jump shot on the 4 ball. Hit it, and he'd be a few balls from locking up the hefty payday. Miss it, and opponent Neils Feijen would be on his way to victory, giving Alex Pagulayan the cash.

And so, the 2007 U.S. Open Champion, who has long been considered the next great American pool player in the company of Johnny Archer and Earl Strickland, stepped up and -- with his full cue, since jump cues aren't allowed at the DCC -- drained it.

With the hundreds of fans packed around the TV table in the Accu-Stats Arena erupting in appreciative disbelief, Van Boening ditched his business-as-usual attitude and flashed a wide grin on his way back to his chair to calm his nerves for the final quartet of balls. He cleared them -- and took home 20 grand .

"I didn't think too much about it," he said. "I've practiced that shot, so I knew I could make it. I'm just happy it worked out.

But that one shot, that single stroke encapsulated everything Derby. Skill? Considering jump cues aren't allowed, Van Boening jacked up with his playing cue. Pressure? Even if he couldn't admit to it, anyone in the tournament arena could attest to thickness of the air. Money? In the bank.

Unfortunately for Van Boening, the final match never matched the wattage of the semifinal. Facing Dennis Orcollo, he had little chance. The diminutive Filipino slammed the door in the race to 7 before Van Boening had a chance to catch his breath. The 27-year-old scratched on the 3 ball in the opening rack. Orcollo, who was fresh off a 7-1 dismantling of Mika Immonen in the other semifinal, cleared for the 1-0 lead. He then broke and ran the next four racks for a 5-0 lead.

Van Boening got on the board by dropping the 9 in a rather messy sixth rack, but erred on a nearly straight-in 5 ball in the next. Orcollo cleared to get on the hill and followed with another break-and-run for the 7-1 victory. The $16,000 first-place prize further established Orcollo's place among the world's elite tournament players. Already the 2010 World Pool Masters champ and 2009 Predator International 10-Ball king, the Philippines' money-game king is a good bet in any tournament, short races or not.

"I'm just so happy," he said. "Short races and 300 other players, it was good. It was good to win."

But taking nothing away from Orcollo, Van Boening proved the star of this year's Derby City Classic. After failing to cash in the banks event, won by all-around runner-up Pagulayan, he proved talent can trump experience by topping the 317-player one-pocket division. The self-professed one-pocket novice rolled into the final opposite Earl Strickland, where he won a rapid-fire showdown, 3-2.

"I don't think I've played one-pocket since last year at the Derby," he said. "I was really surprised to win, but I just played the best I could."

On the heels of that victory, Van Boening still trailed Pagulayan, who finished in third in one-pocket, by 70 points, in the running for Master of the Table. Considering a divisional win is worth 120, with second earning 100, Van Boening was undoubtedly an underdog in the race for the lucratice award.

But Pagulayan was eliminated in 14th place in the 9-ball division by Mika Immonen, setting the stage for Van Boening's late-round run. Knowing he needed to make the 9-ball final to win the all-around, Van Boening was among the final eight players, all of whom already used their buy-back options, meaning the event effectively turned into a single-elimination eight-man tournament.

In his ensuing set against Warren Kiamco, Van Boening roared back from a 4-2 deficit to win, 7-4. Squaring off against Feijen, Van Boening again found himself on the wrong side of a 4-2 score. Again, Van Boening responded by taking the next four racks to get on the hill, 6-4. A loose safety on the 1 ball, though, and Feijen cleared the table and the next to force a case game.

The Netherlander, who won the 2007 Derby City 9-Ball title, sunk a ball on the break and then played safe on the 4. That left Van Boening his do-or-die shot -- the shot that will define the 2011 Derby City Classic.

Van Boening (right) Feijen for a spot in the 9-ball final - and the $20K all-around award. (Photo by Dave Thomson-mediumpool.com) ELIZABETH, Ind. -- Shane Van Boening, the reigning champion in the 9-ball division at the Derby City Classic, has more on his mind than defending his title. After winning the one-pocket division on Thursday evening, the 27-year-old has advanced to the final four in 9-ball, putting him within one victory of clinching the Master of the Table.

By mid-afternoon Saturday, the $20,000 all-around crown — awarded to the player who accumulates the most points in the 9-ball banks, one-pocket and 9-ball divisions — looked to be Alex Pagulayan's. But Pagulayan, who finished first in banks and third in one-pocket, was eliminated by Mika Immonen. Finishing in 14th place, Pagulayan will win the Master of the Table if Van Boening fails to advance to the 9-ball final.

Currently, four players (all of whom have exercised their buy-backs) remain, effectively turning the next round into the semifinals. Under the lights of the Accu-Stats Arena, Van Boening will face Niels Feijen, who eked out a hard-fought 7-6 win over Johnathan Pinegar. Dennis Orcollo will face Immonen in the other race to 7.

While Van Boening captured last year's 9-ball title, Feijen (2007) and Immonen (2002) also have tasted victory at the Derby City, leaving Orcollo as the lone player chasing his first DCC 9-Ball crown.

Morris pocketed $9,000 with four straight wins in a brutal Fatboy field. (Photo courtesy David Thomson-mediumpool.com) ELIZABETH, Ind. -- In just three years, the Fatboy 10-Ball Challenge has grown into perhaps the biggest side event in the 24/7 madness of the Derby City Classic. This year, the $10,000-added, single-elimination event that attracts 16 of the best players in the world pitted recent Mosconi Cup rivals Rodney Morris and Darren Appleton in the race-to-15 final.

And in a small measure of revenge, the American took the $9,000 first-place prize with a 15-11 victory on the TV table in the Accu-Stats Arena. The two traded racks for the first half of the match, with Morris running out from the break for a 7-6 lead. From there, the Hawaiian rolled to an 11-7 advantage.

Morris continually kept Appleton at arm's length, eventually reaching the hill, 14-11. Appleton then appeared set to run out to close with two racks, but fumbled an attempt on the 9 ball in the side. Morris easily cleared the final two balls for the victory.

While the 9 ball event, the final main tournament, kept chugging along, Alex Pagulayan furthered his status as a heavy favorite for the Master of the Table, the $20,000 prize that goes to the top performer in the three divisions. After winning the banks event and finishing third in one-pocket, the Filipino is still alive after six rounds of 9-ball.

Thirty-five players have advanced to round 7, while four matches remain to be played in round 6. Pagulayan currently has 220.1 points, with Shane Van Boening (150.1) and Earl Strickland (136.7) the closest competitors. If Van Boening takes the 9-ball title, he will finish with 240.1 points. In all probability, Pagulayan could ice the Master of the Table with one more victory.

In the weeks following the most successful Mosconi Cup in the event's 17-year history, Matchroom Sport, the U.K. sports promotion firm behind the team tussle, announced big changes for 2011. Three of each team's five spots will be chosen by separate European and American rankings list.

So much for the adage, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it."

While Matchroom will keep two wild-card selections open for each team, the other six players can earn a spot in the highly regarded transatlantic tournament.

The European rankings will consist of 11 events -- six EuroTour tournaments and six world events (the World 8-Ball and 9-Ball Championships, Beijing Open, China Open, World Pool Masters and U.S. Open). International events will be worth 50 percent more points.

The Americans, meanwhile, will be slotted according to 11 tournaments, seven of which are in the U.S. The events are as follows:

National:
2010 Steve Mizerak Championship
2010 Turning Stone
The Masters
Ultimate 10-Ball Championship
U.S. Open 10-Ball Championship
Turning Stone
U.S. Open 9-Ball Championship

International:
World Pool Masters
China Open
World 9-Ball Championship
Beijing Open

With two events already in the books for the Americans, Corey Deuel and Earl Strickland have an early lead on the field. Deuel has 196 points and Strickland 194, while No. 3 Shawn Putnam has 165.

The Europeans are also through two events, with a pair of 2010 EuroTour dates. Using a different point system than the Americans, Darren Appleton and Chris Melling are atop the list, both with 23 points.

Van Boening (right) knocked out Strickland in a rapid-fire final. (Photo courtesy David Thomson-mediumpool.com) ELIZABETH, Ind. -- Maybe not the first name that comes to mind when thinking about the discipline of one-pocket, Shane Van Boening proved more than capable at the cerebral game. Facing Earl Strickland in the final of the Derby City Classic's 317-player one-pocket division, the 27-year-old South Dakotan prevailed in a offensive-minded five-game final.

Strickland, also not commonly considered a one-pocket player, jumped out to an early lead by winning the first game. Van Boening responded by knotting the match at one, before Strickland got on the hill, 2-1. Van Boening again responded to take the fourth set, leaving Earl with the break in the case game. Each player took a ball, before Van Boening got the first open look. From there, the 2007 Player of the Year ran out for a 3-2 victory.

With the victory, Van Boening puts himself in the middle of the Master of the Table, the $20,000 all-around title decided by points accumulated in the three main divisions. Rebounding from an early exit in the 9-ball banks, he's second in total points at 120. Alex Pagulayan, the banks champ, is heavy favorite for the all-around title. The Filipino finished third in one-pocket, which gives him 190 points entering the final two days of the Derby City Classic.

Pagulayan, though, already has a loss in the 9-ball division, while Van Boening is still unbeaten through two rounds. Other possible contenders for the $20K top prize: Earl Strickland with 106.5 points, Jeremy Jones with 102.5, and Ronnie Alcano with 100. Shannon Daulton has 107.2 points, but is already eliminated from the 9-ball division.

The champion of the 9-ball division will receive 120 points, meaning Pagulayan will be tough to catch.

Entering Friday, 179 players remain alive in the 9-ball division. Check back for updates as play continues at the Horseshoe Casino.

Pagulayan is the early favorite for the all-around title. After nine rounds of play in the Derby City Classic one-pocket division, only eight players remain. Alex Pagulayan, this year's 9-ball banks champ, headlines the octet as one of two competitors who still hold their buy-back option (meaning they can lose a match and buy back into the competition). Scott Frost, last year's titlist in one-pocket, is also unbeaten.

The one-pocket division is set to wrap up this evening, with four matches scheduled for noon. Pagulayan will play Niels Feijen; Shannon Daulton will face Frost; Earl Strickland will meet Jeremy Jones; and Shane Van Boening will square off against Brandon Shuff.

With the banks crown in his back pocket and a buy-back option in one-pocket, Pagulayan is the early favorite for the $20,000 Master of the Table, awarded to the player who accumulates the most points in the three main divisions (9-ball banks, one-pocket and 9-ball). Jones, who finished fourth in the banks event, is also in early consideration for the prestigious award.

While the main events keep chugging along, a number of side tournaments — and the ubiquitous action matches — keep the Derby City party rolling 24 hours a day. The Fatboy 10-Ball Challenge, in its third year at the DCC, will wrap up on Friday night.

A 16-player event with $10,000 added, the Fatboy Challenge boasts a ridiculously stacked field competing for a first-place prize of $9,000. The 2011 event will have a new champion, as Efren Reyes, last year's champ, didn't make the trip to the Louisville area due to back problems.

Still, the semifinals are nearly set, with Darren Appleton facing Francisco Bustamante and Lee Vann Corteza facing the winner of the Niels Feijen/Rodney Morris quarterfinal, which will be played this morning.

Pagulayan (right) outlasted Alcano in the 9-ball banks final. The banks 9-ball division, the first of the three major tournaments to be played at the Derby City Classic, usually serves as a platform to celebrate local talent. Only one international player (Jose Parica in 2001) has taken the title in the Louisville-area event's first dozen years. Not only that, local legends like Nick Varner, Shannon Daulton and John Brumback are among the titlists.

This year, though, the Filipino contingent dominated the opening phase of the Derby City Classic, which runs through Saturday at the Horseshoe Casino in Elizabeth, Ind.

With just seven players remaining, Alex Pagulayan and Ronnie Alcano, the two lone unbeatens, squared off. Pagulayan, who has recently rededicated himself to pool, outlasted his countryman, 3-2.

Alcano then eliminated Jeremy Jones, while Pagulayan dispatched Justin Hall. The two Filipinos then joined two-time reigning champ Brumback as the final three, with only Pagulayan without a loss. (Derby City allows for players to buy back into the field after one loss.)

While Pagulayan received a pass into the final, Alcano outlasted Brumback, ousting the Kentuckian, 3-1, to end hopes for the first three-peat in DCC history. Alcano then advanced to meet Pagulayan in the final, where he would have to win successive sets for the title.

Pagualayn took the opening rack by breaking and banking five and out. He then won a defensive second rack to get on the hill, 2-0. But Alcano then cleared five following an dry break. In the fourth rack, though, Pagulayan crept closer and closer to the title, finally dropping a cross-side clincher for his first title at the Derby City Classic.

The one-pocket division is currently underway, with the 9-ball event set to kick off on Wednesday evening.

Promoting the unveiling of its 2011 Explorer, Ford Motor Company has released a series of YouTube videos demonstrating the popular SUV's features. And in further demonstration of Jeanette Lee's ability to crossover into the mainstream marketing world, the Black Widow is one of a number of celebrities involved.

The web series, dubbed "First Look," includes a video Lee demonstrating how the back-row seats in the Explorer can fold flat... flat enough for a pool player.

Check it out:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sli_3hB3Vb4

Wade Crane, a professional pool player who was among the top players in the mid-1980s, was killed in an automobile accident on Sunday, Dec. 26. The 66-year-old resident of Acworth, Ga., was driving outside of Knoxville, Tenn., when he lost control of his 2000 Volkswagen shortly after 9:30 am.

Officers said Crane crossed three lanes of traffic and hit a retaining wall on the outside of Interstate 40. Wade's vehicle then crossed back over the five-lane highway and struck the center wall.

Emergency rescue workers transported Crane to the University of Tennessee Medical Center where he died.

Investigators say Crane may have had a medical condition that caused the crash, but the exact cause is still under investigation.

Nicknamed "Boom Boom" for his powerful 9-ball break, Crane (who also played under the alias "Billy Johnson") rose to the top of the professional ranks in the mid-'80s. In 1985, his best year as a pro, Crane took a pair of titles, winning the Last Call for 9-Ball and Busch Open. He finished the year as the top-earning pro, but was edged by Earl Strickland in a narrow race for Player of the Year.

In recent years, Crane operated Crane's Billiard Academy in Wade's World Billiard Club in Dalton, Ga.

Deuel (right) turned a 3-0 deficit into a 6-4 final against Immonen.Team USA's bid to retain the Mosconi Cup amid the raucous, decidedly pro-Europe atmosphere at London's York Hall didn't get off to the ideal start.

This year's transatlantic competition kicked off with a full-team match, putting all 10 players into competition from the start. The Europeans grabbed an early 4-2 lead in the race to 6, but the American responded by taking the next three to get on the hill, 5-4.

But Dennis Hatch, last year's MVP in his first ever appearance in the Matchroom Sport franchise, erred getting position on what would have been the second to last ball of the match. He left Rodney Morris hooked behind the 9 ball, and the Hawaiian fouled, giving Team Europe the chance to even the match. The crowd favorites then cleared the final rack for the first point in this first-to-11 competition.

American fortunes quickly turned in the second match, a doubles contest matching Morris and Hatch against Nick van den Berg and Ralf Souquet. The two sturdy Americans rolled out to a 5-0 lead, just a rack from evening the contest at 1-1. But Van den Berg and Souquet responded by taking the next four. The comeback was aborted, though, when Van den Berg missed a cross-side bank. The Americans cleared for a 6-4 win.

Originally set for four matches on the opening night, Thursday night's action was trimmed to three because of the late hour. So the singles set matching Corey Deuel and Mika Immonen would decide the first night's victor.

Immonen quickly took the first three racks of the set, but Deuel showed plenty of nerve to silence the rowdy crowd with a 6-4 come-from-behind winner.

With the edge, the Americans will look to settle into the hostile environment. Morris, a veteran of six Mosconi Cups, offered a bit of a jab toward the Europeans as the players exited the arena.

"It was great to win coming off a loss and you have to show a lot of heart. But as I've said we've got more heart and we're going to show it,“ said Morris.

With a runner-up finish at the U.S. Open, Deuel looks to be in prime shape for December's Mosconi Cup. Entering last week's U.S. Open, only two of five slots on the American Mosconi Cup team were filled — by Johnny Archer and last year's surprise MVP Dennis Hatch. On Friday morning, Matchroom Sport announced the final three members of Team USA: Corey Deuel, Shane Van Boening and Rodney Morris.

All three have plenty of experience in the transatlantic team competition, with Morris and Deuel each making his seventh appearance. Van Boening will be lining up for the U.S. for the third consecutive year.

The trio turned in strong efforts at the U.S. Open, with Deuel coming within a rack of his second title. He dropped a heartbreaking 15-13 final to Darren Appleton, who will be making his Mosconi Cup debut for Team Europe.

While surprising winners last year, the Americans will venture to London's famed York Hall to face another stacked Team Europe. Ralf Souquet, Mika Immonen, Karl Boyes and Nick van den Berg will join Appleton to represent Europe.

The Mosconi Cup is scheduled for Dec. 9-12. Info and updates can be found at www.matchroompool.com.

Ouschan (right) outlasted Ga Young Kim for the $20,000 first prize. While establishing herself as a dominant force on the Women's Professional Billiard Association's Classic Tour, Jasmin Ouschan always eyed taking taking that next step and transferring her success to world championships. Now, with her triumph at the Women's World 10-Ball Championship in Manila, the 24-year-old has done so.

Battling Ga Young Kim in the final, Ouschan fell behind the Korean sensation, 4-0, early in the race to 10. But the reigning Player of the Year then caught fire, collected the next seven racks for a lead she would never relinquish. Kim closed to within 7-5 and 9-6, but Ouschan clinched in the 16th rack after a Kim miss.

"It [will] take a couple of hours for this to sink in, but I can't believe that this is happening," said Ouschan. "I've came so close to winning this, I've been chasing it for years and to win this in the country considered the billiards capital of the world, it's just amazing."

Ouschan went unbeaten in the group stages, winning all five of her matches. She then edged Japan's Miyuki Fuke, 8-5, and Karen Corr, 8-2. In the semifinal against Kelly Fisher, Ouschan was on the winning end of a tight 9-7 decision to set up her final tilt opposite Kim.

For Ouschan, the Women's World 10-Ball represents her first world title sanctioned by the World Pool-Billiard Association. Not only that, the win also positions Ouschan as the favorite for 2010 Player of the Year honors.

CHESAPEAKE, Va. -- Even before the last ball fell at the 2010 U.S. Open, plenty of spectators, referees and fellow players tabbed Darren Appleton's 15-13 final victory over Corey Deuel the greatest championship in the event's 35 year history.

Playing with the newly introduced win-by-two rule, Appleton and Deuel went well past the initial race to 13. In an absolutely epic slugfest, the two traded racks late, with each player watching the other break for the match.

Knotted at four apiece, the match first swung toward Appleton, who took the next four racks for an 8-4 lead. But Deuel never allowed the 32-year-old Brit to feel completely comfortable with the lead. The American, who won the U.S. Open title in 2001, worked himself back into the match. Facing a 11-9 deficit, Deuel cleared an dry break, then took the next two from the break to get on the hill, 12-11.

But a dry break allowed Appleton to knot it at 12-12 before getting on the hill with a break and run. Deuel again evened the match, but scratched to cede control back to Appleton. He cleared that table, then cracked open the 29th rack, with the 8 ball slowly creeping into the side pocket. From there, the map to the championship was set.

"When I saw that, it was rather simple," he said. "But in that situation, anything is missable."

Appleton eased through the final table, allowing his nerved to tighten up on the 7 ball before easing into straight-in position on the 9.

"At that point, the only way I was going to miss was if my hand fell off," he said.

Sure enough, he pocketed the clinching 9, with his countrymen (including Chris Melling, Karl Boyes, Daryl Peach, Jayson Shaw and Scott Higgins) jump-starting the celebration.

Amid the celebrations, though, Deuel stood to the side, dejected with knowing he was on the unfortunate end of a match that somebody had to lose.

"I'm not disappointed with how I played," he said. "It's not like I dogged it at the end. He creeped a ball in on that last break and that was the difference. ... It's just a huge disappointment to come so close."

Appleton is the first British winner of the U.S. Open title. The win marks the former English 8-Ball ace's third international title, following the 2008 World 10-Ball Championship and 2009 World Pool Masters.

"I really can't compare it to the World 10-Ball," he said. "But I think I'll enjoy this one more.

"The 10-ball title was more of a weight of my chest. This one, I think I get to enjoy this one."

Deuel (right) raced past Immonen, 11-3, in the left-side final. CHESAPEAKE, Va. -- Corey Deuel is back in the U.S. Open final, just one win away from his second title after winning the 2001 crown -- and the opportunity isn't lost on the 32-year-old.

"Really, I feel lucky to be here," he said, moments after dispatching Mika Immonen, 11-3, in impressive fashion. "I just think I played my best match at the right time."

Entering the match on an emotional high after topping Warren Kiamco in the fourth-place match (this year's final-day sets are win-by-two), Deuel kept rolling against the two-time defending champ. The pair split the first half-dozen racks, before Deuel caught fire.

On his way through the next eight games, he kept Immonen's chances limited while punishing his opponent for any mistake. By the time the score reached 7-4, the Chesapeake Conference Center filled with a sense of inevitability to Deuel's victory. He then cleared the table after a loose safety by Immonen, and broke and ran the final three to clinch his spot in tonight's final. He will face Darren Appleton, who earned the hot-seat with an 11-9 win that left Immonen in the semifinal.

With all the momentum behind him, Deuel hopes to open up strong in the extended race-to-13 final.

"I'd love to get an early lead," he said. "But all I want is to play my best."

Certainly an unceremonious exit for the 37-year-old champion, Immonen stood little chance with Deuel breaking and playing near perfectly. The 2008-2009 Player of the Year finishes in third place, just two wins shy of an unprecedented three-straight U.S. Open titles.

Deuel (right) clinched victory over Kiamco in thrilling fashion. CHESAPEAKE, Va. -- Anyone thinking the win-by-two rule, a new new addition to this year's final day, would limit last-rack heroics needn't worry. In the fourth-place match, Corey Deuel and Warren Kiamco battled to a 10-10 tie in the race to 11, meaning the set was headed to extra time.

After the two split a quartet of games, Deuel forced Kiamco into a foul to get on the hill, 13-12. Then, sinking a ball on the break, the 2001 champ saw an interesting opportunity. With a backward cut on the 1, Deuel had a natural angle directly to the 9, which was a diamond away from the other corner pocket. He drilled the cue ball, which skimmed off the 1 and squarely into the 9, which fell for the win.

Deuel will now face Mika Immonen, who dropped the hot-seat match to Darren Appleton, 11-9. Just three balls from knotting the match at 10 (which would have again put the win-by-two rule into play), Immonen hung the 7 on a slim cut along the foot rail. Appleton cleared it for the win.

Knowing he's got a spot in the fina, the Brit unleashed a series of howls, pointing to his countrymen seated in the stands. The usually reserved Appleton couldn't hide his excitement in the wake of such a dramatic victory.

"I'm where I want to be," he said. "I was fortunate that [Immonen] missed that 7, but I'm happy with how I played. I've got one more to go."

The left-side final between Deuel and Immonen is now underway, with the race-to-13 final (which will again be win-by-two) currently scheduled for 7 p.m. (EST).

Deuel (right) will look for a second win over Kiamco in the fourth-place match. CHESAPEAKE, Va. -- The U.S. Open is a day away from crowning the 2010 champion; just four players four matches from one of the biggest titles in pool.

No doubt the headliner is two-time reigning champion Mika Immonen, who will face Darren Appleton for the hot-seat Saturday at 1 p.m. (EST).

But there's another former champ still in the hunt. Corey Deuel -- who blanked Immonen, 11-0, for the 2001 title -- rebounded from a 11-8 loss to Appleton. He eliminated Shane Van Boening and Rodney Morris, both 11-8, to face Jason Klatt in Saturday's final round of play. On the Accu-Stats TV table, Deuel then hit a gear en route to a surprisingly easy 11-1 win. He is set to face Warren Kiamco, whom he topped 11-10 earlier in the tournament, in the fourth-place match tomorrow at 1 p.m.

For Klatt, the one-sided defeated ended an inspired run in a rather unceremonious way. The 24-year-old from Toronto blasted his way into the winners-side final four, topping the likes of Karl Boyes, Charlie Williams and Ralf Souquet along the way.

But he then ran into Immonen, who was unstoppable in what has to be the match of the tournament, at least to date. Winning the lag, Immonen broke and ran the first six racks. After a safety battle in the seventh game, Klatt got on the board, then ran a trifecta himself to edge within two games at 6-4. He then broke dry and, after an exchange of safeties on the 1, was finished by Immonen, who ran out the set.

Klatt then faced Deuel for a spot in the final four, but the set was over quickly. Deuel stretched an early lead and closed out the set, 11-1. Bounced out in fifth place, Klatt faced mixed emotions after his rather swift exit.

"I'm proud of what I did," he said after his loss to Deuel. "But it really leaves a bad taste in my mouth, to go out like that. I don't know if I'll have this opportunity again, to be so close."

Similarly, David Alcaide went from the edge of the winners-side final to a fifth-place exit. The Spaniard was sent to the left in a grinding 11-8 match to Appleton. He then looked out of gas against Kiamco, who rolled to an 11-5 victory.

For Kiamco, this year's tournament provides a shot at redemption after a close call in 2007. Three years ago, the 40-year-old Filipino braved a hellish slog through the left-side, only to fall short a match before the final.

"Now I get to see if I can do better than third," he said. "I'm tired, but I will be ready tomorrow."

The Kiamco-Deuel match is set for 1 p.m. (EST), running alongside the hot-seat match. The semifinals are scheduled for 3 p.m., with the race-to-13 (win by two) final slated for 7 p.m.

Immonen (right) trounced Klatt, 11-4, to guarantee a spot in this year's top three. CHESAPEAKE, Va. -- What started as a bloated bracket full of 256 players is now down to just six men. And with the 2010 U.S. Open 9-Ball Championship a day away from being settled, Mika Immonen has ensured that anyone interested in this year's crown will have to go through him to get it.

The two-time reigning champ was in impressive form on Saturday. He muscled past Taiwan's rising star Lo Li-Wen, 11-7, before blasting upstart Jason Klatt, 11-2, for a spot in Sunday's hot-seat match. While the crowd is certainly abuzz with the possibility of the first back-to-back-to-back champion in the U.S. Open's 35 year history, Immonen has tried to keep his mind focused on the task at hand.

"Of course, I'm thinking about it," he said. "But I'm trying to take it one shot at a time."

Immonen will face Darren Appleton tomorrow at 1 p.m. (EST) for a spot in the final. Appleton topped Efren Reyes, 11-5; Corey Deuel, 11-8; and David Alcaide, 11-8, to inch within a set of the final.

After a grueling match with Alcaide on the Accu-Stats TV table, Appleton was relieved that he had the night off to prepare for what could be a very big day on Sunday.

"Right now, I'm just looking forward to taking an hour with some friends to settle down," he said. "I just hope to get some sleep and be ready for tomorrow."

Currently, the fifth-place matches are underway in the Chesapeake (Va.) Conference Center. Klatt is facing Deuel on the TV table, while Warren Kiamco battles Alcaide in tonight's final round of play.

Tomorrow, the Klatt-Deuel winner will play the Kiamco-Alcaide survivor at 1 p.m. The third-place match will be at 3 p.m., with the final slated for a 7 p.m. start.

Morris (right) will face Deuel, with the loser finishing in seventh place. CHESAPEAKE, Va. -- Hopes for the U.S. Open title to return to American shores rest on the shoulders of two players. Unfortunately, those two players -- 1996 champ Rodney Morris and 2001 winner Corey Deuel -- face off in the next round of play.

The pair will meet in the seventh-place matches, which will soon be underway in the Chesapeake (Va.) Conference Center. Deuel is fresh off an 11-8 win over 2007 champ Shane Van Boening, while Morris has plenty of momentum after thrashing Thorsten Hohmann, 11-2.

The other seventh-place match will pit Ralf Souquet against Warren Kiamco. After suffering a heartbreaking 11-10 loss to Jason Klatt, Souquet rebounded with a strong 11-5 win over newly inducted Hall of Famer Francisco Bustamante.

But perhaps the most remarkable story to this point is Mika Immonen. The two-time defending U.S. Open champ has been thoroughly dominant in his trek through the winners side. With an 11-4 win over Klatt, the last remaining dark horse, Immonen is in the hot-seat match, just two victories away from an incredible third consecutive title.

In a tournament that has been a bit light on Cinderellas, Klatt has made an impressive run deep into the brackets. While no stranger to the major events in the U.S. and Canada, the 24-year-old Canadian has emerged as a strong player on the international scene. His highest finish at the U.S. Open is just 17th place, but he recently finished ninth at the World 9-Ball Championship in Qatar.

But Immonen is clearly -- and with good reason -- the man to beat. He awaits the winner of the Darren Appleton-David Alcaide set, which is just underway.

Online brackets can be found at www.azbilliards.com, with live streaming featured on www.accu-stats.com.

Check back to billiardsdigest.com for player reaction and match updates after each round of play.

CHESAPEAKE, Va. -- After surviving a 14-match march through the one-loss bracket to win his second straight U.S. Open title last year, Mika Immonen has apparently learned his lesson. The reigning Player of the Year is one of four unbeaten players remaining in this year's 256-player field.

Immonen, who recently finished second at the World 14.1 Championship, survived a hill-hill scare against Gabe Owen, before topping Taiwan's Lo Li-Wen.

"I'm feeling very comfortable in here," Immonen said after dispatching Lo. "It's a lot better than last year, playing constantly. Now I get to rest."

In the winners-side semifinal, Immonen will face the surprise of the tournament, Jason Klatt. The 24-year-old has been an up-and-coming player for a number of years. But the lanky Canadian appears to have made major progress in the past 12 months.

"I've been playing more international events. I've been trying to get that seasoning, to play all these guys," he said moments after topping Ralf Souquet, 11-10.

In that match, Klatt cleared a gutsy final rack after Souquet scratched on the break.

The other semifinal will match Spain's David Alcaide against former World 10-Ball king Darren Appleton. Meanwhile, on the losers-side bracket, Shane Van Boening has been gathering steam after losing his opening match.

"I almost prefer the losers bracket," Van Boening said. "I'm getting in stroke and playing constantly."

The 2007 titlist has won 10 straight, including an 11-8 win over Johnny Archer. Van Boening will face 2001 champ Corey Deuel this evening.

In other one-loss action, Thorsten Hohmann will square off against Rodney Morris; Francisco Bustamante, just inducted into the BCA Hall of Fame last evening, will face Souquet; and Warren Kiamco, the lone Filipino left in the tournament, will face Lo.

Ortmann ran 82 and 102 to seize control of the final. A lot has been made of Oliver Ortmann's first major straight-pool title. In 1989, the German entered the U.S. Open Straight Pool event as an unheralded import with little hope of competing for the prestigious title.

But Ortmann, then just 22 years old, shot his way to the title, with a final-match upset of the mighty Steve Mizerak. The win is the symbolic beginning for the European domination of the game.

So, in a fitting trip full-circle, Ortmann is again the World 14.1 Champion. At the 2010 Predator 14.1 World Tournament, the powerful German hit his stride in the final 16-player knockout phase. He opened up with a 200-63 win over Danny Barouty before ousting Johnny Archer, 200-151.

In the semifinal, Ortmann faced Holland's Huidjie See, whom Ortmann edged for the 2007 world title. Again, See would fall, this time ending his event in third place by a 200-125 score line. The other semifinal matched Thorsten Hohmann, 2006 world champ, against Mika Immonen, who finished runner-up to Stefan Cohen at last year's event. Immonen again advanced to the final by edging Hohmann, 200-65.

In the championship, Ortmann established control early with an 82-ball run after a scratch from Immonen. The Finn returned to the table after Ortmann erred on a break shot, but Immonen again missed. Ortmann made him pay, this time putting together a run of 102 to put him within 16 balls of the title.

Immonen responded with a run of 62, but then ceded control back to Ortmann, who then ran out for yet another significant title.

Sigel has been impressive early on at the 14.1 tournament. With the weekend approaching, the 48 players at the Predator World Tournament of 14.1 are jockeying for position in the opening round-robin phase. With players divided into eight groups of six, three rounds of play are in the books.

Perhaps the most notable deveopment thus far — though certainly not much of a surprise — has been the play of Hall of Famer Mike Sigel. The 57-year-old has won his first three matches, including a 100-9 victory over last year's runner-up, Mika Immonen. With two matches left, Captain Hook looks to be headed to the knockout phase of the tournament.

Other notable unbeatens include reigning champ Stefan Cohen of France (3-0), 14.1 powerhouse Oliver Ortmann (3-)and Jasmin Ouschan (2-0).

The high-profile 14.1 event, held Breakers Billiards in Clifton, N.J., will run through the weekend, with the final set for Monday, Oct. 11.

Brackets are being hosted by www.azbilliards.com, and live streaming of the event is available at www.accu-stats.com.

Hatch won four of five matches in his first appearance last year. Matchroom Sport announced two more players for this year's Mosconi Cup, set for Dec. 8-10 at York Hall in London — neither of which should shock fans of the most celebrated team event on the tournament calendar.

Back for the Europeans, Ralf Souquet will make his 14th run in the annual U.S.-Europe clash. With the 2010 nomination, Souquet ties American Johnny Archer for the most appearances in the event's 17-year run. (WPA World No. 1 Mika Immonen will also have 14 if he's named to this year's squad.) Souquet is the second member of the European team to be announced, after EuroTour No. 1 Karl Boyes earned his automatic bid.

For the Americans, Dennis Hatch will be a part of his second Mosconi Cup. And if the U.S. hopes to keep the Cup, Hatch will have to mimic his 2009 performance that ended with him hoisting the MVP trophy. The big man from Buffalo was the emotional leader for an American squad that overcame hefty odds to upset the Europeans.

The remaining slots three slots on each five-man team will be filled later this month

Visit www.matchroompool.com for more information on the 2010 Mosconi Cup.

Two pool and billiard industry leaders, Mueller Recreational Products and CueSports International (CSI), are proud to announce they have inked an exclusive 5 year deal to provide the best in cuesport products at the lowest possible prices to BCA Pool League and USA Pool League members and all CSI affiliates.

A family owned company based in Lincoln, Nebraska - Mueller has a 34 year history of providing a wide array of billiard and dart supplies worldwide. In the Mueller / CSI agreement, BCAPL and USAPL league members will be able to benefit by having the Mueller extensive catalogue of products offered at exclusive pricing.

The CSI online member’s only store, Rackem’ Rewards, will be replaced and managed by the Mueller team. “We are excited to work with Mueller. They have a unique placement in the sport as they provide the largest and most complete list of billiard products in the industry. The volume of products Mueller’s sells ensures the best possible pricing for our membership,” said CSI CEO Mark Griffin.

Further details will be announced in the coming months as the specifics of the agreement are rolled out to the pool and billiard community.

CueSports International is dedicated to creating more choices for all players. CSI is the parent company of the BCA Pool League and the USA Pool League. CSI also produces independent events such as the U.S. Bar Table Championships, the Jay Swanson Memorial and the U.S. Open 10-Ball Championship. Visit www.playcsipool.com, www.playbca.com and www.playusapool.com for more information about CSI and its divisions.

Ozone Billiards (www.ozonebilliards.com) Signs on as the new Title Sponsor of the former Viking Cue 9-Ball Tour. "The basic operations, format and added monies of the tour events will remain the same for the players. However our room owners and sponsors will see added benefits as a result of this change", stated Mike Janis the tours founder. Janis added "The change in the title sponsorship will now allow us to give our sponsors increased advertising and sales opportunities along with allowing us to be more flexible in the sponsors we accept as we can now offer sponsorship to additional products and cue brands. The room owners will see reduced rates in tournament fees as a result of Ozone Billiards sponsorship."

Shawn Gargano, founder of Ozone Billiards stated "We are excited to be the new title sponsor of these events. As a former co-sponsor of the tour we have experienced the benefits of being associated with the tour and were very happy with the advertising results we received. The Viking Cue 9-Ball Tour, now the Ozone Billiards Tour has demonstrated that it is the one of the premier tours in the industry. We were pleased to be asked to be the new title sponsor. This title sponsorship helps reaffirm Ozone Billiards continued commitment to the sport of billiards and its many players. We are looking forward to a very exciting season."

About Ozone Billiards: Ozone Billiards has been providing pool players with top quality billiard products for more than nine years. Its commitment to customer service has helped Ozone Billiards grow to be one of the largest retailers of billiard supplies in the United States. For more information about Ozone Billiards please visit: http://www.ozonebilliards.com

About the Ozone Billiards Tours:

The Ozone Billiards Tour was founded in 1994 as the Ohio 9-Ball Tour. Over the years it has grown significantly to include many regions of the US. It is currently the largest and longest running Open regional billiards tour in the USA. The Ozone Billiards Tours now consist of five separate tours: The Ozone Billiards Open, Amateur, Amateur-Advanced, Junior 9-Ball Tour and the Ozone-Olhausen Billiards Classic Tour which are all a minimum of $5,000 added. Combined, the tours offer approximately 141 tournament events each tour season for players from beginning to professionals to compete in. Player and business associate members are offered many outstanding benefits that separate the Ozone Billiards Tours from any other tour in the USA. These benefits include: Advertising Support, Healthcare insurance, Hotel and Travel discounts, Free entry fees for Ladies and Junior players, Discounts to Military Personnel, Senior Citizens and Pool League Players.

Room owners interested in hosting one of the New "Ozone Billiards Tour" Events or Sponsors interested in supporting the tour should contact Mike Janis at 1-800-200-POOL or email ozonetour@yahoo.com.

Varner led the U.S. to a surprising 11-7 victory at last year's competition. If Nick Varner didn't earn another year captaining the American squad following last year's shocking Mosconi Cup result, something would be amiss. Worry not, though, as Matchroom Sport announced 62-year-old legend will lead the U.S. into battle at this year's transatlantic tilt — set for Dec. 9-12 at York Hall in London.

Entering the 2009 Mosconi Cup, Varner's U.S. team was considered heavy underdogs, after suffering through a 12-5 drubbing the year before from a stacked European squad. But thanks to some superb play early, the Americans ran away with the Cup, clinching the upset by a count of 11-7.

Looking to steer the Yankee clipper again in 2010, Varner is eying yet another victory for the Americans.

"It will be exciting to see Team USA repeat again in the Mosconi Cup," he said. "And I’m looking forward to one more victory and dance with Team America!"

The Europeans, meanwhile, will be lead by Johan Ruijsink, who led them to victory in 2007. For the 44-year-old, it will be his third outing as European captain and so far he is undefeated, claiming a draw in Rotterdam in the 2006 and then a superb 11-8 win the following year, the first European victory on American soil.

“I am looking forward to lead my players into the epic battle that the Mosconi Cup has always been," he said. "And I am confident that team Europe will be able to break the winning mood that the Americans have shown last year."

Fu and Li raise the World Cup for the second time in four years. (Photo by Matchroom Sport) Say what you will about the single-elimination bracket. Or the alternate-shot format. Or short races.

What’s now an indisputable fact is that China is a powerhouse in the World Cup of Pool, Matchroom Sport’s $250,000 event collecting 32 two-player teams from across the globe.

Capping an impressive run through five rounds of play, the duo of Fu Jianbo and Li Hewen trounced the Filipino pairing of Dennis Orcollo and Roberto Gomez in a surprisingly sloppy final, 10-5. With the win, Fu and Li collected their second World Cup (the two won their 2007 debut), joining the Philippines as two-time winners of the 5-year-old tournament.

Despite China’s past success, though, Fu and Li were seeded eighth among 16 seeded teams at this year’s Cup — held Sept. 7-12 in Robinsons Place in Manila, Philippines. Facing the unseeded Belgians in the opening round, the Chinese quickly erased any thoughts of an upset with an 8-2 victory.

True to form, 15 of 16 seeded teams advanced, though the second-seeded pairing of Americans Rodney Morris and Johnny Archer were pushed to the limit by Sweden, 8-7. But the U.S. wouldn’t stick around much longer. Facing the deceptively dangerous 15th ranked Polish tandem of Mariusz Skoneczny and Radoslaw Babica in the next round, the U.S. watched the Poles climb on the hill, 7-4. The Americans rallied to force a case came, but Archer couldn’t escape a safety and Poland advanced, 8-7.

The Americans were joined on the sidelines by reigning champions Efren Reyes and Francisco Bustamante. The top-seeded Philippine A team (as host, the nation received two entries in the field), succumbed to Indonesia, 8-6.

In the quarterfinals, China again jumped out to an early lead, stringing racks together against the Indonesians en route to a 9-3 victory. The Germans (Ralf Souquet and Oliver Ortmann) struggled to put away France, 9-7, while the Philippines B squad thumped Finland, 9-1. The well-armed twosome from Taiwan (Ko Pin-Yi and Chang Jung-Lin) then ended Poland’s Cinderella run to round out the final four.

And what a pair of semifinals. Both sets were absolute barnburners, with Germany-China kicking off the action. Fu and Li looked to be in complete control early on, racing to a 6-1 lead against the well-accomplished German team. But Li mishandled a 4 ball in the next game, giving Ortmann and Souquet an open door. The two went on to collect the next six racks to take a 7-6 lead in the race to 9. Souquet then missed a difficult try on the 1 ball, allowing the Chinese to tie it. Fu and Li then cleared the next two racks from the break to advance to their second World Cup, 9-7.

Next up was the Philippine-Taiwanese tilt. The center of 2,000-plus onlookers’ attention, Orcollo and Gomez couldn’t get settled with the pressure of the home crowd. Still, they managed to keep even with Taiwan until the two sides were square at 8-8. In the case game, Ko smashed open the deciding rack and dropped three balls. But Chang missed the 2 ball, giving the Filipinos a ticket to the final.

While the semifinals were both memorable, the final was equally forgettable, at least for the quality of play. After the teams split the first two racks, Gomez erred on a 9 ball in the side pocket to give the Chinese an advantage. Extending its lead to 4-1, Fu then misplayed the 9 ball in the next rack. But Gomez played a loose safety, giving Li an angle on the game-winner to push the advantage to four games.

The Chinese continued to collect racks, finally reaching the hill, 9-1. The Philippines took four straight games to breathe some life into the crowd, but China closed out the set, 10-5.

“They made a few mistakes and we took advantage of that,” Fu said. “The Philippines literally gave us the match because they made a lot more mistakes than we did.”

Lee and Breedlove sit with Savannah. The following is a press release from Octagon, the representation and marketing agency for Jeanette Lee, aka "The Black Widow":

Professional billiards star Jeanette Lee and her husband, George Breedlove, are proud to announce the birth of their sixth child, Savannah Lee Breedlove. Savannah was born on August 31 and mother and daughter are doing well. Savannah is the first natural-born child for the couple.

Lee and Breedlove are the definition of raising a modern blended family. Savannah is the newest member of the family joining her sister Chloe, who was born to a surrogate mother last October. The couple is also parents to an adopted child, Cheyenne (6), a foster child, John Kang (18), along with Breedlove’s two daughters from a previous marriage, Morgan (23) and Olivia (22).

“The ability to carry my own child was such an amazing experience and something I have always wanted,” said Lee. “George and I are so proud of our family and take great joy in raising our children in the best possible home environment. The birth of Savannah is truly a blessing for our family.”

Following a brief maternity leave, Lee is expected back to competition at the beginning of November. Said Tom George, Octagon’s Senior Vice President who manages Lee’s business endeavors: “This is a very special time for Jeanette and George as the birth of their own child is something they have always dreamed of. Their commitment to all their children, no matter what their background, is amazing to witness. Blended families are more commonplace now than ever before and Jeanette and George are a successful example of that.”

The birth of Savannah is truly special given Lee’s battle with scoliosis, which some thought would make carrying a child near impossible. Since being diagnosis at age 13, Lee has had numerous surgeries and procedures to stem the worsening of her condition.

Archer was rarely challenged en route to title No. 6. (Photo by Bruce Clayton) Johnny Archer is well beyond the point of just making it look easy at the Turning Stone Classic. The Hall of Famer's latest win this past weekend at the 15th running of the Joss Northeast Tour's big-money biannual event was his sixth in the last eight events. Yup, that gives Archer a not-too-shabby winning percentage of 75 percent.

Over the weekend, Archer cruised through the winners-side bracket, rarely challenged on his way into the hot-seat. Stringing seven matches together, he faced only two challenges, topping both Tony Robles and Shaun Wilkie by 9-6 counts. Other than that, Archer kept rolling with relative ease, capping his run with a 9-5 win over Rodney Morris for a spot in the final.

Morris, who fell to Archer in the championship of the event's last running in December 2009, rebounded on the one-loss side with a resounding 9-1 victory over Dennis Hatch, whom Morris had previously edged 9-7 on the winners side.

But Morris couldn't keep Archer from the double hat trick. In the extended race-to-13 final, Archer pulled ahead for a 13-8 clinching victory. With the win, Archer solidified his spot as the No. 1 player on the BCA points list, while pocketing $8,000 along the way.

Kim broke and ran the final rack for a 7-6 win in the final. Ga Young Kim has made a habit of winning the WPBA U.S. Open against Karen Corr. Since winning her first Classic Tour title at the Open in 2004, the Korean star has collected two more majors, both coming at the expense of former No. 1 Corr.

At this year's event — held at the Riverwind Casino in Norman, Okla. — Kim rolled through her first few matches. She eased passed Veronique Menard, 9-2, and Dawn Hopkins, 9-5. She finished her run into the single-elimination 16-player bracket with a 9-4 win over Monica Webb.

When the players were redrawn (the eight unbeaten players are matched with those that advance from the one-loss side), Kim again faced Webb. This time, the Georgian came within a rack of advancing, but Kim took the case game for a 9-8 win. Kim then thumped Gerda Hofstatter, 7-3, and Julie Kelly, 7-2, for a spot in the final.

Corr, meanwhile, outlasted Kim Shaw, 7-5, in the quarterfinals, before shutting out Vivian Villarreal in the semifinal, 7-0.

While Kim reached the hill first, 6-5, Corr responded by clearing the next rack from her break to force a case game for the title. But with the break, Kim responded by dropping the 2 and 7 balls. She survived a long try on the 4 ball and a difficult cut on the 9 to clinch her third U.S. Open title, and sixth WPBA victory overall.

Bustamante is the second Philippine native to join the Hall of Fame, following Efren Reyes in 2003. When Francisco Bustamante won the World 9-Ball Championship in July, the pool world rejoiced for the Filipino legend who had improbably gone his entire career without winning a sanctioned world title. Now, just weeks later, the 46-year-old has been awarded the honor of induction into BCA Hall of Fame.

Bustamante will join the sport’s most exclusive club at a ceremony held alongside the U.S. Open in October. He will be inducted with Larry Hubbart and Terry Bell, founders of the American Poolplayers Association league sustem, who will join the Hall’s Meritorious Service wing.

Here is the release from the Billiard Congress of America and the United States Billiard Media Association:

BROOMFIELD, Colo., July 27, 2010 - Francisco Bustamante, one of the most accomplished players to come out of the Philippines, has been elected for induction into the Billiard Congress of America Hall of Fame in voting conducted by the United States Billiard Media Association. Also, in the category of Meritorious Service, Terry Bell and Larry Hubbart, founders of the American Poolplayers Association league system in 1979, were elected for induction. Bustamante, 46; Bell, 66; and Hubbart, 69, will be formally inducted into the BCA Hall of Fame on Oct. 21 during ceremonies in conjunction with the U.S. Open 9-Ball Championship in Chesapeake, Va.

Bustamante, nicknamed "Django" because of a resemblance to the lead character in a Western film of the same name, was born in the Philippine province of Tarlac. He began playing pocket billiards at 10 years old, and began competing in the United States in the early 1990s. He hit his stride in the United States in 1997, winning two Camel Pro Billiard Tour events. He was named Billiards Digest's and Pool & Billiard Magazine's Player of the Year in 1998 after notching four major tournament wins, and he earned Billiards Digest's and Inside Pool's Player of the Year titles again in 2002, winning five major events in the U.S. and abroad, and finishing second at the World Pool Championship.

Bustamante finally garnered his first recognized world title in 2010, winning the WPA World 9-Ball Championship in Doha, Qatar. His strongest game is 9-ball, where his blockbuster break is legendary; although he is more than proficient at all the major games, as witnessed by his All-Around title at the 2008 Derby City Classic.

Upon hearing the news that he would be the second Filipino in the BCA Hall of Fame (after Efren Reyes' 2003 induction), Bustamante was completely shocked.

"Really? I'm still young!" Bustamante said. "Two things that I always dreamed of were to be world champion and to be in the Hall of Fame. This year both dreams came true. We all dream to be in the BCA Hall of Fame, so I am very happy today. We are heroes in the Philippines, but for the American people to recognize me like this makes me very proud."

Longtime road players and accomplished professionals, Bell and Hubbart decided to reach out to the grassroots players in 1979 through an amateur pool league they called the American Poolplayers Association (APA). Nationwide league systems like the BCA National 8-Ball leagues and Valley National Eight-Ball Association were just getting started as well, but Bell and Hubbart opted to go in another direction. They developed a handicapping system to allow players of all skill levels to compete against each other. With the handicapping system in place, they began franchising their concept.

Bell and Hubbart spent several years pouring all of their time and resources into developing the APA and its franchise system. With the support of sponsorship from Busch beer as a title sponsor beginning in 1981, the APA grew from 1,000 to 100,000 members over the next decade. Their ability to garner such non-endemic national sponsorship allowed the APA to grow into a league that today has more than a 250 thousand players and 270 franchisees. As a matter of fact, the APA was listed earlier this year as one of Entrepreneur Magazine's "10 Great Franchises For Less Than $20,000."

"We were outcasts for a long time because we were looked at as competition," Bell said. "But Larry and I just tried to build a business and do something worthwhile. We've always felt like we've done things that have helped the industry."

Voting was conducted by the USBMA Hall of Fame Board, which consists of USBMA members, elected At-Large members and living members of the BCA Hall of Fame. Induction is awarded to the player named on the most ballots. A second player is elected if he or she is named on more than 70 percent of the ballots. Bustamante (56 percent) was the leading vote getter, edging out familiar foe Ralf Souquet (46 percent) and fellow Filipino Jose Parica (44 percent). No other players were named on more than a quarter of submitted ballots.

According to BCA Hall of Fame voting rules, this was the last year of eligibility for Parica and Jim Mataya in the Greatest Players category. Both individuals will be past the age of 60 in 2011, which means the Veterans Committee will consider them for possible induction in future years.

To be eligible for consideration in the Greatest Player category, a player a) must be 40 years old by Jan. 1 of the year of their induction; b) must have a professional playing career of at least 10 years; and c) must have recorded significant achievements in U.S.-based events.

Hubbart and Bell were placed on the general election ballot after the USBMA's Board's 10-member Meritorious Service Committee named them as its official nominee. Thirty-one of 39 board members voted to approve Hubbart and Bell, with a simple majority required for induction.

Orcollo will defend his 2009 title at the SM North Mall Edsa in Manila. The evolution of the Predator International 10-Ball Championship continues. The event began a decade ago in the Jacksonville, Fla. area before moving to Las Vegas in 2008. This year, the premier 10-ball fete will be held in Manila, Philippines.

In a July 26 release, Dragon Promotion, who will promote and produce the event, announced that this year’s championship will be held Sept. 15-19 at the SM North Mall Edsa in the Philippine capital.

“The Predator International Championship is the longest running Dragon Promotions event, and we can think of no place better than the Philippines to host it,” said Dragon Promotions CEO Cindy Lee.

More than 30 countries will be represented in the 96-player field, but all eyes will be on a few past champions. Reigning champ Dennis Orcollo and 2008 surprise champion Tony Drago will both be highly regarded when the five-day event kicks off.

Also, in addition to the International 10-Ball Championship, Predator and Dragon Promotions will also stage the final rounds of a yet-to-be-finished tournament. Due to inclement weather during the second day of Predator World Tour’s January stop in Lloret De Mar, Spain, players and tournament officials agreed to postpone the final rounds until a later date. Now, with the announcement of the September event in Manila, the event will be completed in the two days prior to the International 10-Ball Championship.

The 16 players who are still alive from the Spain event — led by a strong contingent of six Americans, including Charlie Williams — will receive free airfare and accommodations from Predator.

“As a top pro player, being able to play in back to back events is a huge benefit,” Williams said. “And the players love going to Asia to play. It's the one place where it's viewed as a real sport, and the pro players are treated like stars.”

Visit www.dragonpromotions.com and www.predator10ball.com for more information.

Shuffett took his fourth BEF Junior title with an unbeaten run in DeKalb, Ill. Winning one junior national title is an accomplishment only a handful of teenaged pool players will ever experience — which is just what Landon Shuffett, Briana Miller and Liz Lovely want.

The three reigning champions defended their titles at this year’s Junior National 9-Ball Championships. Organized and promoted by the Billiard Education Fund, this year’s junior competitions were held over the weekend at Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, Ill.

In the 19-and-under boys’ event, Shuffett went unbeaten to defend his win at last year’s competition. On his way to the hot-seat match, Shuffett eked past last year’s 14-and-under champ Brendan Crockett, 9-8. He then edged Jesse Engle in the hot-seat match by the same count. Engel edged Crockett in the left-side final, but Shuffett was not to be denied. He edged Engel in the extended final, 11-7. Along with titles in the 14-and-under division in 2007 and 2008, Shuffett has now won an incredible four consecutive titles at the BEF Junior Nationals.

Briana Miller joined Shuffett as another four-time titlist with her win in the 14-and-under girls’ division. She rolled through her four matches, conceding just two games en route to the title. Just 14 years old, Miller will be one to watch as she graduates to the 19-and-under division in 2011.

In the elder girls’ division, Liz Lovely took her second consecutive title, though she had to survive a trip to the one-loss bracket to do so. Losing a hill-hill set to Stephanie Stone, Lovely won five matches on the left side, including a 7-1 win over Stone to work her way back to the final. There, she edged Jauslinn Arnold in an extended set, 9-6.

In the 14-and-under boys’ division, Billy Thorpe took his first title in thrilling fashion in a tight final against Kevin Sun. On the hill, 8-7, Sun pocketed what he thought to be a championship-clinching 3-9 combo — only to realize the 2 ball was still on the table. Thorpe cleared that rack and took the next for the 9-8 win.

Press Release

For distribution July 12, 2010

BCAPL Restructures Criteria for National Championships

CueSports International (CSI) announced last month the expansion of the BCA Pool League national singles player rating criteria to include an Advanced Division.  A natural extension of that update is an additional restructuring of the teams and scotch doubles criteria.  After much consideration and consultation with BCA Pool League Operators CSI has made the following changes effective with the 35^th BCAPL National 8-Ball Championships May 13-21, 2011 at the Riviera Hotel & Casino.

Mixed Open Teams (5 person teams / 10 players max on roster)

1 - No Masters or Grand Masters.

2 - One (1) Advanced Player is allowed on a Mixed Open Team.

3 - Teams must have at least three (3) original players from their local league team.

4 - Three original players must play in each round.

5 - All players must come from the same league.

Mixed Advanced Teams (4 person teams / 8 players max on roster)

1 - No Grand Masters.

2 - Only one (1) Master on the roster.

3 - Remainder of roster made up of Open and Advanced Players.

4 - Teams must have at least two (2) original players from their local league team.

5 - Two (2) original players must play in each round.

6 - Additional players may come from any BCAPL sanctioned league in the same state as the team origin.

Mixed Master Teams (3 person teams / 6 players max on roster)

1 - Only one (1) Grand Master on the roster.

2 - All players on the roster may be from any BCAPL sanctioned league.

Women’s Open Teams (4 person teams)

1 - No Masters or Grand Masters.

2 - One (1) Advanced Player is allowed on a Women’s Open Team.

3 - There is no original player requirement for Women’s Open Teams.

4 - All players must come from the same league.

Women’s Advanced / Master Teams (4 person teams)

1 - Only one (1) Master or Grand Master on the roster.

2 - Remainder of roster made up of Open and Advanced Players.

3 - The Master or Grand Master may come from any BCAPL sanctioned league in the same state as the team origin.

4 - All Advanced and Open Players on the roster must be from the same league.

5 - There is no original player requirement for the Women’s Advanced Teams.

Open Scotch Doubles (One Male and One Female)

1 - Both members of an Open Scotch Doubles Team must come from the same BCAPL sanctioned league

2 - Both players must be Open Players

Master Scotch Doubles (One Male and One Female)

1 - Only one (1) Grand Master on a Master Scotch Doubles Team

2 - Grand Master must be a league qualified player

3 - Two league players must come from the same state

4 - A Player Member may play with a league qualified Open, Advanced or Master player from the same state (Player Members may not play with a Grand Master)

Mixed Trophy Teams (5 person teams)

1 - No Advanced, Master or Grand Master players are allowed on Trophy Teams

2 - Teams must have at least three (3) original players from their local league team

3 - Three original players must play in each round

4 -All players must come from the same league

5 -Trophy Team players cannot have cashed in any division in any previous BCAPL National 8-Ball Championships

6 - Teams that placed in the top eight (8) of the Mixed Trophy Team division are not allowed to return to the Trophy division

7 - A team may return if they have two (2) or fewer members from a previous top eight (8) finishing team

Women’s Trophy Teams (4 person teams)

1 - No Advanced, Master or Grand Master players are allowed on Trophy Teams

2 - There is no original player requirement for Women’s Trophy Teams

3 - All players must come from the same league

4 - Trophy Team players can not have cashed in any division in any previous BCAPL National 8-Ball Championships

5 - Teams that placed in the top three (3) of the Women’s Trophy Team division are not allowed to return to the Trophy division.

6 - A team may return if they have two (2) or fewer members from a previous top three (3) finishing team.

To view the Advanced, Master and Grand Master player list please visit: http://playbca.com/Leagues/AdvancedandMasterList.aspx

All requests for review to be removed from the  Advanced, Master, or Grand Master lists must be in writing.  Telephone requests will not be accepted. Either email or mail your requests to:

Bill Stock

Director of Referees

Rules Administrator

CueSports International

2041 Pabco Road

Henderson, NV 89011

bill@playcsipool.com

For more information about CSI call (702) 719-7665 or email info@playcsipool.com

CueSports International is dedicated to creating more choices for all players. CSI is the parent company of the BCA Pool League, the National Championship Series (NCS), and the USA Pool League. CSI also produces independent events such as the U.S. Bar Table Championships, the Jay Swanson Memorial and the U.S. Open 10-Ball Championship. Visit www.playcsipool.com, www.playbca.com and www.playusapool.com for more information about CSI and its divisions.

On the morning of July 1, the Women's Professional Billiard Association distributed a press release announced the resignation of John Rousseau, president of the WPBA.

The abbreviated release mentioned only that Rousseau had resigned and thanked him for his services, while making no mention of a possible successor.

Rousseau originally joined the WPBA Board in October 2009 and was elected president early this year. An Arizona businessman with decades of experience in the credit-card collections industry, Rousseau took control of the women's tour during perhaps the most trying in the 17-year history of the Classic Tour. Routinely holding upward of eight, nine and 10 events a year, the Classic Tour had only two tour stops scheduled for 2010.

Also, just as Rousseau was elected president, a number of WPBA officials resigned, including board members Melissa Herndon, Paul Brienza and Tim DiMacchia and WPBA administrator Anne Craig. Then, when play began at this year's debut event, March's San Diego Classic, a contentious players meeting only heightened tensions within the WPBA. Players and board members reported an openly hostile environment, which eventually led to a private, players-only meeting. Rousseau remained WPBA president — until the WPBA's press release this week.

Peach will face a tough road to a second consecutive World 9-Ball title. (Photo by Lawrence Lustig-Matchroom Sport) It took awhile, but Daryl Peach finally got the chance to defend his World Pool Championship title. But things didn't exactly go to plan for the Englishman.

The 2010 World 9-Ball Championship — the first WPA-sanctioned world title event in the discipline since 2007 — kicked off on Tuesday in Doha, Qatar. The 128-player field has started group play, which features 16 flights of eight players drawn into double-elimination brackets. The top four from each group will advance to a single-elimination bracket of 64.

For Peach, he will have to advance the hard way after dropping his first set against Israel Rota of the Philippines, 9-8. Peach will have to win his next two matches to advance to the knockout phase.

The defending champ, though, wasn't the only big name to move to the left after a day of play. Ralf Souquet and Darren Appleton both dropped their first matches. Souquet, ranked No. 4 in the world, drew Dennis Orcollo in an absolute monster of a first round draw, with the German champion falling, 9-6. Appleton, meanwhile, never challenged Canadian journeyman Jason Klatt in a lopsided 9-2 match.

The Americans largely avoided the upset bug, with Shane Van Boening, Rodney Morris, Johnny Archer and Charlie Williams advancing. Oscar Dominguez, though, drew Swede Marcus Chamat in the first round and lost a heartbreaking 9-8 set.

The World 9-Ball Championship will run through Monday, July 5, with sporadic information available at www.qbsf.info — the website of the Qatar Billiards & Snooker Federation, the event's host and organizer.

Reyes and Bustamante won the World Cup for a second time in 2009. (Photo by Matchroom Sport) When Francisco Bustamante and Efren Reyes begin their bid to repeat as World Cup of Pool champions, they will probably have more than a little crowd support. For the second year, the two-player team event will once again take place in Manila, following last year’s first go-around in the Philippines.

Set for September 7-12, the event will feature 32 teams shooting for a $250,000 prize fund. Leading the way will be defending champions Reyes and Bustamante, whose heroics last year lifted the nation as they beat Germany, 11-9, in a riveting final featuring two of the top nations in pool.

That was the second time in the tournament’s four-year run that the Filipino veterans have lifted the coveted trophy. Plus, with the host nation having the honor of fielding two teams in the event, they will be joined by recent World Pool Masters Champion Dennis Orcollo and Roberto Gomez (aka Superman) as a rather imposing Philippines B Team.

Other stars of the pool world scheduled to take part include world champions Ralf Souquet and Oliver Ortmann of Germany, Daryl Peach and Karl Boyes of England, American Johnny Archer and Finland’s Mika Immonen.

Other top draws appearing in Manila are Sweden's Marcus Chamat, Niels Feijen of Holland, Malta’s Tony Drago and a host of big names that will be announced in the coming weeks.

The entire event will be broadcast by Solar Sports live across the Philippines with the live feed of the tournament available internationally. In addition Matchroom Sport will be producing 31 one-hour highlight package of the event.

“We are delighted to be returning to the Philippines after having enjoyed last year one of the greatest pool tournaments we have ever promoted," said Barry Hearn, chairman of Matchroom Sport.

“The World Cup of Pool is fast becoming the biggest pool tournament in the world and we are delighted to see its continued growth in Asia and around the world.”


The list of nation, divided by continent, is:

Europe (15): Austria, Croatia, England, Finland, France, Germany, Holland, Italy, Malta, Poland, Russia, Spain, Sweden and two qualifiers;

Asia (14): China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Philippines 1, Philippines 2, Qatar, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam;

North America (2): U.S. and Canada

Australia (1)

Last year's World Pool Masters champ Appleton has a history of success in Las Vegas. Fresh off last weekend's 64-player World Pool Masters, the world's top professionals are back at it, matching up in the first-ever U.S. Open 10-Ball Championship.

Held alongside the BCA Pool League's National Championship, the U.S. Open 10-Ball event, organized by CueSports International, attracted a 128-player field, which has now been reduced to roughly a third of its original size.

On the winners side, 16 players remain, including Darren Appleton, who survived a tough test against Shane Van Boening on Thursday, 9-5. In other big-time matchups, Charlie Williams outlasted Thorsten Hohmann by the same count.

But perhaps the blockbuster matchup of the early rounds happened over on the one-loss side of the chart. Both Efren Reyes and Johnny Archer were upset in the second round, leading to an elimination set between the two Hall of Famers. Again by a 9-5 scoreline, Archer advanced at the expense of the Filipino legend.

More information, including updated brackets and a live Internet stream, on the U.S. Open 10-Ball Championship is available at playcsipool.com.

Orcollo caught a groove in the final, winning the final seven racks. (Photo by JP Parmentier-Matchroom Sport) Dennis Orcollo is no stranger to success under the bright lights of Las Vegas. Now the Filipino money-game king can add another title to his growing collection. Champion of last year's Predator International 10-Ball Championship, Orcollo conquered a 9-ball event this time around, winning the 2010 World Pool Masters.

In a rather one-sided final against upstart Toru Kuribayashi of Japan, Orcollo turned a 3-1 deficit into a 8-3 victory, further solidifying his spot among the top two or three players in the world.

"I'm very happy and you can see the tears in my eyes," he said. "This tournament is really hard to win but I made it and I'm really proud to have won this. It's my biggest win."

Orcollo survived a scare in the double-elimination stage of the competition After easing past American Shaun Wilkie, he dropped a hill-hill set to Marcus Chamat. With a spot in the last 32 at stake, Orcollo ousted Jasmine Ouschan to reach the knockout round.

In the round of 32, he then avenged his defeat to Chamat with a 9-7 win before beating Raj Hundal 8-1 in the last 16. John Morra was his quarterfinal victim, before beating compatriot Roberto Gomez in the semifinal.

Kuribayashi, meanwhile, got off to the rough start, losing to Charlie Williams in his opening match, but he made his way through to the last 32 stages with wins over Ahmad Taufiq and Tony Drago. He then beat Taiwan’s Kuo Po Cheng before whitewashing Daryl Peach in the last 16.

Kuribayashi took revenge over Charlie Williams in the quarterfinal, before disposing of Oliver Ortmann in the last four.

In the race-to-8 final, Orcollo looked set to take the first but mishandled the 6 ball, which cost him the rack. Kuribayashi then broke and ran the second to grab a 2-0 lead.

Orcollo had ball in hand in the third and converted to get on the scoreboard before he made an error in the next as he scratched playing a safety, and Kuribayashi made him pay to lead 3-1.

Kuribayashi looked in good shape in the next but lack of pace on the cue ball meant his run broke down. They exchanged safeties on the 4 before an attempted bank from Kuribayashi failed, and Orcollo ran the rack to get to 2-3.

There was ball in hand opportunity in the next for Orcollo, as Kuribayashi scratched making a jump shot and the Filipino converted his chance to level things at 3-3.

Orcollo began to find his groove in the ninth game as he ran out his second consecutive rack to put some space between himself and Kuribayashi, 6-3. Orcollo then cleared another rack to get on the hill.

In fitting style, Orcollo ran out what was the final rack to win, 8-3, and claim the title of 2010 PartyPoker.net World Pool Masters champion.

"I was worried when I missed the 6 ball (in the first rack) and it was unexpected but sometimes that can happen.

"In a money game it might not matter if you play badly at the beginning you can still recover but in a tournament if you start badly you may lose."

Archer (right) advanced though the one-loss side. (Photo by Matchroom Sport) With the field at the World Pool Masters cut in half to 32, plenty of heavy hitters still remain as play switches to single elimination. But the rather mundane, such as Ralf Souquet and Johnny Archer surviving group play, is balanced by the quite surprising.

The first two days of the Matchroom Sport-produced event, where players were divided into eight groups of eight, produced a number of upsets that left a few heavy favorites on the sidelines as the sprint to Sunday's final kicks off Friday afternoon.

Shane Van Boening dropped two of three sets; Efren Reyes lost two straight after winning his first; and two-time world champion Ronnie Alcano went two-and-out. It seems as though for every world-beater who pushed through to the round of 32, there's an Evgeni Novosad of the Ukraine or a Do Hong Quan of Vietnam.

But with a supremely talented field, the round of 32 still has a number of notable match-ups. Topping the list is an especially tough quartet on the bottom of the bracket. Reigning champ Darren Appleton will face Germany's Oliver Ortmann, with the winner advancing to face the survivor of the Niels Feijen-Thorsten Hohmann match.

The Filipinos had an especially tough go of it in group play, with only Dennis Orcollo and Roberto Gomez left in the field. American hopes, meanwhile, will ride on six players, with John Schmidt, Charlie Williams, Dennis Hatch, and Rodney Morris joining Archer.

Van Boening was on the wrong side of a hill-hill match on Wednesday. This year's World Pool Masters is a bit different than the 16-player single-elimination tournament of years past. And for a few of the favorites in the newly expanded field of 64, that's a good thing.

On Wednesday afternoon, several top-seeded players were upset in the first round of double-elimination play. But those who were defeated will have another chance, as this year's format has players in eight groups of eight, with play switching to single-elimination once 32 players remain.

Shane Van Boening, who has been playing flawlessly in recent events, dropped his first match against the Ukraine's Evgeni Novosad, 9-8. But Van Boening has company as a betting favorite on the one-loss side.

Just as expected, Francisco Bustamante and Ronnie Alcano are set to meet in the second round. What's surprising is that they're meeting on the left side after both were defeated.

Conversely, Thorsten Hohmann won his first two matches to be the first player through to the knockout round of 32. The steely German edged Radislaw Babica, 9-8, before topping Efren Reyes, 9-6, to advance.

The Matchroom Sport event will continue through this weekend, with a champion being crowned on Sunday.

Team CSI-American Grand Master members Corey Deuel and Earl Strickland will be performing exhibitions and clinics in Sacramento and Redding, California May 24-27 immediately following their participation in the World Pool Masters (May 12-16) and the U.S. Open 10-Ball Championship (May 17-22) at the Riviera Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas.

The first stop for Deuel and Strickland will be the Showboat Lounge in Redding, Tuesday May 25th. The Team CSI duo will perform an exhibition at 7:30 pm. Spectators will win prizes and have chances to match up against either Deuel or Strickland in mini challenge matches and also the chance to play with one of the pros in a scotch doubles match. Strickland will also perform trick shots and only in the way Strickland can, tell tales of his life on the road.

The two-day Team CSI event at Showboat will conclude on a more serious note Wednesday May 26th where Deuel and Strickland will hold a 4 hour clinic from 11am to 3pm. Registration is limited to 12 students. The 12 students are divided into 2 groups of 6 and each group will spend 2 hours with each of the Team CSI Pros. The fee for this great opportunity to learn from two of the best is only $200 per person.

Thursday May 27th Duel and Strickland will travel to Hard Times Billiards in Sacramento where they will again hold another 4 hour pool clinic from 11am to 3pm. For more information or to register for a clinic contact Team CSI Manager Mark Cantrill at 480-612-7732.

For more information about Team CSI please visit www.playcsipool.com

Living by their company motto, creating more choices for all players, CueSports International (CSI) the parent company of the BCA Pool League, in partnership with Bad Boys Billiard Productions and Dr. Pool Promotions, Inc. (www.drpool.net) announces the BCAPL Southwest Regional Championships.

The five day event is scheduled September 1-5, 2010 at the beautiful Radisson Fort McDowell Resort and Casino in Scottsdale, Arizona. The $6,000 added tournament will be open to all BCA Pool League Members who joined or renewed after June 1, 2009 and non-league players with up to date Player Member status. The tournament will feature Singles 9-Ball, Singles 8-Ball and Team events in different divisions. Bad Boys Billiard Productions (www.badboysbp.com) will provide the equipment, including 7’ Diamond Smart Tables, and tournament direction. All division brackets will be available on-line via the new state-of-the-art CueSports Tournament System (CTS) at www.ctsondemand.com.

The Radisson Fort McDowell Resort is a "AAA Four Diamond" award winner and won the 2008 "Hotel of the Year Award" by Radisson Hotels. Amenities include a championship golf course, on site spa and health club, large outdoor heated pool and 25,000 square foot conference center. Participants of the event who stay at the Radisson will receive a 20% discount on spa services and golf. It is conveniently located 24 miles from the Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport.

Details and entry forms will be available both online at www.playbca.com by May 15th and at the 34th BCAPL National 8-Ball Championships at the Riviera Hotel & Casino, May 14-22.

The BCAPL is continuously adding state and regional events to their upcoming events calendar. For the most up to date calendar of events, check the Upcoming Events section under the Events tab at the BCAPL web site, www.playbca.com. For questions please contact CSI at (702) 719-7665 or email info@playbca.com.

Boyes took the title by clearing an open table in the case game. (Photo by Jerry Forsyth) Just three years ago, Karl Boyes was an out-of-nowhere semifinalist at the World Pool Championships, won by countryman Daryl Peach, himself a 150-to-1 shot at the beginning of the event. Since then, Boyes and his fellow British cueists have removed all doubts about their abilities to shine on the international stage.

First, Darren Appleton won the World 10-Ball Championship in 2008. Then, earlier this year, the U.K. won the World Team Championships.

Add to that the World 8-Ball Championship. On Saturday in Fujairah, U.A.E, Boyes survived a furious comeback from Dutch star Niels Feijen to take the title in a thrilling hill-hill final, 13-12.

Jumping out to an early 9-3 advantage, Boyes appeared to be on cruise control in the single-set final. But Feijen clawed his way back into the match, breaking and running numerous racks to climb within two racks, 11-9. With Boyes on the hill, Feijen cleared two more racks to knot the match at 12 games apiece.

With the break in the final rack, Feijen could not coax a ball into a pocket. From there, Boyes kept his nerves in check as he cleared for the world title.

Feijen (right) sent Appleton out in third place with a strong 10-6 win. (Photo by Jerry Forsyth) It looked easy, anyway.

At the semifinal round of the WPA World 8-Ball Championship, held in Fujairah, U.A.E., Niels Feijen and Karl Boyes appeared to have little difficulty moving into tomorrow's final. But in the final rounds of an international event, nothing can be so simple.

Boyes was absolutely unstoppable in his match against Russia's Ruslan Chinakhov. The Brit spun his way through rack after rack, sprinting to an emphatic 10-2 win. A member of Great Britain's victorious team at January's World Team Championship, Boyes now sits one set from his first major international singles title.

Feijen, meanwhile, jumped out to an early lead against Britain's Darren Appleton. Up 5-1, the Netherlander continued to inch toward the finish line, holding leads of 7-3 and 9-4. Following a dry break from Feijen, Appleton cleared the table and then broke and ran to get within three games. But Feijen finished off the set in the next game after an Appleton miss.

The final — an extended race to 13 — is set for 5 p.m. local time (10 hours ahead of Eastern Standard Time).

Appleton is in search of an 8-ball title to go along with his World 10-Ball crown. As it worked out at the WPA World 8-Ball Championship, the quarterfinal matches were split along continental lines. Four Europeans, four Filipinos, four spots in the semifinals.

And in a bit of a surprise, the quarterfinal round was completely dominated by the Europeans, with Niels Feijen, Darren Appleton, Karl Boyes and Ruslan Chinakhov advancing to the semifinals, which will be held later this evening in Fujairah, United Arab Emirates.

Of the remaining four players, Feijen and Appleton carry the most international experience into the final stages of the event, with both players previously winning world championships in singles events. Feijen won the 2008 World Straight Pool crown; Appleton took the 2008 World 10-Ball title.

Boyes, however, has proven to be a factor in international competition. He was a part of the victorious Great British squad at this year's WPA World Team Championship and has posted top 10 finishes at the U.S. Open and Predator 10-Ball Championship. Chinakhov is also no stranger to big-time tournaments. He took fifth at last year's World 10-Ball event and is a regular threat on the talent-rich EuroTour.

Feijen (right) eliminated Souquet in a Thursday evening slugfest. The quarterfinal round is set at the WPA World 8-Ball Championship. With 32 players alive when play began on Thursday, just eight remain in pursuit of the first world championship of the year.

Plenty is still to be determined, but one this is for sure: There will not be a repeat champion. Ralf Souquet, winner of the last 8-ball title in 2008, suffered a heartbreaking loss in the round of 16 to familiar foe Niels Feijen. The two Europeans fought one another for more than three hours, with Feijen establishing a late 8-5 lead. Souquet, though, responded by winning four consecutive racks to climb on the hill, 9-8. The Netherlander responded, first clearing a dry break from Souquet and then running out from his break in the decisive case game.

But with three-fourths of the field eliminated in one day, Souquet found company on the sidelines. Mika Immonen, the reigning World 10-Ball champ, was sent packing Russia's Ruslan Chinakhov, 10-7. Filipino favorite Lee Vann Corteza eliminated Dennis Orcollo, 10-9, before himself being bounced out by countryman Jeffrey De Luna, 10-2.

The quarterfinal matches will get started on Friday, with the four match-ups as follows:
- Jeffrey De Luna vs. Ruslan Chinakhov
- Vicenancio Tanio vs. Karl Boyes
- Niels Feijen vs. Andreas Roshkowski
- Darren Appleton vs. Joven Alba

Van Boening (right) will face Sweden's Chamat in the round of 32. (Photo by Lawrence Lustig) The good news is that every American at the WPA World 8-Ball Championship survived the double-elimination rounds and advanced to the knockout round of 32. The catch? Shane Van Boening is the only U.S. representative in Fujairah, United Arab Emirates.

Van Boening easily advanced through the group stage, where eight groups of eight players were placed into a double-elimination bracket, with four from each group surviving. The American hopeful easily moved on, trouncing Masaki Tanaki, 8-3, and Taiwan's Ko Pin-Yi, 8-4.

Ralf Souquet, who won the last WPA world title in 8-ball in 2008, also had no trouble pushing through to the single-elimination round. The German topped Kang Lee, 8-3, and Ruben Bautista, 8-1.

Not surprisingly, the Filipinos have a host of players still in the hunt for the world title. But thanks to a bit of an unlucky draw, the Pinoys will be advancing in spite of themselves for the first two rounds. Lee Vann Corteza faces Dennis Orcollo, with the winner facing the victor of the Ricky Yang-Jeffrey DeLuna match. On the other side of the bracket, Antonio Gabica will face Marlon Manalo, with the winner advancing to play the survivor of the Joven Alba-Oliver Medinilla set.

The knockout rounds will continue through Saturday, when the final is scheduled for 5 p.m. local time.

Flora Mosconi passed away on March 25 at the age of 87. (Photo courtesy the Mosconi family) The following is from R.A. Dyer's pool blog (untoldstoriesbilliardshistory.blogspot.com) on the passing of Flora Mosconi:

Flora Mosconi, the widow of Willie Mosconi and a woman credited with bringing love, warmth and stability to the pool legend's family during his long years on the road, has passed away after a long illness. She was 87.

Ms. Mosconi, formerly Flora Marchini, met Willie in 1952 and they were married a year later. They lived out most of their years at a home in Haddonfield, N.J., not far from where Ms. Mosconi passed away March 25 in hospice care.

Her husband, who was among the finest pool players in U.S. history, spent long months away from home as he participated in tournaments and promotional activities. Flora accompanied him on many of these trips, but also ran the household in his absence.

She became a mother for Mosconi's two children from a previous marriage, William, Jr. and Candace. The Mosconis also had a child of their own, Gloria, who died of breast cancer about a decade ago.

Flora was introduced to Mosconi by a co-worker, who happened to be Mosconi's cousin. Quoted in “The Hustler & The Champ,” a Mosconi biography, Flora Mosconi recalled that she was just 19 years old when she first set eyes on the world champion. "Well, you know, I worked at the telephone company with his cousin, and she asked me one day to go out on a double date,” she said. “You know, I never heard of Willie Mosconi, never heard of billiards — and she wants me to go out with Willie Mosconi. She says, ‘He’s divorced and has two kids,’ and I said, ‘No, thanks! I don’t want a man with kids.’”

But after the first date, the future Ms. Mosconi was smitten. “I knew right away, I mean — I knew. And when I got home, my brother was asleep, and I woke him up, and I said, ‘Guess what? I’m going to marry Willie Mosconi!’”

Quoted in the same biography, William Mosconi Jr. recalled the warmth that his new stepmother brought to their home. Prior to her arrival on the scene, William and Candace had been shuttled between various homes during their father's long absences. But Flora Mosconi brought the family together, said William Jr.

“[My father] was gone a lot for more than ten years — even when I went through high school — and [Flora] raised us up through high school,” said William Jr. “[My father] wasn’t here. For six years he wasn’t home at all, except during the summer because they didn’t have air conditioning, and so he didn’t play pool then. ... [But Flora] made a home for him. ... At the end of his life he said she made all our lives as good as they could be. She created a home, which we never would have had."

William Mosconi Jr. said that his stepmother, a life-long smoker, had become increasingly frail in recent months, especially after a fall around Thanksgiving. She is survived by the two stepchildren, five grandchildren and two great grandchildren. Willie Mosconi, winner of 15 world championships and holder of the official high run in straight pool, died in 1993.

(R.A. Dyer is the author of “The Hustler & The Champ” and “Hustler Days.” You can find his pool history blog at untoldstoriesbilliardshistory.blogspot.com.)

Behrman cited overwhelming support for the inclusion of women in making his decision. The times are a changin' — and U.S. Open founder and promoter Barry Behrman has changed his often controversial stance against allowing women into the U.S. Open 9-Ball Championship.

The decision, which Behrman announced in an open letter to fans dated March 3, appears to be a win-win for the involved parties. The women professionals, who have seen the number of WPBA Classic Tour events trimmed to a meager two on the '10 schedule, get another opportunity to play in a big-time event.

Behrman, meanwhile, may get a number of entries in the U.S. Open he otherwise wouldn't see. Attracting fields of 233 and 236 in 2007 and '08, Behrman felt the economic squeeze last year, with the player list dipping to 212.

In his open letter to fans, Behrman wrote: "After discussing this decision with my dear friends ... and my daughter Shannon as well as many others, we all believe that this is the best decision for everyone involved. ... Upon reading the many posts featured on AZBilliards, I found that 85 percent of the fans would like to see woman participate in the U.S. Open and if you know me, I aim to please."

The 2010 U.S. Open is scheduled for October 17-23 at the Chespeake (Va.) Conference Center.

By: Charles Eames

Valley Forge, PA - While the expo may be over Charlie Williams’s 14.1 winning streak seemingly cannot be stopped. From a late night entry into the challenge Charlie Williams knocked Germany's Thorsten Hohman out of the running with incredible play surpassing over one hundred players to earn his spot in the final eight. With wins over Corey Deuel the first round, Mike Davis in the semi-finals and then a huge win over straight pool juggernaut John Schmidt to take the finals. The challenge in its first year was a great success thanks to our incredible sponsors Diamond Billiard Products, Bob Jewett, Pete Tonkin Custom Cues, Milliken Super Pro Cloth , Sterling Fury Gaming and the member of the AZBilliards 14.1 Forums. We also had the honor of being live streamed on the InsidePool Stream thanks to JR Calvert bringing 14.1 Straight Pool back into the limelight. Special editorial thanks also goes out to the amazing people at NYCGrind.com. This year’s event could not have been what it was however without the incredible support of all of the spectators who watched the event throughout the four days of action. When asked, Charlie Williams said that it added to his personal experience in the event having that many players and spectators watching.

The format was a simple one, take ball in hand and set up a break shot of your choosing. Shoot until you miss or foul and your score is counted. Do this five times and at the end of those five tries your five scores are tabulated to make one final score. The top eight players with the best scores would go to a single elimination tournament on Sunday to compete for the title. All matches in the tournament stage were races to 100 including the finals. The final score between Charlie Williams and John Schmidt was 100-32.

The top eight qualifying players with their preliminary scores to make the final tournament were :

1. John Schmidt – Final Score – 271
2. Bobby Chamberlain – Final Score – 209
3. Mike Davis – Final Score – 201
4. Charlie Williams – Final Score – 181
5. Dave Daya – Final Score – 178
6. Bob – Final Score – 157
7. Corey Deuel – Final Score – 151
8. Steve Lipsky – Final Score – 132

Immonen was on the 2002 Team Europe that won the last Cup held at York Hall. THERE’S NO place like home — especially when home is an arena jammed full of pool fans screaming for you to bring home the 2010 Mosconi Cup.

According to a March 8 press release from event promoter Matchroom Sport, this year’s Mosconi Cup — scheduled for Dec. 9-12 — will be held on familiar turf at London’s York Hall, which hosted the transatlantic tilt for six years from 1997-2002.

The return to York Hall, which has undergone a multimillion-dollar renovation since it last hosted the contest eight years ago, should be welcome news to the European squad, fresh off an upset loss to the underdog Americans at the 2009 Mosconi Cup.

“I love the fact that we are going back to the York Hall,” said world No. 1 Mika Immonen, who has made 13 appearances for Team Europe. “What could be a more perfect setting for the Mosconi?”

Matchroom chairman and Mosconi Cup promoter, Barry Hearn hopes to recreate the raucous atmosphere that made the East London boxing venue such a magnetic setting.

“The York Hall has a special place in the history of the Mosconi Cup and it’s fair to say that, at times, it was the game’s most intimidating arena,” he said.

Lee announced the news as she headed to the WPBA's first event in San Diego. (Photo by Carla Bonner) For Jeanette Lee and George Breedlove, at least when it comes to family, the more the merrier!

Pool’s highest profile couple has announced that Lee is expecting the family’s sixth child in the fall. The next member of the family will be the first to be delivered by natural-birth. The news comes just months after Lee and Breedlove welcomed their first biological child, Chloe Angelee Breedlove, born to a surrogate in October.

“George and I are so excited to welcome another child to our growing family,” Lee said. “This is really a wonderful surprise for us. Nothing gives me greater joy than being a mom.”

Lee and Breedlove are also parents of an adopted child, Cheyenne; a foster child, John Kang; and two daughters from Breedlove’s previous marriage, Morgan and Olivia.

"I am so glad that they have been blessed with the opportunity to give birth naturally," said Tom George, Lee's manager and marketing agent. "It is something Jeanette has always hoped for.”

While expecting mother is nothing but excited by the prospect of carrying a child to term, Lee has had a history of back problems, including a number of painful surgeries due to complications from scoliosis. She will continue to compete in professional events until mid-July, when she will remain at home through November.

Currently, the WPBA Classic Tour has just two dates on the 2010 schedule, one being this weekend’s San Diego Classic. So Lee will only miss one event — the U.S. Open in early August — if everything continues as planned.

Cha came back from early deficits in her final three matches. (Photo by JP Parmentier) Ever since Yu Ram Cha made an impressive run to the semifinal round at the 2008 WPBA U.S. Open, just her third event on the women’s pro tour, the 22-year-old Korean has been among the most active players in the world. Mixing regional tours with international tournaments (both men’s and women’s), Cha continued to develop as a dedicated student of the game.

After her first major event of 2010, it appears the education of Yu Ram Cha may have entered a masters program. At the Amway Women’s World 9-Ball Open, Cha ran undefeated through a strong field of 48, including a host of the WPBA’s best, to win her first international title.

With the field drawn into eight groups of six players, Cha advanced as only one of two undefeated players into the single-elimination round. (China’s Yu Han also survived unscathed.) Getting a bye into the round of 16, Cha coasted past China’s Xue Chen, who earned entry into the field through a pre-event qualifier.

In the semifinal, Cha faced former world No. 1 Vivian Villarreal. From the start, “The Texas Tornado” blew past Cha, grabbing a 7-3 lead in the race to 9. But Cha responded by taking the next five games to get on the hill, 8-7. Villarreal knotted the set at eight apiece, but Cha took the case game to polish off an extraordinary comeback.

In the semifinal, Cha again raised her degree of difficulty by falling behind early, this time by a count of 5-1 to Taiwan’s Chang Shu-Han, who earned her spot on the Classic Tour by winning the WPBA Regional Tour Championship the previous week. But Cha responded by taking eight of nine to close out the set, 9-6.

In the other semifinal, Ga Young Kim trounced Chen Si Meng, 9-2, to advance to her third Amway Cup final (finishing second in both 2005 and 2008). But Kim couldn’t break her second-place streak. In an extended race to 11, Cha rallied from a 3-1 deficit by taking the next six racks. She got on the hill, 10-4, and polished off the title, 11-5.

Cha took home $20,000 for the most significant title of her young career, while Kim pocketed $10,000 for second.

Kim (right) defeated world No. 1 Karen Corr, 7-5, in the round of 16. Heading into the final day at the Amway Women's World 9-Ball Open, eight women are still alive in the hunt for the year's first major international title.

Unlike 2009, where the top international events were dominated by players who strictly stay in Asia, the Women's Professional Billiard Association is well represented at the event in Taipei, Taiwan. Five of the eight players are top-ranked WPBA stars. Vivian Villarreal, Ga Young Kim, Allison Fisher, Kelly Fisher and Yu Ram Cha are all alive heading into the final day of competition.

The quarters, semis and final will all be held on Sunday. The first round of matches will begin at 10:30 a.m. local time, with the final scheduled for 7:50 p.m.

The four quarterfinals will be:
Chen Si-Ming vs. Yu Han
Chan Shu-Han vs. Kelly Fisher
Ga Young Kim vs. Allison Fisher
Vivian Villarreal vs. Yu Ram Cha

Fisher advanced to the final bracket without much difficulty. The Amway Women's World 9-Ball Open, the first major event for the women in 2010, has finished its group stages. The tournament, held in Taipei, Taiwan, began with 48 women drawn into six groups of eight players, but only the top 32 will advance to Saturday, when the format will switch single-elimination play.

Not surprisingly, Allison Fisher leads the way, posting a 4-1 record to advance without difficulty. She suffered her only loss to Taiwan's Tsai Pei Chen, winner of last year's China Open. Reigning champion Chou Cheih-Yu also advanced with a 4-1 record, though she had to brave two hill-hill matches and another 7-5 win over Julie Kelly.

Stars like Ga Young Kim, Jasmin Ouschan, Xiaoting Pan and Kelly Fisher will also be in the field of 32 when knockout play begins on Saturday.

by Sunny Griffin

The 14^th Annual Jay Swanson Memorial 9-Ball Tournament (“Swanee”) was held February 13-14 at Hollywood Billiards in Hollywood, California. A 2 day grinder and an institution of an event on the west coast, this year again saw a full 192 field with a dozen players on the wait list. The Swanee celebrates the life of “Gentle Giant” Jay Swanson who was much loved as a person yet equally feared on the table.  “When Swanee was regularly playing in Southern California events, the favorites were usually him, Ernesto (Dominguez) and Keith (McCready)” said Co-Tournament Director and pool commentator Jay Helfert.

Dozens of players were waiting outside in the early morning Los Angeles sun waiting for the 8 am opening of Hollywood Billiards. Originally the event started in 1996 at College Billiards in San Diego. College was owned by Mark Griffin, now CEO of CueSports International (CSI), and was one of Jay Swanson’s local hangouts.

The $4000 added event drew young and old, men and women, pros and amateurs. The field was narrowed down from 192 to 48 players by Sunday morning. The first round on Sunday kicked off with winner’s bracket players Jose Parica, Dave Hemmah, Louis Ulrich, well known father and son Ernesto and Oscar Dominguez and 14 year old phenom Brendan Crockett who is a member of Team CSI – Next Generation and recently represented the U.S. at the Junior World Championships in Nicaragua after only 2 years of playing. Recent One Pocket Hall of Fame recipient Jose Parica captured the hot seat.

When the dust settled, it was Sal Butera who faced Parica in the one race to 13 final. Despite the midnight hour both Parica and Butera brought their ‘A’ games with barely a miss by either man. By 2 am Monday morning the match was hill-hill with a room full of weary but enraptured spectators.

In the final game Parica again was plagued by the dry break demon leaving Butera a wide open table. With only 4 balls remaining the crowd started whispering “it’s over” but then the unthinkable happened - the 6 ball rattled inside the pocket and spit out onto middle of the foot rail. Parica stepped up and made the tough cut shot except the cue ball nudged the 7 to the head rail leaving Parica the option of playing safe or going for the bank. He opted for the safe hooking Butera behind the 9. While Butera had solid contact, he left Parica the 7 out taking home the win.

Results:

Place	Name	Prize	Place	Name	Prize
1	Jose Parica	$3,000.00	33	Ramin Bakhtiari	$100.00
2	Sal Butera	$1,500.00	33	Mitchell Sargent	$100.00
3	Wayne Pullen	$1,000.00	33	Robert Howell	$100.00
4	Marcus Rodriguez	$750.00	33	Scott White	$100.00
5	Marshall Jung	$535.00	33	Josh Gomes	$100.00
5	Greg Harada	$535.00	33	Russ Martin	$100.00
7	Bernardo Chavez	$400.00	33	Bruce Choyce	$100.00
7	Oscar Dominguez	$400.00	33	Duane Grimes	$100.00
9	Butch Barba	$300.00	33	Mark Griffin	$100.00
9	Dane Elmstedt	$300.00	33	Chris Adams	$100.00
9	Nick Spano	$300.00	33	Erwin Macapagal	$100.00
9	Brian Parks	$300.00	33	Omar Vachhani	$100.00
13	Abel Lim	$200.00	33	Mark Estes	$100.00
13	Louie Ulrich	$200.00	33	Skip Miller	$100.00
13	Corey Harper	$200.00	33	Gary Jones	$100.00
13	Rudy Jerez	$200.00	33	Johnny Kang	$100.00
17	George Ramirez	$175.00	49	Akira Omori	$75.00
17	Ernesto Dominguez	$175.00	49	Zeus Morrison	$75.00
17	Ken Johnson	$175.00	49	Ken Gouso	$75.00
17	Jay Beatty	$175.00	49	Will Hathcock	$75.00
17	Dave Hemmah	$175.00	49	Jerry Decker	$75.00
17	John Pasquarella	$175.00	49	Eric Pender	$75.00
17	Max Eberle	$175.00	49	Chris Tate	$75.00
17	Brendon Crocket	$175.00	49	Dave Kirby	$75.00
25	Julio Berger	$150.00	49	Amir Shoshan	$75.00
25	Jaden Brock	$150.00	49	Tony Sardo	$75.00
25	Fach Garcia	$150.00	49	Bill Pence	$75.00
25	Gerardo Jamito	$150.00	49	Mark Arnold	$75.00
25	Frank Howe	$150.00	49	Jeff Tolbert	$75.00
25	Curtis Johnson