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)

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