Chinese 8-Ball Masters is stepping into professional “Non-governmental Events”

2015 Joy Cup World Chinese 8-ball Masters Stop 2 - Winner Yang Fan

Press release by: Black@Ball

Chinese 8-Ball Masters is stepping into professional “on-governmental Events” a nd its success can be available for reference

“New Power·Joy Cup” 2015 Chinese 8 Ball International Masters-Harbin Station was closed. After 10 days fierce competition, Yang Fan stand out from 314 players and beat Wu Zhenyu with 18：17 in the Finals, win 100,000 RMB prize and the champion cup. Wu Zhenyu win the second place with 50000 RMB.

Xie zhaohui and Wu Hao tied for the third place with 20000 RMB prize. There are 4 stations, 1 qualifying and 1 Final in 2015 Chinese 8 Ball International Masters and Harbin is the second station. As the same time to keep developing the depth of “Everyone is the Master” and to advocate the national fitness, Harbin Station have acquired a certain effect on the key node of the development of professional sports such like the venue construction, players team, and tournament operation. It made a breakthrough on the way of Chinese 8 Ball sports professionalism and it can be used for reference at present of rapid development of China’s sports.

Large venues provided for Masters qualifying

After the first station, the second station-Harbin station was held successully in a large venue, Hongbo Square with 800 ㎡ has been modified to the standard pool competition venue. The constant temperature in the venue provid the best game environment for players, the auditorium around 2 TV tables can accommodate 200 audience and 14 billiards tables are outside to ensure 552 matches finished successfully in 10 days. Broadcast, media studio, media working area and souvenir selling area were set in the venue, all varieties of function settings of large-scale tournament perfectly play the function of the carrier of the masters.

2015 Joy Cup World Chinese 8-ball Masters Stop 2 - Liu Chuang

The Masters competition was not held in the professional sports venues, according to local conditions, it combined with local characteristics to cleverly solve the venue problem of sports industrial development. The first station-Langfang station in 2015, which was held in “First City”. The third station- Fuqing station was decided to hold in Wanda square.

The players team recombines with professional snooker players

Regarding the Masters-Langfang station was held in May, the viewpoint from BBC says that the rise of Chinese 8 Ball will become the biggest challenge for Snooker in China. Harbin station held in July was confirmed by the players. Under the condition of all Chinese 8 Ball top players attending this tournament, following the quarter final winner of 2009 Asia championship, the third place winner Shi hanqing of 2007 China youth snooker championship and the youngest Chinese player Liu chuang who entered into the World Championship, and now more and more snooker players join Chiniese 8 Ball sports. In Harbin station, besides the above two professional snooker players, Li yuan who is the third place winner of 2006 Asia Snooker Championship, Li yan who is the member of team Championship of Asia 6 Red ball tournament and Zhou jun who is the former snooker National Championship, all of them come from various regions to join this Chinese 8 Ball tournament.

Ding junhui’s celebrity effect makes snooker famous in China, but the national condition is that there are only a few real snooker players among 60 millions billiards players play snooker in China. Only Chinese 8 Ball is the highest popularity billiards sport in China. A huge cost of playing snooker also exists in China. Playing Chinese 8 Ball is more safety livehood choice than playing snooker, so following Chinese 8 Ball professional environment becoming better and better, more snooker players will join Chinese 8 Ball field.

“Non-governmental Events” have had many sponsorships from sports marketing

In 2014, “Joy Cup” tournament as a case which was used as a discussion to Cancel the tournament approval process and it was repeatedly mentioned in Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference by the committee member Yaoming. As the representative of “Non-governmental Events”, “Joy cup” tournaments have found its own way during 10 years developing. After the approval process of commercial and groupment events have been canceled, “Joy Cup” tournaments will have a bright future.

One of the features of Chinese 8 Ball International Masters qualifying is organized by Qinhuangdao Joy Billiards Promotion Co.,Ltd and co-organized by Chinese 8 Ball clubs. The features and advantages of this mode are high quality sports resources created by professional teams, it matches with the sporadic Non-governmental capital of sports industry to ensure the sports events held successfully and also completed sports marketing of the Non-governmental capi

tal. Clubs as the co-organizer will get respectable payback from brand promotion and economic benefit. As an example of Harbin qualifying station, the co-organizer Harbin Donghang billiards club has achieved profitability, the main expenses are only the co-organizing cost but the incomes are from event sponsors, clubs earning and drinks etc. Harbin Hongbo not only provide venue to Donghang club for free, but also provide free water, electricity power and manpower, in the point of view from both sides, it’s cost-effective for both of them.

The quota limits of qualifying station for 2015 Chinese 8 Ball International Masters has fully reserved in 2014. The co-organizing in 2016 has been started, 3 of 4 qualifying stations have been already co-organized by 3 clubs. As the bellwether of Non-governmental events, the future development of Chinese 8 Ball International Masters are worth looking forward to.

Hohmann Wins the U.S Open 10 Ball Championships

Hohmann looking over the table during the championship match. 

By: Erik Hjorleifson

The B.C.A.P.L National championships are starting to heat up. Singles play has continued for the past two days with the advanced and masters divisions getting underway. Also we saw completion of the ten ball challenge division and the U.S. Open 10 ball Championships which was the premiere event of the first few days of competition.

This year was the first year since the inception of the C.S.I U.S. Open championships that the event has been played on the bar table. I am not sure what made their decision to move the event to the smaller tables, especially because the past 9 foot events have been well attended. But it does seem to be following a trend of American pool to be having major events on the bar table rather than the 9 foots.

Entry fee for the event was $350, the format was a race to 10 alternate breaks with standard 10 ball rules. For the American players this event also carried Mosconi Cup points, something that has been scrutinized over the past year because the Mosconi Cup is a 9 foot event not a 7 foot one.

 Although it must be conceded that if there are not enough 9 foot events (which really there is not,) the ranking points must come from somewhere. With this in mind we saw players like Dennis Hatch, Justin Hall, Rodney Morris, Justin Bergman and Johnny Archer throw there hat in the ring. Darren Appleton, Jayson Shaw and Thorsten Hohmann headed up the European contingent and there were a handful of world class Filipino players in attendance as well in the 77 player field.

I was playing in the tournament myself so I didn't get to watch a lot of matches but here are some notable score lines that took place over the course of the tournament

Eric Durbin 10   Johnny Archer 9
Johnny Archer 10  Oscar Dominguez 9
Dennis Orcollo 10 Jayson Shaw 9
Dennis Orcollo 10 Shane McMinn 9
Mike Dechaine 10 Warren Kiamco 9
Thorsten Hohmann 10 Amar Kang 9
Erik Hjorleifson 9 Justin Hall 10
Alex Pagulayan 10 Shane Van Boening 7
Shane McMinn 10 Alex Pagulayan 2
Thorsten Hohmann 10 Tony Robles 0
Score of the finals Thorsten Hohmann 13 Justin Hall 4

Results:

1st Thorsten Hohmann $10 000

2nd Justin Hall                $6500

3rd Shane Van Boening $4500

4th Dennis Orcollo          $3000

The 10 ball Challenge was also in progress over the last 2 days here are the results:

Sergio Rivas          $2100

Santos Sambajon $1600

Dan Louie              $1250

Chad Vilmont        $950

The next few days will see the completion of the 8 ball challenge and men's and women's advanced and masters divisions. Later on this week we will see the U.S Open 8 ball division and the highest tournament in terms of participation the Open men's 8 ball division and the team events. All the brackets can be found at http://ctsondemand.com/  and the live stream can be viewed at http://www.playcsipool.com/ stay tuned to Cue Sport Nation for more updates later this week.

B.C.A Update From "Big Red"

Jason Klatt and Erik Hjorleifson having some fun between matches 

By: Erik Hjorleifson

On Tuesday the BCA National championships kicked off at the Rio hotel in Las Vegas. The BCA is second in size only to the APA national championships, this tournament is one of the premiere events produced in North America and has a huge yearly attendance. The first divisions up for grabs were the Open 9 ball men's and women's divisions and the 9 ball challenge open to anyone including professional players. Some of the notable pros in attendance for the 9 ball challenge included perennial favourite Shane Van Boening also Rodney Morris, Darren Appleton, Warren Kiamco, Roberto Gomez and John Morra among many others.

 As you can imagine or may have witnessed before bar table nine ball can be very offensive game when top players are playing. Add in the magic rack and that makes the game even more offensive. With this in mind the BCA decided to change to the format this year to alternate breaks and it seems that in any competition at the pro level except maybe 10 ball that alternate breaks is the way to go. You could say that it was anybody's tournament to win but somehow that somebody seems to be Shane Van Boening more often that not.  Even though it was alternate break when he got to the final 32 he beat his opponents 7-2,7-0,7-0 and 7-1 on his way to playing Warren Kiamco in the final who knocked me out in 4th place. Kiamco had to beat SVB twice in this true double elimination format, he was able to win the first but SVB took the second set to win the tournament. 

 In the 325 Open Men's division Sean Monkman from Winnipeg Manitoba came in second to Brent Thomas . 15 year Taylor Hansen from Minnesota won the Women's Open division definitely someone to look out for in the future.

Duel vs Shaw

C.S.I is also putting on some challenge matches this week and in the first match Corey Deuel faced off against Jason Shaw in a race to 21 bar table 8 ball match. Considering Deuels recent performance on the bar table Shaw would come in as a slight underdog on paper in this one, but he was able to pull off a 21-20 win. In the second challenge match young guns Mike Dechaine and Shane Van Boening played another race to 21 this time 10 ball and Van Boening won 21-13.

 On Friday the Open 8 ball division will get underway as well as the U.S. Open 10-ball championships which for the first time will be played on the bar table with a $15 000 first prize up for grabs with a full field of players. Stay tuned to cuesportnation for results throughout the week.

 Open 9 ball

 1st          Brent Thomas    $1900

2nd        Sean Monkman $1300

3rd/4th  Ryan Robinson  $850

                Chris Gentile

Womens Open 9 ball

 1st Taylor Hansen  $900

2nd Christina Jeff    $500

9 ball challenge

 1st        Shane Van Boening $2100

2nd       Warren Kiamco        $1700

3rd        Brandon Shuff          $1400

4th         Erik Hjorleifson        $1100

5th/6th  Amar Kang               $850

                Roberto Gomez      

7th/8th  Ike Runnels               $650

                Rodney Morris

Cape Coral Billiards Community Seeking Fundraising Help After Tragedy

Photo of Ron Gravel. Taken from http://www.gofundme.com/rongravel

By: Markus Noé

This past Monday at Diamond Billiards Sports Bar & Grill in Cape Coral, Florida a tragedy happened resulting in one death. According to reports it was about 5:00 PM when 75 year old William Gulliver was asked to leave the establishment after being inappropriate with one of the waitresses.  It was only a few moments after Gulliver vacated the premises when his truck came crashing through the window pinning three people against the bar.

The three victims were Ronald Gravel, 60, of Cape Coral, Tracy Marie Booker, 52, of Cape Coral and 58-year-old Linda Girard. Booker sustained serious injuries while Girard suffered minor injuries and unfortunately Gravel died as a result of his injuries. It is still uncertain whether this was some sort of strange accident or a direct violent act of a crazed individual. Gulliver is claiming he does not know how the truck jumped the curb and crashed into the pool hall. He was only served two beers before being asked to leave however police are saying that alcohol was a factor.

Gravel was the cook at Diamond Billiards Sports Bar & Grill as well as a long time player and immense fan of the game. In an unconfirmed report, Mosconi Cup team member Justin Hall was apparently present at the time of the incident and might have been hit with some of the debris.

Friends of Gravel have set up a "Go Fund Me" account to help his family pay for expenses. They are looking for $15,000 and in just a few short days after this tragedy they have already raised over $8,000. It does not matter if this happened in Florida or a room in England, the pool community is a very small tight knit one and something like this affects us all. Thus I invite everyone to this page http://www.gofundme.com/rongravel and donate what you can.

For the full story here is a link from a local media outlet http://www.nbc-2.com/story/29590773/three-injured-as-vehicle-plows-through-cape-coral-business#.Va_EgvlViko

Thorsten Hohmann Wins World 14.1 Title for the 4th Time

Photo courtesy of  Eli Ceballos

By: Dragon Promotions 

New York City, NY –  Germany has now taken the World 14.1 Cup for a record 6 times when it’s favorite straight pool son defeated reigning champion Darren Appleton of England. In a re-match of 2013, the two best players with the best records in the event faced off for a second finals within 3 years.

Appleton had now made it to three consecutive finals of the World 14.1, a feat no one has done this millennium and several decades. Hohmann had made this an unprecedented 4th trip to the finals.

Photo courtesy of  Eli Ceballos

No player has won consecutive World 14.1 titles since the early 1980′s by Steve Mizerak. Appleton had the chance to be the first ever non-American repeat champion. And he had not lost a match in the event since the 2013 finals lost to Hohmann. On the other hand, Hohmann had never been beaten in the finals of the World 14.1 and a chance to break his own record of wins, getting closer to chasing Mosconi’s record of World 14.1 wins of seven. One way or another, history was destined to be broken.

The match started with Hohmann winning the lag and Appleton making the opening break. Facing a long, difficult shot to start, Hohmann fired it in with authority and started his run. Looking confident and playing with vigor, there was a murmur in the air that a new world record may be set. But at 50 balls, Hohmann abruptly missed an easy shot. But the opportunity to still break Appleton’s 200 ball record still existed.

Photo courtesy of  Eli Ceballos

Appleton was unable to capitalize and ran only a 30 ball run giving Hohmann another chance. This time, Hohmann went on a 126 ball run but again missed an easy shot. This would force a mandatory intermission of 30 minutes.

When Appleton returned, again he was unable to sustain a long run, but this was when the comedy of errors begin. Both players went into limbo unable to get through multiple racks. But at one point Hohmann sustained a seemingly insurmountable lead according to the current level of play. But Appleton seemed to have the momentum as Hohmann’s game fell dramatically once he reached 200 points.

After 4 hours and 30 minutes of play, Appleton finally managed to level the match at 216 to 216. Appleton surpassed that with taking the lead for the first time and reached 232 to 216 before he missed.

Running a few balls, and then successfully making a good breakshot, Hohmann faced the last 5 open balls on the table for the victory. And then another error, he missed position. Now facing a long, difficult pot, Thorsten gave a slight sigh and took a hard look at deciding to go for the shot or play safe. The shot was a hard but make able cut. But if he missed, the cueball would break the rack wide open. But if he left an opportunity, Appleton could easily run the match out. Hohmann opted to end the championship right then and there and called the 5-ball. With the score at 299 and the World 14.1 in the balance, the shot had more pressure than anyone could imagine.

The 5-ball missed the target pocket by a diamond. The stack was split open like the red sea. Appleton would have his chance. If Darren would succeed in a 68 ball run, a mere morsel compared to what he has done so many times, then he would remain champion with an amazing 300-299 score. But it was not meant to be. The first shot he played resulted in the ball made, but also the cueball. Stunned, Appleton slowly went back to his chair and conceded the final shot to Hohmann. The match ended nearly 7 hours later.

Hohmann now took over and went on a run and eventually overtook the lead again, and then needing less than a rack, he shockingly missed once more leaving the door open for Appleton. Hohmann looked visibly dejected as he walked back to his seat, realizing he missed a golden opportunity to close out the finals. Now, he had to hope the reigning champion and 200 ball world record holder would not run a standard 68 balls.

Appleton looked ready for his chance. Then surprisingly, a miss. After gaining less than a rack of balls, Hohmann was back at the table needing only 13 balls to make history.

“I got unlucky a few times but so did Thorsten. Of course I’m disappointed of the result because I have been playing well all week. But Thorsten deserves it. He is the best straight pool player in the world", said Appleton in the aftermath speech.

“Darren has proven he is one of the best in the world in just a few short years. His patterns are perfect now", said Hohmann. When asked if he was chasing the World 14.1 record of 10 wins by Ralph Greenleaf, Hohmann simply answered," I just love straight pool. I keep playing for that reason."

Hohmann now surpasses Ray Martin and Mike Sigel in wins, and ties at 4th for all time World 14.1 wins with Luther Lassiter. In the new millenium and for non-American champions, Hohmann holds the record for most wins than any player.

Photo courtesy of  Eli Ceballos

Justin Bergman Goes Undefeated at the Memphis Open

From left to right Shane Mcminn, Justin Bergman, Tracy Whitney.Photo courtesy of Alan Sword 

By: Markus Noé

Starting this past Friday at High Pockets Billiard and Bar, the second annual Memphis Open took place. This tournament format follows a trend as of late in which there is a limited field with a higher entry. There were 16 of the best players in North America in this field who all payed a $500 entry. The game was 10 Ball rack your own with the "Magic Rack" races to 15 on the winners side and 11 on the losers.

Canadians John Morra and Jason Klatt made the trip to Memphis Tennessee less than a week after returning from the China Open. Anyone who has made this 14 hour flight knows how hard it is to recover from. However they both showed up and won their first matches. Morra came back on Dennis Hatch 4-8 to win 15-11 and Klatt beat Rob Saez 15-14.

This set up a very intriguing match up on Saturday as the defending Memphis Open Champion Jason Klatt would be up against Morra, the recent runner up at the China Open. Morra was pegged as the overwhelming favourite in this tournament as he went for $2500 in the Calcutta. That might have something to do with the fact that no North American player has been this successful in Asia in about a decade. In a bit of a surprise this match was a blow out with Morra winning 15-5.

Klatt went on to win one more match before Shane Mcminn ended his hopes at a repeat 11-7. On the winners side of the bracket Morra and Mosconi Cup member Justin Bergman were cruising through the field. Bergman secured wins over Josh Roberts 15-7, Sky Woodward 15-9 and Johnny Archer 15-14. Meanwhile after beating Klatt, Morra secured a win over Larry Nevel 15-7 to set up this anticipated match-up in the winners side final between two young talents.

In this match it was noticeable that Morra's high level break was not where it was in his previous matches. Combined with a few unfortunate rolls and stellar play from Justin Bergman he lost 15-11. Morra then went on to play Shane Mcminn who after suffering a first round loss, rebounded to make the losers side final. On his way there he beat high caliber players such as Klatt, Nevel and Archer.

Mcminn continued playing at a high level in this match while Morra's level dropped a bit. Long hard shots that Morra was draining all weekend seemed to have left him in the later stages of this tournament. In the defense of all players these pockets looked and played extremely difficult. From what I heard on the stream they were only 4 inches wide. Getting straight in on a shot which is bad on any table was a nightmare on these tables. It makes for very entertaining matches though as the player who is playing the best position has a huge advantage, and it is always interesting to watch some of the best players in the world adjust to difficult conditions. In the end Mcminn was too strong and won this set 11-5 to earn him a shot at the Memphis Open title.

For those that don't know Mcminn he is a well known player from Tulsa, Oklahoma. He has had several notable bar box victories and was a very successful junior player . Based on his record and performance in this tournament Bergman was in for a tough final. In this race to 15 neither player was able to secure a commanding lead as no one was able to move more than 2 games ahead at a time. Pressure mounted on both players as the scoreline remained tied right up until 13-13.

This is were Bergman took advantage of a miscue by Mcminn on the 5 ball, from there he ran out to go up 14-13. In the final rack Bergman played a few very tough safeties trying to develop the table into a run out, which he finally did to become the second annual Memphis Open Champion. I would like to thank Ray Hansen for access to the fantastic stream all weekend so I could cover this event. Make sure to check out www.poolactiontv.com frequently for updates on the next events. Finally room owner and tournament organizer Tracy Whitney should be acknowledged for running a great tournament, all the pro's in this event have been raving about how he bends over backwards to accommodate the players.


Brackets and Payouts:

Kelly Fisher Signs with Xingjue Billiard Table

Photo courtesy of Alison Chang 

By: Alison Chang 

World Champion Kelly Fisher is proud to announce that she has just signed a new sponsorship deal with the Xingjue Billiard Table Company.

Xingjue Billiard Table is headquartered in Shenzhen, China. Kelly Fisher was invited by the President of Xingjue Mr. Jiang Guohui to visit their factory in Shenzhen on July 10.

Before The visit, Kelly had some knowledge about Xingjue company. She knew Xingjue’s sale record is around 500 per month and 6000 annualized and their well-known product goes to thousands of pool houses .

The fan meeting conference was held in the pool house, Dayu Billiard City, and in front of a huge groups of fans, Kelly Fisher and Xingjue signed the contract. It was a historical moment for the Xingjue Company, as the owner Mr. Jiang Guohui expressed gratitude. He looked forward to having both parties move to a higher level, fight together and achieve more.

Photo courtesy of Alison Chang 

Ouschan Edges out John Morra in the China Open Final

By: Markus Noé

Myself like many die hard Canadian pool fans burned the candle at both ends last night watching John Morra play the final of the China Open. In Shanghai where this tournament took place, the time is 12 hours ahead of Eastern Standard time. The semi-final began at 11:30 pm local time meaning Morra supporters were in for a long night if he were to make the final. 

For North Americans it might be difficult to understand how prestigious this tournament actually is; not only for it's high pay out but this is a 64 player invitational only. Perhaps in a field of a 128 players a few holes could be found in the draw. However with only 64 in the field these are all killers and every win had to be earned. To many this is equal to or even harder than winning a World Championship.

In the first semi-final match, Albin Ouschan was up against a local favourite Chu Bingjie. Ouschan a well known player on the Euro Tour, and runner up to Niels Feijen at last years World 9 Ball Championship won this match 11-8. Ouschan had notable wins on his march to the final over elite players such as  Ping-Chung Ko, Johann Gonzales Chua and Lee Vann Corteza.

The second semi-final pitted multiple Euro Tour winner and Mosconi Cup Champion Nick van den Berg vs John Morra. Van den Berg had an impressive tournament to this point knocking out players such as Mika Immonen, Wu Jiaqing and Wang Can. On the flip side Morra had to go through players such as Marc Bijsterbosch, Warren Kiamco and Fu Jianbo. 

In this match Morra was breaking at a level that I am not sure I have ever seen before throughout an entire set. With the Magic Rack, the wing ball is almost automatic with the cut break but squatting the cue ball centre table and getting a shot on the 1 ball each time is far from automatic. In this set Morra easily broke and ran 40-50 % of his breaks. After a few safety battle victories off of van den Berg's breaks, Morra was able to break serve and with his continued break and runs was able to win this set 11-8. It should be mentioned that this tournament was an alternate break format and this level when you are able to "break serve" it is very hard for your opponent to get back into the match if you are playing at Morra's level.  

This final had all the makings of a thrilling match, as these are two young exciting players with very similar styles. Going into the match a slight edge would have to be given to Ouschan for his second place at the World Championships last year. Morra has been knocking at the door for some time now but this was his first final in what would be considered a "major" in golf terms. Throughout the match, both of these players were breaking and running at an elite level. Therefore this match was going to come down to who made the first mistake and who got the rolls. 

Early on Morra was unfortunate of his break. By all appearances he was hitting the break the same as he did in the semi-final match. However a few times he would squat the cue ball as he has been doing but a random ball would come and kick it somewhere he would not have an opening shot. This combined with a fortunate roll in which Ouschan jumped at a 1 ball and missed it, but the cue ball bounced off the side rail and knocked the 9 off the spot into the corner pocket, gave him a 5-2 lead.

In a race to 11 alternate break a 3 game spread like this is very difficult to overcome. To put it into perspective Morra went on to break and run his next 5 break opportunities and still came up short in the end losing 11-8.

Ouschan enjoying a hard fought win. There is a big smile underneath that towel. 

Congratulation to both players as they put on an incredible performance. The payouts for this year are not posted anywhere yet however last year first place was $40,000 and second was $20,000. I would imagine the payouts would be similar this year, we will post them when they are confirmed. 

On a side note, here at Cue Sport Nation it is no secret that we are big supporters of our friend John Morra. This was a coming out party of sorts for him on the international stage as he never placed this high outside of North America. We would like to congratulate him on his success at the China Open and wish him all the best on what has been a monster year for him so far. 

DAY 5 - WORLD POLICE & FIRE GAMES

                                                                           DAY 5 — WORLD POLICE & FIRE GAMES

Day 5: (L-R) Eric S. Townsend (sport coordinator, WPFG), Wesley Beins (silver-SGP), John O'Sullivan (gold-IRL), Genadijs Kaminskis (bronze-LAT), Shanna Lewis (venue manager, Breakers Sky Lounge). Photo courtesy of Bob Lerch.

Submitted Article

July 3,2015

DAY 5 — WORLD POLICE & FIRE GAMES

FAIRFAX — Day 5 of the Pocket Billiards competition from the World Police and Fire Games has been finalized. The final 8 competitors raced to six.

In the end, it was gold once again for John O’Sullivan (Ireland), silver for Wesley Beins (Singapore), and bronze for Genadijs Kaminskis (Latvia). 

Here’s how we got there.

In the round of 8, the results were Wesley Beins (Singapore) def. Doug Moreau (Canada) 6-2. Genadijs Kaminskis (Latvia) def. Michael Grosso (USA) 6-1, John Griffin (Ireland) def. Joe Rodrguez (USA) 6-3, John O'Sullivan (Ireland) def. Chris Gloerson (USA) 6-0. Moreau, Grosso, Rodriguez, and Gloerson were eliminated from medal contention.

In the final four, it was: Wesley Beins (Singapore) def. John Griffin (Ireland), 6-5. John O'Sullivan (Ireland) def. Genadijs Kaminskis (Latvia) 6-4. Beins and O’Sullivan headed to the gold-silver match, while Griffin and Kaminskis landed in the bronze medal-4th place contest.

In the finals, O’Sullivan recovered nicely from an unlikely early 8 in just the third rack. He then worked like clockwork and produced a break and run to cap his 6-3 victory. It wasn’t quite the same form for Beins, who won the 9Ball tournament for Singapore earlier in the week. 

The real drama occurred in the bronze medal-4th place matchup between Latvia’s Kaminskis and Ireland’s Griffin. Still reeling from his hill-hill defeat to Beins (which denied an all-Ireland final), Griffin fell behind early 4-2. The Irishman fought back nobly in forcing a 5-5 lock. 

After a dry break from Griffin and one turn at the table apiece, the Latvian caught fire. Faced with a tricky cut on the winning 8Ball, Kaminskis dug deep and dropped the black. An understated but gritty competitor, the municipal policeman dropped to his knees, kissed his cue, and raised it triumphantly over his head several times. He was rushed by his teammate and wife as they hugged and jumped in unison. 

It took five trips to the World Police and Fire Games, and 16 years dating back to the Stockholm competition in 1999, but Kaminskis finally had his medal. “This was my dream,” revealed the spiritual athlete who had shown the sign of the cross before each break of the tournament.

After the medal ceremony, venue manager Shanna Lewis requested a photo opp with the competitors, asking them to line up and reveal their country’s colors. Beins and Kaminskis had their country’s names across their shirt backs. O’Sullivan joined the party late and instead faked a mooning. “You ask for Ireland,” quipped O’Sullivan. The audience broke into loud laughter for a fitting end to the crowd-pleasing week.

Here are the stat lines for the medal winners:

O’Sullivan (IRL), gold, 7-0 W/L, won 34 of 42 racks, .810 WPCT.

Beins (SGP), silver, 6-1 W/L, won 31 of 49 racks, .633 WPCT, losses: O’Sullivan (3-6).

Kaminskis (Latvia), bronze, 6-3 W/L, won 33 of 60 racks, .550 WPCT, losses: O’Sullivan (0-4), Grosso (2-4), O’Sullivan (4-6).

DAY 4 - WORLD POLICE & FIRE GAMES

                                                                         DAY 4 — WORLD POLICE & FIRE GAMES

 Day 4: Wesley Beins (SGP) bridges to his shot. Photo courtesy of Bob Lerch.

 Submitted Article
July 2, 2015

FAIRFAX — Day 4 of the Pocket Billiards competition from the World Police and Fire Games has concluded. Competitors squared off in a quadruple-qualifying bracket in 8Ball. 



The discipline was staged according to CSI/BCA rules. The key parameters included open on the break, establish suit, call pocket, and ball-in-hand fouls. 



“It was refreshing to field questions from spectators about our pro-am guidelines,” offered sport coordinator Eric S. Townsend. “Most in the United States are familiar with a less-intentional pub version of the game that lacks design and even rewards mistakes,” added Townsend.



The tournament format again earned rave reviews, as administered by Pennsylvania 9Ball Tour’s Dan Madden. Entrants were given up to four losses before being eliminated. The no loss and first loss brackets raced to 4, while the two and third loss brackets raced to 3. 



“Most of these competitors play above my skill level,” admitted Kieran Mussen, a fireman from Perth, Australia. “Your tournament runs smoothly and keeps players in the hunt” recognized Mussen.



The field was narrowed to a final grouping of 8 players in medal contention. They were: Wesley Beins (Singapore), Doug Moreau (Canada), John Griffin (Ireland), Genadijs Kaminskis (Latvia), John O'Sullivan (Ireland), Joe Rodriguez (USA), Michael Grosso (USA), and Chris Gloerson (USA). 



The slate culminated in the medal ceremony for straight pool, a celebration made special by visits from delegates of the Boy and Girl Scouts of America. Gifts from Shaun Wilkie, a top straight pool player in the world, added an intimate touch to the proceedings. Wilkie crafted congratulations to each of the medalists on autographed glossies, plus provided a copy of a recent magazine feature. Both are suitable for framing.



Matches resume tomorrow from Breakers Sky Lounge​ in Herndon, Virginia at 9am. Medal winners will be awarded at 3pm. Enjoy this great event through the live stream available on the away channel at www.tvmike.tv.

DAY 3 - WORLD POLICE & FIRE GAMES

                                                                    DAY 3 — WORLD POLICE & FIRE GAMES

Day 3: (L-R) Dan Madden (tournament administrator), Michael Grosso (silver-USA), John O'Sullivan (gold-IRL), Eric Cloutier (bronze-CAN), Eric S. Townsend (sport coordinator, WPFG). Photo courtesy of Bob Lerch.

Submitted Article
July 1 st 2015

Day 3 of the Pocket Billiards competition from the World Police and Fire Games has finished. Competitors locked up in a traditional double elimination bracket in modified straight pool.

In the classic movie The Hustler, “Minnesota Fats” (played by Jackie Gleason) outlasts “Fast Eddie” Felson (played by Paul Newman) in an overnight tussle of straight pool. The game that was once beloved in the United States has since fallen in popularity due to its deliberate pace and unusual rules. For one day, an experiment in its resurrection experienced its share of ups and downs. 

Preliminary matches were advertised as races to 75 points or a time limit of 1 hour (whichever came first). A stipulation was added during the players’ meeting (and agreed upon by the field) that any “neck-and-neck” match whereby both competitors were in the 60s would be played out regardless of the time limit. Rounds were begun and ended as a group by announcement from tournament administrator Dan Madden. A ten-minute warning was offered.

While some struggled with the notion of playing this game to a clock, the cream mostly rose to the top (as is generally the case in timed, televised matches on ESPN). One competitor who had qualified for the final 8 in 9Ball but was eliminated from the straight pool field after two quick losses was Doug Moreau (Canada). “This is no way to play the game,” declared Moreau. 

Parameters were raised for the hot seat match, a face off between undefeated Eric Cloutier (Canada) and Michael Grosso (USA). This was now a race to 100 or a time limit of 1.5 hours (whichever came first). The neck-and-neck stipulation was not specifically re-stated to these players before the match but assumed to be in play by sport coordinator Eric Townsend.

Cloutier stormed off to a lead in the match (+30 points) and seemed to be well on his way to victory. Grosso picked up his pace and began chopping up racks expertly. It was an impressive show that overtook his opponent and left him within 9 points of victory. It was then that the American began to slow his pace, in an effort to milk the clock. He surrendered the table with less than two minutes remaining. 

The French Canadian began a run but came to a halt to consider the tailend of it. Time limit was called. Cloutier stood in shock. “We are both within 15 points of 100,” stated the Montreal-based serviceman. This fact was lost on everyone but the players. Cloutier had just entered the 15-point margin at 88 points, and straight pool scores are tallied at the end of each rack. Townsend moved to sort the developing dispute. Grosso became heated at the implication that his victory could be delayed or denied. He claimed that because the neck-and-neck stipulation was not specifically repeated for the extended match to 100 and 1.5 hours, it was not in effect. Townsend reminded the American that the spirit of the ask remained the same. It was Grosso who had introduced the stipulation for consideration during the players’ meeting. Frustrated by Grosso holding his ground, Cloutier walked over and shook his hand — effecting a concession. It was an unfortunate turn, as Townsend was planning to return the players to the table to complete the match from 91-88. It would now go down as a Grosso win, advancing him to the gold medal round.

“I’m here to compete, but also to have fun,” shared Cloutier. Fairfax County police officer Scott Davis, who saw the dispute unfold, was visibly irritated and approached the Canadian to offer an apology. “In America, we shouldn’t look to win this way,” underlined Davis.

Despite the setback, Cloutier remained in position for at least the bronze medal. As he waited, John O’Sullivan (Ireland) built a sizable lead in the second-to-last match on the one-loss side, eliminating Wesley Beins (Singapore) in 4th place. O’Sullivan would repeat the feat with Cloutier, denying his rematch with Grosso for the gold. Instead, it would be the Irishman from the one-loss side versus the American, with O’Sullivan needing to win twice to eliminate Grosso.

After stumbling out of the starting blocks, O’Sullivan found himself in a 45-6 hole. For the next hour, Ireland would find more than hope. O’Sullivan put in the performance of the tournament with a comeback for the ages, overcoming the American 125-72. For those who know straight pool, the Irishman “hit a gear.” For those new to the discipline, Grosso became a psychology study. First, his knees started to bounce to improve circulation. Stretching exercises began. The American went to his comb to keep the sweat from his eyes. He switched out his shaft to check the readiness of his equipment. Lastly, there were the one-shot misses when he was finally given the table. It was back to the stool to stew. Many players in this game can recount stories of being “put on ice” by their opponent in straight pool, as O’Sullivan enforced for over an hour of this match.

The subsequent and final match of the discipline pitted the two against each other in a resolving act of attrition. Each now had one loss for the tournament and was noticeably worn down. Grosso was against the ropes after the rough treatment doled out by O’Sullivan in the first set. This time, O’Sullivan jumped out to an early lead. The American showed great heart in locking things up at 51. Unfortunately for him, the leveling was short-lived. Ireland would have repeat gold in straight pool (Belfast, Fairfax), as O’Sullivan made the most of his mulligan in polishing off a 125-99 victory.

In addition to the police and fire matches, players who were eliminated in the afternoon had the chance to shoot racks and trade stories with Lucasi-sponsored professional player Shaun Wilkie. The pro even jumped into the commentator’s chair for the evening to call the final two matches of the event.

DAY 2 - WORLD POLICE & FIRE GAMES

 
                                                     
                                                                         DAY 2 — WORLD POLICE & FIRE GAMES

 Day 2: (L-R) Michel Grosso (bronze-USA), Shaun Wilkie (Lucasi-sponsored pro, USA), Wesley Beins (gold-SGP), John O'Sullivan (silver-IRL). Photo courtesy of Bob Lerch.

Submitted Article

June 30, 2015

FAIRFAX — Day 2 of the Pocket Billiards competition from the World Police and Fire Games has been completed. The final 8 competitors squared off in races to seven with medals on the line.



In the end, it was gold for Wesley Beins (Singapore), silver for John O’Sullivan (Ireland), and bronze for Michael Gross (USA). 



Here’s how we got there.



In the round of 8, the results were Wesley Beins (Singapore) def. Jordan Greenhaw (USA), 7-5. Mike Grosso (USA) def. Doug Moreau (Canada), 7-5. Eric Cloutier (Canada) def. Joe Rodrguez (USA), 7-5. John O'Sullivan (Ireland) def. Genadijs Kaminskis (Latvia), 7-6. Greenlaw, Moreau, Rodriguez, and Kaminiskis were eliminated from medal contention.



In the final four, it was Wesley Beins (Singapore) def. Mike Grosso (USA), 7-3. John O'Sullivan (Ireland) def. Eric Cloutier (Canada), 7-6. Beins and O’Sullivan headed to the gold-silver match, while Grosso and Cloutier landed in the bronze-4th place contest.



In the finals, O’Sullivan bolted to a quick 3-1 lead. As Beins hit stroke, The Irishman grinded to a slim 5-4 advantage. It would prove to be short-lived, as the steady Singaporean took three racks in a row to claim gold, 7-5. “I’m happy with my performance today,” shared Beins, in understated form.



In the bronze medal match, Grosso surprised himself in pulling out a tough decision, 7-5. “I worked very hard to beat a strong player, and I did not see this coming,” admitted the American. Cloutier, was noticeably disappointed. After being the second to qualify for the final 8 on Day 1, he had lost two matches in a row to finish the 9Ball competition. “I didn’t play my best today, though I was able to get within five balls of playing for the gold,” recounted the French Canadian.



Here are the stat lines for the medal winners:



Beins (SGP), gold, 6-0 W/L, won 36 of 55 racks, .636 WPCT.

O’Sullivan (IRL), silver, 5-2 W/L, won 36 of 70 racks, .514 WPCT, losses: Cloutier (3-5), Beins (5-7).

Grosso (USA), bronze, 6-2 W/L, won 367 of 65 racks, .569 WPCT, losses: Garcia (4-5), Beins (3-7).



Lucasi-sponsored pro Shaun Wilikie was on hand for five hours in the afternoon to warmup and chat with eliminated players before Wednesday’s straight pool brackets. While the change in format will be dramatic, we expect more of the same great play that we saw for two days in the 9 Ball event.

DAY 1 - WORLD POLICE & FIRE GAMES

                                            DAY 1 — WORLD POLICE & FIRE GAMES

Day 1: Jordan Greenhaw qualifies for Day 2 on the final match of the Day 1 competition. Photo courtesy of Paul Helms.

Submitted Article

June 29, 2015

FAIRFAX — Day 1 of the Pocket Billiards competition from the World Police and Fire Games is in the books. Competitors battled in a quadruple-qualifying format administrated by Dan Madden.

The field has been narrowed to the final 8 players for Day 2, and they are: Wesley Beins (Singapore), Eric Cloutier (Canada), Doug Moreau (Canada), Genadijs Kaminskis (Latvia), John O'Sullivan (Ireland), Joe Rodriguez (USA), Michael Grosso (USA), and Jordan Greenhaw (USA). 

“I was pleasantly surprised today by the quality of play representing these games,” offered commentator George Hammerbacher, who’s witnessed many of the top amateurs in recent years through his work for the Action Pool Tour (USA).

In addition to the police and fire matches, players who have been eliminated will have the chance to warmup for the next event (straight pool) with Lucasi-sponsored pro Shaun Wilkie. He will also provide a talk at day’s end, sharing 9Ball tips and experiences from his billiard career.

“I'm happy to be considered and given the opportunity to participate in this event. Thanks goes to Eric Townsend for inviting me to join his team,” added Wilkie.

Matches resume tomorrow from Breakers Sky Lounge​ in Herndon, Virginia at 12 noon. Medal winners will be awarded at 6pm. Enjoy this great event through the live stream available on the away channel at www.tvmike.tv.