Mosconi Cup Wrap Up: Europe Makes History with 7th Straight Win

Photo taken from the Mosconi Cup Facebook Page 

By: Erik Hjorleifson

 For a record breaking seventh straight time the European Team, which this time included Niels Feijen, Darren Appleton, Mark Gray, Albin Ouschan and rookie addition Jayson Shaw, won the Mosconi Cup. For the second time in 4 years it was a lopsided win as  Europe handed the Americans a 11-3 loss.

Day one began with Europe getting out to an early lead taking the first three sets. The U.S finally got on the board with Rodney Morris taking their first point in singles scoring a 5-3 defeat of Mark Gray. It would then be up to the most accomplished U.S player Shane Van Boening to try and keep it close in a pivotal match that would bring the scoreline to either 4-1 or 3-2 at the conclusion of the day. As has been the case in several of the past years Shane was not able to come through going down 5-2 in defeat to Mosconi Cup hero Darren Appleton.

On Day two the U.S lost the first match and then were able to bring the score a little closer with the young guns on the team Skylar Woodward and Justin Bergman pulling out a win in the doubles. The next match would prove to be a turning point in the tournament as Mike Dechaine and Bergman lost a doubles match in which Bergman made some great shots but fell just short by a 5-4 scoreline. Bergman was once again sent out in the last match of the day and wasn't able to get things going leaving Europe with a big lead of 7-2 after two days.

From there Europe finished off the job winning four of the next five to cap off a convincing victory. It must be said that all players on the U.S. team made errors at one time or another. I would say that the players that made the least errors were Bergman and Woodward which was the same case as last year. Europe continually punished the U.S. for their errors and had a strong team vibe going throughout the event.

There has been a lot of scrutiny from the obviously frustrated American fans on social media leading up to and during the event. One topic for conversation has been the failure of the USA's best player Shane Van Boening to have any sort of winning contribution to the U.S. side. My first response to this as I have watched most of the matches over the past years is that Shane has not had his fair share of luck. Of course he has made mistakes along the way but if you went back and watched practically any of his matches over the past two years you would see that he has gotten the short end of the rolls a large percentage of the time. In a short race format like the Mosconi Cup the rolls will always play some part in the outcome.

The rest of the American team are used to playing in pool room venues with the one racked on the spot and I would say at least half the time on seven foot tables rather than 9 foot. Europe's players play almost all their events with the 9 on the spot on 9 foot tables at professional venues. Which also includes professional rules, dress code, media coverage etc. Basically European pool is breeding professionals and American pool is breeding the same players they've bred for the last 50 years. Players that are arguably stronger money game players, more well rounded players for example in games like one pocket, bank pool and bar table but the one thing they are lacking is an ability to play rotation games at a high level in professional settings. The players themselves are not to be blamed and in my opinion the only way they will be able to break this spell is to start competing more overseas.

At the end of the event Matchroom Sport promoter Barry Hearn announced that there will be a new Asia vs Europe Mosconi style event to be called the Reyes cup, no dates were announced but it seemed like it will happen in the near future. Hearn also said the 2017 Mosconi Cup will be back in Las Vegas.

ROBERTS TOPPLES OLINGER IN MEMPHIS!!!

from left to right, Josh Roberts, Tony Chohan, Alex Olinger.

By Mary Kenniston

Thirty players made their way to Tracy Whitney’s High Pockets in Memphis, TN for the latest iteration of Tony Chohan’s Taom Tips Ten Ball Tour. After the players meeting and auction, the games began with Jonathan Frey and Alex Olinger claiming the two byes.

First round action saw Josh Roberts and Jason Klatt duking it out with Josh prevailing and last week’s Taom Tips Tour finalists Ramil Gallego and Antonio Lining matching up with Antonio again taking it down.

Second round action saw Justin Hall unable to prevent Josh from moving on, Jeremy Jones over Shane McMinn and Shane Winters couldn’t keep Antonio back either.
Third round highlights saw Josh advancing over Ronnie Wiseman, Antonio beat Derek Garner, Alex defeated Danny Smith and Jeremy Jones took down Billy Thorpe.

By the fourth round, play had been whittled down to four players on the winners side. Josh defeated Antonio for one of the berths in the hot seat match while Alex secured the other sending Jeremy over to the west side.

Today’s action saw Alex go undefeated and secure his place in the finals sending Josh over to wait for someone to emerge from the pack. Jeremy defeated Shane McMinn while Shane Winters defeated Antonio – leaving them in a tie for 5-6th place. They each received $500 for their efforts. Winters beat Jones 8-6 – leaving him in fourth. Jeremy received $800 in prize money with an additional $1000 from the player auction.

That left Roberts and Winters to duke it out for the other seat in the finals. The young guns squared off and saw a determined Josh Roberts claim a rematch with Alex 8-3. Shane finished in third place receiving $1200 in prize money plus $1400 auction cash.

Since this was true double elimination, Josh would have to defeat Alex twice. Both players started strong battling to a 3-3 tie. Then, Josh pulled away & never looked back. He claimed the first set 8-5 and forced a final race to 8 for the title. Alex drew first blood again and play went back and forth for the first few games. Josh jumped out to a 5-2 lead and finally winning 8-3 for all the marbles.
Congratulations to “The Beast” for adding another title to his resume and first prize cash of $3000 plus an additional $3000 in auction money. Alex pocketed $2000 prize money plus another $2000 from the auction in a fine runner-up finish. Great job, Alex!

Everyone is looking forward to returning to The Carom Room in Beloit, WI for the next stop on the Taom Tips Tour – December 16-18. Mark it on your calendars and try to win some Christmas cash!
Again, thanks to Tracy & his entire staff at High Pockets for pulling out all the stops for this event!

As always, PoolActionTV.com would like to thank our sponsors – Tony Chohans’ GameTight Apparel and Taom Tips 10 Ball Tour, Lomax Custom Cues, Andy Cloth, EnrivoAssessments.com, Aramith, Diveney Custom Cues, GoPlayPool.com, Durbin Custom Cues, Kamui, Hanshew Custom Cues and Club Billiards of Wichita, KS. And thanks to all the players and fans!

PoolActionTV’s heading back to Lafayette, Louisiana next weekend – November 18-20th. The destination: White Diamond Billiards with the Chris Miller Show handling the calcutta action. The game: nine ball on the bar box! See you there!!!

Alex Kazakis Won the Kremlin Cup !

WPA-Press Release 

Alex Kazakis won the Kremlin Cup (10-Ball division) today in Moscow defeating former world champion Thortsen Hohmann 9-6 in the final. Early in the match and trailing 2/3, Kazakis missed an easy 1 ball leaving Hohmann a relatively simple run-out and extend his lead to 4/2. It was thought that losing that rack would be mentally disturbing to Kazakis, but he made the best of any opportunity thereafter and won the remaining racks 7/2. 

After recouping the deficit, the scores remained even to 6/6, then Kazakis edged away and won the the next three racks. Fair to say that Kazakis enjoyed a good run of the balls, where on the other hand Hohmann couldn’t get a shot at the 1 ball after his break, and each time needed to play a safety. The crunch really came when trailing 6/7, Hohmann played a fantastic shot on the 3 ball only to see the cue ball travel around the table and scratch in the side pocket. Kazakis with ball in hand, cleared up to reach the hill, then gave Hohmann no chance in the final rack to collect a thoroughly deserved first place prize. 

A total of 445 players competed at the Kremlin Cup, 101 of those in the 10-Ball pool division. The stadium venue is huge, some 5,500 sq metres and was built for the 1980 Moscow Olympics. 16 Diamond Pool tables and 20 Dynamic Pyramid, plus a pool table and pyramid table in the televised arena were used. The area was beautifully presented and congratulations must be acknowledged to the organizers, International Pyramid Confederation. Winners of the Kremlin Cup are;

Pyramid men, Dimitri Belozorov - Ukraine; Pyramid women Diana Mironova - Russia; 10-Ball Alex Kazakis - Greece

Archer Wins Tennessee State 8 Ball Open Championship

Taken from Johnny Archer's Facebook Page. 

By: Erik Hjorleifson

The weekend Octobre 29-30 the Chattanooga billiard club one of the most iconic rooms in Tennessee played host to the Tennessee state 8 ball championships. This was a $150 entry fee with five thousand added guaranteed, the tournament aimed to draw 64 players and ended up with 60 including top guns Johnny Archer, Antonio Lining, Ramil Gallego, Jeremy Jones and Jason Klatt. Play for this tournament was on the unusually sized four by eight tables. It was a double knockout race to 6 on both sides.

As play progressed Johnny Archer who is known for his 8 ball prowess made his way through the winners side undefeated. After Losing to Jeremy Jones in the winners side semi final match Jason Klatt came all the way back getting his revenge on Jones in the third place to match to face Archer in the finals. In this true double elimination format Klatt was able to take the first set 6-5 and after trailing 4 1 in the second set he pulled back to take a 5 4 lead. It was not to be though for Klatt as Archer took the last two and went in to win his most notable tournament of 2016.

At this time I would like to acknowledge the interesting dynamic that has formed between Team High Pockets members Jason Klatt, Robb Saez and Shane McMinn. With Saez taking the fourth place spot in the tournament we once again saw two of the members from this crew finishing in the top 4. This has happened on many occasions in 2016 and on a couple occasions they have actually finished 1 2 and 3. Sponsored by Tracy Whitney owner of High Pockets billiards in Memphis, Tennessee this group has found great success since coming together in early 2016. For those who are friends with any of them on facebook we are able to get an occasional glimpse of their life on the road through videos taken by candid cameraman Jason Klatt. It is clear that the three have formed a great friendship and the support and camaraderie has been a nice formula for success for all three of them. Best of luck to all of them going forward.

Payouts

1st Johnny Archer $3750

2nd Jason Klatt      $2400

3rd Jeremy Jones   $1600

4th Robb Saez        $1150

Players Auction $10 000 total

VanBoening Matches Strickland's Record of 5 U.S Opens Crowns!

By: Erik Hjorleifson

The 2016 U.S Open is now in the books with Shane VanBoening going on an incredible 10 match run on the losers side to come all the way back and defeat Chang Jun Lin. Jung Lin was the only player to give him a loss in the tournament.  This one will go down in history as one of the strongest performances ever seen. The Open has now become a truly international event, in my estimate at least two thirds of the players are from overseas which is a stark contrast to even 5 years ago when two thirds of the players were from North America.

The other notable losers side run came from Mika Immonen around 2010 when he lost in the final 128 on the winners side only to come back 13 matches and win the tournament. The element of the Open being the only major tournament that doesn't feature a single knockout redraw is interesting. If this were any other major WPA event Van Boeinings loss to Chang in the round of 32 would most likely have sent him packing, however in this double knockout event Shane took full advantage of his second chance.

His list of victims on the losers side is quite staggering if you think about it

Thorsten Hohmann 11-6
Corey Deuel 11-4
Darryl Peah 11-7
Mike Dechaine 11-6
Brandon Shuff 11-4
ALex Pagulayan 11-9
Jeremy Jones 11-5
Dennis Orcollo 11-7
Jayson Shaw 11-9
Chang Jun Lin 13-9

The level of consistency and skill that must be displayed to beat so many world class players in one tournament is something that even most professional players could only dream of. Then of course there is the stamina factor, people sometimes try to say pool is not a sport, I think they would become tired just watching this run on the losers side.

This years breaking rules were the toughest ever seen in an international tournament and it is no surprised to me that the unofficial best breaker in the world thrived under these conditions. I would like to add that this was not a power breaking contest like ten ball or 8 ball. It was a combination of precision and thought that was required to execute the cut break that would eventually help him get over the line.

In a time where it seems like the large majority of the American players have fallen behind the pack. There is one that stands above the rest and his dominance on U.S soil and recent success internationally make it hard for anyone to argue that he is not the best rotation player in the world. With this title Shane equals Earl Stricklands all time record of 5 U.S. Open wins including 4 of the last 5 years. With many productive years left I don't think there is any doubt he will break that record.

Honourable mentions this week must go out to Jayson Shaw who had an epic comeback in the winners side final 8 against Ko Pin Yi and had an excellent third place finish. Jeremy Jones in my opinion the most underrated American player showed he still belongs with a fifth place finish. By all accounts Pat Flemings first solo venture as promoter of the Open went very well and we are lucky to have someone like him to take of the legacy of this legendary tournament.

U.S Open Day1 &2 Roundup

By: Erik Hjorleifson 

Its that time of year again as the most prestigious tournament on American soil is upon us.
The 41st annual U.S. open kicked off on Sunday with 147 of the worlds best players paying a $1000 entry. The prize money has once again risen to a respectable level with $50 000 going to the winner and 49 of the 147 players finishing in the money.

It seems the rule set has also caught up with the times as the 9 ball is once again being racked on the spot and accu-rack template racks are being used.  The race amount has remained unchanged  which is to 11 on both sides and winner breaks.

One major change that has been implemented this year is the "3 balls past the head string rule" which states that a combination of three balls must be pocketed or pass the head string on the break. In past years the rule was a combination of three balls only had to pass the side pockets. In addition players are forced to break from the box. These breaking rules are the most challenging I have ever seen in an international nine ball tournament. Because the nine is on the spot and players are forced to break from the box making the wing ball takes a lot of thought and precision. It seems like the cut break is still the way to go but it is still a risk to get three balls past the head string. That being said cutting the break is still the only chance of making the one in the side.

From the matches that I've watched on the stream Jeremy Jones played Earl Strickland, both players chose to hit the break head on. Both players only made a ball on the break about half the time despite breaking the balls perfect, other than the break there was only about 5 errors total in the whole match. I also watched Neils Feijen and Oscar Dominguez try to cut the break but still not make the wing or the one. Ralf Soquet and Alex Kazakis broke the best of the matches I watched, both were cutting the break and often making the one and sometimes the wing ball. As the tournament progresses with all these champions in the field the break will ultimately be a huge factor in the eventual winner and it will be interesting to see which players adapt the best to the new rule set.

Notable matches from day one:                             Day two: 
             
Ko Pin Chung 11 Ruslan Chinakov 5                      Shane VanBoening 11 John Morra 10
Amar Kang 11 Konstantin Stepanov 5                  Carlos Biado 11 Johnny Archer 7
Ralf Soquet 11 Wang Can 9                                     Raj Hundal 11 Thorsten Hohmann 7
Jeremy Jones 11 Corey Dueul 10                            Alex Pagulayan 11 Dang J.H 10
Jermy Jones 11 Earl Strickland 9                             Jeremy Jones 11 Mario He 8
Darryl Peach 11 Antonio Lining 6                           Jason Klatt 11 Shane McMinn 8
Albin Ouschan 11 Neild Feijen 8                            Jayson Shaw 11 Rodney Morris 6 

Brackets and live scoring are available at azbilliards.com, stream is available at accu-stats.com. Special thanks to accu-stats for providing us with the stream so we can cover the event.

MORRA & CASPER TAKE TEXAS OPEN!!!

By Mary Kenniston

For several years now, Round Rock, TX has been the Labor Day Weekend destination of choice for pool players near and far. At this year’s Texas Open, hosted by Skinny Bob’s Billiards, players and fans were treated to four different events plus an opening night 9 ball mini-tournament. When the smoke cleared in the mini, it was the father-son duo of Ernesto and Oscar Dominguez who split the cash.

Next up was the 9 Ball Ring Game. Thirty two players entered the fray with Chip Compton and Edgie Geronimo being the last two standing. They duked it out with Chip taking down the $1140 first place money.

Eighteen teams were entered in this year’s Jack n’ Jill Scotch Doubles event. The final match saw James Davis Sr and Jennifer Kraber defeat Jay and Belinda Calhoun 7-2 to take this year’s title and $1820 cash prize.

The Women’s Division had a 32 player field. After many matches, Belinda Calhoun and Ricki Casper battled for the hot seat. Neck and neck all the way, Ricki emerged the victor 7-6 and claimed her spot in the finals. Belinda was sent to the west side to await the victor of the Helen Hayes-Chris Fields match. Leaving Helen in fourth place, Chris survived to play Belinda for the other berth in the finals.

This time it was all Chris as she defeated Belinda 7-1 to claim the spot. Advancing to the finals, Ricki defeated Chris 7-5 to pick up $2080 in cash and becoming this year’s Women’s Texas Open Champ!

The Open Division had a full 128 player field. The field was whittled down to 32 players when a second auction and redraw were held. Canadian champ John Morra and defending champ Sky Woodward were the finalists for the hot seat match. John led for most of the match until Sky closed it out 9-5 and again, claiming his spot in the finals.

John went west to await the outcome of the Manny Chau-Brandon Shuff match. Brandon squeaked out a victory leaving Manny with a very respectable fourth place finish. John, living up to his nickname, Mr Smooth, played solid pool and defeated Brandon – forcing him to settle for a third place finish.

Since the Texas Open is true double elimination, John would have to defeat Sky twice to win the tournament. The first set was all John as he played nearly perfectly and led 7-0. Finally, Sky slid a bead over to his side and then it was all Sky as the match progressed to 7-4 when the players took a break. The following game was taken by John – putting him on the hill. Sky won the next but scratched on the break, leaving John with a fairly simple runout & forcing a second set. Final score - 9-5.

The second set began with each player notching wins until the middle of the match. After a pair of uncharacteristic errors by Sky, John pulled away until he reached the hill 8-5. Needing one game to win the tournament, he made a ball on the break and methodically ran the balls to claim his first Texas Open title and $20,600 cash!

Congratulations to John Morra and Ricki Casper for becoming the 2016 Texas Open Champs! Great tournament, Sky & Chris!

And, thanks again to everyone at Skinny Bob’s for, as usual, a first class event! And, as always, PoolActionTV would like to thank our sponsors! Our main sponsors include Hanshew Custom Cues, Sanders Roofing, Kamui, Club Billiards in Wichita, KS and Kamikaze Tips. Special mention goes out to Lomax Custom Cues, Aramith, Simonis, Durbin Custom Cues and GoPlayPool.com.

Thanks to Terry Hanna and all our fans! Next, we’ll be heading to the Four Bears 8 Ball Classic in New Town, ND – September 15-18th. Hope to see you there!!!

Shaw Wins his 4th Turning Stone Classic Championship!

Champion Jayson Shaw Photo by Erin Bechner

By: Markus Noé

August 25-28 the 26th edition of the Turning Stone Classic took place. As always this was played at the Turning Stone Casino and Resort located in Verona New York. This is a $25,000 added tournament that takes place August and January. This was the fourth time that I had the opportunity to attend this event and if last January was the strongest field I witnessed last weeks was the weakest.

Unfortunately in the pool world with so many separate organizations, events often collide with each other. Most of the top players in the world went to Shanghai to play as the prize pools are considerably higher. For those that did not want to go to Shanghai others went to Las Vegas to play in the U.S Bar Box Championships.

With the year beginning to wrap up players looking to make their Mosconi Cup Teams are scrambling for points. An interesting observation here is that the U.S Bar Box Championship held three events last week all carrying these valuable Mosconi Cup Points. Turning Stone also carries these points however I heard some top players who are in the running wondering if each tournament in Vegas held the same amount of points as Turning Stone? Which would not really be fair and is a little confusing considering that these are bar box tournaments.

All that aside going into last week the favourites in my opinion were Jayson Shaw, Mike Dechane, Earl Strickland and Rodney Morris. The next group of favourites to win was Erik Hjorleifson, Hunter Lombardo, Brandon Shuff, Donnie Mills, Ernesto Dominguez, Karen Corr. Throughout the first two days there was not really any upsets to speak of. Martin Daigle did knock Erik Hjorleifson over to the one lose side in the first round 9-4.

It was not until Saturday evening deep on the winners side until the bigger names met up and some entertaining matches took place. Dechaine and Strickland was in my opinion the most entertaining match of the weekend. This took place in the final 8 of the winners side. Both players are incredible talents and both players are very animated around the table thus around 200 fans gathered to watch this match to see if there would be any fireworks. This match went 8-8 in a race to 9 with Strickland edging out Dechaine in the end, when Strickland won he did his patent fist pump to the delight of the crowd.

Alongside this match on the stream table Karen Corr legendary Women's player was up against a young stud from Russia. His name is Maksim Dudanets and he is only 17 years old. He came to the U.S about a month ago for the Atlantic Cup Challenge and has stayed to play in some events. He had Corr stuck in this set 7-3 however Corr showed her experience and slowed the momentum of this match right down and ended up winning. Another seasoned player Ernesto Dominguez ended his run in the 7/8 bracket 9-2. Once Dudanets was eliminated from the tournament he wasted no time going to an empty table and setting up advanced practice drills and did this for hours. I would look over and even some of the others pro's where watching and impressed with this young mans work ethic and dedication. I am predicting we will be hearing a lot from this player in the future.

As always there was a strong contingent of players from Québec. Alain, Parent, Danny Hewitt Joey Cicero all ended up cashing in this event. Cicero once against finished in the 9-12 bracket and Hewitt was the top finishing Canadian in this event ending up in the 7/8 bracket..

The final 4 remaining players on Sunday were the same final 4 from the winners bracket. As Corr, Strickland, Mills and Shaw were are still in the running.  Shaw beat Strickland earlier in the winners side final 4 and then Strickland went on to beat Dominguez 9-8. Corr edged out Mills 9-8 and then lost in the winners side final to Shaw 9-2. Mills and Strickland met up in the 4th place match as Corr waited for her shot at history, as no female player has ever been to the final of the Turning Stone Classic let alone any men's professional tournament.

Runner-up Karen Corr photo by Erin Bechner 

Strickland eliminated Mills and in a bit of an upset Corr beat Strickland 9-8 and was visibly happy, as she not only made history but I believe she never beat Strickland in competition before. Shaw who in my opinion is a top 3 player in the world currently was just too much for the field. He virtually cruised through the brackets undefeated and was never really threatened. He took the final 13-5 and won his 4th Turning Stone title in his last 5 tries. There is another great thing about Shaw and that is the manner in which he plays, if there was anyone that can make pool watchable to the masses it is this man here.  Congratulation to Shaw who has also been crushing it in Europe and I expect him to make his first Mosconi Cup team this year.

I would like to thank my sponsor for this event David Touhey of Touhey Management located in Ottawa, Ontario. The next Pro event for me will be the Falcon Tour stop in Valleyfield, Quebec September 17-18 look forward to seeing you all there. To stay up to date at the events we will be at follow us on our Cue Sport Nation Facebook Page.

Albins Ouschan Wins World 9 Ball Championship

By: Erik Hjorleifson

The 2016 World Championships are now in the books and the final player standing. Albin Ouschan from Austria has become to my knowledge the second youngest world champion next to Wu Jiaqing. 128 of the world best players assembled in Qatar to compete for the most prestigious title in men's 9 ball. This year would see the first time since the early 2000s that the nine ball would be moved to the spot. Darren Appleton predicted in one of his facebook live broadcasts that the Europeans would have a good shot at the title because of their experience in breaking with the nine on the spot at euro tour events. Although only one of the final four was European his prediction would prove to be true.


The first player to make a statement towards his run for the title was Jayson Shaw from Scotland. He defeated the defending champion Ko Pin Yi in the round of 64 and tournament favourite Dennis Orcollo in the round of 32. He advanced all the way to the quarter finals before losing to eventual champion Albin Ouschan. Dennis Grabe and Alex Kazakis also had breakout performances ending up in the quarter final rounds.



The semi finals would feature newly invigorated Alex Pagulayan who had his best performance at the World Championships since winning it in 2004. He would face Albin Ouschan from Austria the 2015 China Open champion and the 2014 runner up at the world championships. I was able to watch the first few games of this match and  Pagulayan made a couple spectacular shots to take a 3 1 lead. In the 5th game Alex had a one ball skid on him and that seemed to turn the tide. As he made a few errors from there and went on to lose the match 11 4. In the other semi final Shane Van Boening booked his spot in the final for the second year in a row and after years of struggling overseas he has become a perennial threat.

In the final SVB made some critical errors and never really gained momementum in this match. The young Austrian who already has world final experience took full advantage going to win with ease 13-6.

There will always be critics whenever a major event like this happens but the one thing that really sticks out like a sore thumb is the prize money. The cost of travel is very high and the $40 000 is somewhere in the ball park but the rest of the prize money is pitiful. Assuming players are paying their own expense only 8 of 128 are turning a profit and really only 2 of those 8 are turning a good profit.

In my opinion and i'm sure in any full time players opinion this is completely unacceptable. The most obvious way to create revenue for the prize money is to get the championships back on global tv and I sincerely hope that the WPA creates a requirement for the promoters to do so when they start a new contract. Frankly the latest inception since the tournament has been in Qatar has been an embarassment and under no circumstances do I believe that hey should be allowed to promote the World Championships in the future.

Top 5 Pay Outs:

1. Albin Ouschan $40,000 

2. Shane Van Boening $20,000

3/4th. Alex Pagulayan $8,000
Kevin Cheng $8,000

5th. Alex Kazakis, Jayson Shaw, Ko Ping Chung $5,000

6th Annual Straight Pool Hall of Fame Nominees: Final Qualifiers for the World 14.1

6th Annual Straight Pool Hall of Fame Nominees: Final Qualifiers for the World 14.1Tomorrow 76th World 14.1 September 5-11, 2016  New York City,  Steinway Billiards The greatest 14.1 players in history come back each year to vie for the most prestigious & traditional title in pool New York City- The 2016 nominees for the prestigious Straight Pool Hall of Fame are now announced. The ballot list is built from nominations from past HOF's, sponsors, and fans. Also, the final 2 qualifiers for the World 14.1 takes place on Saturday August 6th at Amsterdam Billiards in New York City and Big Dog Billiards in Iowa respectively. 2016 will mark the 11th consecutive year the World Tournament of 14.1 will be staged. This is the longest consecutive run of the championship ever in its 104 year history with Dragon Promotions  continuing production of the world's oldest billiards event.This year's confirmed dates for the 76th WorldTournament of 14.1 will take place on September 5th-11th,2016. For the fourth straight year,Steinway Billiards in New York City will host the prestigious championship. As usual, a star studded 56 player field is expected for this year's lineup to win the world's greatest straight pool championship. Fans can vote now for the following candidates: The 2016 14.1 Hall of Fame nominees for the Greatest Player category are Pete Margo legendary northeast star Nick Varner 2x World 14.1 champ Bobby Hunter last American to hoist the World 14.1 title until his protege John Schmidt. For the Unsung Hero category: Tom Jennings,  2x US Open Champion  Cue Ball Kelly , longtime 14.1 promoter Frank McGown, Brooklyn legend and elite 14.1 pro Thank you to the Hall of Famers, sponsor & World 141 Club members for your nominations & votes. On Sunday morning the winning 3 inductees will be announced. The AZBTV livestream TV table will be on Rasson Billiards  uniquely designed Victory Table premiering in New York City for the first time. Event elite partners include Mr.Tom Gleich, Dr. Gregory Diehl, Mr. Greg Hunt of Amsterdam Billiards, and Mr. Harold Siegel of Excelsior Graphics. The World Tournament Official Equipment will feature all matches played on Andy Cloth with Aramith Balls. Patron sponsors include Dr. James Heller, Dennis Walsh of Walsh & Townsend Attorneys, Maropolus Motors, Mr. Charles Eames of Charles Eames Photography, Frank Scharbach of Frank's Billard Cafe, Focused Apparel and Eli Ceballos of Cryfoto Photography. PAY PER VIEW on sale NOW** GotoWorldStraightPool.com *EARLY bird special save $20 now on ALL week pass 7 days of elite World 14.1 matches. Don't miss any historic moments! Streamed by AZBtv. Qualifier winners thus far in 2016: 76th Andy Cloth World Straight #PoolChampionship in NYC Sept 5-11. Final qualifier Aug 6 tomorrow at Amsterdam Billiards & Big Dog Billiards. Want to help out? Join the World 141 Club at WorldStraightPool.com . Want to Host a Qualifier? Call 407-782-4978 support@dragonpromotions.com . Sponsored by AndyClothUSA.com andwww.Rasson.cn For 11 years straight, every year the World 14.1 has been revived for, Amsterdam Billiards has been a staunch sponsor, supporter and qualifier host courtesy of NYC's Greg Hunt, its Founder. In addition, the 6th Annual Straight Pool Hall of Fame Banquet will take place in the middle of the event on September 7th at 7:30pm. Every year the popular dinner sells out with all the pool stars and legends attending. The 14.1 HOF is always the hottest ticket in town every year with laughter & tears This year will also be a great opportunity for players coming from far away to play in 4 consecutive events within driving distance with Turningstone Casino, Robles 9-Ball Tour, and the World 14.1. Great players have been honored & fans of billiards have been treated to some unforgettable moments during the past decade of the World 14.1 revival Be a proud sponsor of the most prestigious and classiest event in the United States, the World Tournament of 14.1 which has been ongoing since 1912.  For only $250, become part of the elite World 141 Club and garner all the benefits that well exceed the money you will spend. Click here for full details. We invite you to join this year's 76th anniversary event in New York City as a supporter or attendee. For those interested in a higher level of support as one of our advertisers or elite World 14.1 Patrons, please reply here or call 407-782-4978 .  Throughout a decade, Dragon Promotions has been able to revitalize straight pool back into the sport and to new audiences. In 2006, straight pool was near it’s complete death in the US. Since then we have poured our resources in media, finance, and know-how to grow the popularity of 14.1. Today, the consensus among the professionals on tour is that the World 14.1 is one of, if not the most, important titles to win in America. Something not expected decades ago. Sponsors are welcomed to contact 407-782-4978  Also for tickets, Vendors, tournament entries and information:  worldstraightpoolchampionships@gmail.com Follow our daily social media updates at : Visit www.facebook.com/Worldstraightpool www.twitter.com/Dragonpromoter & www.instagram.com/dragonpromotions . 7 Time World 14.1 Champion Willie Mosconi 7 Time World 14.1 Champion Willie Mosconi

Hard Times: John Morra is the 7th Annual 10 Ball Champion

Winner John Morra, Photo courtesy of  Vi Quynh

          

By: Erik Hjorleifson

This past weekend at Hard Times Bellflower one of the most iconic poolrooms in North America played host to the 7th annual Hard Times 10 ball shootout. An impressive field of 41 players turned out each paying a $125 entry fee with a generous $5000 added. World standardized ten ball rules were in effect and the races were to 9 on the winners side and 8 on the losers side. Notables in the field included Alex Pagulayan, Francisco Bustamante, John Morra, Rodney Morris , Oscar Dominguez along with many other local and regional champions.

One of the interesting things about all events played at Hard Times is that the table conditions are tougher than what you would see at an average professional tournament. Normally you would see pro's play on 4 and a half inch Diamond tables, at Hard times which has locations in Sacramento and Los Angeles play is on gold crowns with 4 inch pockets. This difference in pocket size makes for a more enjoyable tournament when pro players are competing. Run outs are not automatic and some of the safety play that ensues is quite interesting. It also makes it tougher to make a ball on the break, from the matches that I was able to watch I saw both Alex Pagulayan and Francisco Bustamante breaking from the side rail because they were having a hard time making a ball with the conventional head on break.

On day one John Morra drew hard times regular Rodney Morris and John served notice that he would be a force to be reckoned with in this tournament advancing with a 9 2 win. Day one also saw Alex Pagulayan defeating Ernesto Dominguez and Franciso Bustamante defeating Oscar Dominguez, veteran champion Santos Sambajon also made his way through to the final four on the winners side.

Sunday proved to very exciting, Morra and Pagulayan both won their first matches and faced off in the winners side final. After trailing 7-5 in the race to 9 format Morra dug deep and came back to win the match 9-7, taking the hot seat. After losing to Morra in the final four on the winners side Bustamante battled back to face Pagulayan in the third place match. This would be a great match coming right down to the wire with Bustamante pulling off the thrilling hill hill win. 

The finals would not disappoint as well, after staying close the whole match Morra pulled away to make the score 10-8 in the one set extended race finals to 11. Bustamante got a couple small rolls in the next two games and leveled the score at 10 10. Believe it or not the hill game probably took about 20 minutes after Butamante got out of line after caroming the 8 ball. About a 6 exchange safety battle ensued and it is a testament to both players world class level the creativity and skill that was seen until finally Morra gained the advantage potting a tough long 5 ball and running out for the win.

Very well deserved to all of the final 3 players as you could see that on this weekend they were truly class of the field and congrats to John Morra as he has added a very tough win leading up to the world championships in Qatar.

Here is the video of the final few racks. 

1st John Morra $3000

2nd Francisco Bustamante $1500

3rd Alex Pagulayan $1100

4th Edgie Geronimo $800

5th Oscar Dominguez $600

       Santos Sambajon

RASSON Announced as new Matchroom Pool Table Supplier

Press Release: 

MATCHROOM SPORT is delighted to announce that RASSON BILLIARDS will be the Official Table Supplier at all Matchroom pool events over the next three years.

The company, based in Jiujiang City in south western China, have made large in roads into the billiard world since setting up 26 years ago. Originally, they were a slate producing country, something that they still specialize in.

Rasson will be bringing their top-of-the-range Victory table to the Mosconi Cup, World Cup of Pool and World Pool Masters.

With the Mosconi Cup set for Alexandra Palace, London this December and details of the World Cup of Pool and World Pool Masters 23^rd and 11^th editions to be announced in due course, Rasson’s tables will be seen on pool’s global stage over the next three years.

Rasson general manager, Junny Song said, “We’re thrilled to work with Matchroom. Matchroom Sport is a world leader in pool productions and does an excellent job on holding all three pool events.

“We also feel much honored for so many great players from all over the world would play on Rasson table. All Rasson commercial tables are equipped with our own designed and patented levelling system and pockets that are the easiest to assemble in the market.

“As the biggest pool table manufacturer and exporter in the world, we believe this would be win-win cooperation for both Matchroom and Rasson. We wish every player wouldenjoy the play on our table!”

Commented Matchroom Sport Chairman, Barry Hearn, “We are delighted to have Rasson on board as our table supplier and look forward to showcasing their magnificent Victory table in the finest pool events in the world.

“The Mosconi Cup, World Pool Masters and World Cup of Pool will give Rasson unprecedented exposure to a TV audience across the world and we’re very excited to be working with them over the coming years.”

Luke Riches, Matchroom Sport: luke.riches@matchroom.com 

Notes: MATCHROOM SPORT is one of the world’s leading producers of televised sport and is responsible for over 1,000 hours of original programming across a range of sports. Based in the UK and chaired by charismatic founder Barry Hearn, they operate three pool events; the Mosconi Cup, the World Cup of Pool and the World Pool Masters. In addition, the company produce a multitude of events in darts, snooker, tenpin, golf, fishing, ping pong, poker and boxing.

Notes: RASSON BILLIARDS are the first and only producer of both billiard table and slate in global.With the establishment in 1990, RASSON provided billiard slate OEM for billiard companies all over the world and now take near 60% of billiard slate market in North America. Rasson then expanded business into billiard table manufacturing and provided OEM&ODM for numerous top billiard brands in North America. Nowadays Rasson have been the biggest slate pool table manufacturer and exporter in the world.

2016 West Coast Challenge.

The BIGGEST event in CALIFORNIA!
2016 WCS
With the re-opening of California Billiards in Fremont, CA meant the return of the full WEST COAST SWING! With a successful 1st event, 4th Annual Cole Dickson Memorial Tournament, the gust of momentum took the action down to Fremont.

Not only is there a $10,000 ADDED 10-Ball Tournament (Moroni Points Awarded), but also a $5,000 ADDED 1-Pocket tournament. The 1-Pocket Tournament runs from July 6th - 8th, while the 10-Ball tournament begins the 8th and goes through the 10th.

Players expected to play in the tournament include Alex Pagulayan, Dennis Orcullo, Jason Shaw, Brandon Shuff, Edgie Geronimo, Tony Chohan and many more!

Watch as all the ACTION happens on www.POVPOOL.com or For more information go to www.povpool.com/westcoastswing/
Live Stream to begin 11:30am/pst.

And if you're around, come on down to California Billiards!!!

www.POVPOOL.com

6 Qualifiers for the World 14.1: Iowa, New Jersey, NYC Added 76th World 14.1 September 5-11, 2016  New York City,  Steinway Billiards   The greatest 14.1 players in history come back each year to vie for the most prestigious & traditional title in pool New York City- All 6 official qualifiers for the 76th World 14.1 has been announced. All six locations have previously held World 14.1 qualifiers before, which proves their success in growing the interest of straight pool in their respective areas. 2016 will mark the 11th consecutive year the World Tournament of 14.1 will be staged. This is the longest consecutive run of the championship ever in its 104 year history with Dragon Promotions continuing production of the world's oldest billiards event. This year's confirmed dates for the 76th WorldTournament of 14.1 will take place on September 5th-11th,2016. For the fourth straight year, Steinway Billiards in New York City will host the prestigious championship. As usual, a star studded 56 player field is expected for this year's lineup to win the world's greatest straight pool championship. The AZBTV livestream TV table will be on Rasson Billiards  uniquely designed Victory Table premiering in New York City for the first time. Event elite partners include Mr.Tom Gleich, Dr. Gregory Diehl, Mr. Greg Hunt of Amsterdam Billiards, and Mr. Harold Siegel of Excelsior Graphics. The World Tournament Official Equipment will feature all matches played on Andy Cloth with Aramith Balls. Patron sponsors include Dr. James Heller, Mr. Charles Eames of Charles Eames Photography, Frank Scharbach of Frank's Billard Cafe, Focused Apparel and Eli Ceballos of Cryfoto Photography.  Title sponsorship of the 76th World 14.1 is currently available. 2016 World 14.1 Qualifiers June 4th - The 4th NAPL Qualifier for the World Straight Pool Championship- New York City - Amsterdam Billiards June 25th- The 2nd CA Qualifier for the World Straight Pool Championship- Monterey, California-Easy Street Billiards  July 9th- The 9th Chicago Qualifier for the World Straight Pool Championship- Chicago- Red Shoe Billiards July 16th- The 2nd Annual Iowa Qualifier for the World Straight Pool Championship- Des Moines- Big Dog Billiards July 31st- The 6th New Jersey Qualifier for the World Straight Pool Championship- Edison- Sandcastle Billiards August 6th- The 11th New York City Qualifier for the World Straight Pool Championship- Manhattan- Amsterdam Billiards For 11 years straight, every year the World 14.1 has been revived for, Amsterdam Billiards has been a staunch sponsor, supporter and qualifier host courtesy of NYC's Greg Hunt, its Founder. In addition, the 6th Annual Straight Pool Hall of Fame Banquet will take place in the middle of the event on September 7th at 7:30pm. Every year the popular dinner sells out with all the pool stars and legends attending. The 14.1 HOF is always the hottest ticket in town every year with laughter & tears This year will also be a great opportunity for players coming from far away to play in 4 consecutive events within driving distance with Turningstone Casino, Robles 9-Ball Tour, and the World 14.1.  "Straight pool has the best pool fans in the world. I have no doubt this year will equal if not surpass 2015", said Charlie Williams, Executive Producer of the World Tournament. Great players have been honored & fans of billiards have been treated to some unforgettable moments during the past decade of the World 14.1 revival Be a proud sponsor of the most prestigious and classiest event in the United States, the World Tournament of 14.1 which has been ongoing since 1912.  For only $250, become part of the elite World 141 Club and garner all the benefits that well exceed the money you will spend. Click here for full details. We invite you to join this year's 76th anniversary event in New York City as a supporter or attendee. For those interested in a higher level of support as one of our advertisers or elite World 14.1 Patrons, please reply here or call 407-782-4978 .  Throughout a decade, Dragon Promotions has been able to revitalize straight pool back into the sport and to new audiences. In 2006, straight pool was near it’s complete death in the US. Since then we have poured our resources in media, finance, and know-how to grow the popularity of 14.1. Today, the consensus among the professionals on tour is that the World 14.1 is one of, if not the most, important titles to win in America. Something not expected decades ago.   Sponsors are welcomed to contact 407-782-4978  Also for tickets, Vendors, tournament entries and information:   worldstraightpoolchampionships@gmail.com  Follow our daily social media updates at : Visit www.facebook.com/Worldstraightpool www.twitter.com/Dragonpromoter & www.instagram.com/dragonpromotions . 7 Time World 14.1 Champion Willie Mosconi