Ga Young Kim Wins International Pool Championships

By: Erik Hjorleifson

It was action packed week of pool at Steinway billiards in Astoria New York for the Women's International 10 ball Championships. In the end it was Ga Young Kim from Korea who took down the $12, 500 first prize in convincing fashion against Vivian Villareal with a 17-10 win. Both players advanced fairly easily to the finals with undefeated 11-0 records. They were seeded #1 and #2 going into the final single elimination.

The semi finalists in the tournament were Jennifer Baretta and newcomer Denise Wilkinson from New Zealand. Wilkinson advanced through to the semi-finals with a win over Naomi Williams from Canada who had a breakthrough performance finishing 7-0 in the round robin stage and advanced to the quarter finals with wins over Belinda Calhoun and Tara Williams. Unfortunately Naomi fell under the weather as did many players as the tournament went on, and she had to settle for a tied for 5th place finish, sill a very good showing. Brittany Bryant the other Canadian star had a very good week as well finishing second in her round robin group and winning her first two matches in the single elimination redraw. She eventually went down with an 11-7 score line to eventual third place finisher Jennifer Baretta.

In all it was a positive step forward for women's pool in North America, which has been on a serious decline at the competitive level since the decrease in tournaments on the WPBA tour in the past few years. The WPBA is in dire straits right now with only one event scheduled for 2015 and as the women showed this week it is not for a lack of interest as they filled the field of 64 players. It is interesting to note that in China the popularity of women's pool far outweighs the popularity of men's and hopefully for the female players in North America they can see some of that popularity here in North America.

Results
1st         Ga Young Kim $12 500

2nd        Vivian Villareal $6000

3rd/4th  Jennifer Baretta $3100
              Denise Wilkinson $3100

5th/8th    Naomi Williams $2140
               Brittany Bryant $2140
               Helena Thorfeldt $2140
               Hiroko Makiyama         $2140

5 Canucks Remain at the Womens International Pool Championships

Photos courtesy of Naomi Williams 

By: Markus Noé

After a long week of group stages the final 32 is now set at the Women's International Pool Championships. Over the past for days each woman played 6 matches in a round robin format with the winners of the most games making it through to the single elimination round. 

Canadians will be well represented as Nathalie Chabot, Veronique Menard, Brittany Bryant, Maureen Seto and Naomi Williams have all made the cut. This tournament is really starting to get interesting for players like Bryant and Williams who both won their groups. Usually when a tournament such as this is organized all the top players show up. With the likes of Kelly Fischer, Karen Corr and many others who did not show up it leaves the brackets wide open for our two top Canadians who rival any North American player.  

Naomi Williams 

Many who I have talked to believe that we could easily see 2 out of 5 Canadians in the top 8 and from there anything can happen. Matches start today at 12:00 pm EST, there is a live stream that can be purchased at www.dragonpromotions.com. . Currently I am unable to judge the stream quality because at $50 for the week is about the same as my cable bill but perhaps I will throw in $15 to watch the final day. Hopefully in the future they will be able to obtain some sponsorship to help absorb the high price for this stream. Because in reality outside of peoples close friends and family members $50 is simply too much to pay, and is counter-intuitive for the purpose of growing the game. We will be updating as the results come in so check our Facebook Page and website frequently. 

Preview of the Womens International Pool Championship

 By: Erik Hjorleifson

 After a bit of an arduous journey, the Womens International 10 ball Championships is set to get underway on Tuesday at Steinway Billiard in Queens, New York. Only 3 weeks ago the event looked to be in jeopardy as issues with the promotion of the event as an unsanctioned world championships were taken very seriously by the WPA. At one point the world association announced serious reprimands for any player choosing to compete in the event. Amends were made and thankfully they have achieved their goal of a full field of 64 women from Canada, the United Sates and a few international players.

It must be noted that although the field is full, the strength of the field has not met the expectations of the original promotion. The only notable overseas players in attendance will be Jennifer Chen and Ga young Kim. Controversy surrounding the event and a total prize fund of $40 000 has played a factor in the international attendance. Suprisingly though is the absence of top women that are based in North America such as Kelly Fisher, Allison Fisher, Karen Corr and Jasmin Ouschan who regularly make the trek overseas to compete. Without specific  knowledge of the reason for their absence, the choice to not participate in an event so close to home on American suggests to me that they have chosen to sit out in a form of protest. Whether it is the prize fund or the unorthodox promotion of the event I can't say for sure, but their absence should definitely be noted.

On the bright side we are set for a great week of womens pool in New York. American women have rallied behind this event. Qualifiers have been run across the country and they have produced the best women from all parts of the U.S. Canada will also be in the mix with multiple times Canadian Champions Naomi Williams and Brittany Bryant in attendance. Denise Belanger, Maureen Seto, Veronique Menard, Corinne Johnson will also carry the hopes for the north of the border players.

The format of the tournament is quite commendable, it is something that I believe should be a model for all major pro events. The 64 women will be divided into groups of 8 playing in a round robin format race to 7 against each player in their group. This is something the IPT did and I feel  this is the best way to get a real deserving champion. Losing a match hill-hill in this format is not as devastating as a double knockout style tournament, as you can lose probably 2 or 3 matches overall and still advance to the next stage. This week in the preliminary stages 4 players out of the 8 players in each group will advance to the final 32 single knockout stage of the tournament.

With the absence of most of the top names in the sport it will be a chance for many of the top North American women to show what they are made of. Live streaming will be available at www.dragonpromotions.com, the charge will be a reasonable $50 for the entire event and $10 for a daily pass. Stay tuned to www.cuesportnation.com for daily results from the event.

Biado Loses Semi-Final on "No Call" Foul: Reyes Wins Pacman Cup

The Shot Biado did not call to lose the match. 

By: Markus Noé

The Pacman Cup singles event is in the books and the new champion is none other than the legend Efren Bata Reyes. After defeating Canadian John Morra in the the 16 place bracket he went on to win the event playing Demosthenes Pulpul in the final and coming out ahead in a thrilling double hill match. To watch the entire final click on the video below.

The story should be that Reyes who is now 60 years old has won his first big rotation tournament in sometime. As he has been getting older most of his success has been in the game of one pocket and not as much in games like 9 and 10 ball, which are widely believed to be a "young mans" game. However here he is winning what I understand to be $13,000 US according to the announcement made at the end of the final.

Reyes making sure everyone sees him calling the 10 Ball

Unfortunately for Reyes this has been overshadowed by what happened in the semi-final match between Demosthenes Pulpul and Carlo Biado. It was bad enough in my opinion what happened to Shane Van Boening vs Ronnie Alacano, when at 5-3 down SVB shot a straight in 10 ball into the corner but failed to call it and lost the game. Because it is widely accepted that in this format of rules one does not have to call "obvious" shots, SVB quit in protest as this is a flimsy rule that has been loosely enforced throughout the tournament.

What happened in the Biado/Pulpul match was even more gut wrenching. If you fast forward to the the final rack in the video below as this was a double hill match, you will see Biado make what he believes to be a match winning run-out to make it into the final of the Pacman Cup. This time the 10 ball lay literally inches away from the side pocket and Biado played straight in shape. It is such an automatic shot that he celebrates his guaranteed win as the cue ball comes to a stop. Then he bends down and makes the simple shot. Pulpul jumped out of his chair and motioned towards the referee that Biado failed to call the 10 ball. The referee confirms Pulpul's reaction with a shoulder shrug and nodding his head.

Pulpul then began jumping around like he won the lottery. One has to ask themselves, has our sport lost any sense of sportsmanship or professionalism when you see this reaction?Understandably so, there is money at stake and in general money is hard to come by in the sport. However it looks like the game has become so cutthroat that even pro players have lost sight of the bigger picture.

There is no argument that can be made to suggest to me that what we saw here is nothing but detrimental to the sport. Let it be made clear this "call shot" rule is in place so that balls cannot be made or a game won on a "fluke" shot. It is not however in place to cheaply steal a game or in this case a very significant match. All this does in my opinion is further push our sport into obscurity by adding even more confusion to the common fan who wants to watch great shot making and skill, and not see a match of "technicalities".

Feel free to join our Facebook Page   to join in on the debate, as this rule has brought forth a lot of discussion in recent days. Also check back  with us at  Cue Sport Nation as we will also have the results from the upcoming Pacman Cup doubles event.

Controversial Call Against SVB at Pacman Cup

By: Markus Noé

Currently most of the best players in the world are in the Philippines to take part in the Manny Pacquiao sponsored "Pacman Cup" doubles event.  Similar to the first edition of this event which took place in the early fall, there is a "warm up" singles event.

In a match yesterday American 1# player Shane Van Boening was up against local favourite Ronnie Alcano. At the 1hr 25 min mark in the video posted below SVB completes a run-out and fails to call the 10 ball. However it was a straight in shot and it is common practice not to call the shots that are obvious.

As you can see the ref after seeing Alcano jump out of is seat came right up to SVB and told him the bad news. To my surprise even though I know this was a competitive match for money, Alcano does not defend SVB. Despite their past where one time SVB actually backed Alcano at a U.S Open it should just be a professional courtesy to tell the ref to let such a mindless call go. I did look back at a few other racks and SVB was not calling the pocket then and it was let go

After a few words SVB put his cues away and quit in disgust 6-3 down. I am not a fan of the giving up attitude, and I do not believe this was quitting so much as it is a protest. Besides being 1# in America many regard SVB to be the number 1# player in the world, who flew all the way to Philippines to take part in this event. I feel this is a cheap shot and bad for the game what do you our readers think? Feel free to leave your comments on our Facebook posts.

On a side note our own John Morra has made the trip once again to play with Thorsten Hohmann in the doubles event. Last time out they finished 2nd winning $9000 a piece. In the singles event Morra has moved to the final 32 as he has won his first 3 matches, good luck to him the rest of the way.

Europe Defends Mosconi Cup 11-5

By: Markus Noé

  Shane Van Boening (SVB) and Darren Appleton kicked off the final session of the Mosconi Cup today. At 9-5 for Team Europe this was an interesting match because it really was a must win for Team U.S.A. What added to the intrigue was that SVB was scheduled to play the first two matches which is a rarity, because the rule is generally no player can play back to back matches. Things were different today as the first match was originally scheduled to be the the last match in yesterdays session. Because of time constraints it was pushed to today allowing SVB, America's top player, a chance to win the first two matches of the day and attempt to get his team back in this event.

At 1-1 both players had successfully broke and ran out their first games. In the second rack, safety play was needed and after a few exchanges Appleton won. The big momentum shift in this set was in the fourth rack when SVB attempted a safe shot which he executed well but unfortunately unintentionally potted the 2 ball. This left him above the 5 ball with the 4 ball up table glued to the top rail. This resulted in a failed safety attempt that turned into ball in hand and Appleton took full advantage pushing the lead to 3-1 and never looked back winning the set 5-1.

The final match was Shane Van Boening vs Nick Ekonomopoulos. Ekonomopoulos started with a perfect break and run, while SVB needed some safety play to secure his first point. Europe pulled ahead 2-1 and in the next rack a rare bad break by SVB lead to a self imposed hook shot which again forced ball in hand costing him the rack. SVB was able to "break serve" in the next rack winning a game off Ekonomopoulos's break.

SVB had a glorious chance in the next rack to tie the match up at 3-3 however he missed an open 6 ball. Ekonomopoulos jumped out of his chair and looked to make quick work of the remaining balls but missed shape on the 8 ball. He attempted to cut it in the corner however hit it so thin he almost played safe unintentionally. With a tough shot on the 8 ball, SVB was unable to get good shape on the 9 ball and missed a tough cut shot to go down 4-2. In the final rack of the Mosconi Cup, Ekonomopoulos broke in 3 balls leaving six wide open balls for the win, which he completed with ease to win the match and the Mosconi Cup once again for Team Europe.

Once the initial celebrations were done it was time to give out the individual awards. In a heart warming moment Darren Appleton took the microphone and announced to the world that their beloved coach Joan Ruysink was retiring from the team. In honour of this they made an award for him called the Most Valuable Team Captain.

In a bit of a surprise Nick Ekonomopoulos who won 5 matches including the Cup winning match, was overlooked for MVP. It was given to current World Champion Niels Feijin. In all fairness with such a stacked team any one of these players could have gotten this award. 

In the end this is a big disappointment for Team U.S.A as this year they were supposed to be more competitive. Yes, 11-5 is better than 11-2, but this still falls very short of their hopes and for being truly competitive. As mentioned in yesterdays update, the Europeans did not look like their indestructible selves from years past at times. It was poor performances by veterans Corey Deuel, John Schmidt as well as SVB going 0-7 in the event which proved to be too much to overcome. 

On a positive side rookies Justin Hall and Justin Bergman had solid events and it leaves hope for the coming years. The majority of the team looked to be unable to handle the immense pressure that the crowd brings to this event. As early picks for next years team I would like to see Hall, Bergman, SVB remain and have passion filled players who live for these type of moments like Dennis Hatch and Rodney Morris be added. 

The Americans in my opinion really need to find a way to win one in the next year or two for this event to stay relevant. To put things in perspective they have been beaten 22-7 during the past two years alone. Congratulations to Team Europe, the next big international event we are covering here at Cue Sport Nation will be the Pacman Cup, so check in next week for results. 

Europeans Push Americans to the Brink in Day 3

By: Markus Noé

Day 3 started with a key doubles match between John Schmidt/Justin Hall vs Nick Ekonomopoulous/Karl Boyes. With the overall score 6-4 in Europe's favour, this was an important match for the Americans. It was a scrappy affair with neither team looking in form as they traded the first four rack off each others mistakes.

The turning point in this match was at 2-2 when Schmidt played a cut shot off the bottom rail with inside siding. The intention was of course to hit the side rail which it never did as it scratched in the side pocket while Hall stood there in disbelief. Team U.S.A was able to secure the next rack to tie the match at 3. However giving up another ball in hand in the next rack resulted in a run out and the Europeans broke and ran the next rack to win the set. The gut wrenching part for Team U.S.A is unlike years past the European side has looked vulnerable at times, however they have yet to take advantage with this match being an example.

The next match was a singles play and both Hall and Ekonomopoulos were again called upon by their respective sides.  The set began with 3 break and runs with the Europeans having a 2-1 lead. It was Hall's break in the fourth rack and he struck it beautifully making two balls and having a shot on the 1 ball. He got to the 2 ball and shot it in the side and attempted to come up table for the 3 ball, unfortunately while attempting this he unintentionally kissed off the 3 ball and fouled in the corner pocket. This left the table at Ekonomopoulos's mercy which he took full advantage of going up 3-1.

In the following rack it was Ekonomopoulos's turn to scratch and with ball in hand. Hall was able to run out to be only one rack down. Hall followed this up with another beautiful break leaving a "cosmos" run-out which allowed him to tie it a 3-3. The next rack no one could predict, Hall looked to be out however he missed 5 ball. Ekonompoulos then hooked himself behind the 9 ball, after kicking safe Hall lashed out at a bank shot and hooked him again behind the 9 ball. This big of luck put Hall ahead 4-3.  It was a 4-9 combo for Hall in the end that won the match and guaranteeing that the Americans will make it to the final day.

For the last doubles match of this event it was Mark Gray/Karl Boyes vs Corey Deuel/John Schmidt. The Americans kept up the moment and took the first rack despite some nervy play by Schmidt. Gray and Boyes then proceeded to take the next two racks, before Deuel made a nice break which they ran out to tie it at 2-2. Off a dry break the Americans played some great safeties which won them the rack to go up one. Schmidt missed a 5 ball in the next rack and bumped the 9 ball leaving it behind the 6 ball giving up a a combo making it 3-3. This was followed up by an enormous break and run for the Europeans to go up 4-3.  After another safety error by Schmidt he accidentally broke out the remaining cluster, which allowed Europe to take this set 5-3 and push their overall lead to 8-5.

The second last match of the day featured a rematch from day 2 between Justin Bergman and Niels Feijen. The first rack went to Feijen off an over hit shot that bobbled the pocket leaving an easy out. In the next rack Bergman was the benefactor of foul shot from his opponent which lead to a run out of his own. Feijen responded with a break and run regaining the lead. Bergman then scratched off the break and the "Terminator" took that rack as well to go up 3-1. The American was able to win the next rack to go down 3-2, then in the sixth rack Bergman tried to cut a 3 ball down tabled and it skidded on him and hit the side pocket horn on the way down. It set up a 3-9 carom of sorts which Feijen attempted and missed but lucky the 9 ball banked up cross corner with a double kiss for the lucky win. This years World Champ sealed the deal in the next rack with a break and run to lead the Europeans to a 9-5 overall scoreline.

Play ended here for the day leaving the match of Shane Van Boening and Darren Appleton for tomorrow due to time constraints. The story of today was the poor play of John Schmidt, as a veteran he has been called on a lot so far in the first three days and has looked shaky at best. In team play you never want to hang a loss on one player but I am sure at this point even Schmidt would admit to possibly leaving a few points behind these past few days. It has been a long time since Schmidt has been in a pressure cooker situation like this and unfortunately for him and team U.S.A, it shows.

The other veteran they have been leaning on, Corey Deuel, is not living up to his name as the "Prince of Pool" as well. Hopefully tomorrow everyone shows up for single matches, as the Europeans only need 2 more wins to capture another Mosconi Cup victory. Overall this edition of the Mosconi Cup has been more competitive than years past despite the scoreline, it has come down to several key shots which the Americans have be unable to put away. The final day of the Mosconi Cup starts tomorrow at 2 pm. Team U.S.A needs to win by a scoreline of 6-1, a tough task in any competition let alone against the talented and fierce European side. Check out Cue Sport Nation for all your Mosconi Cup updates.