Tailgators Summer Shootout this Weekend

By: Markus Noé

The Tailgators Summer Shootout is only a few short days away and promises to be a very entertaining event. There will be two division, one being a 64 player max amateur and a talent packed 8 player max pro division. With top Canadian players like John Morra and Erik Hjorleifson attending this $300 entry and $1600 added event. Tailgators is located in the Merivale Mall in Ottawa and will be the place to be for pool fans this weekend.

Both tournaments begin at 7:00PM this Friday; the pro event will only play one round on this night. This means that all spectators who cannot make it the first night have nothing to fear as no one will be eliminated until Saturday. According to the last update from Curtis Houlden, the promoter of this event there are 7 out of the 8 spots filled. This spot is reserved in the hopes one of the local bar box legends, which Ottawa boasts a few, will step up to represent the area.

My hometown of Cornwall, Ontario will be represented in this event by Jody Roy. He is a high ranked amateur player and one of the top action players in the area.  Last fall in a similar event held at Tailgators,  he actually knocked Hjorleifson to the losers side early on. For Roy this is far from a donation and should be a lot of fun for Cornwall supporters to sweat his matches.

Hjoleifson & Morra at this years World Championships

The amateur event has changed slightly since I posted the original announcement. As you can see above, according to the poster the handicaps were only from 5-7. Houlden has changed this as he has noticed a need to include spots for lower caliber players. Thus there are two new handicaps for beginners and intermediate players which will be 3 and 4. For this handicap you are given a number and that is the amount of games needed to win. In this event the last update from Houlden which came on Monday, 50 spots are already taken in the 64 player max field. To find out if there are anymore places available please call Curtis Houlden at (613)852-6550.

Cue Sport Nation Brand Launch (C.S.N)/Team London Fundraiser

For people who are familiar with this blog you already know that Erik Hjorleifson and myself have formed a business partnership. We have decided to start a billiards media company which we are calling Cue Sport Nation. Our goal is to promote all cue sports and while doing so talk about the game beyond generic tournament updates. As well as to discuss in detail the current state of the game and what needs to be done to improve it. Our brand is that we are about the players, professional and amateur. Because to us without the competitive players pushing this game forward, pool will always be looked upon as nothing but a parlor game.

There are organizations and promoters who are stagnant to the extent that it is detrimental to the progression of cue sports. On our website, along with all the standard billiard news, will be a platform to hold these organizations and promoters accountable. In order for there to be significant change, which the industry needs, barriers have to be broken down and discussions need to be begin.

The owners of Tailgators have been gracious enough to reserve us a section where we will set up a booth so we can promote ourselves. At this booth we will have some "Hustlin Clothing" t-shirts for sale as well as our own Cue Sport Nation merchandise. Along with promoting our brand we will also be fundraising for Team London.  This will be for the group of junior players who have all earned spots at the upcoming World Junior Championships in China. Steve Gelinas from the Winning Stroke has donated a Delta Rack to be raffled off and we will be adding our own merchandise as well. ALL proceeds from this raffle will go to Team London.

For more details about our upcoming website or if you are interested in donating something to raffle off for Team London. I can be contacted through Facebook or by email at markus.noe@live.com.

Sky Woodward Wins Smoking Ace's Bar Box Open

Photo Courtesy of poolactiontv.com 

By: Markus Noé

For the second time in a row a young upstart player walked away with the 20k top prize from the Smoking Ace's Bar Box Open. Last time it was Justin Bergman, this year it was 21 year old Sky Woodward who went through this star studded field undefeated.

Woodward might be young but he is definitely not an unknown. For American fans he has been been known for a few years already. For the rest of the world this year has been his coming out party, winning the banks ring game at Derby City. In the last month he has followed that up winning the Grand Masters event at the BCAPL and now this event.

Bar Box tournaments are the fad as of late because they are known as the great equalizer. Smaller tables and big pockets means missing for these guys is a rare occurrence. This game is all about offence so when experienced players like Rodney Morris, Johnny Archer and Corey Duel do not have the strategical advantage that they would usually have on a 9 footer. In fact in this tournament where Morris and Archer were some of the biggest names, they only won 1 set between the two of them.

Photo by John Morra 

Yesterday there were only 4 remaining and the day started off with the A side final match between SVB and Woodward. The already seasoned, well beyond his years Woodward never looked the least bit intimidated going up against the number one American. This set was close with Woodward winning 21-18; the only real difference here was that SVB kicked the cue ball in for a scratch a few times off his break. It was the only edge that Woodward needed to dispatch SVB to the losers side final.

There he met up with Warren Kiamco who had been on fire after losing a match early in the tournament. He also survived a few sets in which his opponents had 6 game leads and more. Kiamco had just beat Corey Duel 21-5 in the other final four match, which saw Kiamco put together multiple packages, his highest being six racks in a row.  The B side final was a closer affair as this set went 12-12 then 16-16, until SVB pulled away at the end to win and get another chance at Woodward.

This tournament was set up in a true double elimination format. This meant Van Boening had to win two races to 21 to claim the title. From the beginning SVB looked like he was determined to turn this final into a marathon, claiming an early lead. Woodward was losing the entire time however at 16-12 down, SVB had a break get away from him and it opened the door for Woodward who took full advantage. In a blink it was tied, then Woodward continued on breaking and running the final rack to win again 21-18 to close out a fantastic tournament. I would like to thank Ray Hansen for the great stream and making coverage of this event possible.

Pay Outs/ Calcutta

Sky Woodward- $20,000 + $14,500
Shane Van Boening- $7000 + $11,000
Warren Kiamco - $5000 + $7,400
Corey Duel- $2000 + $3,800

Final Four Left in Smoking Aces 20k Shootout

By: Markus Noé

Over the past few days, for those in attendance and those who have bought the stream at poolactiontv.com, we have been treated to some big time action. Last night the field of 16 was cut down to the final 4. Canadian hopeful John Morra was right in the thick of the action.

He was on a good run in this tournament getting through last years winner Justin Bergman in the first round. He then followed it up with a win against Corey Duel before running into the brick wall that is Shane Van Boening. The "South Dakota Kid" as he is known, has been a thorn in the side of Morra this year as they have met up countless times late in tournaments with SVB usually winning a close match on the hill.

For most, taking SVB to the hill multiple times in a short period of time would be an accomplishment. However for touring professionals playing in top heavy pay out tournaments, losing comes at a significant cost. Unfortunately for Morra who has been playing great, he keeps running into his nemesis SVB at key times in tournaments.

Photo courtesy of Pool Action TV

Last night was one of these occasions as the two of them played on the T.V table. Shane got off to a kick 5-0 start, with the help of one bad roll where Morra ended up hooking himself and costing the rack. He had another chance on a 3 ball that SVB missed and left tough with no safety option, Morra forced the shot and unluckily kissed off the 5 ball and scratched in the top corner. In a blink SVB took these two rolls and ran away with this set 21-2. Next up was Warren Kiamco who ended Morra's hopes at cashing in this event, knocking him out in the 5/6 position.

In other news, yesterday Alex Olinger who is a barbox specialist who beat Johnny Archer, was up against Chad Vilmont. Olinger had a huge lead at 20-11 however Vilmont played his way all the way back to win this set at a shocking 21-20.

The action resumes today at 1pm central time. The final 4 returning today will be Shane Van Boening, Sky Woodward, Corey Duel and Warren Kiamco. To purchase today's stream go to poolactiontv.com

Smoking Ace's Tournament: 20k Top Prize

By: Erik Hjorleifson

This weekend some of the best players in North America will be gathering at Smokin Ace's BBQ & Billiards in Poplar Bluff Missouri for the 2nd edition of the Smokin' Aces Bar Box Open. The format is a race to 21 winner breaks bar table 9 ball, there is a full field of 16 top players including the likes of Shane Van Boening, Rodney Morris, Corey Deuel and Johnny Archer. Also in the mix will be bar table specialists Sky Woodward, Chad Vilmont, Shane Winters and returning champion Justin Bergman. John Morra from Toronto will carry the hopes for Canadian fans.

This event is the most successful of a new style of tournament that we have seen in the U.S. over the past year. The idea is to raise the entry fee considerably and narrow the field down to only the very elite players, In this case the entry is $2000. The most noticeable thing this does is increase the prize fund; first prize this weekend at Smoking Ace's is $20 000. 

In the past the general format has been to keep the entry fee low and rely on volume to make up the prize fund. There have been many tournaments played where a field of similar quality to the sixteen players you see registered this weekend, were entered along with 100 other players paying $100 each. The fact is that you will never be able to raise the prize fund enough with these kind of numbers. First prize will always be around 2 to 3 thousand. What this new format does is make the field more prestigious and also give the players a chance to earn a substantial payday.

The Smokin Aces tournament is the highest entry fee we have seen to be successful but many other tournaments, including a successful $1000 dollar entry one pocket tournament in Iowa and many other $500 dollar entry tournaments have been well received. Most of these tournaments have been on the bar table because of the equalizing factor of the smaller table, more players feel like they have a chance of winning the event. 

A few weeks ago in Memphis they ran a $500 dollar entry 9 foot 10 ball tournament and received 25 entries, so hopefully we will see more events on the 9 foot in the future as well. This year the U.S. Open is following suit as well raising the entry fee from $500 to $1000 dollars and limiting the field to 128 down from 256. I personally think that tournaments like this are an overall step in the right direction for the game. Next week at Tailgators in Ottawa Ontario I will be competing in a smaller but similar event with John Morra. It is bar box 8 ball, $300 entry 8 players max with $2,500 guaranteed to the winner. 

Play will start August the 15th and run until Sunday the 17th; you can purchase the stream at poolaction.tv. There is also a challenge match between Shane Winters and Sky WoodWard the night before and it will also be available on the PPV stream.  We will be following all the action here at straight-pool.bolgspot.ca

"Team London" Fundraising Trip to World Junior Championships

Stuart Mactaggart, Kayla Roloson, Nicholas Ridley 

By: Erik Hjorleifson

The media is starting to take notice of the Junior pool talent in London, Ontario. This week Kayla Roloson was featured along with her sister on CTV London for their athletic accomplishments, and yes they did call pool a sport. She will be competing in the World Junior Championships in Shanghai,China from the 14th to the 18th this November. Joining her will be Nicholas Ridley and Stuart Mactaggart, both also London residents.

These three players earned the right to participate in the World Junior Championships based on their results in the Canadian Junior Championships this June in Saint John, New Brunswick. They have all been in close competition for the past few years. Stuart Mactaggart came out on top this year with Nicholas finishing second and Kayla finishing third. Roloson is a two time VNEA Junior girls champion and Mactaggart won the boys title this year as well; very prestigious considering they beat all the best Junior players in North America. All three have won titles in the Canadian Junior 8 Ball Championships. 

For Stuart and Nicholas, this will be their first time representing Canada at the World Championships. Kayla will be back for her third appearance in the girls division, she has  had 9th place and 7th place finishes in the past and will come in to this year as one of the more experienced players.

Mactaggart lists his sponsors as customclothing4u.com, Strokers Billiards and OB Cues. Ridley is a player representative for Meucci Cues but the expenses of travelling overseas are very high. The three players from London have formed a Facebook group called "TeamLondon Nine Ball", and have started a fundraising campaign to help offset the cost of competing at this years tournament. I have met all of these Juniors personally and I can tell you that they are all really nice kids who love to play pool. They all have a lot of potential and we look forward to following their progress in the future and at this years World Junior Championships. If you are interested in making a donation you can do so at gofundme.com. Thanks everyone for your generosity.

Appleton Wins 74th World 14.1 Tournament.

Darren Appleton Photo Courtesy of NYC GRIND

By: Markus Noé

Late Saturday night after six days of grueling competition Darren Appleton was crowned the 14.1 World Tournament Champion. Appleton has been a threat every year he has played this event, I believe he has never finished outside the top 8. Last year he lost in the final to Thorsten Hohmann.

Strangely enough Appleton went through this tournament quietly, as players like Shane Van Boening and Evegeny Stalev were stealing the show. Throughout the entire week, as I was watching on stream no one seemed to favour Appleton despite his 14.1 background. However this did not phase him as he chugged along through the bracket.

In the final four he played crowd favourite Stalev, who is a Russian Billiards player that has converted over to pool. Stalev had been impressing the crowd all week with his 27oz cue and fearless style of play. In one match he got the high run for the tournament at 226. However the experience of Appleton plus the fact that his level of play was increasing dramatically in each match proved to be too much for Stalev.

In the other semi-final match SVB played Max Eberle. With SVB getting an early and commanding lead 148-39 it looked as if he was going to cruise to the final. Eberle was not done just yet putting together a 100 ball run of his own to get right back into the thick of things. Unfortunately for Eberle, right after this run he was forced into a 3 foul situation costing him 15 balls in penalties. From here SVB never looked back and sealed the deal to book his spot in the final.

Appleton played like a man looking for redemption after last years bitter defeat in the the final. He only let SVB have one inning at the table. It only took two innings for Appleton to wrap up this title with runs of 61 then 131 and out. I would like to thank Alison Fischer of NYC GRIND and Upstate AL for making it possible for me to cover this entire event this week and I look forward to the 75th edition of this tournament.

4 Left at The World 14.1 Tournament.

SVB vs Mika Photo Courtesy of Alison Fischer @ NYC GRIND

It has taken five days and several hundred balls pocketed by each player to get down to get to this point. Yesterday there was lots of action as the final 16 single elimination races to 200 began. First match I witnessed was Shane Van Boening vs Johnny Archer.

This match was incredible for SVB fans as he finished this set in just two innings wining 200-10. During SVB's second inning he ran 130 out. On the next table, in the same part of the bracket, Earl Strickland and Mika Immonen were in a close match. With the Iceman getting the win, he set up a quarterfinal match between himself and SVB.

This was the last televised match of the evening. It was a chippy affair at first, with a lot of safety battles. However SVB, as he has done all week, came out ahead this time with a 200-115 scoreline. The other three who made it through were Evegeny Stalev, Darren Appleton and Max Eberle.

Today's Scheduled Matches:

11:00am – Stalev vs Appleton Semifinal

1:30pm – Van Boening vs Eberle Semifinal

5:00pm – Final Match

To watch the stream today go to www.worldstraightpool.com