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

Details Have Emerged from The Cornerbank $225,000 Added 10 Ball Series

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By: Markus Noé

Details from the highly anticipated Corner Bank 10 Ball series have recently been announced. A few weeks back owners Jim Wych and John White caused a stir announcing a five event $225,000 added 10 Ball pro circuit with a grande final. There will be $25,000 added to each event and $100,000 added to the Grand Final, instantly making this one of the most coveted pro tours to play on in North America and perhaps the World.

 In order to qualify for the final one needs to play in 3 out of 5 of the preliminaries. The entry fee for the 5 prelims will be $250 each and the final entry will be $500, all entry fee prices and payouts are represented in Canadian currency.

Each event will take place at The Corner Bank Sports Bar & Grill, located at 925 Warden Avenue, Toronto, Canada. This establishment has not even celebrated its second anniversary and has already established itself as one of the elite establishments in the country.

Adding to the prestige of this circuit, each event will be carrying Mosconi Cup points for the 2017 teams. This is great news for Mosconi Cup hopefuls, with these prize pools I expect to see most of the top players in the world at these events and it's nice for them to be able to kill two birds with one stone.  Each field is limited to the first 128 players paid, an online payment method will be made available shortly. There is an option for those who want to guarantee their spot now for the first event. You can mail your entry directly to the address below;

The Corner Bank
925 Warden Ave.
Toronto, Ontario, M1L 4C5
Canada
ATTN: Jim Wych

Tournament Format, Dates and Payout Structure: 

16 groups of 8 players (two seeds per group) playing in a double elimination format, race to 7 games, and alternate break. 3 players from each group will advance to the single elimination stage (48 players in total).  The group winners will be seeded into the final 16.  The remaining 32 players will be randomly drawn to face each other with the match winners playing into the group winners to make up the final 32.

Winner:  $15,000                       
Runner-Up:  $8,000
3-4 Place:  $4,000 each
5-8 Place:  $2,000 each
9 -16 Place:  $1,000 each
17-32 Place:  $500 each
33-48 Place:  $250 each

EVENT 1: September 20-23, 2016

EVENT 2: October 11-14, 2016

EVENT 3: November 8-11, 2016

EVENT 4: January 10-14, 2017

EVENT 5: February 14-17, 2017

Grand Final: April 17-21. 2017

Make sure to keep visiting cuesportnation.com as well as our Facebook Page to stay up to date on this new and exciting circuit. 

2016 Amway eSpring International Women 9-Ball Championship is Triggering

Unlike its predecessors, this year's Amway Cup has been re-scheduled to avoid a clash with the 2016 YuShan Chinese 8-Ball World Championship which was held in March.

The 2016 Amway eSpring International Women 9-Ball Championship will be held on June 16th-19th in Taiwan. The event will be moved to a new venue at the Banqiao Gymnasium in New Taipei City.

Formerly known as Taipei County, New Taipei City is a special municipality and the most populous city in Taiwan. Located in northern Taiwan, the city surrounds the Taipei Basin. Banqiao District is its municipal seat and the biggest commercial area.

This summer, the world best female players from all over the world will gather in Taiwan, 40 of them will go head to head and try to win the most prestigious title in women's pool. A total of US$93,400 prize fund are at stake with US$34,000 going to the winner alone while the runner-up will receive US$13,000.

The qualifiers will get underway from June 13th to 15th at the Ji-Hsien Pool Club in Luzhou, New Taipei City. Over than 70 players will scramble for the last 8 spots (2,2,4) to get qualified for the main stage of the Championship. The format will be played with single elimination and race to 7, winner breaks.

The main stage shall commence on June 16th at the Banqiao Gymnasium, with the field completed with the 8 players from the qualifiers. The players will be divided into 8 groups of 5. They will play in a round robin format and race to 7, winner breaks. The top 3 players of each group will advance to the Last 24, in which the format will become single elimination, race to 7 and alternate breaks. The semi-finals will be race to 9. The final will be race to 11 and is going to be played on Sunday June 19th.

As for the local girls, they are well-prepared with a 3-week-training, under the help and supervision from Jung-Lin Chang and Yu-Hsuan Cheng, the former men's World Nr.1 and the current World Nr. 2, invited by the Chinese Taipei Billiards Federation. Yu-Wen Hsieh and Szu-Ting Kuo earned their main stage passes via the qualifiers that were held recently in Taiwan. They will both join Yuan-Chun Lin (the reigning champion), Chieh-Yu Chou, Ho-Yun Chen as well as Tzu-Chien Wei who are directly qualified in the main stage.

Across from the other side of the shore, Liu ShaSha, Chen Siming, Han Yu and Liu YuChen will be representing China in the main stage of the Amway Cup this year. The four girls will be staying at the CBSA Training Centre for a 10-days intensive training session before the tournament commences. Liu YuChen, being the youngest in the lot, was selected as a member of the national youth team this year. She was underrated last year but managed to make it to the semi-final before losing to Yuan-Chun Lin.

Fu Xiaofang was in the top 8 last year and therefore should have a spot in the main stage. However, she had her big day last year getting married and it seems that she will not be playing on this occasion for her own personal reasons. Pan Xiaoting also finished top 8 last year, but, up to the time of writing, is still yet to decide upon her visit this time round.

Before the actual battles begin, world top-class players including Allison Fisher、Kelly Fisher、Chieh-Yu Chou、Tzu-Chien Wei and Yuan-Chun Lin have been invited by the organiser of the Amway Cup to present at a promotional event to interact with billiard fans at the Mega City (Far Eastern Department Store) in Banqiao tomorrow (June 9). Don't miss this great opportunity to meet the elites.

The whole event will be broadcast LIVE on Videoland TV in Taiwan and Live on YouTube at same time.

VL Sports YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/vlsports

Event Official Website: http://www.videoland.com.tw/event/20160401/game01.asp

By Alison Chang & Samuel Lai

First Qualifiers for the World 14.1: New York, California, Chicago 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 first 3 official qualifiers for the 76th World 14.1 has been announced. NYC's NAPL National Amateur Pool League, Easy Street Billiards in California, and Red Shoe Billiards in Chicago will kickoff the first half of the qualifier series. All three 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 9- The 9th Chicago Qualifier for the World Straight Pool Championship- Chicago- Red Shoe Billiards 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, the World 14.1, and newly announced major the Corner Bank 10-Ball series in Toronto, Canada all going back to back. "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   Dragon Promotions & Orlando Synergy are event organizing and marketing companies respectively. Visit www.dragonpromotions.com  For interest in marketing and branding your company, business, or events please contact Orlando Synergy at 1-407-782-4978 or email support@dragonpromotions.com