Billiard News

Matushonek Tops on Blaze Tour
Matushonek Tops on Blaze Tour Blaze 9-Ball Tour / Drexel Hill, PA by InsidePOOL Staff Drexeline Billards in Drexel Hill, PA, hosted the July 20, one-day Blaze 9-Ball Tour event, won by Ed Matushonek. Matushonek took wins over Mike Donato 7-5, Matt Krah 7-4, Lou Patrikios 7-5, Mike Praseutsy 7-4, and Joey Testa 7-5. Leading the bottom half of the bracket was Joe Hong with wins over Jeff Richardson 7-5, Chuck Fought Sr. 7-2, Troy Whitfield 7-5, Mike Miller 7-4, and Eddie Abraham 7-2. Matushonek and Hong met in the hot seat match, with Matushonek winning the one-sided match easily 7-1. However, Krah made his way through the one-loss side by winning nine matches in a row to reach the finals. In the true double-elimination finals, Krah had to defeat Matushonek twice to win. He came close, winning the first set 7-5, but Matushonek won the second set 6-3 to gain the title. Results: 1st Ed Matushonek 2nd Matt Krah 3rd Joe Hong 4th Mike Miller 5th Eddie Abraham Joey Testa 7th Shawn Dobson Jorge Rodriquez 9th Mike Praseutsy Eric Perry Raphael Saldana Lou Patrikios

Mendoza and Pettipiece Win Predator World 14.1 Championship Arizona Qualifier
Mendoza and Pettipiece Win Predator World 14.1 Championship Arizona Qualifier Bernie Pettipiece and Jimmy Mendoza earned their way into the upcoming Predator World 14.1 Championships by being the last two billiard players standing at the qualifier held July 12th-13th at Kolby's Korner Pocket in Tempe, Arizona. The Predator World Straight Pool Championships will be held in East Brunswick NJ on Aug 24-30,2008 and is produced by Dragon Promotions. Pettipiece and Mendoza will be joining straight pool giants such as Ortmann, Hohmann, Schmidt, Hopkins, Souquet, Harriman, and many more. Bernie, the 2008 Arizona State 14.1 Champion, and Jimmy had to play each other just two matches into the winner's bracket, with Jimmy advancing in that match by making an early 81 ball run, which held up as the high run for the tournament. With matches running until nearly midnight, and Jimmy Mendoza already claiming the hotseat, as well as one of the two qualifying spots, the winner of the 2nd spot would have to be determined the following day. Notables left at the end of play on Saturday were Chuck Evans, Bernie Pettipiece, and Mike Williams. Bernie won his first match of the day with a slug-fest against Mike Williams. Next up in his quest for the remaining qualifying spot was Preacher Ron Rutan, a player with whom Bernie has had countless battles with in recent years. After dispatching of Preacher Ron , the stage was set for the last match of the tournament, with the winner earning their way into the 2008 Predator World 14.1 Championships. The match between Bernie Pettipiece and Chuck Evans was a repeat of the match to determine one of the contestants in finals of the 2008 Arizona State 14.1 Championship just 3 weeks prior. Once again, with both players very much in contention to win the last match of the tournament, Bernie showed why he's the reigning State 14.1 Champion by edging out the victory, and claiming the 2nd qualifying spot. Special thanks to Fast Lenny , of azbilliards.com fame, who was on-hand to live-stream matches to the Internet during Saturday's play. The 2008 Predator World Straight Pool Championship is proudly sponsored by Dr.Michael Fedak of NYC, Joel Schapiro of NYC, The Predator Group, Diamond Billiard Products, Aramith Balls, and Simonis Cloth. Tickets are on sale now at Dragonpromotions.com or can be bought in person at these locations: Amsterdam Billiards - New York City, NY 212.99 Comet Billiards - Parsippany, NJ (973) 334-7429 Fans and Players reserve rooms at Hilton East Brunswick at 1-732-828-2000 The room code for the event is POL There are still limited amount of rooms available. Reserve ASAP. For more details on qualifiers or the World 14.1 Championship go to Dragonpromotions.com or email worldstraightpoolchampionships@gmail.com (mailto:worldstraightpoolchampionships@gmail.com)

Cue and Case to Award Over $10,000 at Lucasi Hybrid Classic
Cue and Case to Award Over $10,000 Bonus Money at Lucasi Hybrid Classic Cue and Case, creators of the Lucasi Hybrid Cues, has great news for all the players participating at the Lucasi Hybrid Classic pro, junior and amateur billiard events. The event will be hosted by Bankshot Billiards in Jacksonville, FL. Any player using the Lucasi Hybrid cue and wearing the Lucasi logo or patch and wins any of the 11 events during July 30-Aug 3,2008 will receive an extra $1000 bonus. Players using Lucasi Hybrid Cues will be very motivated by this. Lucasi patches will be available for free at player registration during the events. Lucasi products will also be on display and for sale at the event. Players over the years have helped build our name and our company, and we want to reward them for their support and achievements. It's important to invest into the sport on all levels, and that's why we are creating opportunities for pros,amateurs, and juniors alike. explained Mike Baggett, Vice President of Cue Case. The 11 divisions qualified for receivement of the $1000 bonuses are: Lucasi Hybrid Classic 14.1 10-Ball pro divisions, The Ozone Billiards US Amateur Open 8-Ball Divisions including Open, Women's, Seniors; 9-Ball Divisions including Open, Women's, Seniors, and Mixed Doubles. Also, the Dragon Promotions World Junior 10-Ball Championships Boys Girls divisions. This is a very generous gesture on the part of Lucasi and Cue Case. Players in the US Amateur Open and World Juniors can win as much money as they would for first place by just using their product. It's rare to see incentives like this for amateurs and juniors. commented Cindy Lee, CEO of Dragon Promotions. The Lucasi Hybrid is the newest creation of Cue Case in creating an affordable advanced engineered cue. The cue is currently used by World 9-Ball World 14.1 Champion Thorsten Hohmann. View the commercial video for the Lucasi Hybrid at www.dragonpromotions.com (http://www.dragonpromotions.com/) Open spots are still available in all the events and players are encouraged to sign up at the event in person. All the events are sponsored by Lucasi Hybrid, Cue Case, Ozone Billiards, and Bankshot Billiards. Official equipment is Simonis Cloth, Aramith Balls, Master Chalk, and Delta-13 Rack. Clothing wear will be available at event by Gambler Clothing and cue repair by Image Que's John Spidel. Cue Case has been in business for 15 years and was founded by Jim Lucas. Jim's goal to provide pool players with a high quality, genuine inlay cue at an affordable price was achieved with the Lucasi cues and they have been in production for almost 10 years. Cue Case is also one of the largest billiard distributors providing dealers with a complete line of all items needed to create the ultimate gameroom.

First-Place Split for Ranola and Ford
First-Place Split for Ranola and Ford Predator 9-Ball Women’s Open / Parsippany, NJ by InsidePOOL Staff Comet Billiards in Parsippany, NJ, hosted the Predator 9-Ball Tour’s Women’s Open event, sponsored by Jim Murnak Cue Cases, the weekend of July 19-20. The event brought in WPBA pros Liz Ford, Megan Minerich, and Caroline Pao. Iris Ranola, who has been cleaning up the regional events, attended, along with recent Tri-State Invitational runner up Gail Glazebrook and the always-deadly Emily Duddy. The draw brought about a difficult first-round match for Ranola and Minerich. After moving here in February from the Philippines, Ranola is a recent powerhouse edition to the Northeast women’s events, winning many of the region’s qualifiers this year. The ladies traded racks until a costly 8 ball miss proved deadly for Minerich and allowed Ranola to pull ahead and close the match 7-5, sending Minerich to the one-loss side much earlier than expected. Ford was playing strong pool this weekend. After a 7-0 win over Glazebrook, she continued her dominance on the winners’ side until she met with Pao in the quarterfinals. Pao started the day with a nail-biter in the first round as Olga Gashkova fought tooth and nail against the WPBA pro, but a 6 ball miss allowed Pao to squeeze out the win 7-6. After that Pao blazed through the winners’ side to meet up with Ford. At hill-hill it was still a coin toss as to who was going to take the match. Pao proved victorious as she clenched the win 7-6. Duddy initially lost to Ford earlier in the day and was clearing the one-loss bracket. A close call with up-and-coming player Borana Andoni 7-5 seemed to give Duddy the steam she needed to beat the dangerous Asia 7-5. This set up another chance at Ford. Unfortunately for Duddy, the second time was no different as Ford continued to show her experience and talent leaving Duddy to settle for fourth place. As the winners’ bracket came to the hot-seat match, Pao struggled to maintain her momentum and fell 7-3 to Ranola, setting up a rematch between Ford and Pao. The loss to Ranola may have carried into Pao’s rematch with Ford. Both ladies were visibly tired, but Ford was relentless and trudged through the match, not allowing Pao much room for error. As Pao struggled, Ford dominated and clenched the match 7-1. The day was long and draining, and so in the late hours of the event, both Ranola and Ford decided to crown the other as champion of the event, so the first Predator 9-Ball Tour’s Women’s Open event crowned Ranola and Ford co-champions of the tournament. Results: 1st Iris Ranola Liz Ford 3rd Caroline Pao 4th Emily Duddy 5th Olga Gashkova Asia 7th Megan Minerich Naomi Fingerhut

Imran Majid Wins GB9 Scarborough Cup Billiards Event
Imran Majid Wins GB9 Scarborough Cup Billiards Event The final match of the Great Britain 9-Ball Tour between Scott Higgins and Imran Majid had everything, including a massive comeback by Majid from 10-5 behind, an almost impossible task considering the alternate-break format, but the Maharaja doggedly clawed his way back to take the title for an unbelievable fourth consecutive win. To add a little spice to the pot, there was a huge tweak as Higgins missed a short and straight 5 ball that would have taken him over the hill, and then in the final hill-hill match the spectators spotted a foul break, but neither player noticed. Higgins still had his hand over his mouth in disbelief at his previous miss, and Majid had his back turned as he was collecting his playing cue, but the knowledgeable audience noticed that the break didn't score the requisite points! The GB9 tour uses a points system on the break, and players need to score three points to avoid a dry break. The tour involves three tournaments. The whole 128-player field enters the main event, and the 96-man Challenge Cup is the event is for promotion into the 32 elite professional players in the Pro Cup. Each player is entitled to play in two of the events, and to fit all these matches into one weekend in clubs that only have under 20 tables takes a very professional feat of organization. It also demands optimum conditions, so the tour only uses brand new Z9 Billiard cloth on the finals tables, Aramith Pro Cup TV balls, and the tables are tapped using the EPBF Fast Rack - a rubber mat that has a template of holes to perfectly align some well-placed dimples into the cloth so that no triangle is needed to rack the balls - greatly reducing the time spent racking. The resulting rack is tight as the balls roll into the small depressions for a perfect rack every time - so perfect in fact that the break can become quite consistent, and virtually encourages the softer, less spectacular cut-break. To encourage the bigger break it was decided to adopt the EPBF's three point rule, that is, one point for each ball sunk on the break, and one point for each ball to enter the kitchen (the breaking area behind the headstring line on the table). Failure to meet this requirement results in a technical dry break and the table should be handed over to the opponent. Higgins should have come to the table to play, but as neither player noticed, Majid continued to clear the table for the 11-10 win, and his incredible fourth consecutive victory in the main event. There are only two of the six events remaining on the tour, The GB9 Northern Masters in August, and The GB9 British Grand Prix in September. Majid's domination of the GB9 Tour is incredible - the tour features the cream of British snooker, English pool, and American pool disciplines, celebrity players, Mosconi Cup players, money players, the world 9-ball champion, the European #1 and #2. Next year there will be two players commuting from Norway to play on the toughest national tour in Europe (providing they qualify). A pro player can come along and dominate a regional tour or league, but not a tour of this strength in depth. Odds for a Grand Slam by one player before the tour started would have been astronomical, one million to one, but now, all Majid has to do is what he has done before, two more times and history will be made.

Bergman and Cole Capture Viking Billiard Tour Victories
Bergman and Cole Capture Viking Billiard Tour Victories Viking Cue 9-Ball Tour / Memphis, TN by InsidePOOL Staff Highpockets Billiards in Memphis, TN, played host to the July 19-20 stop of the Viking Cue 9-Ball Tour. With a total prize fund of $8,120 in the open and amateur divisions, this event drew in 87 players, with Justin Bergman and Randy Cole taking top honors in their respective divisions. Bergman rolled through the top half of the winners’ bracket undefeated, notching wins over Peter Gee 9-3, Melanie Gilmer 9-1, Chuck Raulston 9-7, Monroe Jones 9-2, and Jason Evans 9-1. He met up with David Gutierrez in the hot seat match and triumphed 9-8. Gutierrez didn’t remain long on the one-loss side, besting Jason Evans in the semifinals 9-6 before earning a rematch with Bergman. Another double-hill match ensued, with Bergman again coming out the 9-8 winner. After drawing a first-round bye, Cole suffered a loss at the hands of Jake Wayire 7-3. From there, Cole worked his way back, winning over Daniel Clonch 5-0, Dan Falcon 5-0, Robert Green 5-3, Carlos Ramos 5-3, Bobby Morgan 5-4, Jake Waymire 5-1, and Patrick Boykin in the semifinals 5-0. Cole then proceeded to the finals, where he defeated Craig Sebastian 7-5 and 5-2 to win the amateur division. Open Results: 1st Justin Bergman 2nd David Gutierrez 3rd Jason Evans 4th Justin Sanders 5th Tony Sulsar Nick Vita 7th Kelly Green Monroe Jones 9th Randy Reese Sam Gilmer Jewel Mays Al Barth Amateur Results: 1st Randy Cole 2nd Craig Sebastian 3rd Patrick Boykin 4th Jake Waymire 5th Bobby Morgan Mike Janis

Juniors and Wheelchair Billiards Championships
Juniors and Wheelchair Billiards Championships The Billiard Congress of America (BCA) and the United States Pool Players Association (USPPA) today announced plans for the USPPA to host the 2008 World Pool-Billiard Association (WPA) Junior World 9-Ball Championships and 2008 WPA World 9-Ball Championship for Wheelchair Players in Reno, Nevada, November 30-December 3, 2008. These events will take place at the Sands Regency Hotel in conjunction with the USPPA Pro Am and Reno Open, scheduled December 4-13, 2008. In addition, the USPPA will present a qualifier for the Junior World Championships at the California Billiard Club in Mountain View, California, on Friday, November 28, 2008. “The United States Pool Players Association would like to thank the Billiard Congress of America and the World Pool-Billiard Association for the opportunity to host these events,” said Tony Annigoni, managing partner of the United States Pool Players Association. “As we consider youth to be the foundation of the sport, the ability to host the World Juniors Championship is a true honor for the USPPA. In addition, hosting the World 9-Ball Championship for Wheelchair Players is an excellent opportunity to showcase the wonderful skills and talent of these players.” “The BCA would like to thank the United States Pool Players Association and the World Pool-Billiard Association for their partnership on these two significant events,” said Ivan Lee, chair of the WPA committee for the BCA. “We take our role as the North American representative to the WPA very seriously and will work hard with our partners at the WPA and USPPA to host a great event that creates an outstanding experience for all competitors.” WPA President Ian Anderson says: “We are delighted that the BCA has been able to organize these world championships in the United States. We are also pleased that they are to be staged in Reno, a very popular venue for pool tournaments for many years. The WPA congratulates all involved in the staging of these excellent events that showcase the depth of talent our sport contains among the youth and wheelchair players of today.” The Junior World 9-Ball Championships will be comprised of the world’s best junior players from six continents. Last year’s competition was held in Willingen, Germany, and prior to that it was held in Sydney, Australia. “The Billiard Education Foundation (BEF) is pleased to sponsor the 2008 USA Junior Team to the World Championships,” said BEF President Tom Riccobene. “This year’s team is as fine a representation as we have ever had. We thank the BCA for its direct support and for hosting this important event.” The USPPA is hosting the 2008 World 9-Ball Championship for Wheelchair Players in collaboration with the National Wheelchair Poolplayers Association (NWPA), which is the governing body for wheelchair pool in the United States. The NWPA hosts and sanctions a national network of tournaments for wheelchair players and maintains the national rankings for players who compete in these events. The NWPA will select the U.S. players who will be invited to compete in this year’s world championship for the current national rankings and/or previous outstanding player achievements, and will work with the other pool federations around the world to develop the invitations for international wheelchair players. The NWPA will also offer players who did not receive a player slot through the selection process a chance to earn a qualifier spot in its 2008 National Wheelchair 9-Ball Championship, which will be held at Diamond Billiards in Brea, California, in mid-October. “The NWPA is excited that the USPPA has taken the initiative to add these two prestigious championships to its schedule of events at the Reno Open,” said Jeff Dolezal, president of the NWPA. “We are looking forward to working with the USPPA to make these events a success. Billiards is an sport for everyone and the inclusion of the Junior World Championships and the World Championship for wheelchair players together with an existing professional billiard tournament and a high-caliber pro-am event clearly demonstrates the versatility of the sport and the high level of skill in which it can be played, regardless of your age, sex, or whether you compete from a standing or sitting position.” About Billiard Congress of America Founded in 1948, the Billiard Congress of America is a non-profit trade organization dedicated to growing a united, prosperous and highly regarded billiard industry through BCA leadership. The BCA seeks to enhance the success of its members and promote the game of billiards though educational, marketing and promotional efforts, annual industry trade shows, tournaments and other programs designed to encourage billiards as a lifestyle and make pool everybody’s game. For more information, visit www.bca-pool.com (http://www.bca-pool.com) or call 866.852.0999. World Pool-Billiard Association Formed in 1987, the World Pool-Billiard Association is the international governing body for pocket billiards. United States Pool Players Association Founded in 1969 by Gene Stary, the United States Pool Players Association has been the promoter and operator of the USPPA Pro Am and Reno Open since their inception in the early 80s. The organization is also committed to developing robust youth programs aimed at growing the sport for generations to come. National Wheelchair Pool Players Association Founded in 1997, the National Wheelchair Poolplayers Association, Inc., is a non-profit organization dedicated to encouraging, developing and regulating wheelchair billiards. The NWPA is the national governing body for wheelchair billiards through Wheelchair Sports U.S.A. and the BCA.

Rhee Rings up Tiger Billiard Tour Victory
Rhee Rings up Tiger Billiard Tour Victory Tiger Pool Tour / Winchester, VA by Skip Maloney In the early hours of a Monday morning, Sueyen Rhee finally concluded the ladies’ division of the Tiger Pool Tour stop the weekend of July 19-21. She came from the one-loss side to defeat Ming Ng in a final match that started shortly after 2 a.m. and finished just after 4 a.m. The $500-added, WPBA qualifier event drew 24 women to Blue Fox Billiards in Winchester, VA. Much earlier in the day, Ng and Buffy Jolie advanced to the hot seat match, following victories over Karen Webb and Kate Cowan, respectively. Early Sunday evening, Ng sent Jolie to the semifinal match with a 7-5 victory and began her six-hour wait for the finals. On the one-loss side, Rhee and Mirjuana Grujiacic were working their way toward the quarterfinal match. They dropped Cheryl Squire and Sherry Pouncey into a tie for seventh, and then, facing Cowan and Webb, dropped them into fifth place. Then the two battled to double-hill before Rhee advanced to the semifinals against Jolie. Rhee moved into the finals against Ng on the heels of a commanding 7-0 victory. At 2 a.m., there was some consideration given to the idea of returning at noon for the final match, but Ng expressed a desire to get it done and opened the match with three straight wins. They were her last. Capitalizing on a few missed opportunities and bad rolls for Ng, Rhee took the next nine racks to capture the first-place prize and her first event win of the year. Results: 1st Sueyen Rhee 2nd Ming Ng 3rd Buffy Jolie 4th Mirjuana Grujiacic 5th Kate Cowan Karen Webb 7th Cheryl Squire Sherry Pouncey

Keeney and Tagley Win Big on Arizona Womens Billiard Tour
Keeney and Tagley Win Big on Arizona Women’s Billiard Tour Arizona Women’s Billiard Tour / Tempe, AZ by InsidePOOL Staff A strong field of 25 women showed up to compete in the Arizona Women’s Billiard Tour’s July 19-20 stop at Kolby’s Korner Pocket in Tempe, AZ. This event was a $500-added WPBA qualifier presented by J. Pechauer Custom Cues. The qualifier, which was for a paid spot in the Carolina Classic, was captured by Nicole Keeney, while the first-place spot went to Nina Tagley. Eight players returned for Sunday matches. It was an out-of-towner mix-up on the A side with local star Kathleen Lawless and Colorado’s up-and-comer Nicole Keeney matching up, while Keeney’s hometown cohort Samm “Cherry Bomb” Diep and Michelle “Samurai” Abernathy from Texas battled it out. Colorado prevailed as travel buddies Keeney and Diep came out ahead to meet up for the driver’s seat match. Both players struggled but ultimately, after a fatal missed 9 ball by Diep, the score was tied 4-4. The momentum had shifted and Keeney captured the A side. On the B side, WPBA veteran Susan “Mad Hatter” Mello took a loss from local champ Nina Tagley, and Liz Bernreuter took down Trinh Lu, leaving Lu and Mello with tied for seventh-place finishes. Lawless then defeated Bernreuter 7-0, while Tagley eliminated Abernathy. Tagley went on a tear, leaving Lawless with a fourth-place finish, and after a back-and-forth battle with Diep, ultimately coming out ahead with a 7-5 victory. With Diep knocked out, Keeney secured herself the WPBA qualifier. Entering the finals, Tagley continued her hot streak, leading 3-1 right out of the gate. Though Keeney already had the WPBA prize in hand, she still fought hard but in the end came up short, with Tagley winning both sets 7-3. Results: 1st Nina Tagley 2nd Nicole Keeney 3rd Samm Diep 4th Kathleen Lawless 5th Michelle Abernathy Liz Bernreuter 7th Trinh Lu Susan Mello 9th Dawn Anderson Ashea Erdahl Terri Johnson-McCauley Sara Miller

Dark Horses Lead Lucasi Hybrid Classic
Dark Horses Lead Lucasi Hybrid Classic Some heavy hitting teenage and lady talent will be hitting the men pros at the inaugural Lucasi Hybrid Classic July 30-Aug 3,2008 at Bankshot Billiards. Four top notch juniors and one tough female will be taking their shot at the Hybrid titles. Jeannie Seaver, former top WPBA pro multi- Florida Pro Women's champ, will be the sole woman in the field and playing 14.1 for her first time in major competition. Seaver has taken time off from the tour to go to nursing school, but still plays on weekends in women and men pro events. She finished 13th at the recent tough fielded Seminole Florida Men's Tour event, so she knows how to play against men. Jeannie is house pro and player rep for Island Breakers, a new upscale billiard room in Merritt Island, FL. Jeannie is a great representative of billiards and we enjoy supporting her play in women and men's events. says LJ Granger, Co-owner of Island Breakers. The juniors make up the other side of the dark horses as three national champions take stage to gun down the adult men. Austin Murphy of California, Reigning 19 Under USA Junior Champion; Landon Shuffett of Kentucky, 2x Reigning 14 Under USA Junior Champion; Dominic Jentsch, 3x German National Junior Champion. Also Adam Behnke, up and coming player and 4th place finisher at last year's World Junior 10-Ball Championships. Dominic Jentsch of Germany will be one to keep an eye out for in the 14.1 division. He is already an accomplished straight pool player and has many runs in the 150's. Jentsch has also been given a spot into this year's Predator World Straight Pool Championships. I am telling the truth when I say this kid has an amazing amount of potential. He is very calm and has an excellent attitude. observed Thorsten Hohmann, Former World 9-Ball and World 14.1 Champion. Without a doubt, I'm sure these really young,young guns are going to pull off some upsets during the event. forecasts Charlie Williams of Dragon Promotions. The juniors will also be participating in the 2nd Annual Dragon Promotions World Junior 10-Ball Championships Aug 2-3,2008. Also coinciding with The Ozone Billiards US Amateur Open consisting of 7 events including Open, Women's, Seniors, and Mixed Doubles in 8-Ball and 9-Ball. All the events are sponsored by Lucasi Hybrid, Cue Case, Ozone Billiards, and Bankshot Billiards. Official equipment is Simonis Cloth, Aramith Balls, Master Chalk, and Delta-13 Rack. Clothing wear will be available at event by Gambler Clothing and cue repair by Image Que's John Spidel.

Pinegar Tells The Truth on Great Southern Billiard Tour
Pinegar Tells “The Truth” on Great Southern Billiard Tour Great Southern Billiard Tour / LaGrange, GA by Skp Maloney Jonathan “Hennessee from Tennessee” Pinegar went undefeated on the Great Southern Billiard Tour stop the weekend of July 19-20. He did so at the expense of frequent tour winner Larry “The Truth” Nevel, besting him in the hot seat match and in the finals by identical 9-4 scores. The $3,500-added event drew 48 entrants to Chalk It Up in La Grange, GA. It was the second time this year that the two had met in the finals of a GSBT event. In Knoxville, in May, Pinegar had fought back to the finals from the one-loss side only to be defeated in a hill-hill battle. This time, the two were among the winners’ side final four on Sunday morning. Pinegar sent Randy Vaughn west with a 9-5 victory, as Nevel was sending Billy Peay over 9-3. In the hot seat match that followed, it was Nevel who was forced to the one-loss side to battle in a semifinal match, as Pinegar waited for his return. On the one-loss side, Randy Jordon, Josh Roberts, and Tony Stone defeated Billy Holmes, Eddie Little, and Jeff Jordon, respectively, by identical 9-3 scores, as Jason Heyward finished Sparky Ferrell’s tournament with a 9-2 victory. Roberts and Heyward dropped Randy Jordon and Stone into a seventh-place tie before ending up themselves in fifth place when they ran into Vaughn and Peay, over from the winners’side. Peay defeated Vaughn in the quarterfinals 9-5 and then fell to Nevel 9-4 in the semifinal match. In the true double-elimination finals that followed, Pinegar jumped out to an early 4-0 lead that he never relinquished. Nevel fought back, but every step he took was matched by two or more from Pinegar, who ran out racks at every opportunity that was presented to him and made it a single-set win. Results: 1st Jonathan Pinegar 2nd Larry Nevel 3rd Billy Peay 4th Randy Vaughn 5th Josh Roberts Jason Heyward 7th Randy Jordon Tony Stone 9th Billy Holmes Eddie Little Jeff Jordon Sparky Ferrell

Tollefson Commanding on Tiger Billiard Tour
Tollefson Commanding on Tiger Billiard Tour Tiger Pool Tour / Winchester, VA by Skip Maloney Scott Tollefson gave up only two racks in his final two matches to take first place in the Tiger Pool Tour stop’s open division. The $1,500-added event, held July 19-20, drew 51 entrants to Blue Fox Billiards in Winchester, VA. Tollefson started Sunday among the winners’ side final four and found himself in the midst of a struggle versus Larry Kressel. Tollefson finally prevailed 9-7 to move into the hot seat match against John Schmidt, who’d just defeated tour founder Danny Green. Tollefson gave Schmidt just one chance at the table during an eight-rack run that put him on the hill. Tollefson made the 9 ball on the subsequent break but scratched. With ball in hand, Schmidt started a last-ditch effort to turn things around, but when one of his shots rattled, he conceded the 9-0 victory. In the meantime, Brandon Shuff, Joey Ryan, Kevin West and eventual finalist Shaun Wilkie had advanced to the final four on the one-loss side. Wilkie had advanced at the expense of WPBA pro Janet Atwell, who chose to forfeit her match against him to continue competing in the ladies’ event. Ryan and Wilkie dropped Shuff and West into a tie for seventh, respectively, with identical 7-4 victories and moved into matches against Green and Kressel, over from the winners’ side. Ryan and Kressel tied for fifth place, as Green and Wilkie moved into the quarterfinals. Wilkie got to the finals with a 7-4 victory over Green and a subsequent 7-3 victory over Schmidt in the semifinals. Tollefson was not to be denied, however. He took command early and gave up only two racks to finish it 11-2 and capture the first-place prize. Results: 1st Scott Tollefson 2nd Shaun Wilkie 3rd John Schmidt 4th Danny Green 5th Joey Ryan Larry Kressel 7th Brandon Shuff Kevin West 9th Manny Chau Matt Clatterbuck Phil Kearns Janet Atwell

Gulyassy Comes From Behind to Take Seniors Billiard Championship
Gulyassy Comes From Behind to Take Seniors Billiard Championship Seniors Championship / Lexington, SC by Skip Maloney Mike Gulyassy battled back from three racks down in the final match to overtake John DiToro and win the Seniors Championship the weekend of July 18-20. Hosted by Grady’s in Lexington, SC, the $500-added event drew 18 total entrants. Gulyassy was the last man standing in the winners’ side Sunday. He’d defeated Bobby Hibbitts as Gary Kaye was sending Billy Tyler to the one-loss side. In the hot seat match that followed, Gulyassy sent Kaye to the semifinals with an 11-8 victory. On the one-loss side, DiToro was battling back from an early round defeat and dropped Hibbitts into fifth place, as Randy Epperson did likewise to Tyler. DiToro bested Epperson 11-4 in the quarterfinal match to face Kaye in the semifinals. He allowed Kaye only four racks, picking up speed as he entered the finals versus Gulyassy. The two struggled back and forth to the midway point of the match. Tied at 5-5, DiToro surged ahead by three racks to reach the hill first. Gulyassy battled back to make it double-hill, took a deep breath after coming within inches of scratching during that final rack, and finally won it. Results: 1st Mike Gulyassy 2nd John DiToro 3rd Gary Kaye 4th Randy Epperson 5th Billy Tyler Bobby Hibbitts

Miller Stellar at Cosmo's Biliards
Miller Stellar at Cosmo's Biliards Blaze 9-Ball Tour / Dickson City, PA by InsidePOOL Staff The Blaze 9-Ball Tour made its way to Cosmo’s Billiards in Dickson City, PA, July 13. A strong field of 32 came out to play, with Mike Miller taking home top honors. Miller led the top half of the bracket, notching wins over Chuck Fought Jr. 7-5, Chuck Fought Sr. 7-3, and Joey Korsiak 7-3. Leading the bottom half of the bracket was Lester Smulowitz, with wins over Angelo Inness 7-2, Dave Daya 7-2, Eddie Abraham 7-4, and Justin Muller 7-5. Miller ended up playing for the hot seat against Smulowitz. He pulled away easily to win 7-3, sending Smulowitz to the one-loss side. Waiting for him was Tim Tanana, who Smulowitz ousted 6-4 to earn a rematch with Miller. In the true double-elimination finals, Smulowitz had to defeat Miller twice to take home the title. But Miller was too much for Smulowitz that day, winning the match 7-4. Results: 1st Mike Miller 2nd Lester Smulowitz 3rd Tim Tanana 4th Adam Kielar 5th Justin Muller Joey Korsiak

Milliken SuperPro Makes Pro Billiard Tournament Debut
Milliken SuperPro Makes Pro Billiard Tournament Debut Playing on Milliken SuperPro pool cloth for the first time in a major billiards tournament proved to be a success at the 2008 Generationpool.com 9-ball Championships. The event airs nationally on ESPN Saturday July 19 starting at noon. Former Mosconi Cup player Jeremy Jones won $15,000 in taking the men’s title with China’s number one Xiaoting Pan collecting $15,000 for her victory in the women’s event. Many players reported to US distributor Sterling Gaming their confidence in the cloth. Jeremy Jones said recently in an interview on Runout Radio, “ The Milliken played great. The cloth was more to my liking, and did not take as long as some other cloths to break in.” The company is now hoping to expand its influence in the US pool market. Sterling Gaming is the exclusive supplier of Milliken SuperPro in the US. Spokesman Matt Carter said: “After such a great response from some of the top players in the world of pool, many pool room owners and home table owners are incredibly excited about recovering their table with Milliken SuperPro.” Milliken takes its first steps into Canada in August when it sponsors the 2008 Canadian Cue Sports Championships featuring Milliken SuperPro in Toronto hosted by the Canadian Billiards Snooker Association. For more information about Milliken SuperPro cuesports cloth contact Sterling Gaming at 1-877-283-7444. Issued on behalf of Sterling Gaming Inc by Tony Haynes Eastwood Public Relations +44(0)1242 253707.

Jim Murnak Launches Two New Billiards Websites
Jim Murnak Launches Two New Billiards Websites PoolontheNet.com would like to announce a brand new web design for Jim Murnak Cue Cases, www.JimMurnakCueCases.com (http://www.JimMurnakCueCases.com). Jim Murnak is by far the leader when it comes to custom cue cases. Jim has designed custom cases for Jennifer Berretta , George “Ginky” San Souci, Earl Strickland, and Tony Robles, to name a few. Jim’s work is second to none. Don’t settle for what someone else wants you have when you can have exactly what you want in a custom designed cue case made by Jim Murnak. Jim Murnak would also like to announce the launching of www.Go4Pool.com (http://www.Go4Pool.com), a website developed by osCommerce, that shows videos of pool matches of all quality levels. Too often player’s images are used to promote pool, but the player is left standing with nothing. Well Jim Murnak has decided to give back to the player. A variety of pool related videos, large or small format, can be viewed for a charge of $1-$2. “For the price of a bottle of water, you can learn something from a pro that will help your game.” says Jim Murnak. The best part of all this is that a large percentage of the money received from these videos will go back to the players and that is how it should be. Future videos will include lessons and interviews from some of the world’s top professionals so stay tuned! Any pool rooms, pool halls or pool players interested in a brand new web design, PoolontheNet.com is the only place to “Get it Done!” Recent websites designed by PoolontheNet.com include Tony Robles’s Predator 9-Ball Tour, Predator9BallTour.com as well as a brand new website for the J. Pechauer Northeast Women’s 9-Ball Tour, JPNewt.com. If you’re interested in Pool on the Net designing your new website please contact Rob Staskowski at rob@poolonthenet.com (mailto:rob@poolonthenet.com) for a free quote.

JPNewt Launches New Billiards Tour Website
JPNewt Launches New Billiards Tour Website PoolontheNet.com would like to announce the launching of a brand new website for the J. Pechauer Northeast Women’s 9-Ball Tour, JPNewt.com. Originally started by Dawn Hopkins several years ago, the JPNewt has become one of the hottest women’s tours in the Northeast. In 2008, longtime tour coordinator Barbara Stock has turned over the leadership reins to Linda Haywood Shea who has a long history with the WPBA and Northeast Tours. Linda Shea can be contacted at sheaece@aol.com (mailto:sheaece@aol.com). The JPNewt is also known as the “Gateway to the WPBA”. Notable women’s professionals who have got their start in the JPNewt include Karen Corr, Helena Thornfeldt, Julie Kelly, Liz Ford, Jennifer Berretta, Sarah Ellerby, recent JPNewt player of the year Morgan Steinman and many more. The current 2008 points leader of the JPNewt is Iris Ranola with back to back championship wins on the tour as well as a 2nd place finish in the 2008 NJ State 9-Ball Championship. Congratulations Iris! Supadra Boonpasook and last year’s JPNewt Player of the Year, Morgan Steinman, finish out the top 3 spots. The JPNewt would also like to congratulate Karen Corr on winning the 2008 NJ State 9-Ball Championship as well as Briana Miller, one of our youngest members, for winning the 2008 Junior Nationals. This is Brianna’s second Junior Nationals win. Stay tuned for the following upcoming 2008 JPNewt events, The Pennsylvania State 9-Ball Championship, The Maryland State 9-Ball Championship and the 2008 JPNewt Season Finale. Dates soon to be announced on our website, JPNewt.com. Any pool rooms, pool halls or pool players interested in a brand new web design, PoolontheNet.com is the only place to Get it Done! Recent websites designed by PoolontheNet.com include Tony Robles’s Predator 9-Ball Tour, Predator9BallTour.com as well as a sleek new website for Jim Murnak Cue Cases, JimMurnakCueCases.com. If you’re interested in Pool on the Net designing your new website please contact Rob Staskowski at rob@poolonthenet.com (mailto:rob@poolonthenet.com) for a free quote.

Bonney Wins English Ladies Open Billiards Championship
Bonney Wins English Ladies Open Billiards Championship World Ladies Billiards Snooker Association / Norfolk, UK by Tim Dunkley Birthday girl Emma Bonney added the English Ladies Open Billiards Championship to her three world titles in Norfolk July 13. Forced to get up at 5 a.m. on her thirty-second birthday to make the 180-mile trip from her home in Portsmouth, Bonney won all four 45-minute round robin matches at The Maltings Cue Club, Kings Lynn. “I managed to score well and win quite convincingly which was pleasing,” she said. “I was glad I made the long journey.” Bonney defeated former Swedish pool star Eva Palmius 186-62 in a repeat of the World Ladies Billiards Snooker Association world championship final in Cambridge in May. And she proved too strong for Karin Wannemacher, Austrian women’s snooker champion in 2006 and 2007; 15-year-old Joanne Davies from Derby; and Kings Lynn 13-year-old Beau Elliott, who is seventeenth on the EABA junior rankings. The WLBSA-sanctioned ranking event was run by Phillip Welham, English Amateur Billiards Association (EABA) regional coach and chairman of the EABA Junior Committee. Results: 1st Emma Bonney 2nd Eva Palmius 3rd Karin Wannemacher 4th Joanne Davis 5th Beau Elliott

Tri-State Invitational a Success
Tri-State Invitational a Success Tri-State Tour / Parsippany, NJ by John Leyman The eleventh annual Tri-State Tour Invitational took place July 12-13 at Comet Billiards in Parsippany, NJ, bringing together highly skilled amateurs hoping to sharpen their game en route to the pro circuit and ambitious upstarts looking to advance in class. The weekend was a huge success with 8 A and A+ players, 32 B and B+ players, 32 C and C+ players, and 16 D and D+ players. Comet Billiards owner Bill Haley and his staff were gracious hosts and provided a professional and engaging atmosphere for the event. As each day began, organizers John Leyman, Todd Fleitman, and Bill Focaccia congratulated the players on reaching the top of their classes for the season and handed out awards to the top players of the year in each class. The Tri-State Tour added $4,000 in cash prizes, and sponsors Viking Cues, Fury Cues, Stealth Cues, Sterling Gaming, Ozone Billiards, Phil Capelle, Wild Eyes Creations, Pool Tees.com, Jim Murnak Custom Cue Cases, InsidePOOL Magazine, Billiards Digest, Pool Billiards, Professor-Q-Ball’s News, Blue Book Publications, Amsterdam Billiards, and Romer’s Trophies went out of their way to provide the event with some great equipment and prizes. All of the sponsors are owed a debt a gratitude for their dedication to the game and the players—their efforts and generosity are what made the event so special and such a great success. The awards went to the top three players in each class and to the most improved player of the Year. The top players of the year in their respective classes were Adam Kosmin, Stewart Warnock, Eddie Medina, Dave Shlemperis, George Osipovitch, Mike Davie, and Borana Andoni. The top female player of the year was awarded to Naomi Fingerhut. Starting out the season as a C player, Christopher Luethi moved up three classes to the B+ class and claimed the coveted Most Improved Player of the Year. This year the Pro/Open class was won by Shin Park. Additionally, each year the tour gives out an award to a player we think exemplifies what is good about the sport, and this year’s Sportsman of the Year award went to Sal Lanuto. The action in the tournament got going around ten on Saturday morning, with B+, B, C+ and C players kicking off the event. The B+, B, and C classes were all won by players who went undefeated for the day. In the C+ class, Ben Sadowski played strong and consistent all day, with his only real challenge coming in the finals against Michael Seas. Seas had lost his third match of the day to Sadowski and defeated everyone else to get back to the finals. This time, though, the match turned in the other direction and Seas won 7-3. The C class was won by Gail Glazebrook, who bested Ed Miller in the finals 6-4 and all her other opponents handily to win. In the B+ class Christian Smith played very well, with his two toughest matches being his first and last of the day. Smith won both of those matches on the hill with the finals match against Tom McCloud being his toughest win of the day. The B class was another story. Wazeer Abassi cruised to easy victories all day with the exception of one hill-hill match against Jim Murnak in the second round. In the finals Wazeer bested Jason Blanchard 7-4. On Sunday, the A+/A class was dominated by two players—Wilson Cruz and John Alicea. As they came to the hot seat match, both were playing well, but Aliciea moved ahead by defeating Wilson 7-3. Wilson then won his one-loss-side match against Noel Bensurto on the hill, and then in the rematch Alicea continued to play well and won 7-5. The D+/D class was also dominated by two players—Mike Poisler and Jeff Dworzanski. As in the the A class, Dworzanski defeated Poisler in the hot seat match 5-1 and then again in the finals 5-2. This left the top players in each class to meet in the playoffs. Christian Smith continued his dominance and crushed his next two opponents, Wazeer Abassi 7-4 and John Alicea 7-3, giving him the honor of competing for the overall champion. Gail Glazebrook continued to play with heart and conviction and went on to win, besting Michael Seas on the hill to advance and then defeat Dworzanski 6-4 to guarantee her spot in the finals against Smith. Smith, who had won this event back in 2005, started off slow and Glazebrook took immediate advantage and pulled out to lead and got on the hill first. Smith fought back, playing well and not really affording any opportunities for Glazebrook to take advantage of. He made a 9 on the break and got some good rolls and brought the match to hill-hill. In the hill game Smith broke and made a ball but did not have a run-out. He tried to make something positive happen but relinquished the table. Smith came to the table but also had a tough time and gave it back to Smith, who was running out when he made a slight mistake, which allowed Glazebrook back to the table. Glazebrook made the 7 ball but missed the 8 ball and left a two-ball out for Smith, who won the event to be crowned the Tri-State Tour Invitational Champion for the second time in four years.

Roaring Lion Energy Drink Sponsors Viking Cue Amateur 9-Ball Tour
Roaring Lion Energy Drink Sponsors Viking Cue Amateur 9-Ball Tour Roaring Lion Energy Drink presents the $2,500 added Viking Cue “Amateur” 9-Ball Tour Knoxville Championship. The event will be held on the weekend of July 26th and 27th, 2008 at Breaker’s Billiard Sports Bar and Grill located inKnoxville, TN. The event starts at 1pm on Saturday, July 26th and will continue into Sunday until a champion is crowned. For more information about the event such as start times, fees or directions to the event, please visit the tours web site at Viking9balltour.com. Mike Janis, the founder of the Viking Cue 9-Ball Tour, added, “Having Roaring Lion Energy Drink as our “Presented by” sponsor for this event is a major leap forward for the future of American Cue Sports. Roaring Lion Energy Drinks sponsorship has allowed the Viking Cue Amateur 9-Ball Tour to raise our added money for this event five times from our normal amount of $500. I am really excited about this sponsorship from Roaring Lion Energy Drink. It’s the first outside industry sponsorship we have gained on the Viking Cue Amateur 9-Ball Tour and one of the very few outside industry sponsors to support our sport. I believe that if enough supporters get behind this event and sponsor we will be able maintain Roaring Lion Energy Drink and as a future sponsor for our sport.” To help show your support of Roaring Lion Energy Drink please attend this event, purchase Roaring Lion Energy Drink products and send a brief email letter to Roaring Lion Energy Drink at fred@rled.net (mailto:fred@rled.net) and let them know how much the fans and players in our sport appreciate Roaring Lion Energy Drinks sponsorship. About the Viking Tours: The Viking Cue 9-Ball Tour was founded in 1994 as the Ohio 9-Ball Tour by Mike Janis from Cleveland, Ohio. Over the years it has grown significantly to include many regions of the US. It is currently the largest and longest running Open regional billiards tour in the USA. The Viking Tours consist of three separate tours: The Viking Cue Open, Amateur, and junior 9-Ball Tours. Combined, the tours offer approximately 141 tournament events each tour season for players from beginning to professionals to compete in. Player and business associate members are offered many outstanding benefits that separate the Viking Tours from any other tour in the USA. These benefits include: Healthcare insurance, Free entry fees for Ladies and junior players, Discounts to Military Personnel, Senior Citizens and Pool League Players. For more information about sponsoring, participating in or hosting Viking Tour events contact the tour at vikingtour2@yahoo.com (mailto:vikingtour2@yahoo.com) or call 1-800-200-POOL. Visit the Viking Tours web page at: www.viking9balltour.com (http://www.viking9balltour.com/) Visit the Roaring Lion Energy Drink web site at www.roaringlionenergydrink.com (http://www.roaringlionenergydrink.com) Breaker’s Billiard Sports Bar and Grill 5000 Clinton Highway Knoxville, TN 865-688-6475

Eberle Claims Billiard Battle of Los Angeles
Eberle Claims Billiard Battle of Los Angeles The Best in the West / Bellflower, CA by Eddie Cohen Eight top West Coast professional players showed up at Hard Times Billiards in Bellflower, CA, the weekend of July 12-13 to vie for the official title “The Best in the West!” This event was winner-takes-all—with each man posting a $500 entry fee, first place amounted to $4,000. The format started with a round robin (race to 11, 9-ball); in which all eight players competed against one another in a total of seven matches. The top four players, determined by best win records, advanced into a final four, single-elimination series to determine one ultimate winner. After the first-round matches were over, it seemed that the man to beat was Rafael Martinez. In his first match Martinez played against Ismael “Morro” Paez and made minimal mistakes, taking a quick 8-0 lead and winning the match 11-2. Another memorable bout was the father versus son match-up of Ernesto and Oscar Dominguez. Oscar had started out with a lead over his father but had started to make mistakes and Ernesto tied the score up. Toward the end of their match neither seemed to be on top of his game. The match ended up going hill-hill with Ernesto scratching and Oscar sinking a 9-ball combination with ball in hand. When the round robin was over, the standings were Max Eberle in first place being undefeated, Dave Hemmah in second with two losses, Louis Ulrich in third, and Rafael Martinez in fourth. The single-elimination round was in effect with Hemmah versus Ulrich and Eberle against Martinez. Ulrich was on top of his game and did not leave many chances for Hemmah. He was the first to finish his semifinal match and patiently waited for the winner of the Eberle/Martinez match. The last semifinal match was a close one. Neither player really seemed to get his break working, which led to many safety battles, but in the end Eberle came out on top with an 11-9 win. The final match was everything it was meant to be. Eberle took a quick 2-0 lead, but poor position on the 8 ball in the third rack left him hanging it in the corner pocket and allowing Ulrich to tie it up. The match seemed to go back and forth, always with Ulrich taking the lead and Eberle playing catch-up. Ulrich reached the hill but came up dry on the break. Eberle took this opportunity to run out by sinking a tough 9 ball to make it double-hill. Eberle made a ball on the break, leaving him an open layout. He cleared the rack and finished the event with an undefeated run, taking home the first-place prize. Thanks to the sponsors: theactionreport.com, tigerproducts.com, hardtimesbellflower.com, extremefocus.net, and milliondollar9ball.com. And a huge thanks to the staff of Hard Times Billiards: Eddie, Elias, Jennifer, and the gang; as well the volunteer tournament staff: “Crown City Corey” Harper (organizer/producer), Frank “The Barber” Almanza (tournament director), Eddie “Zirroe” Cohen (chief assistant), Kent “KD Cues” Davis (assistant director), and Chris “Run the Century” (co-assistant director). Note: Our apologies to Allen Hopkins Productions, as this event was intended to be a ten-man $500 entry ($5,000 total) qualifier into the upcoming $1,000,000 9-Ball Shootout being held in Valley Forge, PA, August 6-10; however, because of a couple of last minute player withdrawals, the qualifier aspect of the event had to be negated. Results: 1st Max Eberle 2nd Louis Ulrich 3rd Rafael Martinez 4th Dave Hemmah 5th Ismael Paez Ernesto Dominguez Oscar Dominguez Corey Harper photo courtesy ©mediumpool.com

Executive Billiards Debuts Delta-13 Rack on ESPN
Executive Billiards Debuts Delta-13 Rack on ESPN Executive Billiards is thrilled to announce the ESPN debut of their Delta-13 rack on Saturday, July 19, 2008. Receiving rave reviews from the professional players, Delta-13 “The True Triangle” was the official rack used during the 2008 GenerationPool.com 9-Ball Championships. “We’ve received nothing but positive feedback on the DELTA-13 from dozens of professionals at the event. And now, thanks to the BCA, we're able to be a part of this exciting opportunity and introduce it to a whole new audience of viewers and players at home,” said Terry Taggart, President of Executive Billiards. July 19, 2008, The first-run lineup is scheduled as follows (Mountain Daylight Time): Men’s Semi-Final 1: Johnny Archer vs. Ronnie Wiseman 10 a.m. - 11 a.m. MDT Men’s Semi-Final 2: Shawn Putnam vs. Jeremy Jones 11 a.m. - 12 p.m. MDT Men’s Final: Ronnie Wiseman vs. Jeremy Jones 12 p.m. - 1 p.m. MDT Women’s Semi-Final 1: Anna Kostanian vs. Xiaoting Pan 1 p.m. - 2 p.m. MDT Women’s Semi-Final 2: Jasmine Ouschan vs. Ga Young Kim 2 p.m - 3 p.m. MDT Women’s Final: Xiaoting Pan vs. Ga Young Kim 3 p.m - 4 p.m. MDT The unique DELTA-13 rack is guaranteed never to bend, break, or warp, allowing the perfect rack for generations. That’s what makes it The True Triangle. It’s available in red, blue, black, or gold and each side can be personalized with custom engraving to include text and graphic logos. Ask for the DELTA-13 at your favorite billiard supply store. For more details, visit DELTA-13.com or call 866.915.2058.

ACS Elects New Directors
ACS Elects New Directors At its recent Annual General Meeting in Las Vegas, Nevada, the American CueSports Alliance (ACS) elected some new directors and officers. Janet Ybarra (Texas ACS) and Judy Griffith (Pacific ACS) joined the directors for the first time, while Dot Cyr (River City Billiards in Omaha, Nebraska) was elected to the Secretary position, joining incumbent officers Cecil Messer (IN) [President], Mike Wilson (VA) [Vice President] and Ray Lambotte (IL) [Treasurer]. The 2008-2009 board of directors now includes: Cecil Messer (Portage, IN) – President…Director of Referees Mike Wilson (Virginia Beach, VA) – Vice President…Non-State Association Director Dot Cyr (Omaha, NE) – Secretary…Non-State Association Director Ray Lambotte (Chicago, IL) – Treasurer…State Association Director Terry Anderson (Davenport, IA) – Room Owner Director Sandra Chamberlain (Tulsa, OK) – State Association Director Judy Griffith (Vancouver, WA) - State Association Director Ted Harms (Calgary, AB) – Director representing Canadian Cue Sport Association Joseph Mejia (Millbrae, CA) – Director representing United States Snooker Association Robbie Morito (Tampa, FL) - State Association Director Rodney Morris (Humble, TX) – Director representing the United States Professional Poolplayers Assn. Janet Ybarra (Grand Prairie, TX) - State Association Director The ACS sanctions leagues, produces the national All American Tour, certifies coaches and referees, and is a non-profit, national organization dedicated to heightening the interest and awareness of cue sports through the support and sanctioning of organized competition throughout the United States. Information on the ACS is available at Americancuesports.org.

Maidhof Reigns at 14.1 Billiard Qualifier
Maidhof Reigns at 14.1 Billiard Qualifier Maryland Open 14.1 Qualifier / Glen Burnie, MD by Skip Maloney Bob Maidhof won at the Maryland Open 14.1 Qualifier, hosted by Big Daddy’s Billiards in Glen Burnie, MD, the weekend of July 12-13, earning top honors and paid entry into the World Straight Pool Championships in New Jersey in August. The $3,000-added event drew 32 players, who competed in opening round robin matches on Saturday and a single-elimination tournament on Sunday. On Saturday, 32 players were grouped into eight round robin flights of four players each, chosen to maximize an even spread of skill levels. Playing 12 matches each to 100, the top two players in each flight moved on to the single-elimination tournament on Sunday. The opening round of play increased the number of games necessary to win by 25. Barouty began his day with a commanding 125-5 defeat of Don Polo, while Maidhof was busy polishing off Moy 125-69. In the subsequent round of eight, Barouty defeated Chamberlin 125-45, while Maidhof eliminated Ed Deska 125-27. Shaun Wilkie, who’d eliminated Brett Stottlemeyer, and Steve Lipsky, who’d ousted Dan Heidrich, joined them in the final four. In the final three matches, the number of balls necessary to win increased by another 25 to 150. Maidhof’s match against Lipsky resulted in the highest run of the tournament: 111 balls. He defeated Lipsky 150-2. Barouty, meanwhile, moved into the finals after besting Wilkie 150-91. Maidhof started the final game with a couple of 30- to 40-ball runs and was out in front of Barouty by 97 balls (125-28) when, by his own admission, the nine or ten hours of pool he’d played that day started to wear on him. Barouty rallied, and while he stumbled a bit, making three fouls in a row for which he was penalized by 15 balls, he got within 10 balls at 140-130. “I figured if I got another shot, that I better finish this thing off,” said Maidhof, “so on my next opportunity, I pulled a little energy out of me and did just that.” In addition to the $1,000 first prize for Maidhof and $500 for Barouty, Maidhog was awarded automatic entry into the straight pool championships in New Jersey. The third-place finishers—Wilkie and Lipsky—played a single game to 150 for a second automatic entry slot, won by Lipsky 150-110. Results: 1st Bob Maidhof 2nd Danny Barouty 3rd Steve Lipsky 4th Shaun Wilkie 5th Bob Chamberlin Brett Stottlemeyer Dan Heidrich Ed Deska

Jordon Wins Big in Chattanooga Great Southern Billiard Tour
Jordon Wins Big in Chattanooga Great Southern Billiard Tour Great Southern Billiard Tour / Chattanooga, TN by Skip Maloney Randy Jordon won his biggest event ever by defeating Billy Young in the finals of the Great Southern Billiard Tour stop the weekend of July 12-13. The $1,500-added event drew 35 players to the Great Diamond Billiard Club in Chattanooga, TN, including Larry Nevel, in search of his seventh straight win on the tour. Jordon started Sunday morning among the final four on the winners’ side. He started that day by defeating tour director Shannon Daulton 9-6 and then faced Jessie Middlebrook, fresh off a forfeit victory against Mark Nanashee, in the hot seat match. Middlebrook went west following a hard-fought 9-7 victory for Jordon. On the one-loss side, Young and Nevel were on a collision course to the quarterfinals, besting Nanshee and Daulton, respectively, to get there. Nevel reached the hill first before scratching on the subsequent break, allowing Young to knot it at hill-hill and then win the final game. Young then moved into a second straight hill-hill battle that was decided when Middlebrook scratched while shooting at the 4 ball. Young capitalized on the ball in hand, finishing the rack and moving into the true double-elimination finals against Jordon. In what was a single set, Jordon, building on a habit that had been developing throughout the tournament, was sinking three or four balls when given the opportunity to break. Though not a pre-tournament favorite to win, he defeated Young 9-4, winning the biggest tournament of his career. Results: 1st Randy Jordon 2nd Billy Young 3rd Jessie Middlebrook 4th Larry Nevel 5th Shannon Daulton Mark Nanashee 7th Adam Wilson Billy Bailey 9th David Yap Josh O’Neal Dave Crockett Jimmy Dempsey

Ochoa Double-Dips Clark in Fast Eddie's Billiard Finals
Ochoa Double-Dips Clark in Fast Eddie's Billiard Finals Fast Eddie’s Olhausen 9-Ball Tour / Austin, TX by Skip Maloney Sylver Ochoa came through the one-loss side to win Fast Eddie’s Olhausen 9-Ball Tour stop in Austin, TX, the weekend of July 12-13. The $1,750-added event, hosted by Fast Eddie’s Billiards, drew 115 participants. In the winners’ side final four, Robert Clark and David Henson defeated Mario Juarez and Al Mason, respectively, by identical 9-3 scores to face each other in the hot seat match. Clark defeated Henson 9-5 and waited for his opponent in the finals. Ochoa, in the meantime, joined Charlie Bryant, James Davis Jr., and Brandon Shuff moving into the one-loss side’s final four. Ochoa sent Bryant home with a 7-5 victory, as Davis was doing likewise to Shuff 7-2. Ochoa picked up Mason, over from the one-loss side and defeated him 7-5, while Davis, Jr., and Juarez tangled up in what was, at the time, the only hill-hill match among the final 12. Juarez advanced into the quarterfinals against Ochoa, where he was defeated handily, 9-3. Ochoa was getting stronger as he faced Henson in the semifinals, dropping him 7-1, and heading into the finals against the undefeated Clark. In the true double elimination match that followed, Sylver needed to defeat Clark twice. The two struggled back and forth to a 7-7 tie in the opening set, with Clark scratching in the next game. Ochoa took the ball in hand, finished the rack to reach the hill first, and then ran the rack for the first-set win. Some of Ochoa’s earlier strength started to assert itself in the early going of the second set, in which he jumped out to a commanding 6-0 lead. Clark, though, rallied in a series of racks that saw him, at one point, jump two balls in a row to continue play. The two battled back and forth to hill-hill before an early kick by Clark in the final game sunk the 1 ball. The cue ball kept traveling, however, and after kissing two other balls, dropped into a hole. Ochoa, with ball in hand, finished the rack for the two-set victory. Results: 1st Sylver Ochoa 2nd Robert Clark 3rd David Henson 4th Mario Juarez 5th Al Mason James Davis Jr. 7th Charlie Bryant Brandon Shuff 9th Danny Almaraz Eric Aicinena Jui Lung Chen Tom Mooney

Brilliant Billiards by Bryant in Burlington
Brilliant Billiards by Bryant in Burlington Tiger Canadian Women’s 9-Ball Tour / Burlington, ON by InsidePOOL Staff Brittany Bryant brought home the title from the July 5-6 stop of the Tiger Canadian Women’s 9-Ball Tour. Hosted by Bobby D’s upscale billiard parlor in Burlington, ON, this $500-added event drew in 22 players, who all had their eyes on the top cash prize. As the quarterfinal match started, so had the hot seat match between Naomi Williams and Veronique Menard. After a tight match, Menard sent Williams to the B-side finals to wait for the winner. Bryant and Kristy De Vries were still busy deciding who would play Williams, as they took games back and forth, but Bryant put an end to it, advancing with a 7-4 win. This would set up the semifinal match between Williams and Bryant, who had already faced off on the A side, with Williams sending Bryant west after a hard-fought battle. However, this match had a different outcome, and Bryant relegated Williams to third place with a 7-4 score. The tournament’s final match was Bryant having to win two sets over Menard. In the first set, Bryant was on fire, leading the score 6-4. Then she broke a great shot that targeted a 9 off the break to win her first set. Next, Menard stepped up the plate with strong kick shots and safeties, leading the score 2-1. But the tables turned with a few hangers left by Menard, putting Bryant on the hill 6-3. Menard opted to play safe on the 9 ball, leaving it on the side of the table. Bryant brilliantly banked it in cleanly to win 7-3. Results: 1st Brittany Bryant 2nd Veronique Menard 3rd Naomi Williams 4th Kristy De Vries 5th Denise Belanger Kayla Jones

Bullard is Tops in Billiards
Bullard is Tops in Billiards Jacoby Cues Carolina Tour / Wilmington, NC by Skip Maloney After being sent to the one-loss side in a hot seat match versus former U.S. Open Champion and recent inductee into the BCA Hall of Fame, Allen Hopkins, Sr., Bruce Bullard came back to capture the first-place prize in the Jacoby Custom Cues Carolina Tour held in Wilmington, NC, on the weekend of July 12-13. A total of 28 entrants signed on for the $1,000-added event, hosted by Break Time Billiards. Bullard defeated Cary Dunn to face Hopkins in that hot seat match. Hopkins had sent Mike Davis west to get there. Hopkins sent Bullard to the semifinals with a 7-3 victory. On the one-loss side, after defeating his father, Peaches Fuller, in that bracket’s round of 16, Mike Fuller joined Keith Bennett, Robert Ray, and Joe Nichols among the final eight. Fuller and Nichols dropped Bennett and Ray into a seventh-place tie and faced off against Dunn and Davis, over from the winners’ side. Dunn then dropped Davis into fourth place with a hill-hill victory and faced Bullard in the semifinals. Bullard battled to a 7-5 win against Dunn and headed back for the rematch against Hopkins, where the two initiated proceedings by battling back and forth to a 7-7 tie. Hopkins reached hill first on the break of the fifteenth game. Bullard brought it to hill-hill in the next rack and then gave Hopkins a taste of his own medicine by sinking the 9 ball on his final break to win it. Results: 1st Bruce Bullard 2nd Allen Hopkins, Sr. 3rd Cary Dunn 4th Mike Davis 5th Joe Nichols Mike Fuller 7th Keith Bennett Robert Ray 9th Larry Faulk Buddy Fisher Sidney Champion Chris Volmar

Junior Billiards Champs Crowned in Tucson
Junior Billiards Champs Crowned in Tucson BEF Junior Nationals / Tucson, AZ by Skip Maloney The Billiard Education Foundation (BEF) awarded four $1,000 scholarships to winners in four separate divisions of their juniors’ tournament, held the weekend of July 11-13. A total of 104 players gathered over the weekend in the Student Union Games Room of the University of Arizona in Tucson, where Brunswick had added 6 tables to complement the room’s original 16. In the 19-and-under boys’ division, which hosted 66 players, it was Austin Murphy winning the $1,000 scholarship with a hill-hill 11-10 victory over Nick Tafoya, who received a $500 scholarship for his second-place finish. Murphy, who came from the one-loss side of the tournament, battled back through five opponents to reach the finals. Tafoya was among the final four in the division, defeating Chuckie Holyoke and then, in the hot seat, Richard Barney (last year’s champion), for his spot in the finals. Both matches leading to the hot seat match were hill-hill contests, unlike the hot seat match itself, which Tofoya dominated 9-1. On the one-loss side, Murphy worked his way through Devon Cataldi, Christopher Futrell, and Adam Davis before meeting and defeating Holyoke in the quarterfinals and Barney in the semifinals to meet Tafoya and capture the first-place prize. In the 19-and-under girls’ division, with 10 entrants, a single family will be sharing the first and second place total of $1,500 in scholarship money because two sisters battled it out in the finals. The older sister, Allison Hardwick, prevailed over the younger sister, Chelsea (by two and a half years) 9-4 in the final match-up, although earlier in the day, Chelsea had sent Alison to the one-loss side with a 7-4 win in a final four winners’-side match. Chelsea went on to defeat Nicole Hernandez 7-3 in the hot seat match and waited around, watching her sister and Hernandez in the semifinals, won by the sister 7-4. In the 14-and-under boys’ division, with 23 entrants, it was Landon Shuffett bringing home the $1,000 scholarship, with a 9-6 victory over Billy Thorpe. Thorpe had defeated Landon Cason in a winners’-side final four match-up and then, Chad Denke to reach the hot seat. Shuffett, on the one-loss side, worked through Tyler Adolini, Ronnie Kidd in the quarterfinals and Denke in the semifinals to get to Thorpe and ultimately win it. The five girls who signed on for the 14-and-under girls’ division played a round robin tournament that concluded with a finals match between Brianna Miller and Taylor Reynolds. Miller prevailed to capture the $1,000 scholarship prize. Results 19-and-under Boys 1st Austin Murphy 2nd Nick Tafoya 3rd Richard Barney 4th Chuckie Holyoke 5th Adam Davis Joshua Newman 7th Christopher Futrell Mac Harrell 9th Devon Cataldi Ryan Dunn Schuyler Woodward DJ Outlaw 19-and-under Girls 1st Alison Hardwick 2nd Chelsea Hardwick 3rd Nicole Hernandez 4th Heather Torpin 5th Taylor Satterwhite Amber Yniguez 14-and-under Boys 1st Landon Shuffett 2nd Billy Thorpe 3rd Chad Denke 4th Ronnie Kidd 5th Landon Cason Tyler Adolini 14-and-under Girls 1st Brianna Miller 2nd Taylor Reynolds 3rd Macy Bullard 4th Courtney Frank .

Tsunami Hits Arizona
Tsunami Hits Arizona Western Women’s Amateur Open by Samm Diep The Western Women’s Amateur Open crowned its first champion in Susan Tsunami Williams July 13. The Payson, AZ, tournament took place at the resort-like Mazatzal Hotel Casino while it rained for three consecutive days. The format was 10-ball, race to 9, on Diamond Smart Tables. Of the 21 ladies, only four returned for Sunday matches. Like a tsunami, former Arizona Women’s Billiard Tour champion Williams tore through the field, leaving no survivors, including escaping a hill-hill battle with former Canadian snooker champion Grace Nakamura. Having previously dodged two hill-hill bullets herself to make it to the semifinals, the petite Nakamura came up a little short this time. Meanwhile, on the B side, current OB Cues Tour champion Heather Lloyd was getting her revenge against Arizona’s star Bernie Store, whom she lost to in the second round. Her relentless safety play would ultimately secure her a spot in the semifinals against Nakamura. Right out of the gate, Lloyd and Nakamura both started off strong. An unfortunate missed 9 ball for Lloyd left an even score that would’ve been 3-1 in Lloyd’s favor. Like a female equivalent to Alex Pagulayan, Nakamura’s showboating style was more than entertaining for casino spectators. In the end, Lloyd made one too many errors finishing with a deficit of 9-6. The modest Lloyd commented that she was still happy with her performance but could use some more bar table experience. The first set of the finals brawl between Williams and Nakamura would be no different than their previous match. The first half included three-foul offenses from both players and a 10 ball break from Nakamura, in which she exclaimed, “All eighty pounds of me!” The second half began as a complete scratch-a-thon all the way to 7-7, before Williams worked through a tough rack, banking in the 10 ball to get to the hill first. Keeping with the theme, Nakamura tied the score to 8-8 before taking the first set. Williams was determined not to see a repeat in the second set. At the end of the day, her smooth stroke and tenacity paid off. She strung together two beautiful runs to get to the hill before Nakamura gave up ball in hand and left a 3-10 combo to close out the match. The final score was 9-3. “Wow,” was all the overjoyed Williams had to say. Results: 1ST Susan Williams 2nd Grace Nakamura 3rd Heather Lloyd 4th Bernie Store 5th Sue Lance Sunny Griffin 7th Emily Wilmoth Leandria Gaff 9th Samm Diep Bonnie Plowman Kathleen Lawless Terry Johnson-McCauley

Corr Roars Back to Win New Jersey Billiard Championship
Corr Roars Back to Win New Jersey Billiard Championship J. Pechauer New Jersey State Ladies 9-Ball Championship / South Amboy, NJ by Skip Maloney Karen Corr came from way behind in the finals of the J. Pechauer New Jersey State Ladies’ Championship the weekend of July 12-13 to defeat Iris Ranola and capture the first-place prize. The $3,000-added event, sponsored in part by Heineken, drew 28 players to Prime Time Sports Bar and Grill in South Amboy. Corr and Ranola met first in the hot seat match, which Corr had reached by defeating Tiffany Nelson 7-2. Ranola had sent My Han Lac west with a 7-5 victory. Corr prevailed as the last woman standing and awaited Ranola’s eventual return. On the one-loss side, it was Julie Kelly, having just defeated Romana Dokovic, who was waiting for there for Nelson. Monica Webb, on the heels of a 7-3 victory over Megan Minerich, faced Lac. Nelson and Webb dropped Lac and Kelly into a fifth-place tie and then battled each other to hill-hill before Nelson prevailed in the quarterfinal match. Ranola and Nelson, who’d played in the finals of the JPNEWT Tour stop in New Jersey last month, won by Ranola, battled back and forth in the semifinals. Ranola prevailed 7-5 in the end and turned back for a rematch with Corr. Ranola entered the finals with a great deal of confidence and jumped out to a quick 7-1 lead. Corr, however, known for her deliberate and determined style of play, took what followed one game at a time and won the next eight games in a row to reach the hill first. Ranola battled back to win the next game and reach double-hill, but Corr won the deciding game. Results: 1st Karen Corr 2nd Iris Ranola 3rd Tiffany Nelson 4th Monica Webb 5th Julie Kelly My Han Lac 7th Romana Dokovic Megan Minerich 9th Sharon O’Hanlon Asia Cycak Liz Ford Bonnie Saritelli

Little Takes Big Billiard Win in Winder
Little Takes Big Billiard Win in Winder Viking Cue 9-Ball Tour / Winder, GA by InsidePOOL Staff Located in Winder, GA, Murphy’s Brass Rail Billiards’ grand opening rocked the Viking Cue 9-Ball Amateur event the weekend of July 12-13. Fifty-four participants and many spectators packed the building for some awesome billiards as the amateur players competed for their share of the $3,165 prize fund. The top prize went to Eddie Little, who rolled through the bottom half of the bracket undefeated and won the finals in set one against Bryant Walker 7-3. Little began his race to finals by defeating Jeff Tabet 7-4, Lane Simons 7-6, Chris Delee 7-1, Bryant Walker 7-4, Stanley Lingerfelt 7-0, Jason Stemen 7-4. In the finals, Little got revenge against Walker 7-3, earning $1,000 for his first place win. Results: 1st Eddie Little 2nd Bryant Walker 3rd Jason Stemen 4th Stanley Lingerfelt 5th Roger Lewis Matt Bulfin 7th Ron Gilbert Tim McKay 9th Jeff Tabet David Shadden John Vistosky Shane Wade

Moore Wins Second Straight Seminole Billiard Stop
Moore Wins Second Straight Seminole Billiard Stop by Skip MaloneySteve Moore made it two in a row on the Seminole Pro Tour the weekend of July 12-13 in Gainesville, FL. He fought back from the one-loss side, defeating the man who’d sent him there in the quarterfinal match, Jonathan Pinegar in the semifinals, and Corey Deuel in the finals. The $8,500-added event drew 58 top-ranked entrants to the Art of Billiards.Unlike his last victory, in which he went undefeated, Moore was not among the final four on the winners’ side. Wiseman advanced to the final four on the heels of an 8-6 victory over Moore. He then faced Pinegar, as Deuel battled Justin Hall. Pinegar and Wiseman fought to hill-hill before Wiseman went west for an eventual rematch against Moore. Deuel dropped Hall 8-4 and then battled Pinegar to hill-hill in the hot seat match that sent Pinegar to the semifinals.On the one-loss side, Moore started his route back to the finals with an 8-6 victory over Charlie Williams to join Tommy Kennedy, Donnie Mills, and Bobby Livargo among that side’s final four. Kennedy, who’d just ended a surprising tournament run by young female newcomer Yu Ram Cha, fell to Moore 8-4. Mills bested Livargo by the same score. Wiseman, over from the winners’ side, dropped Mills into fifth place with an 8-3 victory, as Moore, by the same score, finished Justin Hall’s day.It was time then for the quarterfinal rematch between Moore and Wiseman, which started out as an even struggle to a 4-4 tie, before Moore found his stroke and ran four racks to finish it. Moore, picking up speed and confidence, then faced Pinegar in the semifinals and dropped him into third place with an 8-3 win.Deuel, who in many ways answered lingering questions about his abilities when not utilizing his patented ‘soft break’ technique (banned by rule for this tour stop), battled Moore to a 4-4 tie in the finals before engaging in a few “safety” battles that put him out in front by two games. Moore, however, was not to be denied. He ran the next five racks to become the first player to win back-to-back victories on this year’s Seminole Tour.Results:1st Steve Moore2nd Corey Deuel3rd Jonathan Pinegar4th Ronnie Wiseman5th Donnie MillsJustin Hall7th Tommy KennedyBobby Livargo9th Charlie WilliamsYu Ram ChaTony CrosbyChip Klein

Final Four Winners Revealed on Seminole Billiards Stop
Final Four Winners Revealed on Seminole Billiards Stopby Skip MaloneyJustin Hall, who finished third on the last Seminole Pro Tour stop, made it back to the final four on the winners’ side on the tour’s Gainesville, FL, stop July 12. He is scheduled to face Corey Deuel on Sunday morning, as Ronnie Wiseman takes on Jonathan Pinegar for advancement to the hot seat match.Early Saturday, both Steve Moore and Sparky Ferrell were moved to the one-loss side; Ferrell in the third round against Chip Klein 7-2 and Moore in the fourth round versus Wiseman 8-6. Moore and Wiseman battled to a 6-6 tie in that match before Wiseman took command.The surprise of the tournament going into Sunday’s match-ups was the performance of young Yu Ram Cha, who more or less waltzed through her opening three rounds until she ran into Wiseman, who sent her west with an 8-1 victory. She moved into the final eight on the one-loss side, where she is scheduled to meet Tommy Kennedy Sunday.Like Cha, Tony Crosby had a relatively easy run through the first three rounds of play. He’d given up only a single game in the opening two rounds before battling to a 7-5 win that sent Kennedy to the one-loss side. In the early going of his fourth-round match against Deuel, Crosby looked to be in the driver’s seat to advance, but up 6-3, he missed a 10 ball in the tenth game that opened the door to a five-pack by Deuel that finished it.Crosby is scheduled to meet Donnie Mills Sunday, as Moore faces Charlie Williams. Bobby Livargo and Chip Klein will join them in a battle to reach the final four on that one-loss side of the bracket.Visit InsidePOOL for the latest news in the sport of billiards and pool.

Moore, Ferrell and Hall Headline Seminole Tour Stop in Gainesville
Moore, Ferrell and Hall Headline Seminole Tour Stop in GainesvilleSeminole Pro Tour / Gainesville, FL.by Skip MaloneySteve Moore, Sparky Ferrell, and Justin Hall are among the 58 top-ranked entrants looking for their share of the $8,500-added Seminole Pro Tour stop in Gainesville, FL, this weekend. That trio claimed the top three prizes on the tour stop in Cape Coral, FL, last month.Seminole Tour officials instituted a new rule for this stop at the Art of Billiards in Gainesville, designed to prevent use of the “soft break” technique, favored by, among others, Corey Deuel, who is in the field for this event. That rule dictates that a player must break the rack “as hard as he/she can.” If an opponent feels that the rule has not been applied on a given break, he/she is given the opportunity to consult with a tour official, who will adjudicate whether the breaking player has complied with the rule. In addition to Deuel, other top-ranked players signed on for the three-day tournament include Ronnie Wiseman, Tony Crosby, David Vaughn, Jonathan Pinegar, Tim Hall, and Donnie Mills. All of them finished among the top 13 in Cape Coral last month.In the opening round of play on Friday, which was restricted to 20 matches, all but Crosby from that group advanced. Crosby’s opening match was scheduled for Saturday morning. Vaughn and Deuel drew byes in the opening round, which sent, on Friday night, 18 players to the one-loss side. On average, those 18 had tallied just under four victories in their opening round. Mike Delawder tallied the evening’s only shut-out with a victory over Richard Penny. Delawder will start his day on Saturday with a match against Ronnie Wiseman. There was only one hill-hill match in the opening round that advanced Doug Arcadi over Javier Chirino.Visit InsidePOOL for the latest news in the sport of pool and billiards.

Western Womens Amateur Open Underway
Western Women’s Amateur Open UnderwayBy InsidePool StaffThe first annual Western Women’s Amateur Open is currently underway in Payson, AZ, 80 miles north of Phoenix. Held at the luxurious Mazatzal Hotel Casino, this event has drawn some superstar amateur ladies from all over the country. The top 32 players of any professional tour were not eligible to participate.We can guarantee that this event will not be a one-hit wonder as the gracious Mazatzal Casino has committed to three years of adding $3,500 and providing a home for this tournament. Other supporters include Diamond Billiard Products, Predator Products, Dale Teague Custom Cues, and Inside English. “I have always wanted to see more independent events for women with decent added money,” said tournament promoter Holly Ryan.Eight 7-foot Diamond Smart Tables were brought in. Thursday night kicked off with a players’ meeting and mini tournaments. The main event format is 10-ball, race to 9. The 21 ladies will be vying for a total purse of $5,175. “The field was smaller than we anticipated,” said Ryan, but they do have big plans for expanding the event for the upcoming years. The ladies didn’t seem to mind. Fewer players meant a later start time.Some familiar faces include local AZ Women’s Tour top guns Susan Williams and Susan Mello, current VNEA 8- and 9-ball champion Bonnie Plowman from Colorado, OB Cues Tour champion Heather Lloyd from Texas, Grace Nakamura all the way from Canada, and top finisher on the Ladies Spirit Tour, Emily Wilmoth from Florida.Dale Teague and Predator have both donated cues for a raffle in which proceeds will go towards the Payson Habitat for Humanity. A portion of the proceeds from Thursday night’s minis also went towards this cause. Despite the unusual storm, muggy weather, and fire and accident on the main highway, this event hopes to be one that women amateurs can mark their calendars for in the next two years.Visit InsidePOOL for the latest news in the sport of billiards and pool.

Billiard Congress Seeks Candidates for Vacant Board of Directors Seats
Billiard Congress Seeks Candidates for Vacant Board of Directors Seats The Billiard Congress of America (BCA) announces a call for nominations for two vacant Board of Directors seats for the 2008-2009 Board year. Any member can nominate themselves or a colleague for either of these positions. Candidates for the Board seats must be current members of the BCA and qualify in the appropriate member category. The following are the open positions available on the BCA Board:• Manufacturer/Distributor Seat - Candidates must qualify as a manufacturer or distributor to apply for the Manufacturer/Distributor Seat. This means the organization the candidate represents is a licensed business entity primarily engaged in the manufacture or wholesale distribution of billiard equipment or accessories.• Room Operator Seat - Candidates must qualify as a room operator or league operator to apply for the Room Operator Seat. This means that the organizations the candidate represents must be a licensed business entity operating an establishment where billiards are played or a licensed business entity operating a billiards league or league system.According to the BCA Bylaws, the Board of Directors has authority to make interim appointments to the Board in the case of a position vacancy. The Directors appointed to fill the two vacancies shall serve until the next general election, at which time a successor Director shall be elected to fill the remaining terms of office. This means candidates successful in securing these appointments will serve only until the next general election in June of 2009. The two persons selected to fill these interim appointments can run again for office in the next general election.In order to select the best candidates, the decision will be based on the needs of the organization and the information provided by potential candidates. Each nominee will be provided a Candidate Data Form that is designed to allow candidates to tell the Board why they are the best candidate for the position at this time.The Board will make its appointment decision at the next scheduled Board meeting, August 5-6, 2008, based on the information contained on the Candidate Data Form and the needs of the BCA relative to the foreseeable strategic challenges of the industry over the next two to three years. All candidates will be contacted as to whether they have been appointed or not. Candidates unsuccessful in securing a Board appointment will be asked if they want to contribute to the organization in other ways, such as through committee participation.Candidates interested in running or those wishing to nominate a candidate should e-mail Robin Dahlen, BCA associate managing director, at robin@bca-pool.com (mailto:robin@bca-pool.com) to let the BCA know of their intentions by 5:00 p.m. EDT, Monday, July 21, 2008.Those who are nominated will receive a Candidate Data Form via e-mail no later than the next business day. The form is also available on the BCA Web site at: http://home.bca-pool.com/associations/7744/files/BCA_CandidateDataForm_July2008.pdf (http://home.bca-pool.com/associations/7744/files/BCA_CandidateDataForm_July2008.pdf).The nomination should include a message stating the candidate name, title, company and complete contact information (including e-mail address) along with a message identifying the position to which the person is being nominated.The Candidate Data Form must be completed and returned by 5:00 p.m. EDT, Wednesday, July 30, 2008, in order to be considered for a position. Completed forms should be returned to Robin Dahlen, BCA associate managing director, at robin@bca-pool.com (mailto:robin@bca-pool.com) or via fax at 404.240.0998.About Billiard Congress of AmericaFounded in 1948, the Billiard Congress of America is a non-profit trade organization dedicated to growing a united, prosperous and highly regarded billiard industry through BCA leadership. The BCA seeks to enhance the success of its members and promote the game of billiards though educational, marketing and promotional efforts, annual industry trade shows, tournaments and other programs designed to encourage billiards as a lifestyle and make pool everybody’s game. For more information, visit www.bca-pool.com (http://www.bca-pool.com) or call 866.852.0999.

Viking Cues Billiards Photo Caption Winner for May/June
Viking Cues Billiards Photo Caption Winner for May/June Congratulations to Chris Asberry of CA for submitting the winning entry in the Viking Pool Cues Billiards Photo Caption Contest for the month of May/June. Chris has won a Photo Caption Contest page (/photo-caption-contest.html) This month features a photo of a Matchroom Sport referee Patricia Murphy offering direction to Rodney Morris at the World Pool Masters in Las Vegas, NV. Visitors can submit entries via email by going to the Photo Caption Contest Entry Page (/option,com_facileforms/Itemid,491.html). You can enter every day, one time per day.

Fujiwara, Takuys, and Garza Win Bankshot Billiards Qualifiers
Fujiwara, Takuys, and Garza Win Bankshot Billiards Qualifiers Bankshot Billiards hosted two qualifiers for the upcoming Lucasi Hybrid Classic which will showcase 48 top players in the disciplines of straight pool and 10-Ball on July 30-Aug 3. Locals from around the Jacksonville area came to participate in the qualifier events. The main pro draw will feature such notables as Johnny Archer, Mika Immonen, Dennis Orcullo, Mike Davis, Raj Hundal and many more. The 3rd Annual Ozone Billiards US Amateur Open will also be held in conjunction with the pro events as well as the 4th Annual World Junior 10-Ball Championships. Jacksonville is the largest city in Florida and Jeff and Joan Scott has done much to promote pool there. It was his idea to organize the qualifiers to give local players a shot at the big guys from the pro tour. It will be great for the fans there to root on their hometown heroes. said Cindy Lee, CEO of Dragon Promotions, the producers of the Lucasi Hybrid Classic. Jeff and Joan Scott are the proprieters of Bankshot Billiards. The first qualifier was for the Pro 14.1 event and in the end Japan's Sato Takuys went undefeated to earn his spot amongst the pros. Bobby Garza, also local to Jacksonville, finished 2nd place to earn his spot. Sato had the high run of the event with a 42. Both players will join the pro straight pool event against the likes of Thorsten Hohmann GER and 14.1 guru Danny Barouty of NYC. The 10-Ball Pro qualifier brought out players such as Neil Fujiwara who won the event and again Sato Takuys who earned his spot in both divisions of the Lucasi Hybrid Classic. Fujiwara, who is Japanese American, will represent USA and Takuys will represent Japan. VIP tickets can be bought now by calling Bankshot Billiards at 1-904-998-2100 More info on all the events can be found at Dragonpromotions.com

2008 Maryland Open Straight Pool Championship Qualifier
2008 Maryland Open Straight Pool Championship World 14.1 Qualifier This year’s qualifier for the 2008 Maryland Open 14.1 Championship is being held at Big Daddy’s Billiards in Glen Burnie, MD, the weekend of July 12-13. Big Daddy’s is a premiere billiard room with more 20 handsome tables, located in the Annapolis/Baltimore/Washington triangle. This is one of only six qualifiers being held around the country for the 2008 World Straight Pool Championships, which will be held in E. Brunswick, NJ, at the Hilton August 26-30. This year’s 32-player field includes many of the East Coast’s top 14.1 players divided into eight flights, with four players in each, playing 100-point matches July 12. The Saturday brackets are seeded so that each bracket includes an A-B-C-D player. The top two players in each group will advance to a seeded, single-elimination tournament July 13. The first-place finishers in each flight will be seeded 1-8 Sunday based on W-L record and ball count differential. A player who wins a match 100-20 will be seeded ahead of a player whose average wins are 100-30, so there is an emphasis on winning by a larger margin rather than just a simple win, since many of the top player will be 3-0 after Saturdays matches. The second-place finishers in each flight will also advance to Sunday and will be seeded 9-16 on the same basis. In the Sunday single-elimination tournament number 1 plays number 16, number 2 plays number 15, and so on. For more information on the 2008 Maryland Open 14.1 Straight Pool Championship World Qualifier, please contact tournament director Peter Burrows at 410-757-3488.

Billiards Promoter Joe Kerr Passes Away
Billiards Promoter Joe Kerr Passes Away Longtime friend, player, and promoter of billiards, Joe “Joker” Kerr passed away Sunday, July 6, 2008, succumbing to myasthenia gravis. Kerr was born March 25, 1945, in Akron, OH, and lived all his life in that area, attending Archbishop Hoban High School and the University of Akron. For 15 years he was the store manager for Carlton Clothes and then became regional manager for Nelson Stag Shops. In 1978 Kerr became a member of the Men’s Professional Billiards Association (MPBA) and won several titles, including the 1983 Detroit Open and the 1985 Genesis Classic Championship. Two years later he founded Joker Promotions, directing and promoting professional pool events all over the world. When, in 1988, he was elected executive director/secretary treasurer of the MPBA, he began representing the top 1,000 players in the world. One of the biggest honors of his life came to Kerr in 2000 when he was inducted into the Canton Sports Hall of Fame as a promoter and player. Kerr also worked as a writer for several industry publications, including On the Snap. Additionally, he was the house pro at both the infamous Starcher’s and Diamond Billiards in Akron. Kerr is survived by his parents, his two children, and his three grandsons. Mike Janis of the Viking Cue 9-Ball Tour said, “Joe ‘Joker’ Kerr, was a dear friend of mine as well as our sport. Joe made a huge contribution to our sport with his professional tournament direction, promotional skills, and wonderful personality. He was a pleasure to be around and will be dearly missed by all he who knew him. “In 1996 Joe Kerr received the only lifetime honorary membership the Viking Tour has ever issued. Over the years Joe and I stayed in constant contact, and he was always willing to help out with whatever he could. I will deeply miss my conversations with Joe and wish I had more time to spend with him.” Family and friends can visit Adams-Mason Memorial Chapel at 791 East Market Street, Akron, OH, from 4 to 7 p.m. Wednesday, July 9, with a memorial service at 7 p.m. Memorials may be made in the name of Joseph Kerr to the Ohio Chapter of the Myasthenia Gravis Foundation, 2907 Lincoln Way E Unit B, Massillon, OH 44646. Photo courtesy of Bill Porter

DELTA-13 to be Used at Upcoming Junior Billiard Championships
DELTA-13 to be Used at Upcoming Junior Billiard Championships Executive Billiards, the maker of DELTA-13 “The True Triangle,” has donated 27 original prototype racks to the Billiard Education Foundation (BEF) to use in their upcoming 2008 BEF Junior Nationals ACUI Collegiate 9-Ball Championships. This year’s events will be held at the University of Arizona in Tucson July 8-13. The BEF’s purpose to “further a standard of excellence and leadership within the billiard community” falls right in line with the Executive Billiards business principles. “We are very proud to be a part of these juniors’ events. They are just as important as the professional ones. Today’s juniors are tomorrow’s leaders,” said Samm Diep, marketing director for Executive Billiards. “The BEF is excited to have Executive Billiards on board as one of our event sponsors. We have one hundred and eighty participants this year, and I’m sure they will look forward to trying out this new innovative rack,” said Laura Smith, president of the BEF. To learn more about the Billiard Education Foundation and their future events, visit BilliardEducation.org. Ask for the DELTA-13 rack at your favorite billiard supply store, visit DELTA-13.com, or call 866.915.2058.

Free Download of July/August Billiard Magazine
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Wilkie and Lac Win Billiards Gold in Sterling
Wilkie and Lac Win Billiards Gold in Sterling Tiger Pool Tour / Sterling, VA by Skip Maloney Shaun Wilkie held off a strong surge by Brandon Shuff in the finals but finished undefeated in the Tiger Pool Tour stop the weekend of July 6-7. The Bob Stocks Memorial, hosted by the First Break Café in Sterling, VA, drew 48 entrants to the $1,500-added open tournament and 12 women to the $350-added ladies’ event, won by My-Hanh Lac. Earlier in the day, Wilkie and Shuff had faced down Matt Krah and Shane Jackson among the winners’ side final four to advance. The hot seat match-up that followed had Wilkie prevailing over Shuff 9-6. On the one-loss side, Matt Clatterbuck and Danny Green advanced to face each other in the quarterfinals, where Clatterbuck dropped Green into fourth place with a 7-5 victory and then turned to face Shuff in the semifinals. Shuff, looking to at least duplicate his second-place finish on the tour’s last stop, ousted Clatterbuck to get his chance. Wilkie jumped out to a commanding 8-3 lead in the race-to-11 finals before Shuff fought back to tie it. After trading the next two racks, Wilkie reached the hill first. Shuff had his chances in last game, but Wilkie left him with a jump shot that he missed. With ball in hand, Wilkie closed it out at 11-9 to take first place. In the ladies’ event, My-Hanh Lac chalked up her second straight Tiger Tour win with a commanding 9-2 victory over Rachel Eliazar in the finals. The final four on the winners’ side of Sunday’s event ended up as the top four finishers. Pauline Mattes and Rachael Eliazar dropped Sueyen Rhee and Ji Hyun Park out of contention before facing each other in the quarterfinals. Eliazar advanced to face Kim Smith in the semifinals on the heels of a hill-hill victory and went on to challenge Lac. In a race to 9, Lac wasted little time in repeating her victory on the tour’s last stop, defeating Eliazar 9-2 to capture the first-place prize. Open Results: 1st Shaun Wilkie 2nd Brandon Shuff 3rd Matt Clatterbuck 4th Danny Green 5th Matt Krah Shane Jackson 7th Manny Chau Shawn Toni 9th Pooky Rasmeloungon Eric Moore Paul Adolini Steve Lillis Ladies’ Results: 1st My-Hanh Lac 2nd Rachel Eliazar 3rd Kim Smith 4th Pauline Mattes

Junior Billiards Stars Head for Arizona
Junior Billiards Stars Head for Arizona 2008 BEF Junior Nationals ACUI Collegiate 9-Ball Championships Head to the University of Arizona, Tucson The most prestigious junior collegiate pool tournaments in North America, the Billiard Education Foundation (BEF) Junior Nationals and the Association of College Unions International (ACUI) Collegiate 9-Ball Championships will be held at the University of Arizona, in Tucson, AZ. The Student Union Memorial Center (SUMC) will host this event July 8th – 13th, 2008. ACUI competition will be held July 8th- 10th, while the junior festivities will commence on Thursday, July 10th and continue through Sunday, July 13th. The SUMC Billiards and Games Room features 16 professional size pool tables and will be the stage to an expected 180 young athletes competing for academic scholarships, prizes and an invitation to represent the United States at the World Pool-Billiard Association (WPA) Junior World Championships. Junior contestants earned their right to participate by winning a BEF recognized qualifier or were nominated through their local junior pool league. Collegiate players were invited to participate through their success at an ACUI regional tournament. Juniors will travel from 30 different states to compete in this year’s event and over 30 colleges will be r