September 2011 Inside POOL Magazine by Inside POOL Magazine

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A u t h e n t i c. A c c u r a t e. A l w a y s

September 2011

On the Cover: Larry Nevel bested a world-class field at the Seminole Pro Tour's Florida stop to defeat Alex "The Lion" Pagulayan for first place.

Instruction 6

Beat People With a Stick

Simpler is Gooder

Pro Pool Workout

Curved Surfaces

Get in Shape

Moving Day Stance

Banking With The Beard

Three Rails in the Side—the

System and Correct

To read more about "The Truth," please turn to page 28.

Ratio: 3 to 1

Confessions of a Pool Hustler

You’re Never Too Old to Learn

a New Shot

Features 16

Melling By a Mile!

Chen and Melling Carry the

Day in China Open

Fisher Dethrones Kim at U.S.

Open 9-Ball Championships

Takes Title From Defending

Champ

Yukio Akagariyama Astounds

the Pool World

Japan Claims the World 9-Ball

Title

2011 BEF Junior National

Champions Crowned

Olson, Miller, Thorpe, and

Reynolds Reign

Nevel Say Never

“The Truth” Sweeps Seminole

Pro Tour Event

Linares Defends Title,

Mocanu Moves up at ACUI

Championships

2 InsidePOOL Magazine ◊ September 2011

contents 22 22

16 16

Publisher Publisher JR Calvert JR Calvert publisher@insidepoolmag.com publisher@insidepoolmag.com Editor Editor Sally P. Timko Sally P. Timko editor@insidepoolmag.com editor@insidepoolmag.com Graphic Artists Graphic Artists Laura Luzier Laura Luzier art@insidepoolmag.com art@insidepoolmag.com Allen Hopkins Jr. Allen Hopkins Jr. Editorial Assistant Editorial Assistant Lea Andrews Lea Andrews Advertising Sales Director Advertising Sales Director Bill Perry Bill Perry sales@insidepoolmag.com sales@insidepoolmag.com Technical Consultant Technical Consultant Tom Simpson Tom Simpson

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Staff Videographer Staff Videographer Alvin Nelson Alvin Nelson Feature Photo Credits Feature Photo Credits JR Calvert, Ted Lerner JR Calvert, Ted Lerner E-mail E-mail info@insidepoolmag.com info@insidepoolmag.com Website Website www.insidepoolmag.com www.insidepoolmag.com Instructional Staff Instructional Staff Johnny Archer, Freddy Bentivegna, Johnny Archer, Freddy Bentivegna, Shannon Daulton, Bob Henning, Shannon Daulton, Bob Henning, Robert LeBlanc, Matt Sherman, Tom Simpson Robert LeBlanc, Matt Sherman, Tom Simpson Contributing Writers Contributing Writers Fred Agnir, Lea Andrews, Jose Burgos, Fred Agnir, Lea Andrews, Jose Burgos, Jamie B. Dresher, Rob Johnson, Ted Lerner, Jamie B. Dresher, Rob Johnson, Ted Lerner, John Leyman, Gerry Mayen, Ken Shuman, John Leyman, Gerry Mayen, Ken Shuman, Suzanne Smith, Jerry Tarantola Suzanne Smith, Jerry Tarantola Toll Free Toll Free 888-428-7665 888-428-7665

Departments 4 4 35 36

Live Streams Advertiser Directory Billiard Education Foundation Player of the Month APA Player of the Month

38 42 45 47

Northeast Southeast Central Western

Regional Roundup

Columns 32 34 40 48

What’s New Industry News SudoCue Puzzle I Can’t Lose Word Puzzle Back to Pool

Administrative Offices Administrative Offices PO Box 972, Kittanning, PA 16201 PO Box 972, Kittanning, PA 16201 InsidePOOL Magazine Volume XI, Issue 7 InsidePOOL Magazine Volume XI,except IssueJune7 (ISSN1547-3511) is published monthly (ISSN1547-3511) is published monthly except and August by Spheragon Publishing, PO Box June 972, and August PA by 16201. Spheragon Publishing, PO Box Kittanning, Single copy price: $3.95972, in Kittanning, PA 16201. Single Subscription copy price: $3.95 in U.S.A., $5.95 in Canada. prices: U.S.A., $5.95 Canada. Subscription prices: $19.99/yr in thein U.S.A., $28/yr in Canada, $39/yr $19.99/yr in the U.S.A., $28/yr $39/yr international. Periodicals postageinatCanada, Kittanning, PA, international. Periodicals postage at Kittanning, and additional mailing offices. Submissions PA, of and additionalillustrations, mailing offices. of manuscripts, and/orSubmissions photographs manuscripts, illustrations, and/or photographs must be accompanied by a self-addressed, stamped must be accompanied byassumed a self-addressed, stamped envelope. The publisher no responsibility envelope. The publisher assumed no responsibility for unsolicited material. Reproduction of this for unsolicited material. this magazine in whole or in Reproduction part without of written magazine in whole or in part without written permission of the publisher is prohibited. permission of the publisher prohibited. POSTMASTER: Please sendisaddress changes to: POSTMASTER: Please send address changes PA to: InsidePOOL Magazine, PO Box 972, Kittanning, InsidePOOL Magazine, PO Box 972, Kittanning, PA 16201. PRINTED IN THE U.S.A. 16201. PRINTED IN THE U.S.A. September 2011 ◊ InsidePOOLmag.com 3

Live Streams Great Southern Billiard Tour Steve Mizerak Championship Great Southern Billiard Tour Great Southern Billiard Tour Great Southern Billiard Tour Great Southern Billiard Tour Lone Star Billiards Tour Great Southern Billiard Tour Great Southern Billiard Tour Great Southern Tour Championships Great Southern Billiard Tour Great Southern Billiard Tour Lone Star Billiards Tour

Shore Thing Bar and Billiards Hammer Head’s Billiard Lounge Q-Master Billiards Michael’s Billiards and Games Speak Eazy Billiards Raisin’ Cain’s Bogie’s Billiards and Games Borderline Billiards World Cup Billiards Fast Eddie’s Sports Bar and Grill Michael’s Billiards and Games Mickey Milligan’s Pub and Billiards Bogie’s Billiards and Games

September 9-10 September 16-18 September 17-18 September 24-25 October 8-9 October 15-16 October 29-30 October 29-30 November 5-6 November 9-13 November 19-20 November 26-27 December 10-11

www.greatsouthernbilliardtour.com www.seminoleprotour.com www.greatsouthernbilliardtour.com www.greatsouthernbilliardtour.com www.greatsouthernbilliardtour.com www.greatsouthernbilliardtour.com www.lonestarbilliardstour.com www.greatsouthernbilliardtour.com www.greatsouthernbilliardtour.com www.greatsouthernbilliardtour.com www.greatsouthernbilliardtour.com www.greatsouthernbilliardtour.com www.lonestarbilliardstour.com

Tune in to watch your favorite pool players live online. Advertiser Directory

To contact any of our advertisers, visit their website, send an e-mail, or give them a call.

Hustlin U.S.A. Clothing Co. www.hustlinusa.com Iwan Simonis, Inc. www.simoniscloth.com

Inside Front Cover

American Poolplayers Association www.poolplayers.com

Atlas Billiard Supplies www.cuestik.com

J&J America Billiards Inc. www.jjcue.com

Baby’s Pro Shop www.babysproshop.com

Jim Murnak Cue Cases www.jimmurnakcuecases.com

Balabushka Cue Company www.balabushkacues.com

Kamui Tips America www.kamuitips.com

Bank Shot Calculator www.offensivebilliardsllc.com

McDermott Handcrafted Cues www.mcdermottcue.com

Banks That Don’t Go—But Do! www.bankingwiththebeard.com

Mueller Recreational Products www.poolndarts.com

Bebob Publishing www.bebobpublishing.com

Pool Player Excuses Towel www.poolplayerexcuses.com

Billiard Education Foundation www.billiardeducation.org

Road Player Billiards www.roadplayerbilliards.com

Billiards Express www.billiardsexpress.com

Castillo Leather Goods www.castilloleathergoods.com

Sterling Gaming, Inc. www.sterling-gaming.com

Definitive Synergy www.definitivesynergy.com

Tiger Products, Inc. www.tigerproducts.com

Fury Cues www.fury-cues.com

4 InsidePOOL Magazine ◊ September 2011

Inside Back Cover

Seminole Pro Tour www.seminoleprotour.com

34, 42

Back Cover

Tom Simpson, Billiard Instruction www.poolclinics.com

Instruction

< by Tom Simpson

Simple is Gooder O

ver the years, as my game has improved, it’s become simpler. Simpler in terms of execution, of motion, of pattern. Simpler looking. Better. As we watch the play of pros and great players, they often make it look so simple that outsiders assume this is easy. Non-players have no idea. We smile. It’s probably safe to say that we’d all like to develop our game to become smoother, simpler, more easy-looking. Simple is often gooder. Which aspects of your game could be simpler? What would it take for you to implement those changes? Is it worth changing? Let’s consider some potentially fruitful areas for refinement.

Which aspects of your game could be simpler? Physical refinement: • • •

•

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Approach every shot the same way. Get your pre-shot routine down to simple, repeatable actions that make sense to you. Find your speed of play. How fast do you play when you’re comfortable and confident? Stay with that. Don’t let faster or slower opponents throw you off. More athletic stance. You should not be using much muscle (for example, crouching in your stance). Bend forward from your pelvis (hips); don’t slump from your upper back. Twist as little as necessary. Fewer moving parts. Which body parts move while you are stroking and hitting? Most instructors will tell you the only moving part you should have is your forearm, swinging in the elbow joint. Period. If you’re engaging your shoulder joint, if you’re jumping up, if you’re moving your head, if your bridge has motion, you are doing extra stuff. How can you simplify? Less fidgeting. Be settled on your plan before bending down into your stance. The better you land your feet in your stance, the more accurately you’ll land your bridge hand and the better you’ll fall on the shot. If you’re fidgeting with your feet after you’re down, or you have to move your bridge more than a tiny amount, or you change your plan, or you’re filled with doubt, get up, chalk up, and land it again. If you stay down and shoot anyway, you may experience instant pool karma. Ever miss a hanger? Get up, get confident. Smoother, simpler stroke. Go easy. A batch of furious “practice strokes” is not putting a real feel for the shot into your arm. You’re trying to confirm that you’re on the line and your stroke arm is working okay. Get smoother. A quick backswing can put a loop on your swing as you try to pull the stick forward, taking you off your hard-earned aim line. If you are a poker, try in practice to

6 InsidePOOL Magazine ◊ September 2011

•

pull your stick smoothly back until you see the ferrule near the skin of your bridge hand. (This is practice. In play, your eyes should be looking down the aim line before you strike the cue ball.) How smoothly can you transition to swinging forward? Accelerate smoothly through the cue ball. Stay down. After you’ve hit the cue ball, the simplest thing is to just remain at the end of your stroke—the finish—until the shot has unfolded. Don’t pull your stick back. Don’t jump up. That would require extra moving parts during your stroke.

Strategic refinement: •

• • • •

•

Simple plans. Don’t try to do too many things on a shot. What’s most important? Control that. Find the easiest way, realistically, for you. If you’re not likely to be able to fulfill your plan, do something else. When in doubt, duck. Simple shots. Plan for simple shots that yield easy, natural position. Be on the correct side of the next shot because you thought about it. Do less. Don’t move the cue ball more than necessary. Don’t disturb balls that are not problems. Use sidespin only as necessary. Think twice about jumps, kicks, swerves, massés, and monster draw. Take the right shot. Often, the easiest shot on the table is not the correct shot from a strategic perspective. Don’t paint yourself into a corner and sell out. Take the right shot or play a smart defensive shot. Focus on process, not results. You can’t always control whether you win, but you can control how well you stuck to your “best practices.” Don’t beat yourself up. Do what you know you need to do. Succeed at that, and results will take care of themselves. Simple cue ball control. As much as possible, roll your cue ball, and roll it softly. Speed ramps up the accuracy requirements. Often, trying to keep the cue ball near the center of the table is a good strategy. Shorter shots mean less ball movement and greater control. Precise plans. The more precise your plan in your imagination, the more closely your body will deliver on the plan (within your skill and consistency levels, of course). Fuzzy plans, fuzzy results. Precise plans, more precise results. Don’t visualize misses – your body will try to deliver.

Seems like common sense. Getting to simple may be complicated, but simple is good. I want more simple.

Tom Simpson Tom Simpson is a Master Instructor in both the BCA and ACS Instructor Programs. He delivers his acclaimed 3-Day Weekend Intensive in 12 cities nationwide. As inventor of Elephant Practice Balls®, the Stroke Groover™, and the Ghostball Aim Trainer®, and authorized instructor for Secret Aiming Systems™, Tom’s innovations in training have helped thousands of players. Listen to an audio description of the Intensive, and read 35 instructional articles at www.NationalBilliardAcademy.com. Contact: Tom@PoolClinics.com.

Play Video Play Video

May_June_Mock.indd 13

4/23/2010 9:58:26 AM

Instruction

Curved Surfaces

< by Bob Henning

of the last few “Pro Pool Workouts” have focused S everal on simplifying the beautiful and complex act of shooting good pool. One column looked at how a player can think and act so that the decisions made and actions taken are as simple and logical as possible. Another asserted that there are four decisions to make and four actions to take. On every shot a player must determine where the cue tip will contact the cue ball, the quality of the stroke, the intended contact on the object ball, and the necessary line of aim to make all of this happen.

’

As was stated then, the first and most important of these decisions and subsequent actions is to determine exactly where you want the cue tip to contact the cue ball and to be able to actually make that happen. Since all three of the other factors are directly affected by this, it makes sense to get as clear about it as possible. The better you can understand, visualize and control the dynamics of cue tip and cue ball contact, the better you will be able to play.

The better you can understand, visualize and control the dynamics of cue tip and cue ball contact, the better you will be able to play.

First, let’s take another look at the “tiny point” I’ve written about in a previous column and also in my book, The Stroke Zone. This is the highest point on the curve of the cue tip as seen from the perspective of the shooter while down on the shot. It is the equivalent of the front sight on a rifle, and being aware of it can go a long way in getting consistent about how and where you are contacting the surface of the cue ball. It’s certainly better than aiming the entire end of the cue stick, but it still is not the real story. It’s a flat, two-dimensional model, and that’s not the reality of the situation. We’re dealing with curved surfaces here, for both the cue ball surface and the outer edge of the cue tip. Both are spherical surfaces, and spheres, as far as human eyesight goes, are the epitome of depth perception trickiness. As soon as you move away from the exact center of a sphere, the surface falls away in an exponential fashion. The farther you move left, right, up or down, the more the surface recedes. When both of the contacting surfaces are spherical, this problem is compounded dramatically. 8 InsidePOOL Magazine ◊ September 2011

If you are like most pool players, you have probably worked on english control by wiping off the cue ball (or a special training ball) and then chalking up well so that you could tell where you hit the cue ball. If so, you undoubtedly remember the blue impact marks made on the cue ball. Depending on the curvature and hardness of the cue tip, these marks range from about 1/8 of an inch for low draw, high follow, and extreme english to about 3/16 of an inch for a solid, center-ball hit. These marks are the revealing footprint of what we’re trying to understand. Irrespective of aiming, sight line, and stroke, these marks show where the tip of your cue stick actually contacted the surface of the cue ball. A player can not see these contact areas when he is down on a shot, but he sure can envision them. He can see the surface of the cue ball curving away from him and he can “see” the curvature of the cue tip in his mind as a projection of his knowledge and memory of the actual shape of the tip. When he holds both of these in relationship for a second when addressing the cue ball, he improves his ability to determine the timing of the stroke and the actual contact point. Subsequently, he is in a better position to predict the result of the hit and how it will affect the aim and contact on the object ball. Start looking at this phenomenon during your next practice session. As you work on this over the next few days, you will most likely see a rise in consistency, interrupted periodically by mistakes made by being overly conscious of what you’re doing. Don’t worry, though. Curved surfaces and their contact points are your friends. Eventually they’ll just get incorporated into your pre-shot and execution routines and all you’ll notice is the rise in consistency. Good luck and good shootin’!

Bob Henning Bob Henning is the author of The Pro Book, widely considered to be the most advanced training resource for competitive pool players. It brings the latest techniques of the top coaches and trainers of all sports into pool. It is intended for those who wish to prepare physically, mentally, and psychologically for pool competition. Bob is also the author of “The Pro Book Video Series,” a complete, on-the-table training system, and he also released The Advanced Pro Book and The Stroke Zone: The Pool Player’s Guide to Dead Stroke. In addition, he has authored Cornbread Red, a biography of the colorful Billy Burge.

Instruction

< by Matt Sherman

Moving Day Stance a friend asks a favor of you: Will you help her and O neherday husband move to their new home from their apartment? Sure, you say. You arrive in comfortable clothing ready to haul furniture. When you’re about to hoist one end of a very heavy couch, how would you set your body to lift? You would bend from the knees and thighs, not your waist, saving your back and placing the large muscles of your trunk and legs in service. Interestingly, this stance, resembling a sumo wrestler about to brawl, is close to a good pool stance. Many poor shooters have built their stance on bad advice: “The stance is balanced, weight distributed evenly between the feet, chin above the cue stick.” Not so! Beginners often start with their navel and torso above and behind the cue ball along the line of aim. But when bent over the shot, right-handers are stroking left of the target and vice versa for lefties since the torso is blocking the stroke arm. The beginner either misses or swerves their stroke to compensate. “Stand behind the shot and bend over the stick” is great instruction if the cue stick is stroked using your stomach and not your arm. Some players fix one problem while adding another. Rather than standing behind the cue ball they lay their stick behind the cue ball, torso alongside the aim line, before bending down and thrusting their chin over the cue stick. But the twisting needed to bring the head in from one side of the shot is also not good. Over time, fatigue and muscle aches develop, especially in the stroke arm, neck, and lower back. “Stick on line then chin over the stick” would actually be superb instruction if your head was attached atop the shoulder of your stroke arm and not your neck. Instead one gets a cramped, ugly stroke that produces poor results. Take a tip from other sports where one’s head is set parallel to the aim line instead. Golfers and batters would break their necks or be unable to swing at all with their head above their aim line. So here’s how to create a pro-like billiards stance: 1. 2.

Stand alongside the aim line, feet together, and set the cue stick on the aim line. Bend to the table, head coming nearly straight down as the foot opposite your shooting arm steps forward. Leave your head where The Creator set it—above the middle of your body, not draped over the aim line.

When I set a student in this correct stance, they usually say their stroking arm feels detached from the rest of the body. Good! The more your stroke arm feels divorced from a passive body, the better the pool stroke.

10 InsidePOOL Magazine ◊ September 2011

’

Shots are straight and easy once you realize pool is as simple as walking down the street, your arm swinging naturally at your side. Do you walk with your head twisted over your hand or above the middle of your balanced body instead? There are some notable exceptions in our sport, but most of the best shoot pool with their cues on line and their heads off line. Even “chin over stick pros” prefer to swivel their head over the shot, one eye ahead of the other in space, rather than force the eyes to hug the aim line equally with a face flat on the line.

Shots are straight and easy once you realize pool is as simple as walking down the street, your arm swinging naturally at your side.

Let’s review. Take this stance to the pool hall for 30 minutes and you’ll never want your former stance again: 1. 2.

Place the cue stick on the aim line, your head in its typical position atop your trunk. Your shooting arm is along and above the aim line, and the rest of you, off the line. Take a step forward with the foot opposite your shooting arm and bend down while not forcing your head over the stick. If your head and neck are relaxed, they will turn in space as you step and lean down (right-handers will have their left eye closer to the target and vice versa). Optional step. Move your head a bit if needed to best see the target. Admittedly, this movement might bring your head over the stick by way of the shot at hand. But don’t ever force this position.

Matt Sherman

Get in shape for pool with Matt "Quick Draw" Sherman, who appears frequently in print and on television promoting billiards and entertainment. His popular site is billiards.about.com, and his Picture Yourself Shooting Pool book and DVD are available at Amazon and other outlets worldwide.

The Banks are NOW open 24/7. Bank Shot Calculator iPhone app

www.offensivebilliardsllc.com Based on US Patent # 7144328

Instruction Three Rails in the Side— the System and Correct Ratio: 3 to 1 we are again providing a mathematical H ere solution to a multi-rail bank shot by using the

diamonds to chart a way to find the winning path. It basically involves dividing whatever the starting position, diamond-wise, of the cue ball on the long rail by three to find the contact position for the object ball on the other long rail. We are using a ghost ball in the diagram as the starting point. Is the cue ball starting at Diamond 3? Then the object ball must contact the cushion at Diamond 1 (3 divided by 1 = 1). Starting at Diamond 1.5? The object ball contact point is Diamond 0.5 on the opposite long rail (1.5 divided by 3 = 0.5). If your starting point is Diamond 2.25, as in Shot C, the contact point is 0.75 (2.25 divided by 3 = 0.75).

.5 1

Rule 2: As the angle into the first cushion diminishes, you must make slight adjustments to keep the natural angle on the “go” path. The important thing is to keep the ball that is breaking off of the third rail to continue to work for you and head for the side pocket. Therefore, on Shot A, to get the correct break off the third cushion you need to add two helping tips of outside—in this case, right-hand english. Shot B, Diamond 3 to Diamond 1. This is the most natural of all the angles. You need no english at all. The third-rail break comes off perfectly. Shot C, Diamond 2.25 to Diamond 0.75. This angle requires just a little help, so we only need to add one tip of outside english to get that natural third-rail break. And as I said before, the system is simpler than you might think. Set up and shoot these positions on your practice table, and you will be amazed at the results.

1 .75

< by Freddy Bentivegna

1 1.5 2

Three in the side

3 2.75 2

Rule 1: Sight opposite diamonds on all shots.

Three-in-the-side shots are calculated on a 3:1 ratio. To further reiterate, the target diamond on the first bank cushion is 1/3 of the starting diamond. Shots are sighted between the centers of ghost balls that are exactly opposite the relative diamond positions. For example, Bank A runs from the opposite diamond position 1.5 to opposite diamond position 0.5 on the first bank cushion, constituting our magical 3:1 ratio.

12 InsidePOOL Magazine ◊ September 2011

Freddy Bentivegna Chicago-born Freddy “The Beard” Bentivegna has been in the mainstream and the underbelly of pool for over 50 years. In 2005 Freddy was elected on the first ballot into the Bank Pool Hall of Fame. He has written two books and two popular DVDs on his specialty, bank pool. He is widely regarded as one of the premier experts on the game and science of banks.

Instruction

< by Robert LeBlanc

You’re Never Too Old to Learn a New Shot W

hile hanging out recently with my longtime friend Joe Salazar at the VNEA pool tournament at Bally’s Casino in Las Vegas, we were discussing different shots and strategies for one-pocket (our favorite game). He is the owner of Connoisseur Cues and one of the greatest bar table players of all times. Joe said he wanted to show me a couple of shots that he was sure I had never seen before. I laughed out loud! He was going to show me a few shots that I’ve never seen before? No way. I’ve been playing one-pocket for about 40 years and have watched the greatest players all across the country. I told him, “Joe, I think I’ve seen it all. I don’t think there is anything new you can show me.” Well, as it turned out, a pool table was set up about 10 feet from us and Joe said confidently, “Come here, I’ll show you something!” He proceeded to place a ball on the side rail frozen on the middle diamond between the side and the corner. He then placed the cue ball 7 feet up table, straight on with the object ball, then asked me, “Okay Robert, what would you do with that shot?” I said, “Well, Joe, I guess I would just play a safety because the ball won’t bank because it is a double kiss and the bank can’t go.” He told me to watch carefully, and as he got down with that championship stroke of his and shot the cue ball straight at the object ball and, like I assumed, it did double kiss, but then the cue ball immediately squirted away and the object ball trickled over really slowly and fell in the pocket. It looked like he just got lucky, but he got down and did it again! I said to Joe, “That is the greatest one-pocket bank shot that I’ve ever seen!” 1

hit the cue ball with top left english (eleven o’clock), and the cue ball comes two rails back behind the cluster. If you need the cue ball to come back to get on a cluster on the left side, hit the cue ball with top right english (one o’clock), and the cue ball comes straight back.

5 6

Hit the cue ball at 11 o’clock to pocket the ball and go two rails. With top left english, the cue ball will go around three rails to land at Point X.

Hit the cue ball at 1 o’clock to go one rail straight back. With top right english, the cue ball will come straight back one rail to Point X.

Later that night I went to Best Billiards poolroom and practiced that bank for an hour. The next day I was playing my friend Eric “Fatboy” Petersen and that exact shot came up! I got down and shot it and the ball trickled over to my pocket and quietly fell in my hole. I won the game and Fatboy yelled, “Boy, did you luck out.” I just picked up the money we were playing for and said, “Yeah, I really did get lucky on that bank,” all the while smiling inside, thinking, “Thanks Mister Salazar, it just goes to show that you’re never too old to learn a new shot!”

Robert LeBlanc Hit the cue ball at 12 o’clock to pocket the ball, no position.

After Joe had perfectly executed the shot, he said there were actually three ways to hit the cue ball. If you were just trying to pocket the ball and did not need to play position on your next shot, you just hit the cue ball at twelve o’clock. If you have the top left corner and you need to get the cue ball back around the table to get behind a cluster of balls on the right side of the table, you 14 InsidePOOL Magazine ◊ September 2011

Robert “Cotton” LeBlanc is a well-known pool player and was a roadman for almost 40 years, traveling the country playing virtually all of the pool legends and champions—and making friends with them. Highly skilled himself, he is the author of the best-selling book Confessions of a Pool Hustler, which chronicles his life and hundreds of stories about being on the road. Visit his website at www.confessionsofapoolhustler.com.

Me Chen�and �Melling�Carry �the�Day�in �China�Open story and pictures courtesy of Ted Lerner

ive Chris Melling an inch, and he takes a mile. That’s just how Chinese Taipei’s Hsu Kai Lun must have felt when the Englishman put on one of the most powerful displays of 9-ball pool seen in the professional game in some time, capturing the China Open in an all-out rout 11-3.

Melling won $40,000 and, in the process, declared loud and clear that he will be a force to be reckoned with among an already-strong heap of English and European pool players for the foreseeable future. “That’s the best I’ve ever played,” an ecstatic Melling said moments after lifting the trophy. “I knew I would win the match when I was up six-two. I knew then it would be tough for him to come back. I was just playing too good.” In just its few short years of existence, the China Open has become one of the most prestigious championships in all of professional pool. From June 6-12, a total of 68 men and 48 women came from all corners of the globe to test their skills in 9-ball and vie for one of the sport’s biggest prize funds: $162,800 for the men, and $112,800 for the women. With Chinese players making up about a quarter of the men’s field, newly crowned World 10-Ball champion Huidji See explained how tough the field really was. “I had a bit of a reality check though over the last few days,” See said at a press conference. “I got here a few days early, and I tried qualifying for a few local tournaments here in Shanghai, but I didn’t even qualify. That’s how good the talent is here in China.” After the three-day qualifier round held at the Shanghai Qihuan Sports Club in the Pudong New Area business district, the main competition kicked off June

16 InsidePOOL Magazine ◊ September 2011

“

That's�the best�I've ever�played.”

9-12 and was held at the Shanghai Pudong Yuanshen Stadium. In the main event, the players were divided into groups of eight with the doubleelimination format being used to determine the top four players from each group. Only 32 men and 16 women qualified for the second part, which was single elimination. All matches were alternate break; men raced to 11 and women raced to 9.

made two difficult full-table pots and then made a small mistake, and from there the Brit never looked back. Melling pounced on one Feijen mistake in the next rack for a two-game lead. In the subsequent rack, Melling played a great safety that forced Feijen into leaving an open shot, and Melling cleared again for a three-game lead.

h “ Ca n Seventeen-year-old Chinese pool star and defending champion Siming Chen lived up to all the accolades and adoration when she stunned Austria’s Jasmin Ouschan in the semifinals late Saturday night, storming back from an 8-3 deficit to win their match 9-8 and move into Sunday’s final. Her improbable comeback made the race-to-9 final an all-Chinese affair. In the other semifinal match, current world 9-ball champion Xiao Fang Fu put in a solid performance and outlasted Korea’s Lim Yun Mi 9-7. The match-up between Chen and Ouschan had promised to be an explosive clash between East and West as both players had been playing extremely strong pool over the last few days. Ouschan especially seemed to have built up momentum and confidence after losing her first match of the tournament and then winning five straight.

Melling would simply not be denied. He broke and ran to move up 9-6. Feijen did the same in the next rack, then Melling countered with another break and run to move to the hill. In the final frame, Feijen left the two ball open, and Melling potted a 3-9 combo for the 11-7 win and a wellearned spot in the finals. “I played perfect that match,” Melling said as he walked off the TV table. “If I’m on I can beat anyone. Somebody is going to have to play very well to beat me. I never made one mistake.” “I played pretty good,” Feijen said. “He just outshot me. He never missed a shot. Chris was the better man today.”

The pair split the first six racks, and then Ouschan showed her class. Playing excellent safeties and keeping the game simple, the Austrian star grabbed the next five racks to move within one of a finals berth. Chen won the next two racks, but any comeback seemed improbable. Then, up 8-5, the wheels fell off of the Ouschan Express.

h Ca n

The same thing happened in Rack 12. An error by Feijen and, just like that, Melling was up 8-4. Feijen didn’t lie down, though, and stopped the bleeding with two successive racks to pull within two. Just as all champions do, however, they turn up the heat when the pressure is coming from all sides and the finish line is in sight.

CHEN STUNS OUSCHAN WITH IMPROBABLE COMEBACK

He�never�missed�a�shot.� Chris�was�the�better� man�today.

After Chen broke dry, Ouschan had a clear path to the finish line, until she ran out of position on the 6 ball. She played a poor safety that allowed Chen to clear. Chen then won a safety battle in the next rack, and made some incredibly gutsy shots to move within one, as Ouschan began to lose her composure.

Ouschan played another poor safety in the following game, allowing Chen to clear from the 3 ball and to tie the match. The final rack became another tense safety battle, until the unflappable Chen found an opening and coolly potted six straight balls to win the match at close to midnight.

h Ca n

MELLING AND HSU MOTOR THROUGH TO THE FINALS

Two relative unknowns on the 9-ball circuit. Two players playing lights out pool. One sure-to-be-entertaining final.

Britain’s Chris Melling and Chinese Taipei’s Hsu Kai Lan both played perfect 9-ball as they each cruised into the finals of the Third Annual China Open. In the first semifinal Melling defeated the Netherland’s Niels Feijen 11-7. In the second semifinal Hsu surprised everyone with an amazing 11-2 drubbing of former double world champion Ronnie Alcano of the Philippines.

h Ca n

”

Going into the second semifinal, most people figured that Hsu Kun Lai would eventually run out of gas, especially since this completely unknown entity out of pool powerhouse Chinese Taipei had never been in this kind of big-time situation before. Instead, the exact opposite happened. The 22-year-old Hsu looked like the confident veteran and Alcano looked like he had never been in a high-pressure tournament match. Hsu won the lag and came storming out, breaking and running to grab the early lead. In the next rack Alcano left the 1 ball open and Hsu ran out. Hsu broke and cleared in Rack 3. In the next rack Alcano missed an easy 9 ball. Then Hsu broke and ran again. In matter of minutes the upstart had a 5-0 lead.

Melling picked up the express train where he got off the day prior after taking down the Philippines Lee Van Corteza and then German’s Thorsten Hohmann. The 32-year-old Brit and former two-time world champion in English 8-ball was on fire, playing with supreme confidence and the belief that he can’t lose.

He needed that rock-solid mindset, too, as also Feijen came to win. The two Europeans broke and ran three out of the first four racks in the alternate break format. But no matter what Feijen threw at Melling, there was always an answer coming back. And quickly at that, as one mistake against the fast-playing Brit these days means opponents pay a hefty price. The pair split the first eight racks, and then Melling stepped on the gas, capitalizing on every single error by the Dutchman. In Rack 9, Feijen

Xiao-Fang Fu

September 2011 ◊ InsidePOOLmag.com 17

Results:

Op en Alcano ran the next rack but was never able to get into the match, as Hsu continued to play perfect 9-ball, doing everything right and making his opponent pay for the smallest of mistakes. Hsu cruised into the finals with a resounding 11-2 win.

“I’m just enjoying playing,” Hsu, a college student who has only won one pro tournament on the Taiwan circuit, said afterward. “It feels like I’m just practicing in the pool hall.”

XIAO FANG FU WINS CHINA OPEN GOING AWAY Playing virtually mistake-free 9-ball, and seemingly immune to the pressure, Xiao Fang Fu defeated fellow Chinese Siming Chen 9-3 to capture the China Open championship.

With her impressive victory, Fu won $30,000 and cemented her status as China’s best player. She has now won two major tournaments in the last year, including the World 9-Ball Championship held last September in Shenyang, China. In addition to stamping her class on the highly popular and competitive world of women’s pool in China, the victory now moves the 25-year-old to the top of the world rankings. The two stars split the first four racks before Fu grabbed the lead and hightailed it all the way to the title. In the fifth rack Chen twice fouled, the last one leading to a nervy and difficult clear for Fu. In the next Fu and Chen engaged in a long safety battle before Chen missed an open shot on the 1. Fu then ran out for a two-rack lead.

Chen couldn’t seem to get comfortable while Fu just stayed steady, and Fu soon went up 5-2. Chen faced a pivotal rack in the next frame, and after missing an opening on a long 1 ball, she went on to play a lock-down safety that earned her the point. Little did she know, though, that it would be the last rack she would win. Fu refused to buckle and held a tight rein on the proceedings the rest of the way. A long pot on the 6 down the rail won her the next rack for a 6-3 lead. Chen fouled twice in the subsequent frame, and Fu moved up by 4. Then Fu broke and ran out to go on the hill.

MELLING STEAMROLLS HSU TO WIN

Everything about Melling—the way he walked around the table, his extremely fast play, the way he stared down layouts and especially the audacious way he potted difficult balls and moved the cue ball around—spoke of a man with a winning attitude. He never gave his opponents any breathing room, pounced on the smallest of mistakes and quickly put racks on the board.

Op en

Chris Melling Kai Lun Hsu Ronnie Alcano Niels Feijen Hsu must not have had time to realize what hit him. The 5th Haitao Liu 22-year-old Taiwanese had literally come out of nowhere to Yukio Akakariyama reach the finals of the China Open. He’s ranked tenth in Taiwan but had never before played in an international men’s event. Thorsten Hohmann Still he showed some of the same powerhouse skills that MelWei Liu ling had exhibited when he blew out the Philippines’ Ronnie 9th Keng Kwang Chan Alcano earlier in the day 11-3. Po-Cheng Kuo It didn’t take long into the final race-to-11, alternateLee Van Corteza break match to realize, though, that Hsu was in over his head Pin-Yi Ko on this day against the white-hot Englishman. The two were Ralf Souquet all square after four racks, but from there Melling got on his Jianbo Fu motorcycle and ran away with the match. Che Wei Fu In Rack 5 Melling made a difficult pot on the 1 that Can Wang opened up the rack and got him the lead. In the next frame 17th Ming Wang he played a world-class snooker off of Hsu’s safety that Luong Chi Dung quickly led to another point. A minute later he was up 5-2 after a break and run-out. Trong Khai Vu Scott Higgins From there the Brit piled on the points, all the while Jun Lin Chang taking on and converting daring shots that most players Corey Deuel would be afraid to pull out of their bags. Hsu simply had no Shane Van Boening answer. Melling raced right to the finish line and the cham-

“I played really well,” Fu told a throng of Chinese media after the match. “The pressure was big, but Siming had some mistakes, and maybe I have more experience than her in big events.”

1st 2nd 3rd

pionship with a resounding 11-3 win.

“

Nguyen Phuc Long Antonio Lining Chi Ho Kwok Darren Appleton Yulong Zhang Mika Immonen Dennis Orcollo

I�love�playing� under�pressure.

Op en

In the final rack, Chen broke but got nothing down and left an open shot on the 1 ball. From there the balls presented a basic layout, and Fu cleared to claim the title.

Men’s Results:

”

“I didn’t feel nervous at all out there,” Melling said. “I love playing under pressure. I love the crowd and playing on TV. I’m not saying I’m a great player. But there’s a difference between being a good player and being a great player. A good player can play well in the poolroom and in small tournaments. Great players can win under pressure in an atmosphere like this. I’m just beside myself right now. Absolutely unbelievable.”

Women’s Results: 1st 2nd 3rd 5th

Kai Lun Hsu 18 InsidePOOL Magazine ◊ September 2011

Siming Chen Xiao-Fang Fu Yun-Mi Lim Jasmin Ouschan Xue Chen Chieh-Yu Chou Karen Corr Shin-Mei Liu Qiuyue Ren Meng Gao Sha Sha Liu Kelly Fisher Yu Ram Cha Han Yu Jia Liu Akimi Kajatani

July/August 2011 â&#x2014;&#x160; InsidePOOLmag.com 21

F isher

DethronesKim at U.S. Open 9-Ball Championships

Takes Title from Defending Champ

by WPBA Staff

he legendary Allison Fisher did it again— less than two months after her remarkable come-from-behind victory at the Ultimate 10-Ball Championships over Kelly Fisher, she upended defending champion Ga Young Kim at the Women’s Professional Billiard Association’s U.S. Open 9-Ball Championships to earn the title.

Allison Fisher Ga Young Kim

The Open was hosted by the River Spirit Event Center in Tulsa, OK, June 16-19, where the field of 64 was ultimately reduced to a single champion. Considering the worldclass field present, this was no easy feat. Top seeds included 2009 World Games gold medalist and defending WPBA U.S. Open 9-Ball champion Kim, 2010 World 10-Ball and 2011 WPBA Masters champion Jasmin Ouschan of Austria, and 2010 WPBA Tour champion Xiaoting Pan of China. The only non-seeded player to crack the top eight, newcomer Erica Park of Korea found herself matched up with the famed “Black Widow” Jeanette Lee in the first quarterfinal. Neither player took more than a one-game lead throughout the match. At 5-5, Park pulled ahead first to the hill, but Lee Lee fought back to another tie at 6-6 in the race to 7. Lee broke but failed to pocket a ball on the break, and a safety battle ensued. It ended when Lee pocketed the 2 but missed the 3, and Park played a perfect remainder of the rack to win 7-6. A game of rivals came next when fellow Great Britain natives Allison and Kelly Fisher collided. A. Fisher pulled ahead early to a 3-1 lead, but K. Fisher grabbed the next four. A. Fisher countered by taking three straight games of

20 InsidePOOL 22 InsidePOOL Magazine Magazine ◊ September ◊ September 20112011

her own to lead 6-5, and then she broke and ran the final game to win the match 7-5. Reigning champion Kim took on Vivian “The Texas Tornado” Villarreal in the third quarterfinal match of the day. Kim opened with a two-game lead, but Villarreal quickly restored parity. The players tied again at 3-3 and 4-4. Kim broke and ran out to lead 5-4, but a scratch on her next break let Villareal tie it up again 5-5. Kim pulled ahead 6-5 when she pocketed the 8 in one corner and simultaneously made the 9 in the other. A miss on a tough bank on the 8 ball by Villareal left the final two balls for Kim to win 7-5 and earn her spot in the semifinals. Monica Webb stayed two games ahead of the number-one-ranked player in the world, Ouschan, through much of the last ESPN-taped quarterfinal of the day. Quickly pulling to a 5-3 lead, a hung 3 ball by Webb put Ouschan back at the table to pull back to 5-4, which she followed up with a break and run to tie the match 5-5. The Austrian won the next to reach the hill, but when she hung the 8 ball at 6-5, Webb made it double-hill. At 6-6, it was Webb’s break. After a brilliant safety on the 2 ball by Webb, Ouschan missed a difficult kick, giving Webb ball in hand on a 2-9 combination. The 9 bobbled in the pocket but did not fall, leaving Ouschan an easy 2-9 for the match win. Visibly disappointed for her opponent’s bad luck, she took the shot for the win as Webb conceded the match. Hall of Famer Fisher owns more pro titles than any woman pool player in the history of the sport, but she hadn’t won WPBA event on US soil since March 2008

(San Diego Classic). But long-time Fisher fans were optimistic when she faced off against pro tour newcomer Park in the first semifinal bout. Park drew first blood in the race to 7, but Fisher answered back and the score was knotted at 1-1 and 2-2. It looked like it would be another close session. But then Fisher put on a display of near-perfect pool as she won the next five

games straight to take the match and seal her- The players traded safeties for a few shots self a spot in the finals. until Kim got the first clear look and ran out to trail 2-3, but a missed bank on the 2 by Kim again In the second semifinal match, Kim struck put Fisher in the driver’s seat. However, Fisher ran out to a three-game lead to launch her attack the rack to the 9 and uncharacteristically missed, against Ouschan. In the fourth rack, a scratch leaving Kim an easy 9 to tie the match 3-3. She on the 5 ball put Ouschan back at the table broke and ran to the 5, nearly missing it but slopwith ball in hand, and she quickly won the ping it in the other corner (with apologies to her game to trail 3-1, but Kim answered with an- opponent), then made a 6-9 combination to pull other game win after a safety exchange. A bad ahead 4-3. Fisher countered to knot the score at hit on a kick in the next rack by Ouschan again 4-all, making it a race to 3. put Kim back at the table. She quickly polished off the remaining balls to lead 5-1. Ous- When Kim missed position on the 5 ball and chan again answered with a rack of her own left the ball on the table, Fisher ran out to lead the after a leaked safety by Kim, only to scratch on match 5-4. Fisher then broke and played safe on the break in the next game to let Kim quickly the 1 ball. Kim made the hit with her jump cue but run the rack with ball in hand to lead 6-1, just left her opponent a clear shot. Fisher executed a a game away from the win. Ouschan had a perfect run-out to reach the hill 6-4. She then broke chance for a run-out in the next game but and pocketed the 5, sunk the 1 ball, and made a 2-9 played poor position on the 7 ball. An inning combination for the win. later, Kim banked the 8 in the side after a bank attempt by Ouschan. She slammed it center pocket and came up behind a long 9 that she stroked perfectly for the win. 1st Allison Fisher It came down to the defending champ ver- 2nd Ga Young Kim sus the world’s best woman player in the history 3rd Jasmin Ouschan of pool in the finals. Fisher won the opening break Erica Park but couldn’t capitalize, giving the first game win 5th Jeanette Lee to Kim. But Fisher quickly tied things up after Kim Kelly Fisher missed a jump shot, and then she broke and ran Vivian Villareal the next two racks to lead 3-1 in the race to 7. Monica Webb

Results:

Jasmin Ouschan

September 2011 ◊ InsidePOOLmag.com 23

Yukio

Akagariyama Astounds the Pool World

Japan Claims the World 9-Ball Title

story and photos courtesy of Ted Lerner

he center of the pool universe moved to one of the most vibrant places in the Middle East as the World Pool Association’s World 9-Ball Championship kicked off in Doha, Qatar, June 21-July 1. It was there that Japan’s Yukio Akagariyama knocked the world off its axis by taking on 128 of the finest pool talents from 44 countries and winning what is widely considered as one of the most prestigious titles in the sport. The event’s prize fund was $250,000, with a hefty $36,000 going to the winner. In addition to defending champion Francisco Bustamante, eight other former world 9-ball champions were on hand at Doha’s glittering Al Sadd Sports Club to try for a second title: Oliver Ortmann(1995), Ralf Souquet(1996), Efren Reyes(1999), Mika Immonen(2001) Thorsten Hohmann(2003), Wu Chia Ching(2005), Ronnie Alcano(2006), and Daryl Peach(2007).

22 InsidePOOL Magazine ◊ September 2011

The field was stacked with plenty of other world champions and great players from around the globe as well. These included former world 10-ball champion and current U.S. Open champion Darren Appleton of the UK, current world 10-ball champion Huidji See of The Netherlands, current world 8-ball champion Dennis Orcollo of the Philippines, former world 8-ball champion Karl Boyes of the UK, perennial contender Kuo Po-Cheng of Chinese-Taipei, recent Beijing Open winner Chang Jun Lin, Canada’s rising star Jason Klatt, the Philippines’ hot young star Carlo Biado, recent China Open winner Chris Melling of the UK, China’s Fu Jian Bo, and The Netherlands’ Niels Feijen and Nick Van den Berg. Players in the tournament proper were separated into 16 groups of 8, playing a double-elimination format, race to 9, alternate break. Only 4 qualifiers (2 from winners’ brackets and 2 from the one-loss brackets) advanced into the final round of 64 players, which was single elimination, race to 11, alternate break. The final match was a race to 13, alternate break.

Filipinos Raise the Bar The Philippines made history on the fourth day of the championship as the group stages came to a close after four days of exciting pool action. When Lee Van Corteza pulled away from Sweden’s Marcus Chamat in the last session of the day and won what had been a close match 9-6, it meant that a record-setting 17 Filipino players had advanced to the 64-player, single-elimination knockout stage. Other interesting facts and trends of note as the World 9-Ball Championship moved into the knockout stages: -23 players from Europe made it into the final 64. -6 players from Chinese-Taipei, including last year’s runner up, Kuo Po Cheng, qualified. -All 5 Japanese players in the tournament qualified. -2 Iranian players made it to the final 64. It’s first time ever in a World 9-ball Championship that players from Iran have made it to the knockout stage. -Despite putting up spirited efforts, and while having clearly made major strides in improving their games, no Qatari or Gulf country player made it through to the final 64.

Legendary Day Yields Final Four

After what has to be one of the most memorable and exciting days in the history of championship pool, the Philippines’ Dennis Orcollo and Ronnie Alcano, England’s Mark Gray, and Japan’s Yukio Akakariyama all made it into the semifinals of the World 9-Ball Championship.

It would be hard to imagine that the last three matches of this year’s event could produce any more drama than has already occurred but the way things went Thursday evening, anything must be possible. Two of the race-to-11 matches went to a sudden

Dennis Orcollo

“I’m hungry to win this tournament.”

death decider. Another one went to the twentieth rack. World-class players were reduced to rubble under the tortuous pressure—normally “gimme”-type pots became impossible makes; the second you figured you knew what was about to happen, something unheard of occurred. The day began with 32 players remaining. By the time the quarterfinals rolled around in the evening session, there had already been enough nail-biting drama to last years. What happened in the quarter finals produced enough heart-stopping moments to last a lifetime. Actually there was one contest out of the four that produced almost no drama. Going in, the matchup between Orcollo and England’s Daryl Peach promised fireworks as both players were playing superb pool. But once the contest got underway, it quickly became apparent that Orcollo was in another class this year. Orcollo raced out to a 5-0 lead, and from there it was all but over. Orcollo had figured out the table and was making two and three balls on every break, leaving himself an open shot on the 1 ball. On the rare occasion that he missed, he would leave himself safe. Peach simply had no answer and got routed by the man playing the best pool in the tournament 11-2. “I’m hungry to win this tournament,” Orcollo said after waylaying Peach. “I have a lot of experience and I know how to focus. I always want to play good in any tournament, but this one is big.” It was just about when Orcollo went off to relax that the other matches began to sizzle. On the far table Gray had jumped out to a 4-0 lead on the USA’s Shane Van Boening. The American had just come off an all-time classic 11-10 thriller against England’s Darren Appleton and looked a bit flat. But then Van Boening stormed back to take a 5-4 lead. Gray struck back and, under pressure, played phenomenal pool to move up 8-5. Gray continued to play super smooth and pushed the score to 10-6. Then Van Boening kicked it into another gear. After Gray fouled, Van Boening nailed a combination for the rack. “The South Dakota Kid” broke and ran the next rack to make it 10-9. Gray had the break in the twentieth frame but failed to get three balls past the head string. Van Boening, who seemed to have stolen the momentum, had the clear path to a tie and got down with the bridge for a fairly elementary cut on the 9 ball. To his horror, however, he missed the shot. The two fought and agonized over that 9 ball for over 15 minutes until an errant safe by Van Boening gave Gray an open shot, which he potted for the win.

At just about the same time that Gray and Van Boening had nearly gone to the limit, Alcano and Japan’s Toru Kuribayashi were headed for the cliff. As he had in his previYukio Akagariyama, Ronnie Alcano ous matches all day, Alcano had flashed plenty of that same magic that carried him to the world title in 2006. He jumped out to a 7-3 lead and looked a shoe-in to face Orcollo the next day in the semis. The Japanese, though, mounted a Mark Gray

September 2011 ◊ InsidePOOLmag.com 23

“I just have to win one more match.”

Ronnie Alcano furious comeback and tied the match at 8. Alcano reclaimed the lead, only to see Kuribayashi win two straight with some incredibly clutch shots to go on the hill. Alcano fired back with a break and run to bring on the pressure-packed decider. Kuribayashi broke and then the pair got engaged in a tense safety battle. Both players missed very difficult attempts before Alcano found a pathway. A long shot on the 3 ball stayed in the jaws, then suddenly dropped, eliciting squeals of fear and excitement from the hundreds of Filipinos in the arena. Alcano cleared the table for the win and a spot in the semis. Across the arena, Vinacio Tanio of the Philipines and Japan’s Yukio Akakariyama were also heading for a dramatic train wreck. The match had been close throughout with Akakariyama never able to get more than two racks up. Tanio, a journeyman who lives in Dubai and works there coaching the UAE national team, finally caught up to the Japanese at 8-8, and then went ahead 9-8. Tanio began to wilt in the next rack when he missed an easy 6, which allowed Akakariyama to tie at 9-9. Tanio reached the hill when a missed bank dropped in an unintended pocket, sending the crowd in to fits. A stunned Akakariyama then broke and ran to force a one-rack decider. In the final frame Tanio broke off, got two balls down, and found a path to the finish line where an unlikely spot in the semifinals awaited. But just when he had the prize in his grasp, Tanio left himself poor position on the 8. The resulting pot left a long painful cut on the 9, which he missed by at least a foot. Akakariyama couldn’t believe it, and he jumped up to look at an extremely tough, full-table cut on the 9 ball. The Japanese looked at the shot for over ten minutes before sending it down the rail and into the pocket.

Stage Set for All-Asian Final Playing on the TV table in the semifinal match, Alcano jumped out to a 2-0 lead and stayed in front the entire match. He consistently made balls on the break and left himself shots. Orcollo, on the other hand, couldn’t seem to find the same magic that he showed yesterday when 24 InsidePOOL Magazine ◊ September 2011

he bested Peach in the quarterfinals and regularly found himself having to play safe after the break shot. Displaying deadly accuracy, Alcano pushed the scoreline up to 8-4. After he moved to the hill at 10-6, Orcollo had one last fight back and closed the match to 10-9. Nothing was certain in the next rack as the two engaged in a safety battle. Orcollo left an opening for Alcano, who took advantage and cleared for the win. Alcano seemed to have found that smooth, deadly rhythm that he used back in 2006 to win the World 9-Ball Championship in Manila. His hot streak continued then when he won the world 8-ball title a few months later in Fujairah, UAE. Since then, Alcano has struggled to find his game. He finally kicked things into gear earlier this month in Shanghai when he reached the quarterfinals of the China Open. Alcano also said that he recently became a free agent, meaning he no longer has a manager back in Manila. He revealed that he is now being backed with financial support by none other than boxing great Manny Pacquiao, who helps Alcano with travel expenses. “Manny is very good,” Alcano said after his win over Orcollo. “All I need is just a little bit of Manny’s good fortune, and I can win the World Championship. I just have to win one more match.” The other semifinal was a much closer match. Early on Gray just couldn’t seem to get any rolls off the break, while Akagariyama did and continued his low-key but effective approach to the game and moved up by a 6-2 score line. At 8-3 it looked like it would just be Akagariyama’s day, but then the Englishman kicked his game into gear. Gray got a few racks back and then the heat started affecting Akagariyama. The match was tied at 8 when Gray had a clear run out but found poor position on the 8 ball. He potted it but then had to bank the 9 and missed it. Gray wasn’t done yet, though. He was down 10-8 and then came back to tie. Then, breaking for the win and a spot in the finals, the un-

thinkable happened. He scratched on the break, but only by a half of a millimeter of a roll on the cue. Akagariyama had an open table and calmly picked off the colors for the biggest win of his career as yet. Cool Demeanor, Red-Hot Stroke The final match had just about everything fans of championship 9-ball could ask for. The lead and the momentum swung both ways on several occasions, and the outcome was in doubt right up until the last ball dropped. Both players made jaw-dropping shots and strung racks together while showing absolute mastery of the table. Each player committed a handful of errors, too, but under the weight of the moment this was to be expected—and in fact made the match an even more nerve-jangling affair.

out. As he had all night, he calmly and methodically potted the balls and took the World 9-Ball Championship without any further drama. Afterwards, the low-key new champion attributed the biggest victory of his 20-year career to his consistent training regime, which, he said, led to self-belief that he could ride out the inevitable rough patches and win the big prize. “I wouldn’t say I played perfect this week,” Akagariyama said through an interpreter. “I had some misses. But I had confidence. I’ve been playing well in the past few months. After the World Ten-Ball and the China Open I went back home and I trained hard on my game and physical training. I had too much confidence.”

Alcano won the lag and immediately broke and ran for the first point of the match. Akagariyama tied it in the next rack after Alcano bobbled the 5 ball in the corner pocket. In Rack 3 Alcano fouled, leaving Akagariyama a tempting 1-9 combination that rattled in the jaws of the pocket. With the 9 still sitting in the corner, Alcano sent the crowd into fits when he caromed off the 1 ball and sent the cue down table, back up off of two rails and into the 9, which fell in for the win.

Alcano was left to rue what might have been. He knew he had come close to winning his third world title but realized that at this level, you can’t expect to cash the big ticket when you make elementary mistakes.

From there the pair stepped their games up a gear, and Akagariyama slowly pulled ahead to a 6-4 and then a 9-6 lead. Alcano knew it was now or never and cleared off an errant safety to get one back. Alcano then executed a marvelous full-table jump on the 1 with position on the 2, a shot that had the crowd going wild. With the run out he was now down 9-8 and the crowd started sensing the momentum swinging back to their boy. When Akagariyama missed a makeable 6 ball in the next rack, Alcano convinced them it was so, running the table to tie the match at 9.

1st 2nd 3rd 5th 9th 17th

Next Akagariyama made a gutsy full table pot on the 1, leaving perfect position on the 2 ball, and a path to a 2 shot lead. But just when it appeared he had grabbed back the momentum, Alcano pulled the same extraordinary shot in the subsequent game and moved one down at 11-10. Alcano won a safety battle in the next rack, and then ran the balls to tie the match at 11-11. The world title was now a race to two, and Alcano had the upper hand as he had won the lag and would be breaking for the hill. But with an open table, Alcano missed a very makeable 2 in the side pocket. The two-time world champion couldn’t believe what hit him and neither could the fans. Akagariyama stepped in and executed some tough shots to make it to the hill. With one rack to go for the world title, Akagariyama couldn’t have asked for a better break and opening lay-

Results: Yukio Akagariyama Ronnie Alcano Mark Gray Dennis Orcollo Daryl Peach Kuribayashi Tohru Shane Van Boening Venancio Tanio Ralf Souquet Carlo Biado Antonio Gabica Darren Appleton Chang Yu Lun Antonio Lining Francisco Bustamante Ko Pin Ye Stephan Cohen Fu Chi Wei Marlon Caneda Hunter Lombardo Roman Hybler Scott Higgins Raj Hundal Riyan Setiawan Chang Jung Lin Allan Cuertero Chris Melling Ohi Naoyuki Lee Van Corteza Carlo Dalmann Lo Li Wen Mariusz Skoneczny

RESULTS:

Yukio Akagariyama Alcano continued his fine run in the next frame when he broke and confidently started potting the remaining balls. But suddenly he was stopped in his tracks when a full-table 8 ball bobbled in the jaws. As the crowd gasped in horror, Akagariyama stopped the bleeding and regained the lead 10-9.

“I missed four easy shots,” a clearly dejected Alcano said after-wards. “How can I win if I miss four shots? Maybe it was the pressure.” $36,000 $18,000 $10,000 $6,000

$4,000

$2,500

Yukio Akagariyama

Ronnie Alcano

Yukio Akagariyama

September 2011 ◊ InsidePOOLmag.com 25

2011

BEF

Olson, Miller, Thorpe, and Reynolds Reign

Junior billiard players travelled from 26 states to attend the 23rd Annual BEF Junior National 9-Ball Championships in hopes of winning a title, scholarships, prizes, an entry into the World Pool-Billiard Association (WPA) World Junior 9-Ball Championships, and to connect with old friends and to make new ones. In the 18 and under boys’division, the top finishers were no strangers to junior billiards. Olson, determined to better his fourth-place finish in 2010 and finishing a respectable seventh place in the 2010 WPA World Junior 9-Ball Championships, proved to be a tough contender this year. Olson steadily proceeded through the winners’ bracket with wins over Jeremy Johnson 9-2, J.C. Torres 9-1, Kevin Sun 9-7, Zachary Leonard 9-3, and Tyler Styer 9-3 before Brendan Crocket bested him 9-6. Crockett, 2009 champion of the 14 and under boys’ division, smoothly sailed through the winners’ bracket without a loss. Crockett defeated Refugio Vara 9-0, Edwin Gomez 9-4, Chris Byers 9-3, Chad Behnke 9-4, and Olson 9-6 to claim the hot seat as the only undefeated contestant in the 39-player division. Olson faced Styer on the oneloss side in a match that almost sealed the chance of him winning his last opportunity, because of age eligibility, for a Junior National title. But a well-executed safety by Olson when the score was 8-8 found Styer’s three-rail kick only inches short of hitting his target, giving Olson ball in hand on the 5 ball. Olson ran out for the win and a chance for a rematch with Crockett in the single-set finals. Olson kept his winning momentum, capturing the match 11-6 and the Junior National 9-Ball champion. In the 18 and under girls’ division, Miller zipped through the tournament losing only a handful of games. The fierce and determined 15-year-old bulldozed her way through matches over Kendra Britt 7-0, Caitlyn Shuping 7-0, Kendra Russell 7-2, and Brooke Zimmermann 7-3 before taking charge in the final match against Zimmermann 9-0 and seizing her fifth title as champion in the girls’division. Thorpe won his second consecutive title in the 14 and under boys’ division by breezing through several matches, including wins over Marcus Abney 7-2, Nathan Bourque 7-1, Sergio Rivas 7-3, Austen Russell 7-1, Joey Torrez 7-2, and Shawn Begay 7-0 before claiming the honors of being the only undefeated player in the 49-player field. 26 InsidePOOL Magazine ◊ September 2011

Begay, of Gallup, NM, inched his way through with victories over Nick Evans 7-6, Justin St. Andrews 7-5, JonMichael Monegato 7-4, Tyler Brandom 7-6, and Ricky Evans 7-3 before Thorpe sent Begay to the one-loss side to battle with Austen Russell. Begay prevailed with a 7-6 win over Russell and earned a chance to dethrone Thorpe. Thorpe secured his title as reigning champion with a 9-5 win over Begay. In the 14 and under girls’ division, it was former runner-up Taylor Reynolds who eagerly made it through the winners’ bracket defeating April Larson 7-3 and notching 7-1 wins over both Katilyn Hall and Julianna Poutry before the final match. Poutry made her way on the winners’ bracket with wins over Katelin Ballou 7-1 and Karsyn Terry 7-6 before Reynolds defeated her 7-1. Poutry faced Larson on the one-loss side, finishing in third place. Larson, a newcomer from Bloomington, MN, steered her way through the one-loss side for another chance to play Reynolds. Larson, a poised 11 year old, calmly but quickly dashed ahead in the race to 9. Reynolds sprinted to tie the score at 7 and continued to move forward to win the next two games, winning the race and her first Junior Nationals title.

Results:

he Billiard Education Foundation (BEF) crowned four winners at the 2011 BEF Junior National 9-Ball Championships. Over 100 junior pocket billiard players gathered in the Huskies Den at Northern Illinois University on July 6-10 to compete for the title in four divisions. In the 18 and under boys’ division, Danny Olson of Broomfield, CO, prevailed, while Briana Miller of Allentown, PA, steamrolled through the18 and under girls’ division. Billy Thorpe of Dayton, OH, thrived in the 14 and under boys’ division, and Taylor Reynolds of Waterville, ME, won her first title in the 14 and under girls’division.

by InsidePOOL Staff

Results:

Junior National Champions Crowned

18 & Under Boys’ Division 1st 2nd 3rd 4th

Danny Olson Brendan Crockett Tyler Styer Chad Behnke

Broomfield, CO Bell Canyon, CA Brookfield, WI Farley, IA

18 & Under Girls’ Division 1st 2nd 3rd 4th

Briana Miller Brooke Zimmermann Ashley Fisher Kendra Russell

Allentown, PA Gloversville, NY Ocala, FL Salem, OR

14 & Under Boys’ Division 1st 2nd 3rd 4th

Billy Thorpe Shawn Begay Austen Russell Joey Torres

Dayton, OH Gallup, NM Cherryville, NC Tomball, TX

14 & Under Girls’ Division 1st 2nd 3rd 4th

Taylor Reynolds April Larson Julianna Poutry Morgan Chesla

Waterville, ME Bloomington, MN Ayer, MA Mantua, OH

Play Play Video Video Play Video Play Video Play Video Play Video

Nevel

Say�Never

“ The�Truth ” Sweeps�Seminole�Pro�Tour�Event

arry “The Truth” Nevel took down the Seminole Pro Tour’s July 8-10 event, coming out on top of the field to face off against and defeat Alex Pagulayan in the finals. The stop, which was hosted by Capone's Billiards in Spring Hill, FL, boasted a hefty $25,000added prize purse.

28 InsidePOOL Magazine ◊ September 2011

by�Gerry�Mayen

This stop was unique in that the Universal Pool League modified round robin format was used to score the event. These rules place an emphasis on each rack played, as the total number of racks won and lost gave each player a specific win percentage. The leader board was determined by this percentage, with added bonus points given for each break and run. All players played four rounds (two Friday and two Saturday) before the field was cut down to the top 20 moving on to the Sunday money rounds. Sunday, four more rounds were played, and then the top four percentage leaders played a single elimination for the championship. For fans and spectators alike, this format created

great interest, for it matched up the number-one-ranked player with the number-three-ranked player and so on down the line. Each table was equipped with a computer on which players entered their scores, and instantly the leader board reflected that. Nothing was more exciting than the conclusion of the Round 4 match between Shawn Putnam and Demetrius Jelatis. Both players were fighting for one of the last spots in the top 20 and a chance to advance to the money rounds the following day. Mitch Ellerman, winner of the first tour stop at the California Billiard Club; Rodney Morris; Paul Song; Putnam; and Jelatis were all in contention for the final two spots with only the Putnam/Jelatis match remaining. As Jelatis would win one rack and enter his score, the leader board would instantly show Jelatis and Morris advancing. Putnam would win the next rack, evening the score at 3 games apiece, and it would

then look like Song and Morris would advance. It wasn’t until the final ball was sunk and the final score was 5-5 that the leader board fluctuated for the final time. It left Morris, Jelatis, and Song in a threeway tie for the final two spots. Through the pre-determined tiebreaker of total games won, Morris and Jelatis advanced, leaving Song so close— but out of the money rounds. The money rounds continued to produce outstanding match-ups in Round 5, such as Alex Pagulayan versus Charlie Williams and Johnny Archer against Adam Smith. Williams defeated Pagulayan 6-4 and Smith ground out a tough 7-3 victory over Archer on the live stream featured table. Since all players played all four money rounds, no player was eliminated yet. Round 6 had Earl Strickland and Smith atop of the leader board as ranked one and two, respectively. Smith fell to Strickland 6-4, sliding down a few spots the leader board. But Nevel was making a huge move up the leader board. After a 6-4 win over Mike Davis in Round 6 and a 7-3 victory over Dennis Hatch in Round 7, Nevel was sitting comfortably as one of the top four players going into the final round.

In Round 8 Nevel kept shooting beautifully and held Strickland to a 5-5 draw, leaving a spot for both Strickland and Nevel in the fi-

Earl Strickland

nal four, along with Smith. The final spot didn’t come easily. Davis and Pagulayan came up tied after Round 8, with Davis defeating Jerry Calderon 9-1 and Pagulayan drawing Charlie Williams 5-5. It was Pagulayan who won the tiebreaker based on total games won, and he advanced to the final four single-elimination rounds for the championship. In the semifinal match-ups Smith, the number-two seed, faced Nevel, the third seed, while Strickland, the number-one seed, squared off against a familiar foe in Pagulayan, the fourth seed. Both matches were epic battles. Nevel jumped on Smith early and knocked him out with a final score of 9-3, while Strickland eventually fell to Pagulayan 9-7. This set up the final match between Nevel and Pagulayan for the $10,000 first prize and title as a Seminole Pro Tour stop winner. The final match had the entire poolroom’s attention as the last two remaining players continued their stellar shooting. Pagulayan seemed to be playing catch-up to Nevel the entire match. Nevel was breaking the balls perfectly and followed that up with precise and focused shooting. He proved to be just too much for Pagulayan to handle and took the victory 11-7. This was Nevel’s first victory on the Seminole Pro Tour, and it was, to date, the biggest payout for any first-place winner on any regular, non-championship, Seminole Pro Tour stop.

Mike Davis

Results: 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th 8th 9th 10th 11th 12th 13th 14th 15th 16th 17th 18th 19th 20th

Larry Nevel $10,000 Alex Pagulayan $6,000 Earl Strickland $4,000 Adam Smith $4,000 Mike Davis $2,500 Charlie Williams $2,400 Dennis Hatch $1,900 Justin Hall $1,800 Oscar Dominguez $1,500 Rodney Morris $1,450 Jesse Engel $1,400 Stevie Moore $1,350 Ernesto Dominguez $1,250 Johnny Archer $1,200 Jerry Calderon $1,150 Jeremy Sossei $1,100 Hunter Lombardo $1,075 John Foster $1,025 Mike DeLawder $975 Demetrius Jelatis $925

September ◊ InsidePOOLmag.com July/August 20112011 ◊ InsidePOOLmag.com 31 29

Videos Seminole Pro Tour

o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o

Shawn Putnam Practicing at Capone’s

Robb Saez vs Chris Vollmar 10-Ball Race to 13 Robb Saez vs Justin Hall at Capone’s Billiards on the Seminole Pro Tour Dennis Hatch vs Charlie Williams at Capone’s Billiards on the Seminole Pro Tour Dennis Hatch vs Raymond Linares at Capone’s Billiards on the Seminole Pro Tour Rob Hart vs George Vlacich at Capone’s Billiards on the Seminole Pro Tour Scott Frost vs Jesse Engel at Capone’s Billiards on the Seminole Pro Tour Ernesto Dominguez vs Rodney Morris at Capone’s Billiards on the Seminole Pro Tour Mitch Ellerman vs Stevie Moore at Capone’s Billiards on the Seminole Pro Tour Earl Strickland vs Larry Nevel at Capone’s Billiards on the Seminole Pro Tour Earl Strickland vs Alex Pagulayan pt 1 at Capone’s Billiards on the Seminole Pro Tour Earl Strickland vs Alex Pagulayan pt 2 at Capone’s Billiards on the Seminole Pro Tour Angel Paglia vs Dustin Morris at Capone’s Billiards on the Seminole Pro Tour Mike Dechaine vs Mike Davis at Capone’s Billiards on the Seminole Pro Tour Oscar Dominguez vs Keith Bennett at Capone’s Billiards on the Seminole Pro Tour Johnny Archer vs Rodney Morris at Capone’s Billiards on the Seminole Pro Tour Johnny Archer vs Alex Pagulayan at Capone’s Billiards on the Seminole Pro Tour Amy Chen vs Rocky McElroy at Capone’s Billiards on the Seminole Pro Tour Alex Pagulayan vs Dennis Hatch at Capone’s Billiards on the Seminole Pro Tour Alex Pagulayan vs Larry Nevel at Capone’s Billiards on the Seminole Pro Tour

Linares Defends Title,

Mocanu Moves Up at ACUI Championships by Jamie B. Dresher

irginia Tech played host to the Association of College Unions International Collegiate 9-Ball Championships July 15-16. The games took place at VT’s BreakZONE, home to 16 Gold Crown Brunswick tables and 1 brand new Pro-Am Diamond table. The men raced to 8, while the women went to 7 with alternative breaks in a true double-elimination format.

Both the men’s and women’s division were stacked with repeat championship participants, including the men’s 2010 winner, Raymond Linares from Miami Dade College, Kendall Campus. With 28 men trying to steal his title, the competition was stiff, but none was tougher than Christopher Futrell from Old Dominion University, the BCA junior champion in 2004. With no chance of a repeat winner in the women’s division since Lindsey Dorn of Purdue University has graduated, the 2010 second- and third-place women, Delia Mocanu of Northeastern University and Cindy Higa of University of Hawaii, Manoa, respectively, were looking to advance along with 12 others. Mocanu had managed to move undetected the first day of play through the winners’ bracket besting three of her peers, none of whom managed to amass more than four racks against her. The second day brought Mocanu up against Samantha Adler, University of Delaware, leaving Mocanu victorious once again, winning 7-5. Higa won her first match before moving on to face MJ Jansen, Morgan State University. In a long and impressive match Jansen was victorious with a 7-6 win. Finding herself on the one-loss side of the brackets for another year, Higa crushed her competition to work her way back to the winners’ side. Higa knocked four competitors out of the competition before facing Adler in the third-place match. Higa only allowed Adler to sink the 9 twice before she won 7-2, moving her to face Mocanu, a rematch of the 2010 third-place match.

Samantha Adler, Cindy Higa, Delia Mocanu

In the men’s division, Futrell won his first three matches before falling to Jonathan Strzezewski, Wilbur Wright College, 8-6. Strzezewki, a repeat ACUI participant, dominated the competition, sending three opponents to the one-loss side of the bracket before facing Futrell. While Futrell and Strzezewski were moving up the brackets, Linares was covering the east side of the bracket with his name. Linares outpointed four competitors and found himself on top again, bringing him face to face with Strzezewski, another 2010 rematch. Linares pulled ahead 4-0 before giving up three racks in a row to Strzezewski. Getting his focus back, Linares was able to hold Strzezewski at 3 and secure the win 8-3. Matched up once again versus Futrell for third place, Strzezewski was unable to hang on and was knocked out of the competition 8-3. After 90 minutes of play sitting at 5-all, Futrell was able to pull ahead and win the next three games, pushing Linares to another race to 8. A quick break was granted, and then it was time for Round Two. “I asked for a ten-minute break to regroup before the second set,” Linares recounted. “During this time I just told myself that I’d been there before. I had the experience in this event and knew that if I played my game I would win. It was funny too, because the pressure and finality of the second set almost made it easier for me to play well. I knew that I had no more leeway and had to bring out my game to win.” Linares took a commanding 7-3 lead by winning five racks in a row, but Futrell closed the gap by winning the next two. The last rack saw a safety battle over the 5 that Linares ended with a long, perfectly executed cut shot. The remaining three balls were relatively easy ones, and with a roar, Lianres closed out the set and match 8-5. 30 InsidePOOL Magazine ◊ September 2011

Jonathan Strzezewski, Christopher Futrell, Raymond Linares

“The pressure in the room was palpable that last set. Every game Chris won was met with applause and yells, whereas any nice shot I came with and or game I won was met with the modest snaps and encouragement from my small contingent of supporters,” Linares explained. “Really I just remember thinking of my support team back home, my coach, my poolroom, and my friends who would want me to bring it home for them. That, plus the experiences of big tournaments the year before, both amateur and professional, really helped me settle down and believe I could win. It was a nice feeling repeating and joining the ranks of Nick Varner, and Max Eberle.”

A break competition was held during the second day of tournament play. Cindy Higa of Uni-

The prize package for both the men’s and women’s division comprised a $1,000 tuition scholarship for the winners, $500 scholarships for both runnersup, and $250 scholarships for third place. All winners, including break competition and sportsmanship winners, received trophies.

Men’s Results: 1st Raymond Linares 2nd Christopher Futrell 3rd Jonathan Strzezewski 4th Chad Beleber 5th Mitchell Trainham MacKenzie Harrell

Miami Dade College Kendall Campus Old Dominion University Wilbur Wright College California State University Long Beach Virginia Commonwealth University East Carolina University

Women’s Results: 1st Delia Mocanu 2nd Cindy Higa 3rd Samantha Adler 4th Kayla Griggs 5th Heather Platter Marielis Jansen

Northeastern University University of Hawaii University of Delaware Arizona State University University of Florida Morgan State University

Sportsmanship: Tarissa Martin Chad Beleber

Results:

Finishing moments earlier was the women’s championship match between Higa and Mocanu. Mocanu got off to a quick lead 5-1 before Higa gained some momentum. It was the twelfth rack that had the spectators holding their breath as Higa ran the table to make the score hill-hill. Shockingly, she missed the 9, leaving Mocanu with an easy shot to victory 7-5, as Mocanu became the new ACUI champ.

versity of Hawaii, Manoa, and Chad Beleber of California State University, Long Beach, managed to thwart their competition. ACUI also encourages sportsmanship in which a peer vote, coupled with votes by BreakZONE staff and tournament judges, revealed a male and female winner. This year’s winners were Tarissa Martin of Purdue University and Beleber.

Purdue University California State University

Break Competition:

Manoa

Long Beach

Live stream

Cindy Higa Cindy Higa Chad Beleber

University of Hawaii California State University

Manoa Long Beach

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The Hustler series cues (TH-1 and TH-2) are new from Tiger Products, Inc. Made from bacote and maple, these cues come with four sharp points and are complemented with black/maple/black veneers around each prong. These American-made cues are solid sneaky petes and come with genuine solid black Irish linen, which can be upgraded to a leather wrap. Joints come either with a black phenolic collar or wood to wood. Joint pins used for this series are the original Uni-Loc® stainless steel radials; options of upgrades are the low-deflection Ultra-X LD or Pro-X. The standard shaft is the Ultra-X highperformance shaft. Each cue comes with Tiger radial joint protectors and a soft velvet black cue case. Prices start at $399. For more information, please visit www.tigerproducts.com.

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Fury Natural Cues Fury sets a new standard for performance and elegance with their simple but stunning Natural series pool cues. This Fury NA series cue features specially selected grey stained tiger-striped maple in the butt and A-grade hand-selected Canadian maple shaft wood. It has a Speed-Loc joint pin with stainless steel collars, a black Irish linen wrap, and a 12.75 millimeter Tiger Everest tip. This model also includes joint protectors. Available at CueSight.com for $225.

® Inlays

Juma

Atlas Billiard Supplies is pleased to announce the development of new exotic patterns and colors for their well-known Juma® brand of inlay materials. Besides the realistic snakeskin patterns and various colors that go all the way through the full thickness of the material, Juma® has many excellent properties for cue makers, knife makers, and anyone else who uses inlay materials. Juma® is light and easy to machine, polish, and glue. The material is stable and will not contract or expand with moisture or changes in weather. It is a non-polyester advanced engineering grade of plastic, developed and tested in Germany but available in the USA exclusively through Atlas Billiard Supplies. To order, please visit www.cuestik.com or call 800-283-7845 or 847-972-6244. 32 InsidePOOL Magazine ◊ September 2011

Bank Shot Calculator 2.0 This version of the popular app incorporates the new “advanced bank shot,” which accounts for all of the factors that measurably change the rebound angle of a bank shot. The app accounts for shot angle, shot speed, and applied english varied between a hard, medium, or soft stroke defined as 3.5, 2.5, and 1.5 times table length, respectively. Additionally, the app accounts for skidding of the cue and object balls within the three shot speeds, scaled for each table size. Lastly, the app now includes a blue bull’s-eye on the long rail to identify the starting point of the shot line.

JC Custom Cues J & J America Billiards has supplied affordable, high-quality production cues for years. Their new JC custom cues are made with high-quality exotic wood and inlays and come with a Canadian solid maple shaft and custom joint protectors. These cues are priced from $250. For more information, please visit J & J America at www.jjcue.com, e-mail info@jjcue.com, or phone 562-229-9688.

Industry

News News

BCA Promotes Industry Growth at 2011 Expo

New Exhibits, Strong Education, and Summit 2012 Highlight News During Event

The 2011 edition of the Billiard Congress of America’s (BCA) International Billiard and Home Recreation Expo was held at the Sands Expo and Convention Center in Las Vegas, NV, July 13 - 15, 2011. Attendance for the three-day event was 1,275, with the 100 exhibiting companies taking a total of 388 booths. “While the billiard industry is still suffering from a slow economy, I was pleased with the overall positive comments regarding sales activity on the show floor, content of the keynote presentation, and the Business of Billiards Seminar Series,” said BCA Expo Co-Chairman Ivan Lee. “The Expo continues to attract a who’s-who of the billiard and home recreation industry and delivers a great platform for sales, networking, and educational opportunities. The feedback we received from exhibitors, retailers, and room operators was very positive.” During the event, the Billiard Congress of America also announced Chicago as the location for its 2012 annual industry gathering. The association unveiled the new name, logo, and tagline for next year’s event: Summit 2012: Redefining the billiard business ... together. Summit 2012, formerly known as the International Billiard and Home Recreation Expo, will be held Wednesday, July 18 through Friday, July 20 at the Renaissance Chicago/Schaumburg Hotel and Convention Center. More information will be available as it develops at bcasummit.com.

BCA Names Mike Serra of Championship, LLC, 2011-2012 Board Chairman During its general membership meeting in Las Vegas, Nevada, on July 12, 2011, the Billiard Congress of America announced the results of the 2011-2012 Board of Directors elections, which are as follows: Category 1 (Manufacturer/Distributor) • •

Ivan Lee (Iwan Simonis, Inc.), three-year term Mike Serra (Championship, LLC), three-year term

Category 2 (Retailer) • Jonathan Goudeau (Indoor Recreation Co., LLC), three-year term In follow-up elections, Mike Serra (Championship, LLC) accepted a one-year term as BCA Board Chairman, as did each of the remaining seated officers: Vice-Chairman Skip Nemecek (Tweeten Fibre); Secretary Martin Bloom (Olhausen Billiard Mfg., Inc); and Treasurer Ivan Lee (Iwan Simonis, Inc.).

34 InsidePOOL Magazine ◊ September 2011

The remaining directors include: Nick Alexander (Clicks Billiards); Elaine Gerber (Presidential Billiards, LP); Tom Gregory (Toltec Lighting); Thomas Rodgers (Robertson Billiards); Austin Rothbard (Brunswick Corporation); Tony Stick (The Billiard Factory); and Eric Weber (CueStix International, Inc). “I believe with the new board of directors we will be able to get right to work and continue the momentum established from the previous board,” said Chairman Mike Serra. “The ability for the new BCA Board of Directors to stay focused on the BCA mission and maintain the energy put forth by the out-going board will ensure that the BCA will continue to move in the right direction.” Also approved during the general membership meeting were several bylaw revisions that were recommended by the BCA Board of Directors. The new bylaws, which immediately go into effect, can be viewed at bca-pool.com. “The most significant revisions to the bylaws will now allow for billiard media to join the Billiard Congress of America as a Category One member with the ability to vote in membership elections and bylaw revisions,” said Chairman Serra. “However, this new designation will still exempt them from obtaining seats on the Billiard Congress of America Board of Directors.”

Billiard EducationJunior Foundation Player Profile Kevin Sun Home town: Harvard, Massachusetts Birthdate: August 21, 1995 Nickname: K Sun School you currently attend: The Bromfield School Grade: 10 Favorite subject in school: Math At what age did you start playing pool? 8 Titles: 2011 Super Billiards Expo –Champion – 17 & Under 2010 BEF Junior Nationals- Runner-up - 14 & Under Boys 2009 Super Billiards Expo – Champion - 14 & Under Other notable awards: BEF Academic AllAmerican in 2009 and 2010

What kind of cue(s) do you use? Predator Left- or right-handed: Right-handed Sponsors: None Favorite band/music: Bruno Mars Hobbies: Basketball Memorable pool moment: Winning my first tournament at the billiards café in Ayer, Massachusetts Favorite food: Steak Fictional hero: Achilles Real-world hero: My brother Fondest childhood memory: Sitting outside my apartment building with my brother Goals—personal and/or career: To win Junior Nationals

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APA Player of the Month Joseph Eggers Jr.

oseph Eggers Jr. from Newark, DE, turned 90 years old April 19, 2011. He started playing in the APA in January 1998 and now has nearly 1,500 matches of 8-ball and nearly 600 matches of 9-ball under his belt. That’s a total of over 2,000 matches! Currently Joseph plays on three teams—9ball on Wednesdays, 8-ball on Thursdays, and 8-ball and 9-ball on Sundays. He’s also the team captain of his Sunday team. “Even though Joe plays on many teams each week, he still always finds time to participate in just about every APA activity that we have,” said APA of Delaware League Operator Melvin Craig. “It could be a singles qualifier, of which he has advanced to the regional level many times, or any of the local tournaments that we run in his area.” Joseph is the top player in Delaware for the most matches played. He rarely ever misses a game and knows the rules better than most people. He’s a skill level 3 in both 8-ball and 9-ball. Joseph is also a World War II veteran. He was a Private First Class, Infantry, Company H, 222nd Infantry during the war. On January 25, 1945, at Schweighausen, France, he volunteered to assist in a mission where he drove through intense enemy mortar fire and placed two machine guns in an exposed position on the edge of town. During this mission, he was wounded in the hand. On April 16, 1945, he was awarded the Bronze Star medal for heroic achievement in action. “Joe is a dedicated and loyal APA member, and we’re happy to have him as part of the league,” Craig said.

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Amateur Results:

Regional Roundup Dechaine and Vannala Take Titles at Inaugural SanSouci Memorial First Annual George “Ginky” SanSouci Memorial / New York City, NY by InsidePOOL Staff Full fields gathered at Amsterdam Billiards and Bar in New York City, NY, to pay homage to one of New York’s finest pool players, George “Ginky” SanSouci, the weekend of June 25-26. The $5,000-added tournament featured two divisions—the amateur event won by Raj Vannala and the pro/open won by Mike “The Fireball” Dechaine. In the handicapped amateur event, Vannala went undefeated through the full 96-player field to face Mike Panzarella for the first time in the winners’ side final four. After sending his opponent to the one-loss side 7-5, Vannala advanced to the hot seat match. There he met Jimmy Martinez, who was fresh off a 7-4 vic- Mike Dechaine tory over Nicholas Chan. Vannala remained unscathed with a narrow 7-5 win, and Martinez went to the west side. On the one-loss side, Panzarella was making his move—he matched up with Phil Davis, who had just ousted Chris Giannokouros 8-6, and overpowered him 7-4. At the same time, Frank Ramos eliminated Diana Rojas 7-4 in seventh place to tie with Giannokouros and then did the same to Chan 7-5. However, Ramos’ tournament ended in fourth place after a close 8-6 match with Panzarella. Panzarella went on to the semifinals to meet Martinez and triumphed 8-6 to advance to the final match with Vannala. There, though, Vannala took control of the match and took home the title 7-5.

1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 7th 9th 13th 17th

Raj Vannala Mike Panzarella Jimmy Martinez Frank Ramos Phil Davis Nicholas Chan Diana Rojas Chris Giannokouros Steve Way Noel Bensurto Jose Burgos Trevor Heal Raphael DaBreo Bob Schlott Charles Young Gregg McAndrews Ramilo Tanglao Michael Toohig Andrew Cleary Eric Hu Niko Bernishivili Donald Chu Andrew Kane Tony Liang

$2,000 $1,400 $1,000 $700 $400 $250 $175

$100

$75

nal match with Testa and sent him home in second with an 8-2 victory. In the extended final match, as the undefeated player, Dechaine was racing to 11, while Hatch had to reach 13 to claim the victory. The players were neck and neck the entire match, with Dechaine reaching the hill first with Hatch at 8. Hatch put one more game under belt before it came down to the last rack. Dechaine got out of line after a bank on the 7 and had to jack up and shoot the 8 ball, drawing back for shape on the 9. He executed the shot perfectly to win the game and claim the title.

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“The Fireball” was unassailable as he scorched the 32-player field in the open/pro division. He met Jeremy Sossei in the winners’ side final four and delivered him to the left side 7-3, as Joey Testa defeated Zion Zvi 7-5. The two met in the hot seat match that followed, with Dechaine searing Testa 7-2 to await a finals opponent. Meanwhile, Dennis “The Hatchetman” Hatch was blazing through the west side of the chart, eliminating Sean Morgan at seventh place 7-2. Tying with Morgan was Jorge Rodriguez, who suffered a double-hill loss to Shaun “Get Some” Wilkie. Zvi was the next victim of Hatch’s, who sent him packing 7-3. Wilkie fought another hill-hill bout, this time with Sossei, who ended up in fifth place tied with Zvi. Pro/Open Results: 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 7th

Mike Dechaine Dennis Hatch Joey Testa Shaun Wilkie Jeremy Sossei Zion Zvi Sean Morgan Jorge Rodriguez

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Once the final four players were left, the race changed to 8. In his third consecutive hill-hill match of the event, Wilkie and Hatch fought in the quarterfinals, but it was Hatch this time who triumphed 8-7. With the finals in sight, Hatch breezed through his semifi-

38 InsidePOOL Magazine ◊ September 2011

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Raval Crowned Tri-State Tour’s Grand Champion Tri-State Tour / East Rutherford, NJ by John Leyman

Paul Raval

The fourteenth annual Tri-State Tour Invitational Tournament took place July 9-10 and July 16 at Castle Billiards in East Rutherford, NJ. The two weekends were another huge success for the tour, with 12 A and A+ players, 32 B and B+ players, 32 C and C+ players, and 16 D and D+ players who earned their way in to compete in their respective classes and play for their chance to be named the Tri-State Tour Invitational Grand Champion, with that honor ultimately going to Paul Raval.

The action in the tournament got going with the B+-class and B-class players kicking off the event. Ed Culhane, winner of the Most Improved Player award, and Keith Adamik met in the hot seat match, with Adamik sending Culhane to the one-loss side 7-4. Raval, who had suffered an earlier loss to Adamik, relegated Culhane to third place to earn revenge on Adamik in the finals 9-5. In the B class, Ricardo Mejia and Dave Shlemperis played consistently strong throughout the day to meet in the hot seat match, where Shlemperis won on the hill. Mejia moved to the one-loss side and met Richard Ng, who was looking for revenge for an earlier loss to Mejia. But Mejia was on a mission and dispatched Ng 7-2 to reach the finals. Once again Shlemperis and Mejia went hill-hill, but this time Mejia won the chance to move on.

Keith Adamik, Paul Raval

Ed Culhane

John Flynn, who came, as he said, “just to have some fun,” enjoyed his way all the way to the D+/D-class hot seat. One opponent he met along the way and sent to the one-loss side was Dave Fitzpatrick, who fought his way back to meet Flynn in the finals. Fitzpatrick played some of his best pool and won the match 7-4.

This left the six class champions to do Chuck Giallorenzo, battle for the Grand Champion title. Raval Paul Spaanstra and Mejia played a tough match, with Raval winning 7-3. Spaanstra just could not handle Ettl, who was peaking at the right time, and Ettl won 6-2. Ettl continued to play well and best Fitzpatrick on the hill to get to the overall final. Cintron, after an exhausting day, played Raval and just could not catch a break, so Raval moved on to the finals. In the finals, the match went back and forth with both players trying to stay on top. Raval got ahead toward the end with some strong play and won the match 8-6 to be named 2010-2011 Tri-State Tour Grand Champion.

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The C+ and C players started things off Sunday, as Paul Spaaastra moved through the day undefeated. David Jusis and Chuck Giallorenzo played great all day and both tried to knock Spaanstra out of the event but failed. The C class was simply dominated by Female Player of the Year Sandie Patarino, who handily bested all of her opponents to reach the finals. But Mike Ettl, who had lost his second match of the day, was quietly making his move and arrived in the finals after winning five west-side matches. Ettl, who just kept taking every opportunity that came his way, stopped Patarino with an 8-6 win.

The following weekend saw the players in the A+ and A class and D+ and D class do battle, while the four winners from the previous weekend waited in the wings to play later on. Geoffrey Bauer, who had went undefeated the year before in the B+ class, for the second year in a row was in the hot seat in his division. The previous year’s A+/A class winner, Daniel Cintron, lost his first match of the day and went through six left-side matches to arrive in the finals for the third year in a row. Cintron started off strong and overpowered Bauer, who, for the second year in a row, was ousted Dave Schelmperis, Ricardo Mejia from the event after being in the hot seat. September 2011 ◊ InsidePOOLmag.com 39

< Krah Cashes on Mezz Tour Mezz Pro-Am Tour / Frazer, PA by Jose Burgos

Matt Krah

Matt Krah followed up his victory on the Planet Pool Tour the week prior with another W at the Mezz ProAm Tour’s July 24 stop, besting Brett Stottlemyer in a hill-hill final match. The event was hosted by Main Line Billiards in Frazer, PA, where a strong field of 28 players came to vie for the $810 first-place prize.

Krah dominated the top half of the bracket, notching wins over Lou P. 7-5, Rob Vannatta 7-4, Sean Morgan 7-5, and Josh Brothers 7-3. Leading the bottom half of the bracket was Joey Testa, who had wins over Max Much 7-1, Wali Muhammad 7-3, and Jose Burgos 7-1. In the following hot seat match, Krah and Testa collided, and Krah escaped with a double-hill victory. Stottlemyer awaited Testa on the one-loss side after relegating Burgos to fourth place. Testa fared little better and went home with third as Stottlemyer easily handled Results: him 7-2. In the finals, StottleMatt Krah $810 myer had to best Krah twice 1st 2nd Brett Stottlemyer $ 400 for the title. The first and 3rd Joey Testa $250 only set went hill-hill, but in 4th Jose Burgos $200 the end the day belonged to Josh Brothers $150 Krah, who came away with 5th Dave Grau the 7-6 win.

DaBreo Douses Predator Amateur Field, Pros Split Predator 9-Ball Tour / Union Square, NY by Jerry Tarantola, NYCgrind.com Victory went to Rafael DaBreo for the first time this season in the amateur division Hector Ruiz, Borana Andoni, Raphael DaBreo of the Predator 9-Ball Tour’s July 30-31 stop, while tour promoter Tony Robles split top honors in the open division with Santos Sambajon Jr. The tour’s eighth stop of the season was hosted by Amsterdam Billiard Club in Union Square, NY, and featured a $1,000-addTony Robles, Santos Sambajon Jr., Zion Zvi ed prize purse. The amateur event drew several top area players, including strong emerging talent. Borana Andoni made a statement by finishing second, scoring wins over Nick Meyer 7-4, Ray Lee 7-6, and Alan Chan 7-4 before Hector Ruiz sent her west 7-4. She came back with a quarterfinal win over Phil Davis 9-5 and avenged her loss to Ruiz in the semifinals, defeating him 7-4. In the finals Andoni matched up against DaBreo, who has been consistently making strides in his game. The talented 23-year-old has been putting an impressive amount of time into practicing and perfecting his arsenal. 40 InsidePOOL Magazine ◊ September 2011

DaBreo went through the field undefeated, taking wins over Michael Yednak 7-0, Gary Murgia 7-4, Eddie Ng 7-5, Jerry Tarantola 7-3, Dinko Busanich 7-3, and Ruiz 7-4 to face Andoni. In the finals, DaBreo jumped out to a 6-3 lead over Andoni. He had only missed one ball up until that point and looked like he was about to close it out before missing the 5 ball. Andoni was also impressive in bouncing back with two clutch run-outs to close the gap to 6-5, making the set a nail-biter. While Andoni made the finals exciting, DaBreo was able to capture the last game without a miss, capping off his dominant run to snap off his first Predator event of the year and his second overall. The pro 10-ball division featured several big names, but Filipino pro Sambajon Jr. was too much to handle for the rest of the field. He went through the field undefeated, with wins over Sean Morgan 8-6, Jeremy Sossei 8-3, Amateur Results: and Robles 8-6, earning $1,000 the hot seat. On the one- 1st Raphael DaBreo 2nd Borana Andoni $600 loss side, Zion Zvi was $400 the player to beat, com- 3rd Hector Ruiz 4th Phil Davis $300 ing off a strong 8-5 win 5th Dinko Busavich $200 over Mhet Vergara and a Kapriel Delimelkonoglu clutch 8-7 win over Oscar $150 Bonilla before losing a 7th Tony Liang Alan Chang hill-hill battle with Ro$100 bles. While both Robles 9th Jerry Tarantola Marco Dy and Sambajon Jr. wantGail Glazebrook ed to play in the finals, Harry Lau Amsterdam Billiards was closing in 30 minutes Pro/Open Results: and wouldn’t have the 1st Santos Sambajon Jr. $700 time to fit in the finals of 2nd Tony Robles $400 the event, so both play3rd Zion Zvi $200 ers decided to split. When this SudoCue is solved, the letters in “I CAN’T LOSE” will appear in each row, column, and box—but only once, and not in any particular order. Answer available online at www.InsidePOOLmag.com.

Courtesy of Sandy Brown

>Upcoming Northeast Tournaments 8/28-9/2 The World 14.1 Tournament

Hyatt Regency Hotel

New Brunswick, NJ

9/3-4

Empire State Pro Championship

Raxx Pool Room

West Hempstead, NY 516-538-9896 $2,000

407-782-4978 $35,000

Qualified players Open

9/3-4

Tri-State Tour

Amsterdam Billiards and Bar

New York, NY

212-995-0333 $1,000

A-D players

9/8-11

Turning Stone Classic XVII

Turning Stone Resort and Casino Verona, NY

800-771-7711 $25,000

Open

9/11

Mezz Pro-Am Tour

Main Line Billiards Club

Frazer, PA

610-647-8805 $1,000

Open

9/11

Tri-State Tour

Cue Bar

Bayside, NY

718-631-2646 $1,000

A-D players

9/17

Tri-State Tour

Castle Billiards

East Rutherford, NJ

201-933-6007 $500

B-D players

9/17-18 Predator 9-Ball Tour

Mr. Cue Billiards

Lindenhurst, NY

631-226-9486 $1,000

Open

9/24

A-D players

Gotham City Billiards

Brooklyn, NY

718-714-1002 $1,500

9/24-25 Joss Northeast 9-Ball Tour

Tri-State Tour

Premium Billiards

Syracuse, NY

315-488-4888 $1,500/$500 Open

9/25

Mezz Pro-Am Tour

Rockaway Billiards

Rockaway, NJ

973-625-5777 $1,000

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10/1

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Castle Billiards

East Rutherford, NJ

201-933-6007 $500

A-D players

10/1-2

Predator 9-Ball Tour

Cue Nine

Levittown, NY

516-796-4600 $1,000

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10/1-2

Joss Northeast 9-Ball Tour

T.J.’s Classic Billiards

Waterville, ME

207-877-7665 $1,500/$500 Open

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Atlantic City Billiards

Egg Harbor, NJ

609-645-7576 $1,000

10/8-9

Joss Northeast 9-Ball Tour

Trick Shot Billiards and Sports Pub Clifton Park, NY

518-383-8771 $1,500/$500 Open

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Jackson Heights, NY 718-779-4348 $1,000

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Cue Bar

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718-631-2646 $1,000

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10/22

Tri-State Tour

Eastside Billiards

New York, NY

212-831-7665 $1,000

A-D players

10/29

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B-D players

Open Open

Gotham City Billiards

Brooklyn, NY

718-714-1002 $1,250

10/29-30 Joss Northeast 9-Ball Tour

Camelot Billiards

Rochester, NY

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Skyline Billiards

Brooklyn, NY

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Mezz Pro-Am Tour

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September 2011 ◊ InsidePOOLmag.com 41

> >>

Regional Roundup Shuff Shines at Diamond Billiards Action Pool Tour / Midlothian, VA by InsidePOOL Staff Brandon Shuff took down the Action Pool Tour’s second event of the season, going through a tough field filled with top names to best Larry Kressel in the finals. The tournament Thomas Dorsey, Brandon Shuff, Larry Kressel, was hosted by DiaOzzy Reynolds mond Billiards in Midlothian, VA, the weekend of July 9-10 and attracted a respectable field of 49 participants. The second day began with the undefeated Shuff winning over Danny Mastermaker and Brett Stottlemyer besting Chris Bruner, both by a score of 9-7. Meanwhile, Ozzy Reynolds squeaked by John Newton 9-8, while Eric Moore deposited Larry Kressel on the west side 9-5. The final four on the winners’ side provided two matches that were not as close as expected. In a bit of revenge from an earlier tournament loss this year, Shuff easily handled Reynolds 9-4, while Moore defeated Stottlemyer by the same score. This set up the match-up for the hot seat between Shuff and Moore in which Shuff sailed past Moore 9-2. On the one-loss side Kressel began carving his path to the finals with five straight wins by defeating Jeremy Perkins 9-5, John Mitcheltree 9-2, Reynolds 9-7, Newton 9-3, and Moore 9-3. This set the stage for Shuff and Kressel, who are also roommates, to face off in the finals. Kressel would have had to defeat Shuff twice to take the win. The match was a Results: nail-biter throughout and Brandon Shuff $1,000 the score eventually 1st Larry Kressel $550 reached 7-7 with Kressel 2nd Eric Moore $300 to break. However, his 3rd 4th John Newton $200 break came up dry, and Ozzy Reynolds $125 Shuff ran out to make it 5th Brett Stottlemyer 8-7. With Shuff on the hill John Mitcheltree $80 and having the break, the 7th Danny Mastermaker situation looked bleak for Chris Bruner $50 Kressel. True to form, 9th Jeremy Perkins Shuff crushed the rack Bernie Kirby and ran out to take the Will Moon win. Morphew Grasps Great Southern Win Great Southern Billiard Tour / Bristol, TN by InsidePOOL Staff Cory Morphew went unchallenged through the field that gathered for the July 23-24 stop on the Great Southern Billiard Tour, eking out a 7-7 victory in finals of the handicapped event over Eddie Adams. Janet Atwell’s room, Borderline Billiards in Bristol, TN, hosted the $1,500-added amateur event, which drew in a large field of 87 hopefuls.

42 InsidePOOL Magazine ◊ September 2011

After scoring a 10-7 win over Jeff Abernathy in the winners’ side final four, Morphew advanced to the hot seat match. There he faced off against Jerry Varnado, Janet Atwell, Corey Morphew, Eddie Adams, who had just sent AdShannon Daulton ams to the one-loss side with a 7-5 win. Morphew dominated the winners’ side final, delivering Varnado to the left side of the chart 7-4. Adams thrived on the west side, eliminating Keith Jones 9-3 at fifth place to move on to the quarterfinals. Tying with Jones was Abernathy after Greg Taylor ousted him 9-7. Taylor and Adams matched up in the next round, with Adams triumphing 9-5. Varnado awaited Adams in the semifinals, hoping to earn a rematch against Morphew in the final match. But Adams earned his own revenge, sending Varnado home in third place with a 9-4 win. In the true double-elimination finals, Adams almost forced a second set, but he missed the 9 ball he needed in order to make it hillhill, and instead Morphew claimed the victory 7-7.

Results: 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 7th 9th 13th

Cory Morphew Eddie Adams Jerry Varnado Greg Taylor Keith Jones Jeff Abernathy Wes Davis Ron Park Joe Pierce James King Russ Edwards Steve Dye Johnny Carson Jack Hawkins Taz Holiday Chris Vollmar

$1,200 $750 $450 $265 $175 $125 $75

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Herrell Handles Great Southern Field Great Southern Billiard Tour / New Bern, NC by InsidePOOL Staff

Shannon Daulton, Mac Herrell, Greg Smith, Gerry Shephard

Mac Herrell charged through the field at the July 30-31 installment of the Great Southern Billiard Tour to take top honors over Greg Smith, pocketing

$835 for first place. The $1,500-added amateur event was hosted by Mickey Milligan’s Pub and Billiards in New Bern, NC, and attracted a 41-player field. Herrell received a first-round bye and then won three matches to reach Larry Faulk in the winners’ side final four. He delivered Faulk to the one-loss side of the chart 9-7 and went on to face Smith for the first time for the hot seat. Smith, who had just sent Chad Pike west 9-6, put up a good fight but fell to Herrell 9-6. On the left side of the bracket, Pike recovered to eliminate Jason McSorley at fifth place 9-5. Tying with McSorley was Faulk, who fell to Ronny Parks 9-7. In the quarterfinal match Park prevailed over Pike 9-6 and advanced to Results: meet Smith in the semifiMac Herrell $835 nals. Smith won the right 1st Greg Smith $600 to seek revenge from 2nd Ronny Parks $400 Herrell in the finals, but 3rd 4th Chad Pike $200 after their double-hill fiChris McSorley $125 nal match, Herrell had 5th Larry Faulk hung on to win the title. 7th Glenn Russell $75 Sam Monday

Futrell and Hunt Qualify for U.S. Open Virginia State 9-Ball Championship / Midlothian, VA by InsidePOOL Staff photos courtesy of Rob Marshall

Chris Futrell

< the hot seat match—Futrell won five matches, including a lopsided 9-3 win over Bobby Chamberlain to reach the winners’ side finals, while Hunt eked out a hill-hill win over John Newton 9-8 to meet Futrell. It was another hill-hill thriller for Hunt, who pulled off the 9-8 victory to claim the hot seat. On the west side of the chart, former winner of this event, Chris Loar, squared off with local talent Chris Bruner and was sent home in seventh place after their double-hill match. Tying with Loar was Larry Kressel, who was ousted by Greg Taylor 9-5. Bruner went on to meet Newton and ended up going home in fifth place after a close 9-7 match. Bruner tied with Chamberlain, who couldn’t hold out against Taylor and was defeated 9-5. Taylor and Newton advanced to the quarterfinal match to meet, and Taylor took charge, winning by a commanding 9-4 score. He did not fare so well against Futrell in the semifinal match, though, as Futrell was eager for a rematch with Hunt and eliminated Taylor 9-5. The final Results: match was a close one, Chris Futrell $1,000 but when all was said and 1st $700 done it was former junior 2nd David Hunt Greg Taylor $500 champion Futrell who 3rd 4th John Newton $300 took the Virginia State 5th Bobby Chamberlain $250 9-Ball Championship title Chris Bruner and the spot in the U.S. Chris Loar $150 Open, along with a hand- 7th Larry Kressel some prize of $1,000.

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Chris Futrell vs Bobby Chamberlain at the 2011 VA State 9-Ball Championship Chris Bruner vs Chris Loar at the 2011 VA State 9-Ball Championship Chris Bruner vs John Newton at the 2011 VA State 9-Ball Championship Chris Loar vs Eric Moore at the 2011 VA State 9-Ball Championship Greg Taylor vs Danny Mastermaker at the 2011 VA State 9-Ball Championship John Newton vs Alex Trevino at the 2011 VA State 9-Ball Championship John Newton vs Larry Kressel at the 2011 VA State 9-Ball Championship Chris Bruner vs Sheri Bruner at the 2011 VA State 9-Ball Championship David Hunt vs Chris Futrell in the Hot Seat Match at the 2011 VA State 9-Ball Championship Greg Taylor vs Chris Futrell in the Semifinal Match at the 2011 VA State 9-Ball Championship David Hunt vs Chris Futrell in the Final Match at the 2011 VA State 9-Ball Championship

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Midlothian Victory for Mastermaker Great Southern Billiard Tour / Midlothian, VA by InsidePOOL Staff

It was a narrow escape for Danny Mastermaker as he came close to being double-dipped by Tommy Cook in the finals of the Great Southern Billiard Tour’s August 6-7 Regional Roundup event, but he prevailed. Diamond BilDanny Mastermaker, Shannon Silva Slams Lucasi FieldDaulton, liards in Midlothian, Tommy Cook Lucasi Hybrid All-American Tour / Lakewood, VA, playedCO host to by the InsidePOOL Staff handicapped amateur event, which drew a $1,500-added field of 53 players. Ruben Silva double-dipped Tony Pi Mastermaker remained unchallenged until he reached the azza in the finals Thomas of the Dorsey in the winners’ side final four 9-5 finals, besting January 22 the installment to reach hot seat match. His opponent there, JR Poste, had of just thedelivered Lucasi Tommy Hybrid Cook to the one-loss side 7-2. The hot seat match was a Tour lopsided All-American to one, with Mastermaker triumphing 9-2. take top honors and Cook rebounded the first-place prize of once on the one-loss side, eliminating AlexThe Olinger at fifth place 7-7, while Charlie Taylor tied with $500. $500-added BillDorsey. Skinner, Dorsey Frank Urbaniak, Rubin Silva, to Olinger a 7-2 by loss to and Cook advanced event wasafter hosted Piazza match, and it was Cook who meet each Pool other in the Tony quarterfinal Greenfields and came away with the 7-5 win. Sports Bar in Lakewood, Results: CO, and featured 31 play1st Rubenwas Silva $500 Poste next on Cook’s hit list,ers and won the semifiin Cook a double-elimination 2nd Tony Piazza $300home 8-ball nal match 7-5, sending Poste in third place. the true format onIn7-foot bar 3rd Bill Skinner $225 double-elimination fi- Results: boxes. 4th nals, Frank CookUrbaniak surpassed $125 Danny Mastermaker $1,000 5th Nick Smith $75 Mastermaker 7-7 in the 1st Piazza swept through 2nd Tommy Cook $620 Lou Valdez first set, evening the the winners’ bracket unJR Poste $450 7th Darian Trujillo $50 playing field. But Mas- 3rd defeated. Once he moved 4th Thomas Dorsey $250 Dave Hughes termaker regrouped in past Lou Valdez 5-4 on the 5th Charlie Taylor $150 9th Bill Meacham $35 the second set and took winners’ side final four, Alex Olinger Andrew the title 9-5. Pettinger he sent Bill Skinner to the 7th DJ Holloway $95 Dave Merrill westTalbert side of the chart as Trent Dave Hubbard well 5-3. 13th John Sandifer $20 Ron Lincoln On the one-loss brackMatthew Bates et side of the board, Ruben Ray Padilla

> >>

Silva recovered from an A-side loss to Skinner 5-3 to eliminate Nick Smith at fifth place 5-4 and Frank Urbaniak at fourth place 5-3. He wreaked his revenge on Skinner in the semifinal match, sending him home in third place 5-4 to claim a spot in the finals versus the undefeated Piazza. Silva successfully dispatched Piazza in two sets, concluding with a 5-4 victory to claim the title.

>Upcoming Southeast Tournaments 9/3

Tiger Southeast Open 9-Ball Tour

Cunningham’s Pool and Darts Vero Beach, FL

772-562-1171 $500

Open

9/3-4

U.S. Open 9-Ball Champs Qualifier

Gate City Billiards Club

Greensboro, NC

336-856-8800 TBA

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9/3-4

Maxim Billiards Amateur Tour

Cue’s Billiards

Marietta, GA

770-425-1101 $1,500

Amateurs

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>Upcoming Tournaments 9/10-11 Great SouthernWestern Billiard Tour Shore Thing Bar and Billiards 3/7-13 BCATour Regional 8-Ball 9/10-11 Western Action Pool

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Las Vegas, Sanford, NC NV

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4/9-10 10/15

Wynkoop Brewing Company Park Place Billiard Club

Denver, CO Clearwater, FL

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Open Amateur ladies

4/16-17 Open One-Pocket 10/15-16 U.S. Great Southern BilliardQualifier Tour

U.S. Open QualifierTour Tiger Bay10-Ball Area Amateur

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Kenmore, Inman, SC WA

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4/30-5/1 Open 10-BallBilliard Qualifier 10/29-30 U.S. Great Southern Tour

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44 InsidePOOL ◊ September 5/13-21 BCAPL Magazine National 8-Ball Champs2011

Riviera Hotel and Casino

Kenmore, Bristol, TN WA Las Vegas, NV

702-719-7665

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> >>

Regional Roundup Jethwa, Lindgren, and Pierce Take Home the Cash Lone Star Billiards Tour / Houston, TX by InsidePOOL Staff

Andy Jethwa, Sylver Ochoa, Darrell Montgomery

Steve Braswell, Abel Lara, J.J. Manley, Steve Lindgren

A field of 57 gathered at Houston’s Sports Bar in Houston, TX, the weekend of July 9-10 for the $1,200-added Lone Star 9-Ball Open/Amateur billiard event. Local champions Mike Alonzo, Andy Jethwa, Sylver Ochoa, Waco’s own Doug Young, and amateur division players J.J. Manley, Chuck Coignard, Steve Lindgren, Damion Manning, Steve Braswell and numerous others competed in the oneday amateur, two-day open, and ladies’ divisions.

ladies’ event saw Petrosino defeat Pierce 7-2 and Angela Martinez best Natalie Smith. It was Martinez over Petrosino for the hot seat, while Pierce fought her way back Amateur Results: with wins over Diana Cardo$250 na 5-2, Natalie Smith 5-2, 1st Steve Lindgren 2nd Abel Lara $165 and finally Petrosino 5-1 to $100 meet Martinez. The first set 3rd J.J. Manley $50 went to Pierce 7-5. The sec- 4th Steve Braswell ond set was tied at 4-4 when Martinez missed the 4 ball in Amateur Results: $200 the side, costing her the set. 1st Kim Pierce 2nd Angela Martinez $120 3rd Robyn Petrosino $80

Ng Shows No Problems in Houston OB Cues Ladies’ 9-Ball Tour / Houston, TX by InsidePOOL Staff At the last OB Cues Ladies’ 9-Ball Tour stop in Richardson, Texas, two Houston players finished on top in both the main event and second chance tournament. The July 2324 weekend at Magoo’s in Yvette Reyes, Ming Ng, Kathy McMinn Houston was no different as two other players represented H-town for the wins. A field of 29 ladies took on the challenge to compete for the guaranteed $750 first-place prize, with Houston resident Ming Ng taking it home with her.

In the open division, Eric Renteria, William “Yoko” Joe, Leroy “Bull” Hawkins, and Jason Pearce all lost their bid for the winners’ side final four, which yielded Jethwa versus Alonzo and Ochoa against Young. Both Jethwa and Young defeated Angela Martinez, Kim Pierce their opponents by the score of 9-4. As ferocious as Young played to get there, Jethwa stole his thunder and stopped him cold 9-2. On the west side, Ochoa made quick work of Joe 7-1 and Pearce fell to Alonzo 7-2. Ochoa went on to eliminate Alonzo 7-5 and dealt Young some payback 7-6. In the true double-elimination format, Ochoa came on strong the first set 9-1. In overtime, it was a different story. Jethwa was determined not to let this one get away, and he didn’t. By a score of 7-4, he captured his third Lone Star title win.

Before the draw took place, it was anyone’s guess who would win this event as a full force of strong competitors, including Lisa Marr, Amanda Lampert, Ng, Orietta Strickland, and Tara Williams were vying for top honors. Current OB Cues Tour champion Marr made an unexpected two-and-out exit. She took her first loss in a hill-hill match to Brittany Colbert in the first round and her second loss was against Strickland. In another early exit, Lampert finished ninth with losses to Ng and Corina Campbell. With these ladies out, it gave the remaining players a chance to increase their points standing.

The amateurs’ side final four pitted Steve Lindgren versus Steve Braswell and J.J. Manley against Darryl Amos, while the one-loss side matched Ron Robleski versus Robert Hitchcock and Mike Moody against Abel Lara. When the smoke cleared on the east side, it was Lindgren over Braswell 4-1 and Manley over Amos 4-3, which paired Lindgren and Manley for the hot seat. On the one-loss side, Lara advanced past Braswell, Amos, and Manley but was stopped short by Lindgren in the second set of the true double-elimination final.

In the true double-elimination finals, Williams would have had to defeat Ng twice to take the win, but this did not turn out to be the case. Ng was shooting lights out and bested Williams 7-2 to get her first OB Cues Ladies’ 9-Ball Tour win.

The $200-added ladies division drew 10 players and included Bastrop’s Kim Pierce and locals Robyn Petrosino, Tiffany Boysen, and Angela Martinez. East side action in the

Open Results: 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th

Andy Jethwa Sylver Ochoa Doug Young Mike Alonzo William Joe Jason Pearce

$530 $330 $200 $100 $70

Returning Sunday were the final eight. Winners’ side matches included Courtney Peters versus Colbert, a local Tulsa favorite, and Ng against Tara Williams. One-loss matches included Julie Stephenson versus Ricki Casper, and Campbell against Strickland. Casper and Strickland tied for seventh, while Stephenson and Campbell finished in fifth place. Ng defeated Colbert to take the hot seat with a final score of 7-5. Williams was Ng’s opponent in the finals, as she gained wins over Peters 7-1 and Colbert 7-3. Peters completed her tour stop finish in fourth place, while Colbert settled for third. Results:

A second chance tournament was held Sunday with 11 players and $200 added monies. Yvette Reyes double-dipped Lisa HendersonMajor in the finals to take first place and a $125 payday.

1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 7th 9th 13th

Ming Ng Tara Williams Brittany Colbert Courtney Peters Julie Stephenson Corina Campbell Ricki Casper Orietta Strickland Amanda Lampert Yvette Reyes Tracie Voelkering Kathy Knuth Ashley Nandrasy Lisa Henderson-Major Kathy McMinn Julie Enzenperger

$750 $540 $360 $255 $150 $100 $50

$30

September 2011 ◊ InsidePOOLmag.com 45

Ochoa and Poon Win Biggest Lone Star Event Ever Lone Star Billiards Tour / Spring, TX by InsidePOOL Staff

to tie the match, he was eliminated by Poon 4-2. In the finals, Poon came on strong with a vengeance and bested Torres two sets by scores of 4-1, 4-1.

During the July 23-24 weekend the Lone Star Billiards Tour event held a 9-ball extravaganza in Spring, TX, that broke its alltime player attendance record of 98 players in 2009. This weekend at Big Tyme Billiards there were 99 individual Billy Sharp, Sylver Ochoa, Ernesto Bayaua players and 124 total entries that spanned five divisions, with Sylver Ochoa, Jonathan Poon, Terry Petrosino, and Joey Torres earning top finishes.

In the six-player one-pocket division, Ochoa captured the winners’ bracket over Mike Alonzo, while Carl Miranda bested Ernesto Bayaua 2-1 and Dan Barton 2-0. Miranda was eliminated by Alonzo 2-0, and in turn, Alonzo was eliminated by Ochoa in the final match.

Saturday’s 9-ball action yielded 37 participants and a few surprises on the way to the final 12 for Sunday. During Sunday’s final four undefeated match-ups, Chuck Coignard caved to Ernesto Bayaua 9-5, and Ochoa bested Jason Pearce 9-4. On the west side, Grady Cooper, Mark Avery, Will Felder, and Jim Walker made Sunday’s cut, but it was Billy Sharp and Jason Bacon who both won six consecu- Shane Thompson, Joey Torres, Jonathan Poon tive matches after early losses to meet one another in the quarterfinals, with Sharp edging out Bacon hill-hill. Vying for his first LSBT victory, Bayaua bested Sharp 7-5 but fell to multi-event winner Ochoa in the final match 9-5. The amateur 9-ball side was filled with players from all over Texas. The action was non-stop as 58 players competed for $2,300 in prize money and a shot at a Lone Star amateur title. On the winners’ side final eight, Poon defeated Eric Gauthier 4-2, Shane Thompson bested Keil Perry 4-3, Joey Torres ousted Steve Lindgren 4-2, and Frank Gonzalez put away Cody Broadway 4-3. Gonzalez and Thompson lost their bids for the J.C. Torres, Joey Torres hot seat match to Poon and Torres, respectively. The one-loss side final eight included Ron Wrobleski, John Powers, Mitchell Lang, Bubba Wall, Bob McFerren, Bill Fain, Dan Barton, and Viet Do. When the smoke cleared, it was Shane Thompson who emerged to challenge Poon, who lost the Robyn Petrosino, Terry Petrosino, hot seat earlier to Torres 7-1. After Angela Martinez Thompson missed a crucial 7 ball

The ladies’ 9-ball division yielded 13 competitors who played for over $600 in prize money. It was a mother and daughter shoot-out for the hot seat with Terry and Robyn Petrosino, while Angela Martinez blazed through the oneOpen Results: loss side after her first $600 round loss to Belinda Lee. 1st Sylver Ochoa $300 Rebecca Riley and Mer- 2nd Ernesto Bayaua $200 cedes Perez lost their bids 3rd Billy Sharp $100 for the hot seat match. 4th Jason Bacon $70 On the west side Riley de- 5th Jason Pearce Chuck Coignard feated Belinda Lee 5-3 $40 and advanced to the final 7th Sonny Bosshamer Jonathan Poon four on the one-loss side, $30 while Martinez eliminat- 9th Grady Cooper Jim Walker ed Perez 5-1 and then RiWill Felder ley 5-4. Robyn Petrosino Mark Avery captured the hot seat, while the elder Petrosino plowed through Marti- Amateur Results: nez 5-1 to meet her daughter once again. This time it was a different story as Terry Petrosino bested the junior to win this weekend’s ladies amateur event. Three pairs of siblings competed in the ten-player junior 9-ball division. On the final four winners’ side, Joey Torres bested brother J.C. and Mike Calderaro beat Ron Esman. On the west side, Kody Thompson eliminated sister Nicole, and Michael Fain ousted Nick Calderaro. Meanwhile, Torres captured the hot seat 7-1 over Nick Calderaro. Big brother then took care of Fain and Calderaro, only to lose at the hands of his younger brother 7-5.

1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 7th 9th

Jonathan Poon Joey Torres Shane Thompson Keil Perry Frank Gonzalez Bill Fain John Powers Viet Do Eric Gauthier Bubba Wall Steve Lindgren Cody Broadway

$320 $190 $140 $100 $80 $60 $35

One-Pocket Results: 1st Sylver Ochoa 2nd Mike Alonzo

$290 $140

Ladies’ Results: 1st 2nd 3rd 4th

Terry Petrosino Robyn Petrosino Angela Martinez Rebecca Riley

$220 $140 $70 $30

Juniors’ Results: 1st 2nd 3rd 4th

Joey Torres J.C. Torres Mike Calderaro Michael Fain

$65 $45 $25 $15

>Upcoming Central Tournaments 9/17-18 Lone Star Billiards Tour

Houston’s

Houston, TX

713-825-1411 $1,350

Open

9/17-18 OB Cues Ladies’ 9-Ball Tour

Rusty’s Billiards

Arlington, TX

817-468-9191 $2,000

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9/24-25 Great Southern Billiard Tour

Michael’s Billiards and Games

Fairfield, OH

513-860-0044 $2,000

Amateurs

10/29-30 Lone Star Billiards Tour

Bogie’s Billiards and Games

Houston, TX

713-825-1411 $3,000

Open

46 InsidePOOL Magazine ◊ September 2011

> >>

Regional Roundup Cole Back on Top Northwest Women’s Pool Association / Spokane, WA by Suzanne Smith Liz Cole took control of the field at the July 9-10 stop of the Northwest Women’s Pool Association, dominating Mona Remedios in the finals to take the title. The tour’s fourth stop of the season was hostLiz Cole ed by Black Diamond Billiards and Eatery in Spokane, WA, where a field of 23 ladies came out to play. Six ladies returned for Sunday’s matches, and right off the bat Jane Montour sent Kimberly Kirk home in fifth place 7-4, while Sheila Moss eliminated Deby Welfringer 7-6 in the same place. Montour and Moss matched up in the quarterfinal match, and Montour ousted Moss 7-4 to earn her spot in the semifinals.

In the battle for the hot seat, Remedios and Cole matched up for the first time, and Remedios defeated Cole 7-5 and delivered her to the one-loss side of the chart. There Cole faced off against Montour and bested her 7-4, sending her home in third place and earning a second shot at Remedios. The single race-to-9 finals saw Cole jump out to a 3-0 lead before Remedios got on board. They exchanged racks to bring the score to 4-2 Cole, and then Cole turned things up a notch and won the next four racks to reach the hill first. Remedios rallied to win the next couple of games to bring the score to 8-4, but Cole won the final game to resume position on top of the NWPA standings, leaving Remedios in a close second. Seven ladies came to play in a $100-added second chance tournament Sunday. After a first-round bye, Jessica Orth lost a hillhill match up against NWPA tour president Tamre Rogers. Rogers then defeated bested Results: Makus for the hot seat. Liz Cole $365 Orth battled through 1st 2nd Mona Remedios $250 three hill-hill matches to $155 earn her spot in the final 3rd Jana Montour 4th Sheila Moss $115 against Rogers, which was 5th Deby Welfringer $74 one race to 4. Orth de Kimberly Kirk feated Rogers 4-2 to earn 7th Phyllis Fernandez $54 the top prize of $52. Adrianne Beach

>Upcoming Western Tournaments 9/1-5

Radisson Fort McDowell Resort

Scottsdale, AZ

702-719-7665 $6,000

Members

9/10-11 Arizona Women’s Billiard Tour

BCAPL Southwest Regional Champs

Bull Shooters

Phoenix, AZ

602-441-2447 $300

Ladies

10/8-9

Stingers Sports Bar and Grill

Phoenix, AZ

623-937-9645 $300

Ladies

Arizona Women’s Billiard Tour

10/11-16 WBCA Regional 9-Ball Championships Chinook Winds Casino Resort

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www.internationalcuemakers.com

True Heart Billiards Cues 519-220-0298 www.Trueheartbilliardcues.ca 24 oz. Cannon Break Cues 24 oz. By Dick Gahm 513-484-8651 Break Shafts Available Balanced Weight Power Break Games Co.

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CUE LATHES & INLAY MACHINES Starting at $850. Also sold separately: 2 HR cue repair and building video - $50. Point and inlay video - $50. Cue building book $69.95. Lathe pins, concaved live centers, chucks, wrap motors, and other parts to convert your lathe for cue-making or repair. Tapered shaft and butt blanks. WWW.CUESMITH.COM Phone: 770-684-7004 Ask for Chris, or write “Cue Man Billiards” 444 Flint Hill Road, Aragon, GA 30104

CUE LATHES Starting at $895 NEW ONLINE STORE NOW OPEN!

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SHURTZ CUSTOM CUES 316-269-3844 www.shurtzcue.com September 2011 ◊ InsidePOOLmag.com 47

48 InsidePOOL Magazine â&#x2014;&#x160; September 2011

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