Thursday, December 21, 2006

Peter Ebdon wins UK Championship

WSA: Maplin Electronics UK ChampionshipPeter Ebdon won the Maplin Electronics UK Championship for the first time.

The gritty Englishman looked like a winner throughout the event. In a somewhat scrappy final he managed to beat Scotland's Stephen Hendry 10-6.

This was Ebdon's seventh ranking title and first since the 2004 Irish Masters. He now joins an illustrious list of players who have won both the World Championship and the UK Championship. The other players are Steve Davis (England), Terry Griffiths (Wales), Alex Higgins (N.Ireland), Hendry, John Parrott (England), Ronnie O'Sullivan (England), John Higgins (Scotland) and Mark J Williams (Wales).

The win puts Ebdon at No.4 in the provisional rankings. Hendry lies in 7th position. The list is headed by Higgins who surpassed Ireland's Ken Doherty after his semi-final appearance.

The event took place in York Barbican Centre, England Dec 4-17.

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Thursday, December 14, 2006

USA retains Mosconi Cup with tie

Mosconi CupUSA retained the Mosconi Cup after this year's battle with Europe ended all square 12-12.

The rules state that the defending champion keeps the title in case of a draw.

Europe looked to be cruising, leading 8-4, 9-6 and 12-10, but USA once again came through with a battling performance. Corey Deuel won the last match 5-2 against David Alcaide (Spain).

Finland's Mika Immonen had a golden chance to win the trophy for Europe when leading 4-1 in the penultimate match against Mike Davis. Davis managed to claw his way back to 4-4 only to see Immonen needing just two balls for victory. The Finn lost position on the nine though and Davis kept the USA alive by potting the match ball.

USA now leads the event with 11-2. Europe's last win came in 2002.

The event took place from December 7-10 in the Cruise Terminal Rotterdam, Netherlands. Matches were singles, scotch doubles, scotch triples and scotch sextuples(!) with alternate break.

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Petroni wins final Euro Tour event of season

EPBF: Costa del Sol OpenItaly's Fabio Petroni reigned supreme in the PoolComps.com Costa del Sol Open. In the final he crushed top player Niels Feijen (Netherlands) 10-1.

Petroni went through the event undefeated. His closest match was a 10-8 win over Finland's Petri Makkonen in the qualifying stages.

Oliver Ortmann (Germany) and Martin Kempter (Austria) finished in third place.

The tournament was played 6-9 December at in Benalmadena, Spain. In total 230 players took part. It was the seventh and final event of the season.

Nick van den Berg (Netherlands) held on to the lead in the Euro Tour Ranking. Losing finalist Feijen improved two places to finish in silver position. Ortmann's third place finish took him from 6th to 3rd and Petroni moved from 9th to 4th.

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Wednesday, November 15, 2006

Maflin and Jans top World Snooker

Kurt Maflin from Norway and Wendy Jans from Belgium came out on top at the IBSF World Snooker Championships.

Maflin beat Daniel Ward (England) 11-8 in the men's final while Jans whitewashed Wan-Ip In (Hong Kong) 5-0. Both winners were undefeated throughout the tournament.

A Main Tour spot was on offer to the winner of the men's event. That means Maflin will compete against the top pros in the 2007/2008 season. This will be his second stint on the world's major snooker tour.

Keith E Boon (Singapore) had the highest break of the tournament with a magnificent 147.

Pakistan's Mohammad Yousuf won the title in the Masters (Over 40s) division. He beat Glen Wilkinson from Australia 5-4 in the final.

The event was held 5-15 November in the Regency Palace, Amman, Jordan.

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Tuesday, November 14, 2006

Allison Fisher wins Nationals for second title in a row

England's Allison Fisher won the Cuetec Cues WPBA Nationals for her second WPBA title in a row.

In the final she edged South Korea's Ga Young Kim 7-6. Karen Corr (N.Ireland) and Kelly Fisher (England) finished joint third.

This latest addition to her tropy cabinet came less than a month after she captured the US Open.

This was her third WPBA win of the season and the 54rd title of her career. The win will strengthen her lead in the WPBA rankings.

Fisher took away $14,000 for first place. Young won $8,000 for finishing second.

The event took place from November 8-12 at the Chinook Winds Casino, Lincoln City, Oregon.

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Blomdahl reigns in Spain

Sweden's Torbjörn Blomdahl proved he can still play after winning the 3 cushion World Cup event in Turkey.

In the final he beat Semih Sayginer from the host nation 3-1. Martin Horn from Germany and Tayfun Tasdemir (Turkey) shared third spot.

The event took place at Hotel Marine Princess, Istanbul, Turkey November 6-12. It was the last World Cup event of the year.

The win will not be enough to take him to the top of the World Cup ranking. Daniel Sanchez (Spain) is too far ahead.

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Sunday, November 12, 2006

Ronnie Alcano wins World Pool Championship

NB! This post covers the 2006 world championship. For news on the 2007 event see "Daryl Peach is first British winner of the World Pool Championship".

Filipino Ronnie Alcano won the World Pool Championship on home turf.

In the final he defeated Germanys' Ralf Souquet 17-11 to grab the $100,000 first prize. Souquet's runner-up place earned him $40,000. Alcano overcame Li He-wen from China in the semi-finals with a 11-8 scoreline. Souquet won a hill-hill battle with Fu Che-wei (Taiwan).

Alcano scraped through from the group stages but played brilliantly throughout the single elimination phase. Prior to the Li match he beat Robert Gomez (Philippines) 10-1, Efren Reyes (Philippines) 10-7, Kuo Po-cheng (Taiwan) 11-5, and defending champion Wu Chia-ching (Taiwan) 11-6.

This was Alcano's first time in a world final. Souquet had been there twice before, lifting the trophy in 1996. Alcano is the third Filipino to win the world title, following Reyes (1999) and Alex Pagulayan (2004).

The event was dominated by the Asian contingent. Souquet was the only non-Asian to reach the quarter-finals. USA had a very disapponting showing. For the first time they had no players in the last 32.

The tournament ran from November 4-12 at the Philippine International Convention Center, Manila.

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Saturday, November 04, 2006

The World Pool Championship has started

Play has started in the World Pool Championship.

This is the major event on the pool sports calendar. It runs from November 4-12 at the Philippine International Convention Center, Manila. The winner will receive $100,000.

17 year-old Wu Chia-ching from Taiwan is the defending champion. He'll have lots of tough competitors in Manila. There's plenty of top Asian players on site, mainly from the host nation and Taiwan.

Some of the favorites are Efren Reyes (Philippines), Ralf Souquet (Germany), Earl Strickland (USA), Mika Immonen (Finland), Oliver Ortmann (Germany), Marlon Manalo (Philippines) and Thorsten Hohmann (Germany).

Before the tournament a number of qualifiers were held. A total of 14 players made it through to the main event:
  • Philippines (8): Roberto Gomez, Eduardo Villanueva, Lee Van Corteza, Antonio Lining, Leonardo Andam, Israel Lota, Jharome Pena and Rudy Morta
  • Taiwan (4): Nien Rong-chih, Hsia Hun-kai, Lu Hsun-chen and Chin ju-chen
  • Singapore (1): Tan Tiong Boon
  • Japan (1): Tomoo Takano

The 128 players have been drawn into 32 four-man groups. The top two from each group advance to the single elimination stage.

Group matches are race-to-eight. The opening two rounds in the single elimination cup are best-of-19. After that the format is first-to-11. The final is best of 33 racks. All matches are alternate breaks.

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Monday, October 30, 2006

Neil Robertson wins Grand Prix

Australia's Neil Robertson won the Royal London Watches Grand Prix and a cheque of £60,000.

In the final he beat England's up and coming player Jamie Cope 9-5. This was the first major final for both players.

Jamie Cope made a maximum break of 147 earlier in the tournament, earning him £24,000 in addition to the £30,000 runner-up prize.

This was the first time an Australian has won a ranking title. Eddie Charlton made it to three World finals but never managed to win a ranking title.

The win puts Robertson at No.7 in the provisional rankings. Cope moves to 14th position. He started the season at No.48 in the world rankings. The list is still headed by Ireland's Ken Doherty, followed by John Higgins and Graeme Dott from Scotland.

The event took place in Aberdeen Exhibition and Conference Centre, Scotland, Oct 21-29. It was the second of seven ranking tournaments on the WSA Main Tour.

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Monday, October 23, 2006

Allison Fisher successfully defends US Open title

Allison Fisher retained the US Open by defeating fellow Englishwoman Kim Shaw 7-5.

This was her second WPBA win of the season and 53rd of her career. The win will solidify her position on top of the WPBA rankings.

Fisher took away $14,000 for first place. Shaw won $8,000 for her runner-up position.

The event took place from October 18-22 in the Sandia Hotel and Casino, Albuquerque, New Mexico.

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Tuesday, October 10, 2006

Paul Hunter loses fight against cancer

Some really sad news tonight. Paul Hunter has died after losing a long battle with cancer.

He was an inspiration to the very end. Only last month he staged a charity event for the NET Patient Foundation.

Our thoughts goes out to his family. He left a wife and a little daughter behind.

In his short but very successful career he won three ranking titles and was a three-time Masters winner.

Paul Hunter was only 27 years old.

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Monday, October 09, 2006

Jonni Fulcher wins Euro Tour in own backyard

Home favourite Jonni Fulcher surprised everyone by winning the PoolComps.com Swiss Open and the top prize of €5,000. In the final he defeated snooker star Tony "Tornado" Drago 10-8.

Before this event Fulcher was No. 46 in the season rankings. His previous best showings were two 17th place finishes.

This was definitely a tournament filled with upsets. Dejan Dubovic from Austria and Francesco Diaz from Spain came from nowhere to share third place.

Austria's Jasmin Ouschan continues to impress. This time she came 17th, losing to Nick van der Berg (Netherlands) in the first round of the single cup. That's the best finish ever by a woman in Euro Tour.

The tournament was played 4-7 October at Island Billiards in Frauenfeld, Switzerland. In total 183 players took part. It was the sixth and penultimate event of the season. The last stop is in Spain (Dec 6-9).

With this victory Fulcher leaps from 46th to 11th in the Euro Tour Ranking. Losing finalist Drago jumps all the way from 38th to 7th.

Nick van den Berg (Netherlands) is the new leader after passing Thomas Engert (Germany). Imran Majid (England) stays in third place.

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Friday, October 06, 2006

John Schmidt takes US Open title

Straight pool master John Schmidt won the US Open on home soil. He earned $40,000 by defeating Filipino Rodolfo Luat 11-6 in the final.

2004 winner Gabe Owen (USA) finished in third place. His countryman David Broxson took fourth.

Defending champion Alex Pagulayan (Philippines) went out in the early rounds.

The tournament was played 25 September to October 1 at the Chesapeake Conference Center, in Chesapeake, Virginia.

Before the event John Schmidt was looking for someone to put him in the tournament. I guess he got lucky ...

A number of the top players were absent this time, e.g. Efren Reyes and Francisco Bustamante from the Philippines. Germany's Ralf Souquet and Thorsten Hohmann were playing in the World Pool League in Poland, along with Dutchamn Niels Feijen and Dennis Orcollo from the Philippines.

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Sunday, September 24, 2006

Eddy Merckx is 3-cushion World champion

Eddy Merckx from Belgium won the World Three Cushion Championship in St. Wendel, Germany.

In the final against Nikos Polychronopoulos from Greece he won 3-1, with the set scores 15-11, 15-14, 4-15 and 15-2. Peter de Backer (Belgium) captured the bronze medal.

Marco Zanetti (Italy) had the highest average in the tournament, with 1.802. Current European champion Frédéric Caudron from Belgium had the highest single match average with 2.812. Dick Jaspers (Netherlands) had the highest run in the event with 15.

Merckx is No.13 in the current World Players Ranking and is a multiple Belgian Champion.

The championship was held in Saaldau, Germany between 19th and 24th September.

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Alex Lely wins Euro Tour event on home turf

Alex Lely from Netherlands won the PoolComps.com Netherlands Open and the top prize of €5,000. In the final he defeated German veteran Oliver Ortmann 10-8.

Thomas Engert (Germany) had his second successive third place finish. He was joined by David Alcoberro from Spain, the surprise package of the event.

The tournament was played 20-22 September at the House of Billiards in Weert. In total 234 players participated. It was the fifth event of the season. There are two more stops, in Switzerland (Oct 4-7) and in Spain (Dec 6-9).

With this victory Lely leaps from 30th to 7th in the Euro Tour Ranking. Engert retains his lead. He is followed by Nick van den Berg (Netherlands) and Imran Majid (England), both moving up one place.

Losing finalist Ortmann jumps from 7th to 4th, Christian Reimering (Germany) moves from 6th to 5th and Niels Feijen (Netherlands) drops from 2nd to 6th.

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Saturday, September 23, 2006

Efren Reyes wins final event of Asian Tour season

Efren Reyes (Philippines) won the Indonesia leg of the San Miguel Asian 9-ball Tour. In the final he defeated local player Ricky Yang 11-7 to claim the $10,000 first prize.

This completed a Philippine sweep on the Tour. Efren Reyes won in Vietnam, Ramil Gallego won in Thailand and Rodolfo Luat won in Taiwan.

The tournament was played in Mutiara Ballroom, Jakarta 15-17 September.

The top 10 finishers in the Order of Merit earned spots in the 2006 World Pool Championship. Reyes tops the list. Here are all the qualifiers:
  1. Efren Reyes (Philippines)
  2. Wung Hung Hsiang (Taiwan)
  3. Li He Wen (China)
  4. Wu Chia Ching (Taiwan)
  5. Francisco Bustamante (Philippines)
  6. Yang Ching Shun (Taiwan)
  7. Ramil Gallego (Philippines)
  8. Rodolfo Luat (Philippines)
  9. Masaaki Tanaka (Japan)
  10. Chao Fong Pang (Taiwan)
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Daniel Sanchez wins World Cup in Egypt

Daniel Sanchez from Spain won the 3 cushion World Cup event in Hurghada, Egypt.

In the final he beat Peter de Backer (Belgium) 3-1.

Netherland's Jean Paul de Bruyn occupied third spot and Michael Nilsson from Sweden took fourth.

World champion Frédéric Caudron (also Belgium) had the highest average in the tournament, with 1.879.

The event took place at the Sunrise Garden Resort, Hurghada, Egypt, September 4-9. It was the fourth World Cup event of the year. Only one event remains, in Istanbul Turkey.

The win takes Sanchez to the top of the World Cup ranking. Dick Jaspers (Netherlands) drops to third. Roland Forthomme (Belgium) is in third and Caudron is in fourth.

Sanchez also tops the UMB World Players Ranking. He is followed by Caudron, Jaspers and Blomdahl.

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Thursday, September 14, 2006

Efren Reyes wins World Open 8-Ball Championship

Efren "Bata" Reyes from the Philippines won the World Open 8-ball Championship.

Reyes earned a massive $500,000 for the win, the richest prize in pool history.

USA's Rodney Morris was defeated 8-6 in a tight final. His three scratches on the break might have been his downfall. The runner-up checque of $150,000 isn't a bad consolation prize though.

Mika Immonen (Finland) and Oliver Ortmann (Germany) came third and fourth respectively. Dennis Orcollo (Philippines) came 5th and Corey Deuel (USA) took sixth.

Francisco Bustamante (Philippines) had the best games won percentage in the event with 63.67. Ortmann had the best break and run percentage with 47.94.

Reyes and Orcollo also made the last six in the North American Open.

The win moves Reyes to the top the Money List Rankings, ahead of Thorsten Hohmann (Germany), Morris, Orcollo, Immonen and Manalo.

This was the second event of the International Pool Tour's inaugural season. It ran from September 2-10 at the Grand Sierra Resort and Casino in Reno, Nevada. 200 players participated. Next up is the Masters 8-Ball Championship in Chicago November 26 - December 3.

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Frédéric Caudron rules at Sang Lee International Open

Reigning world champion Frédéric Caudron from Belgium won the 2006 Sang Lee International.

In the final Caudron edged Swedish legend Torbjörn Blomdahl 40-39. Blomdahl was down 37-28 before making a 10 points run to get right back in it. Turkey's Semih Sayginer took third.

Caudron received $12,750 for the win. Blomdahl earned $10,200 and Sayginer $8,500.

Best game honors went to Dick Caspers (Belgium) who made 40 points in eight innings against Kyung-Roul Kim (South Korea). That's an average of 5.000! Caudron won high run honors with a brilliant 20.

70-year old Raymond Ceulemans (Belgium) finished in an impressive 11th place.

The event was played August 13-20 in Carom Café Billiards, New York, USA. The tournament featured 82 players from 18 countries.

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Sunday, September 03, 2006

The IPT World Open 8-ball Championship has started

Play has commenced in the IPT World Open 8-ball Championship.

Two major announcements were made at the players meeting; The London event is cancelled and the IPT has been sold to Ho Interactive.

This is the second event of the International Pool Tour's inaugural season. It runs from September 3-9 at the Grand Sierra Resort and Casino in Reno, Nevada. The winner receives $500,000 from the $3 million purse.

Germany's Thorsten Hohmann and Marlon Manalo from the Philippines came first and second in the North American Open. They're back and have to play very well to fend off the brilliant cast of contenders.

There are many top names among the IPT cardholders, e.g. Efren Reyes (Philippines), Ralf Souquet (Germany), Earl Strickland (USA), Mika Immonen (Finland), Oliver Ortmann (Germany) and Allison Fisher (England).

Also there's a lot of quality coming through the qualifiers. The biggest name may be Taiwan's double world champion Chia-Ching Wu. There's also a number of qualifiers from the Philippines; Ronnie Alcano, Antonio Lining, Santos Sambajon and Ramil Gallego.

Jasmin Ouschan from Austria is possibly the strongest female player at the moment. She qualified from the Norwegian event. Others coming through were Thomas Engert (Germany), Tony Drago (Malta), Hui-Kai Hsia (Taiwan) and Imran Majid (England).

The two American legends Buddy Hall and Jim Rempe have withdrawn. They have been replaced by Rico Diks from Netherlands and David Matlock (USA). Ronnie O'Sullivan had to stay home because of an ear infection. He was replaced by Michael Schmidt from Germany. George SanSouci had to pull out for personal reasons. His spot went to Rodolfo Luat (Philippines).

Billiards Digest has a superb 2006 Season Preview (PDF) that provides you with all the information you need.

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Saturday, September 02, 2006

Philippines capture World Cup of Pool

The Philippines "Dream Team" of Efren Reyes and Francisco Bustamante won the inaugural PartyPoker World Cup of Pool.

In the final they overwhelmed the American duo of Earl Strickland and Rodney Morris 13-5. Germany and Vietnam shared third place.

The event took place from August 22-27 in the Newport Centre, Newport, Wales. First prize was $60,000. All matches were scotch doubles with alternate break.

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Ding Junhui wins Northern Ireland Trophy

China's Ding Junhui grabbed his third ranking title by winning the Northern Ireland Trophy.

Ronnie O'Sullivan (England) was impressive throughout the tournament but had to surrender 9-6 to Junhui in a well-played final.

The win puts Junhui at No.5 in the provisional rankings. O'Sullivan is in 8th position. The list is headed by Ireland's Ken Doherty, followed by Scots Graeme Dott and John Higgins.

The event took place in Waterfront Hall, Belfast Aug 13-20.

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Saturday, August 12, 2006

Luat on top in Asian Tour's Taiwan event

Rodolfo Luat (Philippines) won the Taiwan leg of the San Miguel Asian 9-ball Tour. In the final he defeated home favorite Hsia Hui-Kai 11-7 to claim the $10,000 first prize.

This means Philippine players have won all three events this season. Efren Reyes won the first leg in Ho-Chin-Minh City, Vietnam and Ramil Gallego won the second one in Bangkok, Thailand.

The tournament was played in Kaohsiung 4-6 August. The fourth and final stop on the Tour is Jakarta, Indonesia, 15-17 September.

Luat now moves into ninth place in the Order of Merit.
Reyes tops the standings, followed by Francisco Bustamante (Philippines), Li He Wen (China), Yang Ching Shun (Taiwan), Wu Chia Ching (Taiwan) and Gallego. The top 10 finishers after the four events will earn spots in the 2006 World Pool Championship.

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Monday, July 31, 2006

Hohmann wins North American Open 8-ball Championship

Germany's Thorsten "The Hitman" Hohmann won the IPT North American Open 8-ball Championship.

He earned an amazing $350,000 for the win, the richest prize in pool history.

Marlon Manalo (Philippines) was bested 8-7 in an extremely tight and well-played final and had to be content with $99,000.

Manalo's countrymen Dennis Orcollo and Efren Reyes came third and fourth respectively. Ralf Souquet (Germany) came 5th and Evgeny Stalev (Russia) took sixth.

This was the opening event of the International Pool Tour's inaugural season. It ran from July 22-30 at the Venetian in Las Vegas. Next up is the World Open in Reno, September 2-10.

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Corr takes Midwest Classic title

Karen Corr (Northern Ireland) came out on top in the Midwest Classic.

In the final Corr beat Kelly Fisher (England) 7-5.

This was her third WPBA win of the season, the second in a row and 20th of her career. She is now only 80 points behind Allison Fisher in the WPBA rankings.

The event took place from July 26-30 in the Par-A-Dice Hotel & Casino, East Peoria, Illinois.

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Sunday, July 23, 2006

The IPT North American Open starts

The IPT North American Open 8-ball Championship has begun.

This is the opening event of the International Pool Tour's inaugural season. It runs from July 22-30 at the Venetian in Las Vegas. The winner receives $350,000 from the $2 million purse.

Plenty of top names are entered, including Efren Reyes (Philippines), Ralf Souquet (Germany), Earl Strickland (USA), Thorsten Hohmann (Germany), Marlon Manalo (Philippines), Mika Immonen (Finland), Ronnie O'Sullivan (England), Oliver Ortmann (Germany) and Allison Fisher (England).

Four players have withdrawn, namely Americans Buddy Hall, Jim Rempe and Pete Fusco and Chinese Liu Wei. They have been replaced by Hungary's Vilmos Földes and Americans Keith Bennett, Jeff Beckley and Lee Heuwagen.

Billiards Digest has a superb 2006 Season Preview (PDF) that provides you with all the information you need.

European fans can follow the action live on Eurosport.

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Wednesday, July 12, 2006

John Spencer dies at 71

Three-times snooker world champion John Spencer died Monday Jul 10 after a battle against stomach cancer. He was 71 years old.

Spencer was also a BBC commentator for many years and became a chairman of WPBSA in 1990.

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Tuesday, July 04, 2006

Corr repeats as Florida winner

Karen Corr (Northern Ireland) successfully defended the Cuetec Cues Florida Classic.

In the final Corr beat arch rival Allison Fisher (England) 7-4. She beat Fisher with the same score in last year's final!

This was her second WPBA win of the season and 19th of her career. The win will cement Corr's 2nd place in the WPBA rankings. Beaten finalist Fisher tops the list.

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Sunday, July 02, 2006

Newsbites #2

Completed events:
Upcoming events:
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Thursday, June 29, 2006

Web Gems #1: Players

Every once in a while I come across some fascinating web pages. It could be an interesting story, an intriguing product or an entertaining video. I'll try to pick the very best and present them under the "Web Gems" umbrella. The first installment covers the players:

The history of cuesports is packed with legends and originals. At Billiard History's Untold Stories you can dive into the golden era of billiard. The website is a joint effort from Billiards Digest and Hustler Days author R.A. Dyer.

You can read about Bill "Weenie Beenie" Staton, one of the first inductees into the One Pocket Hall of Fame. And did you know that Mosconi made world debut by weird fluke?

The modern game has its share of profiles too. Billiards Digest's Feature Story archive contains articles on two of the all-time greats; Efren "Bata" Reyes and Earl "The Pearl" Strickland.

Jean Balukas is by many regarded as the greatest female player ever. In 1991 New York Women ran a piece on her called "Too Good for Her Own Good".

See the BCA Hall of Fame for more on these and other great players.

Jason Miller may not be ready for the Hall of Fame yet. His story is just as interesting though. Here's the article from Inside Pool Magazine: Jason Miller Model of a Modern Pool Player.

No matter how great these players are they seldom become household names. In Belgium some players are close though. Raymond Ceulemans is among the carom players to have been included in the series "Belgian International Sport Champions".

Friday, June 16, 2006

Borg and Jans defend Euro snooker titles

Alex Borg from Malta and Wendy Jans from Belgium came out on top in the European Snooker Championships. The event was held 5-15 June in Constanta, Romania.

Borg beat Jeff Cundy (England) 7-5 in the final while Jans whitewashed Isabelle Jonckheere (Netherlands) 5-0.

The Maltese star probably had his toughest battle in the semis against Norway's Kurt Maflin. That match was decided on the final colors in the deciding frame.

A Main Tour spot was on offer to the winner of the men's event. Cundy had already secured this prize before a ball was potted in the final as Borg was not eligible, having played on the Tour this season.

This was Borg's fourth final. Prior to last year's win he was runner-up in 2004 and 1998.

Jamie Jones (Wales) had the highest break of the tournament with a 132.

It was an all-Finnish affair in the Seniors final. Jyri Virtanen defeated Kimmo Lång 6-4.

The Romanian Open was played just before the tournament. Netherland's Roy Stolk won the event and a place on next season's Main Tour.

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Selby and Thompson are new world eightball champions

Snooker pro Mark Selby (England) and Sue Thompson (Scotland) won the IYP.com World Eightball Championship.

Selby, who had to rely on a sponsor's wildcard to get into the tournament, beat favourite Darren Appleton (England) 11-7 in the final. Appleton also finished second in 1994. First prize was £10,000.

Thompson defeated Northern Ireland's Emma Cunningham 8-6 in the women's final. She also beat Cunningham in the 2004 final. Last year the positions were reversed.

Pat McCarron (Scotland) won the Junior title and Karl Read (England) won the wheelchair division. There were also team events in each division.

The tournament took place in Blackpool, England, 5th-15th June.

Please note that this is the English version of the game. Wikipedia explains the differences in detail. Here is an excerpt:
In the version of pool or Eight Ball played in the United Kingdom and Australia, plain unnumbered red balls and yellow balls often replace the solid and striped balls. If not, the terms "bigs" (9-15) and "smalls" (1-7) are generally used instead. The black ball, however, still typically bears a number eight. Another difference is that the UK table has pockets just larger than the balls, whereas the American table has pockets significantly larger.
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Sunday, June 11, 2006

Marcus "Napoleon" Chamat rules in Austria

Sweden's Marcus Chamat won the ImproveYourPool.com Austria Open.

In the final he defeated Netherland's Nick van den Berg 10-7. Tour leader Thomas Engert (Germany) and Niels Feijen (Netherland) finished joint third.

With this victory Chamat moves from 6th to 5th in the Euro Tour Ranking. Engert retains his lead and Feijen stays put in second. van den Berg moves past Imran Majid (England) into third.

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Related post: Stolka is surprise winner in Sindelfingen

Friday, June 09, 2006

Gallego grabs Bangkok leg of Asian Tour

Ramil "Bebeng" Gallego (Philippines) won the Bangkok leg of the San Miguel Asian 9-ball Tour. He bested Hong Kong's Au Chi Wai 11-8 in the final.

This makes it two out of two for the Philippines. Reyes won the first leg in Ho-Chin-Minh City, Vietnam.

Gallego earnt $10,000 for the win. The victory must be especially sweet since he came in as a late replacement for Alex Pagulayan.

The next stop on the Tour is Kaohsiung, Taiwan 4-6 August. There are a total of four events on the Tour. The top 10 finishers in the Order of Merit will earn spots in the 2006 World Pool Championship.

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Monday, June 05, 2006

Hohmann wins World Straight Pool Championship

Thorsten Hohmann confirmed his reputation as one of the world's top players by winning the World Straight Pool Championship, in New Jersey, USA.

This was his second world title. In 2003 he won the World 9-ball Championship.

The 26 year old German beat his countryman Thomas Engert 200-80 in the final. The losing semifinalists were Max Eberle (USA) and Mika Immonen (Finland).

Hohmann also posted the highest run of the event, a brilliant 174 (unfinished) against John "400" Schmidt. That's just eight points shy of Joe Procita's record for tournament play. Here are the top five runs from the event:
  1. 174 Thorsten Hohmann
  2. 132 Mika Immonen
  3. 127 Max Eberle
  4. 125 Mike Sigel
  5. 123 Allen Hopkins
There were three women taking part; Jeanette Lee, Jasmin Ouschan and Megan Minerich. Jeanette Lee made it to the second stage and Jasmin Ouschan finished in an impressive fifth place.

Word is that tapings have been made and that the DVDs should be ready in about 6 weeks.

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Sethi wins fifth World Billiards trophy

India's Geet Sethi won the 2006 World Billiards Championship.

He has now won a total of five world pro titles, but this might have been the sweetest of them all. It's a great achievement to win at 45 years of age. His last win came back in 1999.

Lee Lagan from England took silver after losing 2093-1057 in the final.

Prestatyn, Wales was the site of the championship, which lasted from 30th May - 4th June.

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Related post: Billiards World Championship coming up