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".
Thursday, June 29, 2006
Friday, June 16, 2006
Borg and Jans defend Euro snooker titles

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.
See also:
- 2006 European Championships (Global Snooker Centre)
- EBSA Championships (ibsf.org)
- Borg is Euro Star Again (World Snooker)
- Borg retains title after beating Cundy 7-5 in final (The Times of Malta)
- European snooker championships (wendy-jans.com)
- European Championships (Snooker Talk)
- Alex Borg from Malta wins the 2006 European Championships (European billiards)
- Wendy Jans European Champion ladies (European billiards)
- Dutchman wins Romania Open (The Times of Malta)
- Borg gets WSA wild card for Main Tour entry (The Times of Malta)
Selby and Thompson are new world eightball champions

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.See also:
- Selby pockets world pool crown (BBC Sport)
- Selby is 8-ball King (World Snooker)
- Selby wins World 8-ball Championship (European billiards)
- World 8-Ball Pool Championship Final (ArmchairGM)
Labels:
2006,
8-ball,
England,
english pool,
juniors,
men,
WEPF,
wheelchair,
women,
world championship
Sunday, June 11, 2006
Marcus "Napoleon" Chamat rules in Austria

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.
See also:
- Austrian Open (eurotour.nu)
- Marcus Chamat winner of Eurotour (European billiards)
- 2nd place Eurotour Austria (Nick van den Berg's Blog)
Friday, June 09, 2006
Gallego grabs Bangkok leg of Asian Tour

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.
See also:
- Gallego Wins Bangkok Leg of SMB Asian 9-Ball Tour (AzBilliards)
- Gallego Wins Bangkok Leg of Asian 9-Ball Tour (Philippine Billiards)
Monday, June 05, 2006
Hohmann wins World Straight Pool Championship

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:
- 174 Thorsten Hohmann
- 132 Mika Immonen
- 127 Max Eberle
- 125 Mike Sigel
- 123 Allen Hopkins
Word is that tapings have been made and that the DVDs should be ready in about 6 weeks.
See also:
- World Championships 14.1 - 2006 (WPA Tour)
- Hohmann Takes World 14.1 Straight Pool Top Honor (AzBilliards)
- World Straight Pool Championship Goes to Hohmann (Inside Pool Magazine)
- Hohmann Takes World 14.1 Straight Pool Top Honor
- WPA 14.1 World Championship Results and News (WPA)
- 2006 World 14.1 Straight Pool Championships (On the Hill)
- World Championship 14.1 (souquet.de)
- Straight Pool Men Worldchampionships 2006 in New Jersey (jasmin-ouschan.com)
- World 14.1 DVDs for sale (AzBilliards Forum)
- 14.1 World Championship (All Pro Billiards - DVDs)
- Straight Pool High Runs (D & D Family Billiards)
- Hohman is new world 14.1 champion. May be as good as Mosconi. (rec.sport.billiard)
- 14.1 World Championship - Hilarity ensues (YouTube)
Labels:
14.1,
2006,
pool,
straight pool,
USA,
world championship,
WPA
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.
See also:
Related post: Billiards World Championship coming up
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.
See also:
- Sethi wins world pro title for fifth time (The Hindu)
- 2006 World Professional Billiards Championship Final (ArmchairGM)
- 2006 World Professional Billiards Championship (Global Snooker Centre)
- World Championships (Billiard Junkies: Forum)
Related post: Billiards World Championship coming up
Labels:
2006,
England,
english billiards,
world championship
Thursday, June 01, 2006
Steve Mizerak passes away at 61
Legendary pool player Steve "The Miz" Mizerak passed away Monday May 29. He was suffering from gall bladder problems and was in a coma at the time of his death. He was 61 years old.
Mizerak's favourite game was straight pool and he won the US Open in this discipline from 1970-1973. He also won the 1978 US Open in 9-ball. Later in life he took to One Pocket, finishing runner-up in two "Legends of One Pocket" events.
He will also be remembered for his appearances on both the small and big screen. He starred in commercials and performed in the movies Baltimore Bullet and The Color of Money.
See also:
Mizerak's favourite game was straight pool and he won the US Open in this discipline from 1970-1973. He also won the 1978 US Open in 9-ball. Later in life he took to One Pocket, finishing runner-up in two "Legends of One Pocket" events.
He will also be remembered for his appearances on both the small and big screen. He starred in commercials and performed in the movies Baltimore Bullet and The Color of Money.
See also:
- Billiards legend Mizerak dead at 61 (Sports Illustrated/AP)
- Pool World Loses The Miz (AzBilliards)
- Steve Mizerak Passes Away (Inside Pool Magazine)
- "The Miz" Will Be Missed (Billiards Digest)
- In Memory of a Legend (OnePocket.org)
- Pool's Biggest Showoff (Billiards Digest)
- Steve Mizerak video tribute (You Tube)
Labels:
2006,
dead,
pool,
Steve Mizerak
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