Orie Hida wins Ladies World Three Cushion Championship

NB! This is the article for the 2007 World Championship. You can also read about the 2008 event.

Orie Hida from Japan won the Ladies World Three Cushion Championship.

In the final against Therese Klompenhouwer from Netherlands she won 3-0, with the set scores 12-0, 12-3 and 12-7. Ayako Maehara (Japan) and Gülsen Degener from Turkey captured the bronze medals.

Hida's average of 1.161 in the final was the highest single match average in the tournament. Maehara had the highest over-all average, with 0.878. Maehara (twice) and Klompenhouwer had the highest runs in the event with 9.

This was the second instalment of the championship. Hida also won the first one, in Sevilla, Spain, 2004.

The championship was held at La Plaza, Hoensbroek, Netherlands between 20th and 23rd December, 2006.

See also:

• Ævitæ World Championships Ladies 2006 (Official homepage)
• World Championship Ladies 3-Cushion (UMB.org)
• Orie Hida repite como campeona del mundo de Tres Bandas (Billarnet - Spanish)
  
• Orie Hida revalida el entorchado mundial a Tres Bandas (RFEB - Spanish)
• I.lk kez düzenlenen Bayanlar 3-Bant Dünya S,ampiyonas? (Bìlardo Türk - Turkish)
• World Championship Ladies (KNBB - Dutch)
• Biljarten: wereldtitel driebanden voor Hida (Dagblad De Limburger - Dutch)
• Orie Hida verteidigt Titel (Billard Zentrum - German)
• WK Driebanden Groot Dames in Hoensbroek (www.nieuwsinfo.nl - Dutch)
• Women: World 3 Cushion Championship (Sports 123)

Peter Ebdon wins UK Championship

Peter 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.

See also:

• Official tournament page (World Snooker)
• 2006 UK Championship (Global Snooker Centre)
• Ebdon beats Hendry to join elite (BBC)
• Ebdon Claims UK Title (Sporting Life)
• 2006 UK Championship (Wheels in Motion)
• Ebdon wins UK Championship (European billiards)
• UK2006: Ebdon siegt (Snookerblog - German)
• Snooker Ranking with Cuefacts from the Maplin Uk Championships 2006
• SnookerManager: UK Championship 2006

Related posts:

• Ding Junhui wins Northern Ireland Trophy
• Neil Robertson wins Grand Prix

Shameless plugs:

• Event Prediction: UK Championship
• WWW Snooker: Maplin Electronics UK Championship

USA retains Mosconi Cup with tie

USA 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.

See also:

• Official homepage
• Mosconi Cup ends in historic tie (AzBilliards)
• U.S., Europe Fit To Be Tied! (Billiards Digest)
• USA Billiards Team Retains the Mosconi Cup (Inside Pool Magazine)
• Mosconi 2006 (Poolfoto's van Gerard)
• Mosconi Cup Trophy goes to USA - again! (European billiards)
• Mosconi Cup XIII – Victory given away (souquet.de)
• L'égalité imparfaite (Kozoom.com - French)
• El empate le sirve a Estados Unidos para retener el título de la Copa Mosconi (Billarnet - Spanish)
• Team Europe gibt Sieg aus der Hand (billiard.info - German)
• Amerika se Vratila iz Ponora (Biljarski Savez - Hungarian)

Petroni wins final Euro Tour event of season

Italy'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.

See also:

• Spanish Open (Eurotour.nu)
• Official Website of the EPBF - IBP Eurotour
• Fabio Petroni wins eurotour in Spain (European billiards)
• Petroni sur un nuage (Kozoom.com - French)
• Facquet termine en beauté (Kozoom.com - French)
• Petroni se merienda a Feijens y gana el Eurotour de la Costa del Sol (Billarnet - Spanish)
• Fabulous Fabio Osvojio Eurotour u Malagi (Biljarski Savez - Hungarian)
• Petroni siegt (billiard.info - German)
• Nick van den Berg mantiene el liderato del Euro Tour (Billarnet - Spanish)
• Eurotour (AzBilliards Forums)

Related posts:

• Stolka is surprise winner in Sindelfingen
• Marcus "Napoleon" Chamat rules in Austria
• Alex Lely wins Euro Tour event on home turf
• Jonni Fulcher wins Euro Tour in own backyard

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.

See also:

• Official site (ibsf.org)
• 2006 IBSF World Championships (Global Snooker Centre)
• Jans Storms to Ladies Title (World Snooker)
• Maflin verdensmester i snooker (NRK - Norwegian)
• Wendy Jans Crowned IBSF World Ladies Champion (GSC Blog)
• Yousuf wins World Snooker Championship senior event (The News - International)
• Norsk verdensmester i snooker (Norwegian Billiard Federation - Norwegian)
• Kurt Maflin ist Amateur-Weltmeister (Snookerblog - Deutsch)
• World Championships snooker (wendy-jans.com)
• World Champion 2006 (wendy-jans.com, pictures)
• IBSF Worlds-Jordan (Snooker Talk)
• IBSF Snooker MM (Veikko Hannulan Snookerblogi - Finnish)

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.

See also:

• 2006 Cuetec Cues WPBA Nationals Brackets (wpba.com)
• 2006 Cuetec Cues WPBA Nationals Highlights (wpba.com)
• Fisher spirits away WPBA National title (Billiards Digest)
• Fisher Takes Down WPBA National 9-Ball Championship (Inside Pool Magazine)
• 9-Ball Junkie - WPBA Nationals, Lincoln City (OMGWTF)
• Official Homepage of Allison Fisher

Related posts:

• Allison Fisher takes long road to victory
• Kelly Fisher defends San Diego title
• Corr repeats as Florida winner
• Corr takes Midwest Classic title
• Allison Fisher successfully defends US Open title

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.

See also:

• Tournament Details (UMB)
• Blomdahl conclut la saison (Kozoom.com - French)
• Blomdahl agua la fiesta turca (Billarnet - Spanish)

Related posts:

• Jaspers wins World Cup in Sluiskil
• Sanchez wins World Cup
• Daniel Sanchez wins World Cup in Egypt

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.

See also:

• Official site
• Alcano Ends Amazing Run By Winning The World Pool Championship (AzBilliards)
• Not Much of a Thrilla: Alcano Scores Knockout vs. Souquet in WPC Final (Billiards Digest)
• Island Fever (Billiards Digest - PDF)
• Ronnie Alcano World Pool Champion (Inside Pool Magazine)
• Alcano vs Souquet for the WPC Crown (Raya website)
• Silver medal won or gold medal lost? (souquet.de)
• Alcano pockets P5m as world pool champ (Manila Standard Today)
• Alcano is pool king (The Manila Times)
• Cinderella Man: A New Hero from Calamba, Laguna (American Chronicle)
• RP to host again WPC in 2007 (The Manila Times)
• Alcano Crowned 2006 Philippines World Pool Champion (Asian 9-Ball Tour)
• DVD: WPC 2006 Final (Matchroom Sport)
• Ronato Alcano es el nuevo campeón del mundo (Billarnet - Spanish)
• Alcano entre dans la légende (Kozoom - French)
• Filipinac Alcano Svjetski Prvak u 9ball (Biljarski Savez - Hungarian)
• Raya Website
• 2006 World 9-Ball Championships (Global Snooker Centre)
• 2006 Philippines World Pool Championship (On the Hill)
• On The Hill Blog (Japanese)
• WK 9ball (Dutch)
• World Pool Championship (AzBilliards Forums)
• Your man in Manila (Jay Helfert, AzBilliards Forums)

Related posts:

• World Pool Championship goes to Manila
• The World Pool Championship has started

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.

See also:

• Official site
• Raya Website
• 2006 World 9-Ball Championships (Global Snooker Centre)
• World Championship Underway (AzBilliards)
• A Dream Come True (AzBilliards)
• Reyes says All-Filipino Final Possible in World Pool Championship (AzBilliards)
• Manila Madness: World Pool Championship Preview (Billiards Digest)
• 2006 Philippines World Pool Championship (On the Hill)
• On The Hill Blog (Japanese)
• WK 9ball (Dutch)
• World Pool Championship (AzBilliards Forums)
• Your man in Manila (Jay Helfert, AzBilliards Forums)
• Stan James: Pool (Sports Betting)

Related posts:

• World Pool Championship goes to Manila
• Ronnie Alcano wins World Pool Championship

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.

See also:

• 2006 Grand Prix (Global Snooker Centre)
• Robertson Makes History with Victory (Sporting Life)
• Robertson clinches Aberdeen win (BBC)
• 2006 Royal London Watches Grand Prix (Wheels in Motion)
• Robertson makes snooker history (The Australian)
  
• Erster australischer Sieg in einem Weltranglistenturnier (Snookerblog - German)
• Snooker Ranking with Cuefacts from the Royal London Grand Prix 2006

Related posts:

• Ding Junhui wins Northern Ireland Trophy

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.

See also:

• 2006 Cuetec Cues US Open Results (wpba.com)
• 2006 Cuetec Cues US Open Highlights (wpba.com)
• Fisher wins WPBA US Open (AzBilliards)
• Allison Fisher Wins WPBA U.S. Open (Billiards Digest)
• Fisher Successfully Defends Billiards Title (Inside Pool Magazine)
• British snooker vet wins U.S. Open 9-ball (Albuquerque Tribune)
• Billiards: The Women's U.S. Open 9-ball Championships brings the world's top players to Albuquerque (Albuquerque Tribune)
• Allison Fischer vuelve a lo más alto (Billarnet - Spanish)
• The US Open Diary (Kim Shaw)
• 9th place US Open (wendy-jans.com)
• Official Homepage of Allison Fisher

Related posts:

• Allison Fisher takes long road to victory
• Kelly Fisher defends San Diego title
• Corr repeats as Florida winner
• Corr takes Midwest Classic title

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.

See also:

• Paul Hunter 1978-2006 (World Snooker)
• Hunter loses battle with cancer (BBC)
• Wheels in Motion Snooker Management
• Paul Hunter - Online Memorial (Gone Too Soon)
• Paul Hunter - Rest In Peace (Justgiving)

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.

See also:

• Swiss Open (Eurotour.nu)
• Official Website of the EPBF - IBP Eurotour
• Jonni Fulcher wins Swiss Open 2006 (European billiards)
• Fulcher arrête la Tornade (Kozoom.com - French)
• El suizo Jonni Fulcher gana el Euro Tour en casa y Francisco Díaz queda tercero (Billarnet - Spanish)
• IBP Euro Tour Frauenfeld/Switzerland (jasmin-ouschan.com)
• Fulcher arrête la Tornade (Kozoom.com - French)
• Interview mit Jonni Fulcher (Schweizer Meister 2003/2004) (Swiss Snooker)
• Eurotour (AzBilliards Forums)

Related posts:

• Stolka is surprise winner in Sindelfingen
• Marcus "Napoleon" Chamat rules in Austria
• Alex Lely wins Euro Tour event on home turf

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.

See also:

• 2006 US Open (AzBilliards)
• Open and Shut: Schmidt Rises to Elite Status, Shelling Luat in U.S. Open Final (Billiards Digest)
• Schmidt Wins 31st US Open Billiard Championship (Inside Pool Magazine)
• John Schmidt Wins US Open (Pool Online)
• John Schmidt Wins US Open (Pool & Billiard Magazine)
• Luat falls at the last hurdle (INQ7.net)
• US Open 9 Ball Championships (Tony Crosby)
• "Boy Samson" Luat Is 2006 US Open Runner-Up (Philippine Billiards)
• 9-Ball Junkie - 31st Annual U.S. Open 9-Ball Championships (OMGWTF)

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.

See also:

• Worldchampionship 3-Cushion (UMB.org)
  
• Championnat du Monde (Kozoom.com - French)
• Billard Club St. Wendel (German)
• WM Teilnehmer 2006 (Billard Club St. Wendel - German)
• World Championship in 3Cushion Billiards 2006 in St.Wendel (Billiard Fans)
• Dreiband-WM in St. Wendel: Gold für Eddy Merckx (billiard.info - German)

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.

See also:

• Official Website of the EPBF - IBP Eurotour
• EuroTour (Kozoom.com - French)
• Alex Lely's official homepage
• IBP Euro Tour Weert/Holland (jasmin-ouschan.com)

Related posts:

• Stolka is surprise winner in Sindelfingen
• Marcus "Napoleon" Chamat rules in Austria

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)

See also:

• The Magician Bata Reyes Wins Jakarta Leg (AzBilliards)
• Reyes Continues Streak in Indonesia (Billiards Digest)
  
• Jakarta Leg Of SMB Asian 9-Ball Tour 2006 (Pool Online)
• At 52, Beta just warming up (Manila Bulletin Online)
• Bata's streak continues (Manila Standard Today)
  
• Irrepressible Reyes whips Yang to capture Jakarta leg (The Manila Times)

Related posts:

• Reyes takes Asian Tour opener
• Gallego grabs Bangkok leg of Asian Tour
• Luat on top in Asian Tour's Taiwan event

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.

See also:

• Une large avance pour Sanchez (Kozoom.com - French)
• Hurghada 2006 World Cup (Billiard Fans)

Related posts:

• Jaspers wins World Cup in Sluiskil
• Sanchez wins World Cup

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.

See also:

Newspapers & Magazines:

• Unbreakable (Billiards Digest - PDF)
• Reyes Racks in $500,000 (Billiards Digest)
• Reyes Wins Again! (AzBilliards)
• Efren Reyes is the World 8-Ball Champion (Inside Pool Magazine)
• Efren Reyes is the World 8-Ball Champion (Professor-Q-Ball)
• Efren Reyes Wins $500,000 in World 8-Ball Champ's! (Pool & Billiard Magazine)
• Beta weaves magic, pockets $.5-m prize (Manila Standard Today)
• Bata's courage and confidence (Manila Standard Today)
• Reyes is World 8-Ball king (The Manila Times)
• Filipino billiards player wins IPT 8-ball champion (Xinhua)
• Winners Announced in Eight Ball Pool Tournament in Reno (Channel 4 KRNV)
• Reyes n'en finit pas d'impressionner (Kozoom.com - French)
• Right on Cue (Sports Illustrated)
• Champion racks it up in tournament (RGJ.com)
• Pool sharks aim for more money, respect (RGJ.com)

Players:

• IPT World 8-Ball Open (Ralf Souquet)
• IPT World Open 8 Ball Championships in Reno/Nevada (Jasmin Ouschan)

Fans:

• Efren Reyes wins IPT World Open (IPT Pool Fan Blog)
• 2006 IPT World Open 8-Ball Championships (Philippine Billiards)
• IPT World 8-Ball Open: Reyes did it again (billiard.info)
• Efren Reyes - World 8-Ball Champion (Pool Online)
• The Magician does it again! (Under the Radar)
• 8-Ball Junkie - IPT at the Grand Sierra Resort, Reno (medium-rare at MySpace)

Forums:

• International Pool Tour (AzBilliards)
• IPT Tour (uk8ball.com)
• International Pool Tour Discussion Forum (Inside Pool Magazine)

Related posts:

• The IPT World Open 8-ball Championship has started
• Hohmann wins North American Open 8-ball Championship

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.

See also:

• Frederic Caudron is Champion at the 2006 Sang Lee International Open (AzBilliards)
  
• Frederic Caudron Crowned Champion at the 2006 Sang Lee International Open (Billiards Digest)
  
• Frederic Caudron is Champion at the 2006 Sang Lee International Open (Professor-Q-Ball)
  
• 2006 Sang Lee International Open (Billiard Fans)
  
• Frédéric Caudron's web site
  
• Carom Cafe (DVD and VHS from the event)