Xiaofang Fu wins gold in the 2010 World Women's 9-ball Championship

Xiaofang Fu from China won the 2010 Women's World 9-Ball Championship.

In the final she defeated four-time champion Allison Fisher (England 9-7).

Fu beat 17-year-old defending champion Liu Shusha in the semifinals and Fisher ousted Shu-Han Chang from Taiwan at the same stage.

This was the seventh world title in a row for Asian players. The last non-Asian to win was Allison Fisher in 2001.

The tournament ran from 23-29 August, 2010, in Shenyang, China.

See also:

• Inside Pool (Coverage)
• My147.com (Official site - Chinese)
• Tournament Brackets (AzBilliards)
• Women World 9-Ball Championship (Jasmin Ouschan)
  
• World Pool Association
• Pool: Women: World 9-Ball Championship (Sports 123)
• List of WPA World Nine-ball champions (Wikipedia)

Related posts:

• Ga-Young Kim defends World title (2006 World Championship)
• Xiaoting Pan wins Women's World 9-Ball Championship (2007 World Championship)
• Yuan-Chun Lin wins Women's World 9-ball Championship (2008 World Championship)
• Chinese sensation Susha wins 2009 Women's World 9-Ball Championship (2009 World Championship)

It's déjà vu all over again for Kim in the 2010 US Open

Ga-young Kim from South Korea edged Karen Corr (Ireland) to win the 2010 US Open.

Kim and Corr were tied 6-6 in the best-of-13 final before the Korean broke and ran the deciding rack.

This was a repeat of last year's final. On that occasion Kim beat Corr 7-5.

Vivian Villareal (USA) and Julie Kelly (Ireland) finished joint third.

This was Kim's second US Open title in a row, her third US Open crown in total and her sixth victory on the WPBA Tour. Her titles have com in the 2004 US Open, the 2005 Cuetec Cues National Championship, the 2007 Carolina Classic, the 2009 US Open and the 2009 Colorado Classic. In addition she won the world title in 2005 and 2006.

The event took place from 28 July to 1 August 2010 at the Riverwind Casino, Norman, Oklahoma, USA. It was the last of two events on the 2010 Classic Tour.

See also:

• Tournament Bracket (wpba.com - PDF)
• WPBA (Official page)
• Kim Repeats as U.S. Open Champ (Billiards Digest)
• Ga-Young Kim defends US Open Title (AZ Billiards)
• Kim Repeats as U.S. Open 9-Ball Champion (Inside Pool Magazine)
• Case Study – Funding Ashley Nandrasy’s Trip to the US Open (Pool Cue News and Review)
• WPBA Tour | Player Biographies | Ga Young Kim (wpba.com)
• Ga-young Kim (Wikipedia)

Related posts:

• Allison Fisher successfully defends US Open title (2006 US Open)
• Allison Fisher takes third US Open in a row (2007 US Open)
• Kelly Fisher captures maiden US Open title (2008 US Open)
• Second US Open title for Ga-young Kim (2009 US Open)
• Hofstätter returns to winner's circle in 2010 San Diego Classic (2010 Classic Tour)

Thompson wins gold No. 10 in the 2010 World Eightball Pool Championships

Sue Thompson (Scotland) and Mick Hill (England) won gold in the 2010 World Eightball Pool Championships.

In a repeat of last year's women's final Thompson defeated Emma Cunningham (Northern Ireland) 8-4.

Thompson has reached the final in 15 of her 16 attempts with this being her tenth win. These two have now contested six of the last seven finals, with Cunningham tasting victory in 2005.

Mick Hill beat fellow Englishman Gareth Potts 11-8 in the men's final.

This was Hill's second title. He also won in 2004. Potts has three wins, in 2005, 2007 and 2008.

Defending champion Phil Harrison (England) went down 10-8 to Hill in the semifinals.

Frank Costello (England) won the junior singles and Gary Swift (England) took gold in the wheelchair division. There were also a number of other events, including teams, Under 21s and Over 50s.

The tournament took place at the Imperial Hotel in Blackpool, England, 27 June - 8 July 2010.

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:

• World Eightball Pool Federation (Official page)
• Pool: Perfect 10 for Runcorn’s world champion Sue Thompson (Runcorn & Widnes Weekly News)
• WEPF Worlds (Cue Club International)
• Hall of Fame (World Eight-Ball Pool Federation)
• WEPF World 8-Ball Championship - Men: Individual (Sports 123)
• WEPF World 8-Ball Championship - Women: Individual (Sports 123)

Related posts

• Selby and Thompson are new world eightball champions (2006 world championships)
• Thompson and Potts crowned world eightball pool champions (2007 world championships)
• Potts and Horsburgh shine in the World Eightball Pool Championships (2008 world championships)
• Thompson nicks ninth gold in the 2009 World Eightball Pool Championships (2009 world championships)

Luca Brecel (15) wins 2010 European Snooker Championship

Luca Brecel and Wendy Jans (both from Belgium) won gold medals in the 2010 European Snooker Championships.

15-year-old Brecel defeated Dutchman Roy Stolk 7-4 in the final of the men's event while home favourite Jans defeated Diana Stateczny (Germany) 5-3.

In the men's semis Brecel beat Iceland's Kristján Helgason 6-3 while Stolk defeated Roy Fernandez (Israel) 6-4.

In the ladies' semis Jans overcame Anna Mazhirina (Russia) 4-2. Stateczny whitewashed Germany's Natascha Niermann 4-0.

Brecel is the youngest ever winner of the European Championship. It was his third title in a short span. He also won the 2009 European U-19 Championship and recently added the Belgian Championship.

It was Jans' fifth European title. She also won in 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2009. In addition she captured the 2006 IBSF World Amateur Championship.

The winner of the men's title is usually awarded a place on the Main Tour but beacause there is a 16 year age requirement EBSA are consulting with World Snooker before making the formal nomination

Defending champion David Hogan (Ireland) lost 4-2 to Roy Fernandez in the last 32.

Former top pro Darren Morgan (Wales) won the Masters division. In the final he beat 2000 winner Joe Delaney (Ireland) 6-0. Morgan also won in 2007 and 2009. He opted for the Men's event in 2008, where he made it to the semifinals.

Hogan and Kuldesh Johal (England) had the highest breaks of the tournament with 141s.

The event was held 27 May - 5 June, 2010 at the Rin Grand Hotel, Bucharest, Romania.

The European Main Tour play-offs (International Open) was played just before the tournament. Kurt Maflin (Norway) won the event to reclaim a place on next season's Main Tour.

See also:

• European Snooker Championships (esnooker.pl)
• 2009 European Snooker Championships (Global Snooker)
• EBSA
• Star in the Making (World Snooker)
  
• Brilliant Brecel (Snooker Scene blog)
• Brecel takes European Championship (Pro Snooker Blog)
• European Snooker Championships (Veikko Hannulan Snookerblog - Finnish)
• Luca Brecel (Official website - Dutch)
• Wendy Jans (Official page)
• Luca Brecel (Wikipedia)
• Wendy Jans (Wikipedia)
• Darren Morgan (Wikipedia)

Related posts:

• Borg and Jans defend Euro snooker titles (2006 European Championships)
• Van Hove and Evans win European Snooker Championship golds (2007 European Championships)
• Van Hove and Evans win European Snooker Championship golds (2008 European Championships)
• Hogan and Jans win European Snooker Championships (2009 European Championships)

Reanne Evans captures record sixth straight World Ladies Snooker Championship

England's Reanne Evans won the World Ladies Snooker Championship for a record sixth straight time.

In a repeat of last year's final she beat compatriot Maria Catalano 5-1 to pocket the £1000 winner's cheque. Catalano got £500 as runner up.

Katie Henrick and Emma Bonney, both from England, shared third place.

Evans also posted the highest break in the event, a 78 in her 4-3 semi-final win over Henrick.

It was a record sixth world title in a row for Evans. In 2005 she defeated Lynette Horsburgh (Scotland) 6-1, in 2006 she beat Bonney 5-3, in 2007 she won 5-3 over Henrick, in

2008 she beat Emma Banks (England) 5-3 and last year she defeated Catalano 5-2.

Evans has now won 23 ranking titles and 57 straight matches on the WLBSA tour. No surprise then that she ended the season on top of the WLBSA official rankings.

June Banks (England) retained her seniors title by beating countrywoman Eva Palmius 3-1 in the final. 13-year-old Hannah Jones (England) retained the juniors title by defeating Jasmine Bolsover (England) 2-0 in the final.

Tatjana Vasiljeva (Latvia) and Maureen Rowland (England) beat Pam Wood and Laura Alves (Ireland) 2-0 in the ladies doubles.

Vasiljeva also teamed up with Joe Perry (England) to win the mixed doubles event, beating English pair, Wood and Martin Gould, 3-2 in the final.

In the final of the english billiards event two-time defending champion Bonney won by beating Chitra Magimairaj (India) 269-220. 2007 champion Magimairaj also took second last year.

This championship is organized by the World Ladies Snooker & Billiards Association. It must not be confused with the IBSF World Championship. Evans has won that event three times.

The tournament was played at the Stadium Snooker Club, Hall Green Stadium, Birmingham, England, 3-8 April, 2010.

See also:

• Results (WLBSA)
• World Ladies Billiards & Snooker Association
• Reanne wins a record sixth world title (Global Snooker)
• Girls Just Wanna Have Funds (Snooker Scene blog)
• Reanne’s joy of six (Pro Snooker Blog)
• World Ladies Billiards & Snooker Association - World Championships (Pro9.co.uk)
• Reanne Evans pakt óók wereldtitel (snooker.blog.nl - Dutch)
• Reanne Evans (Wikipedia)
• Reanne Evans (Official page)

Related posts:

• Reanne Evans is new world snooker champion (2006 Ladies World Championships)
• Reanne Evans defends World Snooker Championship (2007 Ladies World Championships)
• Reanne Evans captures fourth straight World Ladies Snooker Championship (2008 Ladies World Championships)
• Reanne Evans claims fifth World Ladies Snooker Championship in a row (2009 Ladies World Championships)

Ouschan has record-breaking performance at the 2010 European Pool Championships

Austria's Jasmin Ouschan had a perfect showing at the 2010 European Pool Championships.

As the first player ever Ouschan took gold in all available events; 8-ball, 9-ball, 10-ball and straight pool. Actually she won all but one match in the entire competition, a 7-3 loss to Line Kjørsvik (Norway) in 9-ball.

Ouschan successfully defended her golds in 8-ball and 9-ball from 2009. In 8-ball she also won in 2007 and 2008.

German legend Ralf Souquet also had a great event, scoring gold in both 9-ball and 10-ball.

Jouni Tahti from Finland copied that achievement in the wheelchair division. He took gold in 9-ball for the second year running.

Ouschan now tops the all-time medal standings with 23 golds. Souquet sits in second with 22 wins. Tahti is sixth in the same list with 10 victories.

This was the first time 10-ball was included in the programme.

Here are the results:

Men
8-ball: Konstantin Stepanov (Russia) bt Marcus Chamat (Sweden) 8-6
9-ball: Ralf Souquet (Germany) bt Mateusz Sniegocki (Poland) 9-8
10-ball: Ralf Souquet (Germany) bt Niels Feijen (Netherlands) 7-4
14.1: David Alcaide (Spain) bt Artem Koshovyi (Ukraine) 125-3

Women
8-ball: Jasmin Ouschan (Austria) bt Line Kjørsvik (Norway) 6-5
9-ball: Jasmin Ouschan (Austria) bt Gerda Hofstätter (Austria) 7-0
10-ball: Jasmin Ouschan (Austria) bt Ina Jentschura (Germany) 6-3
14.1: Jasmin Ouschan (Austria) bt Gerda Hofstätter (Austria) 75-19

Wheelchair
8-ball: Kurt Deklerck (Belgium) bt Henrik Larsson (Sweden) 5-4
9-ball: Jouni Tahti (Finland) bt Henrik Larsson (Sweden) 7-1
10-ball: Jouni Tahti (Finland) bt Roy Kimberley (England) 5-0

The event was held 18-27 March, 2010 at Hotel Westin, Zagreb, Croatia.

See also:

• European Pool Championships (Official site)
• European Championships - 2010 (EPBF Archive)
• Jasmin Sweeps the European Championships! (AZ Billiards)
• Katrine Jensen: 5th place straight pool!, Last 16 10-ball..., 9th place 8-ball
• Billarnet (Spanish): David Alcaide vuelve a asombrarnos, Ralf Souquet, campeón de Europa de Bola 9, Francisco Sánchez y David Alcaide bronce en Bola 8 en el europeo, Otro título, el de Bola 10, convierte a Souquet en el rey del Europeo
• EK 2010, Eindstand: 4 medailles voor Nederland (Poolkrant.nl - Dutch)
• News and photos from the European Pool Championships (APPB)
• Jasmin Ouschan (Official page)
• Jasmin Ouschan (Wikipedia)
• Ralf Souquet (Official page)
• Ralf Souquet (Wikipedia)

Related posts:

• Ortmann and Ouschan on top of Europe (2006)
• Ouschan, Ortmann and Kimberley repeats in the European Championships (2007)
• Ouschan wins sixth gold in European Pool Championships (2008)
• Jasmin Ouschan rules in the 2009 European Pool Championships (2009)

Hofstätter returns to winner's circle in 2010 San Diego Classic

Gerda Hofstätter from Austria won the season-opening 2010 San Diego Classic.

Hofstätter was undefeated throughout the event. In the final she beat Shu-Han Chang (Taiwan) 7-3 to earn the $12,700 first-place cheque. Chang received $7,800 for second.

The semifinals saw the Austrian defeat Karen Corr (Ireland) 7-4 while Chang edged Xiaoting Pan (China) 7-5.

This was Hofstätter's 12th (?) Classic Tour title but her first since the 2000 BCA Open 9-Ball Championship. She has also won the 1995 World Championship and has numerous European titles.

It was the second Tour victory in a row for Austria, as Jasmin Ouschan won the season-ending WPBA Championship.

Defending champion Monica Webb (USA) finished tied ninth after losing 9-3 to Hofstätter.

The event took place from March 10-14 2010 at the Viejas Casino, Alpine, California, USA. It was the first of two(!) events this season on the Classic Tour.

See also:

• WPBA
• Tournament Bracket (wpba.com - PDF)
• Gerda Hofstatter wins San Diego Classic (AzBilliards)
• Hofstatter Wins San Diego Classic (Inside Pool Magazine)
• Gerda Hofstatter (Official site)
• WPBA Tour | Player Biographies | Gerda Hofstatter (wpba.com)
• Gerda Hofstatter (Wikipedia)

Related posts:

• Kelly Fisher defends San Diego title (2006 San Diego Classic)
• Kelly Fisher three-peats in San Diego Classic (2007 San Diego Classic)
• Allison Fisher wins San Diego Classic (2008 San Diego Classic)
• Monica Webb claims 2009 San Diego Classic for second straight win (2009 San Diego Classic)

Burden and Yee win golds in the 2009 IBSF World Snooker Championships

England's Alfie Burden and Ng On Yee from Hong Kong won gold medals at the 2009 IBSF World Snooker Championships.

Burden beat surprise finalist Igor Figueiredo (Brazil) 10-8 in the men's final while Yee overwhelmed Australia's Kathy Parashis 6-1.

Yu Delu (China) and finished third in the men's event and Bi Zhuqing (China) reached the same position among the ladies.

These were the first world titles for both Burden and Yee. Burden is a former top-32 player on the Main Tour.

Neither of the defending champions competed this year. Thepchaiya Un-Nooh (Thaniland) is currently playing on the Main Tour while three-time winner Reanne Evans (England) could not find a sponsor.

The victory means Burden is set to be nominated for a return to the Main Tour in the 2010/2011 season.

The final in the Masters event saw two former pros clash. Darren Morgan (Wales) beat defending champion Dene O'Kane (New Zealand) 6-0. Morgan also won in 2007. Last year he played in the men's event, where he was knocked out in the last 16.

Highest breaks:
Men: Yu delu (China) 142
Women: Ng On Yee (Hong Kong) 77
Masters: Simon Zammit (Malta) 105

The event was held 15-25 November 2009 at the Hyderabad International Convention Centre in Hyderabad, India.

See also:

• Results, Men (IBSF)
• Results, Ladies (IBSF)
• Results, Masters (IBSF)
• Introduction (IBSF)
• 2009 IBSF World Snooker Championships (Global Snooker)
• England’s Alfie Burden lifts world snooker title (Daily Mirror)
• Snooker champion Burden aims to get into top-32 (Thaindian News)
• Alfred Burden wins world snooker championship (The Times of India)
• Burden reigns supreme (The Hindu)
• Pots it All About, Alfie? (Snooker Scene Blog)
• Burden bags IBSF crown (Pro Snooker Blog)
• IBSF MM 2009 (Veikko Hannulan Snookerblogi - Finnish)
• Alfred Burden (Wikipedia)
• Past Champions (IBSF)
• IBSF World Championships, Men (Sports123)
• IBSF World Championships, Women (Sports123)

Related posts:

• Maflin and Jans top World Snooker (2006 World Championship)
• Mahitthi and Evans victorious in the IBSF World Snooker Championship (2007 World Championship)
• Un-Nooh and Evans on top in the IBSF Snooker World Championship (2008 World Championship)

Chinese sensation Susha wins 2009 Women's World 9-Ball Championship

16-year-old Liu Shusha from China came out on top in the 2009 Kappa Women's World 9-Ball Championship.

In the final she won the last eight games to defeat three-time runner-up Karen Corr (Ireland) 9-5. The comeback included five consecutive break-and-runs.

In the all-Chinese bronze match Xiotang Pan trounced Fu Xiofang 9-1.

Shushua edged 2007 champion Pan 9-8 in the semifinals and Korr beat Xiofang with the same score.

Defending champion Yuan-Chun Lin from Taiwan went out in the early rounds after losing 7-0 to Corr.

This was the sixth world title in a row for Asian players. The last non-Asian to win was four-time champion Allison Fisher (England) in 2001.

The tournament ran from 16-22 November, 2009, in Shenyang, China.

See also:

• Liu Shasha Crowned New Women’s World 9-Ball Champion (Inside Pool)
• My147.com (Official site - Chinese)
• Liu Shasha Wins World 9-Ball Champonship! (AzBilliards)
• World Pool Association (Coverage)
• ()
• Women 9 Ball World Championship in Shenyang/China (Jasmin Ouschan)
• China Part One & China Part Two (Sticks and balls and holes)
• World 9-Ball Champion (WPA)
• Pool: Women: World 9-Ball Championship (Sports 123)
• List of WPA World Nine-ball champions (Wikipedia)

Related posts:

• Ga-Young Kim defends World title (2006 World Championship)
• Xiaoting Pan wins Women's World 9-Ball Championship (2007 World Championship)
• Yuan-Chun Lin wins Women's World 9-ball Championship (2008 World Championship)

Ouschan ends season on a high by winning the 2009 WPBA Championship

Austria's Jasmin Ouschan won the season-ending 2009 WPBA Championship.

In the final she beat Xiaoting Pan (China) 7-2.

The semifinals saw Ouschan edge Jeanette Lee (USA) 7-6 while Pan beat Kelly Fisher (England) in a 7-2 drubbing.

This was Oushan's first WPBA Championship win, her third victory of the season, and her fifth Classic Tour title in total. She was unbeaten in the tournament and apart from the semi-final thriller she was really never threatened.

Defending champion Monica Webb (USA) finished tied 17th after losing 7-6 to countrywoman Michell Monk.

Ouschan improved from fourth to second in the rankings for the 2009 Classic Tour. Pan dropped from second to third. Nobody could surpass Ga Young Kim (South Korea) though who won her first overall title. Last year's winner Kelly Fisher finished just outside the top four.

The event took place from November 12-15 2009 at the Seminole Hard Rock Casino, Hollywood, Florida, USA. It was the last of six events this season on the Classic Tour.

See also:

• WPBA
• Tournament Bracket (wpba.com - PDF)
• Highlights: 1 2 3 4 5 6
• Tour Championship in Hollywood/Florida (Jasmin Ouschan)
• WPBA Championships (Jennifer Barretta)
• Ouschan wins WPBA Nationals (AzBilliards)
• Ouschan Aces WPBA Tour Championship (Inside Pool Magazine)
• (Pool Cue News and Review)
• Jasmin Ouschan Dominates in an Undefeated Win at the WPBA Tour Championships (NYC Grind)
• Jasmin Ouschan (Official site)
• WPBA Tour | Player Biographies | Jasmin Ouschan (wpba.com)

Related posts:

• Allison Fisher wins Nationals for second title in a row (2006 National Championship)
• Allison Fisher reigns supreme in the Cuetec Cues WPBA National 9-Ball Championship (2007 National Championship)
• Webb takes down WPBA Championship title (2008 National Championship)
• Monica Webb claims 2009 San Diego Classic for second straight win (2009 Classic Tour)
• Ouschan conquers all in 2009 Great Lakes Classic (2009 Classic Tour)
• Second US Open title for Ga-young Kim (2009 Classic Tour)
• Ga Young Kim is victorious in the 2009 Colorado Classic (2009 Classic Tour)
• Ouschan bags 2009 Pacific Coast Classic (2009 Classic Tour)

Ouschan bags 2009 Pacific Coast Classic

Jasmin Ouschan from Austria won the 2009 Pacific Coast Classic.

More to follow ...

See also

• Ouschan wins second WPBA title with victory over Xiaoting Pan at Pacific Coast Classic (AZ Billiards)
• Pacific Coast Classics in Lincoln City/OR (Jasmin Ouschan)

Ga Young Kim is victorious in the 2009 Colorado Classic

Ga Young Kim (South Korea) won the 2009 Colorado Classic.

It was the Korean's fifth victory on the WPBA Classic Tour.

See also

• Colorado Classic Recap (Sarah Rousey)

Second US Open title for Ga-young Kim

Ga-young Kim from South Korea won the 2009 US Open after edging Ireland's Karen Corr 7-5 in the final.

Gerda Hofstätter (Austria) and Allison Fisher (England) finished joint third.

Defending champion Kelly Fisher (England) lost 9-7 to Allison Fisher in the last 16.

This was Kim's second US Open crown and her fourth victory on the WPBA Tour, following wins in the 2004 US Open, the 2005 Cuetec Cues National Championship and the 2007 Carolina Classic. In addition she won the world title in 2005 and 2006.

With this victory Kim is now the sole leader in the rankings. Corr moves from eighth to second. Monica Webb (USA) sits in third place. Kelly Fisher drops from tied first to seventh place.

The event took place from 29 July to 2 August 2009 at the Riverwind Casino, Norman, Oklahoma, USA. It was the third of six events on the 2009 Classic Tour. Next up is the Colorado Classic, at the Sky Ute Casino & Resort, Ignacio, Colorado, USA, 16-20 September 2009.

See also:

• Tournament Bracket (wpba.com - PDF)
• Highlights: 1 2 3 (wpba.com - PDF)
• WPBA (Official page)
• Kim Captures 2nd U.S. Open Title (Billiards Digest)
• Ga Young Kim wins WPBA US Open (AZ Billiards)
• Kim Cements WPBA U.S. Open Title (Inside Pool Magazine)
• Oklahoma and Billiards Digest (Sarah Rousey)
• US Open 2009 (Jennifer Barretta)
• US Open Final Results and Ranking Updates (Pool Cue News and Review)
• WPBA Tour | Player Biographies | Ga Young Kim (wpba.com)
• Ga-young Kim (Wikipedia)

Related posts:

• Allison Fisher successfully defends US Open title (2006 US Open)
• Allison Fisher takes third US Open in a row (2007 US Open)
• Kelly Fisher captures maiden US Open title (2008 US Open)
• Monica Webb claims 2009 San Diego Classic for second straight win (2009 Classic Tour)
• Ouschan conquers all in 2009 Great Lakes Classic (2009 Classic Tour)

Jaspers goes one better to claim gold in 2009 World Games

2005 three cushion runner-up Dick Jaspers from Netherlands was one of the winners in the 2009 World Games.

In the 2005 final Jaspers lost 42-41 to Daniel Sanchez (Spain). He got his revenge by beating Sanchez 40-26 in the semi finals and Torbjörn Blomdahl (Sweden) 40-18 in the final.

Austrian Jasmin Ouschan was the defending champion in the women's pool event. She also reached this year's final, but lost 9-8 to Allison Fisher (England).

Ralf Souquet from Germany won the men's pool event. The former world champion is possibly the best player in the world right now and defeated Ching-Shun Yang (Taiwan) 11-4 in the final. The 2005 winner Pei-Weo Chang (Taiwan) did not return to defend his title.

The snooker final was contested between two Englsih pros with veteran Nigel Bond beating David Grace 3-0. Northern Ireland's defending champion Gerard Greene did not take part.

Here are the medals awarded in the billiard disciplines:

Three cushion

1. Dick Jaspers (Netherlands)
2. Torbjörn Blomdahl (Sweden)
3. Marco Zanetti (Italy)

Pool (9-ball)

Women:
1. Allison Fisher (England)
2. Jasmin Ouschan (Austria)
3. Yuan-Chun Lin (Taiwan)

Men:
1. Ralf Souquet (Germany)
2. Ching-Shun Yang (Taiwan)
3. Stephane Cohen (France)

Snooker

1. Nigel Bond (England)
2. David Grace (England)
3. Mohamed Shehab (United Arab Emirates)

The World Games is an event for 30+ sports not included in the Olympic Games. It's staged every four years by the International World Games Association.

The Games took place 16-26 July 2009 in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. In 2013 the host city will be Cali, Columbia.

See also:

• Official site: Billiards
• Official site: Billiards
• A nice revenge crowned by the gold medal (Ralf Souquet)
• GOUD op de World Games in Taiwan!! (Dick Jaspers - Dutch)
• Souquet and Fisher lead World Games Gold Medal Winners (AZ Billiards)
• WCBS/IGWA - World Games 2009 (WPA)
• World Games 2009 (WCBS)
• Tournament Details (UMB)
• WCBS/IGWA - World Games 2009 - Snooker (IBSF)
• Bond's Goldfingers (Snooker Scene blog)
• Bond and Bingham claim silverware (Pro Snooker Blog)
• Snooker strikes Gold for Team GB (Global Snooker)
• Coverage from Taiwan of 2009 World Games Cue Sports (Global Snooker)
• Winnaar World Games heet Bond, Nigel Bond (snooker.blog.nl - Dutch)
• Du bronze "made in taïwan" pour Cohen (Kozoom - French)
• Dick Jaspers (Official homepage - Dutch)
• Allison Fisher (Official page)
• Ralf "The Kaiser" Souquet (Official page)
• Nigel Bond (Official page)
• Billiards at the 2009 World Games (Wikipedia)

Thompson nicks ninth gold in the 2009 World Eightball Pool Championships

Sue Thompson (Scotland) and Phil Harrison (England) came out on top in the 2009 Foster's World Eightball Pool Championships.

Thompson defeated England's Emma Cunningham 8-6 in the women's final.

Thompson has reached the final in 14 of her 15 attempts with this being her ninth win. These two have now contested five of the last six finals, with Cunningham tasting victory in 2005.

Harrison beat Mick Hill (England) 11-7 in the men's final to take home the £10,000 cheque. In the semi-finals Harrison defeated Adam Davis (England) 10-7 and Harrison beat Marc Farnsworth (England) by the same score.

This was Harrison's first title. His previous best was four semi finals. Hill won the title in 2005.

The two defending champions went out early this year. Lynette Horsburgh (Scotland) was beaten 6-3 by Collette Henriksen (Wales) in the last 16 and Gareth Potts (England) lost 9-6 to Davies in the quarter finals.

Ben Clark (England) won the Junior title and Gary Swift (England) took gold in the wheelchair division. There were also a number of other events, including teams, Under 21s and Over 50s.

The tournament took place at the Imperial Hotel in Blackpool, England, 28 June - 9 July 2009.

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:

• World Eightball Pool Federation (Official page)
• Cueman Phil on top of the world (Cambridge News)
• WEPF Worlds (Cue Club International)
• Hall of Fame (World Eight-Ball Pool Federation)
• WEPF World 8-Ball Championship - Men: Individual (Sports 123)
• WEPF World 8-Ball Championship - Women: Individual (Sports 123)

Related posts

• Selby and Thompson are new world eightball champions (2006 world championships)
• Thompson and Potts crowned world eightball pool champions (2007 world championships)
• Potts and Horsburgh shine in the World Eightball Pool Championships (2008 world championships)

Ouschan conquers all in 2009 Great Lakes Classic

Austria's Jasmin Ouscan captured her third career win on the WPBA Classic Tour by taking the 2009 WPBA Great Lakes Classic.

In the final she dominated England's Kelly Fisher 7-2.

Karen Corr (Ireland) and Xiaoting Pan (China), finished joint third.

Defending champion Allison Fisher (England) lost 9-4 to Kelly Fisher in the quarter finals.

This was Ouschan's third win on the Classic Tour. She also won the 2006 EnjoyPool.com 9-ball Championships and the 2008 Carolina Classic.

Monica Webb (USA), who was gunning for her third title in a row on the Classic Tour, was ousted in the last 24 by England's Kim Shaw.

Ouschan's triumph takes her from 17th to third in the rankings. Kelly Fisher moves to first place, tied with former No.2 Ga Young Kim (South Korea).

The event took place from 17-21 June 2009 at the Blue Chip Casino, Michigan City, Illinois, USA. It was the second of six events on the 2009 Classic Tour. Next up is the US Open, at the Riverwind Casino, Norman, Oklahoma, USA, 29 July - 2 August 2009.

See also:

• Tournament Bracket (wpba.com - PDF)
• Highlights: 1 2 3 4 5 (wpba.com - PDF)
• WPBA (Official page)
• Ouschan Sails to Great Lakes Title (Billiards Digest)
• Ouschan wins WPBA Great Lakes Classic (AZ Billiards)
• Ouschan Snares Greats Lakes Billiard Event (Inside Pool Magazine)
• WPBA Great Lakes Classics in Michigan City/IN (Jasmin Ouschan)
• Great Lakes Classic (Cristina's Blog)
• Jasmin Ouschan Wins Great Lakes Classic (Poolmag's 8-Ball Blog)
• 2009 WPBA Great Lakes Classic Finals (Pool Cue News and Review)
• Jasmin Ouschan (Official site)
• WPBA Tour | Player Biographies | Jasmin Ouschan (wpba.com)

Related posts:

• Allison Fisher takes long road to victory (2006 Great Lakes Classic)
• Xiaoting Pan takes maiden win in Great Lakes Classic (2007 Great Lakes Classic)
• Allison Fisher claims third Great Lakes Classic title (2008 Great Lakes Classic)
• Monica Webb claims 2009 San Diego Classic for second straight win (2009 Classic Tour)

Hogan and Jans win European Snooker Championships

David Hogan (Ireland) and Wendy Jans (Belgium) won gold medals in the 2009 European Snooker Championships.

Hogan defeated fellow Irishman Mario Fernandez 7-4 in the final of the men's event while home favourite Jans whitewashed Anna Mazhirina (Russia) 5-0.

Hogan blanked Germany's Sascha Lippe in the semis while Fernandez beat yet another Irishman, Brendan O'Donoghue, 6-2.

In an all-Belgian semifinal EJans eased past Caty Dehaene 4-1. Mazhirina edged Latvia's Inese Lukashevska 4-3.

This was Hogan's first major title. Jans won the European title three years in a row from 2004-2006. She also captured the 2006 IBSF World Amateur Championship.

With this victory Hogan won a spot on the 96-man 2009/2010 Main Tour.

Defending champion David Grace (England) lost 5-2 to O'Donoghue in the quarterfinals. 2008 Ladies champion Reanne Evans (England) did not participate in this year's event.

Former top pro Darren Morgan (Wales) won the Masters division. In the final he beat 2000 winner Joe Delaney (Ireland) 6-3. Morgan also won in 2007. He opted for the Men's event last year though, where he made it to the semifinals.

Tony "Tornado" Drago from Malta had the highest break of the tournament with a 139.

The event was held 3-13 June at the Crowne Plaza, Duffel, Belgium.

The European Main Tour play-offs (International Open) was played just before the tournament. Drago won the event to reclaim a place on next season's Main Tour.

See also:

• 2009 European Snooker Championships (Global Snooker)
• European Snooker Championships (snooker.pl)
• EBSA
• Hogan's Heroics (Snooker Scene blog)
• Hogan takes European Glory (Pro Snooker Blog)
• Die Rückkehr des Tony Drago (Snookerblog - German)
• European Snooker Championships (Veikko Hannulan Snookerblog - Finnish)
• David Hogan Player Profile (Global Snooker)
• Wendy Jans (Official page)
• Wendy Jans (Wikipedia)
• Darren Morgan (Wikipedia)

Related posts:

• Borg and Jans defend Euro snooker titles (2006 European Championships)
• Van Hove and Evans win European Snooker Championship golds (2007 European Championships)
• Van Hove and Evans win European Snooker Championship golds (2008 European Championships)

Rubilen Amit wins inaugural 10-ball World Championship

Rubilen Amit from Philippines won the 2009 Women's World 10-Ball Championship on home soil.

In the final she defeated two-time world 9-ball champion Shin-mei Liu (Taiwan) 10-4 to grab the $20,000 first prize and become the first world champion in women's 10-ball. Liu received $9,000 for second place.

Amit defeated Japan's Akimi Kajitani 9-6 in the semifinals. Liu beat Jasmin Ouschan (Austria) 9-6.

This was Amit's first world title from her second final. She finished second to Xiaoting Pan in the 2007 World 9-ball Championship. It was also the first win by a woman from the Philippines.

Unfortunately the event was surrounded by some controversy. Read Sarah Rousey's blog post for more.

The tournament ran from June 2-6, 2009, at the SM Mall North, Manila, Philippines.

See also:

• Women's World 10 Ball Championship (Official site)
• A Dream Ending for Women’s World 10-Ball Championship (AZ Billiards)
• A Legend is Born (Billiards Digest)
• Amit Wins First World Billiard Title (Inside Pool Magazine)
• Momentary Lapse of Reason (Sarah Rousey)
• 10-Ball Women World Championship in Manila (Jasmin Ouschan)
• Amit pockets World 10-Ball tourney title (BusinessWorld Online)
• No more heartaches for Amit (Inquirer)
• The Philippines’ dominance in billiards is no longer limited to the men’s game. (Inquirer)
• Champ Rubilen Amit: Basketball’s loss is billiards’ gain (GMANews.TV)
• Rubilen Amit Crowned JBETpoker.net Women’s World 10-Ball Champion (Maxim Billiards)
• Rubilen Amit, 10-Ball World Champion, Filipina (PinoyBusiness.ORG)
• First round loss spurred Amit to win world title (ABS-CBN News Online)
• Rubilen Amit Crowned JBETpoker.net Women's World 10-Ball Champ (Poolmag's 8-Ball Blog)
• Rubilen Amit Wins Women’s World 10-Ball Championship (What is Love)
• Rubilen Amit & Gillian Go: History Made at Women's World 10 Ball Championship! (The AnitoKid on Billiards)
• Rubilen D. Amit (Billiard Philippines)
• Rubilen Dacua Amit (Somewhat outdated profile at Easy Pool Tutor)

Jasmin Ouschan rules in the 2009 European Pool Championships

Austria's Jasmin Ouschan had a near-perfect showing at the 2009 European Pool Championships.

Ouschan took golds in 8-ball and 9-ball, and silver in straight pool. In 8-ball she also won in 2007 and 2008.

Jouni Tahti from Finland rolled away with gold in both wheelchair events.

None of the other defending champions managed to retain their titles and no other players reached more than one final.

Here are the results:

Men
8-ball: Andreas Roschowsky (Germany) bt Nikos Ekonomopulos (Greece) 8-7
9-ball: Nick van der Berg (Netherlands) bt Ruslan Chinahov (Russia) 9-8
14.1: Dimitri Jungo (Switzerland) bt Niels Feijen (Netherlands) 125-74

Women
8-ball: Jasmin Ouschan (Austria) bt Janine Schwan (Germany) 6-4
9-ball: Jasmin Ouschan (Austria) bt Veronika Hubrtova (Czech Republic) 7-0
14.1: Gerda Hofstätter (Austria) bt Jasmin Ouschan (Austria) 75-70

Wheelchair
8-ball: Jouni Tahti (Finland) bt Tony Southern (England) 5-1
9-ball: Jouni Tahti (Finland) bt Roy Kimberley (England) 7-6

This was Hofstätter's ninth gold. Ouschan and Tahti now have eight euro golds each.

The event was held 16-25 April, 2009 at the Sporthotel Apline im Alpendorf, in St Johann im Pongau, Austria.

See also:

• European Pool Championships (Official site)
• European Championships - 2009 (EPBF Archive)
• Total dominance by Jasmin Ouschan in the European Championships! (Roy D'Fish)
• The Joy and Pain at the European Championship (AZ Billiards)
• Nick van den Berg European 9-Ball Champion (AZ Billiards)
• European Championships 2009 in St.Johann in Pongau (Jasmin Ouschan)
• 17th in 9-ball (Katrine Jensen)
• Jasmin Ouschan brilla con luz propia en el Campeonato de Europa, gana Bola 8 y Bola 9 (Billarnet - Spanish)
• Hofstätter und Jungo
  holen sensationell Gold! (Touch Magazine - German)
• EM St. Johann 9-Ball II (Touch Magazine - German)
• Poolkrant.nl (Coverage - Dutch)
• Teaser and photos from the European Pool Championships (APPB)
• Jasmin Ouschan (Official page)

Related posts:

• Ortmann and Ouschan on top of Europe (2006)
• Ouschan, Ortmann and Kimberley repeats in the European Championships (2007)
• Ouschan wins sixth gold in European Pool Championships (2008)

Reanne Evans claims fifth World Ladies Snooker Championship in a row

Reanne Evans from England captured the World Ladies Snooker Championship for a record fifth straight time.

In the final she beat compatriot Maria Catalano 5-2 to pocket the £800 winner's cheque. Catalano got £400 as runner up.

Catalano recorded the highest break in the event, a 94 in the group stages.

It was a record fifth world title in a row for Evans. In 2005 she defeated Lynette Horsburgh (Scotland) 6-1, in 2006 she beat Emma Bonney (England) 5-3, in 2007 she won 5-3 over Katie Henrick (England) and last year she beat Emma Banks (England) 5-3.

By capturing the title she also ended the season on top of the WLBSA official rankings.

June Banks (England) beat countrywoman Jenny Poulter 3-0 in the seniors final. 12-year-old Hannah Jones (England) retained the juniors title by defeating Joanne Davies (England) 2-1 in the final.

Jones also teamed up with Jaique Ip Wan In (Netherlands) to beat Chris Sharpe (England) and So Man Yan (Hong Kong) 2-1 in the ladies doubles.

Evans and Michael Holt (England) won the mixed doubles event, beating another English pair, Leah Willett and Joe Perry, 3-2 in the final.

In the final of the english billiards event Emma Bonney (England) retained her crown be beating Chitra Magimairaj (India) 272-118.

This championship is organized by the World Ladies Snooker & Billiards Association. It must not be confused with the IBSF World Championship. Evans is a also the defending champion in that event.

The tournament was played at the Cambridge Snooker Centre, Cambridge, England, 4-9 April, 2009.

See also:

• Official page
• World Ladies Billiards & Snooker Association
• Evans on top of the world (Global Snooker)
• Evans wins World Championship (Eurosport)
  
• High Five for Evans (World Snooker)
• Here Come the Girls (Snooker Scene blog)
  
• Emma was too good: Chitra (The Hindu)
• 2009 Update (Hannah Jones)
• Reanne Evans (Wikipedia)
• Reanne Evans (Official page)

Related posts:

• Reanne Evans is new world snooker champion (2006 Ladies World Championships)
• Reanne Evans defends World Snooker Championship (2007 Ladies World Championships)
• Reanne Evans captures fourth straight World Ladies Snooker Championship (2008 Ladies World Championships)