The WPBA congratulates exempt WPBA pro’s selected to compete in the 2010 PartyPoker.net World Cup of Pool. The competition will be held in Manila, Philippines at the Midtown Wing of Robinsons Place in Ermita, Manila from Tuesday, September 7th to Sunday, September 12th and will feature 32 teams (2) person teams, representing 31countries.
Women’s Professional Billiards Association superstars Ga Young Kim, Yu Ram Cha, and Jasmin Ouschan are set to compete against the best of the best in male competition.  Top male professionals include Johnny Archer, Daryl Peach, Rodney Morris, Dennis Orcollo, Niels Feijen, Mika Immonen, Oliver Ortmann, Karl Boyes, Fu Jianbo, Tony Drago and Marcus Chamat who will all be firing at a $250,000 prize fund.
Kim and Cha will make up the only “all female” team. These two heavy hitters pack a lot of firepower and routinely take on and take down some of the toughest male competition around.  Cha has proven herself to be a more than worthy opponent when pitted against her male counterparts.   She has career wins over Shane VanBoening, Thorsten Hohmann, and her own coach, Charlie Williams, just to name a few.  When asked about how she feels about being part of the only all female team, Yu Ram responded, “As the only “all female” team, I feel a small burden to play well. I guess I will learn from the world’s best players!” When asked about her feelings going into the event and her new teammate, Yu Ram responds, “I am very excited and I can’t wait to play. I missed not participating in this event last year due to circumstances beyond my control. I will do my best in upcoming matches with my partner, Ga Young. She is a veteran and has more experience than me. She and I have never played together so I am a little bit worried. On the other hand, I am very excited to play with her. Due to the importance of teamwork, I am trying to harmonize with her.” Kim and Cha will be up against team Italy, Bruno Muratore and Fabio Patroni,  in the first round.

In addition, Austrian native Jasmin Ouschan will also join the mix.  Ouschan, who is no stranger to the toughest of competition, finished 3rd in the World Straight Pool Championships where she defeated the #1 seed, Mika Immonen and top German pro, Oliver Ortmann on her way to the semi-finals. “It is an honor again to be selected to play in the World Cup of Pool. This year will be my third time and the best result was the fifth place in 2008. This year I am playing with a young upcoming player from Austria and I hope we can beat the fifth place from 2008. It is a tough event especially since there is no losers’ round but we are strong together and I hope we can show it in Manila‚” explained Ouschan. She will pair up with Mario He in this 32 team format and will face off with Holland’s Neils Fejien and Huidji See in the first round.

Event sponsor Luke Riches of Matchroom Sport says, “We always enjoy having female players in the PartyPoker.net World Cup of Pool and will endeavour to include more as the standards rise. The ladies bring a different dimension to the tournament and they can play!”

For more information, please visit www.PartyPoker.net  and www.matchroompool.com.  Meet the ladies of the WPBA at www.wpba.com.

(Picture winner Mike Miller, 2nd Place Manny Chau)

Mezz Pro-Am tour made its way to Main Line Billiards in Frazer PA Sunday Aug. 15 2010.  A Small but strong field came out to play.  Mike Sigel, Tony Robles, Manny Chau, Mike Miller, Matt Krah, Josh Brothers to name a few.

Leading to top half of the bracket was Tony Robes with wins over Shaun Dobson 7-3, Randy Schwager 7-4, and Nick Brucato 7-5. Leading the bottom half of the bracket was Manny Chau with wins over Charlie Marshall 7-3, Matt Krah 7-3, Josh Brothers 7-6, and Chip Klien 7-5.

Playing for the hot seat was Manny Chau Vs Tony Robles this was a great match that went to double hill but when it was all said and done it was Manny Chau coming away with the win 7-6 and Sending Robles to the one lost side. Making his move from the one lost side was Mike Miller with wins over Charlie Marshall 7-6, Jay Brotherton7-3, Derek Schwager 7-2, Mike Sigel 7-6, Nick Brucato 7-6, Matt Krah 7-5, and Tony Robles 7-0.

In the finals was Manny Chau Vs Mike Miller, Miller has to beat Chau twice to win the event.  First set was a great set with Miller winning on the hill 7-6, in the second set it was all Mike Miller winning easily 7-5 and the event.  I woud Like to thank the Sponsors and all the players that came out to play.

1st           Mike Miller         $935
2nd          Manny Chau       $475
3rd          Toney Robles      $250
4th          Matt Krah            $150
5th         Chip Klien/ Nick Brucato $75

By Alison M. Fischer, NYCgrind.com

(photo: (l to r)Caroline Pao and Dawn Hopkins)

On August 7th, 2010, the Mezz Women’s 9-Ball Tour held its second stop of their inaugural season at Main Line Billiard Club in Frazer, PA.  A field of thirteen players including top names such as Dawn Hopkins, Megan Smith, Gina Kim-Lipsky, and Erin McManus were set to battle that Saturday.

Also among these top players was arguably the most impressive female junior player in the U.S., PA’s Briana Miller.  Former Junior World Champion and multiple Junior National Champion, Briana continues to prove that she is a strong force at the table. In this event, Briana ran through to the hot seat match after defeating Sam Miskezich, Kathy Friend, and Erin McManus.

In the match for the hot seat, Briana faced Caroline Pao, who
previously had wins over Eugena Gyftopoulos, Linda Cheung, and Dawn Hopkins.  Caroline would then battle against Briana Miller, where she edged ahead to win 7-5 to guarantee a spot in the final.

After Dawn Hopkin’s loss to Caroline Pao, she forged a comeback on the one-loss side, defeating Erin McManus and Gina Kim-Lipsky, before winning the semifinal against Briana Miller, 7-3.  This set Dawn for a rematch against Caroline Pao, but the two WPBA pros decided to share the win.

Congratulations to winners Caroline Pao & Dawn Hopkins! Thanks to all the players who came out to compete in this event, as well as the host room, Main Line Billiards.  Stop #3 on the Mezz Women’s 9-ball Tour will be held on September 18, also at Main Line Billiards in Frazer, PA.

Payout:
1st: Caroline Pao, Dawn Hopkins – $300
3rd: Briana Miller – $100
4th: Gina Kim-Lipsky – $60

By Alison M. Fischer, NYCgrind.com

(photo: L-R 1st Place ABCD Winner Zee Shan Safba, 3rd Place Charlie Lentini & 2nd Place Scott Murphy)

The Ozone Billiards Predator 9-ball Tour was hosted by Mr. Cue Billiards in Lindenhurst, NY on August 14-15th. This $1,000-added event was worth double points as this 12th stop of the season was a warm-up for the upcoming Seminole Tribe of Florida Empire State Championships.

A total field of 52 players came out to take a shot at the $1,000 first prize, including Scott Simonetti, Stewart Warnock, Michael Yednak, Charlie Lentini, Jerry Tarantola, John Alicea and Mike Panzarella. Four of the tour’s lady players, Gail Glazebrook, Linda Cheung, Borana Andoni, and Diana Rojas also came out to battle.  Diana would be the eventual highest-finishing female, placing tied for 9th.

The tournament bracket for this event was split up between the A/B players the C/D players. Rene Villalobos  was impressive in grinding out several tough wins over Taran Gunness 7-4, Anthony Zoccolillo 7-5, and Bob Schlott 7-6, before losing a nail-biter to Zee Shan Safba 7-6.

Zee Shan fought through the C/D bracket with wins over Linda Cheung 7-4, Pat Dibuono 7-6, Al Frances 7-3, and ultimately Rene. This run set up a hot seat match against Mr. Cue veteran house player, Charlie Lentini… which ended in Zee Shan’s favor at 7-4.

Several C/D players were also putting together impressive performances on the one-loss side, including Diana Rojas, Anthony Zoccolillo, Al Frances, and Bob Schlott.  After losing to Zee Shan Safba on the winner’s side, Rene squeaked out a close 7-6 win over Bob Schlott, lining up the quarterfinal match against Scott Murphy, who was grinding through the A/B west side of the bracket.

Scott Murphy is the owner of Mr. Cue Billiards, and proved that the house room advantage can definitely come into play. Scott, who is rated a B, lost his first round to one of the favorites, John Alicea (7-6), then began an impressive comeback. Scott battled through the one-loss side with wins over Chris Laz 7-6, Bob Mammarella 7-2, Michael Yednak 7-6, Ryan Klett 7-2, T.J. 7-3, Scott Simonetti 7-4, Stewart Warnock 7-5, Jerry Tarantola 7-3 and ultimately Rene Villalobos 7-3.

This long battle set Scott up for the semifinal match against house man Charlie Lentini, who had previously lost to Zee Shan Safba in the hot seat match.  Before losing to Zee Shan, Charlie has been the player to beat, having wins over Darren DeFilippis 7-3, Raphael Dabreo 7-0, T.J. 7-3, Stewart Warnock 7-0, and Jerry Tarantola 7-3.

In the semifinal match between the two house players, Scott Murphy emerged victorious with a dominant 7-3 score.  The final match was then set between Scott and Zee Shan Safba. When the dust settled, it was Bellerose, Queens player Zee Shan Safba who edged out a hill-hill 9-8 victory, breaking through for his first Predator Tour win.

This stop on the Predator Tour also featured a $300 added second day, single elimination event.  Ten players participated, and rising to the top of the bracket were Tony Sinacore & Scott Murphy, who split in the final, each taking $180. Coming in tied for 3rd/4th were Shawn Sookhai & Geoff Conway, winning $60.

The top finishing players in this event enjoyed earning double points, which boosted up their season ranking status as they prepare for the upcoming Seminole Tribe of Florida Empire State Championship. This banner event will take place at Raxx Pool Room over the weekend of September 4-5, and boasts an $8,000-added prize fund.  The added funds are made possible in part by the Seminole Tribe of Florida.

Final Results:
1st: Zee Shan Safba – $1,000
2nd: Scott Murphy – $600
3rd: Charlie Lentini – $450
4th: Rene Villalobos – $300
5th/6th: Bob Schlott, Jerry Tarantola – $225
7th/8th: Stewart Warnock, Anthony Zoccolillo -$150
9th-12th: Diana Rojas, Frankie Cologne, Scott Simonetti, Al Frances – $100

An amateur 9-Ball tournament will be held this fall concurrently with the famed U.S. Open 9-Ball Championship. CueSports International (CSI), one of the largest creators of pool events in North America, is introducing the BCAPL Chesapeake 9-Ball Challenge at the Norfolk Marriott Chesapeake in Chesapeake, Virginia on October 20-23, 2010.

The Marriott is located across the street from the 35^th Annual U.S. Open 9-Ball Championship’s long time venue, the Chesapeake Convention Center.  CSI and U.S. Open 9-Ball Championship’s long time producer, Barry Behrman, have agreed upon the two events taking place simultaneously to build more synergy between the professional and amateur sides of the sport.

The BCAPL regional event will feature men’s singles, women’s singles, coed beginner singles, men’s mixed team and women’s team divisions. The $2,400 guaranteed added amateur tournament will be open to BCAPL and USAPL League Members and current non-league Player Members. All participants in the BCAPL event will receive 20% off spectator tickets to the U.S. Open 9-Ball Championship scheduled October 17-23.

To view additional details about the BCAPL Chesapeake 9-Ball Challenge, including the event flyer and both the single and team entry forms visit: http://playbca.com/Events/2010BCAPLChesapeake9BallChallenge.aspx . For more information about the U.S. Open 9-Ball Championship visit: www.usopen9ballchampionships.com.

CueSports International is dedicated to creating more choices for all players. CSI is the parent company of the BCA Pool League, the National Championship Series (NCS), and the USA Pool League. CSI also produces independent events such as the U.S. Bar Table Championships, the Jay Swanson Memorial and the U.S. Open 10-Ball Championship. Visit www.playcsipool.com, www.playbca.com and www.playusapool.com for more information about CSI and its divisions.

Amsterdam Billiards & Bar

New York, NY

9-Ball – July 31-Aug 1, 2010

B-C-D

Interesting Points of Information:

(From left to right in the picture: Ryan McCarthy 2nd Place, Robert Plaut 1st Place, Alan Chan 3rd Place)

Robert Plaut’s game is improvng rapidly and he proved at this event that he a player to be watched. He went Undefeated all day fighting off 4 hill/hill matches to win the event.

Ryan McCarthy straight off his win at the Tri-State Tour Invitational in the C+ class also showed that he is a player to contend with. As only a few roles kept him from capturing back to back wins.

1st $700 Robert Plaut

2nd $400 Ryan McCarthy

3rd $270 Alan Chan

4th $180 Sammy Islam

5/6 $100 Wilfredo Albay, Peter Brennan

(Photo: Left to right - Mark Alicea 2nd place; Right - George Osipovitch Winner)

In route to victory,  George defeated: Ben Sadowski 7 – 4, Mark Alicea 6 – 5, Rick Shellhouse 7 – 5, and Duane Toney 7 – 5 to reach the Hot Seat. In he meantime Mark Alicea, playing in his first Tri-State event, was climbing his way back through the losers side defeating Antonio Navarro 6 – 2, Dave Fitzpatrick 7 – 6, Gary Murgia 7 – 4, Ken DeBroske 6 – 5, and Duane Toney 7 – 3 for a rematch with George in the Finals, with George emerging the winner.

You can expect to hear more of George Osipovitch and Mark Alicea, who finished second with a strong 7 win/ 2 loss record, in the future. Special attention goes to Ken DeBroske for a strong 4th place with a 6 – 2 win/loss record.Please provide a thank you to Sterling-Gaming, Ozone Billiards, Viking Cues, Ron Tarr Cues, Phil Capelle, BlueBook Publishing, Dr. Dave Billiards Insructional Products for their sponsorship leading to this event.

1st $475 George Osipovitch

2nd $250 Mark Alicea (note of possible interest: Mark Alicea is John Alicea’s brother, who is one of the top players in the Tri-State Tour)

3rd $150 Duane Toney

4th $100 Ken Deberoske

5/6 $50 Gary Murgia, Rick Shellhouse

(Back row L to R: Billy Thorpe, Landon Shuffett, Jauslinn Arnold, Jesse Engle, Kevin Sun, Danny Olson - Front row L to R: Briana Miller, Liz Lovely, Taylor Reynolds, Shawn Begay, Brendan Crockett)

Nearly 100 junior billiard athletes competed in the Billiard Education Foundation (BEF) 22^nd Annual Junior National 9-Ball Championships at Northern Illinois University (NIU) on July 7-11, 2010. Participants took aim to compete for prizes, an opportunity to participate in the World Pool-Billiard Association (WPA) World Junior 9-Ball Championships and scholarship funds for higher education made possible through the Ozone Billiards BEF Junior Nationals Scholarship awards.

Sponsorship by Ozone Billiards provided academic scholarship funds to be awarded to the top 8 finishers of the four division event, $1,000 to each of the four winners and $500 to each second-place finisher.

19 & Under Boys’ Division

1^st Landon Shuffett of Greensburg, KY

2^nd Jesse Engel of Columbia Heights, MN

19 & Under Girls’ Division

1^st Liz Lovely of Centerville, OH

2^nd Jauslinn Arnold of Bakersfield, CA

14 & Under Boys’ Division

1^st Billy Thorpe of Dayton, OH

2^nd Kevin Sun of Harvard, MA

14 & Under Girls’ Division

1^st Briana Miller of Allentown, PA

2^nd Taylor Reynolds of Winslow, ME

Congratulations to the winners of the Ozone Billiards BEF Junior Nationals Scholarships. The BEF wishes to thank Ozone Billiards for its support as well as all the 2010 Junior Nationals sponsors: Simonis Cloth, Delta-13 Rack, Aramith Billiard Balls, Billiard Congress of America (BCA), CueSport College International, Dr Cue Promotions and Northern Illinois University (NIU)/ Huskies Den. Also, many thanks to all the product donors who contributed to the junior prizes, the staff and volunteers who helped make this event a success.  A complete list can be viewed on the BEF website at www.Billiard Education.org.

About Billiard Education Foundation

The Billiard Education Foundation (BEF) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization which is committed to promoting education and encourages the development of life skills through youth billiard programs. The BEF funds academic scholarships, produces the Junior National 9-Ball Championships, sponsors billiard athletes to attend the WPA World Junior 9-Ball Championships and promotes “Pool In School” programs. For more information, please visit www.BilliardEducation.org or call 303.926.1039.

(pictured left to right: Rhonda Pierce, Laura McDermott (owner), Nicole Keeney)

ladies – 12 players
1st    $325    Rhonda Pierce, Tulsa, Ok
2nd    225   Nicole Keeney, Littleton, CO
3rd     125   Brittany Colbert, Tulsa, OK
hot seat:  Rhonda defeats Nicole 5-2, quarter finals:  Brittany Colbert defeats Caroline Ortiz 4-1
semi-finals:  Nicole defeats Brittany  4-1, 1st set of finals:  Rhonda defeats Nicole 5-3

open – 53 players
1st        $1000     Gabe Owen, Tulsa, Ok
2nd           640      Jim Weast, Inola, OK
3rd            420      David Weaver, Tulsa, OK
4th             320      Darryl Smith, Excelsior Springs, MO
5-6             200      Sonny Tiger, Tulsa, Ok
5-6             200       Ruben Castillo, Sand Springs, OK
7-8             150       John Gabriel, Talala, OK
7-8             150       Shawn Morris, Oklahoma City, OK
9-12           100       Shane McMinn, Tulsa, OK

Gabe Owen, Laura McDermott (owner), Jim Weast

9-12           100       Jim McDermott, Tulsa, OK
9-12           100        Martin James, Flippin, AR
9-12            100       Joey Gray, Oklahoma City, OK
hot seat:   Gabe defeats Jim 7-2, quarter finals:  David defeats Darryl Smith   5-4
semi-finals:  Jim defeats David 5-3, 1st set of finals:  Gabe defeats Jim 7-5

Orlando, Fla. (Aug. 7, 2010) – “No pain, no gain”  was Helene Caukin’s mantra on Saturday as she tested her own endurance as well as the proficiency and patience of her fellow Flamingo Regional Tour players.

(Photo (l to r): Stephanie Mitchell (2nd Place) and Helene Caukin (1st Place))

It might have seemed like a long day for Caukin, who limped in to Corner Pocket Billiards Saturday morning with back pain, but in the end it was worth putting up with the pain.   After a first-round bye and resting her back, Caukin handily defeated Jessica Barnes (7-3).   Helene then expediently sent Nicolle Rasmussen to the one loss side (7-1), securing a spot in the single-elimination semi-finals.  “Alleved” of pain, a lot of gain.

In the other bracket, Stephanie Mitchell, the BAAT woman (www.baattour.com), came from behind to defeat Chris Ann Fields 7 – 5.  Not to be stopped, Mitchell toughed it out and sent Sabra MacArthur Beahn walking west as well (7-5).

On the one-loss side, Beahn, on the heels of her frustrating loss defeated Mimi McAndrews (7-1), making it back to the semi-finals.  Rasmussen defeated Robin Boggs (7-3) to get back to the final four.

On the modified double-elimination redraw, Rasmussen had a revenge match with Caukin, and so, too, Beahn with Mitchell.  However, the revenge match was not to be had by Beahn as the rolls went the other way and the game quickly slipped to 3-1 Mitchell.   Sabra’s self-proclaimed theme in her rematch with Stephanie was “erratic” as she rattled corner after corner, allowing Stephanie to take the lead 4-1.  In the sixth match, both players tested their patience with safeties, but in the end the safety play paid off for Mitchell, who ended up with ball in hand and ultimately took the lead to 5-1.  In the seventh game, Sabra missed a tough shot on the eight and quickly found herself down 6-1.   One more rattled ball in the next game and Stephanie won the match 7-1.

In Nicolle’s rematch with Helene, it looked as though Caukin was really feeling the pain as Nicolle quickly went up 5-1.  But Rasmussen overcut the nine, and Caukin started to come back.  Soon the score was 5-3.  In game nine, Nicolle comboed the nine to go to the hill.  However, closing the match proved difficult as Rasmussen scratched on the eight and Caukin was out, score 6-4.  Hitting with authority in the next two games, and looking as though she was feeling no pain, Caukin’s mantra apparently kicked in (“no pain, no gain” -time), as Caukin took the match to double hill.  Nicolle broke but came up dry.  She got another shot at the table and barely missed a 2 -9 combo, leaving the nine hanging on the corner rail.  Helene got a shot at the 2-9 but missed as well.  Nicolle got yet another try at the 2-9 combo, missed but left Helene with no shot on the two.  Helene shot the nine in giving ball in hand to Nicolle, who ran out to the six, missed shape and was forced to play a safety.  However, the safety on the six ended up right in front of the side pocket, and Helene ran out to take the match and the spot in the finals.

With Mitchell and Caukin in the finals, it was predicted to be a tough match.  Mitchell won the lag, started out strong but left the eight ball in the corner and Helene was on the board.  In game three, Helene made a tough cut on the eight and proceeded to pocket the nine.  Score 3-0 Caukin.   Helene’s break in game four left the balls in a cluster at the end of the table.  Looking like a straight pool game, the players traded safeties, each one hitting another ball and adding to the mess.  At the same time, Mitchell and Caukin were attempting to three-foul each other.  Caukin left Mitchell on two with a jump shot to Mitchell, who uncharacteristically missed the jump shot and Caukin was up 4-0.  Running out of steam, Mitchell broke game five and ran to the five, leaving it hanging for Caukin to take a 5-0 lead.  In game seven, kicking from a safety left by Caukin, Mitchell left Caukin a shot but Caukin surprisingly overcut the ball.  With bridge in hand, Mitchell was on the eight but missed, and just when it looked like Caukin would run out, she left the eight hanging.   Stephanie made the eight and banked the nine in the side to finally get on the board.  In game eight, Caukin failed to hit a rail, giving ball in hand to Mitchell. Just when it looked like she was on the verge of yet another come back that day, Stephanie missed the nine, which Helene made, and Caukin’s pain ended up being worth the gain!

Helene won 1st Place money, a trophy and a free entry to the Flamingo Billiards Tour $1,000-added Invitational.  Special thanks to Flamingo Billiards Tour sponsors Ozone Billiards ( HYPERLINK “http://www.ozonebilliards.com” www.ozonebilliards.com), Boynton Billiards ( HYPERLINK “http://www.boyntonbilliards.com” www.boyntonbilliards.com) and Tweeten Fibre ( HYPERLINK “http://www.tweeten.us” www.tweeten.us), and a very special to Tesh at Corner Pocket Billiards ( HYPERLINK “http://www.cornerpocketbilliards.com” www.cornerpocketbilliards.com), and his great staff, Bob, Donald and Brian for their great hospitality and continued support.

RESULTS

($250 added, modified double-elimination)

1st Helene Caukin  ($350)

2nd Stephanie Mitchell ($230)

3rd Sabra MacArthur-Beahn ($100)

3rd Nicolle Rasmussen ($100)

5th Robin Boggs ($60)

5th Mimi McAndrews ($60)

7th Julie Skripac

7th Melissa Durkin

9th Jessica Barnes

9th Kelly Cavanaugh

9th Chris Ann Fields

9th Christie Cloke

13th Barbara Ellis

The next Flamingo Billiards Tour stop is the special Cues for the Cure breast cancer fundraiser event Saturday, October 9^th at Amy’s Billiards in Stuart, Florida. (www.amysbilliards.com).  Check www.flamingobilliardstour.com for all details.