International pool Tour NewsDear IPT Supporter:The IPT has undergone incredible growth over the last few months. Building a profitable international pool tour is a huge undertaking. It takes a tremendous commitment in financial resources, manpower, and time. Something of this magnitude does not happen overnight. The IPT is fully committed for the long term. We have the financial resources, business expertise, long-term vision, and exciting future corporate partners that will ensure that the IPT continues to grow and expand for many, many years to come! Here are some updates on various issues:Worldwide TV Contracts - There has been tremendous worldwide interest in the purchasing of the King of the Hill TV series, and acquiring rights to broadcasting the entire 2006 season. The bidding war and negotiations amongst all the television broadcasters has been exciting and time consuming. We have made our decisions and will be announcing the exact times and networks that will handle the IPT 2006 tournament schedule within the next two weeks.

Kelly Fisher Repeats Win at San Diego Classicby InsidePOOL StaffSee the tournament chart (http://www.wpba.com/cms/?pid=1005999)Number-one-ranked on the WPBA, Allison Fisher returned to match up with defending champion Kelly Fisher, the snooker prodigy from England. In the other bracket, number-two-ranked Karen “The Irish Invader” Corr met Sarah Ellerby. Both of these matches ended up being lopsided, as Kelly Fisher vanquished Allison Fisher 7-4, while Corr ousted England’s Ellerby 7-2, going on to meet Kelly Fisher in the final match.

Four Remain in the Winners’ Bracket on Florida Pro Tourby Rick DavisView Brackets here (http://www.platinumbilliards.com/eventbracket.php)On the one-loss side, Butch “The Butcher” Croft defeated Ricky Sanchez in a see-saw battle. This was Sanchez’s first appearance on the tour in two years, and of the group of players he came with from Miami, he was the only one to finish in the money.

Final Four Go into SundayThe WPBA 2006 San Diego Classic has whittled from 64 to its final 4 players going into Sunday’s matches. The event, held at the Viejas Casino in Alpine, CA, will end today.In the first round of the new single-elimination final 16 format, See the tournament chartIn other action, Melissa Herndon was ahead of Dawn Hopkins for most of their match but couldn’t hold on after being tied double-hill and lost in a 2 hour, 16 minute marathon. Gerda Hofstatter started strong against defending champion Kelly Fisher 3-0, but Fisher fought back to tie the match at 5 before moving past “G-Force” to bring it to 8-5. Hofstatter fought back to force a hill-hill match that eventually went in favor of Fisher 9-8.

Top 16 Begin Sunday’s Florida Pro Tour Matchesby Rick DavisView Brackets here (http://www.platinumbilliards.com/eventbracket.php)

WPBA Enters Single-Eliminationby Mark MargarettenSee the tournament chart (http://www.wpba.com/cms/?pid=1005999)By 3:30 p.m., the player to watch was clearly “The Florida Flash,” Van Buren. Not only did she earn her touring pro status by besting Megan Minerich 9-3, she made the final 16, en route to her highest finish yet.

WPBA Elimination Rounds Begin by InsidePOOL StaffSee the tournament chart (http://www.wpba.com/cms/?pid=1005999)There were a few upsets in the first round. Megan Minerich defeated Gerda Hofstatter 9-5, Tracie Hines defeated Xiaoting Pan 9-1, while Dawn Hopkins defeated Tiffany Nelson 9-5, and Rodgers bested Melissa Little 9-5. But the biggest surprise of the night is that the number-three-ranked Monica Webb took an early exit, sent to the left side by Hsian Huang in a hill-hill match and then ousted by Bonnie Coats 9-8 again.

Ussery Wins Florida Pro Tour Eventby Rick DavisAs the afternoon moved along, the remaining top eight players clashed as everyone inched closer to the finals. On the winners’ side of the bracket, Gabe Owen took control of Carlos Viera, besting him 8-3, while Dave Broxson defeated Sparkey Ferrell 8-5. Meanwhile, on the one-loss side B.J. Ussery eliminated Richie Richeson 8-5, as Bill Ferguson ousted Mark Coats 8-4. Richeson and Coats received $650 for their 7-8th place finish.The next round moved the one-loss side to two remaining players as Ferrell bested Ferguson 8-3, and Ussery ousted Viera 8-4. Ferguson and Viera each took away $900 for their 5-6th place finish.Ussery stayed hot as he bested Ferrell in the quarterfinals 8-3. Ferrell received $1200 for his 4th place finish. At the next table, Owen defeated Broxson 8-5 to become king of the hill, as Broxson moved on to play Ussery in the final match of the one-loss side. The match went battled back and forth at first, until Ussery took control and then the match with a final score of 8-4. InsidePOOL Magazine’s 2005 Amateur Player of the Year took a long road to the finals after losing in the opening round to Dave Grossman and then winning ten matches to reach the finals where Owen awaited him. Dave Broxson received $1500 for 3rd place and a weekend of very solid play.

Scorpion Comes Back to Sting Lion to Win SML 9-ball Open Championship Calgary AB – In a morning matchup on the final day of competition, Alex “The Lion” Pagulayan maintained his undefeated streak by downing Johnny “The Scorpion” Archer 11-2. Pagulayan advanced to the final while Archer moved to the B-side bracket. Archer then battled his way back defeating Calgary’s Edwin Montal 11-4 and the right to meet Pagulayan in the SML 9-ball Open Championship game. Following a four-hour marathon match, Archer’s accurate shot making outlasted Pagulayan for a 15-11 win and $15,000 (CDN). For Archer (pictured right with Dean Fisher), it is his second SML Entertainment Open 9-ball Championship win.

Florida Pro Tour Field Narrows to 16by Rick DavisPlay continued on Saturday as the field wound its way down to the top 16 players. The winners’-side matches formed early as those on the one-loss side had a long road ahead. On the winners’ side for Sunday is Richie Richeson, who, after defeating Hunter Lombardo, will face Sparkey Ferrell (pictured right) Sunday morning. Also, Dave Broxson, who tore through his opponents 7-1, 7-3, and 7-1, will face Walter Blacker. The other half of the winners’ side has Carlos Viera against Dennis Searing and Gabe Owen versus Bill Ferguson. Viera and Searing each ended the day with a big win, defeating Robb Saez and Tony Crosby, respectively. The other half of the field from the one-loss side has a mix of all types of players. B.J. Ussery faces Richie Orem, while recent Gabriels Open 8-ball Pro Championship winner Dennis Hatch faces “Rocket” Rodney Morris on the lower half of the board. Orem defeated Saez 7-2, while Ussery bested Crosby by the same margin to reach play on Sunday. Morris defeated Richard Broumpton, and Hatch defeated Randy Epperson. The two remaining pairings for Sunday shaped up just after 2 a.m. and will be Ron Wiseman versus Gary Flannery and Dave Grossman versus Mark Coats.

Florida Pro Tour Kicks Offby Rick DavisThe second stop of the Florida Pro Tour saw a huge opening at Player’s billiards in Melbourne, FL. The event had a full field of players and had to turn away those on a waiting list in order to not run over the 64-player cap. A wide array of entrants from local tour regulars to those who are nationally known came to battle it out for their share of the $8000-added purse. Early-round action showcased some excellent play from Hunter Lombardo, “Rocket” Rodney Morris (pictured right), Ron Wiseman, Adam Wheeler, and others who cruised through their opening rounds. Tournament director John DiToro lost to Ben Conway Jr. in a tough match and noted, “It was a great match that went double-hill,” adding, “Ussery played a beautiful masse, which led to a safety battle that led to a tough shot on the ten ball, which I missed.” At the same time, Robb Saez defeated Nick Varner, and former U.S. Open champion Gabe Owen defeated Florida player Neil Fujiwara. Saez said that he and Varner played aggressively in their match. “Varner miscued in rack eight, which made a huge difference being 5-3 instead of 4-4,” said Saez afterwards.

American Academy of Cue Art (AACA)2006 International Billiard Home Recreation Expo (/content/view/309/88/)wound down on Saturday, acclaimed cue maker Richard Black invited members of the industry to his lovely home in Humble, TX, for the first meeting of the American Academy of Cue Art (AACA). Media, cue makers, vendors, and friends mingled at the koi ponds or by Lake Houston, on which the house is situated. Black also hired a mariachi band to sing and play while his guests enjoyed the Mexican buffet he provided.View the AACA image gallery (/pool_billiard_photos/index.php?cat=12)A short meeting of the AACA followed dinner, with the introduction of the board coming first: Jim Stadum of Samsara Cues; Dr. Mike Shamos; Lynn Castle, the executive director of the Art Museum of Southeast Texas; Paul Del Giudice, a registered patent practitioner; Tom Watters; Ivan Lee, president of Simonis Cloth of North America; and Dan Dishaw, president of the AACA. In his address, Dishaw expressed that the Academy is dedicated to promoting the function art form of cue-making by challenging the cue-making community to push the envelope in developing new creations. Additionally, the Academy is promoting the recognition of cue art in the arts community at large, as well as supporting art education with charitable contributions from the proceeds of the Academy.Visit Inside pool Magazine for the latest news from the American Academy of Cue Art (AACA). (/)

2006 International Billiard Home Recreation ExpoHouston, TXView the 2006 International Billiard Home Recreation Expo image gallery (http://insidepoolmag.bizatomic.net/gallery.php?category=2006+BCA+Trade+Show) Although foot traffic was lighter than we would like to see, we heard from several exhibitors that their sales have equaled previous years’, stated the BCA Board’s Second Vice-President and Trade Show Committee Chairman, Ivan Lee. It’s no surprise that we see larger numbers of attendees in Las Vegas, but we know that sales volume for our exhibitors can remain steady in other venues.

Viking Cues Photo Caption Contest Winner for MarchViking Cues Photo Caption Contest (/content/view/41) for the month of December. The winning caption was, “Next, just flip the rack upside down and catch the pool balls in your eye sockets – It’s that easy!”Tim has won a Viking pool Cue (http://www.vikingcue.com/) that has a retail value of $300-400 and a one year subscription to InsidePOOL Magazine. InsidePOOL Magazine and InsidePOOLMAG.com host the Viking Cues Photo Caption Contest (/content/view/41) every month. The winners are announced on InsidePOOLMAG.com and in InsidePOOL Magazine. The photo for this month features Deno Andrews of the IPT inspecting a pool table up close and personal. Or is he listening for the echo from the side pocket or voices from the pool table? Visitors can submit entries via email by going to the Photo Caption contest page. You can enter every day, one time per day.Submit your entry to the Viking Photo Caption Contest. (/content/view/41)Visit InsidePOOL Magazine for the Viking pool Cues Photo Caption Contest. (/content/view/41)