Diamond billiards Products Announces No Excuse Program
Diamond Billiard Products has announced the No Excuse Program, a plan to get Smart Tables into locations across the country. The program was developed to increase saturation of the Smart Table into the market by offering financing for bar and poolroom owners, vendors, and operators.

“We have special financing plans for vendor/operators, bar/room owner, and league operators”, said Brian Miller Director of Sales of Diamond Billiard Products, Inc..
“There is no excuse for not playing on good equipment. Our first priority is to work through vendor/operators, as they are currently set up to work with the locations that have pool tables installed for league play. The next priority is the bar/tavern owner where the tables are being placed. If neither the vendor/operators nor bar/tavern owners are interested, then we will work with the amateur pool league operators (any league) to place tables in suitable locations.”
To learn about the details of this exciting new program:
Contact Diamond Billiard Products at (812)288-7665.

Abraham Takes First Billiard Tour Win

Blaze 9-ball Tour / Parsippany, NJ
by Rick Davis
The fourteenth stop of the Blaze 9-ball Tour visited Comet billiards in Parsippany, NJ, May 27, where David Abraham bested the 33-player field to take his first tour win of the season.
Abraham tore through the winners’ side, where he only once gave up more than two racks during his four-match winning streak that put him in the hot seat match. Playing just as well and dominating the other half of the chart was Mark Vidal, who also took four strong wins to reach the hot seat match. Fighting tooth and nail, Abraham just managed to take a lead over Vidal, propelling him to the 7-5 win.
On the one-loss side Bucky Souvanthong was working on a comeback. Souvanthong ousted Joey Kong in the quarterfinals then proceeded to eliminate Vidal, who had sent Souvanthong west several rounds earlier 6-3 in the semifinals, for the right to face Abraham.
In the finals Abraham was on top of things from the start, and before long he had run away with the match, defeating Souvanthong 7-2 and cementing his first title.
Results:
1st David Abraham
2nd Bucky Souvanthong
3rd Mark Vidal
4th Joey Kong

BCAPL Announces New Rule Book
The BCA pool League (BCAPL) today announced the creation of a new rule book designed exclusively for BCAPL play. Over one year in the making, The Official Rules of the BCA pool League becomes effective October 1, 2007. At that time, BCAPL play will be governed by the BCAPL Official Rules.
According to Mark Griffin, The BCAPL believes the time is right for the introduction of its own set of rules. We feel our loyal and valued members deserve a single, easy to understand document covering all aspects of BCAPL play. Our new book will ensure consistent application of the rules regardless of whether you play in a local, state, regional or national event.

The driving force behind the project was the BCAPL’s observation that the recent development of billiards rules has not been very user-friendly to its players. Rule changes, wording changes, and vague statements were frequently confusing, incomplete, or contradictory. Rule interpretations by various governing bodies were not always made available in print. The upcoming BCAPL publication eliminates those problems by providing you with the most complete and carefully written set of rules the industry has ever seen.

As for the game we all love, don’t worry! We didn’t change the game – we just made it clearer to understand and easier for you to play. In fact, there are only a few changes to the games you’ve been playing for years.

Our mission has and always will be to serve our membership and give them the most enjoyable playing experience possible. This is just another step in that direction. Thank you all for your support.
The Official Rules of the BCA pool League will be available on September 1, 2007.

Mark Griffin Bill Stock
CEO Rules Administrator
Director of Referees

Ewa Laurance to appear on National Bingo Night

World Billiard Champion Ewa Mataya Laurance, The Striking Viking, appears on ABC this Friday night June 1, 2007 at 9:00 PM EST, on ABC’s popular new game show, National Bingo Night.

As one of the winningest players on Tour, Ewa is a member of the BCA Hall of Fame and has won every major event the sport has to offer, including European, US and World titles.

Ewa is one of the most entertaining people in the sport and has had numerous appearances on other national shows, including Late night with David Letterman, LIVE with Regis and Kelly, The Best Damned Sports Show, Period, Current Affair, The Montel Williams show, CBS Morning Show, and The Today Show. Ewa also provides color commentary for ESPN’s billiard programming, and has co-hosted GSN’s Ballbreakers.

Ewa will be performing some of her trick shots while trying to help contestants win cash and prices.

For more information on Ewa, log on to http://www.strikingviking.com/ (http://www.strikingviking.com/)

Van Boening Crushes World 10-ball Championships

Predator 10-ball Championships / Jacksonville, FL
by Rick Davis
After the 96-player field of the Predator World 10-ball Championships shrunk to a mere 16 billiards players, the field was shuffled into a new single-elimination board where those who remained continued to battle for the title and payout.
Taking into account matches won, then games won, and finally games lost, the top 16 took shape with recent EnjoyPool.com 9-ball Championships winner Dennis Orcollo at the number-one seed. Orcollo eliminated the number-one-ranked Japanese player, Naruki Oi, 11-8, then slipped past Atlanta’s Steve Moore 11-5 to face Shane Van Boening in the top four. The other final pairing included Cliff Joyner, who iced Danny Harriman 11-4 and Manual Gama double-hill, and Alex Pagulayan, who survived a stacked lower half of the board, knocking out Johnny “The Scorpion” Archer 11-7 and Francisco Bustamante in another double-hill showdown.
After Van Boening and Orcollo had met just a week previously in the EnjoyPool.com finals with a complete whitewashing by Orcollo it was clear Van Boening was out for redemption. With an 11-9 score he achieved that soon enough and earned a spot in the finals, where he faced Joyner thanks to yet another double-hill win, this time over Pagulayan. With only one match remaining Van Boening wasted no time defeating Joyner 13-11, and after the dust settled he was declared the Predator 10-ball Championship champion.
Results:
1st Shane Van Boening
2nd Cliff Joyner
3rd Dennis Orcollo
Alex Pagulayan
5th Steve Moore
Warren Kiamco
Manual Gama
Francisco Bustamante

Filipinos Dominating World 10-ball Championships Day 2

It’s elimination time and the field is narrowing down at the Predator World 10-ball Championships as some players were sent home early in the morning. The event, hosted at Bankshots billiards in Jacksonville, FL, is one where the women compete with the men in the same competition.
The ladies in the event such as Gerda Hofstatter, Anna Kostanian, Bo Ram Cha, Amalia Matas, and Kim Shaw were all eliminated early on Friday. Shaw was the only female able to draw a win with a great 10-8 victory over #12 Japan Hijikata. Juniors Landon Shuffett and John Morra were hanging tough with Shuffett’s 10-6 win over Spain’s Balesteros and Morra defeated Samuel Ferrell and James Roberts.

Japan’s Mizushita upsetted Russia’s Stalev and then wowed the crowd with a 10-9 stunner over Thorsten Hohmann (GER). Thomas Engert (GER) was hanging tough eliminating Richard Broumpton (ENG) and Hijikata (JPN) while Charlie Williams (USA) sent home Farah (Curacao) and Steve Lillis(USA).

On the winners side Dennis Orcollo (PHI) destroyed Darren Appleton (ENG) 10-4, Mike Davis (USA) identically demolished Sey (NET) 10-4, Niels Feijen controlled Tony Robles (USA) 10-6, and Lee Van Corteza (PHI) subdued Mexico’s Chavez 10-5. The only close call was Tony Crosby (USA) 10-9 over Mika Immonen (FIN).

Marquee Matches tomorrow with Raj Hundal (ENG) vs Lee Van Corteza (PHI), Tony Crosby (USA) vs Niels Feijen (NET), and Mike Davis (USA) vs Dennins Orcollo (PHI).

Places To Play, Places to Buy Program

Inside pool Magazine and InsidePOOLmag.com are pleased to announce the Places to Play and Places to Buy Program. The program features poolrooms, upscale billiard parlors, and billiards supply stores located across the United States and Canada. This program is open to all billiard establishments.
pool rooms, upscale billiard parlors, and billiard supply stores are eligible to participate in the Places to Play and Places to Buy program offered by Inside pool Magazine and InsidePOOLmag.com.
The benefits of the Places to Play and Places to Buy program can be enjoyed by both businesses and customers. Business owners can showcase their businesses to thousands of target customers, and customers can use the directory as a quick guide to services and products that they are looking to purchase.
The business owner receives the following benefits:
1. Print Placement - The business will be featured in Inside pool Magazine. The editorial will consist of 300-400 words describing the establishment and the products and services offered. The listing will be accompanied by at least one image of the establishment. This listing will be in one issue of the magazine.
2. Online Placement - The business will be featured on InsidePOOLmag.com. The editorial will consist of 300-1000 words describing the establishment and the products and services offered. The listing will be accompanied by at least one image of the establishment. If more than 10 photos are supplied, the establishment can receive their own image gallery to be featured at InsidePOOLmag.com. This listing will be permanent.
3. Video Placement - If the establishment supplies a video tour of their establishment or the products and services that they offer, the video will be included in the video gallery at InsidePOOLmag.com.
4. Bulk Subscription - The establishment will receive a bulk subscription to InsidePOOLmag.com for the period of one year.
5. Award Eligibility - The establishment will become eligible for the yearly awards designating the top places to play and places to buy. This article is scheduled to appear in the January issue of Inside pool Magazine on a yearly basis.
6. Dealer Locator - As an added bonus, the establishment will also receive a listing in a new online dealer locator. This feature is currently under construction but will list all of the pertinent information of the establishment. The dealer locator will also give driving directions via Google Maps. Visit the Featured pool room and Billiard Supplies Directory (/mtree/sports/featured-pool-rooms-and-billiard-supplies.html).
Room owners and billiards supply owners can register for the program by contacting Inside pool Magazine at 1-888-428-7665, ext. 223 or 224. If you currently have bulk subscription to Inside pool Magazine, upgrades are available.

World 10-ball Championships Continues

World 10-ball Championships / Jacksonville, FL
by Rick Davis
Day Two of the World 10-ball Championships which began at Bankshots billiards in Jacksonville, FL on May 25, as the field of 96 players began to dwindle down to the top 16 that will return for the single-elimination reshuffle sometime Saturday.
Right out of the gate, recent 2007 EnoyPool.com 9-ball Open Champion Dennis Orcollo skipped through a first-round bye then drilled Richard Jones 10-3, and although still on the winners’ side a tough match against Darren Appleton lays ahead. Appleton did well himself, besting Florida Tour regular Neil Fujiwara 10-4 then squeaking past Luc Salvas double-hill. Overall the winners’ side is one of the stiffest fields seen this year, with matches like Francisco Bustamante versus Troy Frank and Allen Hopkins versus Marlon Manalo. Other assorted top players like Johnny Archer, Ronnie Wiseman, and Ralf Souquet are in the winners’ side mix as well.
Over on the one-loss side things are starting to pile up as well. Young gun John Morra eliminated Sparky Ferrell 10-6 to stay alive, while Richard Broumpton sent Anna Kostanian home after a 10-2 shellacking, which pits him against German world-beater Thomas Engert next.
The field continues to clash at high speed as the remaining rounds will separate the cream of the crop from those that are going home. Stay tuned to insidepoolmag.com for more news and scores from this international event.

World 10-ball Championships Underway

World 10-ball Championships / Jacksonville, FL
by Rick Davis
The World 10-ball Championships got underway May 24 at Bank Shots in Jacksonville, FL, and will continue until Sunday, May 27. The event has a full 96-player field that spans top touring national and international pros, as well as a host of others who were able to throw their hat in the ring.
Starting with double-elimination play the 96-player field will reach the top 16 on Saturday when the players will be randomly shuffled into a single-elimination chart for which the top 8 will return for the event’s final day of play. The long races to 10, paired with the alternating-break format, are helping to hold off any lopsided matches, although it is keeping the event moving at anything but a rapid pace.
Action on the first day saw the field’s two youngest players, Landon Shuffett and John Morra, stay alive on the one-loss side. Morra headed west quickly after a 10-7 defeat by Wayne Catledge, while Shuffett took an early win before heading over. Another young gun is Germany’s Fabian Breuer, who also took a first-round win before getting the axe 10-8 by Niels Feijen.
Not everyone was begging for scraps at the table, though, as Northeast terror Mike Davis defeated Dave Broxson and Raj Hundal bested Steve Moore, both matches going double-hill. In the previous round Moore had cut down top pro Santos Sambajon Jr. 10-5, though now an uphill battle is ahead. Other notables include Shane Van Boening, who crushed Alvaro Valientie 10-2 and Ignacio Chavez, who drilled Russian world-beater Evgeny Stalev 10-4.
Play starts early and runs late in order to thin out the big field, so stay tuned to insidepoolmag.com for the latest news and updates.

Testa Tops at Atlantic City billiards Club

Blaze 9-ball Tour / Atlantic City, NJ
by Rick Davis
Going undefeated, Joey Testa took the May 20 stop of the Blaze 9-ball Tour, mostly uncontested during his run at Atlantic City billiards Club in Atlantic City, NJ, where a 32-player field turned out to be put through the grinder.
In the hot seat match Testa faced Shaun Wilkie, a regular on the tour and all-around top player in the Northeast, and blew him out 7-3 in no time. Previously both players iced some of the tour favorites, including Testa’s double-hill win over Al Lapena and Wilkie’s win over Mike Fingers with that same result.
With Testa king of the hill, Wilkie headed west to face Lapena and, after recovering his stroke, eliminated him by virtue of a 7-3 defeat. Testa was waiting for whoever managed to return to the finals, and although Wilkie intended to provide stiffer competition, Testa began to drill him once again. In no time at all Testa once again skipped past Wilkie 7-3 to claim the first-place title of the Blaze 9-ball Tour’s thirteenth stop.
Results:
1st Joey Testa
2nd Shaun Wilkie
3rd Al Lapena
4th Rob Pole
5th Adam Kielar
Bob Maidhof

Predator Products Hosts Inaugural World 10-ball Championship
Pro Women Join the Field to Take a Shot at the World Title
Billiard News – The Predator World 10-ball Championship, hosted by Jacksonville-based Predator Products, will field 96 invitees from around the world for this first ever world title tournament. Six women will join the predominantly male lineup of international billiards superstars in a battle for over $55,000 in prizes. In conjunction with the Predator World 10-ball Championship, the 2nd Annual US Amateur 8-ball and 9-ball Open and the Junior World 10-ball Championship will be held.
“We are thrilled and proud to host the first ever World 10-ball Championship,” said Karim Belhaj, CEO of Predator Products. “For many years now, we have been sponsoring championship billiards events. However, the magnitude of this World Title event is especially exciting for us, particularly since it’s being held in our hometown of Jacksonville.”
The Predator World 10-ball Championship will be held from May 23-27, 2007 at Bankshot billiards in Jacksonville, FL. The Championship will have the largest foreign field ever attended in Florida’s strong billiards history, including players from over 20 countries including Italy, Hong Kong, Sweden, Russia, France, Canada, China, England, Australia, Germany, Korea, Philippines and the USA. As well as being the first ever World 10-ball Championship in history, this will be the first time a rotation game World Championship will be held on American soil since 1994.
In an unusual, yet positive step, six women will join a largely male field in the battle for the title of world 10-ball champion. WPBA pros Gerda Hofstatter of Austria (currently ranked #9 on the Woman’s Pro Tour), Kim Shaw of England and Anna Kostanian of New Mexico will do battle with the likes of top pro veteran Tony Robles (USA), as well as Charlie Williams (USA), Mika Immonen (FIN), Thorsten Hohmann (GER), Mike Davis (USA), Johnny Archer (USA) and Niels Feijen (NET).
The 2nd Annual US Amateur 8-ball and 9-ball Open will also take place at Bankshot billiards from May 23-27, with the Junior World 10-ball Championship to be held May 26-27.
The Predator World 10-ball Championship is being produced by Dragon Promotions, one of the leading producers of billiard programming in the world today. Admission to the amateur events is free. Spectators can purchase tickets to the World 10-ball Championship event by phoning Bankshot billiards on (904) 998-2100. Additional information on these events can be found at Dragonpromotions.com.

Partners Capture D L billiards and RunTheRack.com First Annual

D L billiards RunTheRack.com held the First Annual Partner’s 8 ball Tournament hosted at Boston billiards in Warwick on Sunday May 20th. Sixty-Four players signed up for a tournament of 32 teams. The alternating partner shot format made the tournament a fun and exciting time for all participants.
Area merchant’s donations of prizes trophies totaling over $5,000.00.
A day of fun came down to the final match between Dr. Bernie Kilcline partnered with Russ Ronco matched against Donna Brouillette and Mike Grant. After each team winning two games each in a race to three, it came to the final game to determine 1st place.
A hill hill match made the finish very exciting with Donna Brouillette slamming a very difficult 8 ball shot into the side pocket for the win sending the crowd to their feet. The winners, Donna and Mike went undefeated for the tournament.
Final Results:
First Place: Donna Brouillette Mike Grant
Second Place: Dr. Bernie Kilcline Russ Ronco
Third Place: Don Wiitala Denise Wiitala
Fourth Place: John Hussey Nicole Christie
Visit the D L billiards Partner Tournament image gallery (/gallery2/v/Pool+Tournaments/DL_billiards_partners/)
Area merchants helping to make the event the success it was included: Showcase, UNO, D’Angelos, Macaroni Grill, Longhorn Steakhouse, Paula’s Restaurant, Governor Francis Inn, Main Street Coffee, Java Madness, Exotic Tans, Express Embroidery, Chalks billiards, Legion Bowl, Kingstown Bowl, Showcase Cinemas, Mike Webb Cues, Eneida Vann Hair, Joe Tucker.net, Corner Pocket, Elmwood Auto Service Citizens Bank.

Undefeated 30K Tour Victory for Hjorliefson

Canadian 30K Tour / Newmarket, ONT
by Willy Hermoza and Tony Butera
Thirty-two die-hard pool players gave up the sunny skies for a chance to compete in the 34th stop of the Canadian 30K Tour at Bigwigs May 19-20. Frequent winner Erik Hjorliefson went home with the first-place prize.
Hjorliefson went undefeated through the winners’ side, making quick work of Ken Botham 10-2 for the hot seat. On the one-loss side Jeff Dick finished in fifth place, being eliminated by up-and-coming 14-year-old Jeff Robson. Mike Leigh ended up in the same position when he fell 7-3 to George Cornelius, who was on fire.
Robson took an early lead 3-1 in the quarterfinals over his opponent, but Cornelius turned up the heat and defeated the youngster 8-4. Now playing like a man possessed, Cornelius quickly dispatched Botham 7-4 to advance to the finals. However, Hjorleifson ended Cornelius’ run 10-2, going undefeated.
Results:
1st Erik Hjorliefson
2nd George Cornelius
3rd Ken Botham
4th Jeff Robson
5th Jeff Dick
Mike Leigh

Sakai Steals Spirit Tour Win

Ladies Spirit Tour / Holiday, FL
by R. Case
The Ladies Spirit Tour’s third event of the season was held April 27-28 at Hammer Heads Billiard Lounge in Holiday, FL, where 46 women competed in the qualifier event for the WPBA Florida Classic. Top players included WPBA pros Ellen Van Buren, Tracie Hines, and Miyuki Sakai, along with Spirit Tour regular top finishers such as Debbie Schjodt, Jeannie Seaver, Stephanie Mitchell, and Jessica Barnes.
The event drew fierce determination and competition, with some players as far away as Holland, Japan, Indiana, and North Carolina, and with many matches enduring hill-hill scores. Sakai found her way to the hot seat match against Stephanie Mitchell, and it was the WPBA pro who claimed the seat with a 7-5 win.
On the one-loss side, regulars Jeannie Seaver and Debbie Schjodt sent Dawn Fox and Tamara Rademakers home, respectively, with fifth-place finishes, setting up the next match of Seaver and Schjodt. A long-time friendship did not prevent Seaver from posting a 7-5 score against Schjodt, because Seaver wanted a chance at the first-place prize fund. However, Mitchell soon let it be known that she fully intended to win the qualifier as well as her first Ladies Spirit Tour event. Seaver had to settle for third place with a 7- 3 score against Mitchell.
The finals were set, with Mitchell and Sakai playing once again. Sakai took the lead, winning the lag and first game, but Mitchell replied quickly with a two-game lead. Mitchell’s bank shots seemed to be working in her favor, as she brought the score up to 4-1, but Sakai was not to be put away so easily, managing to bring the score up to 4-3. After trading several more racks, on the final game, Sakai attempted to shoot the 3 ball, bringing the cue ball three rails around the table to bump the 9 ball into the nearest pocket.
The next Ladies Spirit Tour event will be held June 2-3, 2007, at Stroker’s in Palm Harbor, Florida.
Results:
1st Miyuki Sakai
2nd Stephanie Mitchell
3rd Jeannie Seaver
4th Debbie Schjodt
5th Dawn Fox
Tamara Rademakers
7th Jessica Barnes
Ellen Van Buren
9th Laura Lindauer
Shanna Lewis
Jennifer Jennekens
Vanessa Seaver

Corr Takes Billiard Season Finale Undefeated

New England 9-ball Series / Somersworth, NH
by Rick Davis
Top WPBA pro Karen Corr took the New England 9-ball Series by storm when she went undefeated May 5-6 to take down the top finish at the season finale. Taking place at Busters billiards in Somersworth, NH, this event brought a 48-player field to seek out the final glory of the season.
On the winners’ side Corr quickly met with Phil Stevens in the hot seat match and pounded him 9-3. On the one-loss side, control shifted after each match. In the quarterfinals Roy Morgridge and Peter Bowman clashed after each had worked up a short comeback. After the dust settled it was Morgridge who earned the right to advance. Next, Morgridge faced the incoming Stevens in a match that kept close throughout until Stevens managed to gain a quick edge for the 9-7 win.
With the finals on hand Stevens fought his way back to face Corr in the extended race to 13, but in a flash Corr was up 10-2. After some solid play from both players the vast experience of the WPBA pro took over and claimed the match 13-6.
Results:
1st Karen Corr
2nd Phil Stevens
3rd Roy Morgridge
4th Peter Bowman
5th Gary Abood
Tom McGonagle