Rakin and Ko New Junior World Billiard Champions
Mary Rakin of the United States and Pin Yi Ko of Taipei are the new Junior Champions of the World. They took their titles today in Willingen, Germany at the conclusion of the WPA World Junior Championships for 2007.
This is nothing new for Mary Rakin. She won this same event last year, but took the longest road possible to repeat the feat. Coming into the event as the number one seed she dropped her very first match (7-4) to Denise Wilkinson of New Zealand. From there she went on an undefeated romp through the rest of the field.
Her second match was nearly the end of her road, but she got by Anja Wagner of Germany (7-6) and then easily took down both Hui Ching Yap of Singapore (7-2) and fellow American Briana Miller (7-2), the 12-year-old wonder with a very big future. This put her into the redraw that signals the start of single-elimination play and her first match there was another close one as she escaped Kristina Schagan of Germany by a single game (9-8). When she then stepped on Kim Witzel of Germany (9-4) it meant she had once again made the finals of the Worlds.
Her opponent in the final attempt was Tina Buhnen. Strangely, Buhnen had also lost her first match of the week, and to the same Denise Wilkinson that had sent Rakin left as well! (Wilkinson wound up in fifth place.) Buhnen had easily taken down Sabrina Naverschnig of Austria (9-4) in the Semi-Finals prior to finding herself across the felt from Rakin. This would not prove a comfortable spot to be as Rakin found her best game of the week and simply tortured Buhnen to win going away at 9-2 to take her second consecutive World Title. Asked if pool would be in her future she replied: “Yes, but not until after I finish school. School first, then pool.” Pressed as to whether she would be knocking on the door of the WPBA after college she grinned: “Yeah, I think so!”
The young men had watched for the last three years as Yu Lun Wu of Taipei had owned the field and won three World Championships on the trot. When he defeated Yusuke Shibata of Japan 11-7 in the Semi-Finals it seemed a near certainty that history was about to repeat itself. But coming through the field undefeated (as had Wu) was last year’s runner-up, Pin Yi Ko, also of Chinese Taipei. Ko had to defeat another Taiwanese player, Kui Ming Lin (three of our four semi-finalists were Taiwanese) in order to get to the final stage again but after he managed that (11-8) he walked out into the main arena with an air of confidence that was palatable.
Ko took an early lead and never looked back. He won the first three racks, dropped one, and then won three more to lead 6-1 in the race to eleven. After eleven racks he led the race 8-3 in a shining match that had displayed eight break and runs to that point. Wu made a strong charge from there and brought the match close at 8-7. But then Ko took control again and won the next three racks to take the crown 11-7. How well did they play? According to Stan Shuffett, who was tracking every shot, Ko shot an Accu-Stat score of .962 (1.000 is perfect and nearly unheard of) while Wu fired an .858 in his failed bid. Adult pros shoot those same types of scores to win major titles.

The WPA wishes to heartily thank all of the sponsors whose efforts made this fine event possible. These include bwin.com, Iwan Simonis, Dynamic billiards, Aramith Billiard Balls, Gutshoff Itterbach, the City of Willingen, Germany, The EPBF, The WPA, the IBP Foundation, and the host site, the beautiful Sauerland Stern Hotel.
RESULTS
MEN
1) Pin Yi Ko (TPE)
2) Yu Lun Wu (TPE)
3) Yusuke Shibata (JPN), Kui Ming Lin (TPE)
5) Mathew Lawrenson (GBR), Attila Bezdan (HUN), Thomas Luttich (GER), Hee Sup Kim (KOR).
9) Nico Wehner (GER), Fabian Breuer (GER), Landon Shuffett (USA), Rusian Chinahov (RUS), Tomoya Iima (JPN), Nick Pera (NZL), Petri Makkonen (FIN), Hao Xiang Han (HKG)

LADIES
1) Mary Rakin (USA)
2) Tina Buhnen (GER)
3) Sabrina Naverschnig (AUT), Kim Witzel (GER)
5) Kristina Schagan (GER), Si Ming Chen (CHN), Sina Petry (GER), Denise Wilkinson (NZL)

WPA Expels Pan-American Billiard Confederation
The World pool-Billiard Association (WPA) has today announced the expulsion of the Pan-American Billiard Confederation (CPB) as a member body. This action, taken by a vote of the General Assembly of the WPA, came after several days of deliberations and hearings.
Ian Anderson, President of the WPA, said: “We do not take this sort of action lightly. However, the independent course that the CPB has charted in the past year has been found to be inconsistent with the goals and direction of the WPA. We wish the CPB success in their future endeavors but we must seek to affiliate with those whose objectives are consistent with our own.”

Champions Set to be Crowned Tomorrow in Willingen
by Jerry Forsyth
Only four young ladies and four young men remain in the running in the WPA World Junior Championships in Willengen, Germany. On Friday all but one male and one female will fall to the wayside and make way for the new billiard champions.
On the ladies’ side, last year’s champion, Mary Rakin of the USA, has made it into the semifinals by turning aside the sharp cue of Kristina Schagan of Germany by the slimmest of margins, 9-8. She will find herself battling another German, Kim Witzel, in her semifinal match. Witzel earned her berth by destroying Si Ming Chen of China 9-4.
The other ladies’ semi will find Tina Buhnen of Germany matching up against the only remaining undefeated female, Sabrina Neverschnig (pictured) of Austria. Buhnen won 9-6 against Sina Petry, today while Neverschnig barely got by Denise Wilkinson of New Zealand 9-8.
The final four men include Kui Ming Lin of Taipei who will face his countryman, Pin Yi Ko. These two arrived here after Lin bested Tomoya Iima of Japan 11-8 and Attila Bezdan of Hungary 11-10, while Ko defeated Hao Xiang Han of Hong Kong 11-2 and Mathew Lawrenson of Great Britain by the same wide margin.
On the other half of the bracket the two advancing cueists are the defending champion, Yu Lun Wu of Taipei, and Yusuke Shibata of Japan. Wu remains undefeated this week, today overpowering Nico Wehner of Germany 11-6 and Hee Sup Kim of Korea 11-6. Thomas Luttich ended the run of the final American, Landon Shuffett, 11-6 and then lost to Shibata 11-9 after Shibata had already bested Rusian Chinahov of Russia 11-8.
For full brackets please see www.wpa-tour.com (http://www.wpa-tour.com) and click on “sheets” on the left-hand side of the page.

McDermott All American Tour Results from Match-Ups

The fifteenth stop of the 2007/2008 McDermott All American Tour, produced by the American CueSports Alliance (ACS), was hosted at Match-Ups in Fort Collins, CO, on the weekend of November 24-25 for the annual 8-ball Turkey Shoot. The $1,000 added event drew thirty-five billiard players in a double-elimination 8-ball format on 7-foot bar boxes.
Nick Smith ran undefeated to the finals. In the hot-seat match, Smith handled Dave Gomez, 5-1. Earlier in the A-bracket semi-finals, Smith tripped Mike Hellmer, 5-4, while Gomez eclipsed Johnny Vasquez , 5-1. In the B-bracket quarterfinals Mark Haddad eliminated Mike Hellmer 5-3, while Vasquez upended Nathan Smith, 5-4. In the semifinals, Haddad toppled Vasquez 5-2, and he continued his momentum in the B-side finals by ousting Gomez 5-4. The tourney finals featured Nick Smith versus Mark Haddad, and Smith continued his winning ways to claim the title by a 5-4 margin!
By virtue of Nick Smith being the highest-finishing ACS member in the event, he qualified for a free 8-ball singles entry into the 2008 ACS Nationals in Las Vegas – courtesy of the ACS. The ACS wishes to thank sponsors McDermott Handcrafted Cues, Championship Billiard Fabric and Nick Varner Signature Cases for their support in donating “Value-In-Kind” product for this and all stops on the McDermott All American Tour. Sponsorship opportunities are still available for the 2007/2008 All American Tour by contacting the ACS.
The Tour switches over to the “Pechauer Custom Cue All American Tour” on December 1, and the first Pechauer-sponsored stops that weekend will include a $500 added 8-ball event at Cue Masters billiards in Dubuque, IA (contact Bill Kramer at 563-557-0875); a $1,500 added 8-ball event for men and women at Spikes Bar Grill in Faribault, MN (contact John Stich at 507-210-7558); and a $500 added 8-ball event at Sharky’s billiards in Sedalia, MO (contact Mellody Allee at 660-826-5855). Further information, entry details and schedules for the 2007/2008 Pechauer All American Tour are available at www.americancuesports.org (http://www.americancuesports.org).
The ACS is a non-profit, national organization dedicated to heightening the interest and awareness of cue sports through the support and sanctioning of organized competition throughout the United States.
Final Results:
1st Nick Smith (Colorado Springs, CO) $550 + Free entry to 2008 ACS Nationals
2nd Mark Haddad (Westminster, CO) $400
3rd Dave Gomez (Northglenn, CO) $300
4th Johnny Vasquez (Fort Collins, CO) $150
5-6th Mike Hellmer (Fort Collins, CO) $75
Nathan Smith (Colorado Springs, CO)
7-8th Ray Padilla (Denver, CO) $50
Warren Woodson (Greeley, CO)
Top Female – Terry Duncan (Englewood, CO) $50

First Cleaning Day at the WPA Junior World Championships

by Jerry Forsyth
Today was the day that the first bodies hit the floor in Germany as the one-loss side became fatal for many contestants. Paul Everette of Canada had one of the most brutal days possible, as he was eliminated from the tournament on a one-game margin when Christopher Futrell of the USA bested him 9-8. Everette was not the only player to be dusted off by such a slim margin. Joshua Newman of the USA felt the same sting from Kim Hee Sup of Korea, and Anja Wagner of Germany got the same cards dealt into her hand when Mary Rakin of the USA outbid her 7-6.
Others taking the longest walk away from the venue today included Dominic Jentsch of Germany, who lost to Kim Hee Sup 9-5; Kang Lee (KOR), who fell 9-5 before Kui Ming Lin (TPE); Michael Czarnecki (POL), who dropped his match 9-5 also to Lin of Taipei; Jason Cook of New Zealand, who was eliminated 9-4 by Yusuke Shibata of Japan; and Daley White (also of New Zealand), who was vanquished 9-7 by Christopher Futrell of America.
Landon Shuffett of the USA bounced back from his loss yesterday to send two players home today. First he knocked over Roman Pruchai of Russia 9-6 and then ended the run of Canada’s Marc Bucais by the same margin. Shuffett, ever the good sport, called a foul on himself that no one else saw—a foul that wound up costing him three games when Bucais caught a gear on him. Aslam Sayed Sharik, a young player who redefines methodical, bested both Yevgen Novosad of the Ukraine 9-7 and Chew Ming Tan of Singapore 9-2 in a match that saw Sharik take more than 25 minutes to clear a single rack. Wehner Nico of Germany likes to keep things close. He beat both Ramazan Dincer of the Germany and Marc Bljsterbosch of the Netherlands 9-7. Mark Mendoza of the Philippines took out Stephen Lammons of Belgium 9-4 but then lost to Petri Makkonen of Finland 9-6.
On the young ladies’ side Tina Buhnen of Germany rolled over two other contestants 7-1. She ended the runs of both Marina Linguerri of Canada and Amy Claire King of South Africa. Shu Ling Lin of Taipei ended the tournament for Claudia Damiani of Nicaragua 7-2, while Chiaki Komiya of Japan did the same for Nicole Keeney of the USA 7-5 and Jenny Cook of New Zealand 7-3. Finally, defending champion Mary Rakin of the USA took down Hui Ching Yap of Singapore 7-2.
Ladies progressing on the winners’ side included Kristina Schagan of Germany, who slid by Denise Wilkinson of New Zealand 7-6; Si Ming Chen of China, who dusted Karla Fernandez of Mexico 7-3; and Sina Petry of Germany, who defeated Briana Miller of the USA 7-4 and Sabrina Naverschnig of Austria 7-3.
Our unscathed young men as of this moment are Yu Lun Wu of Taipei, who ran over Albin Ouschan of Austria 9-3; Fabian Breuer of Germany, who scraped past Richard Barney of the USA 9-8; Thomas Lufftich of Germany, who beat Ikwan Sandjaja of Indonesia 9-3; Rusian Chinahov of Russia, who took down Nick Pera of New Zealand 9-2; Tomoya Iima of Japan, who bested Rene David of the Philippines 9-5; Attila Bezden of Hungary, who got by Diego Gomez of Venezuela 9-7; Mathew Lawrenson of Great Britain, who escaped Hoa Xing Han of Hong Kong 9-8; and Pin Yi Ko of Taipei, who dominated Xiang Xao of China 9-0.
Play begins again on Thursday at 10 a.m. CET. Please refer to wpa-tour.com for up-to-the-minute scoring and live streaming video of the matches on Table 1. Also, scroll down the left-hand side of that website to the button labeled “sheets,” and you will find the entire bracket set.

2008 International Billiard and Home Recreation Expo Far from Conventional
Southern Sophistication Meets Serious Business

With 2008 rapidly approaching, planning has moved into high gear for the 25th Annual International Billiard and Home Recreation Expo, June 12-14, 2008, at the Charlotte Convention Center. Combining a unique mix of innovative exhibitors, qualified buyers, strategic business seminars, professional pool play, recognition for the game’s greatest players and a little fun, the Billiard Congress of America (BCA) is pleased to announce an exciting line up that is “far from conventional.”
“The 2008 Expo will present attendees with a host of business opportunities on the floor, networking opportunities throughout the show and a little fun on the side,” said Ivan Lee, BCA president. “Research from the 2007 show indicates attendees and exhibitors were equally satisfied with their experience and took note at the efforts to improve the show’s overall content. Taking the ideas we incorporated into last year’s show, including strategic business seminars and networking events, and dedicating increased efforts to bring new exhibitors with innovative products to the Expo floor, will make the 2008 Expo a great show for exhibitors and attendees alike.”
Withmore than 20 hours of open floor time and 200,000+ square feet of exhibit space inthe Charlotte Convention Center, hundreds of exhibitors will be on hand with productdisplays ranging from the “classics,” such as billiard tables, cues, cases, cloth, slate, balls,chalk, racks, stands, lighting, instructional products, publications, accessories and leaguesystems, to complementary lines like furniture, bars, darts, room décor, poker supplies, game tables, video games, music systems, tanning beds, spas, apparel and novelty items. The Business of billiards Seminar Series will provide exclusive education sessions for BCA Expo attendees with a total of six seminars.

The highlight of the educational sessions will be keynote speaker Kyle Petty, NASCAR Nextel Cup driver and CEO of Petty Enterprises. As CEO of Petty Enterprises, Petty remains a fixture at his family-owned business. Petty has been able to productively use his family business, and take advantage of his incredible driving talents and people skills, to build a winning driving resume and rebuild a racing business that has been one of the most successful in the history of motorsports. A proven winner, Petty stays focused and determined to keep Petty Enterprises at the forefront of the motorsports world. In addition, the Business of billiards Seminar Series will feature business improvement sessions specifically for retailers and poolroom operators, and general sessions for all attendees. Topics will include retail merchandising strategies, poolroom design tactics, Internet marketing strategies, and charity and promotions tips. The results of the BCA consumer research project also will be presented.
The BCA is also turning to laughs for this year’s industry celebration. Comedian Jake
Johannsen will provide a great night of entertainment during the Expo. Johannsen is one of David Letterman’s favorite comics, as he has appeared on Letterman’s show over 29 times. Johannsen’s bizarre take on life and his uniquely intelligent style have made him a regular at comedy clubs all over the country. Scheduled for Friday evening, Johannsen will provide a fun-filled night at the Expo. Also this year, and for the first time ever, the BCA’s 9-ball Championship Tournament – the generationpool.com 9-ball Championships – will be held in conjunction with the BCA Expo. The 2008 BCA 9-ball Championships will feature professional men’s and women’s divisions.

Semi-final and final events will take place June 11-12, 2008, in the Grand Ballroom at the Charlotte Convention Center and will be aired on ESPN. In addition, the 52nd BCA Hall of Fame Induction ceremony will take place June 12 during the intermission of the final events.

“With the combination of the 2008 BCA Expo, the 2008 generationpool.com 9-ball
Championships and the BCA Hall of Fame induction ceremony, this year’s event will truly be a celebration of billiards,” said Lee. “We are looking forward to a highly successful week in Charlotte.”

About the BCA
Founded in 1948, the Billiard Congress of America (BCA) is a non-profit organization
dedicated to growing a united, prosperous and highly regarded billiard industry through BCA leadership. The BCA seeks to enhance the success of its members and promote the sport of billiards though educational, marketing and promotional efforts, annual industry trade shows, tournaments and other programs designed to encourage billiards as a lifestyle and make pool everybody’s game. For more information, visit www.bca-pool.com (http://www.bca-pool.com/) or call 866.852.0999

2007 WPA World Junior Championships Kick Off
World billiard championship being held in Germany
by Jerry Forsyth
Thirty-nine young men and nineteen young women began their individual journeys towards billiards history today in Willingen, Germany. The resort of Sauerland Stern is the host venue, tucked into the popular ski country that has been showered with snow the last three days.
This is a double-elimination format, so no one will face elimination until Wednesday, but many have already crossed over into the danger zone. Notable among those is Mary Rakin, last year’s world champion, who lost today 7-4 to Denise Wilkinson of New Zealand. Landon Shuffett came here accompanied by the high hopes of many Americans, only to fall 9-5 in his first match against Tomoya Iima of Japan.
But it is still early days here, and everyone has at least a single barrel left so there is no feeling of hopelessness to be found as yet. The players are still adjusting to their travel to get here and the venue itself, and these adjustments will begin to take hold and firm their games on Wednesday.
There are a lot of ways to follow the latest happenings of this event. For one, Table #1 is a show table and the matches there are broadcast live over the Internet. As well, the scores are updated in real time at WPAtour.com, as are the brackets. There is a link at WPAtour.com that will take you to the live streaming video.
This is also the week and site of the annual WPA Board and General Assembly meetings, and we will keep you up to date with any breaking news that may emerge from these conferences. Of course, we will update you daily as to interesting match news and the progress of the players throughout the week.

Brett Favre and Pechauer Join Forces

Green Bay Packers quarterback Brett Favre and J. Pechauer Custom Cues are proud to announce the uniting of forces to help raise money for charity. Pechauer Cues is creating a uniquely designed pool cue for the serious cue collector and the die-hard Favre fan. There will be only 25 of these once-in-a-lifetime cues. Each cue will be numbered and hand-signed by both Brett Favre and Joe Pechauer and include a certificate of authenticity.
Green Bay Wisconsin, home of the Green Bay Packers, is also the home of J. Pechauer Custom Cues, a family-run business that has been making pool cues for over 40 years. Since its inception, Pechauer Cues has built a strong reputation as not only one of the most desired playing cues in the world but as a highly desired collectable cue as well.

The most popular Pechauer cues sell for $250-$600. Pechauer also creates one-of-a-kind custom cues that have sold in excess of $10,000. Joe Pechauer, president of Pechauer Cues, will have his personal line of cues soon to be featured in the billiards Encyclopedia, a showcase of the talents of cue makers from around the world.

The cues are composed of exotic materials such as black ebony, mother of pearl, ivory, malachite, and other inlays to show bits of history of Green Bay’s favorite son. For a cue of such collectability and high demand, the Brett Favre signature collector cue will be modestly priced at $5000.

Everyone at Pechauer Cues wishes to congratulate Brett Favre for his guidance of the Green Bay Packers over the past 16 years, as well as his leadership shown off the field.

Pechauer will give proceeds from the cues to the Brett and Deanna Favre Foundation. “By giving all proceeds to the Brett and Deanna Favre Foundation, I am confident that all of the money given will be directed to the people and organizations that need it the most”, says Joe Pechauer.

Brett Favre is the league’s all-time leader in passing touchdowns, completions, and attempts. He also ranks first in passing yards, having recently broken the record previously held by the Miami Dolphins’ prolific Dan Marino. Brett Favre is probably best known for the most consecutive starts by a quarterback in the NFL. Since taking the reins as quarterback of the Green Bay Packers, he has started over 250 games straight. This is an unheard-of accomplishment for a starting quarterback in today’s NFL.

For more information on these once-in-a-lifetime custom cues, please call 800-934-7735.

Abernathy Aces Queen City Open
J. Pechauer Southeast Open 9-ball Tour / Charlotte, NC

by InsidePOOL Staff
Jeff Abernathy won his second regional tour event of the month when he swept the J. Pechauer Southeast Open 9-ball Tour’s November 24 stop. Hosted by Morey’s billiards in Charlotte, NC, this event brought in 45 competitors vying for the $500-added prize money.
Cruising undefeated to the finals, Abernathy made short work of Rob Krull 4-2 in the hot seat match, sending Krull to the one-loss side. In the semifinals he faced Jim Jennings, fresh off a 3-1 victory over Maryland hotshot Mike Davis. Krull surpassed Jennings 3-2 to earn a rematch with Abernathy, but he again fell short as Abernathy overcame him 4-3 for the title.

Results:

1st
Jeff Abernathy

2nd
Rob Krull

3rd
Jim Jennings

4th
Mike Davis

5-6th
Tommy Kennedy

Brian Davis

7-8th
Jeff Bumgarner

Jack Bock

9-12th
Ray Floyd

Allen Green

Steve Horne

Paul Mullins

Bergman Beats All Comers at Turkey ShootoutFifth Annual Turkey Shootout / Victorville, CA

by InsidePOOL Staff
Youngster Justin Bergman took top honors at the Fifth Annual Turkey Shootout, hosted by Gary’s Victor billiards in Victorville, CA. Held over the Thanksgiving weekend, this event boasted a prize fund that attracted a field of 53 top SoCal billiard players.
With a field that included 2006 U.S. Open champion John Schmidt, Tang Hoa, Jui-Lung Chen, Ernesto and Oscar Dominguez, Francisco Galinda, and Max Eberle, the action was incredible. Fach Garcia put hometown hero John “Mr. 403” Schmidt out of the event, depositing him in a seventh-place tie with Bernardo “King Kong” Chavez. Garcia, however, only ended up in fifth place, after being defeated by Jui-Lung Chen out of Texas.
After an earlier loss to Hollywood player Max Eberle ended up in fifth place after a loss to another top Southern California player, Tang Hoa. Hoa was stuck in fourth place after an unsuccessful battle with Johannes Kouhanen. In the hot seat match, Bergman and Kouhanen faced off, with Bergman the winner. Chen was happy to step up in the semifinals but fell short against Bergman, who had all guns blazing. In the true double-elimination finals, Chen bested Bergman in the first set 10-6, but Bergman came back in the second to win a deadly double-hill match 7-6 to take first place.

Results:

1st
Justin Bergman

2nd
Jui Ling Chen

3rd
Johannes Kouhanen

4th
Tang Hoa

5-6th
Fach Garcia

Max Eberle

7-8th
John Schmidt

Bernardo Chavez

9-12th
Simon Dudley

Tyler Benton

Damien Alishon

Oscar Dminguez

13-16th
Joones Ohtonem

Dave Hemmah,

Kyle Lanford

Francisco, Galinda

Hecht and Egeln Undefeated at Edison BilliardsTri-State Tour

by Rick Davis
The Tri-State Tour held a double event Saturday, November 25, hosted by Edison billiards in Edison, NJ, where Greg Hecht cruised through the A/B handicapped division and Jason Egeln owned the C/D event, both players going undefeated through the double-elimination 9-ball action.
In the A/B event a 16-player field mixed things up and late action saw Hecht defeat Tim Edmonds 7-5 in the hot seat match. Then, on the one-loss side, Rich Emiliano drilled Stewart Warnock 7-2 in the quarterfinals but was then rebuked by Edmonds who eliminated him 7-4 in the semifinals. Cleaning up the event for their division, Hecht and Edmonds met in the finals and raced to the hill where Hecht slipped past, taking the event from the double-hill showdown.
In the C/D division a 32-player field threw their hat in the ring that culminated on the winners’ side with Jason Egeln and Jan Aleria dueling in the hot seat match. Climaxing at double-hill, Hecht came through to be king of the hill. On the one-loss side Ron Denig ousted Duane Toney 6-4 in the quarterfinals; however, Aleria was looking for a rematch, and after knocking out Denig 6-2 in the semifinals he earned that right. With the final match of the event running Egeln and Aleria raced once again to the double-hill face-off with the same result, Egeln taking the match 6-5, this time to claim the event.
Results A/B:
1st Greg Hecht
2nd Tim Edmonds
3rd Rich Emiliano
4th Stewart Warnock
Results C/D:
1st Jason Egeln
2nd Jan Aleria
3rd Ron Denig
4th Duane Toney

Jeanette Lee Leads Korea Against International Team in Carom

Jeanette Lee captained perhaps the most talented women’s carom billiards team in the world with Korean comrades Ga Young Kim and Yu Ram Cha in the XTM Women’s International Team Carom produced by Dagon Promotions. The challenging team included Captain Miyuki Sakai (JPN), Shanelle Loraine(GUA), and Isabelle Krafczyk (GER).

The three cushion billiards event took place in a semi-dome arena set up outside of La Festa, a busy and popular shopping district. The event was sponsored by CYON Phones, Coca Cola, Costri Cosmetics, Ra Beauty Salons, Predator Cues, Poison Cues, and Hollywood Tables.

The first match was a 3-on-3 match up with teammates alternating shots in each three cushion match. The race to 5 format with the first team reaching 9 matches as the victors. The players started out slow with no one making a point the first few innings. World Team struck first with a point but was not long before the Koreans caught up. the Koreans held a 4-2 lead but Sakai made it 4-3 but then Krafczyk and Loraine missed their chances to tie and Korea won the first match point. Next match was even closer with Sakai and Loraine fighting to 4-4 against Kim and Cha before Cha scored the winning point 5-4.

The away team finally got a break with Japan/Germany pairing of Sakai and Krafczyk against Lee and Kim. Lee and Kim had immense carom experience between the two, but Sakai and Krafczyk fought to tie it at 4-4 with Sakai making excellent caroms, but it was Krafczyk scoring the winning point with a three rail draw shot carom. Korea now held a 2-1 lead.

In the singles, the Koreans were dominant as Cha beat Krafczyk 5-1, Kim crushed Loraine 5-0, and in the Captains Match Lee defeated sakai 5-3.

Sakai was no doubt playing very well scoring the most points for the World Team. In the Doubles once again, she was paired with Guam’s beautiful Shanelle Loraine. Loraine was having a difficult time but Sakai was making a point on her turn almost each inning keeping Lee and Cha on the fence. Loraine had an opportunity at 4-4 to score the winning point but a miscue gave Korea back the inning and they made the final point to win 5-4 once again. The momentum was so strong at this point that the Koreans seem to fly by in the next few matches with Yu Ram Cha scoring the event ending point the final match for Korea’s 9-1 devastation of the World Team.
This team put together for Korea is amazing. Yu Ram, Ga Young and myself…it’s really a very talented trio. Said Jeanette Lee.
It was alot of fun even though we lost. I mean, who is going to beat them (Lee,Cha,Kim) in carom or in pool? said Sakai.

After the event the excited fans spent an hour in line getting autographs from the stars of the event. The young ladies then all spent a night on the town enjoying Korean food and karaoke.

Photos Courtesy of www.playphoto.co.kr (http://www.playphoto.co.kr/) Dragon Promotions

Davis Coasts to Win on Jacoby Billiard Tour
Jacoby Custom Cues Carolina Tour / Kinston, NC

by Rock City Promotions
Pastime billiards and Pub of Kinston, NC, hosted the second stop on the 2007-2008 Jacoby Custom Cues Carolina Tour November 17-18, drawing a field of 27 players for the main event. Mike Davis took first place over Cary Dunn, earning $1,000, plus entry into the 2008 Carolina Open, courtesy of Fast Eddie’s in Goldsboro, NC.
The weekend began with an early bird tournament on Friday night. Younger Chapman defeated Terry Champion 7-1 in the final match. The junior tournament Sunday saw Mac Harrell besting Justin Ward 7-5 in the final match. Junior players score points that accumulate for the first 10 events on the tour, and the top point winners in each division will qualify for the 2008 Junior Nationals.
Also on Sunday, a second-chance tournament was won by Larry Faulk. Faulk finished 7-2 over Mac Harrell, who squandered chances on three 9 balls.

In the main event, Davis had a relatively smooth road to the hot seat, defeating Joe Hawkins 7-3, Wayne Sutton 7-2, Charles Jones 7-5, Paul Mullins 7-2, and Dunn 7-4.
Dunn struggled early with David Brown but emerged the winner in a hill-hill match. After making quick work of Ty Bissett 7-1 and Eddie Little 7-2, Dunn headed west after his loss to Davis. Dunn earned his rematch with Davis by defeating Mullins, who was the underdog of the tournament.
The final match—a single race to 9—started out with unforced errors and missed opportunities on the part of both players. Snookered and down 3-1, Dunn made a good hit on the 1 ball and left Davis safe. Davis made a good hit, but Dunn ran out nevertheless.
Rack seven proved to be the turning point. After making the 7 ball on the break, Davis made the 1 and 2, then played a safety on the 3 ball. Rewarded with ball in hand, Davis ran out. Davis stretched his lead to 8-2, thanks to a 9 ball on the break and back-to-back break and runs.
Dunn’s last chance was in the eleventh rack. After an empty break by Davis, Dunn made the 1 ball and missed a desperate 2/9 combination. Davis missed a 7 ball late in the rack, but a fortunate roll left Dunn snookered. Davis won the final game and the match 9-2.
Results:
1st Mike Davis
2nd Cary Dunn
3rd Paul Mullins
4th Eddie Little
5th Younger Chapman
Sidney Champion
7thLarry Faulk
Terry Champion

Gilbert Goes All the Way
McDermott All-American Tour / Hinsdale, NH

by InsidePOOL Staff
Chad Gilbert went unscathed at the November 17 stop of the McDermott-All American Tour. Hosted by the VFW in Hinsdale, NH, this $800-added event drew 21 billiard players in a double-elimination 8-ball format on 7-foot bar boxes.
Gilbert, a local player, slipped past Scott Parent 3-1 in the hot seat match. Beforehand, in the A-bracket semifinals, Gilbert dominated Corey Parker 3-0, while Parent eclipsed Troy Butler 3-1. In the B-side finals Troy Butler ousted Kevin Smith to claim another shot at Gilbert, but Gilbert again prevailed in the finals by a 3-1 margin to claim the title over Butler.

Results:
1st Chad Gilbert
2nd Troy Butler
3rd Scott Parent
4th Scott Laird

Williams and Lim Capture Korea Pro Tour Championships

The Korean Dragon Charlie Williams and Korean Pro Tour (KPT) number 2 Women’s Yun Mi Lim made it in all Korean Champions day as they defeated their international counterparts. This made it the first time ever in Korean billiard history that both men and women’s divisions were won by Korea. The event was produced by Dragon Promotions and matches were televised on MBC ESPN and sponsored by Lotte Department Store, Ra Beauty Salons, Predator Cues, Poison Cues, and Min Tables.

Lim set the tone for the day with her match against WPBA top pro and World Games Gold Medalist Jasmin Ouschan. Ouschan was thus far undefeated in the event but the event had now changed to single elimination. Lim had lady luck on her side as she made a 9 ball on the break and later lucked a missed shot and ran out. She backed it up with two break and runs. Jasmin got a few opportunities but was not able to make balls on her break and left open tables for Lim. Lim was able to keep control of the match with a 6-2 win to advance to the finals.

She had a few rolls in the match and then backed it up with good play. I had dry breaks and then pretty soon it was over. What can you do. said Ouschan about the match.

Next the Men’s semi finals #1 featured new Filipino sensation Joven Bustamante against unheralded Ricky Zerna. Bustamente, managed by Bugsy Promotions, has had a tremendous rookie year in international play with a 3rd place finish at The World 8-ball, 3rd place at the World 9-ball, 1st at Korea International Championships, and now a minimum finish guaranteed. Ricky Zerna, an unknown player but member of Negros Billiard Stable owned by Jonathan Sy, already took out countryman Jundal Mazon and was now looking for his first international win. Errors by Bustamante proved to be costly in the race to 7 TV matches. Joven’s powerful break also failed him giving Zerna the opportunities he needed to take the lead and never look back with a 7-3 victory.

Women’s semi finals #2 featured Yu Ram Cha against WPBA Top 20 from Japan Miyuki Sakai. Cha had defeated Sakai earlier in the year in the Showdown in Seoul playing 3Cushion, 8-ball and 9-ball sweeping Sakai in all three games. This day would be no different as she crushed Sakai 6-2 to advance to the finals.

In the Mens Semi Finals #2 good friends and former teammates Rodney Morris and Charlie Williams faced each other. A dry break from Morris and then a missed shot in next rack gave Williams a chance to go up 2-0. Morris returned with back to back games of his own at 2-2. A miscue on a jump shot gave Williams another out and a break and run on his break gave him back 4-2 lead. A dry break from Morris gave Williams another out and another break and run to make it 6-2 and Morris was too far behind in the alternate break format with one more game before Williams won at 7-3 in a flawless performance.

I tried to play a few shots to cheat the pocket when I should have played more towards the center of the pocket instead. Just got too cute on some of the shots. But now that it’s over I’ll be rooting for Charlie in the finals. commented Morris after the match.

Rodney played awesome to get to the semi and he made a few errors in the match. In a race to 7 it doesn’t take much to get behind. said Williams.

The Mixed Doubles Finals were on next with Japan’s Takenaka/Sakai versus Korea’s Williams/Cha. Japan got an early lead with a break and run and then a botched up jump attempt by Cha made it 2-0 Japan. Williams missed position for Cha which lead to another oppotunity for Japan and later a missed 5 ball by Cha sealed Korea’s team fate as Japan rolled to 5-0 win.

The Women’s Finals was expected to have Yu Ram Cha against the powerful Austrian Ouschan. Yun Mi Lim had other plans in mind as she took Ouschan’s place and was going to make her own fate. The odds looked against Lim still with her being the brides maid finishing 2nd place in two of the Korea International Championships and two 3rds with never a win. Cha had also earlier gave Lim her only loss in a 7-0 whitewash. Cha took an early lead at 3-1 and on Lim’s break she ran out to the 8-ball but missed sending the 8-ball 3 rails and freezing it luckily to the cueball leaving Cha no shot. Cha tried a safe but left Lim the out. The next game Lim missed the 4ball but left Cha hooked and after Cha made contact on the 4ball Lim ran out for 3-3 tie. Then Lim backed up her good fortune with a break and run. A dry break from Cha gave Lim another out and then Lim broke and ran the last rack to win her first major title at 6-3. The win also enabled her to overtake KPT #1 Eun Ji Park for Player of the Year honors.

The Men’s Finals was Korea versus Phillipines as Hyun Ho Kim(Williams under banner of Korea) took on Ricky Zerna. In a one sided match, Williams was absolutely dominant breaking and running the rack on his break 4 times and taking advantage of a dry break and two missed shots by Zerna. Playing fast and loose, Williams played another near perfect match not missing one shot in the semi or the finals and he defeated Zerna 7-1 in less than 30 minutes. The victory gave Williams his 3rd international title in Korea and $15,000 for 1st place.

It feels good to win here again in Korea. I really had luck on my side yesterday in my wins against the two Japanese champs, but today I pulled through with a good performance. You really need both luck and skill to win a tournament. said Williams.

At the KPT 2007 Awards Banquet all the players were invited for a fabulous authentic Korean array of dishes. A slideshow movie of the past year and awards were given to players.

Man of the Year - Myung Jin Kim -DP Korea General Manager
Sportswoman of the Year- Jasmin Ouschan (AUT)
Sportsman of the Year - Hayato Hijikata (JPN)
Player of the Year(Men) - Young Hwa Jeong (KOR)
Player of the Year(Women)- Yun Mi Lim (KOR)
Fan Favorite - Daerin Lee
Best Dressed- Pil Hyun Cho
Rookie of the Year (Men) - Min Wuk Ha
Rookie of the Year (Women) - Minyung Lee

For more info goto www.dragonpromotions.com (http://www.dragonpromotions.com) or www.dragonpromotions.co.kr (http://www.dragonpromotions.co.kr)