Scholarship Opportunities for High School billiards Players

The Billiard Education Foundation (BEF) is pleased to announce that they are accepting applications for the 2008 scholarship awards. The BEF Academic Scholarship Program is administered annually under the direction and guidance of the BEF Board of Trustees. Applications must be postmarked no later than March 15, 2008 and can be downloaded by going to the BEF website at www.BilliardEducation.org (http://www.billiardeducation.org/).
The BEF Academic Scholarship Program is divided into two categories: Excellence in Education scholarship (one $5,000 scholarship awarded over a two-year term) and Aiming for Higher Education scholarships (seven individual scholarships at $1,000 each). The objective of the BEF Academic Scholarship Program is to grant scholarships to high school seniors who have benefited from the sport of billiards and are pursuing a college education.
Prospects must adhere to the following scholarship criteria: 1) hold a minimum 3.0 cumulative GPA (on a 4.0 scale); 2) must have an ACT score of at least 23 or SAT score of at least 1050; 3) submit a 500-1000 word essay on how billiards has been an integral part of their life; 4) must be accepted to an accredited undergraduate academic program by June 1, 2008; 5) must attend an accredited undergraduate institution and carry at least 12 hours per semester. .

The final application must also include a letter from the applicant outlining academic achievements, leadership and/or community service work, a description of the applicant’s background and career objectives, personal and professional (academic) goals, and chosen discipline of study. Applicants must also submit an official High School Transcript and SAT/ACT scores.

The BEF would like to thank all the contributors that make this scholarship and other BEF programs possible. If you would like to become a donor and make a difference in the growth of billiard programs for our youth, please contact the BEF office at 303.926.1039
The Billiard Education Foundation is a 501 (c) (3) non-profit charitable organization committed to furthering the standard of excellence and leadership within the billiard community by engaging in activities related to the education and cultural advancement of tomorrow’s leaders.
For more information about the BEF, please visit www.BilliardEducation.org (http://www.billiardeducation.org/), contact Laura Smith at 303.926.1039, or e-mail info@BilliardEducation.org (mailto:info@BilliardEducation.org).

Derby City Classic Event Schedule

Thursday, January 3rd
• Late sign-ups (if fields are not full) 4 pm-10 pm
• Practice time for 9-ball Bank players 5 pm-12 am
• Tables available for rental 12 am-7 am
Friday, January 4th
• Tournament Room clean-up (no admittance) 7 am-9 am
• Practice time for 9-ball Bank players 9 am-10 am
• 9-ball BANK DRAW 10:00 am
• Players meeting 12:00 pm
• Play begins (9-ball Bank) 1:00 pm
• Dinner Break 6 pm- 7 pm
• 9-ball Bank match play continues 7 pm-12 am
• NO MINI TOURNAMENT TONIGHT
• Tables available for rental 12 am-7 am
• Bank Ring Game 5 people 8:00 pm
TV Table. See Grady (803) 407-0047
• Open Ring Game 3-5 players or special match on TV Table 12 am-8 am
Saturday, January 5th
• Tournament Room clean-up (no admittance) 7 am-9 am
• Practice time for 9-ball Bank players 9 am-11 am
• 9-ball Bank match play resumes 11 am-6 pm
• Dinner Break 6 pm-7 pm
• 9-ball Bank match play continues 7 pm-12 am
• 9-ball Mini-Tournament/$1,000 added/upstairs
$25 entry/limited to first 64 players Race to 5 12 am - ?
• Tables available for rental 12 am-7 am
• 10-ball Ring Game - 5 people 8:00 pm
TV Table. See Grady (803) 407-0047
• Open Ring Game 3-5 players or special match on TV Table 12 am-8 am
Sunday, January 6th
• Tournament Room clean-up (no admittance) 7 am-9 am
• Practice time for 9-ball Bank One Pocket players 9 am-10 am
• ONE-POCKET DRAW 10:00 am
• Players Meeting (One Pocket) 12:00 pm
• 9-ball Bank match play resumes 11 am-6 pm
• Play begins (One Pocket) 1:00 pm
• Dinner Break 6 pm-7 pm
• One-Pocket match play continues 7 pm-12 am
• NO MINI TOURNAMENT TONIGHT
• Tables available for rental 12 am-7 am
• Open Ring Game 3-5 players or special match on TV Table 12 am-8 am
Monday, January 7th
• Tournament Room clean-up (no admittance) 7 am-9 am
• Practice time for One Pocket players 9 am-11 am
• One-Pocket match play resumes 11 am-6 pm
• Dinner Break 6 pm-7 pm
• Semi-Finals (9-ball Bank) 7:00 pm
• One-Pocket match play continues 7 pm-12 am
• Finals (9-ball Bank) 9:00 pm
• NO MINI-TOURNAMENT TONIGHT
• Tables available for rental 12 am-7 am
• Open Ring Game 3-5 players or special match on TV Table 12 am-8 am
Tuesday, January 8th
• Tournament Room clean-up (no admittance) 7 am-9 am
• Practice time for One Pocket players 9 am-11 am
• One-Pocket match play resumes 11 am-6 pm
• Dinner Break 6 pm-7 pm
• Hall of Fame Dinner 6 pm
Steve Booth 603-496-8321
• One-Pocket match play continues 7 pm-12 am
• 9-ball Bank Mini-Tournament/$1,000 added/upstairs
$25 entry/limited to first 64 players Race to 2 12am-?
• Tables available for rental 12 am-7 am
• Open Ring Game 3-5 players or special match on TV Table 12 am-8 am
Wednesday, January 9th
• Tournament Room clean-up (no admittance) 7 am-9 am
• Practice time for One Pocket 9-ball players 9 am-10 am
• 9-ball DRAW 10:00 am
• Players meeting 12:00 pm
• One-Pocket match play resumes 11 am-6 pm
• Play begins (9-ball) 1:00 pm
• Dinner Break 6 pm-7 pm
• 9-ball match play continues 7 pm-12 am
• NO MINI TOURNAMENT TONIGHT
• Tables available for rental 12 am-7 am
• Open Ring Game 3-5 players or special match on TV Table 12 am-8 am
Thursday, January 10th
• Tournament Room clean-up (no admittance) 7 am-9 am
• Practice time for 9-ball players 9 am-11 am
• 9-ball match play resumes 11 am-6 pm
• Dinner Break 6 pm-7 pm
• Semi-Finals (One-Pocket) 7:00 pm
• 9-ball match play continues 7 pm-12 am
• Finals (One-Pocket) 9:00 pm
• NO MINI-TOURNAMENT TONIGHT
• Tables available for rental 12 am-7 am
• Open Ring Game 3-5 players or special match on TV Table 12 am-8 am
Friday, January 11th
• Tournament Room clean-up (no admittance) 7 am-9 am
• Practice time for 9-ball players 9 am-11 am
• 9-ball match play resumes 11 am-6 pm
• Dinner Break 6 pm-7 pm
• 9-ball match play continues 7 pm-12 am
• One-Pkt Mini-Tournament/$1,000 added/upstairs
$25 entry/limited to first 32 players Race to 2 12 am- ?
• Tables available for rental 12 am-7 am
• Open Ring Game 3-5 players or special match on TV Table 12 am-8 am
Saturday, January 12th
• Tournament Room clean-up (no admittance) 7 am-9 am
• Practice time for 9-ball players 9 am-11 am
• 9-ball match play resumes 11am-3 pm
• Semi-Finals (9-ball) 7:00 pm
• Dinner Break 6 pm-7 pm
• Finals (9-ball) 9:00 pm
• Thank You’s (Scott Smith) 10:00 pm
• Awards Ceremony
(9-ball Bank, One-Pocket, 9-ball
10TH ANNUAL DERBY CITY CLASSIC
2008 Event Schedule at Executive West
THE $10,000 STRAIGHT pool CHALLENGE TO BE HELD IN DRINKWATER ROOM. BOB JEWETT (408) 615-7479
NATIONAL BILLIARD CHAMPIONSHIP AT EXECUTIVE INN. PAUL FRANKEL (901) 756-2594
THE DR. CUE CLASSIC “ARTISTIC CUP” TOM ROSSMAN (765) 760-7665

The 15th Annual U.S. Bar Table Championships
Sands Regency in Reno, Nevada.

February 25th through March 2th.

$24,500 Guaranteed added
10-Ball: Feb. 25-27. $6,000.00 Added. Race to 7.
9-Ball: Feb. 27-29. $6,000.00 Added. Race to 9.
8-Ball: Feb. 29-Mar. 2. $8,000.00 Added. Race to 5.

Double Elimination, Alternate Breaks. Players’ meetings: Noon on day of each event. Play begins at 1pm.

All events: $125.00 entry fee — includes $25.00 registration fee.

Entries must be postmarked by Feb 16. Entries postmarked after Feb. 16 are $150–includes a $25 late fee. On site entries, if there are openings, are assessed an additional $25 fee.

For entry form click here: tournament flyer (/tournaments/us-open-bar-table.pdf)

After Hour Action Mini Tournaments; Ring Games, etc.

All Around payouts
1st: $2000.00. 2nd: $1000.00,
3rd: $500.00. You must compete in all three events to be eligible.

Women’s All Around
1st: $600.00, 2nd: $300.00,
3rd: $100.00. You must compete in all three events to be eligible.

Now produced and promoted by the playbca.com, the U.S. Bar Table Championships will feature the finest in playing equipment this year:All matches are played on: Diamond 7’ Smart Tables with Pro cut 4-1/2” pockets. Simonis 860 Tournament Blue Cloth, Red Circle cue balls and Super Aramith Pro balls.

Room reservations:
Call 866.FUNSTAY (866.386.7829)
Group Code BAR225
Special Rate Sun-Thurs, $29,
Fri-Sat. $49, plus 13.5% room tax.
Room reservations must be made by Feb 20, 2008 to guarantee rate. (One night advance deposit required)

McCloud Cruises to billiards Victory
Tri-State Tour / Summerset, NJ

by Rick Davis
The Tri-State Tour held their last billiard event of the 2007 calendar year December 29 at One Shot billiards in Summerset, NJ. This was the first time for the tour to visit this room and it was treated to a talented 32-player field that was owned by Tom McCloud, who went undefeated through the event.
Late on the winners’ side McCloud found himself in the hot seat match against Mario Sahatjian and slipped past him double-hill to become king of the hill. On the one-loss side it was a tight race to reach the final rounds, as Albert Lopez eliminated Danny Cintron 7-6 and Stephen Brush knocked out Duane Toney 7-5. At that point Brush was in high gear with his eye on a comeback, and after drilling Lopez 7-2 in the quarterfinals and then ousting Sahatjian 7-5 in the semifinals, he was on his way to fight for the title.
McCloud was happy to receive Brush in the finals since he had defeated him earlier that day. Although Brush managed to put up a fight, McCloud was offering his A-game and defeated Brush 7-4 to claim the event.
Results:
1st Tom McCloud
2nd Stephen Brush
3rd Mario Sahatjian
4th Albert Lopez
5th Duane Toney
Danny Cintron

Viking Tour at Randolph’s billiards
Randolph’s billiards hosted the Viking Cue 9-ball Tour this weekend and the Christmas Spirit was abounding at Randolph’s this weekend. Players from near and far came in to participate in the events and take their shot at some extra Christmas cash this weekend. Not only did players have the opportunity to make some extra Santa dough from The Viking Cue 9-ball Tours events many of them stuck around to participate in Randolph’s Sunday nite Handicap Tournament which had another 44 players. Randolph’s was packed with action all weekend long as players went head to head in a friendly game of 9-ball.

The Viking Cue 9-ball Tours two events had 93 participants. The Open event consisted of 55 players with 12 Free entries for women and Jr players. The Amateur event consisted of 38 players with 6 Free entries for women and Jr players. The events had a combined total of $7500 in payouts.

The Open Division was won by Mike Fuller with a whopping $2100 payout. Fuller had quite an exciting trip to take first place with the luck of the draw he faced his dad Peaches Fuller in the first round sending him and all of his upcoming opponents to the one loss side Mike had some pretty tough competion as he steam rolled thru the top half of the bracket. Mike defeated Peaches Fuller 7-6; Chuck Ritchie 7-0; Skip Coffey 7-1; Ronnie Park 7-5; Mike continued on his winning streak to defeat professional players Mike Davis 7-5; Larry Nevel 7-3; only to face him again in the hot seat and send him to second place 7-5.

Larry Nevel rolled thru the bottom half of the bracket until he faced Mike Fuller in the quarter finals where he was sent to the one loss side. Nevel begin by defeating Zack Boch 7-1; Jeff Pruitt 7-5; Ed Killough 7-1; Tony Watson 7-3 where Nevel fell behind 3-1 and Watson failed to make a ball on the break for game 4 which gave Nevel the opening he needed to run out a 6 pack against Watson sending him to the one loss side.

Open Division:

1st Mike Fuller
2nd Larry Nevel
3rd Mike Davis
4th Ron Park
5/6th Jeff Abernathy, Tony Watson
7/8th Adam Pendley, Greg Gilliam
9/12th Mark Bumgarner, Marcus Pendley, Claude Marrier, Eddie Little,

The Amateur Division was won by Chuck Ritchie who began his trek to 1st place in the bottom half of the bracket and went undefeated to the finals. In the first round he drew a bye then proceeded to send all his opponents to the left side of the chart beginning with Aimie Kilby 5-1; Rory Dover 5-2; Katie Cowan 5-3; Jim Davis 5-3; Brent Newman 5-2; and once again facing Rory Dover in the finals 5-3.

Rory Dover took second after drawing a bye in round one facing and defeating Ed Killough 5-1; before being sent to the left side by Ritchie 5-2; Dover fought his way back to the finals by defeating Mike T 5-1; Dennis Killough 5-2; Jim Davis 5-3; Kyle Helms 5-2: and Brent Newman in the semi finals 5-3.

Amateur Division:

1st Chuck Ritchine
2nd Rory Dover
3rd Brent Newman
4th Kyle Helms
5/6th Jim Davis and Greg Whittington
7/8th Dennis Killough and Chad Smith

The Viking Cue 9-ball Tour would like to extend a special thank you to Randy and Becky as well as all the great staff that made this holiday weekend away from home an enjoyable experience for our staff as well as all the players.

United States Professional Poolplayers Association Reveals UPA Magazine

The United States Professional Poolplayers Association (UPA) and Eclipse Media Group, LLC have been working diligently in the past few months to provide a comprehensive source for UPA members, sponsors, and spectators that is both informative and entertaining. The day has finally come to unveil the UPA Magazine, which will launch in early 2008. This magazine will be published bi-monthly and delivered to the subscription list. It will provide up to date facts and statistics concerning the happenings within the UPA organization and on tour.
We are motivated by personal determination to positively influence and elevate the organization, said Mark Cantrill of Eclipse Media Group. This publication is UPA specific and will provide tour information and updates to its members and subscribers.
This free publication will offer its readers many interesting features including player profiles; player stories and organization updates; tips and instruction from the professional players; letters from the president of the organization; current rankings/seedings; tour and event schedules; along with features on the venues the tour frequents.
All tour members (professional and standard) will automatically receive a subscribed as part of their membership benefits. All other contacts and those who have signed up with UPA News and Updates will have their choice of an online or a print version of the magazine. For those of you who are interested in becoming a member of the UPA or would like to renew your membership, Click Here. If you are not that are not currently recieving our UPA news and updates, please take a moment to visit our website where you will then locate the Sign Up Here For News and Updates section on the homepage, provide your email address and submit. If you know of anyone that may be interested in the magazine, please forward this release to them as it will direct them on how to acquire a copy.

If you would like to learn more about the UPA organization, our website is located at Upatour.com or to contact us directly with questions, please call (480) 353-6747 or email info[at]upatour.com.
For media and advertising opportunities, contact Eclipse Media Group, LLC (480) 361-1316 or email media[at]MyEclipseMedia.com

Aces for Smith in Galesburg
Pechauer All-American Tour / Galesburg, IL

by InsidePOOL Staff
Doric Smith took down the December 15 stop of the Pechauer All-American Tour. Hosted by billiards on Main in Galesburg, IL, this $500-added event on a snow-soaked day drew 22 players in a double-elimination 8-ball format on 7-foot bar boxes.
Galesburg local Smith took an undefeated march to the finals. In the hot seat match, Smith clipped Larry Miller 4-3. Earlier in the A-bracket semifinals, Smith overpowered Mark Hammerl 4-0, while Miller clipped Randy Tenley 4-3. In the B-side bracket, Mike Dunklin eliminated Brad Simpson at seventh place 5-1, while Jamie Carlson tied with Simpson courtesy of a loss to Rory Smith 4-2. In the B-side quarterfinals, Dunklin and R. Smith dispatched Hammerl and Tenley into fifth place by 5-2 and 4-1 scores, respectively. In the one-loss side semifinals, R. Smith ousted Dunklin 4-1, but Smith was upended in the B-side finals by Miller 4-1. D. Smith continued where he left off in the tourney finals, as he again cast off Miller by a 4-2 margin for the title.

Results:
1st Doric Smith
2nd Larry Miller
3rd Rory Smith
4th Mike Dunklin
5th Mark Hammerl
Randy Tenley
7th Jamie Carlson
Brad Simpson

Archer Defeats Strickland

Archer victorious in close match (15 to 12)

Chicago, IL - The International pool Tour (IPT) held its first Challenge match between Earl The Pearl Strickland and Johnny The Scorpion Archer in the heart of downtown Chicago. Both players are well respected around the world as two of the greatest players to ever play the game. After more than 3 hours of grueling, hard fought and tense hours Johnny Archer emerged victoriously with a score of 15 to 12. Strickland, who was down by five games at one point, showed a valiant effort by pulling within 2 games of Archer before eventually losing the match. Archer walked away with $5,000 USD, courtesy of Kevin Trudeau (Founder, IPT), and a beautiful cruise for two provided by Incentives International, a company owned by IPT Pro Linda Carter.

The demand to watch this event was so high in the hour before the match that the IPT web servers became overloaded causing the web site to freeze up for several minutes. IPT technical staff were quick to respond with the contingency plan put in place to compensate for more-than-expected web traffic. Because the servers were being hit so hard, it took a while for the appropriate re-directs to initiate on the web site. Basic Members who signed up before the match were rushed a new link by email, and the re-directs were successfully operating just before the beginning of the live broadcast. IPT technical staff reported that roughly 85%-90% of the Basic Members who signed up to view the match were logged on and viewing the live stream in time for the beginning of the match. Within several minutes thereafter, the remainder of viewers were successfully viewing the stream. It will take a couple days to compile all of the web stats. However, the IPT servers are built for heavy traffic, so the number of visits it would take to slow or crash the servers is astronomical.
Visit the IPT Challenge Match 1 image gallery (/gallery2/v/Pool+Tournaments/ipt-challenge-earl-strickland-johnny-archer/)
We are happy to announce that the match is already up in the Videos section of the IPT Web Site. The match will be streaming for free through the end of December, 2007. You can watch the video right now! The video is unedited right now and the begining of the video has some footage that was streaming before the broadcast officially began. In a few days, it will be edited down to the beginning of the official broadcast. This is your chance to catch some classic Mike Sigel moments before they disappear from the video file forever!
The match was played on a Diamond IPT Pro Table, the official table of the IPT. Also, the Master Rack was used as the official rack of the challenge match. Sponsors also include Billiardcue.com, HustlinUSA, L.E.A.N.I. Slate, Laser Stroke, and Incentives International.

billiards Start-Up Wins Big By Signing Jeanette Lee

Billiard Superstar Jeanette Lee, “The Black Widow”

How Do You Lock Up the Biggest Star in pool? Present a Unique and Bold Vision Complementary to Lee’s Own Competitive Spirit.

billiards newcomer, LiquidWick pool Cues, an emerging cue manufacturing and media promotion powerhouse, announced today that it has signed world billiard star Jeanette Lee “The Black Widow” to a multi-year contract.

“LiquidWick and Jeanette Lee make a great match because we share the same competitive spirit. ‘The Black Widow’ gets her name from her ability to devour the competition. LiquidWick has a vision and plan to do the same,” said Rich Gustin, LiquidWick partner.

Like a Ferrari racing from 0 to 60 in mere seconds, LiquidWick partners, Rich Gustin and Dan Shields, left the starting line just over one year ago, hit the accelerator and continue to rev the engine. They launched the company, produced and filmed two half-hour infomercials, three music videos, their own “Trick Shot Mania” DVD and became the first billiards company to air an infomercial on national television. It makes sense to join forces with Jeanette Lee, the sport’s most recognized player, to build a partnership that will help fuel LiquidWick, a company in the fast lane with no signs of slowing down.

“I firmly support the products I endorse and I’m thrilled to stand behind the quality of LiquidWick pool Cues,” said Lee. “I’ve also had the opportunity to review some of LiquidWick’s incredible promotional concepts involving Las Vegas that I think will excite pool players around the world. I look forward to partnering with a company like LiquidWick that offers tremendous promise and growth for the billiards industry.”

LiquidWick will incorporate Lee into their unique marketing strategy that includes infomercial advertising, industry promotional initiatives and a new line of “Black Widow” themed signature cues called “Widow Master.”
View the Jeanette Lee image gallery (/gallery2/v/Pool+Players/Jeanette+Lee/)

“Jeanette’s skill and experience lends perfectly to the co-design of our new ‘Widow Master’ cue,” said Dan Shields, LiquidWick partner. “This new cue line will maintain our high standards and appeal to players of all levels.”

LiquidWick plans to use the launch of the “Widow Master” cue to expand into retail locations nationwide.

“We are actively seeking both mass market and industry-specific retail partners. We plan to provide full multi-media advertising materials featuring Lee for retailers to use in their own traffic driving campaigns,” said Shields. “Interested parties should contact LiquidWick[@]comcast.net (mailto:LiquidWick@comcast.net).”

“LiquidWick is a company with solid ideas and an aggressive management team that gives them a strategic advantage at becoming a market leader,” said Tom George, Octagon’s Senior Marketing Officer.

Lee is the winner of more than 25 national and international titles and has received numerous industry accolades including consistently being recognized as one of the Most Powerful People in billiards by billiards Digest. The Brooklyn, NY native was also named one of the sexiest female athletes in the world by ESPN. Lee also serves as a national spokesperson for The Scoliosis Association, Inc. For more information on Lee please visit her newly revamped website at Jeanettelee.com.

LiquidWick pool Cues is a cue manufacturing and media production and promotion company endorsed by world billiards star Jeanette Lee, “The Black Widow.” They are the first billiards company to air an infomercial on national television. Their media production arm has produced, “The LiquidWick Infomercial,” “Trick Shot Mania” a DVD featuring Andy “The Magic Man” Segal, and music videos for actor and musician, Bokeem Woodbine and singer songwriter Dawn Jameson. www.liquidwick.com (http://www.liquidwick.com/)

Favorite Locals Happening at The Hole ThangJ. Pechauer Southeast Open 9-ball Tour / Macon, GA

by InsidePOOL Staff

The J. Pechauer Southeast Open 9-ball Tour stopped by Macon, GA, for a one-day event December 15. Hosted by The Hole Thang, this event was played on 7-foot bar tables and drew 27 players.
JR Rossman and Jessie Middlebrook fought a tough battle in the quarterfinals to see who would advance, and it was Rossman who did so after winning their double-hill match. That was as far as he went, though, for Randy Jordon met him in the semifinals and bested him 7-4. Jordon had earlier been sent to the one-loss side by Chuck Dorsett 7-4 in the hot seat match. The final match would have been Jordon attempting to defeat Dorsett twice, but these two local favorites agreed to split first and second instead.

Results:
1st Chuck Dorsett
Randy Jordon
3rd JR Rossman
4th Jessie Middlebrooks
5th Brian Tyler
Wesley Barnes

The Mike Mike Show at Fat Cat’s billiards
Viking Cue 9-ball Tour / Arden, NC

by InsidePOOL Staff

Fat Cat’s billiards in Arden, NC, hosted the Viking Cue 9-ball Tour the weekend of December 15-16 for their grand opening celebration. The tournament featured both a $1,500-added open event and a $500-added amateur event with a total of 82 players and a prize fund for both events totaling over $6,000.
Fat Cat’s billiards is a brand-new pool room just minutes away from Asheville. They feature a full bar and kitchen and have 18 brand new Brunswick tables in excellent condition. The Viking Cue 9-ball Tour would like to Thank Fat Cat’s for graciously hosting this event and looks forward to the next tournament at their location.

The field for the open division drew in many notable players including Mike Gulyassy, Sparky Ferrell, Brian White, Mike Davis, and Eddie Little, as well as local favorites. This division had a field of 45 players, and at the end, it was Davis who stood alone in the winner’s circle.
A strong favorite in any event he enters, Davis rolled through the top half of the bracket with ease. He drew a bye in round one and then proceeded to defeat Bruce Yarborough 9-2, Greg Gilliam 9-2, Gulyassy 9-6, Ferrell 9-8, and Mark Parlier 9-7 in the hot seat match.

Eddie Little also was one of the lucky ones and drew a bye in round one. From there it was all work, though, as Little sent opponent after opponent to the one-loss side. He bested Aaron Frady 9-6, Sam Brannon 9-3, and upset Brian White double-hill. Little then was sent to the west side by local favorite Mark Parlier 9-8 and from there steadily ousted Andy Twitchen 9-3, Ferrell 9-7 in the quarterfinals, and Parlier in the semifinals 9-4 to reach the finals. However, Davis was insurmountable, and he defeated Little 9-3 to win the tournament.

Mike Janis had a strong showing at this event, as he rolled through the top half of the bracket undefeated. Janis drew a bye in round one, setting him up on his journey he defeated Brenda Lind 7-1, Randy Parker 7-3, Josh Newman 7-5, and Adam Conard 7-3. In the hot seat match Janis defeated Jim Davis 7-4, and facing Davis again in the finals, Janis won the tournament 7-1 in the first set, completing his undefeated victory.

Jim Davis made is way through the bottom half of the bracket undefeated until the hot seat match. Davis drew a bye in round one and then defeated Tina Woody 7-1, Matty Ledford 7-3, Chris Parlier 7-5, and Don Falkenbury 7-2. He was then sent to the semifinals by Janis 7-4, where he defeated Randy Parker 5-3 only to be handed his second loss of the event in the finals by Janis.

Open Division Results:
1st Mike Davis
2nd Eddie Little
3rd Mark Parlier
4th Sparky Ferrell
5th Andy Twitchen
Brian Davis
7th Frank Tullos
Ron Park
Amateur Division Results:
1st Mike Janis
2nd Jim Davis
3rd Randy Parker
4th Don Falkenbury
5th Adam Conard
Josh Newman

Fuller Holds off Winters for Billiard Win
Jacoby Custom Cues Carolina Tour / Goldsboro, NC

by InsidePOOL Staff
Michael Fuller held off young gun Shane Winters in the final match of the Jacoby Custom Cues Carolina Tour’s December 8-9 stop. Hosted by Fast Eddie’s in Goldsboro, NC, this stop drew a field of 24 players for the $1,000-added main event.
To kick things off, an early bird tournament was held on Friday night, in which Mike Danner defeated Charles Jones 7-4 in the final match. In the junior tournament on Sunday, Mac Harrell defeated Justin Ward 7-1 in the final match. Junior players score points, which accumulate for the first ten events on the tour. The top point winners in each division will qualify for the 2008 Junior Nationals. Also on Sunday, a second-chance tournament was won by Dave Gray, who took a 7-6 win over Cary Dunn.
In the main event, Michael Fuller survived a close match against Sam Monday 7-5 before being sent to the one-loss side by Winters 7-3. Winters, having already defeated Wade Crane 7-5, continued his march to the hot seat with wins over Larry Faulk 7-5 and Peaches Fuller 7-3.
Meanwhile, Michael Fuller put together a run through the one-loss side by defeating Monday 7-5, Younger Chapman 7-1, Montez Lloyd 7-1, Charles Jones 7-3, and Peaches Fuller 7-6 to earn a rematch with Winters.
The final match was a single race to 9. Fuller took an early 4-1and then a 6-2 lead, at which point Winters got a break when Fuller fouled. Winters cleared the table and then broke and ran out the next rack. Feeling the momentum, Winters sank two balls on the break, but his hopes were dashed when the cue ball found the side pocket. Fuller took ball in hand and ran out for a 7-4 lead.
Fuller left himself bad shape and hung the 8 ball in the corner to keep Winters’ hopes alive. Winters made the last two balls to make the score 8-6. Although finally avoiding a scratch on the break, Winters was left with a difficult cut on the 1 ball. He decided to go for it and ultimately lost control of the table. Fuller finished the rack to win the match 9-6.

European billiards Team Prevails at Mosconi Cup XIV

by InsidePOOL Staff
Going into Sunday’s matches at Mosconi Cup XIV, held at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, NV, up 9-6 in the race to 11, Team Europe put together a thrilling 11-8 victory.
Sunday’s matches were all singles competitions, with the USA sending in heavy-hitting Shane Van Boening, while Team Europe decided on one of their two rookies, Konstantin Stepanov of Russia. A break and run by both players from the start brought the score to 1-all, but then errors began plaguing both until the score reached 4 apiece. A failed safety attempt by Stepanov put Van Boening on the hill, and “The South Dakota Kid” took advantage of an open shot on the 2 ball in the last rack to win 6-4.
Veteran Mosconi Cup teammate Johnny Archer faced off against Team Europe’s other rookie player, Tony Drago, in the second match. With the score tied at 2 apiece, Archer looked poised for a break and run-out but rattled the 9 ball to the dismay of the U.S. fans in the audience. Drago snatched that rack and then the next after Archer fouled on the 5. A foul break by Archer then put Drago on the hill, and Archer only put another game under his belt before Drago found a window on the 1 ball and ran out, winning 6-3 to put Team Europe on the hill.

Still in a feisty mood, Earl Strickland then appeared to play against Daryl Peach. The two traded racks until the score was 3-all, and then a long-rail bank on the 7 ball gave Strickland the advantage. A missed jump shot by Peach on the 5 ball handed Strickland the hill, and when Peach came up empty on his last break, Strickland was able to clear the table for a 6-3 win.

Crowd favorite Rodney Morris appeared for the fourth and final match, meeting another veteran, Ralf Souquet. Souquet took the first rack when Morris left him a very thin cut on the 5, but the Hawaiian scored the next three in a row after a miss by Souquet on the 2 ball, a break and run-out, and then a dry break by Souquet. Morris missed a relatively easy 4, and Souquet cleared to draw within a game, but Souquet got out of line on the 5 ball, and Morris moved up to an intimidating 4-2 lead.

Not for nothing, though, has Souquet played in eleven Mosconi Cups—he kept his cool remarkably well and didn’t give an inch. He capitalized on two failed safety attempts by “Rocket” to draw even, and then he took the hill when Morris scratched on the 4 and aligned the balls perfectly for a 4-9 combo. With the crowd screaming and Souquet expressionless, Souquet made three balls on the break in the final rack. His only shot was a 2-8-5 combo and then a 2-8 combo, both of which he made easily. He missed a long cut shot on the 3 ball but didn’t leave anything for Morris, who tried for a bank but left another long cut. This time Souquet played a crossbank into the opposite corner to immense cheers and moved into perfect position for the 6 ball uptable. Once he made the 6, he was perfect for the 9 ball, which he made to win the match 6-4. Team Europe defeated Team USA 11-8.

The last time Team Europe won the Mosconi Cup was in 2002, and before then it was 1995. This is only the third time they have won this event, and with the Mosconi Cup XV being held in England next year, they are eagerly awaiting their chance to defend their title.
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European billiards Team Leads USA in Mosconi Cup XIV

by InsidePOOL Staff

In a huge coup for the boys in blue at Saturday’s Mosconi Cup session, Team Europe won a dazzling four out of the five total matches played, stunning Team USA. From starting the day tied at 5 matches apiece, this now puts Europe in a 9-6 lead going into the final day Sunday and only needing two wins to reclaim the Mosconi Cup.

The first match of the day featured Johnny “The Scorpion” Archer and Corey Deuel against Niels Feijen and Konstantin Stepanov. The Americans looked jittery going to the table, with Deuel missing an easy 3 ball on his first shot. With some excellent play by the Europeans and a couple of mistakes by the U.S., Feijen and Stepanov were soon up 4-1. The U.S. put another game under its belt when Stepanov fouled on the break and they ran out, but it was the last rack they won in that set. A missed safety attempt by Deuel put Europe on the hill, and then a missed 5 ball by Archer gave them the first match 6-2.

Deuel stuck around to play Tony Drago in a singles match next, and the European fans quickly chimed in with their take-off of “Winter Wonderland,” singing, “Walking in a Drago wonderland!” Deuel took the first game before Drago went into overdrive, collecting the next four games in a row thanks to a break and run-out, a dry break by Deuel, and a couple of missed balls by Deuel as well. “The Prince of pool” managed to knot the score at 4 apiece, but Drago countered with another break and run to reach the hill. Deuel scratched on his last break, and Drago asked for an extension, prompting a sarcastic gasp from the audience. Billed as one of the fastest players on the planet, it wasn’t long before Drago dished up for his 6-4 victory.

Another teams match followed, this time with Shane Van Boening and Johnny Archer versus Daryl Peach and Stepanov. Stepanov, the 24-year-old Russian rookie, has looked quite solid throughout but stumbled a bit in this match, coming up short on position a couple of times. Nevertheless, the entire match was filled with uncharacteristic missed by both sides. With the U.S. duo up 4-1, Stepanov took advantage of a miss by America’s new golden boy of pool, Van Boening, and ran out. In the next rack, Van Boening scratched on the break, and Stepanov was able to set up partner Peach for a 2-9 combo, bringing them within a game at 4-3 USA. This was as far as they got, though, for two hung 4 balls by Stepanov in the next two racks handed Van Boening and Archer a 6-3 win.

“Rocket” Rodney Morris experienced a misfire against Feijen in the second singles match of the day. He missed a careless 3 ball in the first rack and then was surprised when Feijen kicked in the 1 ball in the next rack to take a swift 2-0 lead. Feijen was up 4-1 when Morris came to and broke and ran out, but “The Terminator” was quick to answer in kind, making the score 5-2. Morris grabbed the next two racks, exciting screams from his American fans, but he fouled on his last break, and though Feijen had a tight cut on the 1 ball in the side, he had no other problems and won the match 6-4.

The team captains sent in the big guns in the fifth match of the day: Ralf Souquet and Earl Strickland. Strickland didn’t see much of the table in the first half of the match, though, for Souquet broke and ran out, played safe on the 1 ball in the next rack and then cleared the table when Strickland fouled, and then broke and ran out again for a 3-0 lead. A safety battle in the next rack earned Strickland a game, but when he scratched on a kick-safe attempt in the next, Souquet moved up to 4-1. A golden break yielded Strickland another point, and he got the next rack as well but scratched on his following break, and Souquet cleared to take the hill. Souquet badly missed the 2 ball then, however, and Strickland drew within a game at 5-4, but Strickland failed to hide the cue ball enough in the last rack. After a tough shot on the 2 ball was mastered, Souquet had no problems winning the final match of the day 6-4.
In a fit of unsportsmanlike behavior, after the match Strickland shook Souquet’s hand very hard, pushed it back at him, and called him an offensive name.

Team Europe now leads going into the final day of Mosconi Cup XIV 9-6 in the race to 11. It could potentially be a short session on Sunday. Visit InsidePOOL for the latest news in the sport of billiards and pool.

Tiger Billiar Finale Won by Chau and Lac
Tiger pool Tour / Arlington, VA

by Andy Lincoln
The Tiger pool Tour’s 2007 season wrapped up at Champions billiards Café in Arlington, VA, December 8-9. This was a $4,000-added event that attracted a strong field of 53 open division entries and 16 women’s division players all hoping to make their final mark on the season.
Matt Clatterbuck had an uneventful Saturday with wins three easy wins to make the final four on the winners’ side. Points leader Shaun Wilkie also had no problems winning his first two matches 9-1 before facing the women’s division points leader, My-Hanh Lac. Wilkie played a controlled match and won 9-3. Tour founder Danny Green played well in all four of his matches to reach Sunday undefeated. Joining Clatterbuck, Wilkie, and Green in the final four was Manuel Chau, who has been a strong contender in the few events that he has played in this year.
Play continued Sunday with Clatterbuck and Chau advancing easily over Wilkie and Green, respectively, by 9-4 scores. The hot seat match was hard fought, with Clatterbuck winning on the hill 9-8. The elimination bracket played out with Larry Kressel coming back from 6-2 to win 7-6 against Brandon Shuff ending Shuff’s bid for the points lead. Kressel fell victim to a determined Danny Mulhollen III. Mulhollen had lost his first match but rebounded with six wins to pit him against Wilkie. Wilkie won this one 7-5 and then slipped past Green 7-6. Chau was not happy with his heartbreaking loss for the hot seat and defeated Wilkie 7-5 to earn a rematch with Clatterbuck.
The single race to 11 final between Chau and Clatterbuck was flawless. Clatterbuck took an 8-4 lead but watched as Chau evened the score at 8. Chau made the most of his next turn at the table, running out the set to win 11-8. Neither player missed an open shot in this match.
An even field of 16 players came out Sunday to shoot at the $1,000 share of the added money. Points’ leader Lac had a challenging day, winning over Bethany Kurtz 7-2, Ming Ng 7-4, and Asia Cycak 7-6 to reach the hot seat match. Her opponent was none other than second place on the points list, Cheryl Squire. Lac seemed to establish who was number one when she raced out to a 6-1 lead, but Squire fought back game after game until the score reached 6-all. Lac calmly sank the 5-9 combination to advance to the hot seat.
In the elimination bracket, Malea Haacke came out on top of Ng 5-4 and then put Cycak into fourth place. Squire seemed unfazed by her hot seat comeback that came up short, breezing through Haacke 5-0 to reach the finals. The single set race to 9 went back and forth until, after a timeout at 5-5, Lac took charge and won 9-6.
Open Results:
1st Manuel Chau
2nd Matt Clatterbuck
3rd Shaun Wilkie
4th Danny Green
5th Danny Mulhollen III
Brian Deska
7th Larry Kressel
Mark Touch
9th Brandon Shuff
Jerry Gruber
My-Hanh Lac
Chris Adams
Women’s Results:
1st My-Hanh Lac
2nd Cheryl Squire
3rd Malea Haacke
4th Asia Cycak
5th Bethany Kurtz
Ming Ng
7th Chanta Kry
Sharon O’Hanlon