Reno 9-ball Reaches Finals; 8-ball Begins

by Rick Davis
The finals of the 9-ball division for the U.S. Bar Table Championships are set and will feature Jonathan Pinegar against Gabe Owen at 8 p.m. local time. For the 111-player field, this second of three events has offered much excitement for the week-long event that filled the Sands Regency Hotel and Casino.
On the winners’ side Pinegar had a great run that started by defeating Filipinos Jose Parica and Rodolfo Luat. Pinegar then slipped through a few more matches before besting Steve Moore then John Morra to reach the hot seat match. In all, Pinegar took seven matches to reach the finals. Morra also had a strong run, although he did not face any of the top pros, giving him a somewhat smoother run. Other highlights included Moore sending Cliff Joyner to the one-loss side in the event’s first round, then a clash of pros in a corner of the chart saw Shane Van Boening, the winner of the 10-ball division, send Scott Frost west while Larry Wilson sent Owen over at the same time. Following that match Wilson shocked everyone by defeating Van Boening, who was the sure favorite until that point.
On the one-loss side both Van Boening and Owen made a quick run to the top eight laying waste to the other competitors, while nearby Moore and Luat each took command of their quarter of the chart to make the top eight. Since the winners’ side was already set, the one-loss kept grinding through, and Owen eliminated Van Boening while Luat ousted Moore but then fell to Oscar Dominguez. A quick jump later and Owen knocked out Dominguez in the quarterfinals then eliminated Morra in the semifinals to get a shot at the title.
While the evening rounds give the final 9-ball players a break, the third and final division of 8-ball got underway with over 140 players. This final division will break in the evening for the spotlight 9-ball finals then resume over the weekend to end the trio of events. Early action has Owen, Van Boening, Luat, Moore in the top caste of players still on the winners’ side.
Stay tuned to InsidePOOLmag.com for updates throughout the weekend on this exciting event.

Taylor Takes the Top Spot
Pechauer All-American Tour / Aurora, IL

by InsidePOOL Staff
Dan Taylor went undefeated to take top honors at the February 23 stop of the Pechauer All-American Tour. Hosted by Rudy’s Place in Aurora, IL, this $500-added event drew 35 players in a double-elimination 8-ball format on 7-foot bar boxes.
Hailing from Hickory Hills, IL, Taylor slid by Bob Romano 5-4 in the hot seat match. Earlier, in the A-bracket semifinals, Taylor knocked off Shannon Schroeder 5-4, while Romano eclipsed Pat McMullen 5-3. In the B-side final eight, Adam Maloney and Tommy Hernandez eliminated at seventh place Jamie Dolan 4-2 and Tony Gong 4-3, respectively. The progress of Maloney and Hernandez continued in the next round, as each ousted Pat McMullen 4-1 and Schroeder 4-3, respectively, into fifth place. The quarterfinals saw Maloney continue forward, as he knocked out Hernandez on the hill 4-3 at fourth place. But Romano ended Maloney’s run in the B-side finals by a 4-3 margin. The tournament finals featured the undefeated Taylor versus Romano, and Taylor again defeated Romano 5-4 in the first set for the title.

Results:
1st Dan Taylor
2nd Bob Romano
3rd Adam Maloney
4th Tommy Hernandez
5th Pat McMullen
Shannon Schroeder
7th Tony Gong
Jamie Dolan

Fuller and Bulfin are the Big Dawgs
Viking Cue 9-ball Tour / Athens, GA

by InsidePOOL Staff

Lucky Dawg billiards in Athens, GA, hosted the Viking Cue 9-ball Tour the weekend of Februry 23-24, and the joint was jumping with a total of 86 participants, with players from eight different states. Michael Fuller took off the open division, while Matt Bulfin triumphed in the amateur event.
The events hosted 43 players in the Open Event which included 7 free entries and 7 league discounts and an additional 43 players in the Amateur Event on Sunday which included 7 free entries and 6 league discounts. The Viking Cue 9-ball Tour paid out an astonishing $5790 in prize money this past weekend. The Viking Cue 9-ball Tour continues to strive to provide an excellent tournament environment by scheduling events in some of the best player oriented pool rooms in the region and continuing to offer players the highest payouts possible.

The open event had 43 players vying for the top spot. Fuller, who has racked up wins on most Southeast tours with his astonishing ability over the past year, fought his way to the finals by getting a bye in the first round and then dominating the top half of the bracket. He dealt a donut to David Lemon before defeating Omar Abbsi 9-5, Walker Breadon 9-3, Bruce Berrong 9-1, and Travis Summers 9-6 for the hot seat. After Summers’ loss, he faced off against Paul Song in the semifinals and bested him 9-7 in the battle for the tip back across the board to face Fuller again. Summers won the first match 9-4, but in the second, Fuller came back to win a hill-hill thriller 9-8.
Open Results:
1st Mike Fuller
2nd Travis Summers
3rd Paul Song
4th Tim Orange
5th Bruce Berrong
David Shadden
7th Brian White
Roger Lewis

The amateur division, won by Bulfin, garnered another 43 fine players. Bulfin took charge of the chart, beginning with Paul Derringer 5-4, Mike Henry 5-2, Chad Royal 5-2, Todd Drake 5-2, Bryant Walker 5-3, and Jim Davis 5-3 in the hot seat match. Davis was awarded a win in the semifinals via a forfeit by Todd Drake and then returned to the finals to face Bulfin, where he was defeated 5-2.
Amateur Results:
1st Matt Bulfin
2nd Jim Davis
3rd Todd Drake
4th Billy Tyler
5th BR Tatum
Bryant Walker
7th Gary Neal
Chad Royal

NACPBA Cancels Multi-Million Dollar billiards Tour
Press Release:
We at the NACPBA are saddened and deeply disappointed to announce the cancelling of the multi-million-dollar tour we were planning. The decision in fact was not made BY us rather FOR us. The financial backers feel that the environment of professional pool/billiards in the United States of America is not conducive to the sizable investment they were talking about. Using the pool community as a test bed and marketing arena for their product would cost too much money to “fix” the environment. They have found other “venues and commodities” for this.
Through our research, conversations, investigations and negotiations we have learned a great deal about the inner workings of the sport and industry. There is a great deal of work that needs to be done to make the professional pool/billiard community a viable entity to work with corporations and investors alike.
It is time for some hard decisions to be made. Those decisions lay first and foremost with the players and their organizations. The players need to decide whether the organizations that represent them are the ones they want and whether they are ran the way they want them. If they are not then either change them or replace them. If they are then you need to rally around them and become an asset not a liability. You can not leave this decision up to others to make. These organizations should be yours and should serve your needs first and foremost. These organizations should listen to the players and work hard to meet their needs fully. There should be a committee deciding things not one person.
The leading organizations in this country need to really listen to the players and help them get what they want and need. If you feel you can’t lead the sport completely with total confidence then be open to handing that responsibility to people who can and will do it with integrity, honesty and morality. There needs to be a group to mold the sport into what is needed to make it an attractive commodity. The future is up to you.
For any further information please use this contact information;
Terry Hamill
Terry.h[at]nacpba.com
Kevin Lewis
Kevin.l[at]nacpba.com

Dr Cue Gives Surprise Exhibition to Dallas High School Students
Tom “Dr. Cue” Rossman and his wife, Marty, provided Dallas high school students with a visit that they will always remember when they stopped in at AMF Richardson Lanes in Richardson, TX, February 26. Several high schools were scheduled for a billiard competition, and everyone was surprised to see the world-famous trick shot champion arrive to see the high school billiard program and give a quick exhibition.
Their appearance was short notice: the Dallas-area high school billiard program director, Earl Munson, got a surprise telephone call from Marty Rossman, asking if he would like for them to visit. Having watched Dr. Cue in action at the Junior Nationals and the BCA Expo, the response was an immediate Yes, the students will love it.
Some of the students, having competed at the Junior Nationals, immediately recognized Rossman and were thrilled to see him again. As the buzz spread around the room of who he was, the excitement and anticipation grew as everyone watched in amazement. One particular shot that “Dr. Cue” made repeatedly was his famous wing shot where he would roll an object ball down table and effortlessly shoot the cue ball and pocket the object ball when it was still in motion. He made bank shots and kick shots from ANYWHERE on the table with ease. One student noticed and picked up an over-sized cue stick and held it in bewilderment of what this cue was for. Another cue stick he had which looked liked a giant pencil would later be demonstrated for his world-famous draw shot.
Even veteran BCA instructors and players Bill Suden, Mike Bearskin-Winger, Nolan Shaw, Carl Oswald, and Earl Munson laughed and shook their heads in amazement as they witnessed Rossman perform his craft of artistic pool. Rossman is the modern-day founder of artistic pool, in which several Dallas area high school players have been very successful in competition at the Junior Nationals Artistic pool Championship hosted and organized by Tom and Marty.
Trey McMullen from the Rockwall H.S. Yellowjackets had taken second place in the artistic pool event in 2006 at the University of Arizona with Trey’s brother Trent McMullen taking third place the following year at the Minnesota State University in the same event. Wylie H.S. Pirate Vince Villarreal had taken second-place honors also in last year’s event in Minnesota. Players who will be selected to compete this year at the 2008 BEF Junior Nationals will once again try to be the best in artistic pool.
The students, teachers, and parents were impressed by Rossman’s visit, but also equally impressed were Dr. Cue and his wife after witnessing the high school billiard program firsthand and remarking that this could be a program that could spread around the United States.
Tom Rossman understands the need to promote billiards to the youth in this country and has many years of experience working with youth, having served on the Billiard Education Foundation board and promoted and run the annual Artistic pool Championships held jointly with the BEF Junior Nationals. Everyone in attendance was awed and thankful for the visit, and talks were of hopefully them visiting again in the future and giving an exhibition at several of the Dallas-area high schools.
For more information on high school billiards, please contact the Billiard Education Foundation at Billiardeducation.org.

Perfect Billiard Win for Patterson
Pechauer All-American Tour / Rockford, IL

by InsidePOOL Staff
Chris Patterson took off the February 23 stop of the Pechauer All-American Tour. Hosted by Rockford Billiard Cafe in Rockford, IL, this $1,000-added event drew 30 players in a double-elimination 8-ball format on 7-foot bar boxes.
Patterson took an undefeated route to the finals. In the hot seat match, Patterson outpointed Larry Loomis 5-2. Earlier in the A-bracket semifinals, Patterson defeated Marlon Angeles 6-2, while Loomis took off Carlos McGill 4-3. In the B-side final eight, Gil Hernandez and Angie Voorhees eliminated at seventh place Ron Scalzitti 6-4 and Shawn Carlson 4-2, respectively.
Voorhees had her event ended by Angeles 5-2, while Hernandez eliminated McGill 6-2. The quarterfinals saw Hernandez continue his hot hand by knocking out Angeles 6-4 at fourth place and then Larry Loomis 6-1 at third. The tournament finals featured undefeated Patterson versus streaking Hernandez, but Hernandez ran out of gas under Patterson’s pressure, and Patterson won the title 6-1 in the first set.
Results:
1st Chris Patterson
2nd Gil Hernandez
3rd Larry Loomis
4th Marlon Angeles
5th Angie Voorhees
Carlos McGill
7th Ron Scalzitti
Shawn Carlson

CueTable Launches New Billiard Web Site
Manhattan, NY - CueTable.com proudly announces the launch of their new website and free billiards layout software. The new CueTable site has an improved design featuring the pool Shot Browser, bringing layouts from all over the Internet right to your fingertips. New software lets pool enthusiasts add high-resolution color layout graphics to their e-mails, personal blogs, web pages, or forum discussions using only simple mouse clicks, copy, and paste. Plus, the new CueTable software is faster and leaner than before—it runs perfectly on any reasonably current computer.

Our goals at CueTable are to encourage clear communication among a newer generation of players to enable sharing within the billiard community and to promote the benefits of pool to the general public. Let’s work together and share all the great ideas and fun with everyone! said Wei Chao, the original creator of CueTable software.
For years CueTable has been a great online visualization tool, used by 320,000 people in e-mails and online discussion forums, but now pool players can add CueTable layouts directly into their own blogs and web pages. Top professional players such as Mika Immonen and Thorsten Hohmann have already used this feature to show interesting tournament shot layouts that they discuss in their blogs. Now people can learn about what goes on inside a champion’s mind—directly and with vivid descriptive and visual details.

This is the greatest invention for all billiard enthusiasts. I love it and use it for training and communicating, said Mika Immonen, World pool Champion 2001.

Cuetable goes to the future! Every student, teacher, and fan of our fascinating sport should browse, study, use, and share this modern and global way to talk pool! said Thorsten Hohmann, World pool Champion 2003.

In addition to the CueTable layout diagramming software, there is also have a pool Shot Browser and an Aiming Calculator. pool Shot Browser allows people to flip though interesting layouts drawn by others on the Internet. Then, with a single click they can go directly to the original source and participate in the discussion. Aiming Calculator teaches how to aim at a ball when playing pool using the ghost ball system. By dragging different balls around, the user gets an instant calculation of the cut angle, the parallel projected ghost ball overlap percentage.

A truly great learning tool for players at all levels, including the professionals, said Tony Robles, founder of the Predator 9-ball Tour.

CueTable is cool, helpful, and a lot of fun. The graphics and capabilities are great. They bring pool diagrams off the napkin and into the twenty-first century! said Max Eberle, professional player, artist, and writer.

CueTable is the best tool for billiard education and communication today. It has served over 800,000 layouts to 320,000 individual users since its original release in March 2006. It has been widely used by many professional players, instructors, and serious students to communicate with each other.

What took you so long?! I love it! People always want to talk about pool. This makes things so much easier. Great job! said Jeanette Lee, “The Black Widow,” WPBA champion.

A beautiful tool for pool! I wish I’d learned it before I wrote my book, said Mike Massey, artistic billiard champion, BCA Hall of Fame Member.

CueTable is a significant development for all players and has great potential to stir new life into our sport. To learn more, please check CueTable.com.

53rd Billiard Win for Putnam
Viking Cue 9-ball Tour / Galesburg, IL

by InsidePOOL Staff
A star-studded field of 65 turned out in Galeburg, IL, to compete on the Viking Cue 9-ball Tour over the February 23-24 weekend. Hosted by billiards on Main, this event boasted over $4,000 in added money.

In addition to event winner Putnam, players included James Baraks, Jon Kucharo, Eddie Balderos, Neal Jacobs, Scott Cohen, and Craig McLaren. Also, Jackie Palmer came out to compete. Palmer took Putnam under his wing when he was around 17 and practically let him live at the poolroom he owned, New Castle Billiard Club. They worked on Putnam’s physical and mental game for years until Palmer decided that Putnam needed to go on the road.

When the smoke cleared on Saturday night there were four players left in the winners’ bracket. Putnam bested Baraks 7-5, while McLaren sent Palmer to the west side 7-3, setting up the hot seat match. Before McLaren knew what hit him, Putnam opened up to a 4-0 lead. A dry break gave McLaren the chance to run a rack, but in the blink of an eye, Putnam had notched a 7-1 victory.
In the left side of the chart, Baraks was staging a comeback, ousted Scott Laird 7-2 to deposit him in fifth and then going on to deal Ivan Sweezer a donut 7-0. Faced with a disheartened McLaren in the semifinals, Baraks again did not disappoint, besting his opponent 7-3 to advance. The finals were hard fought, and the players traded racks back and forth until Baraks finally missed a ball, and that was all Putnam needed to press his advantage and win the match.
Results:
1st Shawn Putnam
2nd James Baraks
3rd Craig McLaren
4th Ivan Sweezer
5th Jackie Palmer
Scott Laird
7th Dave Tenley
Scott Cohen

2008 BEF Junior Nationals ACUI Collegiate 9-ball Championships Head to the University of Arizona Tucson
The Billiard Education Foundation (BEF) has scheduled the 20th Annual Junior Nationals to be played in conjunction with the Association of College Unions International (ACUI) Collegiate 9-ball Championships for the 4rd consecutive year. The University of Arizona, Tucson, will host this prestigious tournament July 8th – 13th, 2008. ACUI competition will be held July 8th- 10th, while the junior excitement will take place Thursday thru Sunday, July 10th – 13th.
The Student Union Memorial Center (SUMC) will be the stage to an expected 250 young athletes competing for scholarships, prizes and invitations to represent the United States at the World pool-Billiard Association (WPA) Junior World Championships.
To participate in the BEF Junior Nationals, players must earn an entry through a BEF qualifier or must be appointed by their local junior league. Qualifiers for the 4 divisions: 19 Under Boys, 19 Under Girls, 14 Under Boys and 14 Under Girls will be held through May 2008. For more information about hosting a qualifier, league guidelines or upcoming qualifier dates and locations, visit www.BilliardEducation.org (http://www.billiardeducation.org/) . Collegiate participants must be invited to participate through an ACUI regional tournament, visit ACUI.org for more information.
A warm thanks to all the contributors and supporters of the BEF and junior programs. In addition, thanks to the event sponsors: Brunswick billiards, the official table sponsor; Iwan Simonis, the official cloth sponsor; Billiard Congress of America (BCA) and Predator Products.
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.
To become a sponsor, make a donation or inquiry, please visit BilliardEducation.org or contact Laura Smith at 303.926.1039 or LauraSmith[at]BilliardEducation.org

OB Cues Takes Over Longest-Running Regional Women’s Tour

The Hunter Classics Amateur Women’s Tour will have a new name in 2008. Wes Hunter, well-known cue maker out of Alamogordo, New Mexico, has been the sponsor of the tour for a record-breaking 15 years. After much discussion and inner-turmoil, Wes and his lovely wife Cindy have decided to focus their energies and pool cue-making activities toward enhancing their businesses. The Hunter Classics Amateur Women’s Tour held their last official “Hunter Classics Tour event” in February.
Board Member Melinda Bailey said, “the partnership that Wes has built with his name, custom cues, and all the women that participated in each and every Hunter Classics Tour event is without a doubt the best partnership we could have ever asked for.” Wes Hunter helped amateur women players to achieve their dreams and without Wes, this could not have been possible. Board Member Monica Anderson, added, “we applaud you for all you have done for us and wish you all the best in all your future endeavors. Thank You, Wes!”
It is with much excitement and honor that the tour still lives on. It has a new name, but the tour remains the longest-running, largest regional women’s tour in the country. In addition, no changes will be made – no fee increases or tour structure changes. Special thanks go to our new sponsor OB Cues. The new tour name is OB Cues 9-ball Ladies Tour and the Owen-Bunnell organization will pick up the torch and carry on a 15 year tradition. OB Cues is best known for their OB-1 cue shaft – the vibration-damping core, radial consistency and low cue ball deflection gives you a cue shaft like you’ve never felt before. Board Member Julie Stephenson stated, “all the past, present and future amateur lady pool players appreciate what you are going to do for the tour and we welcome your sponsorship with open arms. Thank You, Don Owen and Royce Bunnell!”
Wes Hunter donated a Hunter Classics Custom Cue to every stop for the last 15 years. The custom cues were valued from $1,600 to $2,200 through the years, which helped raise raffle money for the host sites who adds $2,000 guaranteed to each event. Royce and Don will donate two to three OB Cues per stop – the total value will also be from $1,600 to $2,200. The tour will continue to have $2,000 added and the cues will help raise that money for the host sites. In addition to the $2,000 added, each OB Cues Ladies 9-ball Tour stop will continue to be a WPBA Qualifier.
Royce Bunnell of OB Cues stated from his Plano, Texas shop, “The ladies of the Tour are very professional and the tour is run so well – we were very impressed with their tournaments. The experience we had at the events led to a quick decision for us to be a part of history and to help the women continue to reach their dreams. “
You can find the OB Cues Ladies 9-ball Tour on the web at obcuestour.com. Wes Hunter can be found at hunterclassics.com and OB Cues can be found at obcues.com.
For more information contact:
Melinda Bailey – OB Cues Ladies 9-ball Tour
mellbers[at]gmail.com
or
Royce Bunnell – OB Cues
rbunnell[at]obcues.com

U.S. Bar Table 10-ball Event Drops to 12
by Rick Davis
The U.S. Bar Table Championships moved smoothly into day two, where the 85-player field has been chipped down to only 12, and when the evening rounds conclude only 4 will remain. Taking place at the Sands Regency Hotel and Casino in Reno, NV, this week-long event features action in 10-ball, 9-ball, and 8-ball and offers an additional all-around prize.
Early in the day Jose Parica got his walking papers from Justin Bergman after a defeat by Gabe Owen. Scott “The Freezer” Frost had a great showing in the afternoon as he defeated Rodolfo Luat but then fell to favorite Shane Van Boening. Possibly not the favorite early on, Van Boening has already secured his spot in the hot seat match, where he will face Edwin Montal Wednesday morning. Montal had a great day as well, sending Owen to the one-loss side, as well as a handful of other players.
Tonight’s evening rounds will see the remaining ten players on the one-loss side will narrow down to two, who will return with Van Boening and Montal Wednesday. Top names include Tyler Edey, Luat, and the feature match of the evening between Cliff Joyner and Owen. Also, waiting in the wings are Frost and Adam Behnke, who will each face one of the other remaining eight players to form the quarterfinal match.
Wednesday’s action will hit the brakes before the finals, however, as the 9-ball action gets rolling around 2 p.m. Currently there are over 100 entries, and that number will continue to rise until the noon cutoff time. After a full day of 9-ball play, the 10-ball finals will take place at 10 p.m. local time Wednesday.
Stay tuned to InsidePOOLmag.com for the latest news from the U.S. Bar Table Championships.

Undefeated Run for Rice
Second Annual Invitational 9-ball Tournament / Louisville, KY

by Tom Fryer
Bank pool Hall of Famer Truman Hogue’s Second Annual Invitational 9-ball Tournament, sponsored by Jeff Griffith’s Diamond Pub in Louisville, KY, was held February 23-24, much to the delight of event winner David Rice. The 2007 version of this tourney was one of the best events in Kentuckiana all year, and it inspired boosting the field from 64 players to this year’s booming 96-player roster.
The format was races to 6 on both sides with alternating breaks on ten Diamond 7-footers. The “invitational” part of the format was that none of the area’s elite players was invited. Several local pool industry businesses added a total of $1,500 to the prize fund, and so popular was this event that all 96 entries were paid more than a week in advance.
The action really heated up in the winners’-side semifinals. Rice got past Elizabethtown’s Duke Laha by a 6-4 count. Bryan Roberts of Louisville made the hill first at 5-3 in the other semi, but two tricky safeties that came just short for Bryan, coupled with a successful Minton break, gave Richard Minton three chances to run out, and he cashed all three to win 6-5.
The one-loss side got dangerous at this point. Pre-tournament favorite Russ Edwards of Somerset was lurking and proceeded to end Bryan Roberts’ strong bid 6-2, while Laha’s first appearance on the left side ambushed Indianapolis’ Gary Gentry at 6-4.
Rice rampaged through to the hot seat over Minton 6-2. Edwards returned to action on the one-loss side with Laha and held The Duke to a strong fourth-place finish in a hill-hill thriller. This left just Edwards and Minton on the left side, and in another tense match, Edwards prevailed 6-4, leaving Minton with an excellent third-place performance.
The finals were formatted as true double elimination with each race being lengthened to 9. The play was excellent, as no more than two games separated the opponents at any point. Edwards, who was a stone’s throw from elimination into ninth place in an earlier match, was poised on the hill at 8-6. But he got no further than second place as Rice won the last three to claim the championship as the only undefeated player.
Results:
1st David Rice
2nd Russ Edwards
3rd Rich Minton
4th Duke Laha
5th Bryan Roberts
Gary Gentry
7th Robert Frost
Nathan Wagner
9th Donny Sinkhorn
Dave Grau
Troy Brown
Jackie Bell

Townsend Outruns the Odds
J. Pechauer Southeast Open 9-ball Tour / Dothan, AL

by InsidePOOL Staff
Scotty Townsend claimed the February 23-24 stop of the J. Pechauer Southeast Open 9-ball Tour by coming through the one-loss side to topple tour director Tommy Kennedy in the finals. Hosted by Pocket billiards in Dothan, AL, this stop boasted a $1,000-added prize purse.
Scrambling to recuperate from an early loss, Townsend made his way to the quarterfinals, where he met Mike Shimelman and sent him home with a 9-5 victory. In the hot seat match, Kennedy and Stoney Stone clashed, with Kennedy taking the win 9-6 to be sitting pretty in the king seat. Waiting for Stone in the semifinals was Townsend, who made short work of his opponent 9-6 to advance to the finals against Kennedy. There his experience and high gear pulled off his double-elimination victory, winning 9-5 in the first set and then 9-7 in the second.
Results:
1st Scotty Townsend
2nd Tommy Kennedy
3rd Stoney Stone
4th Mark Shimelman
5th Clay Medlock
Jarred Stephens
7th Greg Strickland
JR Rossman

U.S. Bar Table Championship in Full Swing
by Rick Davis
The U.S. Bar Table Championship got underway today at the Sands Regency Hotel and Casino in Reno, NV. The week-long event features competition in 10-ball, 9-ball, and 8-ball and offers an addition all-around prize to the top finishers that played in all three events.
Starting at 2 p.m. local time, the 10-ball event kicked off with an 85-player field in the race to 7, true double-elimination format, and all of the events are alternate break. In the 10-ball action favorites include Shane Van Boening, Gabe Owen, Jose Parica, Steve Moore, and others who will all battle it out for the $4,250 top prize, and overall 24 places are being paid out.
Highlights from the afternoon rounds saw Tyler Edey face Moore, and with Moore down 6-5, he made a tough cut on the 9 ball only to see the cue carom off the 10 to scratch and hand the final rack to Edey. The evening rounds will start into the one-loss side, and then the second day of play will offer matches on both sides of the chart until the top four return Wednesday.
Wednesday morning begins the 9-ball rounds, and the 10-ball finals will not play until Wednesday evening. The same switch up will take place when 9-ball winds down and 8-ball begins.
Stay tuned to InsidePOOLmag.com for nightly updates and news on all the bar table action.

Nevel Creams Billiard Competition
Great Southern Billiard Tour / Fayetteville, NC

by Rick Davis
The Great Southern billiards Tour swept into King Street billiards the weekend of February 23-24, where Larry “The Truth” Nevel kept a stranglehold on the 45-player field all weekend before finally taking the title after giving an exhibition in the finals. King Street billiards hosted the double-elimination 9-ball event.
Late action on the winners’ side had Robert Ray defeat Jared McGee 9-6 then send Walt Bolden west to earn a spot in the hot seat match. Nearby, Nevel blazed past Brandon Pureza 9-3 then defeated Phillip Britt to lock horns against Ray. The fight for the hot seat started even, but Nevel got his game rolling much sooner and quickly took the match 9-5 to become king of the hill.
On the one-loss side tournament director Shannon Daulton was working on a comeback as he ousted Greg Little then McGee and finally slipped past Britt double-hill to reach the quarterfinals. On the other half of the chart Pureza was inching his way through the rounds by knocking out Wendell Thompkins then Bolden 9-5 to catch up with Daulton.
In the quarterfinals, Daulton kept an edge over Pureza the entire match until dispensing with him 9-5 but then hit a brick wall in the semifinals when Ray ousted Daulton just shy of double-hill, 9-7. That left only one match to play as the now-well-rested Nevel defending against Ray for the second time. What was thought to be a tight match at first quickly turned into a shooting exhibition by Nevel, who gave Ray all of about three shots the entire match before closing things out 9-0 with a very loud thud to be heard across the pool room. Once again “The Truth” had prevailed as Nevel added another win to his impressive resume.
Results:
1st Larry Nevel
2nd Robert Ray
3rd Shannon Daulton
4th Brandon Pureza
5th Phillip Britt
Walt Bolden