billiards National Event a Success
14and1.com Nationals Main Event
A true double-elimination tournament format was used for the 14and1.com Nationals Main Event at the Atlantic City Billiard Club in Egg Harbor, NJ. The top two finishers in all leagues nationwide earned an invite into the main event.
Friday morning all players were focused and ready. Straight pool players from eight states converged on Atlantic City to try to become the first 14and1.com national champion through qualifying in their local sanctioned league.
The hot seat match was a classic battle between two knowledgeable players who did not relinquish the table easily. John Downie managed to send Tom Acciavatti to the one-loss side in a well-played match. Waiting there for Acciavatti was Al Muccilli, who was playing well and had just put Joe Stern III out in fourth place. The match was a classic with two old-school players in battle. With Acciavatti giving up 30 balls going to 140 he pulled out that victory 140-131 to make the true double-elimination finals and get another chance at Downie.
Saturday night saw the start of the finals of the 14and1.com Nationals between Downie (B+ handicap) and Acciavatti (A+ handicap). Acciavatti gave Downie 45 balls on the wire going to 140, with Acciavatti having to defeat Downie twice to win. The first match saw Downie get cold from sitting and never really get going as Acciavatti cruised to win the first match 140-96.
In the second match, Downie started to get back in stroke a bit and managed to stay even in score with Acciavatti throughout. Somewhere around 100 balls each on the score Acciavatti made a long break shot while he was on a run, but the cue ball fell into the corner pocket. Downie methodically put together a 29-ball run. From there they got into safety battle, and Acciavatti got another opportunity after winning the safety battle, making the score 129-114 Downie. With Acciavatti at the table with a few balls sticking out, he got a bit too straight on the ball he wanted to use to break open the rack and elected for a combination to break up the cluster. He fired at the combo but it hit the point, and the balls were wide open. Downie had a couple of tough shots, but he became the first 14and1.com national champion.
Results:
1st John Downie
2nd Tom Acciavatti
3rd Al Muccilli
4th Joe Stern III
5th Steve Hathaway
Cliff Hatfield
7th Angelito Carpio
Luke Hubbard
9th Jim Hastings
Wade Hill
Rob Sumner
Tom Lazrovitch

Lai Lifts Third National Snooker Title
by InsidePOOL Staff
George Lai captured his third United States National Snooker Championship title, as the number-two seed from Las Vegas defeated New York’s Jian Qiang Wang 5-2 in this year’s final at the Embassy billiards Club in San Gabriel, CA.
Eleven years after tasting his first national success, 33-year-old Lai last won the title back in 2005, though he suffered defeat in the final last year at the hands of Jack Kung.
Lai went into this final as a strong favorite, though Jian’s tremendous progress through this championship had been a revelation, particularly after defeating the defending champion and number-one seed Kung 4-1 in the semifinals.
Jian stated his early claim to this prestigious title as he won Group D in the round robin stage ahead of the former champion Paul Kimura and only lost one frame in the knockout stage in progressing to the finals.
In the last 16 he faced Chris Sheerin from Las Vegas and comfortably advanced into the quarterfinals with a 3-0 victory, where he then took on his fellow New Yorker Henry Wong.
Wong has worked hard at improving his snooker over the past few years and has competed well during this championship in reaching his first quarterfinal. He ran Jian close in the first frame by narrowly losing it on the final colored balls, but Jian then went onto easily secure the following two frames to record a 3-0 success.
Up against Kung in the semifinals, Jian’s run of 33 assisted in winning the first frame, and he then went 2-0 ahead by pinching the next frame on the final black ball.
The Californian sealed the third frame to open his semifinal frame account, but Jian restored his two-frame lead by securing frame four on the final colored balls.
Jian finished off the match to defeat the favorite for the championship, by winning the fifth frame helped by a break of 35 and advancing into his first final.
Lai resoundingly won Group D undefeated, though his passage to the final in the knockout stage had been a little more difficult than Jian’s, as he came through his last-16 match against California’s Jeff Szafransky 3-1.
He then had to face the former champion Ajeya Prabhakar in the quarterfinals, who was always going to give him a tough competitive match.
Prabhakar, who lost in the quarterfinals last year to the eventual champion Kung, ran Lai close in the first frame but went onto level the match by capturing frame two.
Lai then went 2-1 up over the San Jose, CA, resident but was again pegged back to 2-2 to take the tie into a tense final frame.
In a close fifth frame, it was Lai who went onto prevail in this battle of the former champions as he went onto seal it on the final colored balls by a score line of 55-43.
For the second successive year Lai had to play against New York’s Raymond Fung, who he defeated in the quarterfinals 3-0 last year.
Fung, who plays at the Prince Snooker Club in Brooklyn, came back from a 2-0 deficit in the quarterfinals against Tom Kollins to win 3-2 for the right to play Lai in this year’s semifinals.
Both of the first two frames went down to the final colored balls and were shared, but from that moment on Fung struggled in the tie.
Lai won frame three and then with a break of 52 he then forged into a 3-1 advantage.
The Las Vegas resident then secured his fourth appearance in a United States National Snooker Championship final by winning the following frame for a 4-1 success.
In the finals, a run of 31 by Lai in the first frame got his final challenge off to the perfect start as he went into a 1-0 advantage, and although Jian responded in frame two with a break of 30, it was still not enough to claim the frame as Lai eventually ran away with it with an 85-31 score line.
A break of 42 by Lai secured frame three, though Jian opened his frame account by sealing the fourth frame on the final colored balls.
Jian’s run of 32 in the next frame further reduced his frame deficit to 3-2, and he was now right back into this final.
From then on, however, the match turned right in Lai’s favor as he comfortably took the sixth frame assisted with a break of 39, and in the next frame he compiled a championship-winning run of 54.
Results from Last 16:
Last-16
Jack Kung (California) def. Ruan Zhi Ming (California) 3-1
Cheang Ciing Yoo (Washington) def. Henry Nogiec (Nevada) 3-2
Henry Wong (New York) def. Michael Chan (California) 3-1
Jian Qiang Wang (New York) def. Chris Sheerin (Nevada) 3-0
Raymond Fung (New York) def. Sridhar Shrinivasan (Pennsylvania) 3-0
Tom Kollins (Illinois) def. Paul Kimura (California) 3-0
Ajeya Prabhakar (California) def. Christopher Szarek (Illinois) 3-0
George Lai (California) def. Jeff Szafransky (California) 3-1
Quarterfinals
Kung def. Cheang 3-0
Jian def. Wong 3-0
Fung def. Kollins 3-2
Lai def. Prabhakar 3-2
Semifinals
Jian def. Kung 4-1
Lai def. Fung 4-1
Final
Lai def. Jian 5-2

Stars Shine at Billiard Education Fundraiser
Pros help raise funds for junior billiards
The Billiard Education Foundation (BEF) held their annual “Challenge the Stars” fundraiser on May 13th at the Riviera Hotel Casino in Las Vegas. The BCA pool League (BCAPL) National 8-ball Championships and the 8th Annual Predator International 10-ball Championships were held at the Riviera that week, providing opportunity for participation by both pro and amateur billiards talent. Over $4,000 was raised through “challenge the pro” matches and auctions to help support junior billiard programs and scholarships.

Thirteen pros accepted challenges from highly skilled amateurs who were among the 7,000 players competing in the BCAPL National 8-ball Championship. Participating pros were Francisco Bustamante, Dominic Esposito, Allison Fisher, Thorsten Hohmann, Melissa Little, Rafael Martinez, Cathy Metzinger, Caroline Pao, Stefano Pelinga, Efren Reyes, Tom“Dr. Cue” Rossman, Adam Smith, and Laura Smith. All challengers received a certificate and an autographed souvenir photo taken with their pro.
Challengers and spectators alike participated in the silent auction and raffle made possible by the generous donations from dozens of industry supporters. Donating companies included Ozone billiards, Viking Cue Mfg, Cuestix International, PoolDawg.com, Frank’s Center, Omega billiards, Chalkeys by Ken, Predator Products and Poison Cues. Mark Griffin of Diamond Billiard Products provided pool tables from the BCAPL tournament.

The BEF charity event was made possible with the help of a team of volunteers including Keven Engelke, Brent Johnson, Shanna Lewis, Dave Merrill, and BCA pool League referees. BEF President Tom Riccobene served as Master of Ceremonies. A complete list of those who helped make this event possible is available on the BEF website at BilliardEducation.org.

All proceeds benefit the BEF scholarship fund and junior programs throughout the year.
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 BilliardEducation.org
or contact Laura Smith at 303.926.1039 or e-mail LauraSmith[at]BilliardEducation.org

Nevel and Walker Take Marietta Billiard Stop
J. Pechauer Southeast Open Tour/Marietta, GA
By Skip Maloney
For the third weekend in a row, Larry “The Truth” Nevel stepped into a billiards tournament and stepped out with the first-place prize. On Memorial Day weekend, he joined a field of 38 entrants in the $1,000-added J. Pechauer Southeast Open Tour stop at the Side Pocket Cue Club Grill in Marietta, GA, and did it the hard way, defeating Steve Moore twice for top honors.
Already on the one-loss side, Nevel was faced with tournament director Tommy Kennedy, whom he bested 9-5, dropping him into fifth place. He then went on to defeat Jason Richko in the quarterfinals and then turned to face Jesse Middlebrooks, who only won two of the eleven games that delivered Nevel to the finals against Atlanta’s Steve Moore.
Nevel and Moore fought back and forth to double-hill in the first set of the double-elimination finals. With two balls left on the table in the final game and the cue in Moore’s hand, it looked as though Moore was going to take it, but he missed. Nevel stepped to the table, sinking the 8 but watched as the cue ball traveled a little farther down table than he’d anticipated, leaving him with a long bank to finish the game. He made the bank, won the game, and moved on to the second set.
They struggled again. Back and forth to a second double-hill game, where Moore committed a foul prior to the break. Moore handed Nevel the ball, and with ball in hand, Nevel touched the 1 and hooked Moore. They wrestled back and forth through a few successful kicks that managed to nudge the 9 ball out of what was still a fairly tight pack of balls in the center of the table. Until Moore missed. Nevel set up to shoot the 1 ball, and a carom knocked the loose 9 ball in to win the game, set, and tournament.
In the amateur event Sunday, Bryant Walker defeated Jeff Hooks 7-1 in the finals to capture the first-place prize in the $500-added event. Walker had sent B.R. Tatum to the one-loss side earlier in the day and defeated Jeff Tabet in the subsequent hot seat match.
Open Results:
1st Larry Nevel
2nd Steve Moore
3rd Jessie Middlebrooks
4th Jason Richko
5th Tommy Kennedy
Johnny Archer
7th J. R. Rossman
Ron Park
9th George Rothrock
B.R. Tatum
Craig Houghton
Jeff Tabet
Amateur Results:
1st Bryant Walker
2nd Jeff Hooks
3rd Jeff Tabet
4th Denny Singletary
5th B.R. Tatum
John Hossman

Shin Park Claims Another Predator Billiard Tour Stop
Predator 9-ball Tour / Queens, NY
By InsidePOOL Staff
In a strong field of 50 pool players over Memorial Day weekend at Master billiards in Queens, NY, the Predator 9-ball Tour hosted its sixth stop of the season. The event saw stand-out players such as Shin Park, Mika Immonen, Shaun Wilkie, Warren Kiamco, Frankie Hernandez, Matt Krah, Tony Robles and many others.
As day one ended, the final twelve were brought back for a chance at the top prize of $1,025. On the winners’ side, Frankie Hernandez battled newcomer Scott Simonetti in the quickest match of the day, lasting under an hour. The quick-fires fought to hill-hill, and Simonetti looked to win the match with a killer safety on the 2 ball. But the unfazed Frankie kicked three rails to make an amazing 2 ball and run out for the 5-9 combination.
The common match-up of Robles and Park was the other winners’ side match. Robles took an early 5-2 lead on Park, but again Robles’ break proved inconsistent. Both struggled to make balls, and Park managed to pull ahead and win the match 9-6.
After a loss to Park, Immonen came back to win his next six in a row, including wins over Bobby Blackmore, Thomas Wan, Eddie Abraham, Robles, and Kiamco to face Hernandez in the semifinal match. Hernandez came out strong and took an early lead over Immonen, but Immonen fought back with some offensive shots and a few good rolls to win the match 9-4, leaving Hernandez to settle for third place.
The final was all Park. Immonen seemed to show signs of fatigue from the day’s battles and missed shots unexpectedly. Park capitalized and played some great pool, earning a 9–5 win over the “Iceman” and winning the event.
Results:
1st Shin Park
2nd Mika Immonen
3rd Frankie Hernandez
4th Warren Kiamco
5th Scott Simonetti
Tony Robles
7th Matt Krah
Eddie Abraham
9th Kari Paloheimo
Jorge Rodriguez
Joey Kong
Victor Nau

Brunswick Dealer Advantage Expands to Include Dealer Logo Wear and Promotional Items

Brunswick Dealer Advantage is helping dealers promote their businesses by offering logoed clothing and promotional products at preferred pricing through Threds. Brunswick dealers across three industries and two countries now have access to the program; Brunswick billiards dealers, Life Fitness dealers and Brunswick marine dealers in the United States and Canada can take advantage of special pricing on everything from dealer branded dress shirts for employees, to logoed plastic cups and giveaways for customer events.
“Local awareness and word of mouth are two keys to success for our dealers,” said Brunswick Dealer Advantage director Betsy Lazzara. “Threds gives our dealers access to products to help them stand out.”
Founded in 1994, Threds is based in Knoxville, Tenn., and boasts an impressive client list in a wide range of industries. Threds is capable of fulfilling small custom jobs for dealerships of any size or developing elaborate retail programs for additional dealer revenue. In addition to preferred pricing on all promotional items available through Threds, Brunswick dealers will have access to monthly specials at even deeper discounts.
“Threds has a great reputation in the industry,” said Thred’s Director of Sales Stephen Ladner. “Combined with the volume of business we conduct through our vendor partners, we frequently enjoy significant savings opportunities which we can pass along to our clients. Based on our experience, we believe we can help Brunswick dealers effectively promote their businesses while saving them money.”
Brunswick Dealer Advantage features three levels of participation – silver, gold and platinum – each based on the amount of the dealer’s business with Brunswick. The deeper the partnership with Brunswick, the higher the dealer’s level of eligibility, with more benefits and services available to them.
In addition to promotional products, Brunswick Dealer Advantage benefits and services include preferred pricing on customized retirement strategies and succession planning, discounted rates on computers and equipment for dealerships and their employees, college scholarships for dealership employees’ children, and much more.

Dealers can learn more about Brunswick Dealer Advantage by visiting its dedicated web site at www.brunswickdealeradvantage.com (http://www.brunswickdealeradvantage.com/) or by calling 1-877 GO-ADVTG (462-3884).

About Brunswick Dealer Advantage
Brunswick Dealer Advantage is offered through Brunswick Corporation to Brunswick billiards dealers, Life Fitness dealers and Brunswick marine dealers in Canada and the United States. It provides dealers access to benefits and services designed to address the unique needs of independent dealers. The deeper the partnership with Brunswick, the higher the dealer’s level of eligibility and the more benefits they can access through Brunswick Dealer Advantage.

About Brunswick Corporation
Headquartered in Lake Forest, Ill., Brunswick Corporation endeavors to instill “Genuine Ingenuity”™ in all its leading consumer brands, including Mercury and Mariner outboard engines; Mercury MerCruiser sterndrives and inboard engines; MotorGuide trolling motors; Teignbridge propellers; MotoTron electronic controls; Albemarle, Arvor, Baja, Bayliner, Bermuda, Boston Whaler, Cabo Yachts, Crestliner, Harris, Hatteras, Kayot, Laguna, Lowe, Lund, Maxum, Meridian, Örnvik, Palmetto, Princecraft, Quicksilver, Savage, Sea Boss, Sea Pro, Sea Ray, Sealine, Triton, Trophy, Uttern and Valiant boats; Attwood marine parts and accessories; Land ‘N’ Sea, Kellogg Marine, Diversified Marine and Benrock parts and accessories distributors; IDS dealer management systems; Life Fitness, Hammer Strength and ParaBody fitness equipment; Brunswick bowling centers, equipment and consumer products; Brunswick billiards tables; and Dynamo, Tornado and Valley pool tables, Air Hockey and foosball tables. For more information, visit www.brunswick.com (http://www.brunswick.com/).

Stone Storms Through Billiard Field Undefeated
Viking Cue Open 9-ball Tour/Fairfield, OH
by Skip Maloney
In a stop on the Viking Cue Open 9-ball Tour that almost didn’t happen, Stoney Stone worked his way undefeated through a field of 27 billiard entrants to face Shannon Murphy in the finals. Thanks to Viking Cues, which provided a majority of the funding that allowed the event to go on, and a deal struck by the venue with its’ lease holders, the $1,500-added event was held the May 17-18 weekend at Michael’s billiards in Fairfield, OH.
Early Sunday, Stone was among four players still left on the winners’ side of the bracket. He faced Jamie McWhorter, as Mike Cantrell squared off against Joe Brown. After two hard-fought matches in which Stone defeated McWhorter 9-6 and Cantrell knocked off Brown 9-7, Stone and Cantrell advanced to the hot seat match. Stone wasted no time sending Cantrell west with a commanding 9-2 victory.
Shannon Murphy and Shawn Putnam dropped Justin Daniels and Lykins into the seventh-place slot and turned to face Jamie McWhorter and Joe Brown, just over from the winners’ side. Murphy and Putnam continued their advance, moving into the quarterfinal match, won by Murphy 9-4.
Murphy duplicated that score in the semifinal match against Cantrell before moving into the true double-elimination finals against Stone. Stone defeated Murphy in the first set 9-6, capturing the first-place prize.
Results:
1st Stoney Stone
2nd Shannon Murphy
3rd Mike Cantrell
4th Shawn Putnam
5th Joe Brown
Jamie McWhorter
7th Shayne Lykins
Justin Daniels
9th Mike Grooms
Mike Franklin
Mike Janis
Shane Jackson

Fuller Wins Second Straight billiards Event
Jacoby Cues Carolina Tour / Rocky Mount, NC
by Skip Maloney
After recording his first victory in five attempts on the Jacoby Cues Carolina Tour in April, Mike Fuller picked up his second straight billiards tour victory the weekend of May 17-18. Fuller defeated Phillip Richardson twice to capture first place in the $1,000-added event, which drew 39 entrants to Sharks-N-Shooters in Rocky Mount, NC.
On Sunday, Fuller and Richardson were half of the final four on the winners’ side. They gave up only three games total between them in defeating Rob Krull 7-1 and Delton Howard 7-2, respectively. The going got a little rougher in the hot seat match, with Fuller prevailing 7-5 to send Richardson to the semifinals.
On the west side, Robert Ray faced Mike Gulyassy in the quarterfinal match. He’d sent Gulyassy to the one-loss side in the tournament’s opening round and defeated him a second time 7-5 to move into the semifinals against Richardson. Richardson defeated Ray 7-4 to advance to the finals.
Richardson took an early 3-0 lead in the finals before Fuller responded. They tied and then struggled back and forth to double-hill before Fuller closed it out and collected his second straight tour victory.
Results:
1st Mike Fuller
2nd Phillip Richardson
3rd Robert Ray
4th Mike Gulyassy
5th Rob Krull
Delton Howard
7th Ron Park
Mac Harrell
9th Matt Reed
Peaches Fuller
Jeff Pruitt
Russell Sasser

Nevel Captures Third Straight Great Southern Billiard Tour Win
Southern Billiard Tour / Knoxville, TN
by Skip Maloney
“The Truth” Nevel picked up his third straight victory on the Great Southern Billiard Tour the weekend of May 17-18 in Knoxville, TN. He defeated Jonathan “Hennessee From Tennessee” Pinegar in the final match, adding to a string of six victories on the tour dating back to the finale of last year’s tour in January. He’s defeated six different opponents in the finals on the tour and has been defeated only twice. The $1,500-added event drew 40 entrants to Breakers Sports Bar Grille.
The hot seat match that followed between Nevel and Daulton was the second time in a week that the two had squared off in a critical Great Southern Tour match. Once again Nevel prevailed, defeating Daulton.
On the one-loss side, bank champion John Brumback faced off with Pinegar in the quarterfinal match. Brumback put up a fight, forcing the match to hill-hill before Pinegar closed it out and turned to face Daulton, who’d sent him to the one-loss side earlier in the day.
In the semifinals, “Hennessee” jumped out to a 4-0 lead before Daulton came back to tie it. They fought back and forth beyond the tie to a 6-5 Hennessee lead. They traded the next two racks before Pinegar won two to drop Daulton into third place.
Pinegar brought some of his semifinal momentum with him to the true double-elimination finals against Nevel. He took a 5-0 lead, but Nevel was not to be denied. He took the next five to tie it, and after a seesaw round of six games that took the match to hill-hill, Nevel won the seventh and last game.
Results:
1st Larry Nevel
2nd Jonathan Pinegar
3rd Shannon Daulton
4th John Brumback
5th Randy Vaughn
Robert Green
7th Tony Smith
Curtis Blevins
9th Janet Atwell
Scott Eller
Ricky Patterson
Wes Covington

Mills Jumps for billiards Victory
Seminole Pro Tour / Holiday, FL
by Skip Maloney
Donnie Mills used his jump stick to great effect on the Seminole Pro Tour billiard stop in Holiday, FL, the weekend of May 17-18, defeating David Grossman in the finals. After being knocked to the one-loss side earlier in the day, Mills worked his way back through three opponents to capture first prize in the $8000-added event that drew 61 entrants to Hammerheads billiards.
Mills faced Hans Berber Oglu in the final four winners’-side matches early Sunday, while his eventual opponent in the finals, Grossman, matched up with Tommy Kennedy. Oglu sent Mills westward with an 8-4 victory as Grossman moved into the hot seat match by defeating Kennedy 8-6. Grossman secured his seat in the finals with an 8-5 victory over Oglu.
On the one-loss side, Dan Lavoie moved on when Corey Deuel forfeited (his second forfeit of the tournament; he ended up in the 9-12 slot without ever having lost a match). Joining Lavoie among the final four on the left side of the bracket were Anthony Meglino, Marc Vidal, and Hunter Lombardo. Lombardo and Vidal advanced to face Mills and Kennedy, respectively, who dropped them both into the fifth-place slot and squared off against each other in the quarterfinals.
Mills defeated Kennedy in a tightly contested 8-6 quarterfinal match and renewed acquaintances with Oglu, who’d defeated him earlier, on the winners’ side of the bracket. In another 8-6 contest, Oglu dropped into third place, leaving Mills and Grossman to face each other in the finals.
Grossman jumped out to an early 4-1 lead, but he only won one of the next nine games. As Mills fought his way back, Grossman hooked him on a number of occasions, leading Mills to break out his jump cue and, ultimately, make every jump shot that Grossman forced him into. It was Mills’ first win on the Seminole Pro Tour, and he was able to manage it in front of a partisan crowd that had gathered to root him on in his homeroom at Hammerheads billiards.
Results:
1st Donnie Mills
2nd David Grossman
3rd Hans Berber Oglu
4th Tommy Kennedy
5th Marc Vidal
Hunter Lombardo
7th Dan Lavoie
Anthony Meglino
9th Butch Croft
Mike Caron
Mark Coates
Corey Deuel
13th Tony Ruberto
Elvis Rodgriguez
Adam Wheeler
Mike Hutchenson

Mark Griffin Makes the Pros an Offer They Can’t Refuse
Press Release

billiards industry leader Mark Griffin has announced his intention of promoting new pro events. Due to the current lack of direction, and compounded by leadership that has been unable to protect pool player welfare, Griffin guarantees generating $200,000 plus in added prize money in 2009 billiard tournaments. Plus, he presented players with a plan for continued growth that provides players economic security for their future.

Troubled by lack of genuine sponsorship, players not getting paid at association sanctioned tournaments, ranking snafus, event scheduling conflicts, etc., Griffin agrees that the pros are in worse shape than ever.

When I see the state of affairs for the pro players, it makes my blood boil. I have been around this sport for 45 years. Recent setbacks have sent pro player economic opportunities back to the stone age, fumes Griffin.

Professional sports, take golf for example, have a strong amateur base. pool is no different. Griffin, as CEO of the BCA pool League, has 60,000 plus members. This infrastructure offers the pros an opportunity, through cross promotions, sponsorships, and membership drives, where the amateur base can help fund pro events and allow both the opportunity to grow.

As always, there are a few conditions. I will welcome player input, but no entity will tell me what I have to do. We are spending considerable time, and money, on pro player behalf. To protect our investment, and the pros, we will probably have to initiate a new association where player’s ideas and concerns can be addressed.

Mark has a spotless reputation in the industry. His success with the BCA pool League, Diamond Billiard Products, etc., speaks for itself. He sees the offer as a stable way for pros to make a living.

This concept is, obviously, a work in progress. I had been talking with some of the more high-profile players who had expressed their concerns and, suddenly, this all came to a head and something just had to be done. We all agreed that, by working together, this plan could work.

Hey, I can see that players could even have health insurance in the coming years.
What a concept! Attention pros. So that you can be kept in the loop, please forward your contact info to markg[at]playbca.com.

Drago New Predator 10-ball Champion
Predator 10-ball Championship / Las Vegas, NV
by InsidePOOL Staff
Tony “Tornado” Drago was crowned the new champion of the Predator 10-ball Championship by virtue of his victory over Filpino billiard legend Francisco Bustamante in the finals. This five-day event was hosted by the Riviera Hotel Casino in Las Vegas, NV, in conjunction with the BCA pool League Nationals.
The extended, race-to-13 final match began inauspiciously when, in the first rack, Bustamante scratched off the 6 ball into the side pocket, Drago rattled the 7 ball, and both players took a couple of turns at the 8 before Bustamante finally scratched and Drago won the game. Indeed, not just the match but almost every rack was peppered with uncharacteristic errors by both players.
It was obvious, though, that Drago was the front-runner as he quickly pulled in front of Bustamante, his trademarked speedy pace and jaunty walk around the table showing his confidence. Up 4-3, Drago ran the table after Bustamante missed a 5 ball and then broke and ran the next to gain a three-rack lead. They struggled with gaining and keeping control of the match, and Bustamante managed to knot the score at 9 apiece, but when he sent the cue ball off the table on his next break, Drago again pulled ahead.
A flubbed 5-10 carom by “Django” ended up costing him the next rack, as Drago zeroed in on the 7-10 combination; however, Bustamante took the next rack after Drago came up short for the 5 ball and left the Filipino an out. One of the biggest errors in the match that gave Drago the hill came when, in the next rack, Bustamante shot at a hanging 1 ball and drew the cue ball so far down the rail, it scratched. Only in need of one more game, Drago broke and ran out the last rack to win 13-10.
In the awards ceremony that followed, both contestants gave short speeches. “I have to give credit to myself,” announced Drago to cheers and laughter. “I have never played ten-ball before, so to win this event, that’s really saying something.”
View the Predator 10-ball Championship image gallery (/gallery2/v/Pool+Tournaments/Predator-10-ball-championship/)

Results:
1st Tony Drago $17,000
2nd Francisco Bustamante $7,500
3rd Jeremy Jones $4,000
Marcus Chamat
5th Tyler Edey $2,700
Lee Van Corteza
Alex Pagulayan
Shane Van Boening
9th Niels Feijen $1,500
Ernesto Dominguez
John Schmidt
Darren Appleton
Robb Saez
Gabe Owen
Raj Hundal
Daryl Peach
17th Alex Lely $1,000
Ramil Gallego
Dan Louie
Stan Tourangeau
Jose Parica
Charlie Williams
Mika Immonen
Mike Dechaine
Visit InsidePOOL for the latest news in the sport of billiards and pool.

Bustamante and Drago Will Meet in Predator Finals
Predator 10-ball Championship / Las Vegas, NV
by InsidePOOL Staff
The two semifinal matches of the Predator 10-ball Championship are in the books, with Tony “Tornado” Drago and Francisco Bustamante set to meet in the finals at 6 p.m. PST.
Drago, a former World pool Masters winner and a rookie player on the Mosconi Cup in 2007, bided his time in his match against Sweden’s Marcus Chamat. In fact, Chamat held the early lead of 5-2 before Drago made his move. Drago narrowed the gap to one rack by taking advantage of a dry break and then a faulty safety by Chamat, and he drew even with a break and run. “Napoleon” took the next two, but Drago counter-attacked to make it 7 apiece, and then he took the lead for the first time in the set with a 3-10 combo.
Another break and run nudged the Maltese one game closer. A safety battle over the 1 ball saw Chamat try for a bank and miss; on fire now, Drago sped through the rack at his usual rapid clip to reach the hill. He came up dry on his final break, but Chamat left him a shot on the 1 ball after a failed safety attempt, and Drago buzzed through the rack to win 11-7.
View the Predator 10-ball Championship image gallery (/gallery2/v/Pool+Tournaments/Predator-10-ball-championship/)
Bustamante met with former U.S. Open champ Jeremy Jones in the more lopsided second semifinal match. Jones took the first two racks, but he scratched on his next break and then committed two glaring errors to allow Bustamante to take a 3-2 lead. A quick 2-10 combo by the Filipino got him another step away from Jones, and in the next rack, several innings were exchanged over the 7 ball alone, with Bustamante getting that game as well. Some excellent defensive play followed, with the players splitting the next two games to make it 6-3. However, things seemed to go Bustamante’s way when he broke next and followed a road map to get out and then cleared the table after Jones missed an easy 1 ball.

The next two racks also went to “Django,” putting him on the hill 10-3. He came up empty on his break, and Jones cleared to put one more rack under his belt, but it wasn’t nearly enough. Jones made nothing on his break, and Bustamante played a strong safety on the 1 ball, hiding the cue behind the 3. When Jones fouled, Bustamante took ball in hand and took the simple way out, lining up the 1-10 combo in the side.
For live coverage of the 8th Annual Predator 10-ball Championship, please visit Predator10ball.com, Kozoom.com, and InsidePOOLmag.com.

Napoleon Fells Defending Champ Van Boening
Predator 10-ball Championship / Las Vegas, NV
by InsidePOOL Staff
The final four billiard players returning for Saturday’s final rounds have emerged after a taxing day of elimination at the Predator 10-ball Championship in Las Vegas, NV. This five-day event is being presented by Predator Products and hosted by the Riviera Hotel Casino.
For the players who had one loss already, the day began at 10:30 a.m. to try to make it through to the final 16. Defending champion Shane Van Boening trudged through Go Takami 10-7 and Nicolas Otterman 10-7 to make it. Allison Fisher held on gamely until a 10-4 loss to Mike Dechaine, who then fell to Gabe Owen in the final one-loss-side round 10-7. Jeremy Jones trounced Stan Tourangeau 10-2, Sweden’s Marcus Chamat bested Ramil Gallego 10-7, and Tyler Edey won 10-5 over Alex Lely. Representing the Philippines, Lee Van Corteza won 10-5 over fellow countryman Jose Parica, while Alex “The Lion” Pagulayan bested Dan Louie 10-8. Rounding out the final eight from the one-loss side was Darren Appleton of Great Britain, ousting Mika Immonen 10-4.
Tournament director Scott Smith redrew the remaining 16 names and put them into a single-elimination bracket. Unfortunately, there was apparently a miscommunication between Smith and event promoter Charlie Williams, for Smith seemed unaware that with the change in format, the race changed to 11 instead of 10. This was not discovered until Tony Drago had already “won” his match with Darren Appleton 10-6. The match was considered a concession to Drago by Appleton.
Chamat, playing Niels Feijen out of The Netherlands, reached the “hill” 9-3 to find that he had another two racks to go instead of one. Momentarily taken aback, Chamat was forced to watch Feijen take control of the table after a 5-10 combo gave the Dutchman a game. A break and run-out saw Feijen move another step closer; however, Feijen was playing to break up the 9 and 10 balls in the next and scratched. Chamat took the hill (again) and then broke and ran out the final table to win 11-5.
Canada’s Tyler Edey struggled through a tough match-up with reigning world champion Daryl “Dazzler” Peach that he ultimately won 11-7, while Alex Pagulayan thoroughly trounced John Schmidt to advance to the quarterfinals. From a 5-2 and then a 9-4 lead, Pagulayan took the hill but then missed the 9 ball. Schmidt bagged that game but then scratched on his next break, handing the match to Pagulayan.
Robb Saez and Francisco Bustamante played a hotly contested match that went double-hill, with Bustamante advancing. On the flip side, Jeremy Jones had a rather one-sided match with Great Britain’s Raj “Hitman” Hundal. In a set where Jones took an early lead and never relinquished it, the Texan soon found himself up 10-4. He flubbed the following 1 ball, but when Hundal scratched on the 6, it was all over.
Former U.S. Open champ Gabe Owen put up a good fight against Filipino Lee Van Corteza and managed to keep the score fairly even until the score was 7-6 Van Corteza. “Van Van” won the next and then missed a bank attempt on the 9 ball, but Owen also missed the 9, so Van Corteza took that rack. A safety skirmish in the next rack ended when Owen missed the 7 ball in the side, with Van Corteza reaching the hill. The Filipino broke the final rack, and it was no gimme, but he carefully ran out to win 11-6.
The fickle finger of fate paired Ernesto Dominguez and Shane Van Boening together again. Dominguez, having already defeated “The South Dakota Kid” once in this event, might not have taken him seriously enough the second time around, for it wasn’t long before Van Boening took a 5-2 lead. He pushed that to 7-4 and then 9-5. Van Boening missed the 1 ball in the fifteenth rack, and Dominguez cleared the table but came up dry on his following break. Van Boening ran out to reach the hill 10-6. He scratched on the 1 ball trying to play safe, and it looked as though Dominguez might be able to stage a comeback. But the table mechanic got funny on the 8 ball and missed it, leaving three balls for Van Boening, who won 11-6.
In the quarterfinal round, there was another all-Filipino match-up, as Bustamante met with Van Corteza. With the score tied 4-all, Bustamante gradually pulled away from his opponent, going up 8-5 and then 10-6. He played a defensive shot on the 1 ball in the next rack, and Van Corteza fouled, allowing Bustamante the win.
Chamat had an excellent match against Van Boening in which he whizzed to a daunting 7-3 lead over the defending champion. He faltered a bit when he got out of line on the next 9 ball and missed, and Van Boening took the next rack. They traded the next two to make it 8-5, and then Van Boening missed what appeared to be an easy 7. Chamat took that rack and then the next when Van Boening scratched, giving Chamat ball in hand and the hill. Van Boening started to make a comeback, winning the next two racks, but at 10-8, he scratched on the break. The last rack was a dicey one, but with a sweet break-out shot off the 7 ball into the 9 and 10 balls, Chamat claimed the victory 11-8.
Jones started off strong in his match against Edey, quickly reaching a 6-3 and then a 9-4 lead. When he missed the 5 ball in the side, though, Edey got back in gear to stage a return, taking that rack and the next to make it 9-6. Jones took ball in hand after Edey scratched to reach the hill, but when “Double J” missed a cut on the 4 ball, Edey took that rack. Edey did not manage to catch up in time, though, for when he underhit a 2-8 combo in the last rack, Jones was out for the 11-7 win.
View the Predator 10-ball Championship image gallery (/gallery2/v/Pool+Tournaments/Predator-10-ball-championship/)
In probably the most entertaining match of the evening, recent World pool Masters champion Pagulayan met the fast-firing Drago on the featured table. It turned out to be the closest quarterfinal match of the event, with the players trading rack for rack. Pagulayan reached the hill first after Drago hung up a 4 ball, making it 10-8 Pagulayan. Drago got his chance in the next game, running out from the 2 to pull within a rack. A five-inning safety battle on the 6 ball ended with Pagulayan erroneously calling a foul on himself, and Drago made it a hill-hill nail-biter. The Maltese came up dry on his break, and Pagulayan pushed out. Drago played a safety on the 1, and Pagulayan kicked at it and left a shot for Drago, who dished up to win 11-10.

Saturday’s two semifinal matches will be between Chamat and Drago at 12:00 PST and Bustamante and Jones at 2:00 PST. For live coverage of the 8th Annual Predator 10-ball Championship, please visit Predator10ball.com, Kozoom.com, and InsidePOOLmag.com.

Half of Final Field Set at Predator 10-ball Championship

Predator 10-ball Championship / Las Vegas, NV
by InsidePOOL Staff
Thursday’s billiard matches at the Predator 10-ball Championship at the Riviera Hotel Casino in Las Vegas, NV, left 8 billiards players remaining undefeated and 24 in the one-loss bracket. With only four to return Saturday, Friday’s schedule will be a grueling one.
The winners’ bracket was whittled from 16 to 8 in the final round. A battle between two great Brits ended up with Raj “Hitman” Hundal taking precedence over fellow countryman Darren Appleton. Their match began evenly, but when the score was knotted at 4 apiece, Hundal pulled ahead by winning the next four racks in a row.
Appleton retaliated by taking two more games, but Hundal took advantage of an empty break by his opponent to reach the hill and then scored on a 3-10 combo to win 10-6.
Jose Parica and fellow Filipino Francisco Bustamante played a hotly contested set that seesawed all the way to 7-all. Bustamante took the next two games before Parica grabbed one, but Francisco emerged the winner in that match 10-8.
Table mechanic Ernesto Dominguez, who sent Shane Van Boening to the left side of the chart Wednesday, is still going strong, besting Jeremy “Double J” Jones. When Dominguez was on the hill, Jones tried to play safe on the 8 ball by leaving it on the side rail. Unfazed, Dominguez banked in the 8 but left himself a long shot on the 9 ball, which he rattled. Jones, however, missed the 9, and Dominguez sank the last two to win 10-7.
Speed demon Tony Drago whizzed through his match with Canada’s Tyler Edey. With Drago on the hill 9-6, Edey fouled on the 3 ball and handed Drago an open table with ball in hand, which he cleared. Lee Van Corteza, winner of the Turning Stone Classic a few months back, won 10-5 over Dan Louie of Seattle.
Reigning world 9-ball champion Daryl Peach bested Marcus Chamat 10-6, while Niels Feijen of The Netherlands delivered a loss to event promoter Charlie Williams 10-3. And John “Mr. 403” Schmidt is still undefeated, having won 10-3 over fellow U.S. player Gabe Owen.
Earlier in the day, on the one-loss side, there were some dramatic eliminations, but perhaps none was as dramatic as the 7:30 p.m. match between Tony Robles and Filipino player Ramil Gallego. Having dug himself into a 6-0 deficit, “The Silent Assassin” crept slowly back into the match and ultimately made it a hill-hill battle to the cheers of his fans.
He came up empty on the final break, and after Gallego played a jam-up safe on the 4 ball behind the 10, parking the cue behind the 8 up table, Robles was forced to kick at the 4. He made contact but left Gallego an out. Delicately picking through the cluster of remaining balls with pocket speed, Gallego won 10-9.
Spain’s David Alcaide ousted Southern California’s Tang Hoa, only to be eliminated himself in a televised match with Allison Fisher, which went hill-hill. Gerda Hofstatter was sent packing by Stéphan Cohen 10-3 earlier, which means Fisher is the lone woman standing in this event.
Corey Deuel was sent home early by Manual Gama of Portugal 10-7, who was then ousted by Alex Pagulayan in a quick 10-4 match. Johnny Archer eliminated recent Korean Open winner Mike Davis 10-6, while Dennis Hatch delivered Oscar Dominguez’s walking papers to him in a hill-hill bout. In another all-British match, recent World pool Masters competitor Imran Majid matched up with Karl Boyes, but Boyes was too strong and won 10-4.
View the Predator 10-ball Chmapionship image gallery (/gallery2/v/Pool+Tournaments/Predator-10-ball-championship/)
The eight undefeated players returning Friday evening are: Ernesto Dominguez, Lee Van Corteza, Daryl Peach, Tony Drago, John Schmidt, Raj Hundal, Niels Feijen, and Francisco Bustamante. The 24 left in the one-loss side will play in the morning and early afternoon rounds down to 8. At that point, tournament director Scott Smith will redraw the last 16 names and the format will change to single elimination. Only four will return Saturday to play for the $17,000 first-place prize.

For live coverage of the 8th Annual Predator 10-ball Championship, please visit Predator10ball.com, Kozoom.com, and InsidePOOLmag.com.