2009 World Pool Masters set to return to Las Vegas

The 2009 PartyPoker.net World Pool Masters returns to Las Vegas in May. Featuring 16 of the best players in the world, the event will be held at the historic Riviera Hotel and Casino following a successful staging in 2008, where Filipino Alex Pagulayan defeated Finn Mika Immonen in a thrilling final.

The competition will be staged over three days from Friday, May 8 to Sunday, May 10 -during the annual BCAPL National 8 Ball Championships.

Promoted by Matchroom Sport, the world leader in televised pool, the PartyPoker.net World Pool Masters will be running for the 17th consecutive year and its roll call of champions reads like an international who’s who of the sport.

Pagulayan will be back to defend his title, while Immonen (Finland), the reigning US Open champion, who won the Most Valuable Player award at the 2008 Mosconi Cup in December, will be aiming to go one step better than last year.

Immonen's Mosconi Cup team-mates, five-time Masters champion Ralf Souquet (Germany), Holland’s multi-titled Niels Feijen and Malta's Tony Drago will all be in the single-elimation tournament.

Other players in attendance include England's Darren Appleton, the current World 10 Ball Champion, and former world number one Dennis Orcollo of the Philippines.

The top two American ranked players on the BCA Men’s Point List - Shane Van Boening and Johnny Archer - will be representing the United States, while Montreal’s Dancing Bear, Alain Martel, will be flying the flag for Canada.

They will be joined by top ranked European stars Nick van den Berg of Holland, England’s Imran Majid, who beat Van Boening in this event last year, and teenage Russian sensation Ruslan Chinakhov, 17, who will be making his Masters debut.

Challenge of Champions winner and 2007 World Cup winner Fu Jian-bo will be making the trip from China and 2005 World Pool Masters victor Raj Hundal, now representing India, will return to the fray at the Riviera.

There is one female in the 2009 Masters line-up and that honour this year goes to the rising star of the women’s game, 21 year-old Korean Yu Ram Cha.

Once again, the Masters will be promoted in partnership with Mark Griffin’s BCA Pool Leagues and the opening first round matches take place on the evening of Friday, May 8, culminating in the championship match on Sunday, May 10.

Matchroom Sport Chairman Barry Hearn said: "The event was a big success for us last year at the Riviera and we’re looking to build on that in May.

"The crowds at the Masters were good and with the outstanding line-up we have assembled this year, I am sure that we will have bumper crowds.

" Speak to any of the players; this is the event they all want to win and looking at the field, anyone of them can emerge triumphant."

As always, the World Pool Masters will be televised throughout the world in 15 one-hour highlights programmes.

There will be a $66,000 prize fund, an increase of 6.5 per cent compared to 2008, with the winner collecting $20,000.

Tickets will be made available in March on the Playbca.com website.

BCAPL's Mark Griffin added: "BCA Pool League players love professional action. They're excited the World Pool Masters will return to the Riviera for 2009 and hope Matchroom will continue to honor our tournament with their participation for years to come.

"The finest amateur and professional players from around the globe gather every year at the Riviera for the greatest pool tournament in the world - and the tradition continues."

World Pool Masters

The Riviera Hotel and Casino, Las Vegas
Friday, May 8 to Sunday, May 10

1. Darren Appleton (England)
2. Johnny Archer (USA)
3. Ruslan Chinakhov (Russia)
4. Tony Drago (Malta)
5. Niels Feijen (Holland)
6. Fu Jian-bo (China)
7. Raj Hundal (India)
8. Mika Immonen (Finland)
9. Imran Majid (England)
10. Alain Martel (Canada)
11. Dennis Orcollo (Philippines)
12. Alex Pagulayan (Philippines)
13. Ralf Souquet (Germany)
14. Shane van Boening (USA)
15. Nick van den Berg (Holland)
16. Yu Ram-cha (Korea)

Alex Pagulayan Shoots for Second World Pool Title

A major pool championship event is taking place on May 8-10 at the Riviera Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada featuring defending world pool champion Alex Pagulayan of the Philippines.

Filipino cue master Alex Pagulayan is set to defend his world pool title on May 8-10 at the Riviera Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Last year, Pagulayan won over Mika Imonen of Finland to capture the world pool championship title. He is the second Filipino to win the prestigious title after his friend Dyango Bustamante won the title in 1998.

‘It’s one of the tournaments I’m always looking forward to be part of. For me, winning this tournament is like is like winning the world championship’ said the 30 year old cue artist.

Another popular Filipino cue artist Dennis Orcollo will also compete in the event which offers a whopping $66,000 total cash prize including the champion’s purse of $20,000.00, according to a report by Manila Times.

The popular Filipino cue artist who is based in Canada is competing with the world’s top cue artists including Mika Imonen, Darren Appleton and Imran Majib of England, Tony Drago of Malta, Shane Van Boening and Johnny Archer of the United States. and Alain Martel of Canada.

Five-time champion Ralph Souquet of Germany is also seeing action along with Niles Feijen and Nick Van Den Berg of Netherlands, Ruslan Sukanov of Russia. Fu Jianbo of China, Raj Hundal of India and lone female bet Yu Ran Cha of Korea, the report added.

The Philippines is home to two other world-famous cue artists that include Efren Bata (The Magician) Reyes and Ronnie Alcano who were both once world champions.

Immonen Snares Predator Billiard Win

Chicago, IL - The Ice Man finished off another undefeated night after facing Filipino Champion Bustamante and USA Champ Charlie Williams at the conclusion of a week of challenges in Chicago. Palace Billiards hosted the event which featured Mika Immonen of Finland, who dominated the three shows featuring the trio of champions with only taking one loss during the week. Immonen, considered to be the current #1 player in the world, is continuing his superb play that began in the fall of 2008 and taking his streak into 2009.

The event was able to draw some strong local media attention with CBS Chicago covering the event as well as VIA Times from the Filipino media.

The event began with a trickshot show with Bustamante, Immonen, and Williams performing several artistic shots. “We’re no Mike Massey, but we have definitely got the shots down better and more brave than the first show.” laughed Williams. Next the pros took on challengers who lined up to try their luck against the world class billiard stars.

All the fans received gifts from Poison Cues for attending the event. Prizes and gifts included Poison shirts, hats, patches, towels and posters. The pros all signed pictures and memoribilia afterwards, so no one left empty handed.

The Blatt Billiards Predator 9-ball Tour kicked off its second stop with an astonishing 108 players at Comet Billiards in Parsippany, NJ, the weekend of February 28-March 1. Of them all, it was 2008 Player of the Year Mika Immonen taking home top honors in the open division, with Christian Smith winning the amateur event.

Ignacio Chavez and Tony Robles were on a collision course for one another, as Chavez defeated Frankie Hernandez 9-6 to earn a spot for the hot seat and Robles won a hard-fought set against the legendary George “Ginky” Sansouci 9-6. In the match against Chavez, Robles took the lead 4-2 early in the match but scratched on three routine shots, which ultimately cost him the set 9-6. Now all Robles could do was wait for the winner of Immonen and Jorge Rodriguez.

Immonen was on a mission on day two and was determined to make it to the finals from the west side. He started the second day by defeating Sean Morgan 9-2, Al Lapena 9-7, Frankie Hernandez 9-0, and Jorge Rodriguez 9-3 for the right to meet Robles in the semifinals. His break and patterns were in perfect form against Robles as he quickly won the match 9-3.

Immonen continued to break and run with consistency in the finals, while Chavez struggled to make a ball on the break. The Finn came with his full arsenal and put on a clinic in shot-making, position play, kicking, banking, and defense to easily win the match by a score of 11-4.

The Predator 9-Ball Tour also hosted a second-day BCD event with 29 players. Christian Smith took care of business in the top of the chart to earn his spot for the hot seat, where he defeated Raphael DaBreo 5-3. Guy Ianuzzi won six matches in a row to earn a spot against DaBreo in the semifinals but ran out of steam and succumbed 5-3. In the final race to 7, Smith started strong, and though DaBreo put up a great fight, Smith triumphed 7-5.
After the dust settled, it was Mezz Cues player rep Mika "The Iceman" Immonen (pictured right) coming up with the victory. Ignacio Chavez (left) and Tony Robles share the moment.

Results:

1st Mika Immonen $1,400
2nd Ignacio Chavez $1,000
3rd Tony Robles $ 700
4th Jorge Rodriguez $ 500
5th George Sansouci $ 325
6th Frankie Hernandez $ 325
7th Oscar Bonilla $ 225
8th Al Lapena $ 225
9th Rob Saez $ 135
10th Lionel Rivera $ 135
11th Shaun Wilkie $ 135
12th Sean Morgan $ 135
13th Mhet Vergara $ 100
14th Junior Sanchez $ 100
15th Justin Muller $ 100
16th Marc Vidal $ 100

Pagulayan targets back-to-back Masters crown

Former world champion Alex Pagulayan will try to become the first back-to-back champion of the PartyPoker.net World Pool Masters when the most prestigious invitational pool event holds its 17th edition on May 8 to 10 at the historic Riviera Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas , Nevada .

The 30-year-old Pagulayan ruled the event last year beating fellow former world titlist Mika Immonen of Finland in a pulsating final match.

“It’s one of the tournament I’m always looking forward to be part of," said Pagulayan, who is the only second Filipino to win the event after Francisco “Django" Bustamante in 1998 and 2001. “For me winning this tournament is like winning the world championship."

Pagulayan will be joined by compatriot and former world no.1 Dennis Orcollo in carrying the country’s flag in the competition that has a total of $66,000 at stake, including the champion’s purse of $20,000.

“It’s an honor to be chosen to play in that tournament, and I will do my best to win it and once again make our country proud," said Orcollo, who is coming off a solid year in 2008 when he won four major titles.

A total of 16 of the finest players from around the world will be competing in the event, which will be staged over three days during the annual BCAPL National 8 Ball Championships.

Besides Pagulayan and Orcollo, the other players seeing action are Immonen, World 10 Ball Champion Darren Appleton and Imran Majid of England, Tony Drago of Malta, Shane Van Boening and Johnny Archer of the United States and Alain Martel of Canada.

Also in the field are five-time champion Ralf Souquet of Germany, Niels Feijen and Nick van den Berg of the Netherlands , Ruslan Chinakov of Russia , Fu Jianbo of China , Raj Hundal of India and lone female bet Yu Ran Cha of Korea.

Pagulayan, Orcollo banner 2009 World Pool Masters field

Former world 9-ball champion Alex “The Lion" Pagulayan and former World No. 1 Dennis Orcollo will banner the field in the 2009 PartyPoker.net World Pool Masters on May 8-10 in Las Vegas.

According to the event’s promoter, Matchroom Sport, the prestigious event will be held at the historic Riviera Hotel and Casino with 16 of the world’s top cuemasters vying for the $20,000 champion’s purse.

Pagulayan will seek to defend the Masters title which he won last year over another ex-world titlist, Mika Immonen of Finland.

Orcollo will try to sustain the top form he has shown in 2008 - a year highlighted by at least six months atop the rankings 1 on wins in four international competitions and a spate of other strong finishes - in the single-elimination tournament.

The Filipino pool stars will contend with the likes of Immonen, five-time Masters champion Ralf Souquet, reigning World 10 Ball Champion Darren Appleton, Challenge of Champions winner and 2007 World Cup titlist Fu Jian-bo of China and 2005 World Pool Masters victor Raj Hundal, now representing India.

Also in the roster are multi-titled Niels Feijen of Holland, Tony Drago of Malta, Nick van den Berg of Holland, Imran Majid of England, Shane Van Boening and Johnny Archer of the US, Alain Martel of Canada, the rising star of the women’s game, 21-year-old Yu Ram Cha of Korea, and teenage sensation Ruslan Chinakhov of Russia.

Pool hero Orcollo vows comeback in 2009

Former world No. 1 player Dennis Orcollo, the major awardee for billiards in 2008 by the Philippine Sportswriters Association, is hell-bent on regaining his lofty ratings in 2009.

Honored during last Friday’s San Miguel Corp.-PSA Awards Night at the Manila Pavilion Hotel, the 30-year-old Orcollo said he was grateful to the association for recognizing his achievements last year and vowing to try his best in 2009.

“Being ranked No. 1 definitely added to my self-confidence,” once said Orcollo, a lightly regarded pool player from Bislig, Surigao del Norte, before he made the big league and joined a handful of true billiards greats.

Orcollo is not out of place with the likes of Hall of Famer Efren “Bata” Reyes, Ronnie Alcano, Francisco “Django” Bustamante and Alex Pagulayan. Undoubtedly one of the most dynamic shooters on the tour, Orcollo is a mainstay of the Negros Billiard Stable of sports patron Jonathan Sy.

Said Orcollo in an interview: “I know that people are watching me and I have to live up to my being world No. 1.”

In 2008, Orcollo won four international titles and finished remarkably well in several others. He started the year with a bang by winning the San Miguel Beer-Quezon City 9-Ball Championship. The following week, Orcollo beat some 200 world-class players in the Japan 9-Ball in Tokyo, including Japanese idol Ryoki Aoiki, whom he humbled in a one-sided finals, 9-2.

The Filipino hero later crushed veteran campaigner Niels Feijen of the Netherlands, 13-5, during their championship showdown at the inaugural Qatar World 9-Ball Open Championship in Doha. Orcollo capped the year by bagging a leg of the Guinness 9-Ball Tour in Guangzhou, China, last September.

However, Orcollo could only earn a semifinal berth in the Guinness Grand Finals held in Jakarta in October. The Grand Finals was won by Taiwan’s battle-scarred Yang Ching-shun.

During the 2008 Party Poker.net World Cup of Pool played in Rotterdam, Holland, Orcollo teamed up with veteran internationalist Francisco “Django” Bustamante and settled for a share of third place with the 2007 winners Fu Jian Bo and Li He Wen of China.

Earlier in the semifinals, the Orcollo-Bustamante tandem, considered by pool experts as the pre-tournament favorite, unexpectedly lost to the American pair of Rodney Morris of Hawaii and Shane “The South Dakota Kid” Van Boening, who eventually emerged champions.

But the soft-spoken Orcollo offered no excuse after the shock defeat. Instead, he showed true grit and character by blaming himself by saying, “I’m very disappointed that we weren’t able to fulfill our mission of winning the World Cup, and I blame myself for it.”

In gaining the nod of the PSA, Orcollo’s achievements in 2008 stood clearly above the rest. But other than that, it was a bleak year for the controversy-wracked Philippine billiards.

To illustrate. Philippine Olympic Committee president and former Tarlac Rep. Jose “Peping” Cojuangco recently directed the Billiards and Snooker Congress of the Philippines, headed by chair Yen Makabenta and president Ernesto Fajardo, to conduct their much delayed election.

Unhappy with the way their sport was being handled by BSCP officials, the country’s world-ranked players, led by Reyes, Pagulayan, Bustamante, Alcano and Orcollo, renounced their membership in the BSCP and formed the Billiards Managers and Players Association of the Philippines.

Members of the Philippine women’s team also complained against the unkind treatment they had suffered at the hands of billiards officials. They said they were unceremoniously removed from the national team and their allowance from the Philippine Sports Commission cut off despite giving honor to the country. They claimed they were being punished by the BSCP for joining tournaments organized by the breakaway BMPAP.

 

- Manolo Iñigo, Philippine Daily Inquirer

$25,000 Added Joss Tour’s Billiard Extravaganza won by Souquet

Ralf Souquet Wins Joss Tour $25,000 Added Turning Stone Classic XII

The Joss NE 9-Ball Tour’s Turning Stone Classic XII started off with a full field of 128 players. Including noteable players from around the world such as Ralf Souquet, Mika “The Iceman” Immonen, Dennis Hatch, Shawn “Big Bubba” Putnam, Johnny Archer, Steve Moore, Karen Corr, Corey Deuel, Allison Fisher and Louis Ulrich just to name a few. It has been an action packed event as spectators watched some terrific matches among some of the greatest players in the sport of billiards as the face off for their chance at the $25,000 Added event prize fund.

Ralf Souquet sent anyone that stepped up to face him to the left side of the chart as he played to win his share of the $25,000 added prize fund. He begin his trek to the finals by defeating Pierre Sauve 9-0 in round one and proceeded to follow suit sending the following to the one loss side of the chart Ernesto Dominguez 9-3; Matt Krah 9-4; Jeremy Sossei 9-6 Louis Ulrich 9-6; Shane Van Boeining 9-4; Mika”The Iceman” Immonen 9-1. Souquet went undefeated to the finals where he matched up against Joss Tour Regular Dennis Hatch in the Finals. Souquet defeated Hatch 13-7 in the finals which was single elmination race to 13.

Hatch worked his way thru some tough competition to make his way to the finals he defeated Sean Martin 9-0; Jamie Mangini 9-3; Karen Corr 9-8; Pete Tascarella Sr. 9-5; before being sent to the one loss side by Shane Van Boening 9-7. Once on the one loss side Hatch defeated Steve Moore 9-3; Daryl Peach 9-2; Mario Morra 9-4; Shawn “Big Bubba” Putnam 9-8. Sending him to the semi finals where he would face Mika “The Iceman” Immonen. Hatch defeated Immonen 9-7.

Place

1st Ralf Souquet
2nd Dennis Hatch
3rd Mika Immonen
4th Shawn Putnam
5th Shane Van Boening
6th Mario Morra
7th Daryl Peach
8th Charlie Bryant
9th Louis Ulrich
10th Steve Moore
11th Thorten Hohmann
12th Oscar Dominguez
13th Allison Fisher
14th Matt Tetreault
15th Dave Fernandez
16th Johnny Archer

Snookering a double world champ

Terrence Voon shoots pool table with Taiwan's double world champion.

Whilst interviewing Taiwan's double world champion Wu Chia-ching at Klassic Cuesports, someone thought it might be worth a laugh if I played a few rounds of 9-Ball with him.

He was right: It was funny pitting a casual pub player against one of the world's best. But the experience wasn't just humourous - it was humiliating.

Wu, for the record, was here in Singapore as a sparring partner for the national team, a move that has sparked considerable hysteria in Taiwan, where speculation is mounting that he may become the Republic's latest foreign import.

But while he may been frustrated by all the media hoopla back home, the 20-year-old remains a consummate professional on the table, even against a rank amateur like yours truly.

"Go easy on me," he joked, as he lined up to break the first rack.

Two minutes later, I was racking up again, without having gone to the table yet.

Wu was showing exactly why he is known as "The Little Genius" by his peers. His stroking movement was incredibly consistent and he reads the table in a flash, knowing quickly how best to untangle the puzzle of balls and numbers on the table.

His positioning is also impeccable, always within an inch or two of the desired 'sweet spot'.

If pool is all about physics then this man is a Nobel laureate.

When it was finally my turn to take to the table, I missed. But the cue ball spun behind the black, hiding from the pink that was a full table length away. A safety shot, albeit an unintended one.

No problem, said Wu. With just the right amount of top-spin, he promptly bounced the cue ball off two rails to hit the pink - and 'snookered' me in the process.

And when the centre pocket swallowed up my cue ball on the next shot, I knew that the gig was up.

The final score was 0-3 in favour of the world champion. No surprise there.

Maybe 8-Ball would be a better bet, I suggested.

Fat chance. Wu allowed me to break, and my response was to propel the cue ball out of the table, narrowly missing a member of the Singapore national team who had been smirking the entire time.

Wu politely retrieved the errant ball, and proceeded to clear the deck. 10 minutes and two games later, I had truly been beaten black, blue and yellow.

Throughout the entire experience, he never even smiled once - that was how serious the guy took the game.

Mercifully though, it was soon time for me to go, with my proverbial tail firmly between my legs.

And as I turned to leave, Wu had already returned to the table, potting shot after shot with that same unsmiling look of intense concentration.

For this world champion, there is no such thing as playing pool 'for fun'.

Feijen Pulls a Double

Niels Feijen has duplicated the feat accomplished last year by Ralf Souquet by winning two consecutive Eurotour events. He has followed up his win at the Spain Open with another victory at the French Open and, if our math is correct, now stands at the top of the Eurotour rankings. As great a story as this is (the consecutive wins) it was not even the biggest news of the event. Feijen was unfortunate enough to face a true youngster in the finals, and it is the performance of 15-year old Mario He that grabbed most of the attention this week.

Mario He is a young man to be watched. This week he defeated none other than Ralf Souquet (9-7), Jonni Fulcher (9-7), Christian Reimering (9-8) and Radoslaw Babica (9-2) before succumbing to Feiujen 9-4. Still, the week belongs to Feijen. And Feijen had his own tough road to ride. This week he took down Thomasz Kaplan (9-7), Mark Gray (9-4), Daryl Peach (9-7),  and Markus Juva (9-6) on his way to the glory.

 

-AZB

Billiards Events Set for Vegas

World Pool Masters and International 10-Ball Championships Set to Rock the Riviera

The BCA Pool League is proud to announce the return of two of the most prestigious professional events to the Riviera Hotel and Casino May 2009. The 17th Party Poker.net World Pool Masters and the 9th Annual Predator 10-Ball Championship will be in the Royale Pavilion once again along side the BCAPL National 8-Ball Championships.

The World Pool Masters, one of the most revered invitational events with a limited field of 16 players is produced by Matchroom Sport and will take center stage first at the Royale Pavilion May 8-10. A large supplier of sports programming worldwide, Matchroom Sport also produces other well regarded events such as the Mosconi Cup and the World Cup of Pool in addition to Darts, Fishing, Pokes, Snooker, Boxing, Tenpin and Bowls.

Equally exciting, the Predator 10-Ball Championship produced by Dragon Promotions will move into the pavilion May 11-16. The tournament boasts a roster of the top pool talent from across the globe. Last year’s winner Tony Drago of Malta, considered one of the fastest players in the world, will have an opportunity to defend his 2008 title. Once again he will have to face players such as Shane Van Boening, Mika Immonen, Johnny Archer, Francisco Bustamante, John Schmidt, Efren Reyes and the 2008 World Pool Masters winner Alex Pagulayan just to name a few of the illustrious names who will be in attendance. Watch for links on the BCA Pool League web site at Playbca.com for more information and tickets to the professional events. For more information about Matchroom Sport and the World Pool Masters please visit Matchroomsport.com and for the Predator 10-Ball Championship visit Dragonpromotions.com.
CueSports International (CSI) … more choices for players
of all abilities –

BCA Pool League (BCAPL), playBCA.com, National
Championship Series (NCS), playCSIpool.com, & U.S.
Bar Table Championships.

World Pool Masters and International 10-Ball Championships Set to Rock the Riviera

The BCA Pool League is proud to announce the return of two of the most prestigious professional events to the Riviera Hotel and Casino May 2009. The 17th Party Poker.net World Pool Masters and the 9th Annual Predator 10-Ball Championship will be in the Royale Pavilion once again along side the BCAPL National 8-Ball Championships.

The World Pool Masters, one of the most revered invitational events with a limited field of 16 players is produced by Matchroom Sport and will take center stage first at the Royale Pavilion May 8-10. A large supplier of sports programming worldwide, Matchroom Sport also produces other well regarded events such as the Mosconi Cup and the World Cup of Pool in addition to Darts, Fishing, Pokes, Snooker, Boxing, Tenpin and Bowls.

Equally exciting, the Predator 10-Ball Championship produced by Dragon Promotions will move into the pavilion May 11-16. The tournament boasts a roster of the top pool talent from across the globe. Last year’s winner Tony Drago of Malta, considered one of the fastest players in the world, will have an opportunity to defend his 2008 title. Once again he will have to face players such as Shane Van Boening, Mika Immonen, Johnny Archer, Francisco Bustamante, John Schmidt, Efren Reyes and the 2008 World Pool Masters winner Alex Pagulayan just to name a few of the illustrious names who will be in attendance.

 

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Storms Rock Derby City Billiard Event

The 9-ball division of the Eleventh Annual Derby City Classic began Wednesday, boasting a field of 341 fine players from around the world. Defending champion Ralf Souquet has recovered from his runner-up finish last night in the Fatboy 10-Ball Challenge, while other players such as Johnny Archer, Mika Immonen, Marcus Chamat, Efren Reyes, Thorsten Hohmann, and Jeanette Lee are lining up to take his 2008 title.

The 9-ball matches were scheduled to begin at 12 p.m. but because of the inclement weather, this was postponed until 3:30 p.m. to allow for poor travel conditions.

In the one-pocket division, the field will be narrowed to approximately 20 players returning Thursday. Defending champion Gabe Owen has taken an early exit, and Efren Reyes, for the second year in a row, has not made it to the finals, having been defeated by David Vaughn and Jeremy Jones. Still alive are Johnathan Pinegar, Shane Van Boening, and Jones, among others. The one-pocket finals are scheduled for 9 p.m. Thursday.

There was a 16-player banks mini tournament Tuesday night that was won by Shannon Murphy of Cincinnati, OH. Kevin Nicholas of Louisville, KY, came in second, and third place was shared by Mark Jarvis of Northern Indiana and Butch Wolf of Cincinnati, OH.

The Accu-Stats Gameshow was held Wednesday evening. It was a single-elimination, 16-player race to 1. The format was 9-ball, with the incoming player following the break having the decision which player pushes. Accu-Stats added $2,000 to the pot, with the winner taking home the entire amount. Some of the big names invited to play were Efren Reyes, Shane Van Boening, Mika Immonen, and Ralf Souquet. In the semifinal matches, John Schmidt bested Francisco Bustamante while Jose Parica ousted Johnny Archer to meet in the finals. In an entertaining final game, Schmidt defeated Parica to take first place in this unique event.

In today’s Straight Pool Challenge update, today’s highs are as follows: Thorsten Hohmann, 100; Johnny Archer, 83; Yannick Beaufils, 71. The current leader board is as follows: John Schmidt, 154; Corey Deuel, 153; Huidji See, 114; Darren Appleton, 114; Danny Harriman, 114; Thorsten Hohmann, 100; Beau Runningen, 100; Charlie Williams, 85.

Philippines to host 2009 World Cup of Pool

2009 World Cup of Pool will be staged in the Philippines for the first time in the tournament's history.

A press conference was held at the Sports Plus Cafe, Eastwood, Philippines, earlier this week to announce the event, which will now be in its fourth year.

The first competition was staged in Newport, Wales with the next two in Rotterdam, Holland, but this will be the first time it will have been held outside of Europe.

Featuring 32 two-player teams from around the globe, The World Cup of Pool, sponsored by PartyGaming, has become one of the most important dates in the sport's calendar and this year's version will be hosted from September 1 to 6 in Manila.

"We're really looking forward to a great tournament because the World Cup of Pool is a special event and to bring it here to the Philippines is really exciting," said Matchroom Sport Director Eddie Hearn.
"When Matchroom Sport wants to stage a major pool tournament the Philippines is always the first place we look to come. In terms of number one venues, this has to be our first choice.

"Obviously Las Vegas is a great place for pool as well with their heritage but the passion that the people have for the game in the Philippines, and the importance of what it means to everyone, always makes it a pleasure to come here."

The prestigious competition, which features 32 two-player teams from around the world, but two sides for the host nation, has never been won by the same country twice.

Filipino legends Efren Reyes and Francisco Bustamante won the inaugural tournament in 2006, China's He-wen Li and Jian-bo Fu claimed the trophy in 2007 before Americans Shane Van Boening and Rodney Morris triumphed last year.

Hearn hinted that, with the Philippines being given two teams as hosts, the successful pairing of Reyes and Bustamante could be reunited for 2009.

"The Filipino people would want to see Efren and Django play together and it's very important that we make the choice that makes the people happy," explained Hearn.

"Matchroom Sport and our Filipino partners Solar Sports are also eager to have one younger team representing the real new wave of players coming through in the Philippines at the moment.

"Due to the great number of qualified Filipino players, it's going to be tough when we select the teams because there are always people who feel they should be in.

"But our job is to select the right teams for the people and the right teams that are most likely to take the title for the Philippines.

"We have to make sure we have the biggest names and the biggest personalities playing while the best players as well. I'm really glad that the Philippines will have two teams as host nation because to have only had one team would have been very difficult to pick."

Solar Sports CEO Peter Chanliong added: "The World Cup of Pool has a format that's very exciting and we're hoping the Philippines will enjoy the home-court advantage and pull it off again to prove we're the best in the world."

The defending champions - Shane Van Boening and Rodney Morris - will make up the USA pairing but the rest of the sides will be selected nearer the competition.

There is a huge incentive for all teams as the champions win $60,000, the runners-up take home $30,000, the beaten semi-finalists collect $16,000 and the quarter finalists receive $10,000.

Each match will be filmed for television and then produced by Matchroom Sport into 31 1-hour programmes, which will then be broadcast on stations around the world.

Pool Player’s Novel Sets Love Story Against the World of Pool

BILLERICA, Mass.– The novel, Right on Cue, by pool aficionado Thomas McGonagle, tells the story of Johnny Jordan and Flo Stevens, two young players struggling to make their name in the gritty world of high stakes pool.

In Right on Cue, by McGonagle, a young pool player named Johnny learns that his birth father is a professional pool player, and he sets out to find him with unexpected results. Along the way, Johnny meets up with a down-on-her-luck fellow player, and while helping her out financially, discovers that he is falling in love. But when Johnny meets his real father and discovers he’s a hustler, he wants no part of that kind of life.  Things soon change, though, and as Johnny’s father begins to teach him the fine art of the game, Johnny could find himself a winner at pool—and at love.

McGonagle has spent 43 years playing pool and writing about the game, and he has designed his novel to have a real authenticity and behind-the-scenes feel. Right on Cue suggests that honesty is the best policy and that games are best played on the pool table and not in real life. McGonagle has filled Right on Cue with pool facts and lore, aiming for his novel to be as educational about pool as it is purely entertaining.

For more information or to request a free review copy, members of the press can contact the author at rmcgonagle@ut.edu. Right on Cue is available for sale online at Amazon.com, BookSurge.com, and through additional wholesale and retail channels worldwide.

Indian Pool Star Raj Hundal Joins Dragon Promotions

Chicago, Illinois-  Raj Hundal of India has signed on with global events producer Dragon Promotions to be exclusively represented as one of pool's rising stars. Hundal, known as The Hitman, has in a short time proven to the pool world he is a force to be reckoned with. He first turned heads in 2005 when he defeated #1 seed Yang Ching Shun of Taiwan at the World 9-Ball Championship, and then shocked the field as the dark horse winner of the 2005 World Pool Masters taking down veteran Rodney Morris (USA) in the finals. In 2008 Hundal played his first full year on the US Pro Tour circuit starting out the year unranked and ending the year ranked #6.

"Raj has an enormous amount of confidence in himself, and that's going to take him a long way in this game. He never gets down on himself and he has a smooth, fast paced game that fans enjoy watching." commented Charlie Williams. "Plus he has a ton of charm and witty sense of humor that makes people from all over root for him."

Dragon Promotions will be expanding into India in 2009 with events and goal of promoting the growth of billiards there. DP has been highly successful in other markets such as Korea and the United States in producing international billiard events, and has garnered the confidence of industry sponsors such as Brunswick who is investing substantially into India and Asia. Hundal is also confident of India's future and potential.

"Dragon Promotions is a great company that I would have loved to join regardless, but when I heard about the expansion into India it gave me a boost of electricity! My roots are in India and though I lived in London awhile, I've been to India enough to know the sport could become massive there. If anyone can do it, it's Dragon Promotions and I am looking forward to helping the sport grow there as much as I can." said Hundal.

"Raj by far is the most established and most successful Indian player in billards history. His credentials of wins against top players and international coverage is significant, and on top of that he works hard off the table as well. It was a no brainer to bring him on board with us." explained Cindy Lee, CEO of Dragon Promotions.

Hundal will join an elite group of selected players managed by DP that include Mika Immonen of Finland, Rodney Morris of USA, Yu Ram Cha of Korea, Shanelle Loraine of Guam, and top American stars Jeanette Lee, Mike Davis, and Charlie Williams.