Sally Timko

U.S. Open 10-Ball Championship Qualifier Winners Vegas Bound

Eight qualifiers were held for the 2010 U.S. Open 10-Ball Championship. Produced by CueSports International (CSI), the main event is scheduled May 17-22, 2010 at the Riviera Hotel & Casino and attracted both men and women players from across the globe vying for the $89,000 purse.

The following eight qualifier winners will be among the 128 player field:

1. Gus Briseno qualified February 7th at a special stop of the Desert Classic Tour in Arizona
2. Manny Chau qualified April 11th at First Break Cage, Sterling, VA
3. Greg Harada Jr. qualified February 20th at Butera’s, Moorpark, CA
4. Frankie Hernandez qualified in a points spot via Tony Robles’ Predator 9-Ball Tour
5. Edwin Montal qualified April 25th at Sharks Billiards, Alberta, Canada
6. Andrew Pettenger qualified April 18th at The Wynkoop, Denver, CO
7. Bill Stock qualified April 4th at Pool Sharks, Las Vegas, NV
8. Marc Vidal qualified April 11th at The Golden Fleece, Kenmore, WA

Some of the more notable names confirmed for the U.S. Open 10-Ball Championship are: Efren Reyes, Earl Strickland, Jasmin Ouschan, Mika Immonen, Ralf Souquet, Kelly Fisher, Ricky Yang, Yu Ram Cha, Dennis Hatch, Pin-Yi Ko, Darren Appleton and Karl Boyes just to name a few of the illustrious participants in the event. Players will be arriving from 18 countries: Australia, Austria, Canada, England, Germany, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malta, Mexico, Netherlands, Norway, Philippines, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and United States.

This is an event not to be missed. For spectator ticket information and pricing contact Mark Estes at CSI (702) 719-7665 or email him at marke@playcsipool.com

For those who cannot attend in person, OB Cues and The Delta-13 Rack will be sponsoring the Action Report (TAR) live stream of the U.S. Open 10-Ball Championship for the duration of the 6 day event. Visit www.theactionreport.com for more information about the live stream.

The U.S. Open 10-Ball Championship is sponsored by: Diamond Billiard Products, Aramith, Simonis, OB Cues, Delta-13, Billiards Digest, TAR, and BreakRAK.

CueSports International is dedicated to creating more choices for all players. CSI is the parent company of the BCA Pool League, the National Championship Series (NCS), and the USA Pool League. CSI also produces independent events such as the U.S. Bar Table Championships, the Jay Swanson Memorial and the U.S. Open 10-Ball Championship. Visit www.playcsipool.com, www.playbca.com and www.playusapool.com for more information about CSI and its divisions.

Billiard Education Foundation to Host Challenge the Stars
Challenge the Stars … play pool with the pros in Las Vegas

The Billiard Education Foundation (BEF) will host the annual Challenge the Stars benefit in conjunction with the BCAPL National 8- Ball Championships and the 2010 U.S. Open 10-Ball Championship in Las Vegas on Tuesday, May 18th. Diamond Billiard Products will provide the tables for the festivities which will take place in the Grande Ballroom of the Riviera Hotel & Casino at 8:00 pm. This benefit gives all players and spectators an opportunity to support youth billiard programs while mingling with and competing with top pros from all over the world.

Over 100 pros will be invited to participate, including, Shane Van Boening (USA), Efren Reyes (PHI), Jasmin Ouschan (AUS), Ga Young Kim (Korea), Kelly Fisher (ENG), John Schmidt (USA), Dennis Orcullo (PHI), Ralf Souquet (GER), Johnny Archer (USA), Charlie Williams (USA), Tony Robles (USA), Francisco Bustamante (PHI), Mika Immonen (FIN), Melissa Little (USA), Sarah Rousey (USA), Thorsten Hohmann (GER), Tom“Dr. Cue” Rossman (USA) and many more. Challengers can select 3 options of play: the BEF Challenge, $20 donation, challenger plays one game of 9-ball with designated pro, the Pro Challenge, $40 donation, shoot one game of 9-ball with one of your three top choices, based on availability, or the Ultimate Challenge, $100 donation, play three games of 9-ball with one of your three top choices, based on availability. All challengers will receive an autographed certificate and a souvenir photo taken with their pro.

Spectators and amateur players can also share in the fun by bidding on an array of prizes and participating in the raffles. Whether you challenge a pro, participate in the auction or make a donation, you can make a difference in youth billiard programs. Admission is FREE. Step up to the challenge.

About Billiard Education Foundation
The Billiard Education Foundation (BEF) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization which is committed to promoting education and encourages the development of life skills through youth billiard programs. The BEF funds academic scholarships, produces the Junior National 9-Ball Championships, sponsors billiard athletes to attend the WPA World Junior 9-Ball Championships and promotes “Pool In School” programs. For more information, please visit www.BilliardEducation.org or call 303.926.1039.

Troisi and Kennedy Lay Down the Hammer
KF Cue Tour / Holiday, FL

by InsidePOOL Staff

Jerry Troisi and Tommy Kennedy took home the gold at the April 24-25 stop of the KF Cue Tour. Hosted by Hammerheads Billiards Lounge in Holiday, FL, the stop drew in 38 players for the open and amateur divisions, which both featured $1,000-added prize funds.

Troisi showed his skills and looked strong as he made his way to the hot seat match with wins over George Saunders 7-5, Bill Delisle 7-3, Floyd Reasons 7-3, and Wesley White 7-6. Troisi had to play Glen Olson, who also was looking good on the day with wins over Dave Adams 7-1, Jay Beckingham 7-4, Bill Dunsmore 7-4, and Jose Del Rio 7-4. This match looked like it would go to the wire, but Troisi had other ideas and came out a 7-4 winner to take the hot seat.

The one-loss side saw Del Rio best Reasons 5-4 and then White 5-2 to set up a semifinal rematch with Olson, who took it 5-4 to leave Del Rio in third place. In the finals, Olson was slow out of the gates and Troisi made him pay, leading this match all the way to come out an 8-5 winner and take his second KF Cue title of the season.

Sunday kicked off with last stop winner Tommy Kennedy and Mike Davis both proving that they are the men to beat on tour, as they made their way to the hot seat match for the second event in a row. Kennedy’s route to the finals was achieved with wins over Han Berber 7-2, Stephanie Mitchell 7-0, Alex Pemberton 7-1, and Justin Hall 7-5. Davis made his way there with wins over Jerry Troisi 7-3, Glen Olson 7-5, Jose Del Rio 7-2, and then a 7-5 win over Joe Scarborough. Davis earned the hot seat with a 7-4 victory over Kennedy.

Josh Degler and Tony Crosby were on a collision course on the west side. Each had lost his first match of the day and then won seven matches in a row to face each other in the quarterfinals. At hill-hill, Degler moved past Crosby to Kennedy, who subsequently took out Degler 6-3 to set up a repeat final from last week’s event. Davis looked strong early in the finals, but Kennedy proved himself yet again in the end, taking the final match 9-7.

Amateur Results:
1st Jerry Troisi $550
2nd Glen Olson $400
3rd Jose Del Rio $300
4th Wesley White $200
5th Floyd Reasons $130
Jason Richko
7th George Saunders $80
Jimmy B. Dean
9th Lincoln Seiffert $60
Bill Delisle
Eddie Wheat
Bill Dunsmore

Open Results:
1st Tommy Kennedy $600
2nd Mike Davis $400
3rd Josh Degler $300
4th Tony Crosby $240
5th Joe Scarborough $140
Justin Hall
7th James Roberts $90
Adam Wheeler

Brothers Rebounds for Mezz Billiard Win
Mezz Pro-Am Tour / Drexel Hill, PA

by Jose Burgos

Josh Brothers took out a strong field of 58 at the April 25 stop of the Mezz Pro-Am Tour, besting Adam Kielar in the finals to take the title. The stop was hosted by Drexeline Billiards in Drexel Hill, PA, and featured a $1,000-added prize fund.

Kielar led the top half of the bracket, notching victories over Lou Johnson 7-3, Dominic Noe 7-5, Brandon Slualis 7-6, Eddie Abraham 7-5, and Shaun Wilkie 7-5. Joe Hong took charge of the top half, winning over Sharon O’Hanlon 7-1, Ed Matushonek 7-4, Wes Dobson 7-3, Scott Freeman 7-5, and Raphael Saldana 7-4. Kielar and Hong collided in the hot seat match, which turned out to be a one-sided affair that saw Kielar taking an early lead and ultimately winning 7-1.

Having suffered an early loss to Abraham 7-5, Brothers went on a tear on the one-loss side, eliminating Joey Testa 7-3, Slualis 7-3, Freeman 7-5, Danny Muhollem 7-6, Wilkie 7-5, Noe 7-0, and Hong 7-6 to reach the finals. Brothers had to best Kielar twice to take the title. The first set went back and forth, with Brothers pulling away late to win 7-4. In the second set Brothers took charge from the start, winning easily 7-1.

Results:
1st Josh Brothers $1,300
2nd Adam Kielar $670
3rd Joe Hong $540
4th Dominic Noe $250
5th Raphael Saldana $200
Shaun Wilkie
7th Randy Schwager $150
Danny Mulhollem
9th Eddie Abraham $100
Chip Klein
Shawn Dobson
Scott Freeman

WPBL World Professional Billiard League Unveils New Uniforms

World Wide Sport of Billiards, vice-president, Barry Bremner is a firm believer that Bonus Ball is to be marketed as a sport. All professional sports have one thing in common. Uniforms and a numbering system that will be incorporated into the WPBL. “Like Nascar, football and other sports, the WPBL will have numbers associated to each player.” stated Bremner. “Larry and I also are a firm believer in uniforms. Image is very important when presenting yourself to the public. Our players are some of the very best players in the world and we want to represent them as such!”

Each player has chosen or was given a number. That number is incorporated into the WPBL logo design. When the audience in Winnipeg comes to the event, if they are not familiar with the players, they can look at the number and instantly know the name of the player. A larger banner will bear the name and number of each player. I will also have the country flag by each name so they know who each player represents. The American flag will be most prominent, with six players heralding from the United States.

Each player will wear a different color during the games. World Champion many times over, Nick Varner, fittingly choose to wear the number one on his jersey. Johnny Archer will wear the number nine, a fitting number for the hall of famer. Filipino super star, Francisco Bustamante was given the number “perfect” ten.

Canadian, Erik Hjorleifsion will be wearing the number four that was worn by the hockey legend, Bobby Orr! Orr was perhaps the greatest hockey player that ever lived. John Schmidt has taken the number seven and Corey Deuel chose to go with “lucky” thirteen! Rodney Morris wanted “007″ but had to settle for double zero! Shane Van Boening will be wearing the number twenty two. Go to playbonusball.com for all the new information on Bonus Ball and the WPBL.

Strickland Bests Casper’s Billiards Field

It was a great weekend for pool at Casper’s in San Leon, Texas. The Lone Star event drew 70 players in all, 51 top Texas players in the 9-Ball Open, and 19 in the Ladies Open 9-Ball who played for over $7000 in cash. Tour heavy hitters James Davis, Jr., Sylver Ochoa, and Charlie Bryant were in attendance along with tour newcomers Robert Clark, Bobby Morefield, and Kenny Stewart.

The second day of the 9-Ball Open brought back the final 16 players. The final eight in the Open winner’s side saw Jay Russell v. Raymond Cardenas, Danny Lee v. David Parker, Charlie Bryant v. John Day, and Ernesto Bayaua v. Dennis Strickland. After one round, upsets on the winner’s side included John Day who defeated Charlie Bryant 9-6 and Ernesto Bayaua who ousted Dennis Strickland 9-1. This left Bayaua v. Day, and Lee v. Cardenas. The west side then paired Manuel Ayala v. Bryant, Dennis Strickland v. Ochoa, Ty Few v. Jack Russell, and Barry Strickland v. Parker. When the dust settled, it was Barry Strickland v. Ayala playing for third and Bayaua and Cardenas playing for the hotseat. Bayaua took it down 9-6, and Barry Strickland overcame Ayala 7-4. Strickland made it through Cardenas and back to Bayaua for the final. Barry Strickland bested Bayaua twice for a total of 12 straight match wins after losing his first match of the event to Tony Mendietta.

There were 11 players in the Open who also signed up for our $100 entry fee One Pocket event. The second day brought back our final 6. Congratulations to James Davis Jr. who snapped it off; Sylver Ochoa who finished runner-up; and Charlie Bryant who took third. Well done gentlemen!

The ladies event drew a strong field of 19 including Ming Ng, Deanna Kniola, Kim Pierce, Courtney Peters and Ricky Casper. But top honors on the women’s side went to Kyu Yi and runner up Belinda Lee. Deanna Kniola finished a respectable third and newcomer from Dallas, Texas, Geraldine Guintu, received fourth. Tabetha Lewis of Temple, Texas played a phenomenal event, finishing 5th-6th along with tour favorite Michelle Cortez. Well done ladies!

The Lone Star Tour would like to thank our tour sponsors, Poison Cues, the Delta-13 Rack, Pool Philanthropist James Barnett, and Lone Star Live’s Eugene Lee. Special thanks to Casper’s owners Roy and Kathy Robinson who hosted another beautiful event.

Assistant Tournament Director, Viet Do, did an outstanding job, filling in for the director’s partial absence due to illness. Great job Viet!
Our next two events are May 1st-2nd at Slick Willies in Houston (westheimer @ dairy ashford) and June 5th-6th at Crazy 8’s in Port Arthur, Texas.

9-Ball Open Payouts:
1st Barry Strickland:$780
2nd Ernesto Bayaua:$480
3rd Raymond Cardenas:$300
4th Manuel Ayala:$200
5th-6th Danny Lee, John Day:$100
7th-8th Dennis Strickland, Ty Few: $75
9th-12th Sylver Ochoa, Charlie Bryant, David Parker, Jay Russell:$60
13th-16th Andy Jethwa, Robert Demetro, Jeremy Ornales, Sonny Bosshamer: $40

9-Ball Ladies Payouts-4 places:
1st Kyu Yi: $300
2nd Belinda Lee:$200
3rd Deanna Kniola:$80
4th Geraldine Guintu: $55
5th -6th Tabetha Lewis, Michelle Cortez
7th-8th Kim Pierce, Courtney Peters
9th-12th Ming Ng, Loretta Lindgren, Roby Petrosino, Ricky Casper
13th-16th Teresa Garland, Michelle Prince, Heather Bryant, Angela Martinez
17th -24th Ashley Orlowski, Amber Stone, Christy Grigsby

One Pocket:
1st James Davis Jr. $550
2nd Sylver Ochoa $350
3rd Charlie Bryant $200

McCarthy and Egeln Split
Tri-State Tour / New York, NY

by InsidePOOL Staff

Ryan McCarthy and Jason Egeln decided to split first-place honors at the April 25 stop of the Tri-State Tour. Hosted by Eastside Billiards in New York, NY, the stop saw 20 players come out to compete for the $750-added prize money.

Egeln took the right side of the chart, defeating Glenn Andaya 6-3 to reach the hot seat match against Sam Li, who had just eked out a 6-5 win over Ramilo Tanglao. There again Egeln was victorious, winning 6-4 to send Li to the one-loss side.

McCarthy took the long way to the finals, coming through the west side with wins over Ron Mason 6-4, Cory Sohlman 6-4, and Andaya 6-3 to reach the quarterfinals. There he faced off against Javier Coylaco, who he eliminated 6-2. In the semifinals McCarthy survived a hill-hill match with Li, besting him 6-5. Once he reached Egeln, the two decided to split for first place.

Results:
1st Ryan McCarthy $372.50
Jason Egeln $372.50
3rd Sam Li $100
4th Javier Coylaco $50

April 2010 Issue of Inside POOL Magazine Available for Free Download

Shane Van Boening Takes Two U.S. Open Bar Table Titles

The April issue of Inside POOL Magazine features Shane Van Boening as he grabs two title at the U.S. Open Bar Table Championships has been made available for free download at InsidePOOLmag.com. This month the download features new instruction writer Freddy “The Beard” Bentivenga along with tons of great new technology in online billiards magazine viewing such as enhanced clarity, Bonus Content, full-screen full length videos, links to favorite web sites, flipping pages, zooming, emailing, sharing, and printing.

The April 2010 issue of Inside POOL Magazine features Shane Van Boening as he hits the cover with style taking down two titles at the U.S Bar Table Championships. Gerda Hofstatter snares a victory on the WPBA Tour in San Diego. The pool and billiard community raises money for cancer. Get a trick shot lesson from Jason Lynch. Get a bank lesson from new instruction staff writer Freddy “The Beard” Bentivegna get a lesson on Rolling Balls from Tom Simpson. Get the low-down on how pros grip the Pool Cue. Know your basic tickies? Brush up on the rules of pocket billiards with Ken Shuman. Of course, get the latest regional tour news from around the US and internationally.

View the April 2010 issue of Inside POOL Magazine for Free

View in Hi-Res viewer for free

Inside POOL Magazine publishes both print and online versions of each issue. The online version is usually made available for FREE (without a membership) viewing and downloading around the middle of each month. If you would like to receive the print version of this wonderful magazine, please visit InsidePOOLmag.com to subscribe.

About Inside POOL Magazine
Inside POOL Magazine launched in 2001 and, with pool player-based content and high impact photography, quickly became the largest magazine in the world for the sport of billiards. The official web site, InsidePOOLmag.com, followed shortly after and became one of the largest web sites in billiards. The web site features videos, image galleries, pool lessons, custom Pool Cue makers, online games, player profiles, tournament brackets, live streaming video, rules, product reviews, and the latest billiard news from around the world.

BCAPL Southwest Regional Championships Announced for September 2010

Living by their company motto, creating more choices for all players, CueSports International (CSI) the parent company of the BCA Pool League, in partnership with Bad Boys Billiard Productions and Dr. Pool Promotions, Inc. (www.drpool.net) announces the BCAPL Southwest Regional Championships.

The five day event is scheduled September 1-5, 2010 at the beautiful Radisson Fort McDowell Resort and Casino in Scottsdale, Arizona. The $6,000 added tournament will be open to all BCA Pool League Members who joined or renewed after June 1, 2009 and non-league players with up to date Player Member status. The tournament will feature Singles 9-Ball, Singles 8-Ball and Team events in different divisions. Bad Boys Billiard Productions (www.badboysbp.com) will provide the equipment, including 7’ Diamond Smart Tables, and tournament direction. All division brackets will be available on-line via the new state-of-the-art CueSports Tournament System (CTS) at www.ctsondemand.com.

The Radisson Fort McDowell Resort is a “AAA Four Diamond” award winner and won the 2008 “Hotel of the Year Award” by Radisson Hotels. Amenities include a championship golf course, on site spa and health club, large outdoor heated pool and 25,000 square foot conference center. Participants of the event who stay at the Radisson will receive a 20% discount on spa services and golf. It is conveniently located 24 miles from the Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport.

Details and entry forms will be available both online at www.playbca.com by May 15th and at the 34th BCAPL National 8-Ball Championships at the Riviera Hotel & Casino, May 14-22.

The BCAPL is continuously adding state and regional events to their upcoming events calendar. For the most up to date calendar of events, check the Upcoming Events section under the Events tab at the BCAPL web site, www.playbca.com. For questions please contact CSI at (702) 719-7665 or email info@playbca.com.

CueSports International is dedicated to creating more choices for all players. CSI is the parent company of the BCA Pool League, the National Championship Series (NCS), and the USA Pool League. CSI also produces independent events such as the U.S. Bar Table Championships, the Jay Swanson Memorial and the U.S. Open 10-Ball Championship. Visit www.playcsipool.com, www.playbca.com and www.playusapool.com for more information about CSI and its divisions.

Deuel and Strickland Head to Hard Times and Showboat

Team CSI-American Grand Master members Corey Deuel and Earl Strickland will be performing exhibitions and clinics in Sacramento and Redding, California May 24-27 immediately following their participation in the World Pool Masters (May 12-16) and the U.S. Open 10-Ball Championship (May 17-22) at the Riviera Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas.

The first stop for Deuel and Strickland will be the Showboat Lounge in Redding, Tuesday May 25th. The Team CSI duo will perform an exhibition at 7:30 pm. Spectators will win prizes and have chances to match up against either Deuel or Strickland in mini challenge matches and also the chance to play with one of the pros in a scotch doubles match. Strickland will also perform trick shots and only in the way Strickland can, tell tales of his life on the road.

The two-day Team CSI event at Showboat will conclude on a more serious note Wednesday May 26th where Deuel and Strickland will hold a 4 hour clinic from 11am to 3pm. Registration is limited to 12 students. The 12 students are divided into 2 groups of 6 and each group will spend 2 hours with each of the Team CSI Pros. The fee for this great opportunity to learn from two of the best is only $200 per person.

Thursday May 27th Duel and Strickland will travel to Hard Times Billiards in Sacramento where they will again hold another 4 hour pool clinic from 11am to 3pm. For more information or to register for a clinic contact Team CSI Manager Mark Cantrill at 480-612-7732.

For more information about Team CSI please visit www.playcsipool.com

CueSports International is dedicated to creating more choices for all players. CSI is the parent company of the BCA Pool League, the National Championship Series (NCS), and the USA Pool League. CSI also produces independent events such as the U.S. Bar Table Championships, the Jay Swanson Memorial and the U.S. Open 10-Ball Championship. Visit www.playcsipool.com, www.playbca.com and www.playusapool.com for more information about CSI and its divisions.