Three of the 2019 American 14:1 Straight Pool Championships’ competitors made it through the event’s three-day Round Robin phase (Oct. 22-24) with undefeated (6-0) records. They were arguably not the names you might have expected from this particular field of 42 entrants, which included six former winners of the championship title – Mika Immonen (2007), Johnny Archer (2011), John Schmidt (2012), Thorsten Hohmann (2013), Darren Appleton (’14 & ’15), and Neils Feijen (2016). Two-time runner up Danny Barouty (to Ed Hodan in 2006 and Bob Maidhof in 2008) was competing, as were runner-ups Shaun Wilkie (to Danny Harriman in 2010), John Schmidt (to Archer, 2011), Archer (to Hohmann, 2013), Hohmann (to Schmidt in 2012, Darren Appleton in 2015 & Klenti Kaci in 2018), Immonen (to Feijen in 2016) and Dennis Orcollo (to Konrad Juszczyszyn in 2017).
Instead, Austria’s Max Lechner, Finland’s Jan Siekkinen and Spain’s Francisco Sanchez-Ruiz went undefeated through the Round Robin phase of the event and were awarded a bye in the 24-entrant single elimination phase which began today (Friday) and will continue through tomorrow (Saturday) at Q Master Billiards in Virginia Beach, VA. Lechner was paired in his seven-entrant round robin flight and won his six race-to-125 matches by an average of 102 balls. He gave up, in order, one to David Alcaide, 66 to Marc Vidal, 24 to Tom Walter, seven to Blair Levandowski and 41 to Don Polo.
Siekkinen competed in what was arguably the event’s toughest group of seven and went through Thorsten Hohmann (43), Johnny Archer (81), Lee Van Corteza (59), Sean Morgan (21), Neil Gold (65) and Pascal Dufresne (44); an average of 52. Ruiz got by John Schmidt (66), Petri Makkonen (25), Bob Hunter (55), Mike Badsteubner (27), Reymart Lim (72) and Michael Frank (-1); average of 40.
The remaining five competitors to receive opening round byes into single elimination were all 5-1 in the round robin competition. Ruslan Chinakhov lost his opening round match to Neils Feijen, one of two matches that Feijen won by shutout, 125-0 (the other was against Bob Madenjian). Chinakhov went on to down Albin Ouschan, Ralph Eckert and deliver a second shutout to Madenjian, before defeating Holden Chin and Darren Frank. Dennis Orcollo lost his opening match to Darren Appleton in one of the round robin’s closest games, 125-116. Orcollo went on to meet and defeat Maksim Dudanets, Marco Teutscher, Danny Barouty, Earl Herring and Steve Matthieu.
Feijen was the only member of this year’s European Mosconi Cup team who competed in this event, and while he did chalk up two shutout victories, he did lose his opening match to Albin Ouschan 125-44. In addition to the shutouts, he defeated Ralph Eckert, Holden Chin and D. Frank. The sport’s acknowledged comedian, Alex Pagulayan opened the round robin proceedings against Mika Immonen, and together, they produced the round robin’s official closest game, won by The Lion 125-119. Pagulayan went on to defeat Max Eberle before losing his one match to Shaun Wilkie in another close match 125-104. He finished with victories over Michael Yednak, Steve Lillis and Jay McWorter.
As noted above, Immonen’s path to his 5-1 round robin record began with a defeat by Pagulayan. The Iceman would go on to down Eberle, Wilkie, Yednak, Lillis and McWorter.
Friday morning competition in the single elimination phase saw eight matches scheduled. Five of the 16 competitors had also logged 5-1 records in the round robin phase; tie breakers were head-to-head results and beyond that, total ball counts. John Schmidt was scheduled to face Maksim Dudanets, who finished the round robin phase with a 3-3 record. The marquee match was likely to be Albin Ouschan (5-1) against Johnny Archer (4-2), who closed out Thursday evening’s matches with a necessary win of Sean Morgan that gave him the record he needed to advance.
The Darren Appleton (5-1) and Shaun Wilkie (4-2) combination was garnering interest and was selected as the Billiard Sports Network’s Friday morning choice for live broadcast. Ralf Souquet, competing in the round robin flight with the 6-0 Lechner, advanced with his 5-1 match record to face Reymart Lim (3-3). Marco Teutscher (5-1) was scheduled to face Ralph Eckert (3-3).
Remaining matches pitted Lee Van Corteza against Petri Makkonen, Thorsten Hohmann versus Marc Vidal, and David Alcaide squaring off against Max Eberle.
MEZZ ABCD made its way to Drexeline Billiards on Sunday June 7th. A Strong field
Came out, players like Joe Hong, Briana Miller, Sanne Krom, Dan McGinnis, Michael Praseutsy, Rick Miller, Vinny Cimarelli, Jerry Dunne, Nicole Monaco, Dan Madden, Mevin Garcia Sr, Melvin Garcia Jr, and Colleen Shoop to name a few.
We would like to thank Bob Maidhof and his wonderful staff for hosting the event.
Leading the top half of the bracket was Jerry Dunne with wins over Rick Miller 7-2, Shaun Dobson 7-6, Rob Hontz 7-3, Michael Praseutsy 7-4 and Vinnie Cimarelli 7-3.
Leading the bottom half of the bracket was Sanne Krom with wins over Joe McAnally 7-6, Tracy Vega 7-5, AJ Fiztgerald 7-6 and Dan McGinnis 7-6.
Playing for the hot seat was Jerry Dunne and Sanne Krom, this match went hill/hill and had Krom coming away with the win, sending Dunne to the one lost side.
The big story of the day was Briana Miller. After losing her first match 7-6 to Joe Hong. She went on to win her next 8 matches, working her way through some tough competition. Her path to the finals included Ralph Lake 7-6, Darren Powell 7-3, Tracy Wu 7-5, AJ Fitzgerald 7-1, Melvin Garcia Jr. 7-5 Vinny Cimarelli 7-6, Dan McGinnis 7-3 and Jerry Dunne 7-6.
When the smoke had cleared the final match was set, it would be Sanne Krom vs Briana Miller. As always, this was a true double elimination event with the first set being a race to 7 and a second set (if necessary) sudden death race to one.
The first set was all Briana Miller with an impressive 7-3 win. In sudden death Brianna got the break and showed why she is a force to be reckoned with by breaking and running out to win the match and the event.
We would want to thank all the players that came out as well as our sponsors Mezz Cues, Gamblin Clothing, Kamui Chalk & Tips, JD Custom Cues, Allen Hopkins Super Billiards Expo, John Barton, JB Cases, Jabcues and Things, Billiard Life, Howitzer Break Cues, and Steve Klapp Custom Cues, Billiard Life USA, and Mike Ricciardella
Bob Maidhof, Vinny Cimarelli, Joe Hong and Shaun Wilkie
2nd Annual Rack for a Cure Charity 9-Ball tournament raises $6K for pediatric cancer research
It was a long, May 16-17 weekend for Mezz Pro-Am Tour director, Jose Burgos, who ran two separate tournaments, which, with some duplication, hosted 172 competitors. On Saturday, May 16, Warrington Billiards in Warrington, PA, hosted the 2nd Annual Rack for a Cure Charity 9-Ball Tournament, under the auspices of the Mezz Tour and TAP League. Organized for the second year by Jeremy and Erin Stacy of Hatboro, PA, the event, which drew 128 entrants, raised $6,000 for pediatric cancer research.
On Sunday, May 17, at Drexeline Billiards, in Drexeline, PA, the Mezz Pro-Am Tour held a regularly scheduled stop; a $1,000-added event that drew 42 entrants. The Saturday event was won by Matt Krah. Sunday's tournament was won by Vinnie Cimarelli. Shaun Wilkie was the runner-up in both.
Saturday's charity event saw Krah take two out of three over Wilkie, double dipping him in the finals. Krah and Wilkie had sent Steve Lillis and Mike Saleh to the loss side 4-1, and faced each other in the winners' side final. A double hill battle left Wilkie in the hot seat.
Seven of the last 10 matches on the loss side were decided by 3-1 scores; two shutouts and a double hill match decided the other three. Lillis and Saleh, coming over from the winners' side semifinals, picked up their second losses immediately; Lillis to Hendrick Drosp 3-1, and Saleh in a shutout by Adam Kielar. Drosp took the quarterfinal match over Kielar, and Krah won the semifinal match, both by the predominant 3-1 score.
Krah and Wilkie locked up in a double hill fight in the opening set of the true double elimination final. Krah prevailed and then shut Wilkie out in the second set to claim the charity event title.
On Sunday, as Wilkie was at work on a nine-match, loss-side winning streak that would eventually propel him into the finals, Vinnie Cimarelli advanced to the hot seat. He'd defeated Michael Wong 7-4, while Bob Maidhof had gotten by Scott Haas 7-3. Cimarelli claimed the hot seat 7-2 over Maidhof and watched as Wilkie completed his loss side run to meet him.
Wilkie had been defeated in the opening round of play by A.J. Fitzgerald, and by the time he reached Haas, coming over from the winners' side semifinal, he'd chalked up six, loss-side wins, including a 6-1 victory over Sam Quinzi and 6-3 win over Sanne Krom. Wong picked up Joe Hong, who'd recently gotten by John Talamini 6-2 and Matt Krah 6-3.
Wilkie and Hong advanced to the quarterfinals; Wilkie 6-3 over Haas, and Hong, double hill, over Wong. Wilkie downed Hong and then Maidhof in the semifinals by the same 6-2 score.
Wilkie took the opening set of the double elimination final against Cimarelli, at which point, a recently-introduced, sudden-death, single-game-for-the-title ensued. It didn't last long. Wilkie attempted a 1-9 combination that failed and left the 9-ball sitting on the edge of the hole. It also denied Cimarelli a clean look at the 1-ball. Cimarelli attempted a rail-first poke at the 1-ball, which accommodated his wishes by sliding over and dropping the 9-ball. The (barely) undefeated Cimarelli claimed the event title.
Rob Hontz, owner Bob Maidhof, Michael Praseutsy and Wes Dobson
From among the final eight on the winners' side of the bracket in the opening stop on the 2014 Mezz Tour, Rob Hontz fought a double hill, ultimately unsuccessful battle against Mike Saleh, which sent him to the loss side. Hontz then won five in a row, and fought an ultimately successful battle against hot seat occupant, Michael Praseutsy, to claim the title. The $1,000-added, A-D handicapped event, held on the weekend of January 10-11, drew 32 entrants to Drexeline Billiards in Drexel Hill, PA.
With Hontz out of the way, Saleh moved into a winners' side semifinal against Wes Dobson, while Praseutsy faced Gary Serano. Saleh ended up in a second straight double hill match, but this one sent him to the losers' bracket and Dobson into the hot seat match. Praseutsy downed Serano 7-3, and then, by the same score, got into the hot seat over Dobson.
Hontz began his trek back to the finals with his second straight double hill match, winning this one, over George Ellinger. He came within a game of a third double hill match when he defeated Vinny Cimarelli 7-5, which set him up to face Serano. Saleh picked up Mark Nanashee, who'd shut out A.J. Fitzgerald and defeated Owen Collins 7-4 to reach him.
Hontz' opportunity for a re-match against Saleh was denied him when Nanashee defeated Saleh, double hill. Instead, after giving up only a single rack to Serano, Hontz faced Nanashee in the quarterfinals, where a 7-4 win gave him a shot at Dobson in the semifinals.
Hontz took full advantage. He gave up another solo rack to Dobson and entered the finals with a 35-17 loss-side record. By agreement, Hontz and Praseutsy opted out of a double elimination final, agreeing to play a single match for the title. Hontz won it 7-5 to claim the first stop on the 2014 Mezz Tour.
Tour director Jose Burgos thanked owner Bob Maidhof and his Drexeline Billiards staff, as well as sponsors Mezz Cues, Gamblin Clothing, Kamui Chalk, JD Custom Cues, Allen Hopkins Super Billiards Expo, John Barton, JB Cases, Jabcues and Things, Billiard Life, Howitzer Break Cues, and Steve Klapp Custom Cues.
Leading the bottom half of the bracket was Shaun Wilkie with wins over Matt Krah 7-1, Adam Kiear 7-1, Kenny Rutman 7-6 , and Darren Appleton 7-5.
Playing for the hot seat was Shaun Wilkie Vs Bob Maidhof. This was a one sided match with Bob Maidhof winning easily 7-1. Waiting for Shaun Wilkie was Darren Appleton. This was a rematch from earlier that day. This was a great match that went hill hill and for the second time in the day Shaun Wilkie defeated Darren Appleton 6-5 to get to the finals.
In the finals it was Shaun Wilkie Vs Bob Maidhof, Shaun Wilkie would have to beat Bob Maidhof twice to win the event but this day belonged to Bob Maidhof as he won easily 5-1 to win the event.
I would like to thank all the players and the sponsors for their ongoing support.
The Joss northeast 9-Ball Tour visited Drexeline Billiards in Drexel Hill, Pa. for the fist time ever on October 6 & 7, 2001. 66 Players showed to vie for the over $7700 in prize money. This was the first tour event in Pennsylvania and from the way we were treated it will not be the last. Bob Maidhof the owner of Drexeline joined the Joss sponsors, Joss Cues ltd. Webb Custom Cues, Giuseppe Cases, Capone Custom Cues and Simonis by adding $2500 to the event. Players like Bustamante, Hopkins, Immonen, Williams, Martinez, Lebron, Zuglan and more were in the field. Local Philly players added to the already strong field and made this a great tournament to watch.
All day Saturday and Sunday matches were exciting and close with run outs, hill-hill sets, great safe play and more. Matches like Martinez trailing Zuglan 5-4 and running 5 and out to win the set. Allen Hopkins and Martinez going hill-hill and Raphael miscuing 4 times that cost him the set. In the Finals Bustamante and Hopkins battling nip and tuck all the way to the hill and Allen scratching on the break to give Franciso ball in hand on an open table to run out and win the championship match. If your are ever in the Philly area stop by Drexeline Billiards. Bob Maidhof and his crew will go out of their way to make you feel right at home as he did us. If this is an example of how it is in the "Keystone State" it will always be a pleasure to go back there. Great room, great competion and knowledgeable fans.
