While daytime temperatures in Des Moines, Iowa were still in the 80s, with overnight lows dipping into the upper 50s, Scott Frost and Shane Winters came to town. On the weekend of September 10-13, the two of them, separately, won Big Dog Billiards' $2,000-added 9-Ball Open and the $5,000-added One Pocket Championships. They both went undefeated; Winters, through a 9-ball field of 150 and Frost, through a One Pocket, 'pro' mine field of 11 entrants.
Almost, but not quite, trumping Winters' undefeated run through the 9-ball tournament, was Bobby McGrath, who lost his opening match, and proceeded to win 14 on the loss side before meeting up with Winters in the finals. Winters advanced to a winners' side semifinal against Steve Boutcher. Jody McLaughlin faced Bob Andrews in the other. Winters and McLaughlin chalked up 7-3 wins over Boutcher and Andrews, before Winters chalked up a third 7-3 score to claim the hot seat over McLaughlin.
With nine loss-side wins to his credit already, Bobby McGrath got by Ron Govafenski 7-2 and Randy Hanson 7-4 to meet Boutcher. Andrews drew Chris Siefkan, who'd eliminated Mike Bennett and Mitch Ellerman, both 7-5. Among the 144 already vanquished at this stage of the game were Mike Massey, Lee Brett, Gene Albrecht, and a not-seen-lately, presumably-out-of-retirement Sarah Rousey. McGrath chalked up win #12, 7-3, over Boutcher. Andrews defeated Siefkan 7-4. And then there were four.
McGrath defeated Andrews 7-3 in the quarterfinals, McLaughlin 7-4 in the semifinals, and it was down to two. The final match was Winters' eighth. It was McGrath's 15th. Winters took advantage of a 'gas tank' that had to be running on fumes, and completed his undefeated run 7-2 to claim the 9-ball title.
Frost and Roberts squared off in one of the winners' side semifinals, while Jones and Bowman met up in the other. Frost ended up getting by Roberts twice; the first time, double hill. Bowman defeated Jones 5-2. Frost claimed the hot seat 5-3 over Bowman.
On the loss side, Chance, Hall, Chohan, Smith and Bartram were gone by the time Jones picked up Deuel, who'd eliminated Chance and Smith, both 5-2. Roberts picked up Pagalayun, who'd eliminated Bartram 5-2. Deuel and Roberts got by Jones and Pagalayun 5-2, as well, and met up in the quarterfinals.
Roberts defeated Deuel 5-3, and then, downed Bowman 5-2 for a second shot at Frost, now in the hot seat. Based on their earlier, double-hill meeting, spectators and commentators on PoolActionTV's live stream (Jeremy Jones, among them) were expecting a similar struggle in the finals. Frost was not. He got out in front and stayed there to claim the One Pocket title 5-2.
Dennis Orcollo (Photo courtesy of Dave Thomson – Mediumpool.com)
Day one is always fun…at least for the spectators. In pool's largest professional competition, The Bank Pool division of the 3 tiered event got rolling as did the Diamond BIG Foot 10-Ball Challenge in the Accu-Stats TV Arena.
"413 players in the Banks," beamed DCC founder Greg Sullivan. "Actually it was 414, but one unfortunate international competitor's US visa wasn't in order so we refunded his entry fee."
413 is up a stunning 62 from last year's 351. "I can't remember the last time we had so many entrants." Greg continued, "It's been at least 10 years. And, we have a waiting list for the BIG Foot." Everybody loves Diamond.
There are about 36 Smart Tables in place to accommodate the primary Bank Pool, 1-Pocket, and 9-Ball events. Mini tourneys will run into the night to keep the night owls in action. The George Fels Memorial Straight Pool Challenge get begins on Sunday. Pool's biggest and most enduring nine day stamina test is underway and we'll report to the last man standing.
Diamond BIG Foot 10-Ball Challenge.
Dennis Orcollo, last year's Master of the Table, got off to a roaring start as he easily won is first two Bank Pool matches after destroying accomplished roadman Chris Bartram 11-1 in the opening match of the BIG Foot Challenge.
"I think I ran a 5-pack," Dennis acknowledged humbly. "After that, there were a lot of safeties, and I realized that I was, as usual, a little bit nervous. So, I had to find my 'Pool Concentration' and focus on one ball at a time." About 50 balls later, Chris was on the road again.
In the Accu-Stats Arena's second match, Mika Immonen had to find his "Pool Concentration," too. He had drawn, in Diamond's 16 man invitational, Mosconi Cup teammate, Nick Van Der Berg. They weren't teammates today; Today, they were mortal enemies and one of them was going to be terminated by "Friendly Fire."
Their single elimination shoot-out began with Mika getting ahead, Nick catching up and getting ahead, then, each player repeating the catch-up and get-ahead scenario until they were all tied up at 9.
Where was their "Pool Concentration?" In the deciding racks, both men had chances: Mika was running out only to miscue. Nick soon scratched and it was 10-9 Mika. Mika broke, tension allowed Nick to the table and it was his turn to miscue. And, then it was over. "I was happy to survive that one," Mika sighed at 11-9. "A big break means so much more on Big Foot. If I'm gonna wins this thing, I gotta go work on my break."
After being down 5-7, Rodney had forged ahead 8-7. "Just give me one more chance.'" begged Corteza. His prayers were answered and he respectfully won without conceding Rodney another rack.
It was generally acknowledged that the elusive Big Foot had the players(other than, maybe, Orcollo) not only intimidated but, a little bit dumbfounded. Lee Vann later commented, "I had to change my stroke. In order to power the cue-ball around the rails, my stroke became less smooth."
The man with the most powerful stroke, and break, yet to get to the table today was Mike Dechaine. In practice, he was breaking the cue ball chest high, and smacking in balls the length of the table. Soon, he was two ahead of Accu-Stats Arena and US newbie, Jeffrey Ignacio, a very mannerly and unassuming Filipino.
Considering that it was Jeff's first trip to the America, his composure was quite remarkable. Admittedly, he did dog an early 9-ball, then a straight in 3 to give Mike a 4-2 lead.
Mike, always a powerful presence at any table, after every big shot would shoot his quiet Filipino opponent an intimidating glance. The stare didn't phase Jeff one bit and he quietly went about his business, Now, down 5-8, Mike's daunting glare had lost its luster. He captured only one more game.
Admittedly, it was not only Ignacio's calm, competitive approach but his ability to counter Mike's quality safety play by connecting with the hidden orb and leaving Mike safe.
When asked how it felt being welcomed to America with a win, especially under the heat of the TV lights, Jeff joked, "I felt like I was playing on a snooker table!"
Play continues at Noon on Saturday with Alex P vs. Jayson S, John M vs. Bustey, Shane vs, Johnny, Jason K, vs. the lesser known Mexico's Ruben Batista. See it all LIVE at accu-stats.com.
Diamond Derby City Classic XVII: Bank Pool Division
Upsets abound: Skyler Woodward, who demolished all in last year's exceptional, 6 man RING Game, was the first to fall. "I played great and got drilled 3-0," he exclaimed. Taz Holliday, who administered the defeat, will sleep well tonight.
At press time, Sky was onto his do-or-die Banks match with the recently married Bobby Hunter. Our congrats go to Bob and his delightfully sweet, yet with such a wicked sense of humor, wife Debbie as they are expecting their first child.
Scott Frost was jubilant as he out-played "Mike's Billiards" Medley from Fairfield OH. Former DCC Master of the Table and Bank Pool Champions Efren Reyes, John Brumback and Jason Miller, to name a few, plus the Filipino contingent including Carlo Biado, and the newly inducted BCA Hall-of-Famer, Jose Parica will also continue play on Saturday.
American Rotation
Mike Dechaine is in contention for his 3rd, straight US Championship title in Joe Tucker's American Rotation. See the Championship at 1pm, Saturday. You can catch it LIVE and streamed by Big Truck on ustream.tv/channel/Bigtruck
Mike plays Jody McLaughlin who upset last weekend's MEZZ West Coast Tour 10-Ball titlist, "Edgie" Geronimo, in the American Rotation event at Hard Times Billiards, Bellflower, CA.
Diamond thanks its sponsors: The Horseshoe Southern Indiana, Cyclop Balls, Simonis Cloth, BCA Pool League, and BadBoys Billiard Productions.
Accu-Stats thanks its Arena Sponsors: Simonis Cloth, Cyclop Balls, OB Cues, Cue and Case, MEZZ Cues, Samsara Cues, and National Billiard Academy.
The Spring version of the quarterly Tri-State Open Nine-Ball Series at Gold Crown Billiards in Erie PA saw the strongest field yet in any of their events. Participating were 3 past Mosconi Cup players, not to mention 12 past winners and runners-up along with a handful of other professional players. A full field of 32 players competed in the one day, $4000 added event.
The rules for the tournament included, fouls on all balls, no short games, and the No Conflict Rules for racking and breaking. Under the rules, players are not required to pocket a ball on the break in order to get their first shot. Players alternate breaks and shoot what they break. One hundred and fifteen matches were played without incident and controversy that usually surround the racking and breaking process. The author of the rules, Paul Schofield, owner and proprietor of Gold Crown Billiards, contends the current rules poison matches and corrupt entire tournaments. Schofield further explains “The rules for our event heavily favor the better player.” A full set of the rules are posted on the Gold Crown Billiards website.
The top 4 finishers also happened to be the top 4 bids in the player auction. They finished in order from highest bid to 4th highest bid. Mike Dechaine from Waterville ME put on a clinic,winning 7 straight matches to win the event. Dechaine breezed through the qualifying rounds trouncing Ron Casanzio (Rochester NY) 6-3, Willie VanGuilder (Garland PA) 6-0, Jerry Crowe (Bathe NY) 6-2, and Shayne Morrow (Erie PA) 6-3. In the championship bracket, Dechaine picked up where he left of by putting down Jerry Crowe again 8-1 in the quarter-finals. Things got tough in the semi-finals where Alex Olinger (Dayton OH) took Mike Dechaine to the hill only to have Dechaine break and run the last game under the threat of elimination. Continuing on his reign of terror, Dechaine easily handled Chris Bartram (Columbus OH) 8-4 in the finals.
Chris Bartram fought hard, grinding through the qualifying rounds with a 6-2 record, earning a spot in the championship bracket. Bartram downed Shane Jackson (Pittsburgh PA) in the quarter-finals 8-5 and went on in the semis to defeat Shawn Putnam (Powder Springs GA) 8-5. Dechaine was on fire and proved too much for Bartram in the finals.
The tournament was a success. The unusual rules were well received. Gold Crown Billiards will look to grow this annual event in future years by picking up additional sponsors and recruiting stronger fields.
The 21st annual running of the PartyPoker World Pool Masters got underway at the Metrodome in Barnsley, Yorkshire and there were first round wins for Chris Melling, Nick Ekonomopoulos and Niels Feijen. The $66,000 tournament has been a staple on the pool calendar for over two decades and was making its first appearance in the UK since 2005.
In front of an excellent first night crowd at the popular Yorkshire venue, defending champion Karol Skowerski of Poland fell at the first hurdle as was beaten 8-3 by England’s Chris Melling who looked in fine form in front of his local fans.
Melling, whose smooth action is renowned the world over, flew into a 5-0 lead in front of his Yorkshire faithful as he took advantage of the winners’ break format. Skowerski, who enjoyed a magical three days in his home town of Kielce as he won the Masters last year, took the sixth rack to get his name on the board.
The Pole won the next after a quality safety battle and ran out the eighth game from the break to take the score to 5-3. Melling got lucky in the next when a he had a hit-and-hope attempt on the 3 ball which was parked next to the 9. The 8 ball got cannoned into the top pocket and the 3 ball rolled into the opposite corner. From there he cleared to go 6-3 in the race to eight match.
Melling won the next to get to the hill, and although Skowerski got to the table in the next it was the Englishman’s day as he ran out the winner and can look forward to a quarter final match against Ga Young Kim or Alex Pagulayan.
“I played really well. I twitched an easy eight ball but other than that I played really well. I had a good fluke to be fair when I was 5-3 up,” said Melling.
“I am cueing the ball nicely and I have the table speed down well so it is just a matter of getting your chances and taking them when they come.
“This is the first time I have played 9-ball in Yorkshire and I have a good following from Keighley. Come tomorrow I think it will be a packed house. It makes a big difference to have home advantage. It is like the guy in your corner in a boxing match. I have a lot of people behind me and a lot of good support.”
The second match of the evening saw six-time Masters champion Ralf Souquet exit the competition as he was defeated by a sharp shooting Nick Ekonomopoulus 8-2.
They shared the opening two racks but Nick, a Mosconi Cup winner on his debut last December, took the next two with a determined look on his face. A run out from the break made it 4-1 and the six times Masters champion looked in trouble with the winner breaks format.
Another meaty break from the Greek set up a run out for 5-1 and Souquet needed something to happen to give himself a chance. It didn’t come in the next as Ekonomopoulos ran out once again to take himself to 6-1.
An illegal break got Souquet back to the table and sensing that anything less than a run out would sound his death knell, cleared for 6-2. He got the 1 ball into the side pocket off the break in the ninth game but missed the 2 ball and the Greek took full advantage to clear and reach the hill. He ran out the next for an excellent win.
“I played very well although I was lucky in rack one. He played a very good safe and I played a safe but made the ball. After that I made three run outs and in a short format when it is race to eight you can quickly take a big lead,” said Ekonomopoulos.
“I have been playing well and practicing a lot with my friend Darren Appleton. I don’t play my quarter-final until Sunday so I will keep practicing.”
Souquet was a little disappointed at his lack of table time: “I don’t feel like I have been a part of this tournament. Apart from the two scratches he played so well and I wasn’t able to get a chance.”
The final match of the opening session saw two 2013 Mosconi Cup players face off as Niels Feijen of Holland met England’s Karl Boyes.
They shared the opening racks before Boyes fouled as he failed to reach a rail with a safety shot. Feijen ran out to take the lead but Boyes squared it in the next. Both had visits in the fifth rack but it was Feijen who dropped the 9 ball and he took the next for a 4-2 lead.
Boyes got the home crowds cheering in the next as he completed the run out to reduce the deficit. Feijen was always in the lead but Boyes was never too far behind him but it was the Dutchman who reached the hill first at 7-4.
Boyes though got it back to 6-7 but lost the table as he tried a difficult cut on the 3 ball after a solid break. He got lucky though as he missed but left Feijen hooked. The Dutchman got out of it and when Boyes scratched it was all over as he ran out for the win.
“It was nip and tuck all the way and I feel I caught a couple of rolls in that match but also he was breaking really well, especially at the end,” said Feijen.
“I got a little worried there from 7-4; we had a long tactical game from that point. He made a nice bank on the 3 ball, runs out, breaks and runs out and it was getting close. Then he had a good break but scratched on the 3 ball in the side pocket. I knew if I got it straight on the six it would be over and I am glad I got through that one,” he added.
Boyes said, “It was one of those matches. We both played well, nobody missed anything, it was just the odd safety error. I was breaking well the whole match but I just couldn’t get a shot early in the match.”
This is the 21st annual running of the PartyPoker.com World Pool Masters following its inaugural event in 1993. Some of the greatest players in the modern era of pool have won this title including the likes of Souquet, Strickland, Orcollo and Appleton. With a field of 16 players there are 15 matches in total – all race to eight racks and culminating in the final on the Sunday evening.
The 2013 PARTYPOKER.COM World Pool Masters is sponsored by PartyPoker.com, the world's leading online poker site. Cloth is supplied by Iwan Simonis and the Official Balls are Super Aramith. Diamond is the supplier of the Official Table and Predator is the Official Cue.
By Friday evening at the U.S. Open the field was down to those who had survived some truly dramatic matches. One of those providing the excitement was fan-favorite Tommy Kennedy. Kennedy had served notice earlier in the week when he sent Brandon Shuff over to the one-loss side 11-7.
He was then sent to the left side himself by Jeremy Sossei, but then bounced right back with a very impressive 11-6 victory over Ralf Souquet. Next he ran into the powerhouse of Nikos Ekonomopoulos from Greece and found himself covered and smothered 11-1 to end the week.
Niels Feijen has been quietly slashing his way through the field. He brushed a strong Ty Laha aside 11-5, wiped out the American Rotation Champion Joey Dupuis 11-5 and then just never stopped chopping heavy timber. He took down Chris Bartram 11-8 and then flushed champion-of-everything Darren Appleton left with a precise 11-2 domination.
His road stayed rough as he had to face Oscar Dominguez and OD hadn't set a foot wrong all week. His shots were splitting the pockets and the cue ball listened to many of his whispers. The match lived up to its advance publicity and Dominguez prevailed 11-10 to move Feijen over to the longer route home. Feijen continued his run by knocking out Ekonomopoulos 11-9, but he was just getting warmed up. The next favorite to fall to Feijen was Johnny Archer by the score 11-8. That left one obstacle between Niels and Saturday play; Chris Melling. After a loss to Shane Van Boening late Friday night, Melling then fell to Feijen 11-9 to end his tourney run.
Sossei has followed up his second place finish at Turning Stone last month with another great tournament this week. Sossei had notable wins this week over Robb Saez, Ekonomopolous and Appleton before falling to Van Corteza late Friday night.
Jayson Shaw is one helluva player. Off of the table Shaw has a ready laugh and makes friends easily. When facing the racks, he displays an instinctive focus that takes him through the balls as if it were just meant to be. He began his week downing Charlie Williams 11-5 and his stops along the way included the 11-7 gnarling of Tommy Kennedy. He passed World Champ Huidji See 11-6 and then defrocked Johnny Archer 11-8. (This after Archer had shell-shocked Lee Van Corteza 11-1 and overpowered Jason Klatt 11-5.)
Shaw wasn't done. He never gave Oscar Dominguez enough opportunities to show his stuff and his break was working. He muscled through 11-5 and now faces Shane Van Boening way out on the end of the winners' bracket.
Lee Van Corteza has had a tough but rewarding day. He shellacked Hijikata 11-1 and then went into a couple of double-hill showdowns as he eclipsed both Imran Majid and Mike Dechaine 11-10. After the win over Sossei late Friday, Corteza eliminated a visibly tired Oscar Dominguez in 5th place 11-6.
These days you almost expect for Shane Van Boening to be hanging around somewhere on the winners's side of the charts. He rarely disappoints and thus far has been stellar all week. He first won over Omar Al-Shaheen 11-5, then demolished Fabio Petroni 11-3 and Danny Mastermaker 11-5. Jeremy Sossei (shooting great these days) could not stand the heat and fell 11-7 and Chris Melling was nullified 11-6.
That brings us to the Shaw VS Van-Boening showdown that the crowd has been awaiting all week. These two champions will face off for the hot-seat at 1pm EST, while Niels Feijen takes on Van Corteza on the one loss side for the right to take on the loser of the Van Boening/Shaw match at 3pm. All roads lead to the finals, scheduled to kick off at 7pm Saturday night.
Follow all of the action with our online brackets and real time scoring, found on our live coverage page.
Earl Strickland has emerged victorious at Turning Stone XXI by defeating Jeremy Sossei 13-7 in the finals. Strickland only tasted defeat once at the hands of Brandon Shuff (9-4), a loss he avenged on the final day by relegating Shuff to fourth place with a 9-3 score line.
No one else could hang with the Pearl. He defeated Ron Cosanzio (9-2) and Jason Klatt (9-8) before Shuff sent him left and once over there he rolled over Mike Dechaine (9-6) in a match where both players challenged one another to a series of mind games over the rack and cue ball break position, Karen Corr (9-6), Joey Dupuis (9-5) and Dany Normandin (9-3) before entering the finals against Sossei who had been undefeated coming into the last match.
Sossei had quite the week. He had a tough row to hoe but he took down Robb Saez (9-8), Chris Bartram (9-7), Thorsten Hohmann (9-8), Joey Dupuis (9-6) and Dany Normandin (9-5) before finding his only loss of the event to Strickland in the finals.
You may find complete brackets and results of this event HERE.
AzBilliards wishes to thank Mike Zuglan of the Joss Northeast Tour, Turning Stone Casino and resort, Pat and Pete Fleming of Accu-Stats, Al Leon, Eddie Culhane, Lucasi Hybrid Cues, the TAP League System, and Master Chalk for making our live stream and scoring as well as the brackets possible.
If anyone had been doubting the resurgence of Earl Strickland, the mighty Pearl has put the quit on those doubts this week at Turning Stone XXI. In his first three matches his opponents have scored a TOTAL of 3 racks against him. He is playing fast and deadly pool with the cue ball totally under his control and the shots just keep coming. His match last night was against a very strong Ron Cosanzio.
Cosanzio had shown his speed by defeating Mike Dechaine in the first round but against Strickland he was just a helpless spectator. Strickland put him down 9-2. Today Mr. Strickland faces a tough challenge when he faces Jason Klatt. Klatt has been displaying fine form (as usual) and has dispatched Larry Nevel and Randy Labonte to the left of the charts already this week, but Strickland Is a taller hill this week and the fans should be in for a great match when these two face off today.
One of the more dramatic races of the week happened Friday night when Karen Corr took down Dennis Hatch 9-8. The match was close throughout and had its tense moments as when Hatch requested, counter to the rules, a second bathroom break. Corr stood firm and refused the request and went on to win the match after Hatch came back from 8-6 down to tie things at 8-8.
World number 1 player Thorsten Hohmann is moving undisturbed through the field. Like Strickland, no one has been a serious threat to his prowess and there are already murmurings of what will happen when he winds up facing Strickland. Both men are supremely confidant and this could be an historic match-up if and when it occurs.
Play continues today and you may find the Live Stream from Accu-Stats, brackets and live scoring HERE.
With only two days left to play at the Rio in Las Vegas, the CSI US Open 8-Ball Championship only has a few men left with the hopes of claiming the title.
These should all be stellar match-ups and you can watch the best at www.theactionreport.com and follow all of the live scores and brackets here on AZB.
The top players at the US Open 8-Ball Championship make 8-Ball look like a kids game. If they make a ball on the break they run out and if they don't they sit and watch their opponents run out. Sure, sometimes the rack comes apart ugly and there is some strategy involved, but more times than not these fellows control the table with ease. They can shoot any ball in their suit and that makes it simple for them to rearrange clusters and nudge balls into position.
Those who control the cue ball with ease are always on the right side of the object ball to get to the next shot. They take care of any trouble on the table early and from there just clear the table. Perhaps more than any other game 8-Ball shows the chasm between the pros and their amateur counterparts. While the amateurs may visit the table two or three times each game the pros are usually only there once to get the job done.
It is the pros with effective breaks and often quiet confidence who are still alive on the winner's side. Today will provide some fantastic match-ups between the strong men of 8-Ball. World Champion Karl Boyes will take on Oscar Dominguez, Warren Kiamco will face Jin-Hu Dang while Sean Cheng will shoot against three-time World Junior Champion Ko Pin-Yi.
One match that could be very interesting is the one between Shane Van Boening and John Morra. Van Boening seems to be everyones favorite no matter what or whom he plays, but Morra will be ready to test him hard. Morra has already dispatched two former World Champions with ease, disposing of Daryl Peach 8-1 and Mika Immonen 8-4. To say he is playing well is the understatement of the week.
There are also still 32 players alive on the one-loss side of the charts. Today will eliminate most of the field so there will be lots of drama to unfold.
The storms That stopped play on Friday night have delayed the finals of the US Open One Pocket until today. This will be a replay of the hot seat match where Dennis Orcollo was in control and sent Corey Deuel over to the one-loss side to battle his way back to the finals.
Deuel had a hill to climb. He faced Carlo Biado of the Philippines and Biado had been destroying foes at every turn. Through the week he dispatched Scott Frost (3-2), Chris Bartram (3-1), Justin Hall (3-0), and Warren Kiamco (3-1). But the man who had knocked him out of the winner's bracket was none other than Corey Deuel with an impressive 4-2 win. So both men had a base of confidence when they entered the arena. The match was a great one with Deuel emerging victorious 3-2 to return to battle with Orcollo.
Orcollo has his own track record of success to build upon. His last three matches found him winning over such fen players as Larry Nevel (4-2), Chris Bartram (4-2) and finally Corey Deuel (4-0).
The schedule for the finals of the One Pocket have to remain flexible as both players are in the 10-Ball event and have morning matches there today. So the One Pocket finals will be this afternoon when both players schedules allow. This match will be broadcast live on TAR and that will be announced at www.theactionreport.com.
