Archive Page

SVB Wins Derby City Big Foot 10-Ball Challenge

Shane Van Boening (David Thomson – Medium Pool)

Diamond Derby City Classic XXIV, January 20-28, 2023

Caesars Southern Indiana, Elizabeth, IN

By David Thomson

Diamond BIG Foot Challenge

LIVE from the Accu-Stats TV Arena.

Format: Race to 11, single elimination, alternate break, foul on all balls, no jump cues. 10-Ball does not win on the break tho’ beware, caroms and combos do.

Mosconi Cup captains Jeremy Jones and Mark Wilson are mostly in the Accu-Stats’ commentary booth. Occasionally they have guests. 

Reminder: when you see the balls bobbling or bursting out of the jaws, remember that BIG Foot’s biting, pro-cut pockets are now tighter – 4 1/8” tight!

Semis #1: Shane Van Boening vs. Roberto Gomez.

Shane’s and Roberto’s Accu-Stats TPAs of .930 & .895 say a lot. You would say that both players pocketed well and didn’t make too many errors.

Then, when you see the final score of 11-3, you’d realize that Shane was doing all the shooting. And , that Roberto wasn’t making any errors because…Shane was doing all the shooting!

The world-class .933 TPA says it all – even on a 9 foot. But this was BIG Foot…about 50 square feet of Simonis with 2 1/4” Aramith Balls squeezing into Diamond, dare we say, “superpro-cut” 4 1/8” pocket openings.

Roberto wasn’t shot into submission. If he didn’t get a shot after the break that meant that Shane was in control of the table. And, when Shane is in control of the table, you don’t get to shoot at much.

And that’s all she wrote about semi-final #1.

Semis #1: Lee Vann Cortez vs. Konrad Juszczyszyn: 11-4

Konrad Juszczyszyn’s .943 says a lot more. It says that he shot lights out!

Now sadly, Lee Vann Corteza’s .698 says that he had opportunity and didn’t capitalize on it.

“I scratched two times on the break. With the balls wide open, it cost me 4 games right there.”

It’s true; With ball-in-hand, Konrad cleaned up Corteza’s open racks plus, his own break was working for him. With rolls like that, it’s easy to streak ahead.

Slumped a little in his seat, it was obvious that Lee Vann wasn’t feeling it today. He was playing from memory: not able to summon in the moment the passion required to truly get in stroke.

Compassion be-damned! Konrad was taking no prisoners. He was feeling it. And loving it!

Finals: Shane Vann Boening vs. Konrad Juszczyszyn: 11-7

It looked like he was off to a fearsome start when strategy won Shane the opening rack and followed that with a break-and-run.

The third rack should have been his too, only he took a straight-in 9 for granted that bobbled and was left sitting on the shallow shelf of the pocket. 

That focused him. He knew that he had to take Konrad seriously: Look at the damage he’d wreaked on his road to the final: Morra, Filler, Corteza – three DCC champions swept aside with the stroke of his cue. 

Juszczyszyn, the 2017 American Straight-Pool Champion, was hungry. And his appetite for victory was strong. He could taste it. He knew he should have been down 3-0. Revitalized, he took the 4th game and they were tied at 2.

He then committed the ultimate sin; He scratched on his break. Shane devoured that rack then broke-and-ran, again: 4-2.

In fact, Shane had averaged 4 break-and-runs in his last three matches.

The gap continued to widen: 6-2. It’s hard to make a 4-game comeback with an alternate break format, especially against the big break of SVB.

Konrad’s fate had turned…and he felt it. Shane was missing, too. When he did, he left nothing. When Konrad missed, he left the rack.

The articulate Grady Mathews used to say, “The balls know who’s winning.”

Konrad later confessed, “I played terrible. When I began to miss balls I was making earlier in the tournament, I lost confidence. Then, when I made that long combo on the 10, I got it back for a minute.”

But, it was only for a minute.

In the next rack, Van Boening, with one of those “anything-you-can-do” moments, slammed home a similar length-of-the-table, 10-ball combo.

He later stated that he hadn’t played so well either. Not only had he slept thru that aforementioned 9 in the 3rd game, he actually missed a 10-ball later in the match.

Their respective TPAs were .843 and .730: That said it all.

Now Shane has 3 BIG Foot titles; tied with Jayson.

Watch out for fireworks in 2024, not just with their rivalry, it’s DCC XXV.

Shane van Boening: $16,000

Konrad Juszczyszyn: $8,000

Roberto Gomez: $4,000

Lee Vann Cortez: $4,000

No Master of the Table points are accredited for the 10-Ball event.

Their accumulation is generated by the Banks, One Pocket, and 9-Ball divisions.

And Diamond generously delivers an additional $25,000 in prize money.

More on that later.

The Accu-Stats PPV OnDemand service has all of the above entertainment available for your viewing pleasure thru. Feb.28, 2023.

. 

Diamond BANK POOL CHAMPIONSHIP

Short Rack. Race to 3, Round 10

There were a record 497, now there are 14

Play begins at 11am. 

With the DCC one-time Buy-Back formula, after every round, entrant’s names are reshuffled then redrawn. As DCC events are not seeded means that you could run into anyone.

Three players are still blessed with buy-backs: Fedor Gorst, Evan Lunda, and Gerson Martinez

Billy Thorpe, Jayson Shaw, Mitch Ellerman, Joshua Filler, Alex Pagulayan, Mika Immonen, Roberto Gomez, Roland Garcia, Mickey Krause, Louis DeMarco, and Raed Shabib have one bullet.

Raed was the one who sent Jesus Atencio and Scott Frost home. 

But the most exciting encounter for him was his first time playing America’s number 1 player, Shane van Boening.

A crowd had gathered around the table. The word was out that Shabib was on the hill and Shane needed 2.

Now he felt he’d made it as a contender.

Of course, Shane won the 4th rack and they were all tied up…until Raed had 4 balls in the decider and, Shane only 2.

Then Shane got another, then another, then, they were both fighting over the last ball.

It took 20 minutes of serious safety strategy until Shane figured out Raed’s weak spot: Leave him long on the short rail.

Now all Raed has to do is figure out Shane’s.

Interestingly, Raed is still in and Shane isn’t. He’d dodged another bullet.

Meanwhile, Fedor got Shane, De Marco crimped Corey, Shane shot Justin Hall, Evan Lunda laid Josh Roberts to rest, Roland Garcia showed Tony Chohan the door, Pagulayan pickled Shannon Daulton, Fortunski had the misfortune of encountering Jayson, and Billy Thorpe get’s the credit for eliminating Efren.

Visit results.derbycityclassic.com for more updates.

Diamond Derby City Classic ONE-POCKET 

The event entries were increased to 429 entries. Stay tuned!

The action-packed week continues:

Diamond Derby City Classic BANK POOL Championship: Semis and Finals in the Accu-Stats TV Arena: Tuesday evening, Jan 25.

Diamond Derby City Classic ONE-POCKET Championship: Sun Jan. 22 -Wed. Jan. 25. Semis and Finals in the Accu-Stats TV Arena, Thursday evening, Jan 26.

Diamond Derby City Classic 9-BALL Championship: Wed. Jan 25 – Sat. 28.

Friday Night Ring Game: Jan 27.

The captured match-ups are available via the Accu-Stats Pay-Per-View OnDemand, 4-camera HD production. Approximately, 60 action-packed hours of pro-pool are projected, PLUS reruns. After each match concludes, it is uploaded and available for your viewing pleasure. With PPV OnDemand, you choose when you watch, no matter what you’re timezone.

Don’t miss a stroke: Visit accu-stats.com. Enjoy.

Go to discussion...

Marshall ‘Tuscaloosa Squirrel’ Carpenter passes

Marshall Carpenter

Marshall Carpenter was born in February 9, 1928 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. He began going into the poolrooms as a kid selling peanuts, which led to his nickname, ‘The Tuscaloosa Squirrel’. Squirrel quickly took a liking to the game, and once it got to the point he could beat everybody locally, he began to travel.
 
Squirrel spent about 25 years playing pool on the road, including time with ‘Minnesota Fats’, ‘Rags’ Fitzpatrick and Eddie Taylor. The game of One Pocket became his specialty. He and Eddie Taylor became good friends back in the mid-fifties, and they both were among the players that used to gather at the Jansco Brother’s in Johnston City before George and Paulie began to hold tournaments. ‘Squirrel’ played in the very first Johnston City One Pocket tournament in 1961 and he won the One Pocket division at Johnston City in 1962, then fell second to Taylor in 1963.
 
He was elected into the One Pocket Hall of Fame in 2005.
 
After retiring from pool in favor of golf for many years, ‘Squirrel’ came back to pool in his later years, and still enjoyed getting out to his local room to compete until recently.
 
Renowned for his masterful control of both cue ball and object balls, fellow hall of fame member Grady Mathews said of ‘Squirrel’, that he had “about the prettiest touch in pool.”
 
He is survived by his wife Judy and his son, Marshall Jr and his wife Jenny, sister-in-law Lori Bartman and her husband Kelly, and granddaughters Eleanor and Elizabeth. Memorial services are scheduled for April 10, 2020 at 2PM at Memory Chapel Funeral Home, 2200 Skyland Blvd, E Tuscaloosa, Alabama. The family is hoping to hold a celebration of his life once public health restrictions have been lifted.
 
In lieu of flowers, at the request of his family, donations can be sent to the One Pocket Hall of Fame in his name.

Woodward Wins Derby 9-Ball and Master of the Table Titles

Skyler Woodward (Photo courtesy of Dave Thomson – Mediumpool.com)

 
Derby City Classic XXI, January 25 – February 2nd, 2019
 
LIVE from the Horseshoe Southern Indiana Casino, Elizabeth IN.
 
DIAMOND DCC 9-BALL CHAMPIONSHIP 
  
407 entrants; Another attendance record broken!
 
Race to 9. Winner Breaks. 3 balls, minus those pocketed, must make the kitchen on the break.
 
The Outsville Accu-Rack is in use. 9-ball on the spot.
 
1st. $16,000, 2nd. $8,000, 3rd, $6,000, 4th/5th, $3950.
 
DCC All Around Champion: $20,000!
 
At 3:30 in the morning, Skyler Woodward, surrounded by friends, fans, and family, sank the case 9 and was declared the Diamond DCC XXI All-Around Champion.
 
On top of the $16,000 for winning in the 9-Ball division, the Master of the Table title, or AAC as it’s also called, pocketed him an additional $20,000. 
 
The 120 MoT points created a decisive lead over Bustamante, his nearest contender, who was honored with $3,000 for second. Orcollo picked up $2,000 for third.
 
Woodward had just survived back-to-back-to-back bouts with Orcollo, Biado, and Vann Corteza–three of the toughest, ball pounding Filipinos on the planet.
 
He had one more, lesser known (until now) omnipotent  Filipino in front of him, the 26-year-old fearless, emotionless, automaton, James Aranas.
 
James has been living in West Virginia in a house of pool repute. His host always invited any visiting cue-carrying Pinoys to his home away from home. Currently Aranas was, in practice, being schooled by Orcollo, Pagulayan and the like.
 
When away from the table, James is a very friendly, responsive guy. His sincerity and love for the game are more than apparent.
 
On the table, he’s a demon.
 
He, like Woodward, was undefeated before succumbing to Orcollo, one of his hero’s.
 
James had just neutralized South Dakotan Danny Olsen, Nederlander Neils Feijen, and Fedor Gorst.
 
Fedor only 18, not 19, as was erroneously reported yesterday, finished third.
 
He’d had a fantastic day. First he'd removed Pinegar, Van Boening and then Shaw..9-2!
 
Jayson enjoined respectfully,  "He shot incredible. A couple of scratches and he totally  controlled the set. All I could do was watch."
 
Aranus began the first set of the finals with an Accu-Stats’ TPA near .950 which, incidentally, was what Sky had just laid on Orcollo to eliminate him from the tournament.
 
Sky couldn’t catch a roll. As Grady Mathews used to say, the balls always know who’s winning. Today, the rolls were favoring Aranas.
 
For example, at around 6-6 in their race to 9, Woodward broke to have his cue ball careen towards the side pocket. The crowd sighed in relief, as it seemingly escaped as it rolled around the rim to perk up on the edge…until the 3-ball kicked it into the pocket.
 
That mishap changed the set. Sky scurried to the buyback booth.
 
At 2 am, the crowd was ready for the do-or-die second set.
 
Between racks, Sky, like James, was struggling to keep his eyes focused. Exhaustion affects 20 somethings, too.
 
Both competitors had been in competitive mode for a solid 16 hours. Add that statistic to the torture of 9 days of Derby and it will take its toll, even on the balls. 
 
They refused to cooperate. No matter how hard they were smacked, Skyler couldn’t get an opening shot. His frustration fed into the audience that had deemed their Kentucky kid from Paducah might be doomed.
 
The energy in the Accu-Stats TV Arena had never been at such a low. It was like a funeral. You could, literally, hear a pin drop. The tournament desk land-line rang in the distance. Riiiiiing, riiiiiing, riiiiiing. It was incessant. 
 
In the decider, Skyler, still scrambling, had maintained a one game lead with Aranas always playing catch-up.
 
“If I could get a shot on the break, I could fly,” muttered Sky as he approached the headstring.
 
The balls blasted apart. He was left straight in on the 2. He raised his arms to the heavens. It was a miracle. The audience responded with roars of encouragement.
 
He ran to the 9 and, with whitey arriving a little bit funny, he missed it! 
 
The 9 slowly rolled near the corner pocket. Aranas slid into the lead.
 
And scratched on the break!
 
Was Woodward spent? Could the Mosconi Cup escapologist recover? Could he muster the inspiration when he needed it? What would his MC coach Johan Ruijsink say?
 
Channeling all, with ball in hand he, masterfully, ran the rack. 
 
He needed one more. The first and the last racks are always the testers. The key shot was a tricky three-railer for position from the 5 to the 6. Then he was surely out.
 
Aranas sat patiently in his seat.
 
There was distance between the cue-ball and the 5. Normally, it would be inside his comfort zone but, this ball was worth thirty-six thousand dollars.
 
He fired the 5 into the pocket. He was perfect on the 6.
 
Easing in the 8, he was straight-in on the crowning 9. 
 
The arena was in turmoil. Sky screamed with relief. Never a doubt!
 
There was only one question remaining, From where is that inner strength summoned?
 
Only champions know.
 
See ya next year.
 
Our thanks to all who contributed theses daily reports. You know who you are: Bret, Bill, and Bonnie. Oh, you too, Ric and, of course, Diamond Paul!
 
 
THE DIAMOND STRAIGHT POOL CHALLENGE
 
Shane ran 124 and out on Melling before conflicts in the One-Pocket and 9-Ball schedule determined the tournament couldn’t be completed.
 
Mika had finished farther than his fellow competitors and was unofficially declared the winner.
 
As the top 14.1 players were all finished big in the other events, the moral of the story is, play Straight Pool!
 
Accu-Stats thanks its Arena Sponsors: Diamond Billiards, Simonis Cloth, Cyclop Balls, Cuetec Cues, Lucasi Custom, MEZZ Cues, McDermott Cues, National Billiard Academy, and Samsara Cues.
 
 

A Brief History of the Derby City Classic

Dennis Orcollo danced through the field last year (Photo courtesy of Dave Thomson – Mediumpool.com)

In celebration of The Derby City Classic’s 20th anniversary, we thought that you avid pool fans might be interested in a few tidbits of its unique history, statistics, and hear what the sone of the past champions have to say about it all.
 
The “Derby” was sired by Diamond Billiards’ Greg Sullivan in 1999. 200 plus entrants vying for titles in three disciplines; Bank Pool, One Pocket, and 9-Ball graced Louisville KY’s Executive Inn. Due to DCC’s irrepressible growth, by 2009, the action was upgraded to the grander Horseshoe Southern Indiana Casino, just across the border, in Elizabeth, IN.
 
Today, more than double that original amount are expected to participate. That stat makes it the most successful, competitively attended pro pool tournament in the world.
 
Greg’s ambition grew from experiencing the Johnson City hustler’s convention at the tender age of 16. He was immediately smitten, in fact, he still has his original entry ticket!
 
It was that passion for pool that eventually drove him to create the Diamond pool table to his exacting, standardized specifications that would catapult pool from a game to a sport.
 
The table’s success allowed Greg, with Chad in the background managing the numbers, to create a pool tournament which would attract the full gamut of cuemen. He wanted those who were funded by gambling on themselves and those who excelled in the immediacy of tournament action.
 
Sullivan beamed as he stated without the glimmer of a boast, ”The most satisfying compliment I’ve ever received is that DCC is like Johnson City…on steroids.”
 
2001 All Around Champion (also know as the Master of the Table) Shannon Daulton concurs. “Once a year, everyone from World Champions to the toughest money players on the earth come together for nine days of torture to see who comes out on top.”
 
Five time All Around Champion Efren Reyes dubs the Derby  his favorite tournament, ever. ”I got to spend time with my friends, now icons, like Earl and Nick (Varner). And, more recently, new friends I’ve made in all the events. It’s always been a gathering of the best players in the world.”
 
Another attraction; the moolah. Where else can one pool player, in one tournament, get the opportunity to cash $76,000? And that doesn’t include the extra curricular activities; nudge, nudge.
 
If he, or she, were to win the Bank Pool: $10,000, and the One Pocket; $12,000, then the 9-Ball; $16,000. All those points awarded for each win earn an additional $20,000 as the aforementioned Master of the Table.
 
Plus, let’s not forget DCC’s auxiliary enticements: The Diamond BIG Foot Challenge: $16,000, and the George Fels Memorial 14.1/Straight Pool, instigated by Billiards Digest columnist Bob Jewett and currently hosted by Dennis Walsh and Bill Maropulos: $8,000.
 
It all adds up to $76,000. That’s not a bad week’s wages.
 
In its evolution over the decades, as if the 9 days of dawn to dawn dueling weren’t murderous enough, more entertainment was added.
 
The Action and Entertainment" (A&E) commemorates the legendary “St.Louis” Louis Robert respected for his mesmerizing ability and high-roller attitude. As a matter of interest, in 2010, the entrancing Jeanette Lee robbed ‘em!
 
The event that is dearly missed was Steve Booth’s One Pocket and Bank Pool Hall of Fame Dinner. It was perhaps the most fun-filled night in Pool–never mind the Derby!
 
To hear the inductees be introduced by pool’s spellbinding raconteurs like the late Grady Mathews and Freddy “The Beard” Bentivegna was known to reduce some of these bad boys to tears.
 
The good news is that–it’s back! Jeremy Jones and the late Eugene 'Clem' Metz will be honored for One Pocket. And truly precocious Keith McCready for the “Lifetime Pool in Action Award! 
Wednesday, 24th, Jan. Doors open ar 6pm
 
It was in 2010 that the always entertaining Banks Ring Game was introduced.
 
In 2014, in celebration of the Diamond’s new 10’ table, the BIG Foot 10-ball Challenge was inaugurated. Always looking for innovation, Greg’s methodology was that the challenge of negotiating a 50 sq. ft. playing surface with the standard tight, pro-cut pockets would determine, indisputably, the best player.
 
The Derby City Classic All Around Champion is also the most bad-ass title to hold. Taking it means that you kick ass, not just in one of the disciplines, but at least 2, and arguably, all three. Hence, the All Around Champion is also recognized as Master of the Table, that’s why both titles are inscribed on the newly created, very elegant, crystal obelisk being presented to the 2018 points winner. Smaller obelisks will go to the winners of all 5 events.
 
Another interesting feature is that DCC is the only pool tournament where it costs more to enter the bleachers than it does to enter the arena. So, if you intend to attend the greatest pool show on earth and stand in awe of the international field of competitors, it will behoove you to play; It will certainly improve your speed plus, generate a tale or two for your grandchildren–especially, if you’re lucky enough to draw a champion!
 
In DCC’s first ever incarnation in 1999, Efren won the inaugural All Around event. The turn of the century, Dee Adkins had the honor, It took Shannon Daulton until 2001 to create his most treasured memory, in 2002 Jose Parica took the praise until Larry Nevel reveled in it in 2003. In 2004: The Return of Reyes: in the 4 years thru 2007, Efren was the “Master” three times: He “repeated” ’04 and ’05 and titled again in 2007. Incidentally, he won the One Pocket in all 4 of those years. Jason Miller interrupted in 2006.  2008 had fellow Filipino Francisco Bustamante, 2009, the brutal banker, John Brumback. In, 2010, guess who? Yup, Efren again! 2011 announced Shane Van Boening coming in to his own. He back-to backed thru ’12, The Filipino invasion was resuscitated as Francisco Bustamante titled again in ’13, Dennis Orcollo dominated 2014 then, Alex Pagulayan  paralyzed everyone, even Efren, in 2015 and ’16. Dennis danced thru the field again in 2017.
 
Alex reminisced, “Without a doubt, my best memory was winning the One Pocket in 2015. What I like about the DCC is that I really get to play some pool, I mean lots of pool, and in all those different discipline.”
 
John Brumback concurred, “I’ve had no greater feeling than when they announced my first win in Banks, then, the second I heard that I was the All Around Champion, wow, nothin’ better.”
 
So, in conclusion, who is the Master of the Table? Well, the stats don’t lie. As was once stated, “You can have your own opinion but, you can’t have your own facts!”
 
When you add up Efren’s attendance record, consider that he competed in only 11 years of the Derby and was the All Around Champion in 5 of them.That seems like an almost impossible statistic to repeat. Even in 2017, in his 60s, he was still pounding an Accu-Stats’ 9-Ball Total Performance Average (TPA) in the 890s and 900s.
 
We’ll see what future generations will accomplish as we are sure of one thing, DCC will be there for decades to come. DCC XXX will create some interesting search results.
 
Maybe Shannon said it best, “We really have to thank Greg Sullivan for taking such a chance 20 years ago. To this day, in my opinion, it’s our Greatest Show on Earth.”
 
Experience it for yourself: Get there, there is still time. Or view on accu-stats.com
 

Davis wins third straight NC State 8-Ball Championship

Mike Davis, Jr.

If state pool championships are the measurement device, then Mike Davis is the best pool player in North Carolina. He owns back-to-back titles in the state’s 9-Ball Championships and on the weekend of November 4-5, he chalked up his third straight NC State 8-Ball title.
 
Say what you will about competing in a small field, Davis locked up his third 8-Ball title by defeating one of the game’s better known veterans, Mark Tademy, cited by The Hyper Texts (http://www.thehypertexts.com) as one of a list of “unknown monster players who could play with anyone on a given day.” A little over 10 years ago (2006), Davis and Tademy were among a  world-wide cast of the best in the International Pool Tour’s (IPT) North American Open Championship in Las Vegas. Finishing in the tie for 61st, and pocketing $5K, Tademy was in tied company with (among others) Keith McCready, Mike Sigel, George “Ginky” Sansouci, Shannon Daulton, Allison Fisher, Loree Jon Hasson, Jeremy Jones, Allen Hopkins and Gerda Hofstatter. Davis, who finished 121st, and pocketed $2K, was in tied company with (among others) Grady Mathews, Jose Parica, Mike Massey, Tommy Kennedy, Warren Kiamco, Ewa Mataya Laurance, Tony Robles, Shane Van Boening, Karen Corr, and Billy Incardona.
 
And so, the hot seat and finals of the 2017 NC State 8-Ball Championships, held under the auspices of the Viking Cues’ Q City 9-Ball Tour, featured two of the sport’s more prominent competitors; one (Tademy), a little more old-school than the other (Davis). The $300-added event drew 23 entrants to Brown’s Billiards in Raleigh, NC. It should be noted that the weekend of November 4-5 played host to at least two other major 8-Ball Tournaments, which are about as rare as teenagers who don’t play video games – NYC’s BCA-sanctioned 8-Ball Championships, which drew 241 entrants (with some duplication over six separate events) and Maryland State’s 8-Ball Championships, which drew a full field of 128 entrants. North Carolina appeared to have drawn the ‘short straw’ on available 8-ball competitors.
 
The tournament did, however, draw two marquee players into its final two matches. Davis and Tademy met first in the hot seat match, once Davis had sent Jim Lewis to the loss side 7-3 in one winners’ side semifinal and Tademy had dispatched former NC State 9-Ball Champion Jeff Abernathy 7-4 in the other one. Davis claimed the hot seat 7-3 over Tademy and waited for round two.
 
On the loss side, Abernathy picked up Eddie Little, who’d gotten by Kenny Daughtrey 7-3 and Steve Page 7-4. Lewis drew Joshua Padron (winner of the 2016 Viking Cues’ Q City 9-Ball Tour Championships this past January), who’d defeated Brown’s Billiards’ owner Dave Huffman 7-2 and Tyler Chappell 7-5.
 
Little and Padron eliminated winners’ side semifinalists Abernathy and Lewis, respectively; Little, 7-4 over Abernathy and Padron, 7-3 over Lewis. Little dropped Padron 7-5 in the quarterfinals that followed, before having his two-match, loss-side run ended by Tademy 7-3 in the semifinals.
The two veterans, Davis and Tademy, fought back and forth in the early going of the finals to a 5-5 tie. Davis, though, took command at that point and chalked up the next four in a row to win it and claim his third straight NC State 8-Ball title.
 
Tour directors Herman and Angela Parker thanked Brown’s Billiards’ owner Dave Huffman and his staff for their hospitality, as well as title sponsor Viking Cues, Delta 13 Racks, AZBilliards and Professor Q Ball. The next stop on the Viking Cues’ Q City 9-Ball Tour, scheduled for November 11-12, will be a $1,000-added event, hosted by Mr. Cues II in Atlanta, GA.

Orcollo comes from the loss side to win second straight Cole Dickson Memorial

Dennis Orcollo shoots under the watchful eye of Mika Immonen

"Cole Dickson was an icon from a bygone era, when pool was about the road; about rattletrap vehicles pulling into small towns, and road warriors hustling the locals for enough money to get to the next town with a stake." – Billiards Digest, 2013
 
It's hard to know how Cole Dickson and his contemporaries (Jimmy Mataya, Larry Schwartz, Billy Incardona and Grady Mathews, et al) would have fared had they emerged into the world of 21st century pool with its tournaments-all-over-the-place structure. Planes have replaced automobiles, and stepping into a given pool hall might expose you to a combination of the best in the country and world, instead of the hot shots within a country mile. As good as they all were, and some, to a degree, still are, they never had to walk into a pool hall in Iowa and face the likes of Dennis Orcollo from the Philippines, or Mika Immonen from Finland, neither of whom were born when Dickson was starting out on the road.
 
As the initial stop on a two-week blitz of West coast tournaments, known collectively as the West Coast Swing, the 5th Annual Cole Dickson Memorial Tournament was held on the weekend of July 1-2. Sponsored by West State Billiards and POVPool, the $2,500-added event drew 83 entrants to Family Billiards in San Francisco, and featured a finals matchup between the aforementioned (and defending champion) Dennis Orcollo and "The Iceman," Mika Immonen. Orcollo, coming off the heels of a five-match, loss-side winning streak, downed Immonen to claim his second straight Cole Dickson Memorial title.
 
With Orcollo already at work on the loss side, having been downed by Rodney Morris in a winners' side quarterfinal, Immonen advanced to a winners' side semifinal against Vilmos Foldes. Rodney Morris faced Family Billiards' room owner and long-time friend of Dickson, Delbert Wong in the other winners' side semifinal. Morris and Immonen advanced to the hot seat match; Morris 7-4 over Wong and The Iceman 7-2 over Foldes. Immonen claimed the hot seat 7-5 over Morris, and settled in for what proved to be a long wait for Dennis Orcollo to finish his loss-side campaign.
 
As if it weren't enough to be on the loss side at this stage of the proceedings, Orcollo opened that loss-side campaign against Francisco Bustamante, who'd just survived a tough double hill fight against a local veteran, Jason Williams. Orcollo eliminated Bustamante, and then, Lee Brett, to draw Foldes. Wong picked up Steve Lingelbach, who'd advanced past Santos Sambajon and Gus Briseño.
 
Orcollo downed Foldes 7-3, advancing to the quarterfinals. Wong joined him after a double hill win over Lingelbach. Though home room support went to the man who owned the room, Orcollo ended Wong's run 7-2, and then turned to what proved to be an epic re-match against Morris in the semifinals. The two battled to double hill before Orcollo finished it for a shot at the Iceman.
 
Though the final race-to-11 would show early, back-and-forth signs of becoming Orcollo's second straight double hill match, Robocop (as he's occasionally known) pulled away at the end to secure an 11-8 win and his second straight Cole Dickson Memorial title.
 

Preview: 2nd Annual Deurne City Classic

At this moment in time the Deurne City Classic is the biggest pool event held in The Netherlands. It’s strongly based on the well-known Derby City Classic, one of world’s biggest most visited tournaments. Organized and sponsored by Diamond Billiards Inc. at the Horseshoe Casino and Hotel in Southern Indiana, the Derby hosts world’s biggest one-pocket and bankpool event with more than 800 players visiting every year. A 24/7 greenroom where high-stakes gambling between local players and foreign superstars are being watched on internet live-streams all over the world. Winners of the Derby are mostly BCA Hall-of-Famers or international celebs like Efren Reyes, Grady Mathews, Shannon Daulton, John Brumback, Fred Bentivegna and recently Shane Van Boening has dominated the entire event.

The Dutch version’s format is inspired by this big phenomenon but there’s more to the history of the event. The venue hosting the event is named after the oldschool pool hustler’s hangout ‘Ames’ where Minnesota Fats in the 1961 movie ‘The Hustler’ plays Fast Eddie Felson in a 25 hour lasting straighpool match.

Greatly inspired by the Derby City Classic and American pool-hustler scene Dutch organizers came up with the Deurne City Classic. The 2nd Annual ‘Predator’ 2014 edition will be held on May 9th through 11th 2014 and will have a guaranteed prize-fund of €10.000,- for the 9ball Main Event.

A field of 192 players will compete for the title previously held by Nick Van Den Berg. On Friday May 9th this edition will host several side-events like One-Pocket and 9ball Bankpool tournaments, a 14.1 Shootout and multiple ringgames with different stakes. All in all there will be enough to satisfy every pool-players` needs. The field will be stronger than ever this year, with players like; Niels Feijen (World 14.1 Champion), Hall-of-Famer Ralf Souquet, Snooker Celebrity Tony Drago and 2007 World 9 Ball Champion Daryl Peach.

Check our Facebook-event page for all information regarding format and schedules for all events. To enlist please send an email announcing yourself, to dcc@amesdeurne.nl.

See you there !

Team DCC

 

Services Set for Grady


The funeral for Grady Mathews will be held Saturday, April 21, at 4 PM. The location is the Caughman Harman Funeral Home, 503 North Lake Drive in Lexington, South Carolina.

Allison Fisher Re-opens Teaching Academy

Allison Fisher and Grady Mathews

After a two year break, The Duchess of Doom has re-started her previously very successful Teaching Academy. The venue for this first Academy session was held at 150 ‘n’ Out Billiards and Darts in Mooresville, NC, and the students who came in from all over the States, certainly had a huge surprise in store for them on their second day.
 
I will let Allison tell you in her own words, just how the two days played out.
 
“I am very happy to say that I am back into teaching again. It is something I have been doing for 15 years and I really enjoy it. What I like the most is having an open mind and over the years I have learned many new things to pass on to my students.”
 
“In February 2012, I started up my academy again after a couple of years break. The students arrived on Friday evening where we met at a local restaurant to ‘break the ice’. On Saturday we met at 150 ‘n’ Out Billiards and Darts in Mooresville, NC to start the lessons. Day one was focused on the fundamentals and drills. I like to give my students a clear understanding of what they are doing and help them create a routine that is unique to them. That evening we all went to dinner again and had a lovely evening getting to know more about each other.”
 
“On Day two, I had a very special surprise for my students. I invited two of the World’s most knowledgeable players to teach two very important disciplines. John Brumback, an all round Derby City Champion came up all the way from Kentucky to give banking lessons. Among the professional players he is considered the best banker in the World. We also had the pleasure of Grady Mathews (the Professor), to teach kicking to my students. After their lessons from Grady and John we got back to all of the other elements involved in the game such as breaking, the use of side spin, the mechanical bridge and jumping.”
 
“In 1998, I did an exhibition tour with Grady and I have many great memories from that time. He is fun to be around and the students realized just how lucky they were to experience what these two great champions had to offer. Thank you to all that attended.”
 
“I intend on holding more academies in the future and if you would like more information please contact me at: af@allisonfisher.com”
 
I must say that having witnessed the proceedings on day two, I can honestly say that Allison is in her element when she is in the teaching mode. She is so professional (we all knew that of course!) and so patient with her students, and I kept thinking that this group of students are picking up wisdom from none other than the Multi World Champion and holder of more Titles than Tiger Woods. Yes, the most famous lady pool player in the world, Allison “The Duchess of Doom” Fisher.
 
Wow, I wanted to sign up right there at the moment she started the lesson!
 
I must say to all you players out there that want to move up to the next level in your game, that you have a rare opportunity here to be taught by the best and nicest teacher on the block!!!

2003 Derby City Classic One Pocket – Grady Mathews vs Keith Mccready