Pete Bowman, Mike Zuglan, Snookers manager Paul Troxell and Ray McNamara
Oldest player to win on tour,’ Bob Darigis, wins Second Chance event
He’d be the first to tell you that it’d been a long time coming. But it did show up. This past weekend (June 4-5), after 20 years of attempts, Ray McNamara (generally known on the tour as ‘Ray Mac’) claimed his first Joss NE 9-Ball Tour title, using the last regular season event of the tour’s 2021-2022 season to do so. In an effort that began (as far as we know) with a 7th place finish at a stop in Bristol, CT in October of 2002, McNamara went on to compete regularly on the Joss and other tours, and more recently, won the 364-entrant Amateur Senior event of the Super Billiards Expo this past April. The $1,500-added, 15th stop on the 2021-2022 Joss Northeast 9-Ball Tour drew 53 entrants to Snooker’s in Providence, RI.
In addition to crowning a first-time champion, the event played host to another event champion, whom tour director Mike Zuglan described as “the oldest person (he could) think of who won any of (their) events.”A $500-added Second Chance tournament that drew 14 entrants was won by 71-year-old Bob Darigis.
“Ray Mac and Bob were both around in the days when me, Larry Lisciotti and Joe Tucker were still playing around,” said Zuglan.
Ray Mac’s trip to the winners’ circle had to go through another Joss NE 9-Ball veteran, also looking for his first (recorded with us) win on the tour, Pete Bowman. They met twice; hot seat match and finals. Mac had gotten by Nick Coppola, Lida Mullendore, Clyde Matta and Ryan Cullen to arrive at a winners’ side semifinal match against Bob Madenjian, who, it should be noted, finished in the four-way tie for 5th place behind McNamara in the SBE’s Amateur Senior tournament in April and would end up in the same position at this event. Peter Bowman sent Aro Majumber and Brandon Coley to the loss side before encountering the later-to-be winner of the Second Chance event, Bob Darigis, who battled him tooth and nail to double hill before he sent him over, as well. Bowman then downed Darren Jevons to pick up Kerry McAuliffe in the other winners’ side semifinal.
Mac sent Madenjian west 9-2, while Bowman was defeating McAuliffe 9-3. McNamara claimed the hot seat 9-5, which was, as far as we know, his first.
On the loss side, McAuliffe picked up Steve Mack, who’d lost a winners’ side quarterfinal to Madenjian and jumped onto the loss-side wagon with victories over Rich Kravetz 7-5 and Dan Sharlow 7-3. Madenjian picked up Francisco Salas, who’d also lost to Madenjian on the winners’ side (3rd round) and was working on a seven-match, loss-side streak that would take him as far as the semifinals and include the double-hill elimination of Jeremy Sossei, followed by wins over Darren Jevons 7-2 and Frankie Hernandez 7-3.
Mack did his part to secure a rematch versus Madenjian with a 7-4 win over McAuliffe, but Salas took Madenjian out 7-5 and then eliminated Mack 7-3 in the quarterfinals.
Bowman closed out Salas’ run with a 7-3 win in the semifinals to earn his second shot at Ray Mac, waiting for him in the hot seat. Though Salas would chalk up three more racks against Ray Mac in the finals than he had in the hot seat, Ray Mac prevailed 9-5 to claim his first Joss Northeast 9-Ball title, closing the ‘long time coming’ door behind him.
The final standings in tour points were headed up by Bucky Souvanthong, who appeared in nine of the season’s 15 events, winning five of them. Ron Casanzio finished in 2nd place, based on 10 appearances, with a single win. Jeremy Sossei was in 3rd place, having won three of his five appearances. Len Gianfrate placed fourth, just ahead of Aaron Greenwood. Rounding out the top 10 on the 2021-2022 tour were Jamie Garrett, Dan Sharlow, Frank Hernandez, Mhet Vergara and Bruce Carroll.
Tour director Mike Zuglan thanked Regina and Steve Goulding and their Snookers’ staff for their hospitality, as well as title sponsor Joss Cues, Turning Stone Resort Casino, Simonis Cloth, Poolonthenet.com, AZBilliards, Aramith, Billiards Press and World Class Cue Care. The next event, the tour’s season finale, scheduled for Sept. 1-4, will be the $25,000-added Turning Stone Classic XXXV 9-Ball Open, hosted by the Turning Stone Resort Casino in Verona, NY
John Leyman, Efren Ryes, Greg Hunt, Mika Immonen and David Padilla (Amsterdam Billiards Manager)
Pool fans in the Northeast United States don’t have much time keft to catch Efren "Bata" Reyes on his 2020 Northeast Tour.
Reyes, a five time World Champion, three time US Open Winner, five time Derby City Classic Master of the Table winner and member of both the BCA and One Pocket Hall of Fames, started his tour at Amsterdam Billiards Club in New York City on January 17th with an exhibition match against “The Iceman” Mika Immonen. He was then at the Carom Cafe in New York City on the 18th.
The remaining dates on this schedule are…
January 19th: New City Billiards & Cafe, New York City
Contact: Joe Tucker (Professional Billiard Instructor)
For fans who aren’t able to get to any of these locations, Reyes is scheduled to compete at the 2020 Derby City Classic, taking place January 24th – February 1st at the Caesar’s Southern Indian Casino & Hotel in Elizabeth, Indiana.
The Diamond Pool Tour kicked off their 2016 season the same way they kicked off their 2015 season, with Scott Frost topping a huge field of “A” and “B” players. The season opener this season was 9-ball on the freshly reclothed 9’ tables at Bull Shooters in Phoenix. Not only did noted table mechanic (and legendary player) Ernesto Dominguez redo the vast majority of the tables at Bull Shooters before the event, but he also stuck around to compete in the event.
A record tying field of 94 players was split between 36 “A” players, and 58 “B” players. Frost started his trek to win the “A” bracket with wins over Emilio Maestas, Eric Young and Navin Talreja. A 9-3 win over top Arizona talent Chuck Evans, was followed up by a nail biting 9-8 win over Dominguez. Frost then cruised to the “A” bracket hot-seat with a 9-5 win over Mitch Ellerman. Ellerman would then defeat Paul Grande 9-3 on the one loss side.
The “B” bracket saw Tucson’s Tonee Allin display top level play all weekend, as he defeated Chris Carpenter, Chan Phan, Joe Guerra, Evan Brinkmann, Manny Luevano and then Oscar Avila Sr. for the hot-seat. On the one loss side. it was Karloz Chavez bouncing back from a 2nd round loss to win nine straight matches, including a 9-4 victory over Avila.
When the two brackets came together, Frost made quick work of Allin 9-2, to take the overall hot-seat. On the one loss side, Ellerman made even quicker work of Chavez, with a 9-0 win. Ellerman then sent Allin back to Tucson with a 9-5 loss, and got ready to take on Frost again in the finals. The finals saw Ellerman hand Frost his first loss with a 9-7 scoreline in the first set of the finals. Ellerman looked to be on his way to the double-dip in the second set, as he led the match early 3-1. A couple untimely mistakes by Ellerman were all that it took though, as Frost came back and won the second set 9-5.
Tour organizers expressed their thanks to Mike and Julie Bates at Bull Shooters, for hosting another great event, Rick Schmitz for the great photos, and “Fast” Lenny Marshall for two days of non-stop streaming coverage of the event.
The tour’s next stop is scheduled for May 14th at Stingers Sports Bar in Phoenix. The event will be bar table 9-ball.
Yet another final match with the Touring Pro vs. the Working Joe. Mike Davis vs. Kevin West might have played the best final match we’ve seen yet, certainly the most dramatic with a final score of 138-140.
22 Players across the country as far away as Lee Ladouceur in Vermont to Max Adams in Alaska qualified for 2016 Derby City Finals. Play began one day prior to the 9 Ball Banks event with every player playing four 120 point round robin matches on Thursday to determine our top 8 on Friday.
Shannon Fitch of Gate City Billiards Greensboro NC coming back to the game after more than a 10 year layoff had everyone saying “Who the hell is that guy?” topped Mike Davis & Johnny Archer for the #1 seed with a 4-0 record and point differential of +193, defeating his opponents by the average score of 48 points in a race to 120 points, very impressive.
Jody McLaughlin (Runner up at last year’s Derby Finals) 140-123 over #1 Seed Shannon Fitch
Kevin West (Sponsored by Black Boar Custom Cues) 140-90 over #5 Seed Rob Hall Bumpers AL
Mike Davis 140-108 over Cleiton Rocha (Sponsored by J Pechauer Custom Cues)
Johnny Archer Marietta Billiard Club & Player of TWO Decades 140-106 over another player who had many wondering who the heck he was, #6 Seed Chris McDaniel Denver CO.
Semi Final matches guaranteed that would see a working man vs touring pro finals;
Kevin West Great Slates Billiards MD vs Jody McLaughin Big Dog Billiards IA
Johnny Archer Marietta Billiard Club vs Mike Davis Brass Tap, Bucks & Brown’s NC!
While Kevin and Jody battled back and forth Mike Davis got the jump on Johnny and held it throughout the entire match.
The final match was not looking good for our working man who also happens to be a Type 1 Diabetic. Mike started strong taking a 64-16 lead in a race to 140. American Rotation is a very tough game to come back in so we actually started to lose some spectators as they believed Mike would continue on as he did in his earlier match with Johnny. Many would soon return when somehow Kevin came back strong to make the match 90-90 & 102-98. From there both players scored exactly 20 points to make the score 118 Kevin 122 Mike with Kevin’s turn to break. He did what we all hope to do in that position, broke the 15 balls and ran them all perfectly in rotation to score 20 points making the score 138-122 and now Mike’s break. Who would rather be? The player needing just 2 points sitting in the chair or the player needing 18 but has break ball in hand? Mike broke a table that looked very difficult from the 5 ball on out. He ran 1-4 and played position for a preplanned safety on the 5. It worked as Kevin missed an off angle kick that required just the right amount of spin. Even with ball in hand on the 5 Mike still has his work cut out for him. The 6-7 were tucked under the 14 ball and would require Mike to shoot the 5 ball six feet up the left side rail while moving the cue ball forward and across a position zone about 6 inches wide and 5 ft away. The entire room was pressure packed and wondering what he was going to do and would he succeed or not. Iron Mike did no disappoint. After rebridging several times he struck it perfectly and fell on the only spot on the table where the 6 could be pocketed. From there on out we simply held our breath the see if Mike could run the rest of the table to nab the Series 7 title. Iron Mike came through with a 140-138 victory!
All 22 players received travel money for attending and our top 8 earned additional money
$2,500 & Series VII Champion Mike Davis
$1,500 & a Great performance Kevin West
$1,000 each of 3rd 4th Johnny Archer & Jody McLaughlin
$500 each Shannon Fitch, Rob Hall, Cleiton Rocha, Chris McDaniel
Series VII Finals was an awesome experience for all of us. The American Billiard Club helped put $25,000 in the pockets of some aspiring players and some pro players while they attended what is probably the greatest pool show of the year, The Derby City Classic.
We thank all the players there and all the players at home who competed in their local 10 week Series. We thank Diamond Billiards for allowing us to come in one day early, the use of the tables, for making us feel welcome and for putting on such a great event.
We thank BadBoy Billiard Productions for working with us on Friday while juggling our finals with the 9 Ball Banks Tournament, which had a record 385 players.
We thank TVMike for doing a live free stream with picture in picture video allowing fans to watch 2 tables simultaneously. You really do have to watch these last 3 racks of the finals, the best finish to date. Final match is located on our Vimeo page here; Finals Mike Davis Kevin West
Semi Finals Jody McLaughlin vs Shannon Fitch has been speed edited Semi Finals
Semi Finals Johnny Archer Mike Davis coming soon.
As tour coordinator I can tell you, it’s a pretty nice feeling living up to the American Billiard Club’s mission of helping tour pros cover expenses while also helping aspiring players get to national events like Derby City for the very first time! We absolutely love seeing these players who EARNED their way to these events.
The plan for 2016 is to allow just 32 clubs to qualify 2 players each (March-June & Aug-Nov) so we can have a 64 player Series VIII Championship at the 2017 Derby City Classic. Please email Joe Tucker at JTtenball@gmail.com to support a fantastic format and to secure your clubs spot as we are shutting it down to just 32 clubs, some of which will be coming from different countries 😉
We’ve had this project on the backburner for nearly 3 years and it’s with great joy that we’re finally able to offer it to all aspiring players.
What we’ve done is made all Joe Tucker products available for immediate access and we’ve made it as affordable & efficient as possible for everyone. The price is less than half of what hard copies would cost but the real deal maker is you can get everything immediately with just $8 down. I’ve always known or felt that not everyone who wants to improve their game can afford to pull the trigger to make $100-$200 instructional purchases and that’s why I wouldn’t have done this unless we could make it affordable for everyone. It’s not a subscription site; it’s just a monthly reoccurring charge of $8 per month for one year that covers everything. ($6 in September if you use promo code UpStateAL). I love to teach and I believe this format is perfect for everyone involved.
The package players gain immediate access to;
Racking Secrets 1
Racking & Breaking Secrets II (These 2 alone retail for more than our promo deal)
Aiming Workout Videos & Book (Toughest pool workout there is and gets quick results)
Rail Workout Videos (90 minute workout that every player needs to be able to execute)
Guaranteed Improvement Video & Book (This is must have for players and other instructors)
And the 3rd Eye Stroke Trainer will be mailed to each new student.
(Haven’t found a way to deliver that via immediate download yet)
These items normally retail for $185 without shipping and now people can get it all for just $8 down
($6 with UpStateAl code)
I would like to give a shout out to “THE” company that could do the job; Arizona Web Kings and Thomas Collins are an amazing company to deal with. Sure we all know somebody who is a wiz with websites or at least we think we do until we hire them. I know from personal experience that many think it’s easy to just throw up some videos & books and make them available but trust me its not, I wouldn’t have had to fire two previous designers that swore they could handle it if it were so simple. This had to be done so it was affordable and efficient for everyone; Tom really came through for all of us.
This is a small dream come true for me because it’s what I love to do and it’s done in a good old fashion win, win manner. I stink at sales, really don’t enjoy marketing and have always been for the good ole “Here’s the deal, I know it has value, take it or leave it” and that’s exactly what we’ve done. People get information that is worth far more than they have to pay and I get to work for the masses doing what I love. For less than the price of one private lesson with me I get to offer anyone wanting to improve their game enough information that might take us 10 lessons or more to cover. The information on the site will make you a better player simply by viewing it, never mind when you start taking it to the table. (Which you can now do on your cell phone or any mobile device 😉
In the near future I hope to have time to add more video instruction to both the free and instructional member sections of the site as an ongoing and added bonus for everyone. I love to teach and help others but right now the American Billiard Club and the American Rotation Championship Series (along with family) still have to be my main focus. We’ve been on this mission to unite players and 64 clubs across the country for more than 2 years now and we’re currently getting over the hump. Almost everyone that gets involved in the ARCS loves it, so please consider inviting your local club & 9 of your friends to form your own group of 10 to get on board for Series 7 or Series 8.
I look forward to seeing all of us improve our personal game and our sport in general.
FAIRFAX, VA — 12,000 professional, public safety athletes from 70 countries competing in 60+ sports to qualify for over 1,600 medal events. That’s the Olympic-style competition known as the World Police and Fire Games (WPFG).
Held every two years, the games are being staged in Fairfax County, Virginia (USA). Previous competitions were held in Belfast (Ireland), Barcelona (Spain), Stockholm (Sweden), and Melbourne (Australia).
The pocket billiards event is a 5-day competition covering 9Ball, 8Ball, and straight pool disciplines. Matches run from Monday, June 29th through Friday, July 3rd. The venue is Breakers Sky Lounge, an upscale room managed by Shanna Lewis in Herndon, VA. The tournament will adhere to BCA rules and be played on Brunswick Gold Crown tables with Super Aramith balls. “The players are in for a great week of billiards,” predicted Lewis. Athletes from Australia, Ireland, Canada, Latvia, Singapore, the United States, and more are in the field.
The WPFG Sport Coordinator for Pocket Billiards is Eric S. Townsend, a 10-year veteran of the American Poolplayers Association, league operator with Cue Sports International since 2009, ambassador for Joe Tucker’s American Rotation, and author of the billiard book Sharking: Don’t Get Fooled Again (GoBooklets.com, Amazon). “It’s an honor to ensure that our police and fire professionals experience the very best that pro am billiards has to offer,” shared Townsend. “It’s the very least that we can do,” he added.
Townsend was hired by WPFG Sports Director Tony Shobe and Senior Games Manager Mark Kidd. “We couldn’t be happier with the enthusiasm shown by and for billiards for the better part of a year leading up to this event,” shared Shobe. “Our competitors will be grateful for the extra effort being put forth,” echoed Kidd.
The billiard support team is lead by Dan Madden, director of the Pennsylvania 9Ball Tour and a top amateur player himself. He is tasked with administrating the tournament and maintaining a live audio and video stream available by mobile phone, tablet, or computer. “I’m excited for the field to play our unique quadruple-qualifying format, and for those back home to enjoy the stream,” Madden said.
Additional attractions include professional commentator George Hammerbacher, who will call the action each afternoon from 1-6pm. “How can I not be excited for such an event?” offered Hammerbacher — a sentiment that’s been shared by many involved with the Fairfax games. Lucasi-sponsored pro Shaun Wilkie will be on hand Tuesday and Wednesday for player challenges, photo opps, and two different talks on 9Ball and straight pool tips. “‘I was excited to receive the invite for this wonderful event,” Wilkie said. “It’s not every day that I get to tip my cap through the game that I love,” he added.
If you’d like to catch the live pocket billiard action this coming week (June 29th through July 3rd), then tune in any time from 9am until 6pm on the away channel at www.tvmike.tv. Commentary added 1-6pm daily. If you have any questions, then please email the WPFG Sport Coordinator at eric.s.townsend@gmail.com.
American Rotation Championship Series 5 was held at the Derby City Classic on January 22nd thru the 24th, 2015. 16 players qualified but only 15 were able to make the trip. We had 12 players representing the United States, 2 players representing Canada, and 1 player from the land of Rotation, the Philippines.
Once again, all qualified players were in the money even before they hit a ball. This Self Sustaining format has players earning their way to the national events rather than buying their way in. Each billiard club has 10 local players that compete over a 10 week period which ends by sending one of their players to a two day national event with free entry and an additional $800 in expense money. The American Billiard Club’s American Rotation Series seems to be picking up speed, traction and well earned attention from players, fans and club owners. It is definitely tough to ignore this format in which there are no losers, and the players are finally uniting for themselves and their sport.
Diamond Billiard Products not only welcomed the Championship and the additional players but they allowed us to use their tables, one day prior to the actual start date of the Derby City events. This helped to ensure that none of our players would miss out on playing in their 9 Ball Banks event, and would allow us to have minimal conflicting match schedules.
Our Championship event began with a 15 player draw into three separate round robin groups, 5 players in each. They would all play 4 matches racing to 120 points. Each match in this round robin would be played out in its entirety on day one. The top 2 players from each group and the two best 3rd place records would move on to the 8 player single elimination finals on day two. Group 2 attracted much of the iron with 3 of the top 4 favorites; Joe Dupuis our first ever American Rotation Champion, 2 time and defending Champion Mike Dechaine, and new comer Filipino sensation Edgie Geronimo. Below are the Groups and their results (wins, losses, ball count).
Group 1
Jody McLaughlin- Big Dog Billiards, DesMoines IA: 4-0 (+100)
Tom Zippler– Magic 8 Cue Club, Baltimore MD: 3-1 (+74)
Jay Wideman– Port City Billiard, Brunswick GA: 1-3 (-111)
Danny Petro- Lags Billiards, Columbus IN: 1-3 (-125)
The top 8 players were seeded based on their independent records into the single elimination bracket on day 2 of the championships.
Below was our match ups:
#1 Mike Dechaine vs # 8 Gerry Williams = Mike Advanced
#4 Edgie Geronimo vs #5 Tom Zippler = Edgie Advanced
#3 Brandon Shuff vs #6 Amos Bush = Brandon Advanced
#2 Jody McLaughlin vs #7 Roger Miller = Jody Advanced
Semi Final Matches:
Mike Dechaines vs Edgie Geronimo = Mike Advanced
Jody McLaughlin vs Brandon Shuff = Jody Advanced
This brought us one of our personal dream finals, the touring professional vs the full time working/family man. This is what the American Billiard Club is all about, helping professional players cover yearly travel expenses and keeping passionate high level players with families involved in our sport.
The Finals: Jody McLaughlin: 43 yrs young, married, 4 children and working 60+ hours per week VS the #2 U.S. ranked professional player, young gun and two time defending American Rotation Champion Mike Dechaine.
Mike wins the lag in this race to 140 points and turns up the heat right away by opening with a perfect 20 point break and run.
Rack 1 = 20-0 Mike
R2 = 24-16 Mike
R3= 40-20 Mike
R4= Mike is picking up the pace with a 24 pint lead 52-28
R5= 60-40 Mike, but Jody is holding on
R6= Jody is reeling in the points 62-58 Mike
R7= 73-67 JODY, Jody takes the lead and applies unexpected heat.
R8= 80-80 baby.
R9= 91-89 Mike takes the lead but its now Jody’s break
R10= 4 innings of kick safes on the 5 ball with Jody eventually getting the first shot and clears the rack and re takes the lead 105-95 Jody
R11= Mike’s break and he shows some serious heart by coming with another perfect break and run to take the lead 115-105 Mike.
R12= Jody makes 2 balls on the break and starts a nice run but as he attempted to draw across a position zone, he came up short and was now hooked by the 13 ball at a score of score 115-110. Jody had a side of the 5 to hit and played a nice safety but the cue ball coming from a very steep angle off the end rail found the side pocket! Mike then clears the table right up until the 12 ball, when he shocked everyone by missing a routine shot that allowed Jody to pick up 8 huge points pulling the score to a very tight 122-118 in favor of Mike.
R13= Mike’s break needing 18 points to win his 3rd consecutive title. He makes 2 balls on the break, a solid and a stripe and scratches. The room of spectators believe 3 points are awarded to Jody which means Mike cannot close out the match with just 17 points remaining on the table. The stripe ball turns out to be the 9 ball, which is a one point ball, so there is still 18 points available on the table. If Jody gets at least one more point in this rack, he’ll have a chance to break and run the next rack for the title. Amazingly this was the same situation Mike was in at his last ARCS finals against Jerry Calderone in Las Vegas, with Mike needing to make a combination with 2 striped balls. In Vegas, Mike made the combo but had to play safe after it which gave Jerry one last shot. Here in this match, Mike drills the combo pocketing the 15 and the 13 ball slid right past the cue ball giving him the shot and with these 2 last balls made, Mike wins his 3rd Consecutive American Rotation Title with yet another perfect break and run,140-120 Mike Dechaine.
The Question now becomes, who and when will someone defeat this worthy Champion? Will it be another average Joe or our next touring pro?
The payouts for American Rotation Champions Series 5:
1st Mike Dechaine $2400 + $800 = $3200.
2nd Jody McLaughlin $1500 + $800 = $2300.
3rd/4th Brandon Shuff $750 +$800 = $1550.
3rd/4th Edgie Geronimo $750 + $800 = $1550.
5th-8th Tom Zippler $400 + $800 = $1200.
5th-8th Amos Bush $400 + $800 = $1200.
5th-8th Roger Miller $400 + $800 = $1200.
5th-8th Gerry Williams $400 + $800 = $1200.
9th-16th Each player received $800 for expenses.
Series VI begins March 9th throughout the country. If your local club is not yet on board, please take action for them and for our sport. The sooner we hit 64 clubs, the sooner we can start approaching corporate sponsors from outside the industry. It is a simple process that can be very important for our sports’ future.
It takes 10 local players and at least 1 pool table, so do not hesitate to contact the American Billiard Club via their website or contact Joe Tucker directly at JTtenball@gmail.com and he will put a schedule up online for your 10 players. United, simple strong steps.
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 15 Ball American Rotation Women’s Division held its second New England Women’s American Rotation Championships on December 21, 2014 at Snookers in Providence, RI. Thirty-eight women from all over New England competed this session. The top 16 players cashed, and the top 8 qualified to play in our Second New England Women’s American Rotation Championships. Players that advanced represented Stix and Stones (Abington, MA), Ivory Billiards (Holyoke, MA), Grand China Restaurant & Billiards (Salem, NH), and Snookers in Providence, RI.
Matches were streamed all day and we were fortunate to have Joe Tucker and Thomas Bertrand in the booth commentating the matches for us. Each and every player that has participated in 15 Ball American Rotation not only have shown a lot of heart and desire to improve, but these players have also shown admiration and respect towards those players that challenge them. We all are learning from each other and it’s wonderful to see each player enjoying the journey.
As for the purse, no outside sponsors were approached for this event, all money collected were given back to the prize fund, and it was an impressive payday. 1st $1500, 2nd $1000, 3rd/4th $575, 5th-8th $300, and for those players that won one match in the playoffs but didn’t advance to the championships placed 9th-16th, making $50 each! As for the event, We had two round robin groups, racing to 60 points, semi final rounds racing to 80 points, and our finals a race to 100. This session we had 3 players finish their matches undefeated going into the championship rounds. Congratulations to Lida Mullendore from Stix and Stones, Erica Testa from Grand China, and Stacie Bourbeau from Ivory Billiards for all their success and for representing their host rooms professionally.
After our 3 rounds in the Round Robin, the top 2 players in each advance to the Semi finals. In Group 1 Nicole Albergaria finished 1st with a 3-0 record and Samantha Barrett finished 2nd with a 2-1 record. In Group 2 we had a 3 way tie with 2-1 records. Going head to head, and then by ball counts, Erica Testa finished 1st and Stacie finished 2nd. Nelia Abrantes from Snookers RI missed the cut by 2 balls. Congratulations to Nelia for a great session.
Our first semi final match was with our last session championship finalists Nicole vs Stacie. Stacie advanced with an 80-44 win over Nicole. Our second semi final match was with both players that were representing Grand China, Erica vs Samantha. Samantha lost to Erica in the regular session giving her her only loss. This time Samantha won. She advanced with an 80-59 win over Erica.
Finals: Defending Champion Stacie Bourbeau against last sessions semifinalist Samantha Barrett. This final match was a race to 100 battle for the title. Stacie takes the lead at 44-36 and then next rack Sam ties it up 50-50. Sam takes the lead 66-54 and then next rack Stacie ties it up 70-70. Sam then takes the lead once again 81-79 and then eventually stops Stacie's momentum with a 100-86 win beating the defending champion. Stacie was the winner of our first RI Championship and our first New England Championship. Great Play Stacie and as always, your professionalism and poise at the table is enjoyable to watch.
As for our “New” Women's New England American Rotation Champion, this is her First time as a Title Holder at any venue. Way to go Samantha Barrett! It needs to be noted that Sam was invited to the NY 10 ball international womens event that week. She drove home Friday night from NY and went straight to her home pool room Grand China in Salem NH that night around10:30pm to play in her final playoff match to qualify and advance to the amro championships on Sunday. Sam sends me a text at 2 am stating that she just won and if off to get some sleep before work. Next day, Saturday she has to work a double at her job, which takes us to Championship Sunday at Snookers RI, where she play 12 hours straight of 15 ball American Rotation matches. Impressive drive and determination shown by Samantha Barrett. Great Job. Samantha won the Title and $1500 for 1st and Stacie won $1000 for 2nd. Below is the Top finishers and payouts. Congratulations to Everyone.
Those players that missed advancing by one match also received $50 each placing 9th-16th. Congratulations to Lori Fitlin & Becky Ellsworth-Tucker from Snookers, Cameo Moy & Karen Dorr from Stix and Stones, Linda Estes & Debby Cauley from Ivory Billiards and Kristy Marr & Dawn Luz from Grand China for winning one match in the playoffs and placing 9th-16th. Thank you players and room owners for all your support, professionalism and enthusiasm for 15 Ball American Rotation. Because of you, we are growing, players are improving and we are one step closer towards mission success. For those interesting in participating in our next session please go to www.americanbilliardclub.com.
American Rotation is a game of 15 ball Rotation. Call shot, Call safe, Rack your own, alternate breaks, ball in hand after every break ( even if you scratch ). Balls 1-10 are worth 1 point each and Balls 11-15 are worth 2 points each ( 20 points per rack). Our Women’s Division matches will be racing to 100 points per match. Each room will have 10 women playing in a round robin format, minimum one match per week. American Rotation is here to raise the level of play in our country, 15 ball Supports and Compliments other tours not replace. AmRo 15 ball is the perfect addition to your training routine to help prepare for current tours and/or events. We are determined to step up our game in this country ( &Canada ) Our industry needs a boost in the right direction, and the time is now..
Albuquerque – Razor Pool has announced a new billiard (pool) instructional product called Bullseye Billiards. Players can use Bullseye Billiards to practice pocketing balls and positioning the cue ball by playing a game on the pool table. The instructional aid includes targets, score pads, and a book with 200 diagrammed shots.
Bullseye Billiards is targeted for beginning to intermediate level players. Each shot has hints for line of aim, tip contact, stroke speed, and an instructional snippet. The book also gives an overview of billiard fundamentals, physics, strategies, and advice on competition.
The games in Bullseye Billiards are played on a pool table using the included targets. The goal of each shot is to pocket the object ball and control the cue ball to stop on the target. Bullseye Billiards can be played with one or more players.
“One thing is for certain, the games contained in Bullseye Billiards will make it more fun for players to practice. The shots in Bullseye Billiards are designed to improve skills effectively and will be of immense value to both beginners and advanced players alike,” said Jeremiah Gage, President of Razor Pool.
Professional Billiards instructor, Joe Tucker, who did a thorough review of the Bullseye Billiards, said in effect that it is “One of the best instructional books I’ve ever seen because it gets you to the table immediately doing what you need most to become a good player.”
Bullseye Billiards will be available to order November 22nd at 10am MST online at http://BullseyeBilliards.net. All orders placed before November 29th will receive free shipping to anywhere in the United States or Canada.
Razor Pool will donate $5 to the Billiard Education Foundation (BEF) for every sale. The BEF is a nonprofit charity that promotes pool through youth programs and academic scholarships.
About the Author
Jeremiah Gage started playing and studying billiards at New Mexico Tech in Socorro, NM, 2002. He is a recognized instructor with the PBIA and has been teaching billiards since 2005. Gage is a founder of the ABQ Billiards Academy and manages local Albuquerque pool leagues.
About Razor Pool
Razor Pool, LLC is the publisher and distributor for Bullseye Billiards and was founded in 2013 by Jeremiah Gage. Razor Pool is the parent organization for the Albuquerque, USA Pool League and Albuquerque BCA Pool League.
