Shane Van Boening has defeated Jung Lin Chang to claim the 41st U.S. Open 9-Ball Championships.
Our final day began with two matches. On the one-loss side Shane Van Boening took on Dennis Orcullo. This one stayed close at first as our two combatants were tied at 1, then 2, then 3 and finally at 4 games apiece. But then Shane went on a roll and surged to a two-game lead at 6-4. He would never trail again. By the time Orcullo scored another rack the score was 10-5 and Shane won the next rack to win 11-5 and send Orcullo home in fourth place.
Our winner’s side match found Jayson Shaw taking on Jung Lin Chang. Shaw did not seem his usual self in the early going. Instead of the bouncy and positive Shaw we had seen all week he seemed gloomy at the table and both his shot-making and position play were not nearly as sharp as we had seen on previous days. By the time he got in gear he trailed Chang 8-2. Chang got to the hill at 10-4 before Shaw began his run and began to look more like himself. Shaw took rack after rack and denied Chang opportunities until he had tied the score on the hill at 10-10. But in the final rack he missed a very tough opening shot on the three ball and Chang took full advantage and ran the rack out to claim the win.
Still with only one loss for the week Shaw next took on Shane Van Boening. Shaw jumped out to a 6-0 lead before Van Boening got out of the gate to take us to 6-1. Then Van Boening began stringing racks. 6-1 became 6-2, then 6-3, then 6-4, then 6-5. Shane was two balls away from leveling the score at 6 when he miscued on the 7 ball. Shaw finished that rack out to make the score 7-5. Shaw was running out the next rack when he overcooked his position on the 9 ball and scratched. SVB now trailed 7-6 with the break.
In the next rack Van Boening missed a long shot down the rail on the three ball. Shaw again took advantage and took us to 8-6. He won the next as well and then made the nine on the snap but also scratched. Van Boening had ball in hand. Shane took it all the way home to narrow the score to 9-7. He then broke and ran the next rack to get to 9-8. He dd the same in the next rack and we were tied at nine games apiece.
Now we had a race to two games to determine which of these men would go on to play in the finals and which would go home with third-place honors. Once again Shaw had to just sit in his chair and watch Van Boening break and run to get the hill first at 10-9.
Shane came to the table determined to make a good break shot. He did. The nine was kicked into the corner and it was over with Van Boening winning 11-9.
That set up our final match between Shane Van Boening and Jung Lin Chang. Both men had been shooting impeccable pool through the week but Van Boening was the crowd favorite as they wished to see hm tie the record held by Earl Strickland of winning five U.S. Open titles. The final would be a race to thirteen games with the requirement that you must win by two at that point. If not, the race is extended to a race to fifteen so 14-14 becomes hill-hill.
The opening lag was so close it took a few minutes for our Head Referee and Master of Ceremonies Ken Shuman to determine that Jung Lin Chang had won the lag. Our shooting war had already begun. Chang broke the first rack and his playing speed had noticeably slowed. But his shooting had not dulled a bit. He broke and ran the first rack. The next rack he broke dry. Shane missed a shot on the two ball in the side pocket and brought Chang back to the table. Chang ran out the rack for a 2-0 lead. Chang broke dry but left Shane only a safety opportunity. Van Boening left the balls nine feet apart with only a terribly thin cut shot available for aggression. Chang took it on and made it. The man was sending a statement. He finished it by running out to a 3-0 lead.
Shane got to the table early in the next rack and took it home to draw his first bead. Then he broke and ran to draw within one game. Ditto for the next rack and we were tied at 3. Shane took his first lead when he ran out the next rack as well to go up 4-3. In the next rack Van Boening played a safety on the one ball that left Chang kicking. That left Van Boening a shot on the one and you just shouldn’t leave Van Boening a shot on the one. He cleared the rack with ease to lead 5-3.
Van Boening broke dry but left a shot. Chang ran down to the nine but left himself almost on top of it with nothing but a razor cut into the corner. He made it take us to 5-4. But Shane got the table after a scratch in the next rack to go up 6-4. Then another break and run for 7-4. After a brief safety battle in the next rack Chang got the first shot and finished early with a 4-9 combination. Score: 7-5. An illegal break brought Shane to the table. He ran out to 8-5.
A difficult layout gave innings to both players in the next game but Chang made an amazing jump shot on the three ball and ran out from there. 8-6. When Shane took the next rack to lead 9-6 the crowd began to feel that he had rounded the turn and was heading for home. That feeling as fortified when he broke and ran the next one to lead 10-6 and stand only three wins away from victory.
On the next break Van Boning scratched in the side pocket. Chang cashed that to narrow the score by one to 10-7. Then he broke and ran the next rack and took the next game as well to bring us to 10-9. The handsome four-game lead Van Boening had owned only minutes earlier had virtually vanished. But Chang had an illegal break and Van Boening once again rose from his chair. He took that game. 11-9. The next rack also went his way and Van Boening stood on the hill. Chang got to the table in the next rack but soon Van Boening was back in control and he took the rack home to win his fifth U.S. Open title. That means he has won half of the U.S. Opens in which he has participated.
The 2015 US Open 8-Ball Championship was held July 29-31 at the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, NV. The matches were recorded in “The Predator Arena” with high definition equipment and full commentary by Jay Helfert, Ken Shuman, and Robert LeBlanc.
CSI extends a huge THANK YOU to the sponsors of this exciting event:
Predator: The Official Cue of the 2015 US Open 8-Ball Championship!
Kamui: The Official Tip of the 2015 US Open 8-Ball Championship!
Omega Billiards: The Official Store of the 2015 US Open 8-Ball Championship!
The 2015 US Open 10-Ball Championship was held July 24-26 at the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, NV. The matches were recorded in “The Predator Arena” with high definition equipment and full-time commentary by Jay Helfert, Ken Shuman, and Robert LeBlanc.
CSI would like to extend a huge THANK YOU to the sponsors of this exciting event:
Predator: The Official Cue of the 2015 US Open 10-Ball Championship!
Kamui: The Official Tip of the 2015 US Open 10-Ball Championship!
Omega Billiards: The Official Store of the 2015 US Open 10-Ball Championship!
Appleton / van den Berg 4-5 Dechaine / Van Boening
THERE WAS more drama at the 22nd annual PartyPoker Mosconi Cup at the Tropicana as the Europeans increased their lead as they won the session 3-2 to move their overall lead to 6-4 with two more days to play. It could have been so much worse for the USA but they won a thrilling hill hill final match when a defeat would have left them three points adrift and the Europeans needing just four more wins to retain the trophy.
The venue was once again packed to the rafters and the US duo of Skyler Woodward and Justin Bergman got off to the perfect start with 5-3 over Holland’s Niels Feijen and Nick Van Den Berg. Coming into the session at 2-3 down, it was essential to start out with a win.
“I had a lot of confidence in us because we have played probably five big money matches together as doubles and we haven’t lost yet,” said Justin Bergman.
“I wasn’t planning on losing but we knew they were a great team and we would have to play good. Shane was coming down and pumping us up, being really positive.”
Woodward added, “I shoot my shots and he shoots his, we just focus on pocketing the balls. I felt no pressure. I am one person and I have four great players behind me. I do what I can do and the four great people behind me are going to back me up no matter what.”
That parity didn’t last long though as Albin Ouschan, making his Mosconi Cup singles got the better of Mike Dechaine. It got to 3-3 but the Austrian edged it in what was a scrappy encounter. Dechaine had a great chance to go 4-4 but missed the 8 ball up the rail and although it left between the 9 ball between the white and the 8 ball, Ouschan jumped perfectly to pot the 8 ball and seal the match.
The lead became two in the next as Karl Boyes and Darren Appleton won another gritty match, beating Shane Van Boening and an out-of-sorts Corey Deuel. The English pair led 3-0 and it was a lead the Americans could not recover.
With the score 5-3 in the European’s favour it fell to young Skyler Woodward to stop the rot but he was taken down by Karl Boyes in an entertaining match up that saw the match referee Ken Shuman mired in controversy.
Initially he called for a re-lag and then later in the match called a foul on Karl Boyes for measuring with the cue ball. Boyes insisted he was just trying place the cue ball in the narrow space available between the 2 and 3 balls. Shuman reversed his initial decision but the match then seemed to take an eternity to resume as the referee explained his decision to both captains, before Boyes seemed reluctant to continue. The crowd became increasingly impatient before things eventually resumed.
Both players weren’t at their best but the pressure was immense and in the end it was Boyes who had enough to secure the point.
Commented Boyes, “We lost the first point of the day and then Albin won, which was a very good win for him because it is his first time playing singles, which is when you really feel the heat. His win was good for Darren and I as we went on and there was a little bit of pressure taken of us, and when we got the win it took a little bit of pressure off me going out against Skyler.
“The singles game was crazy. It was hostile in there, the atmosphere was brutal but I managed to get the win.
“Ken has made a decision where I am trying to put the cue ball between the balls so that I can pocket the two in the only pocket it goes in, it was obvious what I was trying to do. But when he said foul I thought I must have touched a ball.
“I asked him and he said no, I was marking and I didn’t understand what he was on about. The crowd started going crazy saying he called foul so it should stand so I said, whatever. But he said he was the referee and he can change his mind. After that everybody was against me, which I sort of like and I managed to come through.”
The last match was a must-win for the USA and so it proved as Shane Van Boening and Mike Dechaine won a thrilling hill-hill match against Darren Appleton and Nick van den Berg. It was nip and tuck all the way and Europe reached the hill first at 4-3. Some great shot making from Dechaine ensured the match went to a decider.
Europe broke off and despite getting a ball down, they elected to push out. After some discussion, the Americans gave it back to them. The side of the two ball was visible and van den Berg moved it slightly and sent the cue ball up table.
There was a difficult 2/9 carom on show and Van Boening delivered an explosive shot which clipped the 2 ball and crashed in the 9 as it flew into the corner pocket. It sparked scenes of bedlam as the Americans reduced arrears and ended the day on a high.
“Me and Mike discussed the shot and I figured that we needed to go for it because the rolls weren’t going our way in the match so we figured we should take a fire shot at it, and it came out great,” said Shane.
“I was feeling good today. I was working on my stroke last night and I have everything figured out. We need to avoid a couple of mistakes that we had in the beginning and if we focus on potting the balls better we can have a better outcome tomorrow.”
Dechaine added, “That point means everything, it is a little momentum swing. If we had have lost that match I don’t know how we would have handled it as a team but I know everybody right now is excited and we are looking forward to tomorrow.”
American skipper Mark Wilson summed up the day from the USA’s perspective; “Magnificent end to the day. Shane hadn’t had much good fortune so far so to make one big shot like that and give us that burst of momentum and maybe surge us forward is huge.
“When you go down 7-3 spirits go down but when you make a shot down that it is almost like we are back to even. We have not played our best pool so far throughout.
“We know how we will line-up tomorrow, we had a plan from day one based on what we think will give us the best chance to win.
“To the European’s credit, they have played tremendous pool. They have had very few unforced errors and we have made more than they have. Maybe on the tactical exchanges we might have come out a little bit ahead but on the couple of times they have missed a ball we didn’t really get the opportunity we needed.
“They have great players and you saw today Albin Ouschan made a tremendous run out and Karl made a huge run out from a super-tough layout. They are playing well and we will have to see what tomorrow brings but I know we are going to be on a big high now.”
Play continues at 11am Wednesday morning local time with two more doubles matches and three singles matches.
CSI is pleased to announce that the 2015 US Bar Table Championships 8-Ball Division matches have been released on the CSI YouTube channel. Twenty-One (21) matches featuring some of the best players in the world can be viewed in their entirety absolutely free!
The 2015 US Bar Table Championships were held February 16-22, 2015 at the Grand Sierra Resort & Casino in Reno, NV. The matches were recorded in “The Kamui Arena” with high definition equipment and full-time commentary by Ken Shuman and other special guests. CSI would like to extend a huge THANK YOU to our primary sponsors:
Kamui: “The Official Tip of the 22nd US Bar Table Championships!”
OB: “The Official Cue of the 22nd US Bar Table Championships!”
Sponsored by Diamond SMART TABLE, True Blue Simonis 860 Cloth, and Cyclop Pool Balls.
Old guys rule, at least, Efren stiil does. He went 11 rounds in the world's most punishing arena to show that if you make one mistake, you will pay.
If you leave him a ball, he'll steal at least 6 or, most likely, run out, That's what he did to master one-pocket marksman, Shannon "The Cannon" Daulton, That remarkable win gave Efren his 6th DCC title…at near 60 years old! Undefeated…and, still with the stamina to tame a pack of raging carnivores.
In the packed Accu-Stats' TV arena, Shannon, always the Southern gentleman, stood and applauded respectfully as tournament director Ken Shuman introduced the man who needed no introduction.
"Action," signaled Accu-Stats' Julian Robertson. The TV cameras started rolling.
Shannon ran the first rack like Efren would soon visit the buy-back booth. He was running out the second and missed pocketing a ball while, simultaneously, trying to open the stack.
Efren did what he does. He punished him…and ran out.
The 4th rack was unbelievable. Shannon still in shock, and down 2-1, fouled. He failed to touch a rail, although, he did still leave safe.
Efren tickled the cue ball off the bottom of the stack, it came back to stick on the other side of the rack, protecting 3 previously unleashed balls now sitting around Efren's pocket. Howdeedodat? (Where's the rewind button?)
Shannon, still mesmerized by the magic, tried to recover and left an opening. Efren pocketed 8 and out. He also appropriated $12,000.
Scott Frost, Shannon's opponent in the semi's, really wanted another shot at Efren. He'd beaten him before and knew that he could again, if given the chance.
Just like his best selling DVD, Scott was playing "Power 1-Pocket." His performance, today, included everything from kick combos to two rail, slow-rollers guaranteed to tease if they didn't fall. Yet, it wasn't enough. It took 2 hours of respectful, friendly fire before Shannon prevailed. It's always such a crowd pleaser to watch these two pals compete; They've been doing it for decades.
Previously, Scott had put Bustey to rest at 3-1, and in his first match of the day, young Justin Hall, the 2012 Southern Classic One-Pocket, and Bank Pool winner. Justin is definitely here to stay. One can tell; he revels in action.
Efren, prior in the day, menaced Dennis Orcollo and had reminded the talented and sporty Josh Roberts that the "Old Guard" was in the house and can still rock the rock.
Shannon knew that Josh was dangerous as he'd won on his Great Southern Billiards Tour.
Josh was last seen taking his winnings to the "Action" room to match up with the road worthy Chris Bartram. (Check the Forums.)
The Filipino Invasion continues: 3 players in the last 7 in One-Pocket, two in the finals in Banks. and there are more to come, including Kiamco, Biado, and Corteza in the 9-Ball.
And, guess who are in contention for the $25,000 Master of the Table purse?
Dennis, Bustey , and, you knew it, Efren.
Efren, like Elvis, had left the building before I'd gotten a chance to ask him why he'd won today. We all know how he would have answered, "I got lucky."
The Derby City Classic 9-Ball Championships
Sponsored by Lucasi Cues.
The Accu-Stats Arena held court to a match that had the crowd's attention: Karen, "The Irish Invader" Corr, against, by the luck of the draw, Efren.
Karen was thrilled to finally get a chance to compete with him, "It's a great honor. I've always admired Efren. It's great to see, up close, his skill. Although today," she laughed, "Maybe, a wee bit too close." She lost 9-2. The audience was super supportive and applauded warmly to Karen's grace in defeat.
Newly inducted Hall of Famer Jeanette Lee can draw an audience, too. Always a magnet wherever she goes,, her table with Nederlander Nick van der Berg was abuzz. Iphones were doing the smart thing as their cameras recorded every move as she pocketed ball after ball. Nick, unfazed, closed out the match at 9-5. The family is still well represented as Jeanette's hubby George Breedlove is competing on Friday.
Speaking of Nederlanders, Alex Lely, a former World Pool Master, is coaching a team of young Dutchmen that is attending the Derby to hone their competitive skills in the real world of American pool–and expenses are paid! (Are you listening America?)
Under Alex's tutelage, Jelle Kijlstra sent 2103 DCC 9-Ball champ Lee Vann Corteza to the buy-back booth. (Alex, still competitive, eliminated 2007 DCC 9-Ball champ Niels Feijen to reach the semi's of the George Fels Memorial straight pool event. More on this later.)
Friday's 9-Ball draw is constantly updated at http://dcctickets.com. Click to see when all your favorite players are competing.
2104 George Fels Memorial Straight Pool Challenge: High runs, Wednesday, 29th.
We are pleased to announce that Mr. Ken Shuman and Mr. John Leyman will co-direct this year’s U.S. Open. They will also have the experienced Sherri Bruner to assist them. Thank you Ken and John very much. Welcome aboard Sherri!
As usual, this is a WPA sanctioned event and we thank Ian Anderson and Skip Nemecek for being so supportive over the years.
The itinerary plans will be the following. Saturday at the Marriott from noon till 3 pm we will begin another U.S. Open tradition by having “Youth Day” where the future players of tomorrow can meet and play some pool with many past champions and other greats of the game. There is no charge to bring your kids and enjoy the afternoon.
At 3 pm Saturday Ken and John will conduct the players meeting also at the Marriott. Food will be served for the players at 5 pm. The flow charts will be up around 9 pm Saturday night with matches beginning Sunday night with 3 rounds of play at 6:30, 8:30 and 10:30.
Then, at Q Master Billiards on Saturday night at 7pm, we will conduct a U.S. Open Champions ring game between 2 time champion, Darren Appleton along with our defending champion, Shane Van Boening and 5 time U.S. Open Champion Mr. Earl Strickland who has just come off of winning Mike Zuglan’s Turning Stone Event last weekend. When we called Earl yesterday, he said, “Tell those boys he has another title, number 6, in his sights then his record will be out of reach.” This winner-take-all $1,000 matchup is so exciting we have goose bumps just writing this today. There are 50 theatre reserved seats for sale at only $20.00 to enjoy along with bench seating for 50-75 more people at no charge. To reserve a seat to this exciting ring game; give Christine a call at Q-Master Billiards 757-499-8900. Also, all other tables in our tournament room will be in action during the challenge. What a way to kick off this years’ 38th Annual U.S. Open. How do you like it?
We both want everyone to have a great time all week long this year, as we move forward rebuilding some of our stumbling blocks from the past.
Play will be as follows:
Monday thru Friday match times will begin at 10 am, noon, 2pm and 4 pm. Evening matches will be 6:30, 8:30 and 10:30. Starting each day at 10 am and not taking a two hour dinner break, as the buffet will be from 5pm to 8 pm, allows us to not have any late night matches as in the past where we had matches beginning at midnight or later. This scenario allows us to have 7 rounds per day which is one more than before and also having shorter days/nights for everyone. We are sure everyone will be happy about this and now can go to Q-Masters earlier or to bed.
Then as usual on our final day, Saturday October 19th, we will be down to our final 4 players with match times at 1 pm, Semi’s at 3 pm and “The Finals” at 7pm.
Of course the after party to celebrate our 2013 Champion at Q-Masters is always a fans and players delightful way to end the week.
We took a lot of time to generate this year’s floor plans and must have changed it at least 50 times before finally getting it right after last year’s debacle.
Our main ballroom will consist of our T.V. arena surrounded with 4 rows of high seating for 200 VIP seats which are about sold out. We will install an 8ft T.V. screen into VIP section beaming play from the 8 table area and also another large 8ft screen beaming the T.V. match into general admission for all to be able to see the entire room. Again, we have made sure to dot every “I” and cross every “T”, as Shannon and I know we have much to make up for this year.
As everyone knows the $50,000 added has been in escrow for many weeks as well as all paid entry fees going into the same account. We also will be gladly adding around $9,000 in additional funds to make up for the early bird specials that players gladly took advantage of. We have even more wonderful things going on all week. Another goal of ours is to fill the field at 256 players for 2014 and if so we will be increasing our added money from $50,000 to $72,000 and have another $200,000.00 U.S.Open and we feel after this year’s success that will occur. We hope for the best from this year forward especially in paying players without delay. We thank Johnny Archer and Mr. Dennis Walsh from the ABP.
Finally, we want to express our gratitude to our sponsors; Diamond Billiard Products, Simonis Cloth and Aramith Billiard Balls along with many others who have been at our sides through thick and thin, including our players and the greatest people on earth, our fans! Also to our vendors, we finally have one long 20 x 120 hallway for everyone to be together this year and everyone will love the Marriott for many years to come. That is our goal.
The main ballroom is 7,200 sq. ft. compared to 4,200 sq. ft. last year and the Riverside Ballroom directly behind the main ballroom will house four tables with seating on each end at no charge. We will also have a two table player’s practice room near the other two rooms.
Again, we have worked very hard to please everyone and we feel great going into this year’s 38th Annual U.S. Open 9 Ball Championship!
The question is can Shane repeat after Mika and Darren prior to last year? We will find out very soon. Everyone be safe coming and leaving Chesapeake again.
We love you all very much.
Barry and Shannon
We have been so busy and excited getting everything ready, we almost forgot about some of our sponsorship opportunities.. It’s not too late!
SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES
TITLE SPONSOR $20,000.00 ARENA SPONSOR $ 5,000.00 ARENA PANELS $1,000.00 (3-4 LEFT) VENDOR SPACE $ 500.00 – $800.00
(2-3 LEFT DEPENDING ON 8FT OR 16 FT SPACE)
WE HAVE JUST ENOUGH TIME TO SATISFY YOUR DESIRES.
EMAIL US AT usopen9ball@yahoo.com
August 8, 2013 (Englewood, CO): The Billiard Education Foundation (BEF) concluded its 25th Annual Junior National 9-Ball Championships July 25-28, 2013. 131 billiard student-athletes represented 29 states at the Convention Center of the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada for this special anniversary event. After the four day junior billiard extravaganza, four champions were crowned from each division and awarded trophies, gift bags full of sponsored prizes, custom engraved Delta-13 Select racks, academic scholarships, and entry into the 2013 WPA World Junior 9-Ball Championships.
18 & Under Boys Division
Of the 38 player field, taking top honors in the 18 & Under Boys Division is the reigning 2012 – 14 & Under Boys champion, Zachary Hampton. In his first year competing in the 18 & under division, Hampton lost his second match to last year’s top finisher, Chad Behnke, returning later to eliminate Behnke, along with two other familiar 18-year-olds, Brendan Crockett and Tyler Styer.
18 & Under Girls Division
In the 18 & Under Girls Division, 17-year-old Briana Miller set BEF history by going undefeated to claim her seventh consecutive win as Junior National Champion of her division. Since she was 11 years old, Miller has been dominating the girls divisions, medaled at the World event, and has won more in academic scholarships than any other participant, totaling over $6,000. Taylor Reynolds put up a strong fight in the finals but would have to wait until next year to claim the thrown. Newcomer Sierra Reams impressed the stands, proving she can have both academic and billiard accomplishments.
14 & Under Boys Division
This year’s 14 & Under Boys Division saw the largest field of 51 players qualifying from all over the country. 14-year-old Sergio Rivas went undefeated to claim the title proving he’s ready to play against the 18-year-olds next year. Rivas took third last year and defeated Texas State Junior Champion, Joey Bourgeois, in the finals with a convincing score of 9-2. Michael Evans and Nathan Diederich also had impressive finishes.
14 & Under Girls Division
The first round of the 14 & Under Girls Division saw a rematch from last year’s finals match. Karsyn Terry delivered reigning champion April Larson her first loss but the 4.0 student did not give up. Larson, known to her hometown as “The Shark”, fought her way back, overcoming two hill-hill matches to defend her title and represent her country again at the upcoming Junior World Championships. Larson defeated Terry and Emily Herpel, before facing Alex Booth in the finals; giving up only two games over the three matches.
Online brackets were provided courtesy of Bad Boys Billiard Productions and available at CTSOnDemand.com. HD quality streaming of the finals matches was made possible courtesy of TheActionReport.com.
Staff
Great appreciation go to the event staff and volunteers who have made this a first class event for years, and many more to come: tournament director Earl Munson for his 8th year of support, tournament assistants & mini-tournament coordinators Mel & Tammy Jo Leonard, National Head Referee Rick Doner for his 10th year of support.
HUGE THANKS goes to those who also volunteered their time to support the event and our fundraising efforts: Kathy Coffee, Marc & Kimberly Griffiths, Travis & Tarasa Escoubas, Taren Stewart, Josh Bustos, Cody Escoubas, Katie Bustos-Barnhill, Winfield Hong, John Leyman, Bill Stock, Buddy Eick, Dave Merrill, Darryl Farley, David High, Mike Johnson, Gibbi Tkatch, Dwayne Payne, James Hester, Janet Okamoto, Phil Eickhorn, Doug Garn. Scott Manuel, Larry Noel, and Judie Peters.
Special Thanks also go to the amazing staff at Ric & Bonnie Jones, Rich Parkeson and all of the staff at Bad Boys Billiard Productions, TheActionReport.com crew (Justin Collett, Andy Chen, and Tim Wampler), Ken Shuman, David & Linda Vandenberghe, Mark & Sunny Griffin, Mark Estes, Aric Pfeifer, the CSI staff, and Steve Schoenfelder of Pechauer Sales & Repair. We cannot thank you enough for all your support and many of your generous donations.
We’d also like to thank our guest speakers Jennifer Barretta and “The Dragon” Tim Chin for their inspirational presentations during the annual event banquet which hosted over 300 attendees (including players, family members, sponsors and supporters). Both players also participated in the popular annual adult-youth scotch doubles tournament. Barretta relentlessly helped to raise funds throughout the week through her movie sales, challenge matches, and exhibitions.
Sponsors
Please be sure to support all our amazing sponsors/underwriters and product donors who helped make the event possible: Str8-Shots.com (this year’s Academic All-American Award sponsor, as well as generous supporter), Simonis, Aramith, Dr. Dave Alciatore, Tom & Janie Riccobene, Pechauer Custom Cues, CueSports International, Sterling Gaming, Delta-13, PoolDawg.com, Walgreens, The Drill Instructor, Tiger Products, Kamui, Texas Bumps, Red Robin, and RT9 Designs.
The following businesses also contributed to our fundraising efforts: McDermott Cues, Play the Game Clothing, PoolAHolic, OB Cues, Focused Apparel, Blackburn Cue Repair, Meuller, Las Vegas Photo & Video, Predator Cues, Omega Billiards, Universal Cues, Bodie Mechanics, PoolandBilliardUSA.com, Castillo Leather Goods, and Frank’s Center.
Thanks also to the Mark Wilson, Lauren Nystrom, and the Lindenwood University staff who were present, actively recruiting budding young student-athletes for a chance to further their education while pursuing their billiard dreams. As always, we recognize our loyal media sponsors: AzBilliards.com, Billiards Digest, InsidePool, Pool&Billiard, Cue Times Billiard News, and On The Break News.
Any young players interested in participating in next year’s BEF Junior National 9-Ball Championship or State Championships should visit the BEF website at BilliardEducation.org or call the office at (303) 926-1039.
Two more boys will be joining the top finishers at the upcoming junior world event. To be announced at a later date.
Thorsten Hohmann, with an exemplary 6 – 2 game win-loss ratio, captured the 2013 Accu-Stats "Make It Happen" Straight Pool Invitational. After winning the final game by running to the obligatory 75 points, he continued into bonus money territory and collared a blistering 122.
Thorsten was on fire. He had run the first four racks in around 19 minutes.
His opponent, Ralf Souquet, always a gentleman, after enduring the 75 – 1 point loss, remained in his seat and was the first to congratulate him on his century plus accomplishment. (His sponsors, Lucasi and Kamui, will salute him by text message)
But that's not all: Had Thorsten lost that game with his fellow countryman, their win-loss record would have been tied at 5-3 in the Round-Robin format.
That would have forced a Play-Off. Thorsten did not want that. The audience in the Aramith/Simonis Arena at Sandcastle Billiards did. And, they wanted to see Thorsten break his 404 ball record created in 2000: Anything, so that the balls don't stop rolling.
These guys are die-hard pool fans, many of them contributing the $300 for the Accu-Stats "Make It Happen" package that assured them of ringside seats, a DVD package of all 20 matches, a group photograph autographed by all 5 competitors, an "I Made It Happen" T-Shirt or coffee mug, and Phil Capelle's best selling, "Break Shot Patterns."
Ralf wanted that Play-Off, too. And he wasn't alone. Earlier in the day, Mika, who was also at 5-3, was in the mix. Sadly, his game against Oliver went awry when he jawed a long shot left from Ortmann's break. (These Pro Cut pockets on the, industry standard, Diamond PRO AM table are tight)
Oliver leapt to the table. At 70 balls, he stumbled. Immonen was out of his seat, MEZZ in hand, and finished off the remainder of the rack.
Curiously, Mika, who normally attacked the Aramith Tournament Balls, lightened up on the break shot. His spotted cue ball got glued in the rack ending his play-off aspirations. it also allowed Oliver back at an open table and the 5 balls that eluded him in his last inning.
Oliver retired at 4 and 4; Mika, and Ralf, too.
The fifth player in the round-robin was Danny Harriman. Danny loves 14.1– as is manifested by his high run of around 350. You don't get a high run like that unless you've hit a lot of balls. Don't forget, he had also snagged the Diamond Derby City Classic Straight Pool Challenge in 2009.
This year, his 2 and 6 record was a surprise to all, especially, himself. The good news is that after dropping six in a row, much to rousing audience delight, he got on a roll. He won his 7th while allowing Ortmann only 8, and in his 8th game, running 39 and out on Ralf who sat stuck at 55.
The High Run was captured by Mika at 123. He also shot a 113. Thorsten had a 122, 117, and 105. Ralf had a 112. Not bad stats: 30% of the 20 match Accu-Stats DVD set will offer century-plus runs. Add that to the other runs in the 50s to the 80s, compounded by the very learned Billy Incardona, Danny Diliberto, and emcee Ken Shuman in the "instruction" booth and with some practice, you, too, might "make it happen."
Accu-Stats thanks its sponsors. Aramith Tournament Balls, Simonis 860 Cloth, Samsara Cues, OB Cues, Lucasi Cues, Mezz Cues, The Billiard Press, and Diamond Billiard Products.
Darren Appleton won both events of the West Coast Challenge over the Fourth of July weekend, going undefeated in the One-Pocket event, and winning five on the loss side to meet and double dip Dennis Orcollo in the finals of the 10-Ball tournament. The $4,000-added One Pocket event drew 55 entrants, while the $10,000-added, 10-Ball tournament drew 64. Both were hosted by the California Billiard Club, in Mountain View, CA, which, one day after completion of the two tournaments, on Monday, July 8, closed its doors, in its current location, forever.
According to current owner, Chris Swart, the building which housed the 17-year-old establishment is scheduled for demolition and redevelopment, and the California Billiard Club will re-open in February, 2014, at a new location, 20 miles away, in Fremont, CA.
"It'll be a good thing," said Swart, during his last day at the Mountain View locale. "It's just across the bay, and pretty close to everything, so we're not going to be losing customers."
They will, he added, gain some room and 10 tables at the new location.
"Everything's going to be the same," he said of the full service menu and liquor licenses, "with some small improvements. The name – California Billiard Club – stays."
In its last weekend in Mountain View, the club played host to a variety of the best players in the game, including Appleton as the winner of both events, Orcullo, Mike Davis, Shane Van Boening, Francisco Bustamante, Thorsten Hohmann, Warren Kiamco, Brandon Shuff, Jesse Engel, and Rodney Morris, to name just a few. According to Daniel Busch, whose POVPool live-streamed selected matches throughout the Fourth of July weekend, attendance was both helped and hurt by the event's relative close proximity to Las Vegas and the events of the World Professional Billiard League's Bonus Ball matches being held there.
"Bonus Ball was responsible for a lot of these players being here," he said, mentioning players on WPBL teams, like Hohmann, Appleton, Morris, and Davis. "It also hurt us in some ways. We didn't get to see either of the Dominguez family members (Oscar and Ernesto), because they were playing in Bonus Ball matches over the weekend."
In the One Pocket event, Appleton made his way into the hot seat match, where he faced Carlo Biado, for the first of two against him. They battled to double hill in the hot seat match, with Appleton prevailing. Biado moved west for a semifinal match against Dennis Orcullo, who had just defeated Mike Davis. Biado won the semifinal match, double hill, over Orcullo and got his second chance against Appleton. To no avail, as it turned out. Appleton won the opening set 4-2, to complete his undefeated run.
In the 10-Ball tournament, Mike Davis sent Appleton to the loss side in a winners' side final eight battle. Davis went on to defeat Thorsten Hohmann in one of the winners' side semifinals. He would meet Orcullo, who'd defeated Jesse Engel in the other winners' side semifinal, in the battle for the hot seat. Davis and Orcullo fought to double hill before Davis was sent west for a fateful match against Appleton.
On the loss side, Appleton, in the meantime, downed Rodney Morris, Santos Sambajon, Jesse Engel, Thorsten Hohmann, and met up with Davis for a re-match in the semifinals. Appleton wreaked his vengeance against Davis, earning himself a shot at a second title on the weekend. Appleton and Orcullo played 29 games over the two-set, double elimination final, with an aggregate ending score of 16-11. Appleton won the first match 8-6, and then got out in front by three to take the second set 8-5.
"A lot of these players are going to be leap-frogging over to the $10,000-added, 4th Annual Hard Times 10-Ball Open next weekend," said Busch, of the planned event on July 12-14 at Hard Times Billiards in Bellflower, CA.
Thanks were extended to tour directors Janet Okamoto and Ken Shuman, as well as Chris Swart and his staff at The California Billiard Club. Thanks also went to Busch and his POVPool crew for their weekend-long live stream, as well as sponsors Kamui Tips, The World PPA, and GoPlayPool.com
