After last year's unparalleled success, the groundbreaking Supreme Pool Series will make its eagerly awaited return for a second installment in 2019. The big money, five-event concept will once again bring together top exponents of the English 8-Ball Pool world all under one roof at the renowned Players Pool and Snooker Lounge near Stoke-on-Trent.
Mirroring the inaugural edition, the season opens in Spring and leads up to a Grand Final event towards the end of the year. After listening to constructive feedback from the players, though, tweaks have been made to the programme elsewhere.
The 2018 calendar featured a share of both World Rules and Blackball events – representative of the unique cross-code palette of entries that was on display. However, due to the popularity of the new Supreme Rules that were showcased in the final event, a decision was made to adopt them throughout the whole of the upcoming campaign.
Another mission objective of the series was to reward the players with improved prize money; this was exhibited when Liam Dunster walked off with a record £51,000 winners' cheque at the end of the year – the largest amount ever awarded in the sport’s tournament history. Whilst lucrative sums are still available to the champions of each event this time around, total prize money has been spread out further down in 2019 with around the top third in each tournament guaranteed to cash.
The Supreme Pool Series has received global acclaim with viewers from both sides of the world tuning into the online Beard Productions live stream coverage. Overseas demand for the series cannot be understated, so much so, that an exciting additional event has been agreed for the start of October – the four-day Morocco Masters that is scheduled to take place in Tangier.
Who’s involved?
Once again, all three reigning world champions of the sport have signed up to the series – Marc Farnsworth (IPA World Champion), Mick Hill (WEPF World Champion) and Scott Gillespie (BI World Champion), who claimed two SPS titles last year.
A plethora of former world champions from different rulesets adds to the embarrassment of riches on display including Phil Harrison – back-to-back winner on the circuit in 2018 – and the ultra-consistent Dunster, who finished the series as the number one ranked player. Countless other major title winners, professionals and internationals will feature too.
Chris Melling and Karl Boyes – multi-time Mosconi Cup champions in the past and former world champions in various disciplines themselves – will both also return to their smaller table roots.
A trademark of the Supreme Pool Series is international participation. Typically strong representation from the UK will be challenged by a cosmopolitan contingent of hopefuls coming from Ireland, Malta, Morroco and even as far afield as Australia.
Event 1 – The Liberty Games Open – takes place next week between the 5th-7th April.
The richest prize in the history of English 8 Ball Pool will be claimed come the conclusion of the Home Leisure Direct Grand Finals this weekend at the Players Pool and Snooker Lounge in Newcastle-under-Lyme.
Held between the 30th November to the 2nd December, this showcase event is the culmination of the five-leg Supreme Pool Series that has been running throughout the year. The innovative concept has brought together the world’s best players from both sides of the sport’s rules divide, thus allowing to feature dream inter-promotional clashes that the fans have been starved of in recent times.
Entrants from all four corners of the UK and Ireland have been joined by representatives from France, Malta, Morocco, India and even Australia, in what has been a truly international outreaching series in terms of viewership and participation.
With the inevitable strength in depth, it is perhaps a surprise that just two players have dominated proceedings by scooping up all four titles on the series so far.
Scott Gillespie claimed the first (Jason Owen Open) and latest (K8.com Classic) stops on the circuit, whilst the evergreen Phil Harrison tasted back-to-back successes at the Strachan Cup and Supreme Masters during the summer. Harrison’s dramatic deciding frame win against fellow all-time great Mick Hill in the Masters was arguably one of the sport’s finest ever finals.
125 players have met the qualifying criteria for the Home Leisure Direct Grand Finals, which will be played under the new, revolutionary Supreme Rules discipline. The last man standing will walk away with a life changing £51,000, a new record in English 8-Ball Pool competition history, eclipsing the £50k that was won by Frankie Sargeant during the one-frame Pub Pool Challenge at the Ricoh Arena in 2006.
The seeds and the draw
As was the case in the last two events on the series, double elimination qualifying is the order of the day until the Last 16 knockouts.
Top seeds Harrison, Gillespie and two-time finalist Liam Dunster all receive opening round byes. Five-times WEPF World Champion Hill, who is likely to be the pre-tournament favourite once
again, will face Malta’s Scott Muscat first up. Hill will be hoping to break his SPS duck at the most potent point.
For his standards, IPA World Champion Ben Davies has had a disappointing time at Players this year, but he too has the opportunity to time his run perfectly. The Welshman crosses cues with fellow professional Craig Brown, the winner will meet Gillespie in Round Two.
Coming off the back of a trio of big victories in recent weeks, the in-form Mark Boyle is another fancied competitor looking to strike. Sitting in the same mini-section as Gillespie and Davies, his first challenge to complete is Michael Smout.
2013 and 2014 WEPF World Champion Tom Cousins takes on George Tierney in what will be a keenly watched affair, whilst long time professional number 1 Marc Farnsworth would meet BCA Hall of Famer Darren Appleton in the second stage if they overcome Ben Mackie and Darren McVicar respectively.
Appleton is not the only star name from the wider world of cuesports who has returned to his smaller table roots during the Supreme Pool Series. Enticed by the prestige and record-breaking rewards on offer, Chris Melling (plays Lee Washbrook) and Karl Boyes (plays Lee Clough) are eligible and available for the Grand Finals, too. Jayson Shaw, who will be on duty with Team EUROPE at the Mosconi Cup, also featured earlier in the campaign.
All three days of this historic spectacle will be broadcast live via Beard Productions, who will stream four tables simultaneously from every session.
Scott Gillespie (Photo courtesy of Supreme Pool Series)
Scott Gillespie returned to winning ways on the Supreme Pool Series with victory at the 2018 K8.com Classic last weekend.
The talented Scottish cueist won the season opening Jason Owen Open in May, but after early exits in the following two competitions on the SPS circuit, Gillespie has quickly reminded the English 8-Ball world why he is one of the best around.
Gillespie qualified unscathed for the knockouts after coming through an ultra tough section of the draw. In a blockbuster first round tie he got the better of Phil Harrison 11-6; the only other player to have triumphed on the series so far.
He then ousted 2016 IPA World Champion Gareth Hibbott via a deciding frame, 11-10, and saw off two-times former WEPF World Junior Champion Jordan Church, 11-7. Securing his berth in the Last 16, the World Cup of Pool selection defeated Northern Irish rising star Declan Brennan, 11-7.
The random draw for the KOs drew Gillespie and Brennan together again – it was the former who would repeat the prescription, but with a different dose of 11-8.
Enjoying his best run in the series so far, the dangerous Craig Waddingham was eliminated 11-7 in the Quarter-Finals, whilst fellow countryman and the winner of multiple titles in recent years, Mark Boyle, was comprehensively dispatched 11-3 in the Semis.
Gillespie's opponent in the final was England's Shaun Storry, who had produced a string of impressive results on route.
Just like his rival in the final, Storry had advanced through the long weekend undefeated – it would be the first time on the series this year that both finalists came from the winners' section. Among those who lost to Storry included Hibbott (11-9) in the Last 16 and pre-tournament favourite Mick Hill (11-7) in the Last 8, a result that Storry described as the biggest win of his life on Social Media.
Despite having been priced up as 40/1 before a ball was struck, Storry had already been a champion at the Players Pool and Snooker Lounge venue when he claimed the Players Amateur Challenge in the spring of 2017.
However, his memorable run and ambition of a second title there was denied by Gillespie, who won the final 11-7 to become the 2018 K8.com Classic Champion, taking the trophy and £5,000 home as rewards.
Elsewhere in the 128 player entry event, winner of the Strachan Cup and Supreme Masters over the summer, Harrison's bid for an unprecedented hat-trick was closed early. After his opening round loss to Gillespie, the former World Champion was unable to re-create the heroics he produced during August and succumbed via the earliest avenue on the losers' side when he lost to Lee Clough in a decider.
Finalist at events 1 and 2, Liam Dunster's stay in Newcastle-under-Lyme was also brought to a close by Clough in a deciding frame during the Losers' Round 3.
Reigning World Masters Champion Callum Singleton make his mark on the series by reaching the Last 4 before going out to Storry. In the previous round he pipped former back-to-back WEPF World Champion Tom Cousins, 11-10.
Ronan McCarthy and Marc Farnsworth, two of the sport's most consistent performers, both qualified for the single elimination portion again. They lost in the Last 16 to Singleton (11-7) and Hill (11-10), respectively.
Attention on the Supreme Pool Series now turns to the climax of the season; the record-breaking Home Leisure Direct Grand Finals. Taking place between the 30th November to the 2nd December, the event boasts a top prize of £51,000 – the largest amount in English 8-Ball tournament history.
2018 Supreme Pool Series – Event 4, the K8.com Classic
Phil Harrison recorded one of the greatest tournament victories in the history of English 8 Ball Pool when he became the 2018 Supreme Masters Champion last weekend.
Contested at the renowned Players Pool and Snooker Lounge, the tournament was the third leg of this year's ground-breaking Supreme Pool Series which sees competitors from both rule sets, and the UK and beyond, crossing cues for a £152,250 total prize fund.
Already regarded as one of the sport's all-time legends, Harrison added another significant entry to his illustrious bio and boosted his popularity once again with the quiet and classy way he went about his business throughout.
Fresh from claiming last month's Strachan Cup, an exceptional brace of consecutive victories on the series looked like a forlorn ambition for Harrison when Darrell Whitworth caused an upset by defeating him 11-6 in the First Round.
Despite this early setback that pushed him to the very start of the Losers' Section, the former WEPF World Champion embarked on tackling a gauntlet of high profile names in order to get back on track. 44-year-old Harrison eliminated Tony Halpin, Ronan McCarthy, Zak Shepherd, Darren Appleton, Chris Melling and then Clint I'Anson just to qualify for the Last 16 Knock-Outs where the competition was effectively re-set.
Now back on a level footing with everyone else remaining, the Cambridgeshire cueist defeated current IPA Premier League leader Neil Raybone 11-6 and then IPA professional Drew Hughes 11-5 to reach the Last 4.
Max Nosko was enjoying a memorable run in Newcastle-Under-Lyme and had already secured the additional 'Best Non-Elite' prize after walloping 2015 IPA World Champion Jack Whelan 11-1 in the Quarters. The Bristolian's hopes were extinguished, though, by the eventual champion, 11-6.
Harrison's opponent in the final was none other than the reigning and five-times WEPF World Champion Mick Hill, who was once again the pre-tournament favourite.
Despite suffering from a neck injury which was clearly visible during his opening fixture on the main arena table, Hill won four straight matches to serenely qualify for the Last 16 undefeated.
During the Knock-Outs Craig Lakin held Hill at 8-8 before the latter pulled away with the last three frames. Further big name rivals in the form of Shaun Chipperfield and Marc Farnsworth would await Hill in the Quarters and Semis, but respective 11-6 and 11-5 scorelines saw off the danger.
Arguably the top two English 8 Ball players in the world today, the finalists would write another thrilling chapter into their ongoing saga. In recent head-to-heads Hill had denied Harrison in the 2017 and 2018 World Finals, but on his way to the Strachan Cup last month Harrison put on a clinic when he stopped Hill in the Semi-Finals.
In front of a live stream audience of thousands, predictably, the final was very high on quality with few unforced errors. The lead changed hands on several occasions and there was never more than two frames between them, but ultimately the pair found themselves locked at 10-10 and staring down a deciding frame with a difference of £8,000 in prize money and one of the most prestigious titles in the sport up for grabs.
Having won the lag around an hour and forty minutes earlier, Harrison split the pack well and crucially made balls off the break. He then proceeded by coolly holding his nerves together and converting a finish in the same one visit for a memorable victory.
Harrison was presented the beautiful trophy by tournament and series sponsor Laura Martin from Supreme Pool. He also banked a handsome £13,000 cheque, the largest amount, so far, to be awarded in English 8 Ball Pool this year.
When you regard Harrison's early disappointment on the Friday afternoon, the amount of, and standard of the players he faced subsequently, this is a remarkable achievement. You would be hard pushed to find a tougher and more grueling path to glory within the sport.
The 2018 Supreme Masters grabbed the imagination of the viewing public with live streaming of up to four tables on multiple platforms across the three days. On Facebook alone there have been a million reaches so far.
There are now just two more events of the campaign remaining – the K8.com Classic (28th-30th September) and the Home Leisure Direct Grand Finals (30th November – 2nd December) which holds a record-breaking £51,000 top prize.
Phil Harrison drew upon his extensive palette of experience to claim the 2018 Strachan Cup; event 2 of the newfangled Supreme Pool Series.
128 of English 8 Ball's top talents traveled to the Players Pool and Snooker Lounge in Stoke-On-Trent for this unique three-day tournament. A strong contingent from UK and Ireland was joined by entries from Europe, Africa and even Australia – another example of the significant progress this series has made in trying to unify and grow the profile of the sport for competitors and fans alike.
Harrison began his campaign with comfortable 11-2 wins over Matt Brierley and Richard King before dismantling global Cuesports star Chris Melling 11-4. The composure of Harrison's game was then shown as he ousted former IPA World Champion Gareth Hibbott 11-10 in the next round.
The 2009 WEPF World Champion's route to the title wasn't without troubles, though, as he was pushed to the Losers Section following an 11-9 defeat to Jordan Church. However, Harrison re-grouped by seeing off Lee Clough 8-6 to qualify for the single elimination Quarter-Finals, where the competition was effectively re-set.
There was a stellar line-up for the Last 8, but inevitably there were big names who still missed out.
Melling lost two games in a row and was eliminated by double World Champion Tom Cousins, who himself was denied in the subsequent round by Shaun Storry. IPA World Champion Ben Davies was also one of Storry's other victims.
US Open 9 Ball Champion Jayson Shaw won a trio of matches in total but his bid was eventually ended by IPA World Number 1 Marc Farnsworth via a deciding frame. Farnsworth would exit the event to Stephen Dempsey during his next outing.
Scott Gillespie, champion of the season-opening Jason Owen Open in May, suffered the earliest possible avenue of elimination when he lost to Melling and then Matthew Schofield straight off.
BCA Hall of Fame member Darren Appleton navigated his first fixture but sadly had to withdraw from the tournament due to personal reasons.
The Quarter-Finals onwards
Harrison chalked up five consecutive frames to turn a 9-6 deficit into an 11-9 victory against Harjeet Singh. Singh, who represents India, had already won the best 'non-elite player prize' with an impressive run of results throughout the long weekend.
Recently crowned the WEPF World Champion for a record-extending fifth time, pre-tournament favourite Mick Hill was living up to expectations on debut having qualified undefeated, although he did have to survive final frame finishes against Craig Lakin and Yannick Beaufils. A more straight-forward 11-4 win over Church put him into the Last 4.
Joining Harrison and Hill in the Semi-Finals were Liam Dunster and Jon McAllister. Dunster stopped Karl O'Donoghue's tracks, 11-5, whilst McAllister came out on the right side of an absolute thriller with Northern Irish legend Ronan McCarthy, 11-10.
Both match-ups in the Semis were repeats of the latest WEPF and B.I. World Championship Finals.
Harrison was peerless and efficient as he crossed cues with long time adversary Hill, capitalising on his fellow Englishman's dry breaks to record a resounding 11-3 outcome in his favour. The result would go someway to serving revenge on an opponent who had denied him another world title in each of the past two years.
Reigning B.I. World Champion Liam Dunster was once again proving why he is one of the sport's hottest properties. The consistent Scottish youngster, who only a few weeks ago claimed the IPA Champions Cup title, sealed back-to-back final appearances on the Supreme Pool Series with a gut-wrenching 11-10 triumph against McAllister.
An intriguing final developed between two players with very similar styles – both on and off the table. However, possibly because of the occasion and the grueling nature of the event throughout, there were uncharacteristic early mistakes on both sides.
Harrison managed to open up a lead, though, an advantage that he always maintained. Well past the midnight hour he eventually confirmed an 11-8 victory to earn himself £5,000 and another highlight onto his illustrious CV within in the sport.
While Dunster will be disappointed to finish as runner-up on the series again, he will buoyed by the fact that both of these competitions were played to World Rules, which isn't his primary rule-set. He will be even more comfortable and dangerous for the next two stops on the series which are both played to Blackball Rules, his preferred discipline.
The stakes are raised for the Supreme Pool Masters which takes place 17th-19th August at the same venue, where the champion will walk away with £13,000 and one of the most prestigious titles in English 8 Ball Pool.
Following the K8.com Classic in late September, the series reaches boiling point in December with the Home Leisure Direct Grand Finals which boasts a record-breaking £51,000 first prize – the biggest in the sport's tournament history.
The latest leg of the ground-breaking Supreme Pool Series starts this Friday with the three-day Strachan Cup.
Following on from Scott Gillespie's glory at the season opening Jason Owen Open in May, 128 of English 8 Ball Pool's top exponents from the UK and beyond will travel to the world renowned Players Pool and Snooker Lounge for a slice of history and a cool £5,000 winners purse.
As if the catalogue of immensely talented and successful entries was not enough, the ante has been upped yet again with the introduction of Mick Hill – arguably the greatest player of all time in this discipline.
The Englishman, who is the pre-tournament favourite, recently secured a record-extending fifth WEPF World Championship title in Blackpool with an exciting final victory over another one of the Supreme Series' big hitters, Phil Harrison.
Hill begins his bid on the live streamed arena table Friday lunchtime with an intriguing clash against Mike King, a member of the English squad that defended the WEPF World Team Championship last month too.
Once again returning to their English 8 Ball roots are global Cuesports stars Darren Appleton, Chris Melling and Jayson Shaw. Despite their long term self-exoduses from the smaller table, the Mosconi Cup winning trio proved they are serious contenders with a number of fine results in Event 1. Shaw, in particular, impressed when reaching the Quarter-Finals.
In what is possibly the pick of the opening round fixtures, Melling crosses cues with Gillespie. One of these two signature names will immediately be pushed onto the interminable Losers Side where they would have to win eight straight matches to qualify for the straight Knock-Out Last 8.
Including Hill, the 2018 Strachan Cup can boast featuring all three current World Champions of the sport. IPA World Champion Ben Davies meets fellow Welshman Ben Fortey first up, whilst the ultra-consistent Liam Dunster of Scotland – runner-up to Gillespie in May and recent IPA Champions Cup winner, is due to open his account against big money match player Max Nosko.
Former WEPF World Champions Tom Cousins and Harrison face dangerous opponents Paul Riley and Matt Brierley respectively in Round One, whilst IPA World Number 1 Marc Farnsworth is scheduled to play former IPA World Champion Jack Whelan in another blockbuster.
The profile and riches of the inaugural Supreme Pool Series – which culminates in December's Home Leisure Direct Grand Finals where the winner will bank a record £51,000, has enticed players from outside of the UK to play.
Alongside strong representation from the Home Nations, players representing the Republic of Ireland, France, Morrocco, India and Malta will all be exhibited this weekend. Further evidence of the series' worldwide appeal is the entry of Jake McCartney, who will make the long journey from Australia to compete.
From start to finish, the whole of this weekend's must watch action will be covered live by Beard Productions, who will stream four tables simultaneously for each and every session.
Mick Hill and Karl Boyes – two giants of the Cuesports World, have signed up for the inaugural Supreme Pool Series taking place throughout 2018.
The lucrative five-event series, which boasts a whopping £40,000 top prize to the winner of the Grand Finals, was too big a temptation for the English pair, who will return to their small table roots.
Hill is the reigning and four-times WEPF English 8-Ball World Champion and frequently discussed as the greatest player of all time. Recently he has also carved out a career in the Far-East playing in Chinese 8-Ball events. In 2016, still fairly new to the discipline, he reached the final of the World Chinese Pool Championship.
Boyes himself is a former WPA World 8-Ball Champion. He is a four-time Mosconi Cup winner and also claimed the 2014 World Cup of Pool when representing England A. Before his career on the American Pool scene, he was established in the professional English 8-Ball ranks.
These two global additions yet again prove what a big deal this groundbreaking series is. It has brought together some of the best players ever, from both sides of the rules divide, to compete for record breaking riches.
With the newly crowned IPA World Blackball Champion Ben Davies and the current BI World Champion Liam Dunster both already registered, the entry of Hill means that all three reigning World Champions of the sport will play in the same tournament at the Players Pool and Snooker Lounge.
To read our previous preview of the Supreme Pool Series, please click here.
Day two of the 2017 Yaqi Group Cup Chinese Pool World Championship is complete, and the field in each division has now been cut down to just eight players.
The men’s division is sure to have a new winner, as last year’s Champion, Shi Hanqing, was eliminated in the round of 32 by Myanmar’s Phone Myint Kyaw in a lopsided 11-3 match. Last year’s runner up, Mick Hill, will have his hands full with Jayson Shaw in the round of eight on Wednesday.
In the ladies division, defending champion Siming Chen will face China’s Wang Ye in the round of eight. Other notable ladies still in contention include Ga-Young Kim, Sha Sha Liu and Kelly Fisher.
AzBilliards is live streaming from the event at http://azbilliards.com/chinastream.html?channel_id=9896587163685199960&app_id=1251971334, and fans can follow along with online brackets for each division at…
20 year old American Billy Thorpe upsets two world champions to storm into the final 16 at the Molinari Player’s Championship in New York City.
(New York City)–For several years up through 2015, Billy Thorpe made a name for himself on the American pool scene as a dashing young talent with a hot stroke who dared to play—and win– ridiculously high stakes money games. Then in 2016 the then 19 year old decided he wanted to transition into being a real pro, and for the last year he has slugged it out with the big boys in tournaments big and small, attracting attention from pool fans eagerly looking for the next great American player.
Thorpe did create some noise in 2016, but history will surely show that it was in New York City on a cold Sunday in January, 2017, when the brash Dayton, Ohio native truly arrived as a professional, and stamped his mark as possibly that next great American pool player.
Playing with a panache and heart that belied his years, the now 20 year old Thorpe created one of the biggest stories of the first 8-ball event of the four-tournament World Pool Series, by taking down two world champions and barging into the final 16 of the Molinari Players Championship.
In a round of 64 TV table match, Thorpe played marvelously in defeating heavily favored three-time world English 8-ball champion Mick Hill, 13-11. Then, in the final 32, Thorpe roared back from an 11-8 deficit to tie former World 9-ball Champion Alex Pagulayan, 12-12. The young American then dramatically won the match by sinking all five shots in the thrilling shootout to advance to the final 16 on Monday.
Within moments Thorpe, who has been playing pool since he was three years old when his dad would let him walk on top of the family pool table and slap balls, had become nothing short of mini-sensation inside the packed Steinway Billiards in Queens, accepting congratulations from fans and posing for photos. The good looking and infectiously excitable American had become an instant hit, and he relished every moment of it.
“These wins tonight really opened my eyes a little bit for me,” Thorpe said. “I’ve worked hard. I’m always at tournaments and I’m always playing. I knew I could hang with these guys but I was always making too many mistakes and that would cost me against these players. So I’m trying to minimize my mistakes and take advantage if they make a mistake.
“I’m playing by far the best pool of my life. I’m really happy with my game. I’m grinding every shot, trying to keep nerves down, taking it ball by ball, playing my heart out like I always do.
“It means a lot. Hopefully I’m going to be on their level one day, be a world champion myself. I love that pressure. I love that adrenalin. I love being out there playing with these guys.”
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Thorpe’s feats were just one part of brilliant and long day of hardcore 8-ball at the highest levels on Sunday as the Molinari Players Championship moved into the money rounds. The day began at 10am with 64 players and ended past midnight with just 16 players remaining. These 16 represent the full spectrum of some of pool’s great talents, from legends and world champions, to up-and-comers like Thorpe, and from nearly all corners of the globe. On Monday all matches will become a bit longer and turn to winner breaks, and will see the field cut to four. The champion will be crowned on Tuesday evening.
The Philippines is not normally known as an 8-ball playing country. But the Filipinos love of 15 ball rotation seems to serve them well in a heavy traffic game like 8-ball and the four Pinoys remaining in the event have looked exceptionally strong. Former World 8-ball Champion Dennis Orcollo breezed into the final 16 with two easy wins today and his positive demeanor bodes well for the veteran. After coming back to defeat American Frankie Hernandez, Lee Vann Corteza headed to the TV table where he turned on the gas and defeated talented Greek Nikos Ekonomopoulos. The exciting and good looking Johann Chua looked unflappable with two wins. Carlo Biado also played rock solid today, and his round of 32 win against very tough Englishman Mark Gray proved that the young Filipino has the goods to go all the way.
Mick Hill’s and Gray’s loss aside, the British lads had a terrific outing on Sunday and it’s clear that their English 8-ball background will serve them very well here in New York. White hot Jayson Shaw continued his winning ways with two victories today. Karl Boyes gutted out a nice come from behind over Taiwan’s Lo Li Wen to advance. Multi-world champion and event promoter Darren Appleton notched two wins to stay alive. And former two time English 8-ball world champion Chris Melling also won two to make it to day 3. Multi-world champion Thorsten Hohmann of Germany won two matches on Sunday to secure his spot in the final 16.
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Melling hasn’t played American pool in two years after quitting the game and selling his cue to join the World Snooker tour where he achieved a ranking of 76. But when his good friend Appleton asked him to play on his new 8-ball tour, Melling answered the call and came to New York.
Playing with a mix and match cue, the super talented Melling engaged in a brilliant match with Spain’s David Alcaide in the round of 32. The pair slugged it out in a highly entertaining affair with Melling coming back to squeak past the Spaniard, 13-11.
When he’s on, Melling can be positively electrifying on the table, taking daring shots that no other player would even think of. He claims he’s playing without confidence, but those who watched him play on Sunday certainly saw flashes of his brilliance that could surely carry the Englishman to the winner’s circle.
“Because I’ve been out of the game for two or three years,” Melling said, “I think it’s important to play the really good players. I’m not frightened of anybody. I don’t care about reputations because I know what I can do on the table. If I concentrate on my own game, it doesn’t matter what anyone else does because I’m in control of my game. When you let other people get in your head, that’s when you lose. So I’ve got to take each game as it comes.
“I actually feel like I’m playing bad. In my head I think I’m going to miss every shot I’m playing. And that’s just a lack of confidence because I haven’t been playing. Normally I’m probably the most confident guy in pool and that’s because at one point I was winning everything. But then when you lose a few matches and things don’t go your way, you start questioning your ability, your cue action, am I jumping up on the shot. You don’t know what you’re doing. It’s just nice to win even when you don’t feel good.”
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Finnish Hall of Famer Mika Immonen came from behind then won a dramatic shootout against Filipino veteran Ramil Gallego to advance to the last 16.
Some more names in the final 16 represent a who’s who of pool heavyweights from the past generation. Germany’s two legends,Thorsten Hohmann and Ralf Souquet, made it through. So too did the USA’s Hall of Famer Earl Strickland. Another Hall of Famer, Mika Immonen had to come from back from a deep deficit to tie Filipino veteran Ramil Gallego, then promptly won the dramatic shootout to secure his place in the final 16.
Also advancing to the final 16 were Russia’s Ruslan Chinakov, Greece’ Alexander Kazakis and Japan's Naoyuki Oi.
The round of 16 begins at 2:30pm Monday at Steinway Billiards. (GMT -5). The quarterfinals will begin at 8:30pm.
The semi-finals and finals will take place on Tuesday.
All matches through to the semi-final will now be winner breaks and race to 15. The final will be winner breaks and race to 16.
The winner of the Molinari Player’s Championship will receive $20,000.
*The first event of the World Pool Series, The Molinari Players Championship, takes place at Steinway Billiards in Astoria, Queens, New York City from January 14-17, 2017. The World Pool Series is sponsored by Molinari, Predator, Cheqio, RYO Rack, Aramith, Iwan Simonis, Kamui, Billiards Digest, Ultimate Team Gear, and High Rock.
For more information on the live stream, please visit the official website of the World Pool Series at http://www.worldpoolseries.com/
It was a clean sweep for China, as Shi Han-Qing and Siming Chen won their respective divisions at the Sanlig China Billiards World Championship.
In the ladies finals, it was Siming Chen seeking her first World Title, against Kelly Fisher who was seeking a World Title on her fourth different table type (she holds World Titles in English 8-Ball, Snooker, 9-Ball and 10-Ball). The race would be to 17, played over two sessions.
The biggest difference in this match appeared to be the break, with Chen consistently making a ball on the break, and Fisher struggling with that task for the entire match. Chen raced to an early lead and then held off a comeback attempt from Fisher. Fisher had an opportunity to tie the match midway through the first session, but was unable to run out a fairly open table. Chen won that game for a two rack lead and it seemed to be a momentum builder for her. Chen continued to pad her lead, and by the end of the 1st session, she held an 11-7 lead over Fisher. The players came back from the break and Chen quickly silenced any hopes that Fisher had of mounting a comeback on this day. Chen cruised to a 15-9 lead, taking advantage of uncharacteristic misses from Fisher. The enormity of the situation may have gotten the better of Chen, as it was then her turn to miss a couple shots that she had converted with no problem earlier in the match. Fisher got back within four racks at 15-11, but Chen would shake off the nerves and win the next two games for the 17-11 win.
The men’s division came down to the break in a much bigger way. English 8-Ball Champion Mick Hill took on #3 ranked Chinese 8-Ball Player Shi Han-Qing in a race to 21 final match. The first session was a close one, with neither player able to forge any sort of sizable lead. With the first session limited to 24 games, Shi looked like he was in good shape with an 11-10 lead as the end of the session neared. It was Hill though, that closed out the session with three games and a 13-11 lead.
Hill would stretch that lead to three racks at 15-12 early in the second session, but four racks later Shi would tie things at 16-16. The following rack turned in to an all out tactical battle as an extended 29 minute safety battle was won by Shi. Hill didn’t allow that rack to phase him as he took advantage of a dry break by Shi in the next rack and ran out for 17-17. The players traded the next three racks as Shi took a 19-18 lead. Hill had struggled with making a ball on the break all day, and Shi took advantage of that problem in the next rack. Shi soft broke, failing to drive enough balls to the rail, resulting in an illegal break. Hill took the bait and asked for a re-rack. He broke dry and Shi was well on his way to the hill, when he scratched while making the 8-ball to allow Hill to run out and tie the score at 19-19. The next rack was another prolonged safety battle, which was again won by Shi for a 20-19 lead. Shi went with the illegal break trap again, and Hill once again took the bait and broke dry. The match looked to be over as Shi was running out for the win, when he jarred the final shot before the 8-ball, and Hill gladly ran out for the 20-20 tie. Another dry break by Hill at 20-20, was the end of the road as Shi calmly ran out for the 21-20 win, much to the crowd’s delight.
All in all, it was a very successful tournament and this reporter was amazed by the popularity of pool in China. Well over 300,000 Chinese fans were watching the final match on the website of one of China’s largest TV stations, CCTV5. That number pales in comparison to how many must have been watching on television. In addition to the great coverage in China, the event was livestreamed for the first time in the USA by AzBilliards. Plans are already underway for next year’s event, and event organizers promise an even bigger show next year.
The Sanlig China Billiard World Championship was made possible by the great sponsors including Jiangxi Sanlig Elevators Co. Ltd, Star Billiards Tables, Andy Cloth and Cyclop Balls. The event was hosted by the sports bureau of Jiangxi Province of China, the people's government of Shangrao City of China and the people's government of YuShan, China. The event was sanctioned by the WPA, CBSA, WPBSA and the IBSF, and was broadcast in China on CCTV5.
