The fifteenth stop on the 2013-2014 Pure X Cues All American Tour stop – presented by the American CueSports Alliance (ACS) was showcased in Cedar Rapids, IA at 2nd Avenue Corner Pocket – on Saturday, January 11. The $500-added, handicapped 8-ball tourney on 7-foot bar boxes drew thirty-two players.
The A-side action finished with Shawn Gelo (Iowa City, IA) [rated a “6” on a regional rating system used] taking down his semifinals match over Kent Zirtzman (Iowa City, IA) [5], while Scott Hargens (Cedar Rapids, IA) [6] outpointed John Gorsch Sr. (Cedar Rapids, IA) [5] in the other bracket. In the A-side finals Hargens defeated Gelo 6-4. In the B-side money rounds, Anthony Garcia (Cedar Rapids, IA) [6] eliminated Tony Le (Iowa City, IA) [5] 6-2 at 7th place, where Shane Miller (North Liberty, IA) [5] tied Tony at the hands of Eric Erwin (Iowa City, IA) [5] 5-4. In the next elimination round at 5th place, Garcia ousted Kent Zirtzman 6-2, while Erwin’s day was ended by John Gorsch Sr. 5-3. Anthony Garcia next whitewashed Gorsch at 4th place by a 6-0 margin. In the B-side finals, Shawn Gelo took out Anthony Garcia at 3rd place 6-2. The tourney finals then featured undefeatEd Scott Hargens versus once-defeated Shawn Gelo, and the first set proved to be the deciding set, as Hargens clipped Gelo 6-5 for the title!
By virtue of Scott Hargens also being the highest-finishing ACS member in the event, he qualified for a free 9-Ball singles entry into the 2014 Universal Cues ACS Nationals at the Tropicana Las Vegas – courtesy of the ACS. The ACS wishes to thank sponsors Pure X Cues, Championship Billiard Fabric and Nick Varner Signature Cases for their support in donating “Value-In-Kind” product for this and all stops on the Pure X All American Tour. Sponsorship opportunities and tour stop openings are still available for the 2013/2014 All American Tour by contacting the ACS.
The Tour stays in Iowa with a $500-added 10-Ball stop at Sharky’s Billiards in Davenport, IA on Saturday, January 25 (contact Terry Stevens at 563-359-7225). Further information, entry details and schedules for the 2013/2014 Pure X Cues All American Tour are available at www.americancuesports.org.
The fourteenth stop on the 2013-2014 Pure X Cues All American Tour stop – presented by the American CueSports Alliance (ACS) was hosted by Legends Sports Bar to Clinton, IA on Saturday, January 4. The handicapped 8-ball tourney [No Masters] on 7-foot bar boxes drew a small field due to poor weather.
On the A-side, Aaron Weston (Clinton, IA) took down Tony Terronez (LeClaire, IA) 4-1, while Ron Delp (Clinton, IA) defeated Josh Reifsteck (Clinton, IA) 4-1. Delp then took the hot seat by outpointing Weston 4-2. In the B-side finals Weston eliminated Tony Terronez at 3rd place – again by a 4-2 margin. The tourney finals went down to the final ball, as Aaron Weston recovered to win two sets from Ron Delp – 4-3, 4-3 – for the title!
By virtue of Tony Terronez being the highest-finishing ACS member in the event, he qualified for a free 8-Ball singles entry into the 2014 Universal Cues ACS Nationals at the Tropicana Las Vegas – courtesy of the ACS. The ACS wishes to thank sponsors Pure X Cues, Championship Billiard Fabric and Nick Varner Signature Cases for their support in donating “Value-In-Kind” product for this and all stops on the Pure X All American Tour. Sponsorship opportunities and tour stop openings are still available for the 2013/2014 All American Tour by contacting the ACS.
The Tour stays in Iowa to end off the month with a $500-added 10-Ball stop at Sharky’s Billiards in Davenport, IA on Saturday, January 25 (contact Terry Stevens at 563-359-7225). Further information, entry details and schedules for the 2013/2014 Pure X Cues All American Tour are available at www.americancuesports.org.
The 21st annual running of the PartyPoker World Pool Masters got underway at the Metrodome in Barnsley, Yorkshire and there were first round wins for Chris Melling, Nick Ekonomopoulos and Niels Feijen. The $66,000 tournament has been a staple on the pool calendar for over two decades and was making its first appearance in the UK since 2005.
In front of an excellent first night crowd at the popular Yorkshire venue, defending champion Karol Skowerski of Poland fell at the first hurdle as was beaten 8-3 by England’s Chris Melling who looked in fine form in front of his local fans.
Melling, whose smooth action is renowned the world over, flew into a 5-0 lead in front of his Yorkshire faithful as he took advantage of the winners’ break format. Skowerski, who enjoyed a magical three days in his home town of Kielce as he won the Masters last year, took the sixth rack to get his name on the board.
The Pole won the next after a quality safety battle and ran out the eighth game from the break to take the score to 5-3. Melling got lucky in the next when a he had a hit-and-hope attempt on the 3 ball which was parked next to the 9. The 8 ball got cannoned into the top pocket and the 3 ball rolled into the opposite corner. From there he cleared to go 6-3 in the race to eight match.
Melling won the next to get to the hill, and although Skowerski got to the table in the next it was the Englishman’s day as he ran out the winner and can look forward to a quarter final match against Ga Young Kim or Alex Pagulayan.
“I played really well. I twitched an easy eight ball but other than that I played really well. I had a good fluke to be fair when I was 5-3 up,” said Melling.
“I am cueing the ball nicely and I have the table speed down well so it is just a matter of getting your chances and taking them when they come.
“This is the first time I have played 9-ball in Yorkshire and I have a good following from Keighley. Come tomorrow I think it will be a packed house. It makes a big difference to have home advantage. It is like the guy in your corner in a boxing match. I have a lot of people behind me and a lot of good support.”
The second match of the evening saw six-time Masters champion Ralf Souquet exit the competition as he was defeated by a sharp shooting Nick Ekonomopoulus 8-2.
They shared the opening two racks but Nick, a Mosconi Cup winner on his debut last December, took the next two with a determined look on his face. A run out from the break made it 4-1 and the six times Masters champion looked in trouble with the winner breaks format.
Another meaty break from the Greek set up a run out for 5-1 and Souquet needed something to happen to give himself a chance. It didn’t come in the next as Ekonomopoulos ran out once again to take himself to 6-1.
An illegal break got Souquet back to the table and sensing that anything less than a run out would sound his death knell, cleared for 6-2. He got the 1 ball into the side pocket off the break in the ninth game but missed the 2 ball and the Greek took full advantage to clear and reach the hill. He ran out the next for an excellent win.
“I played very well although I was lucky in rack one. He played a very good safe and I played a safe but made the ball. After that I made three run outs and in a short format when it is race to eight you can quickly take a big lead,” said Ekonomopoulos.
“I have been playing well and practicing a lot with my friend Darren Appleton. I don’t play my quarter-final until Sunday so I will keep practicing.”
Souquet was a little disappointed at his lack of table time: “I don’t feel like I have been a part of this tournament. Apart from the two scratches he played so well and I wasn’t able to get a chance.”
The final match of the opening session saw two 2013 Mosconi Cup players face off as Niels Feijen of Holland met England’s Karl Boyes.
They shared the opening racks before Boyes fouled as he failed to reach a rail with a safety shot. Feijen ran out to take the lead but Boyes squared it in the next. Both had visits in the fifth rack but it was Feijen who dropped the 9 ball and he took the next for a 4-2 lead.
Boyes got the home crowds cheering in the next as he completed the run out to reduce the deficit. Feijen was always in the lead but Boyes was never too far behind him but it was the Dutchman who reached the hill first at 7-4.
Boyes though got it back to 6-7 but lost the table as he tried a difficult cut on the 3 ball after a solid break. He got lucky though as he missed but left Feijen hooked. The Dutchman got out of it and when Boyes scratched it was all over as he ran out for the win.
“It was nip and tuck all the way and I feel I caught a couple of rolls in that match but also he was breaking really well, especially at the end,” said Feijen.
“I got a little worried there from 7-4; we had a long tactical game from that point. He made a nice bank on the 3 ball, runs out, breaks and runs out and it was getting close. Then he had a good break but scratched on the 3 ball in the side pocket. I knew if I got it straight on the six it would be over and I am glad I got through that one,” he added.
Boyes said, “It was one of those matches. We both played well, nobody missed anything, it was just the odd safety error. I was breaking well the whole match but I just couldn’t get a shot early in the match.”
This is the 21st annual running of the PartyPoker.com World Pool Masters following its inaugural event in 1993. Some of the greatest players in the modern era of pool have won this title including the likes of Souquet, Strickland, Orcollo and Appleton. With a field of 16 players there are 15 matches in total – all race to eight racks and culminating in the final on the Sunday evening.
The 2013 PARTYPOKER.COM World Pool Masters is sponsored by PartyPoker.com, the world's leading online poker site. Cloth is supplied by Iwan Simonis and the Official Balls are Super Aramith. Diamond is the supplier of the Official Table and Predator is the Official Cue.
The third stop on the 2013-2014 Pure X Cues All American Tour stop – presented by the American CueSports Alliance (ACS) – was showcased at Cue Master Billiards in Dubuque, IA – on Saturday, October 19. The $500-added “No Masters” 9-ball tourney on 7-foot Valley bar boxes drew 21 players.
The tourney finals featured undefeated Ryan Short (Davenport, IA) versus once-defeated River Burke (Davenport, IA). Burke took the longer trip to the finals, besting Steve Knudson 6-5, “Mega” 6-1, Jason Totten 6-2 and Tom Moore 6-3 before losing to Ryan Short 4-6 in the A-side semis. Burke recovered on the B-side to eliminate Tracy Hoermann 6-2 at 4th place and Sam Maggio 6-4 at 3rd place. Short’s undefeated march to the hot seat included wins over Josh Hillman 6-0, Carlos Prez 6-3, Burke 6-4 and Sam Maggio 6-4. The tourney finals was close, but Ryan Short outpointed River Burke 6-4 for the title!
By virtue of Ryan Short also being the highest-finishing ACS member in the event, he qualified for a free 9-Ball singles entry into the 2014 Universal Cues ACS Nationals at the Tropicana Las Vegas – courtesy of the ACS. The ACS wishes to thank sponsors Pure X Cues, Championship Billiard Fabric and Nick Varner Signature Cases for their support in donating “Value-In-Kind” product for this and all stops on the Pure X All American Tour. Sponsorship opportunities and tour stop openings are still available for the 2013/2014 All American Tour by contacting the ACS.
The Tour moves to Davenport, IA on Saturday, November 2, with a $500 added 8-Ball Tourney at Sharky’s Billiards (contact Terry Stevens at 563-359-7225). Further information, entry details and schedules for the 2013/2014 Pure X Cues All American Tour are available at www.americancuesports.org.
The second stop on the 2013-2014 Pure X Cues All American Tour stop – presented by the American CueSports Alliance (ACS) – was hosted at Sandite Billiards in Sand Springs, OK – on Saturday, October 12. The $500-added 8-ball tourney on 7-foot Valley bar boxes drew 28 players.
The tourney finals featured undefeated Eric Pickar (Claremore, OK) versus once-defeated Steve Page (Cleveland, OK). Earlier, Pickar dominated Vernon Armstrong 5-0, Bob Rutherford 5-0, Sonny Tiger 5-0 and J.R. Spaulding 5-3 to gain the hot seat. Page outpointed Steve Ballew 5-4, Corry Scoggins 5-0 and Keith Costigan 5-4, before falling short against J.R. Spaulding 4-5 in the A-side semifinals. Page recovered on the B-side by eliminating Mike List 5-2, Sonny Tiger and J.R. Spaulding in the B-side finals. In the tourney finals, Eric Pickar continued his domination to put off Steve Page in the first set for the title!
By virtue of Eric Pickar also being the highest-finishing ACS member in the event, he qualified for a free 9-Ball singles entry into the 2013 Pure X ACS Nationals at the Tropicana Las Vegas – courtesy of the ACS. The ACS wishes to thank sponsors Pure X Cues, Championship Billiard Fabric and Nick Varner Signature Cases for their support in donating “Value-In-Kind” product for this and all stops on the Pure X All American Tour. Sponsorship opportunities and tour stop openings are still available for the 2013/2014 All American Tour by contacting the ACS.
The Tour moves to Davenport, IA on Saturday, November 2, with a $500 added 8-Ball Tourney at Sharky’s Billiards (contact Terry Stevens at 563-359-7225). Further information, entry details and schedules for the 2013/2014 Pure X Cues All American Tour are available at www.americancuesports.org.
Duncan Kaufman, John Kotnik and Terry “Ziggy” Zagar
The 2011-2012 Lucasi Hybrid Cues All American Tour – presented by the American CueSports Alliance (ACS) – conducted its twenty-sixth (26) stop at Dale’s Weston Lanes in Wausau, WI, March 10. Thirty-one (31) players sparred at the host site in a $500-added scratch 8-ball tournament. The A-side semifinals highlighted Sheboygan WI road partners John Kotnik and Terry “Ziggy” Zagar stamping their ticket to the A-side finals via respective wins over Jim Abt (Wausau, WI) 5-1 and Chris Jefferson (Crandon, WI) 5-2 in the semifinals. In the A-side finals, Kotnik clipped Zagar for the hot seat, 5-4.
On the B-side Rodney Coad (Stevens Point, WI) and Jim Abt (Wausau, WI) respectively relegated John Lewis (Suamico, WI) 5-4 and Jim Morris (Marathon, WI) 5-2 to 7th place. In the next round in turn, Coad and Abt tied for 5th place, falling to the respective hands of Chris Jefferson 5-2 and Duncan Kaufman (Sauk City, WI) 5-2. Kaufman then dispatched Jefferson to 4th place via a forfeit. In the B-side finals Kaufman fell to Terry Zagar by a 5-3 margin, setting up a rematch for the title between Kotnik and Zagar. Kotnik took the first set by a 5-4 margin for the tourney win!
By virtue of Jim Morris being the highest-finishing ACS member in the event, he qualified for a free 9-Ball singles entry into the 2012 Lucasi Hybrid ACS Nationals at the Tropicana Las Vegas – courtesy of the ACS. The ACS wishes to thank sponsors Lucasi Hybrid Cues, Championship Billiard Fabric and Nick Varner Signature Cases for their support in donating “Value-In-Kind” product for this and all stops on the Lucasi Hybrid All American Tour. Sponsorship opportunities and tour stop openings are still available for the 2011/2012 All American Tour by contacting the ACS.
The Tour showcases two stops on Saturday, March 24: 1). a $1,000-added scratch 8-Ball tourney at Greenfields Pool & Sports Bar in Lakewood, WI (contact Charles Williamson at 303-989-9820); and 2). a $500-added handicapped 8-Ball tourney at Sharky’s Billiards in Davenport, IA (contact Terry Stevens at 563-359-7225). Further information, entry details and schedules for the 2011/2012 Lucasi Hybrid All American Tour are available at www.americancuesports.org.
