Turning Stone Classic Continues

The second day of the Turning Stone Classic XII is well underway, with another round in each bracket completed. The four-day event is hosted by the Turning Stone Resort and Casino in Verona, NY, and boasts a $25,000-added prize fund.

Women’s pro Allison Fisher, ranked sixth on the WPBA, bested Tony “The Sniper” Crosby in the second round of the winners’ bracket matches, sending him west to face off against Steve Moore, who lost his first match to Jack Smith but defeated Dave Ascolese 9-1 in his second. Fisher’s next match will be against reigning world 9-ball champion Daryl Peach.

Sarah Rousey, also still in the winners’ bracket, survived a hill-hill bout against Randy Labonte in the second round and will face off against Matt Tetreault. In the late-night round Thursday evening, Karen Corr advanced over David Wetmore 9-0 and will next play Liz Ford, who came through a hill-hill match against Caroline Pao.

The strong European contingent also continues to thrive in the winners’ side. Player of the Year Mika Immonen bested Adam Radomski 9-2, while Thorsten Hohmann squeaked past Josh Ulrich 9-8. England’s Darren Appleton and Daryl Peach also won their matches over Tamiko Kumatori 9-2 and Holden Chin 9-4, respectively.

Up-and-comer Oscar Dominguez out of Los Angeles made it through round two unscathed, defeating Earl Herring 9-4. Shawn Putnam bested Greg Priest 9-6, Dave Grau sent Dave Fernandez west 9-8, and George “Ginky” San Souci dealt Jonathan Smith a 9-0 donut.

Foreign cue artists main draw in World 10-Ball

Organizers of the World 10-Ball Championships are banking on a host of foreign cue artists to be the main draw in the week-long tournament, which will be missing the country’s top pool players.

A total of 128 players will vie for the $400,000 purse at stake, $100,000 of which goes to the champion of the tournament slated from September 29 to October 5 at the Philippine International Convention Center.

Raya Sports and Billiards and Snooker Congress of the Philippines (BSCP) president Yen Makabenta said former Asian snooker champion Marlon Manalo and 2006 Doha Asian Games gold medalist Antonio Gabica will lead the country’s campaign against reigning World 9-Ball champion Daryl Peach of Great Britain, former titlists Ralf Souquet and Thomas Engert of Germany, Chinese-Taipei’s Wu Chia-Ching and Americans Johnny Archer and Shane Van Boening.

Jeffrey de Luna, Elvis Calasang, Elmer Kalaquian, Jerico Banares and Mario Tolentino will also carry the Philippine colors in the tournament.

The tournament will have 128 players divided into 16 groups in the winner's-break elimination format. The top four from each group will advance into the 64-man knockout stage.

A winner-take-all match for third place will be played on October 5 while the title match between the top two cue artists begins at 5pm.

Philippine Vice President Noli De Castro will be the tournament’s guest of honor during the opening ceremony on September 29 at the PICC.

Cash-rich World 10-Ball set at PICC

Its all systems go for the 2008 World 10-Ball Championships with no less than Vice President Noli de Castro as guest of honor in the inaugural opening at the Philippine International Convention Center on Sept. 29.

De Castro will grace the opening rites at 9:30 a.m. including the ceremonial breaks, which will formally usher the group stage elimination of the competition.

A total of 128 players from all over the world representing 40 countries will be vying for the total purse of $400,000 with $100,000 going to the champion.

“This is going to be the biggest international billiards tournament in the country since I believe the World 9-Ball Championship has been postponed for next year. Mabibigat ang mga darating na players dito,” said Raya Sports president Yen Makabenta.

Makabenta mentioned the likes of reigning world 9-ball champion Daryl Peach of Great Britain, former titlists Ralf Souquet and Thomas Engert of Germany, Chinese-Taipei’s Wu-Chia-Ching and Americans Johnny Archer and Shane Van Boening as among the top picks in the tourney.

The host country will be bannered by former Asian snooker champion Marlon Manalo, Doha Asian Games gold medalist Antonio Gabica, Jeffrey de Luna, Elvis Calasang, Elmer Kalaquian, Jerico Banares and Mario Tolentino.

However, organizers are still uncertain if the country’s celebrated cue artists can join the competition.

“It would be good if everybody would take part. But if they don’t we can’t do anything about it,” added Makabenta obviously referring to big guns Efren “Bata” Reyes, Francisco “Django” Bustamante, Ronato Alcano and Alex Pagulayan, who comprised the breakaway group that boycotted the BSCP.

In the absence of some of the country’s bests, Makabenta said it’s just anybody’s game.

The tournament will group the players into 16, seeing action in the winner’s break elimination, with the top four from each group advancing into the 64-man knockout stage.

A winner-take-all match for third place will be played during the final day, preceding the championship game that begins at 5 p.m.

World 9-Ball tourney won't happen in Manila in November

Matchroom Sport has told world pool officials that it will not stage the World 9-Ball Pool Championship (WPC) in Manila this November since it failed to get sponsors for the event, information reaching abs-cbnNEWS.com said Wednesday.

"The Billiards Managers and Players Association of the Philippines (BMPAP) claim that the WPC would be held in Manila was just talk," the text message said.

According to Matchroom, it hopes to revive the WPC early next year. A check on the Matchroom Web site (http://matchroomsport.com) provided a November 1-9 date for the WPC. However, it said that the venue was "to be confirmed."

In a related development, Manila-based sports analyst Ronnie Nathanielsz was able get a reaction from Matchroom media director Luke Riches regarding the event's postponement. “The WPC is not dead yet. But most likely it will be early 2009 [when it will be staged again]," Nathanielsz quoted Riches as saying.

Reached for comment, Perry Mariano, one of the founders of the BMPAP, said that he has yet to be informed of Riches' statement. He clarified that as of last report, the WPC merely lost its venue after Senate President Manuel Villar backed out as one of the event's main sponsors. "We got 50 percent but the other 50 percent, was supposed to come from Senator Villar. So nawala ang 50 percent," Mariano told abs-cbnNEWS.com.

Mariano, however, clarified that they are doing everything they can to follow-up the pledges from potential sponsors so that the WPC will take place as scheduled.

Despite Villar's withdrawal of support, Mariano said nothing is final yet. "We're still trying to convince the senator pero siyempre hindi na kamukha noon," he said, adding that politics may have been the main reason behind Villar's withdrawal. At any rate, Mariano said, "it's still Villar's money." "Pera niya 'yon. Wala pa siyang pinipirmahan. Hanggang walang dokumentong pirmado, everything is in limbo," Mariano said.

The WPC held in Manila last year saw England's Daryl Peach beating hometown hero Roberto Gomez, 17-15, in the finals.

Previous Filipino winners of the WPC were Efren “Bata” Reyes (1994), Alex “The Lion” Pagulayan (2005) and Ronnie "The Volcano" Alcano (2006).

Peach on International Challenge of Champions Kicks off August 13

Pocket billiards champions from around the world will go head-to-head in the Eighteenth Annual International Challenge of Champions. The winner-takes-all, $50,000 event will be held August 13-14 at the Mohegan Sun Casino in Uncasville, CT.

The Challenge of Champions is widely considered the toughest tournament to win in professional billiards. Once each year eight international champions are brought together in a sudden-death shootout with a pressure-cooker format of winner-take-all for $50,000. The purse is one of the highest paydays in the world, and the winner claims one of the most coveted titles in pool: Champion of Champions.

The 2008 field includes top stars in the sport. Niels Feijen, 2007 winner of the International Challenge of Champions, will defend his crown. Daryl Peach, 2008 WPA World 9-Ball champion, will represent England. Shane Van Boening, 2007 U.S. Open 9-Ball Championc will represent America. Jain Bo Fu, the 2007 World Cup of Pool champion, will represent China.

Dennis Orcollo, winner of the 2007 Enjoy Pool.com Championship, will represent the Philippines. Jung Lin Chang, the 2008 Asia Tour champion, will represent Chinese Taipei. Satoshi Kawabata, 2007 All Japan Open champion, will represent Japan. Seung Woo Ryu, 2008 Grand Prix champion, will represent Korea.

Mohegan Sun Casino, the host site, will make the 2008 event admission free to pool fans from around the USA and the world. The event drew such large crowds last year at Mohegan Sun that it was standing-room-only attendance. There will be four playing sessions in the two-day international tournament. On Wednesday, August 13, the quarterfinal rounds will be played at 3 p.m. and 6 p.m., with two matches in each session. On Thursday, August 14, the two semifinals will be played at 3 p.m., and the final championship match will be played at 6 p.m. The semifinals and the final match will be taped for airing on ESPN in September.

The International Challenge of Champions is regarded as the supreme test of skill in professional billiards. The eight players are so evenly matched that any one player could beat the other seven on a given day. In addition, the tournament format is the most demanding test of 9-ball skill in the sport. The matches are two sets, race to five games each set, with a one-game sudden-death tie-breaker in the event of tied sets. The 9-ball does not count on the break, and to win a game, the 9-ball is call shot. The caliber of competition is so intense that a single mistake invariably eliminates a player from any chance at the winner-takes-all purse of $50,000.

On the final night, one of the players will claim the Champion of Champions crown and a check for $50,000. The trophy and the check will be presented by Mohegan Sun. The tournament is also sponsored by PoolDawg.com, Aramith Pro Billiards Balls, Simonis Cloth, L.E.A.N.I. Slate, AcCue Shot Training Device, Executive Billiards.com, and Silver Cup Chalk.

The 2008 tournament will be the eighteenth annual event and has been produced by Billiards International, Ltd. for ESPN in each of the last eighteen years. Those attending should arrive early for each tournament session and must be 21 years of age or more. Make plans today to attend the 2008 International Challenge pf Champions. For information call the Mohegan Sun toll free at 1-888-226-7711, ext. 7163.

International Challenge Of Champions - Winner-Take-All For $50,000

Niels Feijen will attempt to defend his crown International Challenge Of Champions - Winner-Take-All For $50,000 August 13-14, 2008

Billiards champions from around the world will go head-to-head in the Eighteenth Annual INTERNATIONAL CHALLENGE OF CHAMPIONS. The winner-take-all $50,000 event will be held August 13-14 at the Mohegan Sun Casino, Uncasville, CT.
The Challenge of Champions is widely considered the toughest tournament to win in professional billiards. Once each year eight international champions are brought together in a sudden-death shootout with a pressure-cooker format of winner-take-all for $50,000. The purse is one of the highest paydays in the world, and the winner claims one of the most coveted titles in pool – Champion of Champions.

The 2008 field includes top stars in the sport.  Niels Feijen, 2007 winner of the INTERNATIONAL CHALLENGE OF CHAMPIONS, will defend his crown. Daryl Peach 2008 WPA World 9-Ball Champion, will represent England. Shane Van Boening, 2007 U.S. Open 9-Ball Champion, will represent America. Jain Bo Fu, the 2007 World Cup of Pool Champion, will represent China.

Dennis Orcollo, winner of the 2007 EnjoyPool.com Championship, will represent the Philippines. Jung Lin Chang, the 2008 Asia Tour Champion, will represent Chinese Taipei. Satoshi Kawabata, 2007 All Japan Open Champion, will represent Japan. Seung Woo Ryu, 2008 Grand Prix Champion, will represent Korea.

Mohegan Sun Casino, the host site, will make the 2008 event ADMISSION FREE to pool fans from around the USA and the world. The event drew such large crowds last year at Mohegan Sun that it was standing-room-only attendance. There will be four playing sessions in the two-day international tournament. On Wednesday, August 13, the quarterfinal rounds will be played at 3 PM and 6 PM, with two matches in each session. On Thursday, August 14, the two semifinals will be played at 3 PM and the final Championship match will be played at 6 PM. The semifinals and the final match will be taped for airing on ESPN in September.

The INTERNATIONAL CHALLENGE OF CHAMPIONS is regarded as the supreme test of skill in professional billiards. The eight players are so evenly matched that any one player could beat the other seven on a given day. In addition, the tournament format is the most demanding test of 9-Ball skill in the sport. The matches are two sets, race to five games each set, with a 1-game sudden death tie-breaker in the event of tied sets. The 9-ball does not count on the break, and to win a game, the 9-ball is call shot. The caliber of competition is so intense that a single mistake invariably eliminates a player from any chance at the winner-take-all purse of $50,000.

On the final night, one of the players will claim the Champion of Champions crown and a check for $50,000. The trophy and the check will be presented by  Mohegan Sun. The tournament is also sponsored by PoolDawg.com, Aramith Pro Billiards Balls, Simonis Cloth, L.E.A.N.I. Slate, AcCue Shot Training Device, Executive Billiards.com, and Silver Cup Chalk.

The 2008 tournament will be the Eighteenth Annual event, and has been produced by Billiards International, Ltd. for ESPN in each of the last eighteen years. Those attending should arrive early for each tournament session and must be 21 years of age or more. Make plans today to attend the 2008 INTERNATIONAL CHALLENGE OF CHAMPIONS. For information call the Mohegan Sun toll free at 1-888-226-7711, Ext. 7163.

8-ball, 9-ball champs secure spots in world 10-ball affair

Two reigning world champions lead a stellar cast of cue artists in the World 10-ball Championships scheduled in September.

Daryl Peach of England, the current world 9-ball king, and Ralf Souquet of Germany, the world 8-ball titlist, are expected to participate in the tournament that will be held in Manila.

Joining Peach and Souquet are previous qualifiers Wu Chia-Ching of Chinese-Taipei and Antonio Gabica of the Philippines.

Wu and Gabica won the WTBC qualifying events through the Philippine Pool Tour.

Wu, a double world champion in 8-ball and 9-ball in 2005, won the Puerto Princesa Mayor’s Cup of the PPT last June in Puerto Princesa City.

Gabica, the reigning Philippine Open and Asian Games champion, won the Mandaluyong Mayor’s Cup of the PPT last May in Mandaluyong City.

Europe’s no.1 lady player Jasmin Ouschan of Austria will also see action in the top-tier event.