Site News
Topic: *Industry News* 2013

Chua, de luna off to good start in China 9-ball Open
by Marlon Bernardino

POWER breaker Jeffrey de Luna hacked out important win as he jumpstarted his bid on a high note in the 2013 China 9-Ball Open in Shanghai, China.

De Luna, a habitué of Star Billiards Center, who won the silver medal in the 2006 Doha Asian Games, defeated Chris Melling of Great Britain, 9-5.

De Luna, fondly called "The Bull" in the local pool is the 2007 Manny Pacquiao International 9-Ball Open ruler and 2011 Philippine Olympic Committee (POC)-Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) National Games 9-Ball kingpin.

Sharing the limelight is Johann Gonzales Chua, who brought downed Zeng Zhaodong of China, 9-3.

Other notable cue masters seeing in action in the China meet were Dennis Orcollo, Carlo Biado, Lee Van Corteza and Alex Pagulayan, who is representing Canada and Rubilen Amit for the distaff side.

THE RILEYS MASTERS - ENGLISH POOL & DARTS

We had a fantastic time last Bank Holiday weekend, welcoming hundreds of members into our clubs for some fun packed competition.

The action continues this weekend, with 2 of the last few qualifying Darts Masters to be played and the Pool Masters getting up to full speed at clubs all over the country.

The 2 Darts qualifiers - which will see winners compete in the Grand Final at Wolverhampton in July - will be played at Northampton and Solihull on Saturday May 18th.

With big cash prizes up for grabs, and more importantly, all the bragging rights when you're crowned 'champion', what are you waiting for?

It's quick and easy to enter online. Just click here and complete the entry form. It's just £6 online and in-club (rising to £8 in-club on the day), so don't leave it too late and let your fingers do the tapping right now.

Online entries for events playing this weekend close at 10am on Friday May 17th.

For the full list of participating clubs and dates, and to enter online click here.

Regards,
The Rileys Team

Press Release - by Ross Mcinnes

I wish to inform the SPA Exec and the EBA Chairman that yesterday I signed a contract to hold the Ladbrokes UK Open Pool Championships at the Normandy Hotel Renfrew on the weekend of 20/22nd of September.

This event will be played to BB rules.

It will be a double elimination event.

Qualifiers will be given out to each SPA league, SEPF league, EBA member countries, IPA and SPA independent clubs.

In total I hope to have 128 players playing off for £13100.

Each qualifier will cost £100 and each qualifiers will have to stay at the hotel on the Saturday night, at a cost of £45 per person based on two sharing, B & B.

The winners section will be first to 8 frames and the losers first to 5 frames.

There will be 16 from the winners section, joined by 16 from the losers section.

Prize fund is GUARANTEED.

Winner £3000
R/up £1500
Semi £800
Quarters £400
Last 16 £250
Last 32 £150

Total £13100

On the Friday night I will be hosting a Pub Pool challenge where qualifiers will play off for the amount taken at at each venue/qualifiers from all over the UK. Along with challenges flyers etc.

All events will be shown live on the internet and I will be asking the SPA TD to take charge of the event along with referees from the SPA.

16 Supreme tables with the new Hainsworth Precision cloth along Aramith Pro Balls will be in use.

Editor's Note: Ross has informed me that this event is actually now fully subscribed and is now taking names on the reserve list - he even has one qualifier coming from as far as Hong Kong. Top job fella!

Corteza rules China 9-ball Open
by Marlon Bernardino

Filipino Lee Vann Corteza mastered Taiwanese Fu Che-wei, 11-6, to pocket the 2013 China 9-Ball Open crown at the Shanghai Pudong Yuanshen Stadium arena in Shanghai, China on Sunday.

Corteza, a former two-time National Open champion bank the top $40,000 purse while Fu settled for $20,000.

Corteza marched to the finals after beating Omar Al-Shaheen of Kuwait, 11-3, in the semifinals while Fu trounced Wu Jiaqing of China, 11-8, in the other semis encounter.

WILL THE COBRA STRIKE?

After an epic twelve rounder back in 2010, Mikkel Kessler and Carl Froch return to the ring to do battle once again.

That night in Copenhagen Kessler emerged the winner but Froch is in the form of his life and after dynamic inside the distance victories over Bute and Mack, he's confident of gaining revenge.

Plus Liverpool's Tony Bellew renews blows with Isaac Chilemba after their exciting draw in March.

It promises to be a great fight night and it's coming up right here at Rileys Sports Bars, on Saturday 25th May.

Get here early - coverage starts 7pm. We reckon it's going to be huge!

Regards,
The Rileys Team

Masters Snooker Back At Ally Pally

Snooker’s most prestigious invitation tournament, The Masters, will be back at Alexandra Palace in London next January, and tickets are on sale now.

The event brings together the sport’s elite players, with 16 green baize kings invited to contest one of snooker’s most famous and coveted titles.

It runs from January 12 to 19, 2014, with Mark Selby defending the title having beaten Neil Robertson 10-6 in the final last season.

The tournament moved to Ally Pally in 2012, and the new venue has proved a resounding success with packed crowds and a thrilling atmosphere for one of snooker’s showpiece occasions.

Fans are urged to BOOK TICKETS NOW to make sure they don’t miss out on one of the most exciting events on the sporting calendar. Tickets start at just £10, fantastic value for money. Call 0871 620 7052 (calls cost 10p per minute plus network extras) or book online at www.worldsnooker.com/tickets

And there is currently a SPECIAL OFFER with HALF PRICE tickets for Monday to Wednesday (January 13 to 15). This fantastic offer only runs until the end of June so take advantage now!

Prize money for the BBC-televised tournament has jumped from £500,000 to £600,000, with the winner to collect a bumper £200,000.

Leicester’s Selby, who has won the Masters crown three times, said: “It is one of our biggest events and winning the title last year is definitely one of the highlights of my career.

“Ally Pally is the perfect venue for The Masters, the atmosphere is different to any other tournament and I tend to thrive under those conditions because I love the big occasion where all eyes are focussed on one table.

“After just finishing the best season of my career I’m really excited about the next one and The Masters will be one of the events I look forward to the most. I hope fans will get their tickets booked and they can look forward to it as well.”

Dear Billiard Media

I'd like to share this with you as you decide your votes for this year's inductee(s) for the BCA Hall of Fame.
Our post about the Rodney Morris nomination went viral with almost 20,000 reach (not paid) and 120+ shares in a day.

I think most would agree that he should go in at the age of 42 now. Some reason he was skipped over in his first year of eligibility at 40, and was only on ballot last year.
Some of his credentials include wins at:

US Open 9-Ball (televised); PBTA Puerto Rico Open; Sands Regency; World Pool League (televised), 8x Member USA Mosconi Cup (televised) and 1x MVP; US Pro Tour Championship (ESPN event);
Seminole Pro Tour Championship; Houston Open; World Cup of Pool (Matchroom, Philippines); World vs Phillipines(televised); Turning Stone Classic
Bronze Medalist at the World Games and Bronze Medalist at the World Pool Championship (televised)

Turned pro in 1995. Won the US Open 9ball a year later.

He has maintained a top 10 ranking or better for nearly 20 years of his career and is one of the few American pros that has managed championship wins in multiple countries aside from US soil such as in Philippines, Holland, Poland, England. He is one of the most recognizable figures of our sport and has accumulated above and beyond the average television time for a pro player because of his stellar play and ultra-charismatic personality. By far one of the most fan favorite players in modern times.

Many,many people would hate to see Rocket go to the sidelines again and possibly lose his ballot eligibility.
Thank you for your consideration.

Charlie Williams    Dragon Promotions Founder

UK Championship Snooker Returns To York

Snooker’s williamhill.com UK Championship will be back at the York Barbican later this year – and tickets for one of the sport’s most important tournaments are now on sale.

The event runs from November 27 to December 8 with world number one Mark Selby defending his title against the best players on the planet.

There is a brand new format for the event this year with all players on the professional tour to start in the same round. So established stars like Selby, Judd Trump and John Higgins could come up against up-and-coming rookies in the first round.

This means that the tournament is three days longer than usual and fans will have the chance to see many more players in action, with a multi-table layout at the Barbican in the early stages.

BOOK YOUR TICKETS NOW as many sessions are sure to sell out quickly. Tickets start at just £8 (concessions £4), phenomenal value for a top class sporting event. Call 0844 854 2757 or book online at yorkbarbican.co.uk or worldsnooker.com/tickets

And there are two amazing special offers running for a limited time:

• 128 PAIRS OF TICKETS TO GIVEAWAY!!

To mark the fact that for the first time the tournament has 128 players in the opening round, the first 128 people who visit the York Barbican and quote 128 FREEBIES will be given a complimentary pair of tickets for a session of their choice (subject to availability) between 26-29 November. The offer started at 10am on Thursday 23 May.

• HALF PRICE TICKETS UNTIL THE END OF JUNE

For a limited time only tickets will be half price. Half price tickets are valid between 30 November and 5 December. Tickets must be purchased by Sunday 30 June. A limited number of tickets are available at this special price. Terms and conditions apply.

Last year’s final saw Selby beat Shaun Murphy 10-6. The total prize money for the event has increased from £625,000 to £700,000, with the winner’s cheque up from £125,000 to £150,000.

A spokesman for World Snooker said: “This is a new era for snooker as we have made revolutionary changes to many of our world ranking events this season.

“With the support of the BBC we are able to take all players on the tour to the venue in York, thanks also to the excellent facilities at the Barbican.

“This is fantastic news for fans as it gives them a chance to see a great variety of players, from legends of the sport through to the current crop of leading players, to new and exciting talents. It will be fascinating to see how results pan out.

“We have had incredible support at the UK Championship over the past two years from the people of York as well as fans from further afield, with record sales. We look forward to seeing packed arenas again, and strongly urge anyone who wants to attend the event to book their tickets immediately to make sure of your seats.”

A spokesman for title sponsor William Hill added: "After a fantastic tournament last year, William Hill are excited to be heading up to York in 2013. Last year's finalists Mark Selby and Shaun Murphy find themselves towards the top of the betting at 6/1 and 12/1 respectively although they will have a whole host of fantastic names to compete against, not least, World Champion Ronnie O'Sullivan potentially returning to the Barbican Centre."

Odds for the title: 3/1 Ronnie O’Sullivan; 6/1 Judd Trump; 6/1 Mark Selby; 7/1 Neil Robertson; 9/1 Ding Junhui; 12/1 Shaun Murphy; 14/1 Mark Allen

FROCH V KESSLER Don’t pay to view – watch for FREE at Rileys

CAN THE COBRA TAME THE VIKING?

It's being called one of the fights of the year, as the long awaiting rematch between Carl Froch and Mikkel Kessler takes place this Saturday.

Don't forget, this is a pay to view fight at home but FREE to watch on the big screens here at Rileys.

PLUS an undercard which includes exciting Light Heavyweight Tony Bellew in his re-match with Isaac Chilemba. It all starts at 7pm.

And don't forget we have the Champions League final between Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund.

Don't pay when you can view for FREE at Rileys.

Regards,
The Rileys Team

ABP Welcomes Darren Appleton to the Board of Directors

Chicago, Illinois- The Association of Billiard Professionals is pleased to announce World 9-Ball Champion and two time US Open Champion Darren Appleton of England as the newest elected Board Member of the ABP. Appleton will help the pro tour and its players discuss and vote on a variety of issues in the sport including ABP Professional Guidelines that are set forth by the top professional players of the world. The ABP is the only international pro players association in the world existing today.

"Darren is a great guy and great player. He travels to every big tournament around the world so he will be great eyes and ears for the ABP Board. He's a smart, fair person and I know he will be an asset to the pro tour", said Johnny Archer, President of the ABP. Appleton was voted in by unanimous decision.

Appleton will be one of 12 voting Board of Directors, and joins Mika Immonen of Finland and Thorsten Hohmann of Germany as international representatives. The other voting members are Johnny Archer, Rodney Morris, Shawn Putnam, Shane Van Boening, Stevie Moore, John Schmidt, Charlie Williams, Mike Davis, and Oscar Dominguez. Darren has accumulated several major titles in his career including World 10 ball and 9 ball titles as well as US Open wins. It is the ABP’s pleasure to welcome Darren on board as he brings strong knowledge and experience of playing pool and English 8 ball at the highest levels all over the globe. Darren had this to say about being voted on as a board member:

"I'm very honored to have been nominated and voted onto the board. I think it’s great ABP is becoming stronger internationally. Players worldwide need to work together for the betterment of the whole and I'm very much looking forward to doing my part to help my fellow players and the sport" - Darren Appleton

"With Darren’s help, the ABP can continue uniting the players worldwide", says Oscar Dominguez, ABP Board Secretary & Treasurer.

The ABP is a united assembly of international professional billiard players. The ABP was formed to be the voice of players worldwide in order to assist in tournament and industry challenges. ABPdirectives include standardizing equipment, rules, ensuring the timely payment of prize money, assisting promoters and sponsors, and the overall protection and security of professional players. The ABP works to improve the sport of billiards and jointly works with associations, promoters, sponsors and players alike in the joint goal of growing the sport and providing security to all involved. Membership of the ABP includes players from Europe, Asia, and the United States. To join and support the ABP, e-mail abppropool@gmail.com. Follow and support ABP at http://www.facebook.com/ABPpros

JOIN the 141 Club !

Be a part of the event that put 14.1 back on the map!
Join the 141 Club and support the World's Greatest Straight Pool Tournament

$141 per year for membership and contact us for Platinum, Gold, Silver, Bronze Memberships available for Elite Status.
Only 141 Members max.

•     Exclusive membership supporter of the oldest tournament in the world since 1912.
•     Listed as a member on the official World Tournament website www.worldstraightpool.com
•     Listed in email blast to all 14.1 fans and players worldwide
•     Listed in World Tournament of 14.1 Program Book distributed at the event in NYC. (copy mailed to you if not present)
•     One Free all day pass to the World Tournament live (excluding the final 2 days)
•     8x10 Group photo of the 2013 World Tournament players

Click here http://worldstraightpool.com/tickets.html or Mail check to Dragon Promotions 2516 Waukegan rd unit 144, Glenview IL 60025

The following members thus far are responsible for making the 73rd World Tournament happen. Please join them.

141 Club Members

141. Dr. Michael Fedak *Elite Lifetime Member
140. Charlie Williams & Cindy Lee Dragon Promotions *Elite Lifetime Members
139. Manny Stamatakis Steinway Billiards *Elite Member
138. Fred Cohen & Mike Serra Championship Cloth *Elite Member
137. Greg Hunt Amsterdam Billiards *Elite Member
136. Tom Gleich *Elite Member
138. Stu Mattana
137. Ed Liddawi Sandcastle Billiards
136. John Lavin Red Shoe Billiards
135. Nguyen Phuc Long 9shot Billiard club
134. Michael Bradford Slate Billiards
133. Vincent Sauro Clifton Billiards
132. Charles Eames
131. CAPT. Ken A. Lee
130.

Reanne Evans Qualifies For Wuxi Classic

Reanne Evans scored the best result of her career so far by beating Thepchaiya Un-Nooh 5-4 to qualify for the final stages of the Wuxi Classic.

The nine-time World Ladies Champion registered her first win in a full ranking event with a superb display against Thailand's world number 69 Un-Nooh.

Evans, from Dudley in the West Midlands, goes through to the Wuxi Classic in China, which runs from June 17-23, and will face world number two Neil Robertson in the last 64.

The 27-year-old was handed a wild card to the World Snooker Tour in 2010/11 but failed to win a match throughout the season. She played in Q School - the qualifying event for the tour - earlier this month, and though she didn't earn a tour card, she won enough matches to gain entry into the Wuxi Classic, competing as an amateur.

Against Un-Nooh, she came from 3-0 down to lead 4-3 with a top break of 52. Un-Nooh recovered to 4-4 but Evans dominated the decider and won it with runs of 38 and 29.

"It's definitely the best result of my career so far," said Evans, who is now guaranteed £3,000 prize money. "Hopefully this will show other women what can be done in snooker and there will be more to follow me. It's perfect timing after we did Ladies Day at the Crucible a few weeks ago.

"It's a really big win for me because I have done it on merit. I played well in Q School and my results there have earned me this chance.

"I've never been to China before but I'm really excited about it now and hopefully it will give me the chance to boost my profile out there.

"I started off slowly today, I was a bit nervous early on, but once I won a frame I settled down and played well. My safety was good and that's what got me through in the end. I felt fine in the last frame then afterwards I was speechless."

WPBSA Chairman Jason Fergsuon said: "We are doing what we can to try to develop ladies snooker and this gives it a massive boost. It's a tremendous achievement for Reanne."

Former World Champion Robertson scored a 147 maximum break - the second of his career and 98th in snooker history - in a 5-0 win over Mohamed Khairy.

Queens Cup Brings the Greatest Rivalry of Women's Pool

Chicago, IL - The wait is over. In November of this year, the world's greatest women players will be showcased like never before in an event that Dragon Promotions has been working on for nearly 2 years. It will be East versus West as Dragon Promotions is thrilled to announce its newest event creation, The Queens Cup!

The Queens Cup will be the very first time that the best women in the West will take on the best women in Asia in a dramatic format that will take 3 days to determine the outcome. Four women will be selected from Europe and the USA while another four women will be selected to represent Asia. The format will be versatile including 4-on-4s , Triples, Doubles, and Singles matches. Each team will have to play every which way possible and strategy will be crucial. The first team to reach 10 match wins will be victorious. All matches will be 10-Ball.

Renowned writer and publisher of Billiards Digest and Bowler's Journal, Mike Panozzo says,"The idea of a Ryder Cup-style competition in women's pool is a natural. Anyone who has witnessed Team USA vs Team Europe in pool's Mosconi Cup knows that these competitions bring out more excitement, emotion and drama than any other event during the year. The new Queen's Cup, pitting East vs West, is also a natural. The women's game really emerged when European players joined the U.S. Players on the WPBA Tour. Now the game is dominated by the talented Asian stars. Will a combination of American and European players be enough to topple the powerful Asians? Not sure, but it should be a lot of fun watching them pull together as a team to try."

"This is a pool fan's dream come true. We have been asked for years to put on something like this, and we have been biting our tongue and chomping at the bit to not release that this was already in the works. This is something that has never been done before. To get all the best women together and settle which side has the best players has been an argument for the past few years", said Cindy Lee, CEO of Dragon Promotions. Dragon Promotions is the creator of the Womens World 10-Ball Championship, which most players and experts agree is the toughest and most sought after Womens title to win. "Producing the Women's World 10-Ball the past four years we have seen two Asian World Champions and two western World Champions. Four different players from four different countries. This event will help settle which side is stronger once and for all. At least for a year!"

Pool & Billiard Magazine's Editor in Chief Shari Stauch says. "I think the idea of the Queen's Cup, a women's team event, will be great for both players and fans. We all have enjoyed the rivalry of the world's top men players; let's see the women battle it out, too!"

"We wanted this to be the ultimate test for the women. So we created the best format we could invent using 10-Ball in a versatile format. The rules cater to the top professionals including a forced hard break rule. There won't be any room for excuses or fluff, just plain, hardnosed pool action. Every woman in the Queens Cup will have to bring their A+ game", explains Charlie Williams. Williams has designed and played in events such as Korea vs USA, the Patriot Cup, World vs Philippines, and World vs Taiwan. He is also a 5x member of the USA Mosconi Cup Team as well as being a past USA Captain.

Dragon Promotions has been an industry leader in creating and producing world class events in men as well as women's billiards


Most of the players have already been contracted and will be announced soon. But the one player that will be announced now is the selection of the Captain of the West Team. And that is , of course, the world #1, Ms.Kelly Fisher of England.

"I was absolutely thrilled when I first heard this event was going to take place! This is something very different and unique. The dynamics are really great and could really draw big media attention to women's pool. I feel the Queens Cup could really, really grow into a huge event," says Kelly Fisher. Kelly is a Two-Times World Champion and is considered to be the most dominant women's player in the world currently. She will be a major force to be reckoned with for the Asians in the Queens Cup.

"We believe this will be an extremely exciting event and great for television. So we anticipate this will be an annual event that will build a rivalry for years to come." says Cindy Lee.

Sponsors may now contact Dragon Promotions at support@dragonpromotions.com or 1-407-782-4978 . Official equipment sponsors will be announced shortly.

Stay tuned for more exciting news and follow the event on Facebook at www.facebook.com/thequeenscup

Dragon Promotions is one of the leading producers of billiard programming in the world today. In a span of over 12 years, Dragon Promotions has produced 200 international events airing on networks in USA, China, Philippines, Korea, Canada and Europe such as ESPN, ABS-CBN, ESPN Star Asia, MBC ESPN, XTM, XPORTS, and Euro Sport. Events include The World Tournament of 14.1, The Women's World 10-Ball Championship, The Queens Cup, The International 10-Ball Championship, King & Queen of Carom, Empress Cup, Pro Pool Schools, DP Pro Classic, Women's Trickshot Challenge, World Junior 10-Ball Championships, The World Mixed Doubles and many more. Dragon has expanded to other sports such as football, tennis, billiards and manages some of the world's best pool players including Johnny Archer, Mika Immonen, Allison Fisher, Shanelle Loraine, Rodney Morris, Charlie Williams, Mike Davis, and Erica Park. Watch their anniversary video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LZrvwijI8fg and visit www.dragonpromotions.com


World #1 Kelly Fisher of England will take charge as the Captain of Team Europe/USA in the inaugural Queens Cup West vs Asia

WATCH ENGLAND TAKE ON THE VERDE-AMARELA

This Sunday, watch England take on Brazil on the big screen here at Rileys.

Live from that world famous building site in Rio - sorry - the Maracana Stadium, the match will be a stern test of England's capabilities.

Can Walcott do a John Barnes and out-do Brazil in their own back yard?

Watch the action right here with kick-off at 8pm.

Regards,
The Rileys Team

Four winners announced in the OB name a cue contest

OB would like to announce the winners of our May contest which was a name a cue contest! We asked people to come up with the names of 4 of our new 2013 cue models and then we picked our favorites. The winners are as follows:

Chris Dininger from Mansfield, Ohio who suggested '8 of diamonds' for the OB-130

Robert Garcia from Denver, Colorado who suggested 'Diablo' for the OB-131

Demsart Esteban from Koronadal City, Philippines who suggested 'Black Bird' for the OB-132

Keith Adamik from Yonkers, New York who suggested 'Spartan' for the OB-133

All of the winners will each receive a new OB shaft! Thank you to everyone who entered the contest.

OB, headquartered in Plano, Texas is a leading manufacturer of High Performance Pool Cues and Pool Cue Shafts made 100% in the USA since 2005. For more information on OB Cues or OB shafts or to become an authorized dealer, please visit www.obcues.com

Qpod GmbH is new sponsor of the Royal Dutch Billiards team

The Austrian manufacturer of exclusive billiard accessories has expanded its involvement in the sports of billiards and signed a sponsorship agreement with the successful Royal Dutch Billiards Association (KNBB)

(Vienna / Nieuwegein, May 2013) By signing the sponsorship agreement with the KNBB, Qpod has found – in addition to Jennifer Barretta, Thorsten Hohmann and Ralph Eckert – another successful collaboration partner in Billiard sports. Top Dutch Billiard players are under contract to promote Qpod at international events, road shows and trade fairs. Each sponsored player will receive an exclusive personalized Qpod chalkholder. Qpod Managing Director Bernhard Braunegger: “As confirmed from the very beginning our cooperation with KNBB, two winning teams found each other. The entire KNBB team was very successful in St. Johann in Austria last weekend and Niels Feijen won the tournament with a very powerful and impressive performance at the Dynamic Billard Austrian Open."

The successful track record of the Dutch players speak for themselves. Niels Feijen became Champion in World Straight Pool in 2008 and won several additional European Championship titles. His teammate Nick van den Berg was 2012 European Champion in Straight Pool, Huidji See could reach the World Championship in 2011 in 10-Ball.

The New Mezz “WX900” High Performance Ultra Low Deflection Shaft. Launching in July/August!

The new Mezz “WX900” shaft with the ultimate low deflection technology has been conceived. It consists of a 12mm tip diameter, conical pro taper, 10mm NX ferrule and Kamui original medium layered tip. 　Along with the re-engineered Mezz Internal Support System (ISS) Technology, the WX900 shaft delivers maximum spin with ease, accuracy and consistency.

Poles triumphed second stage of Olympic-Online Baltic Pool League

The last weekend was held the second stage of Olympic-Online Baltic Pool League 2013 and the game was 10-ball. The location was the beautiful town of Ketrzyn in Poland. Poles were really in fire in mens and womens division by winning 6 out of 8 medals and among them both brigthest medals. In mens division was victorious Piotr Kudlik and womens division Katarzyna Wesolowska. Another significant fact was the number of participants on this event, namely record high 138 players.

Poles took all four medals in men's division

Although it was expected that Poles triumph the mens division it was still anticipated that maybe Denis Grabe and Henrikas Strolis (Team Olympic-Online) are able to do something about it. However it was only an anticipation as Strolis lost already in the last 64 and Grabe lost in last sixteen to the polish twelwe years old wonderkind Wiktor Zielinski 6:3. It was Zielinski that finished third only by losing to the latter finalist Mariusz Skoneczny in the semi final 6:4. In the second semi final it was again all about Poland when Piotr Kudlik and Piotr Ostrowski battled it out for the place in the final. The two Piotr battle went for Kudlik with a score of 6:3. After the confident semi final Kudlik did not changed his matters and won the final over Skoneczny 6:2.

Women's division was dominated by Wesolowska

The womens division was controlled for the whole event by Katarzyna Wesolowska. In the semifinal she won over Latvian athlete Ana Prizjazniuka 5:2 and in the final she crashed Margarita Fefilova from Belarus 5:0. The second bronze medal went to polish player Eva Bank.

The organisers are grateful to all the sponsors, including Olympci-Online, Strachan, Bilijardai, Mezz Cues, Kamui Tips, Boombapwear.com, Entry Piljardiklubi, Baribal Piljardiklubi, Aveiras, AZ Billiards, Insidepoolmag, Pro9 and all other individuals that made the event possible.

For now Olympic-Online Baltic Pool League will rest for the summer only to come back on 14th of September in Riga, Latvia.

US Open 9-Ball

Despite a few hiccups in recent years about prize money being paid in a timely fashion, the WPA has agreed to continue its sanctioning of the US Open for 2013. Promoter of this event, Mr Barry Behrman has given written assurance that prize money for this years event will be secured prior to the commencement of the event in order to avoid delays with payments to players. It is important to note that despite some problems, there are no players who have never received their prize money. The WPA has made it clear to Mr Behrman that it cannot be associated with events that do not deliver what they advertise. WPA President, Ian Anderson, said "the WPA is happy to continue its association with an event that has the history of the US Open, and one where the promoter works so diligently to make it an outstanding success. We are grateful for the hard work that Mr. Behrman and his daughter Shannon contribute to maintain their tournament as the highest profile event in the USA. This will be the 38th consecutive year that the event has been held, quite an achievement".

THERE'S SO MUCH MORE AT THE SPORTS BAR!

It's not easy getting value for money these days but here at Rileys Sports Bars we'd like to give you a little extra for FREE! That's in addition to big screen sports viewing and of course all the cue sports action that comes with your Rileys membership.

So when you decide to re-sign for Team Rileys, you'll get £5 FREE to play on our machines - with all the best games including Rainbow Riches and Cops 'n' Robbers.

So why not step inside, re-join and go play! We'd love to see you again.

Regards,
The Rileys Team