Site News
Topic: *Industry News* 2011

Worldstraightpool.com is Launched!!

New Brunswick, New Jersey- The Official Website of the World Tournament of 14.1 is now up and running! Fans and players alike can checkout www.Worldstraightpool.com for exclusive interviews with the pro stars, and all the latest and even archive news of the World Tournament. The site will cover the biggest straight pool tournament in the world at the Dragon Promotions & Dr.Michael Fedak produced event. It all takes place on August 28- September 2, 2011 at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in New Brunswick, New Jersey.

The complete listing of this year's roster of players is also now available on the site. Oliver Ortmann, Johnny Archer, Thorsten Hohmann, Niels Feijen, Allen Hopkins, Stefan Cohen, Mike Sigel, Tony Robles, Rodney Morris, Charlie Williams and many, many more will make this event memorable.

The site also contains all the info on purchasing tickets for the event, The 14.1 Hall of Fame Banquet, and discounted hotel reservations at the Hyatt Regency Hotel where the event takes place. During the event, daily updates will be added every few hours so fans can keep up with all the latest results and exciting stories. The site will also have the official brackets and tournament charts from the round robin through the end final single elimination charts.

Daily match times and complete tournament schedule will also be on the site. Online Live Streaming Coverage will also be on www.InsidePoolmag.com , the Official On-Site Media Partner of the World Tournament.

The 2011 World Tournament is proudly co-sponsored by Predator Cues, Olhausen Tables, Amsterdam Billiards, Inside Pool Magazine, Andy Cloth, Aramith Balls, Kamui, Pool & Billiard Magazine, Sandcastle Billiards and straight pool aficionados Bill Austin of UT, Dr.Louis Pannullo, Ralph Rubin of MD. Co-contributors Dennis Walsh, Dr.James Heller, Charles Eames, Mark Snodgrass, and Bill Marapolous. For more information on player registration, sponsorship, or if you would like to submit a comment, please email worldstraightpoolchampionships@gmail.com or contact Dragon Promotions at 1-407-782-4978.

Full event info is now at www.Worldstraightpool.com and more info on www.dragonpromotions.com

World Snooker To Donate Fines To Haven House

For the remainder of the 2011/12 season, any player fines which result from World Snooker contract disciplinary issues will be donated to Haven House Children's Hospice.

World Snooker Chairman Barry Hearn said: "Any well-run business has rules to be followed, and in ours those rules are in the players' Professional Tour contract.

"World Snooker does not wish to financially benefit from any fines imposed on players who are in breach of contract. So we have decided to donate those fines in their entirety to Haven House Children's Hospice.

"I don't want to see any player break our rules, but if they do so I will be delighted to see Haven House benefit, as this season we are aiming to raise a minimum of £120,000 for them, which is ten per cent of their running costs."

Haven House, in Woodford Green, Essex, is World Snooker's official charity for the current season. It cares for children and young people between the ages of 0 to 19 who have life-limiting conditions.

To find out more visit www.havenhouse.org.uk and to donate visit www.justgiving.com/worldsnooker

Parica & Ortmann Lead Foreign Favorites at The World Tournament of 14.1

New Brunswick, New Jersey - Jose Parica, Oliver Ortmann, Alex Pagulayan, Niels Feijen, Kunihiko Takahashi, Stephan Cohen. Asia and Europe will be well represented by some of the their top talents on the stage of the biggest straight pool tournament in the world. The World Tournament of 14.1 by Dragon Promotions & Dr.Michael Fedak takes place on August 28- September 2, 2011 at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in New Brunswick, New Jersey. The most recognised and artistic 14.1 masters alive will air online with Mika Immonen, Johnny Archer, Thorsten Hohmann, Allen Hopkins, and Ray "Cool Cat" Martin taking it to the felt.

Several new comers will experience their first World Tournament of 14.1 include the Asian talent of Jose Parica, Alex Pagulayan, and Kunihiko Takahashi. Parica's last World 14.1 was in 1977 and 1978 where he had top 10 finishes. Takahashi, famed for his 1998 World 9-Ball Championship win, is the current reigning national Japan 14.1 Champion. Of the three, Pagulayan is the only one lacking in major straight pool experience.

"I really don't know what to expect of myself. I can't give any predictions. Seriously! But all I know is that I'm very excited because it's my first big straight pool tournament!", answered Pagulayan when asked how he thought he would do in the event.

"In 1979 I won the International 14.1 Championship in Japan and beat Takeshi Okumura in the finals (Okumura was a formwer World 9Ball Champion). I also won three 14.1 events in Cali ", said Jose when asked about his 14.1 backround.

"I think its great Jose is playing. All the filipinos have always played well. Me and Jose tangled with each other in nineball and one pocket back in the day, but I never played him straight pool. I dont know much about his 14.1 skills, but im going to assume they are good", said Ray Martin.

Jose Parica and Ray Martin will both be in the same group so this one will be once in a lifetime chance to see these two legends play!

On the other hand, everyone knows what to expect from perhaps the world's greatest 14.1 player, Oliver Ortmann. The German World Champion has won this event two times in four years. And while he will hands down be the overall first pick, it's going to be closely followed by fellow World Champions Niels Feijen (Netherlands), Stephan Cohen (France), and the other German terror, Thorsten Hohmann.
Cohen has been practicing hard for the event. He just ran a career 431 in France.

And don't forget the runner-up in the last two World Tournaments, Mika Immonen of Finland.

"Well, I just took a nice long vacation away from pool. It was really nice to get back to my base in life. So now I feel hungry and upto the challenge. In fact, it's the ten year anniversary of when I won the World 9-Ball Championship. I took a long vacation right before that event ,too. So this could be the one...", said Mika Immonen about his preparation for the event.

For more exclusive interviews with the top pros in the event goto www.WorldStraightPool.com . The site has the full list of players, schedule, and stories on the event.

Fans are encouraged to watch the event live in this never to be forgotten straight pool experience. But if you cannot, don't fret as Inside Pool will have extensive coverage with brackets, updated match scores, and LIVE STREAMING ! Starting August 30th fans can view marquee matches online at www.insidepoolmag.com/live-streaming-billiards

For the sixth straight year, Dragon Promotions will produce the 71st Annual World Tournament of Straight Pool . In partnership with the support of Dr.Michael Fedak, this year's event will have the biggest payout in straight pool history with $20,000 going to the champion. The event is $35,000 added , boasting a total $70,000 in the prize fund. Predator Cues will also be sponsoring the event for the sixth straight year at the luxurious Hyatt Regency in New Brunswick, NJ. Once again the greatest straight pool players from around the world will arrive on USA's east coast again to attend this prestigious event. Their common goal will be to play for the coveted World Tournament of 14.1 title and be recognized as the #1 Straight Pool Player on Earth. The World Tournament is the oldest tournament in history that still exists today. Invented by Jerome Keough and shortly after recognized as the official game of billiards. The first World 14.1 Tournament was held in 1911 and won by Alfredo DeOro. In its history due to war and economics, the World Championships had 29 tournaments that did not take place including a 15 year gap between 1990-2005 until Dragon Promotions revived the game and the World Tournament in 2006.

Week passes to the World Tournament include one banquet ticket. Get the event special 40% discounted room at the Hyatt Regency by calling 732-873-1234 ask for "US Pool Players" Group and receive the tournament rate of $105 per night. Online purchases for the dinner and also tickets can be purchased at www.DragonPromotions.com .

The 2011 World Tournament is proudly co-sponsored by Predator Cues, Olhausen Tables, Amsterdam Billiards, Andy Cloth, Aramith Balls, Kamui, Pool & Billiard Magazine, Sandcastle Billiards and straight pool aficionados Bill Austin of UT, Dr.Louis Pannullo, Ralph Rubin of MD. Co-contributors Dennis Walsh, Dr.James Heller, Charles Eames, Mark Snodgrass, and Bill Marapolous. For more information on player registration, sponsorship, or if you would like to submit a comment, please email worldstraightpoolchampionships@gmail.com or contact Dragon Promotions at 1-407-782-4978.

Schedule Change for The World Tournament of 14.1 & Warm-Up Event

New Brunswick, New Jersey- Dragon Promotions is making preparations for Hurricane Irene and possible issues caused by the impending storms. Players and fans are not to worry though, the event will go on this week. The 14.1 Warm-Up Tournament originally scheduled for Amsterdam Billiard Club will be moved to Sunday August 28 with players meeting at 2pm. The main event, 71st World Tournament, will begin with a players meeting at 9am on Monday morning August 29th. The event will stay on schedule to end on September 2.

Fans will still be able to watch world class straight pool action Sunday with stars such as Thorsten Hohmann, Mike Sigel, John Schmidt, Jose Parica, Johnny Archer, Alex Pagulayan, Stephan Cohen, Rodney Morris, Kunihiko Takahashi, Ralf Eckert, Mike Davis, Max Eberle, Charlie Williams, and many more competing.

Everyone is welcome to come Sunday and mix it up with top 14.1 stars like Niels Feijen!

All fans and players of any skill level can join in the Warm-Up for $75 and get a rare opportunity to play in the main arena of The World Tournament. The Olhausen Tables with Andy Cloth and Aramith Balls will be new so come out and experience the feeling of world class 14.1 action with the pros at The Hyatt Regency!

Both tournaments are sponsored by Dr. Michael Fedak and Amsterdam Billiard Club. Predator Is the Official Cue of the events.

"It's really unfortunate timing for this storm to hit on our big day with the pros, but stuff happens. We apologize to the fans and players but are happy to still support both events in New Jersey", explained Greg Hunt of Amsterdam Billiards. New York City and much of New Jersey Has mandatory evacuation and major roads are being closed down, along with all mass transit. Despite this, Greg Hunt, of Amsterdam Billiards and from Dr. Michael Fedak will add $3000 into the Warm-Up one day event.

The bottom line: The best straight pool action will still be ongoing all week and everyday!

Sandcastle Billiards will be inviting all the pros and fans over for a night of fun Saturday August 27th. Located only 5 minutes away from the Hyatt Regency, for a mere $20 gets you in to play pool free all night. Starting Sunday through Friday just bring your Official Program Book of the World Tournament of 14.1 and you will get the same special all week! Call 732-632-9277

Visit www.worldstraightpool.com for all current info or email worldstraightpoolchampionships@gmail.com

Can USA Win? Schmidt & Immonen 14.1 Predictions

John "Mr.400" Schmidt is one of USA's best hopes to win

New Brunswick, New Jersey- It has been over 20 years since an American has won a World 14.1 Championship. In the modern era since the Dragon Promotions resurrection of The World Tournament, Europe has dominated the straight pool scene. So the million dollar question: Can an American win the World Tournament of 14.1?

Top USA pro and 14.1 specialist John Schmidt was asked to give his viewpoints. Schmidt has a high run of over 400 (twice!) and is widely hailed as one of the best straight pool players in America.

You have a 9th and 5th place finish at The World 14.1. How do you think you will fare this year?
"I've played very little this year. I really don't expect too much of myself , thus less inner pressure. For me that's usually better so I might play really well. I love straight pool and this event by far has the best money and talent, thanks to the generosity of Dr. Fedak."

How do you think the older, veteran legends will do ?
"Guys like Hopkins and Sigel are still threats. Ray Martin is probably the oldest in the field, but Johnny Ervolino ran a 333 when he was 66 years old. So none of these guys can be taken lightly"

Aside from yourself, who are your top USA picks?
"Johnny Archer is always up there. He shoots so straight and knows how to control and slow his opponents down. Charlie Williams is always dangenrous with his laser beam eyes that makes everything. Max Eberle is also very solid."

Sigel and Immonen, both real threats at this year's World Tournament

World 9-Ball and 10-Ball Champion Mika Immonen has been eluded by the World 14.1 title by fractions. He has placed second 2 years in a row. He shares some of his opinions with us.

With Europeans winning the last 5 World Tournaments of 14.1, it's undeniable that Europe is the King of 14.1 now. Why are the Europeans so good?
"That's an interesting question, but perhaps the standard in Europe has been elevated higher in modern times. Most of the major international titles in all disciplines have been going to Europeans the past several years. In China, Philippines, and USA . There's definitely a pattern."

You have a Bronze, and 2 Silvers at The World Tournament. Were you lucky or is it just a matter of time...?
"It's definitely a nice trend I'm making (laughs). Well, I thought I had it won two years ago when Cohen made that great comeback against me. And last year Oliver just played fantastic. But yes, I believe it's just a matter of time before I win this."

What made you into such a great straight pool player?
"It's always been one of my favorite games. Growing up I didn't have the luxury of good practice partners, so I spent alot of time alone playing , and 14.1 was a perfect game for me. At first straight pool was just a practical game for my training, but later it also had philosophical meaning."

Out of the Americans, who would be your choice to have the best chance to win the World Tournament?
"I would say John Schmidt. He knows and plays the game well. "

What do you think he needs to do in order to win?
"Improve his consistency. He is capable of playing at a very high level if he keeps his mind on it."

The 14.1 Warm-Up Tournament starts today August 28 at 3pm at The Hyatt Regency Hotel and is open to all players and spectators to play and watch. Schmidt and Immonen are both scheduled to play as well.

The World Tournament of 14.1 main event will start Monday August 29th at The Hyatt Regency in New Brunswick, New Jersey with the round robins at 10am. Call 407-782-4978 for more info or email worldstraightpoolchampionships@gmail.com

www.Worldstraightpool.com has all the info on players and times with Live Streaming on www.Insidepoolmag.com

The Lion Learns Straight Pool

New Brunswick, New Jersey- Alex "The Lion" Pagulayan and Ralph Eckert split the finals of the World Tournament 14.1 Warm-Up. Both players went undefeated in the single elimination race to 100 format. The one day event was sponsored by Dr.Michael Fedak and Amsterdam Billiard Club which gave the players a bonus $3000 added tournament. The tourny drew 26 players and was a prelude to the main World Tournament the following day.

Ray Martin won against Louis Pannullo 100-49, which made it Ray's first win in 2 decades in 14.1. He fell the next match to John Schmidt, but seemed to rub some rust off. In Archer vs Schmidt, Johnny gave a repeat lashing to Schmidt 100-0. Archer ran in 2 innings, giving Schmidt his second loss in 14.1 in 3 weeks. Rodney Morris won in 20 mins running 60 and 40 against Walker and then 100-91 against Blair Levandowski . Stephan Cohen beat Kunihiko Takahashi of Japan and then beat Mike Davis 100-41. Alex then took down Archer in the semi-finals.

In a 3 inning match, Hatch ran 54 against Pagulayan, only to see Alex comeback with a 101 ball run. "I've been trying for a week to run a hundred, but now it finally comes!" exclaimed Alex. Pagulayan claimed recently that he did not have any idea of how he would do in his first international straight pool championship. Germany's Eckert was also in good form taking down former French World Champion Stephan Cohen to get to the finals.

In the end both players decided to split the cash and goto bed early to get ready for the morning matches. A wise decision as all players will have to play three days in a row with little breaks. But Eckert and Pagulayan will begin their round robins feeling pretty warmed up.

Still a tournament victory eludes the USA....

For the sixth straight year, Dragon Promotions will produce the 71st Annual World Tournament of Straight Pool August 28- September 2 . In partnership with the support of Dr.Michael Fedak, this year's event will have the biggest payout in straight pool history with $20,000 going to the champion. The event is $35,000 added , boasting a total $70,000 in the prize fund. Predator Cues will also be sponsoring the event for the sixth straight year at the luxurious Hyatt Regency in New Brunswick, NJ. Once again the greatest straight pool players from around the world will arrive on USA's east coast again to attend this prestigious event. Their common goal will be to play for the coveted World Tournament of 14.1 title and be recognized as the #1 Straight Pool Player on Earth. The World Tournament is the oldest tournament in history that still exists today. Invented by Jerome Keough and shortly after recognized as the official game of billiards. The first World 14.1 Tournament was held in 1911 and won by Alfredo DeOro. In its history due to war and economics, the World Championships had 29 tournaments that did not take place including a 15 year gap between 1990-2005 until Dragon Promotions revived the game and the World Tournament in 2006.

WPA: “Dragon’s ‘World’ events not official World Championships”

Official Press Release from the WPA

Tuesday, 30 August 2011: In response to communications from players and others, the World Pool-Billiard Association (WPA) would like to assert that the two events being organized by Dragon Promotions as "World" events, the “World 14.1 Tournament” and the “World Mixed Doubles Championship,” are not World Championship events recognized by the WPA or any international governing body of pool. Dragon Promotions has chosen to call these "World" events and they may call them that if this is their desire. But it is the duty of the WPA to make certain that players, fans and sponsors are aware that these events are not world championship events and that the results from these will not be found in any official record books in the future.

Euro-Tour Spain up for confirmation

Venue in Benidorm cancelled

Thursday, 01 September 2011: The Euro-Tour event that is scheduled for December 1st to 3rd, 2011, will not be hosted in Benidorm as it was in the preceding year.

Unfortunately, the local organizer who cooperated with the IBP for quite some years now had to cancel the hosting of the event for several reasons.

IBP officials will be visiting Hotel Alay in Benalmadena, Spain, where it was held two years ago. Things are looking promising and details could be finalized by the end of next week. More details to come.

For further information and reference please go to the federation website www.epbf.com , follow us on twitter @EPBF_News or contact our press office.

World Seniors Snooker Returns

Snooker’s World Seniors Championship returns this November, and the whole event will be televised live by Sky Sports.

The tournament will be held at the East of England Showground, Peterborough, on the weekend of November 5 and 6 and will feature a field of 16 players, with 12 invited and four more to come through a qualifying event.

Last year’s event in Bradford was won by Jimmy White, who beat Steve Davis in the final. Many of snooker’s great players and characters of the past three decades will feature again.

TICKETS ARE ON SALE NOW, for details see www.worldsnooker.com/tickets or call 0871 620 7052.

The random draw for the first round took place tonight and the line up is:

Defending champion JIMMY WHITE v Former World No 2 TONY KNOWLES
1991 World Champion JOHN PARROTT v 1986 World Champion JOE JOHNSON
The fastest cue in snooker TONY DRAGO v Six times World Champion STEVE DAVIS
New Zealand's best ever player DENE O'KANE v Former World No 3 NEAL FOULDS
1980 World Champion CLIFF THORBURN v fellow Canadian snooker legend ALAIN ROBIDOUX
Current Sky Shoot-Out champion NIGEL BOND v 1985 World Champion DENNIS TAYLOR
Qualifier 1 v Qualifier 3
Qualifier 2 v Qualifier 4

Total prize money on offer is £53,000, with the winner to pocket a cheque for £18,000.

All players will be aged over 45, a change from last year’s event which was over-40. All matches will be the best of three frames, with a 30-second shot clock. The last 16 will take place on Saturday November 5, and the quarter-finals, semi-finals and final on Sunday November 6. There will be further random draws for the quarter finals and semi finals at the venue.

World Snooker Chairman Barry Hearn said: “We introduced the World Seniors Championship last year and it was a great success so we’re delighted to keep it on the calendar this season. And we’re particularly thrilled that Sky Sports have decided to televise the whole event live, as well as showing highlights over the Christmas period.

“This tournament is about celebrating the great names of the past 30 years. Last year I was particularly impressed by the way the players interacted with the crowd and enjoyed the fun and banter. The atmosphere was a joy for anyone who was lucky enough to have a seat. And make no mistake – the players are still extremely competitive and there was some very high quality snooker played, particularly by the champion Jimmy White.

“We’ve moved the event to an excellent venue in Peterborough with 430 seats. I would strongly recommend fans to get their seats booked for what is a unique event on the calendar.”

44th annual All Japan Championship

Men’s                         WPA ranking game
Date:
Qualifying round(1st stage); 2011 Nov 14 – 16
Main event (2nd stage)
( Group round );     2011 Nov 17 - 19
( Final round );        2011 Nov 19 - 20
Venue: “Archaic hall OCT”
            2-7-16, Syowa-dori, Amagasaki-city, Hyogo, Japan, 660-0881
Format: WPA 10-ball,
Qualifying round;                Double elimination, race to 8
Main event
( Groupe round );     128 players, Double elimination , race to 8
( Final round );     64 players, Single elimination, race to 10

Prize money
The exchange rates is at June 13.
Total;     $100,400
Winner;     $28,600
Runner-up; $14,300
3rd finish;     $7,150 x 2
5th finish;     $3,600 x 4
9th finish;     $1,800 x 8
17th finish;     $900 x 16
The 20% tax is imposed on the prize money for Foreign players.

Entry dead line for foreign players; 2011 Sep 30

Top 32 players on latest WPA ranking( on 2011 Aug 31) will be seeded at Main event.
1 Orcollo, Dennis
2 Akagariyama, Yukio
3 Alcano, Ronnie
4 Appleton, Darren
5 Melling, Chris
6 See, Huidji
7 Chang, Jung Lin
8 Corteza, Lee Vann
9 Hohmann, Thorsten
10 Lining, Antonio
11 Souquet, Ralf
12 Feijen, Niels
13 Van Boening, Shane
14 Biado, Carlo
15 Peach, Daryl
16 van den Berg, Nick
17 Fu, Che Wei
18 Fu, Jianbo
19 Chang, Yu Lung
20 Li Wen, Lo
21 Gomez, Roberto
22 Immonen, Mika
23 Alcaide, David
24 Kuo, Po-Cheng
25 Liu, Haitao
26 Ko, Pin-Yi
27 Gray, Mark
28 Dalmatin, Karlo
29 Tanio, Vinancio
30 Klatt, Jason
31 Boyes, Karl
32 Engert, Thomas

10 seeded players (each 2 players from 5 continental federations, AAPA, BCA, CPB, EPBF, and OPBA) will be seeded at Main event.
The number of seeded players from APBU will be: each member have 2 spots.

Entry fee: Player starting from the 1st stage ; $250 (20,000)
Player qualified to the 2nd stage ; Additional $190 (15,000)
Player starting from the 2nd stage ; $440(35,000)

Total added money is $50,400
Dress code    Please wear a white shirt, a tie, a vest, and leather black shoes

44th annual All Japan Championship
Women’s
Date:
Main event (2nd stage)
( Group round );     2011 Nov 18 - 19
( Final round );        2011 Nov 19 - 20
Venue: “Archaic hall OCT”
            2-7-16, Syowa-dori, Amagasaki-city, Hyogo, Japan, 660-0881

Format: WPA　9 -ball,
Main event
( Groupe round );     64 players, Double elimination , race to 7
( Final round );        16 players, Single elimination, race to 9

Prize money
1st     600,000 JPY
2nd     300,000 JPY
3 ～4th 150,000 JPY
5 ～8th    75,000 JPY　
9 ～16th　 38,000 JPY
　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　
Entry fee： 20,000JPY

The 20% tax is imposed on the prize money for Foreign players.

Entry dead line for foreign players; 2011 Sep 30

To players　＆　Guest
If it is not early, the reservation of the official hotel becomes a full occupancy.

Takashi Namie
President
Japan Professional Pocket-Billiard Association
10-21 Hiranokamiyanagi-cho, Kita-ku,Kyoto, Japan 603-8355
Tel. +81-75-463-3777 Fax +81-75-461-8706
namitaka39@jpba.ne.jp

Thai-Phoon Sets Up Rocket Clash

Former World No 3 James Wattana earned a match with Ronnie O'Sullivan by strolling through the wild card round at the Bank of Communication Shanghai Masters on Monday.

Thailand's Wattana, who won three ranking titles in the 1990s, saw off China's Jin Long 5-1 with top breaks of 79 and 75, and will now face O'Sullivan in the last 32 on Tuesday night.

"I didn't expect it to be easy but Jin can play a lot better than he did today," said 41-year-old Wattana. "I will try my hardest against Ronnie. We've had some great games in the past. He's the best player in the world, but on the day anything can happen. I'm hoping tomorrow will be my day."

Dominic Dale, who won the Shanghai event in 2007, had to come from 2-0 down to beat China's Cao Xinlong 5-3. Welshman Dale made a 102, the highest break of the match, in frame seven to go 4-3 ahead before completing victory in the next.

"I'm very relieved," admitted Dale, who now plays Shaun Murphy. "Cao is one of the slowest players I've ever faced, he has a similar style to Peter Ebdon. But he played well and scored heavily. I only missed one ball and I was 2-0 down. I made a good clearance to win the third frame and that was the turning point."

Overall it was a bad day for the local players as all eight wild cards lost to their professional opponents.

Performance of the day went to Gloucester's Robert Milkins who took just 54 minutes to beat Tang Jun 5-0, compiling runs of 70, 60, 109, 74 and 89.

He was almost matched by Anthony Hamilton, who made 123, 75, 60 and 52 in beating Li Hang 5-0.

Wild card round results

James Wattana 5-1 Jin Long
Fergal O'Brien 5-1 Hossein Vafaei
Anthony Hamilton 5-0 Li Hang
Jack Lisowski 5-2 Rouzi Maimaiti
Dominic Dale 5-3 Cao Xinlong
Nigel Bond 5-2 Thanawat Thirapongpaiboon
Robert Milkins 5-0 Tang Jun
Michael Holt 5-3 Cai Jianzhong

Peter Hawley

It is with deep regret that I pass on the news that Peter Hawley has passed away. Peter was a great ambassador and tireless worker for our sport, serving as Vice President and Treasurer of the World Pool-Billiard Association, Board member and WADA Officer for the World Confederation of Billiards Sport. In his own country of South Africa he held the post as President of the All Africa Pool Association, it would be impossible to speak too highly of him. He has left all of us with so many fond memories, always the "life of the party", Peter always brightened any room with his presence. Our sport has lost a man with great passion, and I have lost a good friend. Our heartfelt thoughts go out to his family, he will be sorely missed. May he rest in peace.

Ian Anderson
WPA President

O’Sullivan Shines In Shanghai

Ronnie O'Sullivan knocked in two centuries in an emphatic 5-1 defeat of James Wattana at the Bank of Communication Shanghai Masters on Tuesday.

The Rocket hasn't won a full ranking event since he beat Liang Wenbo in the final here two years ago, but he has shown signs of his best form in recent weeks and his awesome scoring power was in full evidence against Thai veteran Wattana.

Breaks of 76 and 111 put O'Sullivan 2-0 up, and though Wattana won the next, the Essex player cruised to victory with further runs of 53, 110 and 97 to book a last 16 meeting with Anthony Hamilton.

“I had to be on my toes because James is a very good player," said three-times World Champion O'Sullivan. "It's nice to go into an arena where there are so many fans wanting to watch you play and I was pleased to be able to entertain. I know they want me to make a 147 and I'll be doing my best to get one here.

"It would be great to win this title again but all the best players are here so it will be difficult. If I can stop missing silly balls I'll have a chance, but it's too early to predict how far I can get."

Hamilton, a former practice partner of O'Sullivan, finished superbly to beat Stephen Maguire 5-4, making centuries in each of the last two frames.

In the day’s most dramatic match, Shaun Murphy came from 4-1 down to beat Dominic Dale 5-4. Welshman Dale missed an easy final brown when set for a 5-3 victory, allowing Murphy to level at 4-4 then win a tense decider.

“At 4-1 down it would have been easy to give up and stop trying, but this is a long way to come and I had to give it 100 per cent. I've come here to try my best and to win,” said former World Champion Murphy.

Defending champion Ali Carter lost 5-4 to Mark King in another exciting finish, King winning frame eight on a respotted black before taking the decider. Carter summed up his performance as “terrible.”

Mark Selby boosted his chances of becoming the new World No 1 after this event by beating Nigel Bond 5-3. Selby, who won PTC4 in Germany nine days ago, was far from fluent but pulled away from 3-3 to win the last two frames.

Day two results (all last 32 matches)

Shaun Murphy 5-4 Dominic Dale
Ali Carter 4-5 Mark King
Mark Allen 5-2 Ryan Day
Peter Ebdon 3-5 Fergal O'Brien
Ronnie O'Sullivan 5-1 James Wattana
Mark Selby 5-3 Nigel Bond
Stephen Maguire 4-5 Anthony Hamilton
Jamie Cope 5-3 Jack Lisowski

Hendry Crashes To Milkins

Stephen Hendry suffered a 5-1 defeat against Robert Milkins at the Bank of Communication Shanghai Masters, and now looks set to drop out of the world's top 16.

The seven-times World Champion is currently ranked 16th, but his first round exit in Shanghai is likely to see him fall out of the elite for the first time since 1988.

If he can't regain his place in time for the seeding cut-off point in early October - which looks improbable as he has not entered one of the two PTC events - he will have to qualify for December's UK Championship and rely on a wild card for the Masters in January. Last year there were no wild cards at the Masters and this year a decision is yet to be made on whether to make any available.

Asked how much of a blow it would be if he did miss either of those two major events, Hendry replied: "Of course it would be disappointing. But the way I'm playing at the moment I'd lose in the first round anyway. I'm just playing very badly and I've got very little confidence."

Gloucester's Milkins, who knocked in two breaks of 73 in setting up a last 16 meeting with Mark Williams, said: "I played well from the first frame. Even though Stephen's not on form, you still have to play well to beat him."

It was a bad night for the home fans as Chinese duo Ding Junhui and Liang Wenbo were both knocked out. Ding squandered a 3-0 lead against Martin Gould, losing 5-3. The last frame went down to the colours and Gould nicked it with a cracking pot on the final black along the side cushion.

"Even at 3-0 down I knew I was cueing well," said Gould, who boosted his own chances of a top 16 place for the first time. "I managed to win the fourth frame, then at the interval I was able to regroup.

"When I was faced with the black in the last frame I didn't fancy it at all and thought about playing safe. But I decided to go for it and it was lovely to see it drop."

Liang suffered a 5-1 reverse against 2010 World Champion Neil Robertson, who compiled breaks of 72, 63 and 59.

Stuart Bingham insisted he can win back to back ranking events after a 5-1 victory over Judd Trump.

Bingham's biggest career landmark came at the Australian Goldfields Open in July when he won his first ranking title. Full of confidence, the Essex cueman reproduced that form today with a resounding win over Crucible finalist Trump which featured breaks of 129 and 112.

"Once I got on the match table I felt the same as I did in Australia and managed to show that form again," said Bingham. "There's no reason why I can't win this. If I play as well as I did in Australia I can do it. I've been playing well for 18 months now and I just want to keep it going."

Trump said: "I'm really disappointed to go out early in this one, especially having won the China Open in Beijing last season. If Stuart keeps playing like that he'll be hard to beat."

Bingham now faces World Champion John Higgins, who recorded a 5-2 win over Mark Davis with a top break of 112.

"I've only ever won one ranking tournament in Asia, and that was here in Shanghai in 1999. So it's been a long time and I'd love to win another one," said Higgins.

World No 1 Mark Williams wasted little effort in beating Andrew Higginson 5-0. The Welshman made a 77 in the first frame and a 54 in the last.

Day three results (all last 32 matches)

John Higgins 5-2 Mark Davis
Mark Williams 5-0 Andrew Higginson
Judd Trump 1-5 Stuart Bingham
Graeme Dott 2-5 Michael Holt
Ding Junhui 3-5 Martin Gould
Neil Robertson 5-1 Liang Wenbo
Stephen Hendry 1-5 Robert Milkins
Matthew Stevens 5-2 Stephen Lee


Photograph © Top147.com - used here by Pro9 with express permission.

Masters Snooker Tickets On Sale

Tickets are now on sale for snooker's greatest invitation event: The Masters.

The tournament is reinvigorated this season with a new venue. After 32 years at Wembley, The Masters has moved to a new home closer to central London: Alexandra Palace.

The tournament runs from January 15 to 22, 2012, and will feature the world's top 16 players. China's Ding Junhui is defending champion having beaten Marco Fu last season in snooker's first ever all-Asian major final.

Ding is likely to be joined by the likes of World Champion John Higgins, World No 1 Mark Williams, new sensation Judd Trump, double Masters champion Mark Selby and crowd favourite Ronnie O'Sullivan.

BOOK TICKETS NOW by calling 0871 620 7052 or visiting www.worldsnooker.com/tickets.

Tickets start at just £10, and there's an incredible HALF PRICE OFFER on selected tickets for the next three weeks. A limited number of tickets for the Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday of the event (January 16, 17 and 18 ) are half price, which means you could see the best players in the world for just £5! To claim the offer just quote 'Snooker Loopy' when booking tickets.

There are also some exceptional hospitality packages up for grabs, the perfect gift for friends or family or a great way to entertain clients. For details call 01277 359925.

World Snooker Chairman Barry Hearn said: "There is something magical about the Masters, it has so much history and prestige. It's a stand-out event on the sporting calendar and the best players on the planet will dream of lifting the trophy.

"We're excited to move to Ally Pally this year because I've staged the World Darts Championship there and the atmosphere is wonderful. If we can reproduce that in snooker it would be fantastic, so I'm urging fans to get their tickets booked up and help make this a sensational tournament."

'BATA' REYES SET TO DEFEND PREDATOR 10-BALL TITLE
BY:MARLON BERNARDINO

FILIPINO billiards master Efren "Bata" Reyes will begin his bid to retain his title when the 2011 Predator International 10-Ball Championship gets underway tomorrow, Thursday at the Robinson’s Galleria in Ortigas.

A player's meeting is schedule today, Wednesday, 5 pm at the 4th level of Max Restaurant according to Cindy Lee of Dragon Promotions Inc.

The 56-years-old Reyes will be going all out against 95 of the world’s best cue masters including former world champions Mika Immonen of Finland and Darren Appleton of England, reigning Philippine Open titlist Thorsten Hohmann of Germany, countryman and reigning World no.1 Dennis Orcollo and Malaysia Golden break champion Lee Vann Corteza.

"Every player has a chance for the title but we’re optimistic and ready. The home crowd will play a major role in this tournament. They’re our inspiration," said Reyes, a former World 9-Ball and 8-ball Pool champion.

The hall of famer Reyes, playing under the banner of Puyat Sports, grabbed the crown last year by rallying past compatriot Roberto "Pinoy Superman" Gomez, 10-9, to win the $10,000 top prize.

Reyes, also known by his moniker "The Magician", teaming up with fellow Puyat Sports ace Francisco "Django" Bustamante, the reigning World 9-Ball Pool Champion representing PHL-B, lost to eventual World Cup of Pool team champion Germany spearheaded by Hohmann and Ralf Souquet, 9-1, in the quarterfinals. Souquet also won the World Pool Masters crown at the SM North Edsa in Quezon City.

More than 30 countries have confirmed participation in this edition including Germany, India, Sweden, China, England, Australia, Finland, Norway, Mexico, Canada, Curacao, Venezuela, Spain, Portugal, Russia, Austria, Hungary, the Netherlands, Italy, USA, Malta and host country Philippines.

WPBSA Launches Inquiry

The WPBSA has launched an inquiry into an incident in the 17th frame of last Sunday's Bank of Communication Shanghai Masters final between Mark Selby and Mark Williams.

The match was stopped for several minutes while referee Eirian Williams had to make a difficult call as to whether Selby had hit a red or the pink first when escaping from a snooker.

WPBSA Chairman Jason Fergsuon called for the inquiry following comments made by both players after the match.

The inquiry will be led by Ferguson and former referee Alan Chamberlain and will include statements from both players and the match referee.

Ferguson said: "I want to make very clear from the outset that this inquiry is not part of any disciplinary procedure and has no effect on the outcome of the match. Mark Selby is a deserving champion and won the match fair and square. Our rules state that any decision by the referee is final.

"However, through this inquiry we will look to establish tighter guidelines for referees when such difficult decisions need to be made.

"A further statement will be released once the inquiry is complete."

Admin Edit: View a video of the incident... www.youtube.com/watch?v=sMif__71FuQ

Dear Industry Leader

William Elijah Lyon , affectionately dubbed Liam

I am planning a Pool Tournament to Raise Funds for a family struggling to make ends meet after their son was born with half a heart. I am seeking product that will appeal to the pool community to do a blind auction. 100% of the auction moneys will go the family of little Liam. All contributors may have any type of advertising that I offer including full commercials, banner rolls, intro spots and website viewer placements at NO COST. There will ONLY be contributor advertising in this show. It will be free to view.

I will be seeking a venue to host the event and sponsors to put up $500-$4,000 in added money. If interested in providing product, added money or both, please respond asap. This event is planned for December before Christmas.

Liam's Grandma:

www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1650627543

Liam's Community Page:

www.facebook.com/pages/I-Love-Liam-Lyon/137992366273067

Here's his story:

William Elijah Lyon, affectionately dubbed Liam, was born February 18, 2011 at 3:25am to Whitney and Brody Lyon in Ft. Smith, Arkansas. Although he was about 5 weeks early, he was a perfect size weighing 6 lbs and measuring 19 inches long. But it was quickly apparent there was a serious problem. Thanks to Dr. Seglem and his diagnostic skills - Liam was quickly diagnosed with hypoplastic left heart syndrome. Our boy had a congenital heart defect that is fatal if left untreated. He was transferred that evening by Life Flight to The Children's Hospital at St. Francis in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The doctors spent a week trying to decide the best course of action and decided he needed a transplant instead of the first of three palliative surgeries (Norwood, Glen, Fontan) and he was transferred to Arkansas Children's Hospital in Little Rock, Arkansas. He and his mom were transported by an awesome Angel One team sent by the hospital. He has been there ever since. The doctors here thought he should have the surgeries to try and make his heart work as long as possible - maybe even until he was a teenager! He had the Norwood, but it wasn't working quite right and they had to operate again. And now, it is becoming apparent that the palliative surgery is not performing as expected and he has now been listed status 1A for a heart transplant. This is his journey and we love him. There are so many people who have followed his story and encouraged us with their prayers. we love you all.

7/25/11 - After 4 open chest surgeries - they knew he was running out of options. Somewhere a family we can never repay made the impossible decision in their grief to give Liam a chance and last night the transplant team went and got Liam a new heart that needed a new home. So for the 5th time in 5 months, they opened his little chest while people prayed across the world. He had his transplant. And the response from our extended FB family has been overwhelming. Prayers across the world, and coast to coast in the US. Miracle.

8/7/11 - On his great Grandma Joyce's birthday, the doctors and respiratory peeps decided it was time to try and get the little guy off the ventilator. He has been intubated to enable him to breath since he was born. Three times they have tried to extubate him - he only lasted a few hours at the most and had to be re-intubated. This time though he has a new heart and as I write this, he has been breathing on his own for over 30 hours - the first 72 are the most critical. He is our warrior and he can do this. Prayers, again from everywhere - it is astonishing.

8/11/11 - Well he couldn't stay extubated the entire 72 hours - his skin opened up on his chest from the transplant surgery and scared everyone. It was apparently so painful he wasn't taking deep enough breaths and his weaker lung (left side) started to collapse. They sedated him and repaired the skin closure over his sternum and had to put his breathing tube back in - at least for now. Sigh.

8/15/11 - the first heart biopsy to check for rejection was scored a zero - and in this world a zero is the best possible score!

8/21/11 After a few days of intermittent fever - the docs decided he was stable enough to try and extubate again - he has been off the vent for about 6 hours and is doing good.

9/10/11 After almost 7 months, Liam's great grandparents got to hold him for the first time. This is a huge milestone for us - you would just have to know these grandparents - they live for their kids, grandkids and great grandkids. Just such a huge relief that he was able to be held. He has his ups and downs on a daily basis but the overall trend is up. Now we are writing letters to the donor family - it will be sent to UNOS and if the donor family chooses, they can read the letters and know about Liam. We can never express what this means but we will try. Love and prayers for that family.

Contact me anytime

email = akabigtruck(at)gmail.com
text = 254-379-2569
text from computer = 2543792569@txt.att.net

Thanks for your continued support!

Ray Hansen
PoolActionTV

WPBSA Statement

The WPBSA, working alongside the Gambling Commission, have completed a full investigation into suspicious betting patterns on a match at the World Snooker Shoot-Out between Jimmy Michie and Marcus Campbell on January 28th, 2011.

The investigation has concluded that while there were irregular betting patterns on the match, there is currently no evidence to link the betting to either of the players involved. Therefore no regulatory action will be taken by the governing body against the players.

Date: Wednesday, September 14, 2011

Robertson Takes On Rugby Challenge

Former World Snooker Champion Neil Robertson will be at Leeds Rhinos engage Super League elimination play-off clash with Hull FC this Sunday (September 18 ) to take part in a special rugby challenge.

The 2010 Crucible King will take on Leeds mascot 'Ronnie the Rhino' in a test of conversion kicking at half time of the game which kicks off at 5.15pm at Headingley Carnegie Stadium.

Robertson, nicknamed the Thunder from Down Under, is a massive Aussie Rules Football fan and will try to prove he has the nerve to kick between the posts when the pressure is on.

Advance Tickets, priced from £20 Adults, £5 Juniors can be purchased on www.therhinos.co.uk

World No 5 Robertson will also be getting a taste of the Yorkshire atmosphere ahead of snooker's second biggest ranking event, the UK Championship, which runs from December 3 to 11 in York.