Site News
Topic: *Industry News* 2012

Hot Starz to Play Cool Game

Beautiful women, PotShot Pool make for new concept in televised billiards.

The Rack Starz and Poolnight LLC, two new companies to the billiards scene, are joining forces to bring a totally new look to pool on television.

The new show will have the look of a Texas hold-em show and feature an elimination format not unlike American Idol. The show, dubbed "Shooting Starz," will audition local players and film in real pool halls, allowing viewers to follow the action of a live PotShot Pool tournament.

The show will be hosted by the internationally recognized Rack Starz, a group of young women pool players that are quickly changing the public's image of a pool player. The hosts include Jennifer Berretta 2011 Predator Tour 10-Ball Champion, the first female ever to win in Open/Pro, and recently named one of the 25 sexiest women in sports by ESPN. The show will culminate with one winner emerging to claim a million dollar prize and become America's first "Shooting Star."    

The contestants will be playing PotShot Pool, the brand new pool game just released for home play by Poolnight LLC. When asked what makes this game different from other pool games, co-inventor John Langwig says, "PotShot was designed to be fast paced and compelling to watch. Our game will do for Pool what Texas-Hold-em has done for Poker. We're thrilled to be teaming with the beautiful Rack Starz to bring this project to television."

This combination of beautiful women, real pool players of all stripes, celebrities, real pool room action, and the most fun to watch pool game ever devised is destined to change the way people see pool on television. Shooting Starz is exciting, sexy, realistic, and unpredictable; it's pool like you've never seen it before.

Contact:
Poolnight LLC
66 Pratt Road
Quincy, MA
E-mail john@potshotpool.com
Media kit www.potshotpool.com (click the media kit link)

Beckley Wins Open 8-Ball Division of 19th US Bar Table Championships

The inaugural year at the Grand Sierra Resort and Casino, CSI’s 19th Annual US Bar Table Championships concluded Sunday, with Jeff Beckley going undefeated in the 8-Ball Division. It was a week of championship caliber pool, with outstanding performances in all six divisions: both Open and Women’s 10-Ball, 9-Ball and 8-Ball and with a record 502 entries.

The 8-Ball Division kicked off on Friday, with 189 entries in the Men’s Division and 46 entries in the Women’s Division. All tables were in play, as there were three tournaments being contested simultaneously, the Men’s and Women’s USTBC 8-Ball, and a WorldPPA handicapped 9-Ball Tournament.

Jeff Beckley, who hails from Indiana, had an impressive tournament run. Jeff finished undefeated and notched wins over notable players such as Jose Parica, Larry Nevel, Francisco Bustamante and Robb Saez. His win/loss totals were an impressive 45-18.

Jeff started out the final day, with a hotseat match with Francisco Bustamante. Jeff played solid and capitalized on a few uncharacteristic mistakes from Francisco. Francisco was a favorite going in, as he had a very impressive run on Saturday. Jeff sent Francisco to the loser’s bracket with a 5-3 win and then went back to his room to relax until his 7:00 match.

Meanwhile, Robb Saez was all business on Sunday. His eyes were set on Jeff Beckley, but he would have to beat a host of champions to get there. Robb started off by knocking out Rodney Morris 5-2, and then sent Larry Nevel packing with a 5-0 win. Next up for Robb was Oscar Dominguez, who was having a great tournament himself.

Oscar was sent to the loser’s side late Saturday night by Francisco Bustamante, in a match where Oscar would get only two shots. Francisco broke and ran the first game. When Oscar broke the next game, the cue ball got kicked in and Francisco ran out. Then, Francisco broke and ran out. When Oscar broke the next game, the cue ball was kicked in again, and Francisco ran out. Francisco then broke and ran the final game, for a 5-0 win. In all, Oscar had only two shots in the match, both break shots.

Oscar would give Robb all he could handle though on Sunday, and they went hill-hill with Robb needing to bank his last solid cross side and draw his cueball into the 8-ball, which was tied up on another ball. It was a do or die shot, where any part of the shot going wrong would result in an easy out and a win for Oscar. Undaunted, Robb drilled the bank and drew softly into the 8-ball, freeing it up for an easy shot to win the set.

Up next for Robb, was Francisco Bustamante. Robb had everything rolling for him though at this point, and great play and a few rolls allowed him to move on to the finals with a 5-4 victory over “Django."

The finals got underway at 7:00 pm with Robb Saez needing to beat Jeff Beckley twice. Up until this point, it seemed destiny was on Robb’s side, but Jeff was not going to be denied. First Jeff got an early lead at 3-0, and then Robb crept back with a couple of games. Jeff got to the hill first, and had a few opportunities to close out the match, but couldn’t cash in on them. Jeff would need to keep his composure and put his missed opportunities behind him, if he wanted to end this in one set. Jeff would keep it together, and with a straight in 8-ball down the rail, he won his first USBTC 8-Ball Title.

Congratulations to Jeff Beckley with his 1st place finish and Robb Saez for finishing 2nd. Francisco Bustamante finished 3rd and Oscar Dominguez came in 4th. First paid $5700, 2nd paid $3300, 3rd paid $2000 and 4th paid 1200.

On the Women’s side, Stacy Allsup went undefeated and matched up with Melissa Little in the finals. Melissa would need to beat Stacy two sets to come out on top, but fell short, losing the first set 4-2. Congratulations to Stacy Allsup on her 1st place finish pocketing $875 and Melissa Little on her 2nd place finish and a $550 prize.

In the All Around Bonus, there was a three way tie for 1st place, between Shane Van Boening, Glenn Atwell and Jeff Beckley. They split $3500 in added Bonus money provided by CSI. On the Women’s side, Rebecca Wagner took home an additional $500 for 1st place and Stacy Allsup took home $250.

CSI would like to thank the Grand Sierra Resort and Casino for providing a perfect venue for the USBTC Championship. Thanks to Ric, Bonnie and Ken Jones with Bad Boys Billiard Productions for all they do in setting up and running this great event. Bad Boys would like to thank Bret Baker and Janet Okomoto for volunteering their time to assist them. CSI would like to thank Bill Stock for assisting Bad Boys on the Tournament Directors staff and the long hours he’s had this year at DCC, Swanee and USBTC.

CSI would like to recognize Justin Collett and TAR for providing daily live streaming of the event with the high quality production we all have come to expect from them.

TAR would like to thank OB Cues for sponsoring the live streaming and Kamui Tips and AZBilliards for their additional support. Additionally, a special thanks to Ken Shuman for his professional commentating all week on the live stream. Special thanks to Andy Chen & Greg Koch (“CaliRed”) for their long hours running cameras for the live stream.

Most of all, CSI would like to thank the players, the fans, and the pool community for making this event a success. CSI would especially like to thank their own CSI family at the home office, who put in all the hard work behind the scenes that are required to put together these large tournaments. On behalf of Mark Griffin and the entire CSI Staff, thanks to all of you for another successful and entertaining event.

CueSports International (CSI) is dedicated to creating more choices for all players. In the past seven years CSI has directly paid out approximately seven million dollars to players. CSI is the parent company of the BCA Pool League and the USA Pool League. CSI also produces independent events such as the US Bar Table Championships, the Jay Swanson Memorial, the US Open One Pocket Championship and the US Open 10-Ball Championship. Visit www.playcsipool.com, www.playbca.com and www.playusapool.com for more information about CSI and its divisions.

CSI leads the billiard industry in the development of technology. For more information on the state-of-the-art software systems for league and tournament management visit www.leaguesys.net and www.ctsondemand.com.


Bill Stock of CSI and Jeff Beckley Open 8 Ball Winner

'DJANGO' BUSTAMANTE LOOKS TO AVENGE 'BATA' REYE'S LOSS TO PIN YI KO
by Marlon Bernardino

FORMER World 9-Ball Champion Francisco "Django" Bustamante seeks revenge against Taiwanese ace Pin Yi Ko when the Philippine Bigtime Billiards (PBB) Face Off Series resumes on Saturday, February 25 at the Pagcor Airport Casino in Parañaque City.

Ko defeated Bustamante's Puyat Sports stablemate double world champion Efren "Bata" Reyes, 4-9, in the last weekend PBB Face Off Series dubbed as Philippines versus Asia.


“"This time I will not disappoint my countrymen. I'm ready" said the Tarlac City native Bustamante. "Igaganti ko si pareng Efren (Reyes) kay Ko,” added the 48-year-old Bustamante, who beat 2007 World 9-ball champion Britain's Daryl "The Dazzler" Peach, 9-8, in November's PBB Face Off Series.

Sports Betting at MegaSportsWorld favors Ko against Bustamante as of Thursday. A $1-bet on Ko would win $1.55. A $1-bet on Bustamante would win $2.02 in this race-to-9, 10-ball affair, winner’s break format event jointly organized by the Mega Sports World and BRKHRD Corp.

The match will be aired live over Solar Sports, Sky Channel 70 and Destiny Channel 34. It will also be aired worldwide through the Internet at www.megasportsworld.com and www.philippinebigtimebilliards.com.

Sorsogon Province Sports Patron Philip Escudero of Malungai Life Oil, brother of Senator Chiz Escudero said " I never imagine how hard and intense the game of billiards is, till i became involve in the sport. Government should seriously look into its development."

The PBB Face Off Series, joint undertaking of Mega Sports World and BRKHRD Corp., and organized in cooperation with Sorsogon Province Sports Patron Philip Escudero of Malungai Life Oil, brother of Senator Chiz Escudero, Hermes Sports Bar, I-Bar, Golden Leaf Restaurant, Bugsy Promotions, Mandarin Sky Sea Food Restaurant, Billiards Managers and Players Association of the Philippines (BMPAP) with The Philippine Star as official media partner.

Betfred.com World Championship Draw And Format

The line up of the top 16 seeds for snooker’s greatest tournament, the Betfred.com World Championship, is now available.

The seeding-cut off point for the sport’s blue riband event fell after the Welsh Open, which was won on Sunday by Ding Junhui.

The top 16 players now qualify automatically for the £1.1million event at the famous Crucible Theatre in Sheffield. The full line up in draw order is:

John Higgins v qualifier (Saturday April 21 10am and 7pm)
Stuart Bingham v qualifier (Saturday April 21 2.30pm and Sunday April 22 7pm)
Graeme Dott v qualifier (Tuesday April 24 2.30pm and Wednesday April 25 10am)
Stephen Maguire v qualifier (Sunday April 22 10am and Monday April 23 10am)
Shaun Murphy v qualifier (Sunday April 22 2.30pm and Monday April 23 2.30pm)
Stephen Lee v qualifier (Monday April 23 7pm and Tuesday April 24 7pm)
Ali Carter v qualifier (Wednesday April 25 7pm and Thursday April 26 1pm)
Judd Trump v qualifier (Tuesday April 24 10am and Wednesday April 25 2.30pm)
Mark Williams v qualifier (Wednesday April 25 2.30pm and Thursday April 26 7pm)
Ronnie O’Sullivan v qualifier (Monday April 23 2.30pm and Tuesday April 24 2.30pm)
Martin Gould v qualifier (Saturday April 21 10am and Sunday April 22 10am)
Neil Robertson v qualifier (Saturday April 21 2.30pm and Sunday April 22 7pm)
Ding Junhui v qualifier (Tuesday April 24 10am and Wednesday April 25 10am)
Mark Allen v qualifier (Saturday April 21 7pm and Sunday April 22 2.30pm)
Matthew Stevens v qualifier (Monday April 23 10am and 7pm)
Mark Selby v qualifier (Tuesday April 24 7pm and Wednesday April 25 7pm)

The event runs from April 21 to May 7. The top 16 will be joined by the 16 players who come through the qualifying rounds, which run from April 5-15 at the World Snooker Academy in Sheffield.

World Snooker Chairman Barry Hearn said: “The Betfred.com World Championship is the absolute pinnacle of our sport. It’s 17 days of blood, sweat and tears, and the man who lifts that trophy at the end of it will cherish the memory forever.

“The line up of 16 seeds is unbelievably strong. John Higgins won his fourth World title last year and he’s aiming to become the first player to win back-to-back at the Crucible since Stephen Hendry in 1996. There are so many great players now that he faces a massive test.

“The Championship will put Sheffield in the spotlight on a global scale, watched by hundreds of millions of fans around the world. We’ve already had the biggest demand for tickets in the history of the tournament, they are selling at an amazing rate. I’m confident that every seat for every session on every day will be taken. Those lucky enough to be in the arena will be watching the greatest snooker show on Earth.”

BOOK YOUR SEATS NOW by calling 0844 6565 147 or visit sheffieldtheatres.co.uk

The qualifying rounds also promise some top draw action, with legends like Jimmy White, Steve Davis, Stephen Hendry and Ken Doherty battling for a place at the Crucible. Tickets are on sale – to book call 0114 256 5567 or visit www.arenaticketshop.co.uk

The Betfred.com World Snooker Championship is supported by Sheffield City Council and Welcome To Yorkshire.

David Fletcher of Creative Sheffield said: "April really is snooker month this year in Sheffield with both the qualifiers and final stages of the World Championship being hosted here - we're as proud as ever to be the City of World Snooker and wish the players all the best for the tournament."

Gary Verity, Chief Executive of Welcome to Yorkshire, added: "Once again the eyes of the world are on Yorkshire and we are delighted to support the World Snooker Championship in the magnificent city of Sheffield."

CEBUANA "BINGKAY" AMIT HEADS PHL WORLD POOL BETS IN TAIWAN
by Marlon Bernardino

MANILA, Philippines---Rubilen "Bingkay" Amit, Iris Ranola and Mary Ann Basas, the so-called Big 3 of Philippine women's billiards, will try to extend the country's domination of the sport when they compete in the 2012 AMWAY eSpring Women’s World 9-Ball Open schedule on March 12 to 18 in Taipei, Taiwan.

The tournament is sanctioned by WPA and ABPU and organized by Chinese Taipei Billiards Federation (CTBF) with a total prize money of $70,000. The champion getting the lion share of $20,000 while the runner-up place will went home $10,000.

"We will try our best to bring honor to our country" said the 30-year-old Amit, the 2009 Women’s World 10-Ball Champion in a recent interview, one of the top player of sportsman/businessman Aristeo "Putch" Puyat, acknowledged Philippine Billiards God Father.

The Cebuana native Amit, currently No.15 in the latest World Pool-Billiard Association (WPA) women's ranking list while the Zamboanga City pride Ranola is listed at No. 24. The Davao star Basas is not listed at the top 100 in the world.

The triumvirate (Amit, Ranola and Basas) are under the watchful eye of national billiards coach Boyet Asonto.

Meanwhile, Geona Christine Gregorio, Reggie Ann Biagcong and Gillian Go of Quezon City joint at No.92 spots in the WPA ranking list. Siming Chen and Xiao Fang-fu of China occupied the No.1-2 position.

2009 Women's World 10-ball champion Rubilen "Bingkay"Amit and sportsman/businessman Aristeo "Putch" Puyat, acknowledged Philippine Billiards God Father

ORCULLO, CHEN RECEIVE THEIR PLAYER OF THE YEAR AWARDS
By Ted Lerner

The Philippines’ Dennis Orcullo may have been dumped out of the recent World 8-ball Championship in the round of 32, but he didn’t leave Fujairah, UAE empty handed.

The 2011 World 8-ball Champion finally received his beautiful Tag Heuer watch in recognition of winning the 2011 WPA Player of the Year award. The watch was given over to Orcullo on the last day of the tournament by WPA President Ian Anderson as the Filipino great was about to leave for the Philippines.

“You are a worthy champion,” Anderson told Orcullo. “Wear this watch with pride because you deserve it. Congratulations.”

“I am very happy to receive this award,” Orcullo said. “I’m also happy to bring honor to my country.”

Anderson then travelled to China to meet with Chinese billiard officials regarding several new upcoming events to be held there. While in China, the WPA president recently had a chance to meet up with 2011 WPA Female Player of the Year, Chen Siming, and presented the 18 year old pool star with her Tag Heuer watch.

“You are a great young talent and a great representative of your country,” Anderson told Chen. “Congratulations. I have no doubt I’ll be presenting you with more awards in the coming years.”

“I’m honored to receive this award,” Chen said in Chinese as beaming Chinese Billiard officials looked on. “I will try my best to play good this year too.”

The WPA Player of the Year awards are determined by whichever player receives the most ranking points in a given calendar year. Players earn ranking points by competing in WPA sanctioned events. The number of points in an event is determined by the size of the field and the size of the prize fund.

2011 WPA Player of the Year Dennis Orcullo receives his Tag Heuer watch from WPA President Ian Anderson

League of Champions Evolves in 22 States in the Nation

Pasadena,California and Charlotte, South Carolina join the UPA's Ranks

PHOENIX, AZ (February 1, 2012) - The billiards league scenes in Pasadena, California and Charlotte, South Carolina are about to witness the Evolution of Pool firsthand as the United States Professional Poolplayers Association (UPA) welcomes two new League Operators to its premier League of Champions: Jonathan Lanzetti and Robert Harbison, respectively.

Mr. Lanzetti is no stranger to pool leagues, having expanded another league in the foothills of the Northern San Gabriel Valley of Los Angeles. Mr. Lanzetti recognized that the UPA League of Champions is a "reputable league" that he can bring to the players in his area. He signed on as League Operator in December 2011 and has already signed 74 players and started his first division.

Mr. Harbison has been playing pool for the past 45 years, having started in his father's basement when he was a child. His experience has shown him what a great league looks like and operates like, calling the League of Champions, "The Perfect League ... Professional pool for the amateur player." He wants nothing more than to bring "the passion" he found in the UPA to South Carolina and will work to bring appreciation to the "UPA's skill and ability to do as they say, 'Change how pool is played in America.'"

Now, in 22 U.S. states, the UPA's League of Champions has seen significant growth in the past year, making it the fastest growing pool league in the nation. Not surprising, since preliminary tests of the leagues were conducted in a heavily saturated league state where literally all leagues exist, including a large number of independent leagues and the results were phenomenal. With the League of Champions, players can expect to play in a cash/prize league, gain professional insight with the UPA's trademarked SSR program, and put an end to sandbagging.

The UPA is looking for the right men and women to represent their professional brand of leagues across the nation. If you or someone you know is interested in bringing the UPA League of Champions to your local area, to fill out our Initial Form to speak too a representative. To contact us directly with questions, please call (877) 788-7227 or email playupa@upatour.com.

About UPA
The United States Professional Poolplayers Association brand represents the ideal in the sport of pocket billiards in the United States, formed in January 2002 by professional players. The UPA brand is positioned well for the future as the standard bearer for the evolution of the sport adopting the motto: "The Evolution of Pool™."

UPA
Darrin Brown
Media Contact

If you would like to learn more about the UPA organization as a whole, visit our website at www.upatour.com. Click Here to visit our League Operators page for more information on how to start your pool league business venture.
    
"The Evolution of Pool™" is a trademark of the United States Poolplayers Association (UPA)

DJANGO EXACTS REVENGE, WINS PBB FACE OFF SERIES
by Marlon Bernardino

Manila, Philippines---FILIPINO pool wizard Francisco "Django" Bustamante squeaked past Taiwanese Pin Yi-ko to avenged the loss of his fellow Puyat Sports player to win the Philippine Bigtime Billiards (PBB) Face Off Series late Saturday (February 25) at the Pagcor Airport Casino in Parañaque City.

The 48-year-old pool legend showed vintage form to pull off a come-from-behind win against Ko, 9-7, in the winner's break format, dubbed as Philippines versus Asia, jointly organized by the Mega Sports World and BRKHRD Corp and aired live over Solar Sports, Sky Channel 70 and Destiny Channel 34, and also aired worldwide through the Internet, live streaming at www.megasportsworld.com and www.philippinebigtimebilliards.com.

The Tarlac City cue master, one of the top players of sportsman/businessman Aristeo "Putch" Puyat, acknowledged Philippine Billiards God Father, trailed, 7-5, before securing the next four racks to lift Team Philippines into a 1-all deadlock against Team Asia.

Actually, the two-time World Junior Champion Ko, took a 3-1, to 6-4 commanding lead until Bustamante fought back from the grave.

"In the start of the match I was so nervous when Ko took a 3-1, 6-4 to 7-5 lead," said Bustamante who reigned supreme in the 2010 WPA World Pool Championships (World 9-Ball), defeating Taiwanese “The Little" Monster” Kuo Po-cheng, 13-7, in the final was held in Doha, Qatar.

"However i didn't lose hope because of the winner's break format. Maybe it can turn around the situation but i need to play solid," he added.

Last February 18, Ko downed Filipino pool maestro Efren "Bata" Reyes, 9-4, for the first win of Team Asia in the Philippine Bigtime Billiards introduces a fresh new format for 2012.

The PBB Face Off series backed up by Sorsogon Province Sports Patron Philip Escudero of Malungai Life Oil, Airport Casino Filipino, Hermes Sports Bar, I-Bar, Golden Leaf Restaurant, Bugsy Promotions, Mandarin Sky Sea Food Restaurant, Billiards Managers and Players Association of the Philippines (BMPAP) and The Philippine Star
resumes with a match pitting 2012 World 8-Ball Champion Jung Lin Chang of Chinese-Taipei against Lee Vann "The Slayer" Corteza on March 3 and Chang versus Dennis "Robocop" Orcollo on March 10.

World Ladies Billiards & Snooker Association press release

Catalano clinches fourth Connie Gough title

WORLD number one Maria Catalano ended a marathon 13-hour day on the women’s snooker circuit as champion of her “special tournament” for the fourth time.

Five days after turning 30, Catalano swept past Hong Kong star Jaique Ip Wan In to claim the Connie Gough Memorial trophy at Jesters Snooker Hall, Swindon .

Her 3-0 victory avenged a last-16 defeat in last month’s Southern Classic.

“I owed her that one,” laughed Catalano.

It was her third title this season on the World Ladies Billiards & Snooker Association tour and an eighth in total.

But it’s the Connie Gough, which she also won three times between 2006 and 2008, that she holds dear to her heart.

“It’s the Connie Gough,” declared Catalano. “It’s always been a special tournament because it’s a memorial one for Julie’s (Hemingway) mum. And I love Julie to bits. So to do well in this means a lot.

“I spoke to Julie this morning and she wished me all the best and said she hoped I’d win it.”

There was no easy return to the circuit for seven-time world champion Reanne Evans, who had been laid low with pleurisy.

The Connie Gough champion for the last three years came up against Catalano in the preliminary round and lost 3-2.

Catalano, from Dudley, West Midlands , said: “It’s always good to play Reanne. We’ve had some good matches over the years.

“Obviously, to beat Reanne is always a great achievement. (The circuit) needs players like Reanne.”

Ip Wan In, also a beaten finalist at the Southern Classic, accounted for world number eight Katie Henrick 3-2 in the last-four.

In the second semi, Catalano overcame Ip Wan In’s compatriot Ng On Yee 3-0. Ng had beaten Southern Classic champion Emma Bonney 3-0 in the last-16.

Evans, who had slipped to joint third in the rankings with pregnant Vicky Carter, did return to winning ways in the Plate.

The 26-year-old from Dudley, West Midlands, compiled a 91 break against the home club’s Jodie Symes and rounded off eight winning frames with a 2-0 victory over Tina Owen-Sevilton ( Somerset ) in the final.

Jan Hughes (St Neots, Cambs) picked up her first Seniors (40+) trophy of the season, beating Gaye Jones (Melksham, Wilts) in the final.

And Hampshire’s Suzie Opacic defeated Symes to collect the Shield (under-40) trophy.

The sixth and final leg of the 2011/12 WLBSA tour is the Greene King World Championships in Bury St Edmunds in April.

RESULTS (BREAKS)

PRELIM: Jodie Symes beat Chris Sharpe 3-1, Jaique Ip Wan In (47) beat Martina Lumsden 3-0, Katie Henrick (46) beat Suzie Opacic 3-0, Vicky Carter beat Gaye Jones 3-0, Natascha Niermann beat Jenny Poulter 3-1, Maria Catalano beat Reanne Evans (40, 63) 3-2.

LAST-16: Hannah Jones (30) beat Symes 3-0, Ip Wan In beat Tina Owen-Sevilton 3-1, Henrick beat Jasmine Bolsover 3-0, Ng On Yee     beat Emma Bonney 3-0, Yu Ching Ching (33) beat Marianne Williams 3-0, Carter beat Eva Palmius 3-1, Niermann beat Jan Hughes 3-0, Catalano beat So Man Yan 3-1.

QUARTER-FINALS: Ip Wan In (27, 64, 34) beat H Jones 3-0, Henrick (27) beat Ng 3-2, Yu (33) beat Carter 3-0, Catalano beat Niermann 3-1.

SEMI-FINALS (£50): Ip Wan In (30) beat Henrick 3-2, Catalano beat Yu 3-0.

FINAL (£150/£100): Catalano (41) beat Ip Wan In 3-0.

SENIORS (40+)

QUARTER-FINAL: Jan Hughes beat Jenny Poulter 1-0, Marianne Williams beat Martina Lumsden 1-0.

SEMI-FINALS: Hughes beat Chris Sharpe 1-0, Gaye Jones beat Williams 1-0.

FINAL: Hughes beat Jones 1-0.

PLATE

LAST-16: Martina Lumsden beat Gaye Jones 2-0, Suzie Opacic beat Marianne Williams 2-1, Jenny Poulter beat Chris Sharpe 2-1, Reanne Evans (91) beat Jodie Symes 2-0, Jan Hughes beat Jasmine Bolsover 2-0.        

QUARTER-FINALS: Tina Owen-Sevilton beat Lumsden 2-0, Eva Palmius (40) beat Opacic 2-0, Evans beat Poulter 2-0, So Man Yan     beat Hughes 2-0.

SEMI-FINALS: Owen-Sevilton beat Palmius 2-1, Evans beat So 2-0.

FINAL (£25/£15): Evans beat Owen-Sevilton 2-0.

SHIELD (UNDER-40)

SEMI-FINALS: Jodie Symes beat Hannah Jones 1-0, Suzie Opacic beat Vicky Carter         1-0,

FINAL: Opacic beat Symes 1-0.

Dynamic Euro-Tour 2012 kicks off in Sarajevo

Last year’s tour winner Souquet to be honoured

Monday, 27 February 2012: On March 1st, 2012, at 09:00 in the morning, the 2012 Dynamic Euro-Tour season kicks off in the Radon Plaza Hotel in Sarajevo, Bosnia & Herzegovina. Around 160 players have announced so far with the top 50 players from Europe included. Everyone wants to have a shot at the first major title in the European main circuit. Though the field is already quite filled, there are still spots available for more players who decide their participation at last minute.

The season starts with the accolade of last year’s overall tour winner. Ralf Souquet from Germany was leading the rankings after the final tournament in Treviso, Italy, in December 2011 and will receive an extra prize for this achievement.

This year, some changes within the established Euro-Tour system will come into force. That includes a new announcement system through the Euro-Tour website www.eurotouronline.eu, a new prize money breakdown, and other minor changes that improve the Tour. All changes and improvements can be viewed on the Tour website.
For further information and reference please go to the federation website www.eurotouronline.eu , follow us on twitter @EPBF_News or contact our press office.

Star Xing Pai Haikou World Open - Day One

Hainan Island, China

Day one results (wild card round):
Sam Baird (ENG) 3-5 Jin Long (CHN)
Tom Ford (ENG) 5-4 Lu Haotian (CHN)
Mark King (ENG) 5-2 Hossein Vafaei Ayori (IRI)
Robert Milkins (ENG) 5-3 Thanawat Tirapongpaiboon (THA)
Jimmy Robertson (ENG) 5-2 Zhou Yuelong (CHN)
Joe Perry (ENG) 5-0 Rouzi Maimaiti (CHN)
Michael Holt (ENG) 5-4 Zhu Yinghui (CHN)
Nigel Bond (ENG) 4-5 Lu Ning (CHN)

Michael Holt made a century in the deciding frame to edge out Zhu Yinghui 5-4 at the 2012 Haikou World Open.

Nottingham's Holt survived a scare against 17-year-old Zhu, one of the crop of young Chinese wildcards. Holt's heavy scoring was ultimately the difference as he weighed in with three centuries: 101 in the first and last frames and a tournament high 135 in the third.

With the match poised at 3-3, Zhu missed a relatively easy black and Holt took full advantage to edge into the lead in what was the turning point of the match. Zhu levelled at 4-4 with a 69 clearance before Holt clinched victory with his third ton.
"He played well and didn't do much wrong," said Holt, who now plays Stuart Bingham. "He should have won really as he missed that black to go 4-3. I was a bit lucky even though I made some good breaks."
Lu Ning, an 18 year-old from Jilin, gained a hard-fought win over veteran Nigel Bond to set up a last 32 match against World No.1 Mark Selby.

It was a scrappy affair with only two 50 plus breaks, a 51 from Bond to win the third frame and a 94 from Lu to give himself a 4-3 lead. In the end a run of 43 in the decider saw Lu over the line.

“Before the match I didn’t really think I would win but as the match progressed I really started to believe that I could,” said a delighted Lu.

One other Chinese wild card knocked out his professional opponent as 30-year-old Jin Long scored a 5-3 win over England's Sam Baird to set up a last 16 meeting with Ding Junhui.

Jin opened up a 3-0 lead with breaks of 50 and 60 before Devon-based Baird pulled one back before the mid-session interval. Jin made it 4-1 when they resumed but breaks of 73 and 56 from Baird gave him every chance, before his opponent stole the match-winning frame on the black.

The first round proper starts on Tuesday, with the £400,000 world ranking tournament running until Sunday.

Photography courtesy of Top147.com: Michael Holt in action against Zhu Yinghui.

DYNAMIC BILLARD BEST OF THE EAST 2012

Hungarian Open 10-ball

Pecs - Hungary
10-11th of March 2012     
Date: 10-11.03.2012

Venue: Fordan Billiard Center, Bajcsy Zs. Str.14-16, Pecs - Hungary
www.fordancenter.hu

Mode: 10-ball, Round Robin system - race to 5-7, single elimination race to 7, semi-final and final-race to 9

Dress code: club-shirt, long black dress trousers (no jeans will be permitted), black shoes and matching socks, smart casual short- or long-sleeved shirt with a collar

Equipment: 16 x Dynamic tables 9ft, Iwan Simonis cloth

Regulations: the players are not allowed to drink alcohol during the event and smoke cigarettes during the matches and time outs.

Anoucement: Mak Marketing - Poland
e-mail: mak@makmarketing.pl, deadline 6th March 2012

Registration in the venue - 10.03. - 9.00-9.45
Start of matches - 10.03 - 10.15 a.m.
Final - 11.03. - 5.00 p.m.

Prize money:

     1st place     -    1.050 €,
     2nd place     -    700 €,
     3th places (x2)     -    450 €,
     5-8th place (x4)     -    200 €

Entry fee: 50 € - men; 30 € - pupils (max. 16th years old) and woman

Tournament hotel:

Hotel Forum
www.forumhotelpecs.hu
7622, Pecs Bajcsy Zs. str. 14 16. This hotel is inside of Fordan building. It’s very comfortable for the players. The car parking is secured.
This hotel has got:
1 room with 4 beds 6 rooms deluxe
     17000.- Ft/2 person/night
     12500.- Ft /1 person/night
12 rooms standart
     14 000.- Ft /2 person/night
     10500.- Ft /1 person/night
1 apartman for 4 person 25000.- Ft/night

Tourism tax: 400Ft/person/night
(1 Euro = 290 Ft).

The hotel booking: varga.laszlo@fordancenter.hu (Mr. Laszlo Varga) or somlaci@fordancenter.hu (László Somogyvári).
The hotel prices must to pay to L.Varga

Breakfast in a Fordan Center!

Sponsors: Dynamic Billard Organization Germany - Iwan Simonis Belgium

Head referee: Piotr Kamiński

Regional organizer: Laszlo Somogyvari

Tournament director: Marcin Krzemiński (Poland) - mobil phone: +48 602 196 206

More info: www.makmarketing.pl

Video LiveStream moves to Kozoom.com

Website of EPBF cooperation partner about to be launched
Monday, 27 February 2012: Starting Wednesday, February 29th 2012, the complete LiveStream and video department of the EPBF moves to the new partner, the company Kozoom.

All Dynamic Euro-Tour events, all EPBF Dynamic European Championships will have LiveStream in high quality. Most of the matches will be edited afterwards and completed with slow motions. They will all be archived and Club Kozoom members will have access to all of them. Over time a huge archive will grow and become a “must” for all pool billiard fans.

In order to have full access to the website, there are three passes available to join Club Kozoom:
Express pass (valid for 48 hours) 5.99 €
Monthly pass –automatically renewing- (valid for one month) 10.00 €
Annual pass (valid for one year) 96.00 €

The new website will be accessible starting Wednesday, February 29th, 2012, at www.kozoom.com/en/uspool. Beyond the superb video offer, the website offers its members a news section, a calender of all European events, results of events, a picture gallery, a forum and an instructional corner.

Special offer for active players: Every player who participates in at least one Euro-Tour or European Championship event, can contact the tournament desk during the event and receive a discount of 30% for an annual pass. Every player can only order one discounted pass.

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

SBX2012 - Only a few days left to sign up!

As the 2012 SBX quickly approaches, we just want to remind everyone that online player registration will be closing on Monday, March 5.
Almost all of the Amateur Players Championship events require pre-registration - you cannot sign up to play on-location.

Fields are filling up fast! The Super Seniors event was expanded to accomodate 160 players, and there are only a few spots left. Other events are filling up quickly too, don't miss your chance to get in.

We are excited to announce that this year you will be able to follow the tourney action online! That's right, this year we will be posting tournament brackets for Players Championship events to our website and app.

Check out this link for a preview of the brackets online. Live bracket data will be uploaded and in place once the show gets underway.
Sign up to play!
This year, we have 7 competitive divisions for you to choose from:

    Open Division $5000 Guaranteed First Place!
    9-Ball, Races to 5, Best 2 out of 3 sets. Single elim. $75 Entry

    Women's
    9-Ball, Races to 5, Best 2 out of 3 sets. Single elim. $75 Entry

    Seniors (50+)
    9-Ball, Races to 5, Best 2 out of 3 sets. Single elim. $75 Entry

    Super Seniors (65+)
    9-Ball, Races to 5, Best 2 out of 3 sets. Single elim. $75 Entry

    Juniors 12 & Under
    9-Ball, Races to 4, Best 2 out of 3 sets. Single elim. FREE Entry

    Juniors 17 & Under
    9-Ball, Races to 4, Best 2 out of 3 sets. Single elim. FREE Entry

    Pro-Am Bar Table Championships
    9-Ball, Races to 6, Best 2 out of 3 sets. Single elim. $300 Entry

Arriving early?
Play in our kick-off event, the Wednesday Night Warm-up!

Starting Wednesday night at 7pm, this event will pay 1 out of every 8 players $400. Unlike traditional tournaments, this event DOES NOT play down until one winner remains. Rather, the final players (depending on field size) all receive an equal prize of $400 each. For example, if we get 64 players, we play down to the final 8 and pay them each $400. A great opportunity for a mere $55 entry fee. In this 64 player example, you would only have to win 3 matches to earn the $400!

Be sure to visit our website for more information and details on all of these great events - and sign up to play online! If you have any questions, hopefully our website can answer them for you - if not, call (609)652-6116 or send us an email.

Star Xing Pai Haikou World Open

Hainan Island, China

Day two results:
Marcus Campbell (SCO) W/O Allister Carter (ENG)
John Higgins (ENG) 5-3 Marco Fu (CHN)
Shaun Murphy (ENG) 5-3 Ricky Walden (ENG)
Graeme Dott (ENG) 5-2 Barry Hawkins (ENG)
Ding Junhui (CHN) 1-5 Jin Long (CHN)
Judd Trump (ENG) 5-0 Andrew Higginson (ENG)
Stuart Bingham (ENG) 0-5 Michael Holt (ENG)
Stephen Lee (ENG) 5-0 Dominic Dale (WAL)

Ding Junhui crashed out of the Haikou World Open in sensational circumstances as he was taken to the cleaners, going down 5-1 to 'wild card' Jin Long at the Haikou Stadium on Tuesday evening.

Jin, the 30 year-old from Jinzhou, Liaoning Province, really took the opportunity against a subpar Ding as he grew in confidence as the match progressed. Jin won some close frames in the early stages and reached the interval with a 3-1 lead. A break of 76 gave him the fifth frame and two visits in the sixth secured him a famous victory over the player who had won the Welsh Open just nine days earlier.

"I made some mistakes but had a little more luck and Ding didn't grab his chances. He was feeling the pressure as I led at the interval and I tried to take it easy and try my best. Ding is a great player and hard to beat so I am very happy indeed with the victory!" said Jin.

Judd Trump completed a white-wash over Andrew Higginson as he stayed on course for his second win in China within twelve months, as he entered the last 16 of the £400,000 event.

In front of an excellent and enthusiastic crowd at the Haikou Stadium, the Bristol man took control of the match from the outset and an out-of-sorts Higginson was never at the races. Trump's top break was a 111 in the third frame.

"I think I played pretty well and I know Andrew didn't play that well so that made it pretty easy for me. I felt good out there and there were a lot of people. It was quite noisy and I didn't expect that many people to be honest. I had a lot of support so I was happy," said Trump.

John Higgins completed a scrappy 5-3 victory over Marco Fu to move into the last 16.

The World Champion looked in for an easy afternoon's work as he lead 3-1 at the mid-session interval, and a run of 70 in the fifth frame put him one away from victory.

In the next, on 60 though, Higgins missed a red into the corner pocket and Fu completed a run of 40 to steal the frame and keep his hopes alive. With Higgins looking a little tentative, Fu took the next with a break of 63 before the Scotsman secured the win with a 77 break. He can now look forward to Martin Gould or Jamie Cope in the next round.

"I was lucky to be 3-1 ahead at the break - the correct score should have been 2-2," said Higgins, who is seeking his first title of the season. "Marco came back very well but I got a good break in last frame to win. I needed lots of luck though, and I'll have to get a lot better as I'm lacking a bit of confidence.

"Marco was a tough match as the Chinese people wanted to see him win so I was happy to beat him this time. My confidence is way down at the moment and you have to start winning matches to get it back," added Higgins.

The 3rd Annual Chet Itow Memorial - Louis Ulrich Sits On Top Of The Mountain!
By: Barbara Lee

February 24th & 25th, 2012; there was certainly something for everyone in Mountain View, CA., thanks to the infamous California Billiard Club, its owner Chris Swart who hosted the 3rd Annual Chet Itow Memorial 9-Ball Tournament. Nuclear engineer “Chet” who created and built this great venue was honored in the grand style, which was indicative of the great efforts that he put into the creation of the hall. The true “double elimination” event kicked off at noon on Saturday, February 25th with a race to 8 on both sides, and a winner break format.

Any one of the over 4,000 pool enthusiasts who tuned in this last weekend to Point Of View (POV) Pool’s free live internet coverage of this event, were treated to a multitude of not only legendary player match-ups, but also to a host of the unusual and dramatic antics that are ever present amongst these individuals.

Thanks to hall owner Chris Swart, a “$3000 Added” incentive packed the house and drew in 101 participants including many of the billiard worlds’ most elite players. Locals as well as those who tuned into the live internet stream got their pool fixes watching the likes of Rodney “The Rocket” Morris, Jose Parica, Louis Ulrich, Santos Sambajon, Rafael Martinez, House Pro Dave Hemmah of Hard Times - Bellflower, “Team Mexico” - Oscar and Ernesto Dominguez, Amar Kang, and last but not least, world renowned champion and two time consecutive winner of the infamous “Swanee” - Alex “The Lion” Pagulayan.

Walk in patrons and attendees alike were packed in all weekend long, taking advantage of the 3000 sq ft plus “viewing” area, ordering from a fantastic full menu, and topping it all off with a trip to the fully stocked bar complete with an efficient and friendly staff. In short, it was a setting for a pool player’s “Paradise”!

Early upsets in the event included last year’s winner, Santos Sambajon and runner up Oscar Dominguez. Also knocked were Alex Pagulayan, and long time veteran Jose Parica was pushed early to the one loss side by “Combination” Jason Williams, who eventually shot his way up to 4th place in the event! Jason Williams put on quite a show during the weekend and was motivated by an eagerness to play and win over Rodney “The Rocket” Morris. Those who remained to stroke their way up the chain included Rodney Morris, Ernesto Dominguez, Kevin May, Amar Kang, Rafael Martinez, Ed Ramos, and eventual winner, Louis Ulrich.

Antics were abound during the course of the tourney with Amar Kang giving Alex Pagulayan a mini Golf swing lesson before their match, and quite a commentary stint on POV Pool’s live stream with local Emilyn Callado. And of course all were treated to the usual short riff of Alex’s legendary karaoke. Guest commentators joining Daniel Busch, owner of POV Pool and co-commentator Barbara Lee, included Jeff Gregory, local “Women Power” stars Mary Rakin, Emilyn Callado and OMGWTF’s - Melinda Huang. Additional commentators included, pool veteran - John Henderson of The Cue Sports Journal (Soon to re-launch), Scott White, Bucktooth (Who’s claim to fame is “beating everybody”), and Oscar Dominguez who stated “Well now everyone pretty much knows my life story”!

Unfortunate news during the event was for Jun Almoite, who had to forfeit on Saturday to attend to “The Princess of Pool” - Mary Avina, who fell ill enough for hospitalization due to a high fever associated with a bout of the flu. The good news is, all is well and Mary is home and recovering. Whew!

Wrapping up the event late Sunday night were semi final match-ups between Rodney Morris and Jason Williams, Kevin May and Amar Kang, and culminated with Louis Ulrich versus Ernesto Dominguez. A shocking display of “doesn’t ANYONE want this 7 ball?” commenced between Amar and Alex, which lasted several innings before Amar finally got the pesky maroon into a pocket.

In another match between Louis Ulrich and Hillary Morse, Louis slammed in the 9 a stunning 4 times during the break-shot, which unfortunately was re-spotted due to the rule associated with the rack your own format for this event. This proved to be a running theme on the “stream” table for many players during the break-shot, with the 9 ball usually en-route to the bottom left-hand corner and the 1-ball almost always hitting the rail below the left middle pocket and landing either into or very close to the top right-hand corner pocket. As a result, the best break show, which highlighted this phenomenon, was between Jason Williams and Rodney Morris, with a barrage of early 9 ball combinations and caroms that seriously shortened the length of the match. And in contrast was John Henderson vs. Arturo Rivera in a nip and tuck session, which literally lasted 16 games, and without either player having more than a 1-game lead.

Rounding up the finale was Louis Ulrich versus Ernesto Dominguez who would have had to win two races to 8 for the win due to the true double elimination format. Ernesto took an early 3-0 lead over an obviously tired Louis and it looked like a double set was shaping up. Louis however managed to come back to tie it up, and then rally back and forth to create a hill-hill thriller. The nail biting final game found Ernesto running down to the perfectly lined up 9 with precision play, that is until he fails to close; missing an almost straight 9-ball and leaving a medium difficulty cut for Louis. After the stunned railbirds exhaled, Louis got up and with nary a thought, and sliced the 9-ball effortlessly for the win over a disappointed but ever gracious Ernesto.

The top final 8 payouts were Louis Ulrich, $3,000, Ernesto $1700, Rodney Morris $900, Jason Williams $550, Kevin May and Amar Kang at $250, and Rafael Martinez and Ed Ramos at $150.

POV Pools live Internet coverage and archived matches can be viewed by going to www.povpool.com.

Payouts for the 3rd Annual Chet Itow Memorial 9-Ball Tournament

1st - Louis Ulrich / $3,000
2nd - Ernesto Dominguez / $1,700
3rd – Rodney Morris / $900
4th - Jason Williams / $550
5th/6th - Kevin May / $250
5th/6th - Amar Kang / $250
7th/8th - Rafael Martinez / $150
7th/8th - Ed Ramos / $150
9th/12th - George Michaels / $100
9th/12th - Craig Oden / $100
9th/12th - Bryce Avila / $100
9th/12th - Dale Alpajora / $100
13th/16th - John Henderson / $75
13th/16th – Santos Sambajon / $75
13th/16th – Jose Parica / $75
13th/16th - Jeremy King / $75
17th/24th - Mark Tiu / $50
17th/24th - Mary Rakin / $50
17th/24th - Mike Tucci / $50
17th/24th – Alex Pagulayan / $50
17th/24th - George Pagulayan / $50
17th/24th – Jeff Padjan / $50
17th/24th - Ernesto Reyes / $50

Louis Ulrich, photographed by and copyright of ©Bob Beaulieu.

Star Xing Pai Haikou World Open - Day 3

Hainan Island, China

Day 3, Wednesday 29th February. Results:
Stephen Maguire (SCO) 3-5 Robert Milkins (ENG)
Neil Robertson (AUS) 5-3 Stephen Hendry (SCO)
Martin Gould (ENG) 4-5 Jamie Cope (ENG)
Mark Selby (ENG) 5-3 Lu Ning (CHN)
Mark Williams (WAL) 1-5 Mark King (ENG)
Mark Allen (NIR) 5-1 Jimmy Robertson (ENG)
Matthew Stevens (WAL) 4-5 Joe Perry (ENG)

2010 World Champion Neil Robertson overcame a spirited fight from Stephen Hendry to move into round two of the Star Xing Pai Haikou World Open in China.

It was revenge for the Australian who was eliminated from the Welsh Open earlier this month at the hands of the seven-time World Champion.

Robertson moved into a 4-1 lead including a couple of frames on the black, but was forced to fight for it as Hendry compiled breaks of 63 and 69 to get within a frame of the World No.5. However, Robertson claimed the ninth frame for victory.

"Last week in the Welsh he played very well to beat me so I knew it was going to be a tough match," said Robertson.

"I went 4-1 in front, although I won two frames on the black and that was the difference in the match. It could have gone 4-4 so I'm very relieved to get through.

"The main thing was coming here and not losing in the first round. Hopefully I can improve and go on from here."

Hendry blamed his defeat on the poor start he had: "I lost the match in first session as I went 3-1 behind and then 4-1 and that's hard to come back from.

"The objective is still to win every match but I've had a very successful career, I've nothing to prove and I just try to enjoy my snooker," he added.

World No.1 Mark Selby was made to battle by Chinese wildcard Lu Ning but came from behind to take a 5-3 victory.

The 18 year-old from Jilin got off to a dream start as he took the opening two frames. It wasn't pretty with the second frame lasting over 30 minutes, but it certainly got the attention of the crowd.

Selby levelled it, including a break of 108 in the third but the young Chinese dug in and regained the lead with a run of 41. It was to be his last positive contribution to the match as Selby picked up the pace and reeled off the next three frames for the win.

"The game was tough and I'd never seen Lu play before so didn't know what to expect but he's got a good game, a great future and he put me under pressure today. I don't think I played fantastic but he gave me some chances," said Selby.

Mark King made it two wins out of two in Haikou as he followed up his win over Hossein Vafaei in the wildcard round with an excellent victory 5-1 over World No 2 Mark Williams.

Essex-based King won the close frames and bookended his performance with breaks of 94 in the first and 71 to take victory.

"I was very pleased to win; Mark is a top four player and playing well again, even though he didn't play well today," said King.

"I played pretty good, won two or three black ball games at vital times, made a couple of decent breaks and overall it was a job well done."

Photo courtesy of Top147.com - Neil Robertson in action against Stephen Hendry

Star Xing Pai Haikou World Open - Day 4

Hainan Island, China

Day 4, Thursday 1st March. Results:
Jin Long (CHN) 2-5 Robert Milkins (ENG)
John Higgins (SCO) 5-0 Jamie Cope (ENG)
Graeme Dott (SCO) 5-3 Marcus Campbell (SCO)
Stephen Lee (SCO) 5-2 Neil Robertson (AUS)
Mark Allen (NIR) 5-4 Judd Trump (ENG)
Michael Holt (ENG) 3-5 Mark Selby (ENG)
Mark King (ENG) 5-4 Tom Ford (ENG)
Shaun Murphy (ENG) 5-3 Joe Perry (ENG)

John Higgins took just 1 hour and 13 minutes to move into the quarter-finals of the Star Xing Pai Haikou World Open, hammering Stoke's Jamie Cope 5-0 in Hainan.

Higgins finished the match off with a break of 133, the third highest of the event so far, and also had runs of 50, 73 and 83 en route to victory.

Higgins, who has slumped to No.6 in the World Rankings, is looking to find some form in the two ranking events in China before the season's climax at the Betfred.com World Championship.

"That's probably the best I've played this season," said Higgins. "The first frame was very important. Jamie could have won it and then it would have been a different match. But I won it and that got my confidence up and played well after that.

"There are lots of very good players left; Mark Allen beat Judd Trump today, Mark Selby, the World No.1, Shaun Murphy, so many great players so I'll have to play my best to have any chance."

Stephen Lee and Neil Robertson put on a scoring exhibition in their round two match - there were five centuries in the seven frames - and it was Lee who prevailed 5-2.

The Australian opened up with a 106 before Lee levelled, and then put together 138 and 109 to take a 3-1 lead at the interval. Lee took the next then his opponent compiled a run of 136 before the West Countryman closed out the match with yet another century - a 120.

"Playing each week has made the difference because if you do play bad you can put it right the following week. I'm playing a lot more, competing better and there's a high standard of snooker week in and week out," said Lee.

"On that performance I think I can win it. I felt good, scored well, played good safety, and my long pots are good. Anything can happen and I'm playing as well as most," he added.

Mark Allen took revenge for his UK Championship final defeat as he dumped Judd Trump out with a come-from-behind 5-4 victory.

Trump had made the early running, winning the first frame on the black, and then making a run of 104 in taking a 3-0 lead. Allen though, made a ton himself to pull one back.

Breaks of 31 and 43 gave Allen the next before a run of 66 levelled the match for the Northern Irishman. A timely century gave Allen the lead before Trump dug in the take the match to a decider.

The Bristolian then missed a tricky red in the final frame and left an open table, and Allen completed his third century of the match to make his way into the quarter-finals.

Following his controversial comments on Twitter yesterday, Allen was at pains to clarify the situation and offer an apology.

"I would like to apologise for my comments yesterday when I said how much I don't like coming to China," said Allen.

"I don't like travelling away from home whether it be anywhere outside the UK. I just don't like being away from home, not just in China, so I'd like to apologise."

Of the match he said: "I thought I was a little unlucky to be 3- 0 behind but from 3-0 I played pretty well and I think I deserved the win in the end.

"When you play Judd there's normally not a lot of safety to be played and it's very open and lots of big breaks. I think he's probably the best player in the world right now so I'm happy to have got through and it's a good win for me.

"You have to believe in yourself and I've beaten the best players in world so there's no reason I couldn't win today but you have to play well and luckily enough I did.

"I don't think Judd played as well as he did in final of UK Championship and today he missed a few shots and I was able to capitalise."

Photo courtesy of Top147.com - John Higgins in action against Jamie Cope

BATA, DJANGO FACE TOUGH COMPETITION IN INT'L 10-BALL CUP
by Marlon Bernardino

MANILA, Philippines---FILIPINO pool masters Efren “Bata” Reyes and Francisco “Django” Bustamante are expecting a rough sailing in the upcoming International 10-Ball Cup dubbed as Mayor Antonio Calixto 10-Ball Cup where they will be meeting a tough line of competitors set on April 26 to 29 at the Cuneta Astrodome in Pasay City.

“It will be a very tough match against the top Asian players (Chinese-Taipei, China, Japan, Korea and Vietnam). Not to be outdone are players from Europe and America,” said the 57-year-old Angeles City pride Reyes, the first Asian to be inducted to the Billiards Hall of Fame.

Fellow Puyat Sports stablemate Bustamante agreed with his long-time buddy.

“We are expecting tough matches but we will try our best for flag and country,” said the 48-year-old Tarlac City ace Bustamante.

According to tournament organizer Edgar "Malabon" Acaba, the event bankrolled by Pasay City Mayor Antonio Calixto offers a prize fund of $60,000. First prize is $30,000. Prizes will be given up to 24th place. "Prizes will be given right after the finals," he added.

Other Filipinos joining the competition are Alex Pagulayan, Dennis Orcollo, Ronato Alcano, Lee Vann Corteza, Carlo Biado, Roberto Gomez, Jeffrey de Luna, Marlon Manalo, Ramil Gallego, Antonio Lining, Rodolfo Luat, Warren Kiamco, Allan Cuartero, Jundel Mazon, Arman Cagol, Ramon Mistica, Renemar David, Jonas Magpantay and Rodrigo Geronimo.

For inquiry, please contact tournament organizer Edgar "Malabon" Acaba at mobile no: +63922-851-9981, +63927-858-2469, tel.no. (02) 404-7073 or Joel Calazado at +63933-507-7259 for complete details.

Other notable cue masters who signified their intention to play are Darren Appleton of Great Britain, Thorsten Hohmann of Germany, Shane Van Boening of the United States and John Mora of Canada.

New 2012 OB Cues

OB Cues is proud to announce the launch of their New 2012 OB Cues. There are 10 new models ranging in price from $395 to $495 and all of the cues are built in their factory in Plano Texas.

“The cues incorporate new technologies built into the butt that we have been developing here in Texas for the last 2 years” states Shane Sinnott, Director of Sales and Marketing. “8 of the 10 models feature a Straight Line Core construction which guarantees a cue that is straighter, stronger, more stable and stiffer. This means that the cues will be built straight, stay straight and hit great. They also feature a new Centralized Balance System which involves placing weight in very specific locations throughout the butt of the cue to create an evenly balanced cue with feedback that is both crisp and lively. It really has to be felt to be appreciated…..Custom feel in a production cue!”

The new cues can be seen online at www.obcues.com and if you want to try or purchase one then please contact your favorite Billiard Dealer.