Site News
Topic: *Industry News* 2015 - 2024

Safer Gambling Week

Safer Gambling Week is an annual, cross-industry initiative to promote safer gambling in the United Kingdom and Ireland.

SGW runs from Nov 1st-7th 2021, and aims to create a conversation with customers, staff, and the wider public about safer gambling, heightening awareness concerning, in particular;

• How to gamble more safely
• The tools that are available to help people gamble safely all year round
• Sources offering further advice, and support

The whole of the UK and Irish gambling industry, including amusement arcades, bingo clubs, casinos, and of course online activities including bookmakers, has come together to support this vitally important initiative.

This week at Rileys...

Don't forget that Rileys now offers reward points to all of our members. The more you play the more you'll earn and you can use your points for free table play!

What are you waiting for? Start earning today...

The EUROTOUR goes live in 2022

1st November 2021

2022 SEES THE Eurotour going out live to a global TV audience with all six events scheduled for distribution. Broadcasting the semi-finals and finals from each event will provide major coverage from a tour that is starting its 31st year.

The Eurotour finals will now be played on a Monday instead of the previous Saturdays, to keep the programming away from congested weekend sports schedules.

David Morris, president of EPBF’s commercial arm IBPF commented, “The Eurotour deserves to be on TV and available to a wider audience.

“It’s something that has been in the pipeline, but now it’s a reality.

We found that when playing the final at the weekend, we were competing with almost every major sport for airtime, so moving our finals to a Monday made perfect sense.

“We’re also working with Luke Riches, formerly of Matchroom Sport who will be joining us on the TV project. With the events now in place and the best broadcasters of Billiards in Kozoom Multimedia on board, Luke brings vast experience and knowledge to an already established set-up and we very much look forward to working with him,” said David Morris.

Luke Riches said, “It is very exciting to see the Eurotour make the move into live TV broadcast. The tour is packed with the greatest players in the world and the opportunity for them to showcase their considerable talents on a new platform can only be good for the game.

“There’s a great team in place at the EPBF, working tirelessly to make this a success, and it is a tremendous honour for me to be joining them to work on this project.”

The Eurotour was established in 1992 and has been the flagship of the EPBF since the very first day. Paying out more that €6 million in prize money, it has become the most successful 9-ball tour in the world, boasting some of the best players on the planet.

Entering its 31st year, the EPBF President Gre Leenders said “The tour started with TV productions back in 1992 and we have made many live and postproduced events in recent years but it is excellent to now have a steady stream of live events available to millions. Moving the days and using the weekends for the early rounds will also help some athletes to attend without too much time away in the week days”

Plans are already underway for the first event in February 2022 and all information as to where it will be broadcast, we’ll be publishing in due course.

For more information and scheduled dates, check out the EPBF website or contact the EPBF press office at press@epbf.com

Abu Dhabi Open 9-Ball Championship - waiting for finale

Abu Dhabi Open 9-Ball Championship at the Power Break Billiard Hall in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Total pot prize 46,000 aed (United Arab Emirates dirham)
Champion getting the lion share of 20,000 aed (United Arab Emirates dirham)
tournament organizer Abu Dhabi based Pinoy Jayson Nuguid who hails from Cavite City

Top 2
-Carlo Biado (PH) vs Jordan Banares (PH)

Top 4
-Carlo Biado (PH) 11 vs 8 Harry Vergara (PH)
Jordan Banares (PH) 11 vs 7 Arnel Bautista (PH)

Top 8
-Carlo Biado (PH) 11 vs 5 Roland García (PH)
-Harry Vergara (PH) 11 vs 4 Mohamad Ali ( UAE)
-Jordan Banares (PH) 11 vs 8 Aivhan Maluto (PH)
-Arnel Bautista (PH) 11 vs 9 Arnel Calderon JR (PH)

Top 16
-Aivhan Maluto (🇵🇭) 11 vs 1 Ahmad Jallad (J🇴RDAn)
-Jordan Banares (🇵🇭) 11 vs 7 Abdulla Alameri (U🇦🇪 )
-Roland Garcia (🇵🇭) 11 vs 10 Khalid Fattoh (🇱e🇧anon)
-Arnel Bautista (🇵🇭) 11 vs 4 Jhay Llanes (🇵🇭)
-Carlo Biado (🇵🇭) 11 vs 4 Venancio Tanio (🇵🇭)
-Harry Vergara (🇵🇭) 11 vs 9 Arman Carol (🇵🇭)
-Arnel Calderon jr( 🇵🇭) 11 vs 9 Jhun Banlasan (🇵🇭)
-Mohamad Ali (U🇦🇪) 11 vs 9 Abdulrauf Domrang (🇵🇭)

Report courtesy of Marlon Bernardino

Cazoo To Donate To Jessie May Throughout World Snooker Tour

Cazoo pledge up to £25,000

Cazoo, the UK’s leading online car retailer, which makes buying and selling a car as simple and seamless as ordering any other product online, has announced that it will donate £100 to charity for every century break made during a range of events during the 2021/22 World Snooker Tour, starting with the Cazoo UK Championship.

The ‘Cazoo Century’ initiative could raise up to £25,000 for WST’s charity Jessie May Children’s Hospice at Home, a Bristol-based charity providing nursing care at home for children and young people with life limiting conditions who are not expected to live beyond the age of 19.

The donations will start at the Cazoo UK Championship in York, one of the sport’s elite Triple Crown events, which starts on Tuesday this week and runs until December 5th.

The £100 per century pledge will continue at the Cazoo World Grand Prix in December, the Cazoo Masters in January, the Cazoo Players Championship in February and the Cazoo Tour Championship which starts in March.

The ‘Cazoo Century’ initiative was launched last season when Cazoo sponsored two snooker events, raising £5,300 for Jessie May which was donated in March this year.

Cazoo, who earlier this year signed a multi-year deal with WST as the main sponsor of these prestigious snooker events, also run similar goal related charitable initiatives through their Premier League football team sponsorships of Everton and Aston Villa.

Cazoo owns and fully reconditions its cars before offering them online for either home delivery or collection in as little as 72 hours. And it also buys cars directly from consumers, offering a guaranteed price with the option of either home pickup or drop-off at one of its locations with same day funds transfer.

Cazoo is one of Europe’s fastest growing businesses, pioneering the shift to online car buying and selling and has sold over 40,000 cars online since its launch in the UK less than 2 years ago as consumers have embraced the selection, value, transparency and convenience of buying used cars entirely online.

Alex Chesterman OBE, Founder & CEO of Cazoo said, “We are absolutely delighted by the chance to support Jessie May and the incredible work they do for children and their families. We will be watching the century tally closely, starting at this week’s Cazoo UK Championship, and we would love to hit the target of £25,000.”

Chris Roys, CEO of Jessie May said: “This is such an amazing pledge from Cazoo once again, and we send our whole-hearted thanks to the team for their generosity. Cazoo deliver cars to the homes of their customers, and this donation will help us to continue delivering specialist palliative care straight to the homes of the children and families we support. We’ll be cheering for Centuries over the coming months – good luck everyone!”


To find out more about Jessie May, visit jessiemay.org.uk


Cazoo donated £5,300 to Jessie May across two snooker events last season.

ACTION COMPLETE IN FINAL 2021 EURO TOUR STOP

Thursday 25th November

Dynamic Billiard Euro Tour TREVISO OPEN

Presented by BHR Treviso Hotel & 5M Games

Day One – ACTION COMPLETE IN FINAL 2021 TOUR STOP

WITH 181 PLAYERS gathered at the BHR Treviso Hotel in Northern Italy,
the final stop on the 2021 Euro Tour schedule got underway today
(Thursday). Due to the disastrous effects of Covid, this is the fourth
tournament on the tour since this same event in February 2020. That
said, a full calendar is in place of 2022.

All eyes this week have been on the current Euro Tour No.1, Spain’s
Francisco Sanchez Ruiz who is going for his third consecutive ET title,
and, should he be successful, he would be the first man to achieve that
feat since Oliver Ortmann won four back-to-back championships way back
in 1994.

The Spaniard completed just one match today; a comfortable 9-3 win over
Christos Papageorgiou of Greece to set up a round two match against
Italy’s Alessandro Giordani tomorrow. All the big guns are intact in
what is a stellar field when play recommences at 9.00 on Friday morning.

Meanwhile, the third and final event of 2021 gets underway on Saturday
on the Predator Ladies Euro Tour and some of the competitors have been
readying themselves by playing in the men’s event.

There are seven rounds of matches here on Friday as the field play down
to the last 16 which plays to a conclusion on Saturday 27th November.

All the matches can be viewed live at www.kozoom.com

Results, live scoring and draw are available at www.epbf.com

CAZOO TITLE SPONSOR 2021 CAZOO MOSCONI CUP

Matchroom Multi Sport is delighted to announce Cazoo, Europe’s leading online car retailer, which makes buying and selling a car as simple and seamless as ordering any other product online, the title sponsor of the 2021 Cazoo Mosconi Cup at Alexandra Palace, December 7-10.

The 2021 Cazoo Mosconi Cup is Pool’s biggest rivalry as Europe and the USA meet over four days in a race to 11 points broadcast live on Sky Sports in the UK and networks worldwide including DAZN in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, USA, Brazil, Canada, Italy, Spain, and Viaplay in Scandinavia, the Baltics and Poland.

Alex Lely and Karl Boyes have assembled their five-player team consisting of World Champion Albin Ouschan, Spain’s David Alcaide, Germany’s Joshua Filler, Albania’s Eklent Kaçi, and last year’s MVP Jayson Shaw of Scotland.

Team USA will look to avenge last year’s heartbreaking 11-3 defeat with Jeremy Jones calling upon the experienced Shane Van Boening as playing-vice captain bolstered by two-time MVP Skyler Woodward, legend of the game Earl Strickland, two-time winner Tyler Styer and youngster Chris Reinhold.

Matchroom Multi Sport Managing Director Emily Frazer said: “We’re delighted to welcome Cazoo on board for the 2021 Cazoo Mosconi Cup. The 2021 Cazoo Mosconi Cup promises to be a spectacle to behold at Alexandra Palace with the cauldron-like atmosphere making it one of the most intense arenas in sport let alone pool. The cup is one of the most prestigious in pool and we’re excited to have Cazoo on board for such a special week.”

Alex Chesterman Founder & CEO of Cazoo said, “We’re delighted to be partnering with Matchroom for the 2021 Cazoo Mosconi Cup, the most anticipated event of the pool year. It’ll be another great clash and I look forward to seeing if Europe can hold the title!”

Get your tickets for the 2021 Cazoo Mosconi Cup right now here!

Cazoo is one of the fastest-growing businesses in Europe, pioneering the shift to online car buying and selling and has already sold over 45,000 cars online since its launch less than 2 years ago, as consumers have embraced the selection, value and convenience of buying and selling used cars entirely online.

Cazoo owns and fully reconditions all of its cars before offering them on its website for either delivery or collection in as little as 72 hours and has thousands of cars available at any time. Its launch into commercial vehicles later this year will further expand the proposition and selection available on its website.

Predator Group acquires Billard Beckmann GmbH of Germany

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (December 3, 2021) - Predator Group, leading brand of pool cues, billiard accessories and more recently pool tables has completed the acquisition of Billard Beckmann GmbH of Germany.

Billard Beckmann, located in Kaiserslautern Germany, has been a long-time distributor of Predator Group’s products and focuses on offering high-quality billiard products and services to billiard fans and companies in German speaking countries and in Europe. Through its amazing showroom and website in which you will find everything a pool player desires, Billard Beckmann distributes famous brands such as Brunswick, McDermott, Predator, Poison, Joss, Meucci, Schon, Fury, Cuetec, Cyber and much more.

Karim Belhaj, CEO of Predator Group said: “Billard Beckmann will help us deliver better service to our European pool player customers, as well as to dealers. The two company cultures are a natural fit and we are very excited to grow the future of European billiards together.“

The two companies share common values such as their support of the sport and a passion for quality and service. Billard Beckmann has been one of the long-time main sponsors for the Poolbillard GT (German Tour), it’s final the German Pool Masters, as well as of the Eurotour.

Billard Beckmann’s slogan "Teamwork and service" illustrates what the company stands for and is a natural complement to Predator Group’s focus on the ultimate playing experience.

Sabrina Stepp, Managing Director of Billiard Beckmann shared that the Billard Beckmann Team is very excited to be a part of Predator Group and that the team is committed to providing service excellence for all the brands it is distributing.

For more information about Billard Beckmann and its offering, visit billard-beckmann.de.

Predator Group’s mission is to inspire billiard fans by providing innovative experiences and products that deliver high-performance, with unsurpassed class and style. Predator, Poison and Uni-Loc are Predator Group brands that focus on performance pool tables, cues, billiard balls, cloth, and accessories. For more information regarding Predator Group’s products, visit predatorcues.com, poisoncues.com and uni-loc.com.

2022 MOSCONI CUP HEADS TO BALLY’S HOTEL & CASINO LAS VEGAS

Matchroom Pool is delighted to announce the Mosconi Cup will return to the USA in 2022 as Pool’s biggest rivalry between Europe and the USA heads to Bally’s Hotel & Casino Las Vegas on November 30-3 December 2022 in partnership with Caesars Entertainment.

Get Exclusive Pre-Sale Access here.

Team USA claimed a historic double in 2019 in the cup’s last visit to Las Vegas with a 11-8 win over their European counterparts as Skyler Woodward starred to become a back-to-back MVP.

Last time out in Las Vegas, over 1,500 fans packed out every session and with the cup being away since then, tickets are expected to sell out quick. Full ticket news is coming soon.

Matchroom Multi Sport Managing Director Emily Frazer said: “We’re delighted to be taking the Mosconi Cup back to Las Vegas for the first time since 2019. The American crowd brought the heat last time around and spurred their side on towards victory. I cannot wait to see what they bring in 2022. We are looking forward to working closely with Caesars Entertainment and Bally’s Hotel & Casino to deliver an exciting week of action.”

Full ticket news is coming soon. Make sure you’re signed up to the Matchroom Pool Club newsletter to get exclusive pre-sale access.

Finland to host the 2023 Dynamic Billard European Championships.

The 2023 Dynamic Billard European Championships will be held in the
southern Finnish city of Tampere. At the recent European Championships
held in Turkey, the Finnish Billiard Federation’s President, Mr Joni
Ahola, was on hand to sign the contract to stage the 2023 Dynamic
Billard European Championships for Men, Women, Wheelchair and the Under
23’s. The event will take place at the Tampere Exhibition and Sports
Centre in May 2023.

Finland’s Federation President Joni Ahola said “I'm so excited that
Finland got another chance to organise the European Championship after
Covid-19 forced us to cancel the event in 2020. 2023 is very special for
us because the Finnish Billiard Federation turns 50 years old in May of
that year. So, the timing for this European Championship is perfect and
I'm confident we are going to have a great event in Tampere together
with the EPBF."

EPBF President Gre Leenders said “After the 2020 cancellation, I am
delighted that we have managed to come to an agreement with the Finnish
Billiard Federation regarding the EPBF flagship event - the European
Championships Men, Women, Under 23s & Wheelchair Athletes.

“The fact that the Finnish Billiard Federation is also celebrating its
50th anniversary in 2023 makes it even more special. The city of Tampere
is well known in the sports world for its many diverse events and the
top sport climate it offers.

“It is a great prospect for our athletes to be guests in this "sports
city". I would like to thank the Finnish Billiard Federation for their
trust in the EPBF and wish them all the best in their preparations for
the event.”

Finland are no strangers to organising European Championships. Having
already staged all categories over the years, the European Championships
are again visiting the city of Tampere where IBPF President David Morris
used to reside.

Commented Morris, “Yes, I lived there for some time and it’s where I
made some good friends. It’s great to be back as we’ve had some
memorable events there in the past. The city of Tampere has always
supported sports in every form and it is fantastic to involve them again
with the Federation and our sport.”

The event takes place in May 2023 at the Tampere Exhibition and Sports
Centre, hosted by the Finnish Billiard Federation (SBIL) and supported
by the city of Tampere.

Official Tables are from Dynamic Billard, the Official Cloth from Iwan
Simonis, the Official Balls by Aramith, and the Official Slate supplied
by Rasson.

For more information visit www.epbf.com

JAM UP APPAREL IS THE OFFICIAL TEAM WEAR PARTNER OF CSI LEAGUES

December 20, 2021

CueSports International (CSI) is excited to announce that Jam Up Apparel is the official team wear partner of CSI Leagues, the division of CueSports International that manages the BCA Pool League and USA Pool League. This partnership provides a significant discount on high-quality, fully customized sublimated shirts for individuals or teams.

The BCA Pool League World Championships and USA Pool League National Championships are coming soon, March 23 – April 2, 2022, and matching team shirts have always been required for the team divisions. Team shirts at these prestigious events must substantially match in color, style, and trim and each person on the team must have their own matching team shirt. So, look your best, compete in style, and comply with the team dress code requirements by ordering your Jam Up Apparel team shirts today.

A fully customized sublimated shirt is normally $89.95. However, it’s now just $69.95 using our special promotional code. To take advantage of this special offer, visit https://jamupapparel.com, select an existing design or the fully custom option. Upon check-out, enter coupon code CSI22. The deadline to order for guaranteed arrival is Monday, February 21, 2022. Orders will be accepted after this date but delivery prior to the event cannot be guaranteed.

“We are thrilled to be partnering with Jam Up Apparel. Their designs are trendy, stylish and modern so I can’t wait to see how great our teams look this year,” said Ozzy Reynolds, CEO of CueSports International.

Damian Pongpanik, CEO of Jam Up Apparel said, “We are honored and excited to be working with CSI to bring quality custom team apparel to its members. My team is committed to bring quality apparel and great service to the billiards community.”

----

CueSports International (CSI) is an international pool league and event leader and is currently comprised of three divisions: CSI Leagues, CSI Events and CSI Media. CSI Leagues manages the BCA Pool League and USA Pool League, CSI Events produces numerous amateur and professional events around the globe and CSI Media creates live streaming and digital content. Through its vision and strategic alliances, CSI is “shaping the future of pool.” For more information about CSI or any of its divisions, visit www.playcsipool.com.

Important Notice From the Organizing Committee of GBE

Dear All,

We wish you happiness, health, success, a merry Christmas and a happy new year!

Sorry to bother you in this jolly holiday season, but it’s our responsibility to warn our clients against a possible fraud.

It has been reported by one of our exhibitors that recently there are con artists who have been contacting our clients in the name of the Organizing Committee of Guangzhou International Billiards Exhibition (GBE), claiming that we have changed our company bank account and trying to coax them into transferring money into a personal account.

To prevent our clients from falling victim to these scams and incurring any financial losses, we’d like to reiterate that the committee has no intention of changing its corporate bank account in the foreseeable future. If any changes should take place, our staff will make calls to inform you in the first place.

Please note that those swindlers sometimes will even log into our e-mail account to contact our clients directly! As long as the bank account info they provide is not registered under our company name and not the same number we have provided you before, please do call us to confirm first before transmittance.

The Current Bank Account of the Organizing Committee of GBE
Account Info    Account Name: Hongkong Grandeur International Exhibition Group Limited
Account No.:023-435639-838    Beneficiary Bank Code: 004
Swift Code: HSBCHKHHHKH    Beneficiary Bank Name: HSBC
Address: 1 Queen's Road, Central, HongKong
More importantly, if you have encountered any abnormality during remittance or received any suspicious messages, please don’t hesitate to contact us.

Last but not least, please remember to double-check and confirm our company name, bank account name and account number before every remittance.

The Organizing Committee of GBE has always striven to protect the interest of our clients. It pains us to see our clients suffer losses from any form of frauds.

Sincere thanks for everyone’s trust and supports.

Best regards,
The Organizing Committee of GBE

BCA and BEF Offices Temporarily Closed
    
Due to the recent fires in Boulder County Colorado the BCA and BEF offices are temporarily closed.

All BCA/BEF staff are safe and are continuing to work remotely from home.

We apologize for any delay in responding to emails or phone calls as email and cell service is still sporadic at this time. However, we are working diligently to get back to you as quickly as possible.

If you need immediate assistance please contact us by email at shane@bca-pool.com or rob@bca-pool.com.

Dress Well, Play Well: WST Partners With McCann Bespoke

WST is delighted to announce a new partnership with McCann Bespoke, one of London’s leading tailors.

The partnership’s first aim is to restyle referees. Tailored dinner and lounge suits, with consideration to style and function, have been crafted for the three referees at this week’s Cazoo Masters – Rob Spencer, Desislava Bozhilova and Jan Verhaas – and will be worn from Thursday’s quarter-finals onwards.

Other leading referees at upcoming events will be wearing McCann Bespoke.

The partnership will expand beyond styling the referees. McCann Bespoke are also working with players to provide them with style consultation and ultimately garments that will improve their appearance and performance.

Recognised as one of London’s leading and fastest growing tailors, McCann Bespoke has a strong affiliation with sport and has a wide range of supporters including cricketers Joe Root, Jos Butler and Sir Ian Botham, rugby players Elliot Daly and Henry Slade and official partnerships with football clubs such Leicester City, Queens Park Rangers and Celtic.

CEO and Founder Neil McCann, who established the company in 2002 has a lifelong passion for snooker and is thrilled to be involved with the sport for the first time.

He said: “As a massive sports fan, it’s an incredible opportunity to restyle the only sport where formal clothing is so integral and features so prominently. It brings together two of my passions in life: men’s tailoring and sport.

“Every player is a brand, and that can be enhanced by the way they dress. We want to help them to maximise their potential and the overall image of snooker – while keeping comfort and freedom as top priorities.

“The suit, bow tie and waistcoat are widely associated with snooker, but we also want to help players create outfits for tournaments which have a different dress code, as well as help them with their clothing off the table.

“There is a perception that bespoke clothing is very expensive, but in fact we are on a mission to democratise tailoring and make it accessible and affordable for everyone, and our pricing reflects that.”

WST Chairman Steve Dawson said: “We are excited to be working with a clothing partner as prestigious as McCann Bespoke for the first time. The contemporary and elegant new referee suits look outstanding and this will help us to build ideas on future dress codes. For the players, clothing is a way of expressing their individuality.

“At our biggest tournaments such as the World Championship, the smart attire of players is important as it reflects the heritage and reputation of those events. Throughout the world, the elegant appearance of our players is one of our sport’s great assets – and it is something that young players aspire to. But at other tournaments such as the Home Nations Series and the Shoot Out there is scope for alternative dress codes. We look forward to working with McCann Bespoke and the players and listening to their views as we evolve and look to the future.”

World number two Judd Trump said: “For a player, having your outfit perfectly fitted helps you feel as smart as possible when you are out there competing. And it’s important to feel comfortable, in order to play well.”

Ken Doherty said: “When you put your bow tie and waistcoat on it makes you feel proud to play snooker. If you feel smart then it helps your performance.”

Fellow former World Champion Shaun Murphy added: “We hold high standards and that’s something that I’m proud of. Having clothes made to measure is vitally important for a player.”

About McCann Bespoke

McCann Bespoke London is a contemporary British tailor that brings style, comfort and importantly confidence to its clients through unique personally made clothing.

We exist to help individuals of all sizes with all their clothing requirements from formal to casual wear. Either in-store or remotely using digital sizing technology, we provide personal tailoring, offering fully bespoke and to made-to-measure garments with free style consultation and our perfect fit guarantee.

On a mission to democratise bespoke clothing, we make the process of finding your personal style and fit seamless, accessible and affordable. The opposite of fast-fashion, McCann Bespoke London represents the future of menswear. We are customer obsessed, making one unique garment at a time and are passionate about providing our customers a one stop shop for their clothing needs while providing them greater choice of fabrics and colours.

Contact: Matt Broom +44 (0)7384 907543 or matt@mccannbespoke.com

THE KREMLIN CUP & NATIONAL BILLIARDS LEAGUE JOIN MATCHROOM NINEBALL WORLD RANKINGS

Matchroom Nineball is delighted to announce the addition of the Kremlin Cup to the Nineball World Rankings alongside two events from the USA’s National Billiards League (NBL), globally expanding the Nineball schedule.

SCHEDULE: https://matchroompool.com/world-rankings/

The Kremlin Cup is one of the most prestigious tournaments on the calendar and is set to switch from 10-ball to 9-ball, following the Matchroom Nineball World Rankings announcement and will be showcased this year in Moscow, Russia August 23-28. It will see 198 players competing for a guaranteed prize fund of $50,000 with the tournament open to all and an entry fee of only $150 for over 18 and $100 for under 18.

The Cup is known as one of the biggest on the WPA calendar with players travelling from all over the world to Russia to compete with previous winners including World No.2 David Alcaide, current World Pool Masters Champion Alexander Kazakis and two-time Mosconi Cup winner Tyler Styer of the USA.

The National Billiards League, also set to make the switch from 10-ball to 9-ball, is ever growing in the USA with two tournaments joining the schedule as Ranking Events rewarding placement on the Nineball World Rankings.

NBL will host two Sandcastle 9-Ball Open tournaments that will contribute towards the Nineball World Rankings offering an opportunity for players stateside to make their mark on the rankings as well as offer the opportunity to grow themselves.

Matchroom Multi Sport Managing Director Emily Frazer said: “It is overwhelming and motivating to have such a high stature tournament in the Kremlin Cup to first off make the switch in discipline to Nineball and join our global rankings. The decision shows a huge commitment to both the sport and our plans for Nineball over the coming years and I hope it motivates others to also see the benefit. The Kremlin Cup has received approximately 100 players in the past but can accommodate up to 200, and we hope with this announcement, we can work together with the organisers and push the field to sell out just like our Open events.”

“We are glad to announce that the Kremlin Cup will be included in the prestigious Matchroom Nineball World Rankings. It is a great honor for us to be on the list of the best international tournaments. We look forward to the arrival of the best athletes from all over the world to Moscow with great impatience.” – Evgeny Ivanov, President of Moscow Union of Billiard Sports, the organiser of a Kremlin Cup.

“The NBL coming on board is a fantastic opportunity for players stateside to make their presence known in the game on the Nineball World Rankings and the opportunity to qualify for the 2022 Mosconi Cup at Bally’s Las Vegas, November 30-3 December. We would like to thank Ed Liddawi at the NBL for their support in the rankings.”

“I’ve always stood for cross-promotion of the sport in the American billiards industry as well as creating a clearer structure for American players in the US for qualification into the Mosconi Cup and I’m excited to see many of us working together to provide multiple opportunities for the players to earn World Rankings in their own backyard,” said Frazer.

“As the NBL focuses on 8 & 10-Ball events for American residents only, I’m proud to announce the inaugural 2022 Sandcastle 9-Ball Open commencing June 3-5 which is open to players from all around the World. There will also be a Sandcastle US Open 9-Ball warm-up event October 6-8 just days before the US Open and only 90 minutes away from Atlantic City to offer even more events to the players and help save them travel expenses between venues,” said Ed Liddawi, NBL Founder & CEO.

About Nineball World Rankings

Find out more as Matchroom launches a global nineball world ranking system. The rankings will become the cornerstone of the game globally to recognise Nineball as the primary discipline of pool, sanctioned by the World Pool-Billiard Association. The establishment of the Nineball World Rankings propels Matchroom’s further commitment to the growth of pool globally.

BRENTWOOD TO STAGE 2022 WORLD CUP OF POOL

The Brentwood Centre will host two major professional cue sports events in 2022: Matchroom’s World Cup of Pool and snooker’s English Open.

The Essex venue will host these events for the first time this year, drawing the biggest stars of 9-ball pool and snooker to Brentwood from around the globe.

Matchroom’s World Cup of Pool will bring 32 nations together as two-player teams compete for national pride, the title, and their share of a $250,000 prize fund from June 13 to 18. The tournament is a straight-knockout format leaving no room for error. Germany are the reigning champions with one of the world’s best in Joshua Filler spearheading their defence. The likes of World Number One Albin Ouschan of Austria, the USA’s finest Shane Van Boening and Great Britain’s two-time Mosconi Cup MVP Jayson Shaw will all look to lead their sides to the title over six action-packed days.

Matchroom President Barry Hearn OBE said: “The World Cup of Pool is one of Pool’s most unique tournaments and it promises to be a fantastic spectacle with such a diverse international field set to come to Brentwood. 9-ball is ever growing, and it promises to be an atmosphere and event not to be missed. We cannot wait to see the likes of Ouschan, and Shaw compete on our doorstep. We’re excited to deliver a world class event with Brentwood Borough Council this June live on Sky Sports in the UK and networks worldwide.”

Snooker’s English Open will run from December 12 to 18, featuring over 70 players, including the top 16 in the world rankings. Winners in recent years include Ronnie O’Sullivan, Judd Trump, Mark Selby, and current champion Neil Robertson.

The world ranking event, part of snooker’s Home Nations Series, will be televised by Eurosport and a wide range of other broadcasters around the globe.

World Snooker Tour Chairman Steve Dawson said: “We are delighted to bring a WST event to the Brentwood Centre for the first time. It is a fantastic venue and right in the centre of a traditional snooker heartland as so many great players have come from Essex over the years, including Ronnie O’Sullivan, Ali Carter, Stuart Bingham and many more. This is a fantastic opportunity for local fans to see the very best players in the world competing for a prestigious title. We look forward to working with Brentwood Borough Council on delivering a top-class event which will be enjoyed by our players and fans.”

Brentwood Council Leader, Councillor Chris Hossack, added: “It is fantastic news that Matchroom are committed to bringing quality sports with an international audience to The Brentwood Centre. We are excited to have Matchroom working with us and Everyone Active to continue to put Brentwood on the map with their world class sporting events.

“It has been years since snooker fans have had a chance to see their sport in Essex and to have the World Cup of Pool as well in Brentwood is just brilliant”.

Tickets for both of these events will be available in due course and fans will need to book fast to make sure they have the chance to see the greatest cue sports talent on the planet. For details see matchroompool.com and wst.tv/tickets.

PREDATOR CUES TO TITLE SPONSOR PREDATOR CUES PREMIER LEAGUE POOL

Matchroom Multi Sport is delighted to announce Predator Cues as the official title sponsor of the inaugural Predator Cues Premier League Pool from Monday, 14 February to Monday, 21 February at Stadium MK, Milton Keynes live on DAZN in the USA and Germany as well as networks worldwide.

Find out where to watch in your country here

Billard Beckmann, a premium multi-brand billiard distributor based in Germany and distributing Predator cues among other brands also joined as a first-time Premier League Pool sponsor.

Predator Premier League Pool sees 16 players compete in a league format with an increased prize fund of $100,000 guaranteeing each player $2,500 and the winner taking home $20,000. The tournament will get underway at 10 am (UK time) with an all-Austrian clash on Table 1 with World No.1 Albin Ouschan against Max Lechner. Every player will play each other once over the course of the first five days.

The full schedule of matches for the opening five days is available now with the Opening Session underway from 10 am to 3 pm daily before the Evening Session from 5 pm to 10 pm daily. See the full fixture list here. See where to watch in your country. Table 2 will be available worldwide on Matchroom.Live.

Matchroom Multi Sport Managing Director Emily Frazer said: "We're delighted to have Predator Cues on board as the official title sponsor for the first-ever Premier League Pool in what will prove to be a massive week of Nineball action. 16 of the world's best going head-to-head in a brand-new format - what is not to love? Fans will get to see every match unfold wherever they are in the world. I cannot wait for the action to get underway on Monday, 14 February."

Predator Cues’ CEO Karim Belhaj is excited for the brand to support the Premier League Pool with a title sponsorship: “Matchroom Multi-Sport and Predator Cues have shared a common vision of growing the sport for a long time and we are happy to keep building on our now 20-year partnership. The Predator Cues Premier League Pool event has a great format, and we are looking forward to seeing the action!”

Entry List

1. Albin Ouschan
2. David Alcaide
3. Shane Van Boening
4. Max Lechner
5. Aloysius Yapp
6. Naoyuki Oi
7. Joshua Filler
8. Eklent Kaçi
9. Alexander Kazakis
10. Omar Al-Shaheen
11. Jayson Shaw
12. Oliver Szolnoki
13. Skyler Woodward
14. Francisco Sanchez Ruiz
15. Mieszko Fortunski
16. Kelly Fisher

Predator Cues Premier League Pool Format

• All 16 players face each other once across the first five days of play
• After day five, the bottom 6 in the League Table are eliminated
• The remaining 10 players face each other again across days six and seven before 4 more players are eliminated
• The remaining 6 play each other once more on day eight before the top four contend the playoffs
• All group matches race to 5, alternate break
• A win will give a player a point on the league table
• After points, the table will be determined by Rack Difference then Racks Won followed by Head-to-Head record if nothing can split players.

New 3-year partnership with CEB to broadcast all major events until 2024

Starting with the European Championship 3-Cushion for National teams, from the 17th to the 19th February 2022, Kozoom will broadcast CEB competitions for the next 3 years.

2022 Dynamic Billard Euro Tour Season Breaks Off On Saturday!

Dynamic Billard Euro Tour Men

Dynamic Billard Laško Open

Presented by HOTEL THERMANA PARK LAŠKO

24th February 2022

THIS WEEKEND SEES the start of the 2022 Euro Tour season with the
opening event – the Dynamic Billiard Laško Open – taking place in the
beautiful spa town located in central Slovenia. A huge field of 217
players has been announced and the line-up contains many of the greatest
names currently operating in European pool.

The host is the luxuriously appointed Hotel Thermana Park and play gets
underway on Saturday 26th February, with the tournament’s closing stages
playing out on Monday 28th. This is a new time slot for the Tour with
the change made to accommodate the new live TV initiative brought in for
2022 and will remain in place throughout the year.

19 of the current Euro Tour Top 20 players will be competing including
the likes of Joshua Filler, Eklent Kaci, Francisco Sanchez Ruiz, Wiktor
Zielinski and Alexander Kazakis. In addition, there is a swathe of
up-and-coming talent at the ready as well as seasoned champions like
Chris Melling and Darren Appleton in the field.

In addition to Tour ranking points, the Lasko Open also carries world
ranking points for the recently implemented system operated by Matchroom
Sport. All-in-all there are plenty of incentives for players to perform
this weekend.

As usual the game is 9 ball and players compete in a double-elimination
format, playing down to the last 32 competitors, and then single
elimination until the finish. All matches are races to 9 racks with
alternate break.


All the matches can be viewed live at www.kozoom.com
Results, live scoring and draw are available at www.epbf.com

Predator Euro Tour Women - Predator Laško Open this weekend

Predator Euro Tour Women

Predator Laško Open

Presented by HOTEL THERMANA PARK LAŠKO

25th February 2022

European pool’s very best female players are gathering in Lasko,
Slovenia in anticipation of the opening event on the 2022 calendar, the
Predator Lasko Open, which gets underway on Saturday 26th February at
the picturesque Hotel Thermana Park.

There are 38 players representing 17 countries in attendance including
the winner of the last Ladies Euro Tour event in Treviso, Belgium’s
Kamila Khodjaeva. Other stars in attendance include local hero Ana
Gradisnik, current No.1 ranked player Kristina Tkach (Russia), Poland’s
Oliwia Zalewska, German duo Pia Filler and Tina Vogelmann as well as
Turkey’s Eyllul Kibaroglu.

All matches are race to 7, with alternate break and the tournament
follows a double-elimination format in the opening rounds and switches
to single elimination at the last 16 stage. Play concludes in the
evening of Monday 28th February when the champion will be crowned.

This is the first in a series of six events over 2022, with the
remaining five tournaments taking place in Treviso, Italy (April), St.
Johann im Pongau, Austria (June), Petrich, Bulgaria (August), venue to
be announced (October), and Treviso, Italy in November.

Matches can be viewed live at www.kozoom.com
Results, live scoring and draw are available at www.epbf.com