Site News
Topic: *Industry News* June 2010

INDUSTRY NEWS - June 2010

Pro9 receives more news than we can fit on our front page, and not all news can take pride of place with our "featured article" status, and frankly some news is less relevant to the European market, so for a trial period, we will be presenting it here!

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IAPPT Calendar Announced

BATA REYES STILL ON TOP IN THE LATEST POOL MONEY LIST;THREE OTHER PINOY CUE MASTERS IN THE TOP 10
BY: MARLON BERNARDINO

FILIPINO pool maestro Efren "Bata" Reyes remains on top in the latest 2010 world money list, which includes three other Filipino cue masters in the top 10, according to azbilliards.com report yesterday.

The biggest of which is the $20,000 he won in the Derby City Classic Master of the Table and $16,000 he won in the Derby City Classic 9-ball tournament last January 21 to 31 at the Horseshoe Casino and Hotel Elizabeth in Indiannapolis, USA.

Also include the $8,305 runner-up purse pay check he received at the 23rd annual Japan Open last March 20 to 21 at the New Pia Hall in Tokyo, Japan.

Reyes, the 2010 Player of the Decade now has total earnings of $61,580 according to
www.azbilliards.com.

" Nakauna-agad ng magandang panalo si Efren kaya hanggang ngayon nasa top pa din siya ng world money list.," said long-time benefactor Aristeo "Putch" Puyat, acknowledged RP billiards God Father.

He teamed up with countryman Francisco "Django" Bustamante, Taiwanese Hui-Chan Lu and Ko Pin-yi and Brunei's Teo Cho Soon to win the Asia versus Europe Challenge Match last January 15 to 17 in Brunei.

At second is American's Shane Van Boening with $48,091, at third is Briton's Karl Boyes with $37,067, and at fourth is reigning national open champion Lee Vann Corteza with $35,625.

Tha Davao City native Corteza, top player of Jonathan Sy's Negros Billiards Stable is fresh from a back-to-back wins at the Hard Times Mezz Cues 10-ball and US Open 10-ball, was held in Los Angeles and Las Vegas, respectivelty.

At fifth and sixth spots, respectively, are another Briton Darren Appleton and Filipino Dennis Orcullo with $34,166 and $31,775 each.

The former fisherman from Bislig, Surigao del Sur Orcullo also topped this year's World Pool Masters (9-ball) in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Making it to seventh place is Bustamante with $30,861.

The Tarlac City native pride Bustamante also won the Super Billiards Leaque in Winnipeg, Canada.

At eight to tenth spots, in order are Daryl Peach of Great Britain ($29,088 ), Neils Feijen of the Netherlands ($27,306) and Rodney Morris of the USA ($23,325).

Poison Cues Sponsors Tennis!
Williams channels his inner pool through tennis

Orlando, Florida- The Predator Group will be expanding outside its normal realm of sponsoring pool events. Poison Cues will be one of the main sponsors of the 2010 RecRooms USA Summer Tennis Open to be held in Orlando, Florida . It is one of the yearly amateur tennis tour stops in Orlando organized by the East Orlando Tennis Club, of which top 10 billiards pro Charlie "Korean Dragon" Williams is a member of. The event is also sponsored by RecRooms USA, Thunya Thai Restaurant, Bice Italian Fine Dining, www.AvalonProShop.com , The Hair Connection, www.ThorstenHohmann.com, and The Orlando Weekly.

The event is a open tournament to all levels in tennis 6.0 and under in a handicap system formatted for all players of all skills levels to have a chance to win. The handicap system was developed by Williams and this is the third tennis tournament he has organized this year.

"Tennis is just a really terrific and fun sport. You have to be in great shape and it keeps you in great shape. There are many parallels to pool, especially mentally, and I honestly think it helps my pool game. I mean, I play more tennis than pool nowadays and I'm still ranked in the top 5 in the USA!", explains Williams on why he has been involved in tennis. "My tennis club has a great bunch of people, and they all wanted to do tournaments. They kind of selected me because of my producer background, so I was happy to contribute. And naturally I want to get my closest sponsor involved, Predator!."

Players and fans can get more info on the event or joining the tennis club by emailing dragonorlandotennis@gmail.com

Johnny Archer and Marcus Chamat are avid tennis players

RecRooms USA is also another billiard industry sponsor and one of the top retail stores in Central Florida. RecRooms USA is owned by Jay Bratter and has been serving Orlando residents for the past five years. www.recroomsusa.com

Poison Billiards, an international billiards industry leader, is a high-performance recreation pool cue producer focused on bringing cutting-edge designs, with Predator engineering for best-in-class playability, to billiards players worldwide. Headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida, USA, Poison Billiards is a division of The Predator Group whose core brands also include Predator Cues and Uni-Loc®. For more information regarding The Predator Group, visit www.thepredatorgroup.com. For information on Poison Billiards visit www.poisonbilliards.com.

Murphy Pulls Off Great Escape

Shaun Murphy won the last seven frames to score an astonishing 9-8 victory over Ding Junhui in the final of snooker's Rundili Wuxi Classic.

The conclusion to the invitation event in Ding's home town of Wuxi looked like a procession when the home favourite led 8-2. But with one of the great comebacks in snooker history, Murphy stormed back to win a thrilling contest and bank the £20,000 first prize.

Ding strode into a 5-1 lead with best breaks of 63, 67 and 62. Murphy stemmed the tide with a 101 but that looked like token resistance when Ding won the next three with a top run of 75.

From that point, Ding scored just 14 points in seven frames, as Murphy caught fire and piled in breaks of 78, 92, 59, 58, 96 and 86 to win in style.

"It's got to be one of my best ever wins, maybe not the best, but in the top three," said Sale-based Murphy. "Even at 8-2 down I never stopped believing that I could win. When I got to the interval at 8-4 things were looking up, and from that point the scoreboard just got better and better for me.

"Ding played well, it wasn't as if he lost it. There was one scrappy frame out of the last seven which I managed to nick, and I won all of the others well.

"It's always nice to start the season with a win and hopefully I can take this form into the next event. I said at the Crucible that I had been practising very hard and eventually it would pay off," added the former World and UK Champion, who beat Stephen Hendry and Mark Allen in his first two matches in Wuxi.

Johnny Archer's 2nd Annual Gem City Classic

Sponsored by : Seminole Tribe of Florida, Scorpion Cues, Simonis Cloth, Poison Cues, Marietta Billiard Club

...Last year's event was FULL. Mail entries now and call ahead

Tournament info:

-July 9th-July 11th
-Poolroom address 1355 Roswell rd. suite 210, Marietta, Ga. 30062 - mail money/credit card payment
- Entry fee $150
- Guaranteed $20,000 purse
- contact : Marietta Billiard Club- 770-971-9436
- 1st place $5000 guaranteed minimum

Please call the Marietta Billiard Club direct for any additional info - 1-770-971-9436

CSI / BCA Pool League Proudly Sponsor Players to 2010 Junior Nationals

CueSports International (CSI), under its BCA Pool League division, is proudly sponsoring 13 young players to participate in the 22nd Annual Billiard Education Foundation (BEF) Junior National 9-Ball Championships. This prestigious event is being held July 7-11, 2010 at Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, Illinois, and includes 4 divisions: Boys 14 and Under, Boys 19 and Under, Girls 14 and Under and Girls 19 and Under. The winners in each of the national divisions will be guaranteed a spot to represent the U.S. to the 2010 WPA World Junior 9-Ball Championships.

In addition to the following list of 12 qualifier winners, Brendan Crockett last year’s Junior National Boys 14 and Under winner is also being sponsored by the BCA Pool League to this year’s Junior Nationals. Brendan Crockett and one of the 19 and Under CSI / BCAPL qualifier winners, Chad Behnke, are both recognized as members of Team CSI – Next Generation.

Boys 14 and Under

    * Sean Hughes, Nevada (age 10)
    * Alex Rathjen, North Dakota (age 14)
    * Joey Torres, Texas (age 14)

Boys 19 and Under

    * Chad Behnke, Iowa (age 15)
    * Chris Byers, Oregon (age 15)
    * Devon Cataldi, Pennsylvania (age 18 )
    * Malek Haj-Hussein, Colorado (age 18 )
    * Hunter Hayes, Texas (age 15)
    * Michael Perron Jr., Minnesota, (age 17)
    * Cory Pointon, Oklahoma (age 19)
    * Juan Torres, Texas (age 16)
    * Jarod Williams, Oklahoma (age 19)

WPBA Professional, Sarah Rousey, generously worked with CSI / BCAPL on this effort by organizing the qualifier process for CSI and acting as the point of contact for the qualifier winners, their families and the BEF. For more information about the CSI / BCAPL qualifier program for the BEF Junior Nationals please email SarahR@playcsipool.com.

The Billiard Education Foundation (BEF) is a non-profit charitable organization committed to promoting education and encourages the development of life skills through youth billiard programs. The BEF funds academic scholarships, produces the Junior National Championships and sponsors the players who attend the WPA World Junior 9-Ball Championships. For more information about the BEF visit their website at www.billiardeducation.org or email info@billiardeducation.org.

CueSports International is dedicated to creating more choices for all players. CSI is the parent company of the BCA Pool League, the National Championship Series (NCS), and the USA Pool League. CSI also produces independent events such as the U.S. Bar Table Championships, the Jay Swanson Memorial and the U.S. Open 10-Ball Championship. Visit www.playcsipool.com, www.playbca.com and www.playusapool.com for more information about CSI and its divisions.

FOUR US BASED PINOYS ARE RARING TO GO IN CALIFORNIA POOL EVENT
BY: MARLON BERNARDINO

FOUR U.S. based Pinoys are heading to San Jose, California on June 12-13 for the Inaugural Event of the California Pool Players Tour that will take place at California Billiards Club in Mountain View, California.
Leading the Filipino contingent is Jose "Amang" Parica of West Covina, California.. Parica, who is known in the Philippines as "Amang" and The Leader Of The Invasion is one of the favorites to win this first CPPT event.. The other three players are Santos Sambajon, Ramon Mistica, and Jun Almoite.

Santos, Ramon, and Jun, are all from Quezon City, Philippines..Santos, from Kalayaan Ave. in V. Luna is now residing in Chicago, Illinois with his Family, Ramon or Monching from Murphy resides in Fremont, California, and Jun from Project 4, just moved to Los Angeles from Sacramento, California last year, are all seeded going to this tournament.

The California Pool Players Tour is a new and exciting pro-am tour, offering a quality series of 9-ball tournaments in both Northern and Southern California. This is the culmination of long hours of hard work by a small group of players who are passionate about pool and who want a non handicapped, open format emphasizing skill over luck..The format maybe new and different but, we believe it keeps the playing field level while increasing the competition for everyone.

The format is a race to 7, double elimination. Players are divided into 2 brackets, one for Pros and A players and one B and C players, playing simultaneously until the the top 25% of each bracket is determined...Those finalists advance to a combined bracket for the cash payout round.

The CPPT is run by players who can identify the wants and needs of its members and aim to make pool accessible to everybody and bridge the gap between amateurs and professional levels.

Jun and Monching are both sponsored by HUSTLIN USA..Owner Tony Hargain of Sacramento,Ca. has been very supportive not only to Jun and Ramon but to all Filipino pool players from Efren "Bata" Reyes, Francisco "Django" Bustamante, Ronnie Alcano, Dennis OrcUllo, Roberto Gomez, Warren Kiamco, Lee Vann Corteza, Ramil Gallego, Marlon Manalo and Alex Pagulayan.

Murphy - Germany Could Be Snooker's Next China

Shaun Murphy believes that the snooker boom witnessed in China in recent years could soon be repeated in Germany.

World Snooker will stage a new ranking event in Berlin in February, while at least four events in the new Players Tour Championship (PTC) series will be held in Germany, in cities such as Frankfurt and Hamm.

The popularity of snooker in Germany has exploded since World Snooker's landmark deal with Eurosport in 2004 which has brought the sport into 120 million homes.

"We've seen snooker become massive in China, and in Germany it could be just as big," said former World Champion Murphy, who beat Ding Junhui 9-8 in the final of the Rundili Wuxi Classic in China last Sunday.

"I've played in various events and exhibitions there and we are playing to packed houses every day. We've seen great players like Ding come out of China, and Germany could be the next breeding ground for potential World Champions."

Sale-based Murphy is full of enthusiasm for the new events on the World Snooker calendar, particularly the PTC, which will see 12 three-day events building up to the televised finale.

"I've not been as excited about a new season since I was a junior," said the 27-year-old. "There will be tournaments virtually every week, and that is what we want - to be able to test ourselves against the other best players as often as possible. That's what we play sport for."

The first PTC event runs from June 25-27 at the World Snooker Academy in Sheffield. Six of the 12 short events will be at the Academy, with the other six in Europe. They are open to amateurs as well as professionals - for details on how to enter see www.worldsnooker.com

The German Masters will run from February 2 to 6 at the Tempodrom in Berlin. Tickets are available from www.snookerstars.de

Qualifiers Wanted For World Open

World Snooker and Rileys have released details of how to enter the pre-qualifying competitions for the new World Open.

This fantastic and innovative tournament is giving amateur players the chance to rub shoulders with the likes of Ronnie O'Sullivan, Stephen Hendry and Neil Robertson if they can go all the way to the televised stages. It's snooker's version of the nothing Cup, with the possibility of a rags-to-riches story if one of the club players can reach the business end.

Competitions will be staged by 20 different clubs, ten Rileys and ten independent (listed below), around the UK over the coming weeks. Each competition will produce one winner, who will go through to the professional qualifying rounds at the World Snooker Academy in Sheffield from August 21-24. They will then be battling for a place in the televised stages, at the SECC in Glasgow from September 18-26, when the sport's star names will be fighting for the trophy and a prize fund of £500,000.

A spokesman for World Snooker said: "This is a chance of a lifetime for anyone who has dreamed of playing snooker on the biggest stage to step up and show us what you've got! We're encouraging anyone who fancies their chances to get in touch with the nearest club staging a competition, enter it, get practising and then see how far you can get. There have to be 20 club players going through to the professional stages and IT COULD BE YOU! It would be fantastic if just one of those got all the way to the TV phase.

"We're delighted to be working alongside Rileys and other independent clubs on this brilliant initiative which we hope will generate more interest in playing and watching snooker thoughout the UK and beyond."

Rileys Chief Executive Maurice Kelly said: “Rileys are delighted to support snooker's new World Open. Initially, all 120 Rileys clubs nationwide will be participating. Players who win their opening-round matches go through to our ten regional finals. The ten winners then go into the competition proper.

“The knock out format is definitely going to throw up some surprises when the minnows come up against the big boys! And the £500,000 prize fund guarantees everyone will be on top of their game. Rileys and World Snooker are working to make sure the World Open gets off to a flying start.”

For more information, including the rules of entry, visit www.worldsnooker.com/qualifierswanted

Tickets for the final stages at the SECC in Glasgow are now on sale, for details call 0844 395 4000 or visit www.worldsnooker.com/tickets

The World Open receives equal funding and support from EventScotland and Glasgow City Marketing Bureau.

Participating Clubs:

RILEYS

Plymouth
4a Courtenay Street
Off New George Street
Plymouth
Devon
PL1 1EP
01752 222836

Leicester (Willie Thorne)
Attenborough House
Charles Street
Leicester
Leicestershire
LE1 1FA
0116 2626239

Middlesbrough
234-254 Linthorpe Road
Middlesbrough
North Yorkshire
TS1 3QP
01642 220764

Norwich
77-87 Magdalen Street
Norwich
Norfolk
NR3 1AA
01603 617456

Stevenage
Letchmore Road
Stevenage
Hertfordshire
SG1 3HU
01438 729212

Glasgow, Ledard Road
130 Ledard Road
Battlefield
Glasgow
Glasgow City
G42 9RA
0141 6361944

Cardiff, Wellington Street
Wellington House
Wellington Street, Canton
Cardiff
Wales
CF11 9BE
02920 390322

Preston
Lowthian House, Starch House Square
Market Street
Preston
Lancashire
PR1 2ES
01772 203228

Dunfermline
25 Queen Anne Street
Dunfermline
Fife
KY12 7BA
01383 733555

Guildford
11 Haydon Place
Guildford
Surrey
GU1 4LL
01483 505599

INDEPENDENT

Ivy Rooms Snooker Club
Barrow Valley Retail Park
Sleaty Road
Graiguecullen
Carlow
Republic of Ireland
059 913 7714

Keynsham Snooker Club
Chew Park
Temple Street
Keynsham
Bristol
BS31 1HE
0117 9861375

Grove Snooker Centre
1 Faringdon Grove
Faringdon Avenue
Romford
RM3 8TD
01708 377778

South West Snooker Academy
The Aquarius Centre
Waterwells
Gloucester
GL2 2FC
01452 729380 (Liz Lane)
The event will take place on July 31st 2010

The Q Club (West End)
101 St Georges Road
Glasgow
G3 6JA
0141 333 9035

Northern Snooker Centre
Kirkstall Road
Leeds
West Yorkshire
LS3 1LT
0113 2433015

The remaining independent clubs will be listed shortly at www.worldsnooker.com/qualifierswanted

RP’S top billiards genuine supporters----Perry Mariano
BY: Marlon Bernardino

SPORTSMAN/ BUSINESSMAN Ceferino “Perry” Mariano revealed yesterday the true/ genuine supporters of Philippine Billiards.

They are Aristeo “Putch” Puyat, Florentino “Yen” Makabenta, Jonathan “Bacolod” Sy, Emmanuel “Manny” Pacquiao, Sebastian “Baste” Chua, Isaac Belmonte and Jesse Gonzales.

“Kung magsasama-sama lamang itong tunay na supporter ng billiards sa ating bansa gaya nina Putch Puyat, Yen Makabenta, Jonathan Sy, Manny Pacquiao, Sebastian Chua, Isaac Belmonte at Jesse Gonzales ay malayo ang mararating ng billiard,” said Mariano, co-founder of Billiards Managers and Players Association of the Philippines (BMPAP).

“Dream Team ito pag nagsama-sama ang mga taong ito,” said Mariano, who is planning to stage a collegiate billiards tournament later this year.

Mariano heads Bugsy Promotions, which has a stable of star players led by former double world champion Ronnie Alcano, 2007 World Pool Championship runner-up Roberto Gomez, newly-installed World Pool Master titlist Dennis Orcollo and Southeast Asian Games gold medallist Gandy “Yang-Yang” Valle.

Puyat manages Hall-of-Famer Efren “Bata” Reyes, former world champion Alex Pagulayan, former world No.1 Francisco “Django” Bustamante and reigning world women’s ten-ball champion Rubilen Amit.

Makabenta, acknowledge "Man of the Year" by the US based Billiard Digest magazine after bringing the World Pool Championships here in the country twice and also the brain child of World Ten-Ball Championships.

Sy leads the rising Negros Billiards Stable, which has reigning national champion Lee Van Corteza, veteran internationalist Rodolfo Luat, Warren Kiamco and Ramil Gallego on its fold.

Pacquiao, the seven-division world boxing champion, an avid billiard player himself, also sponsored local and international billiards tournament.

Chua, on the other hand, is owner of the famous Star Billiards Center and local distributor of Brunswick billiards table, a long-time billiards patron, hosted a grass-root tournaments.

Belmonte, is the Philippine Star Editor-in-Chief, the chairman of BMPAP, who staged a numerous International Billiards tournament.

Gonzales, the president of Makati Pool Players Association (MAPPA), also staging numerous local tournaments.

STRONG FINISH BY PINOYS AT THE 1ST CALIFORNIA POOL TOUR
BY: MARLON BERNARDINO

FILIPINO billiard masters Jose "Amang" Parica and Santos Sambajon did not show up for the 1st CPPT tournament in San Jose, California, but four other younger pinoy cue artists dominated most of their matches until they faced each other in the semifinals.

Deo Mark Alpajora of Las Pinas won all his matches from the losers side after Ramon "Maestro Monching" Mistica sent him to the west side of the board with a score of 7-1 to reach the semifinals. Mistica continued his winning streak until he met Jun Almoite of Project 4, Q.C., who sent him to the losers side and set up another match against Alpajora.. The younger Alpajora handed Mistica his second loss 7-5.

Jun Almoite, who reach the hot seat by trouncing compatriot Jaynard Orque 7-5, Roger Estelle 7-2, Billy Palmer 7-4, Jeff Gregory 7-6, Amar Kang 7-6, and Ramon Mistica 7-6 before losing to the erthswhile champion, Californian Max Eberle 7-5.

Almoite had to play the well rested Alpajora to determine who will face the unbeaten Eberle in the final match..Almoite ran out of gas and Alpajora prevailed 7-4.

In the final match race to 9, Max Eberle, who played an almost perfect 9-ball game, started strong and led Alpajora 7-1.. On the 9th rack, Eberle missed an easy 4-9 combination that gave Deo a chance to win that game followed by another 4 rack and run win to get close to a 7-6 score..A dry break by Alpajora on the 14 rack, gave Eberle the last chance to win the match 9-6 and the $2,000 first prize.

1st. - Max Eberle (California)
2nd - Deo Alpajora (Las Pinas)
3rd - Jun Almoite (Project 4,Q.C.)
4th - Ramon Mistica (Murphy,Q.C.)
5th - Jaynard Orque (Manila)

WORLD CUP OF POOL RETURNS TO MANILA; REYES AND BUSTAMANTE; ORCULLO AND GOMEZ BANNER RP’s BID
BY: MARLON BERNARDINO

THE prestigious and tough Partypoker.net World Cup of Pool, a battle among nations, returns to Manila schedule on September 7 to 12 with the tandem of Filipino pool legends Efren “Bata” Reyes and Francisco “Django” Bustamante leading the way for the country’s bid alongside the pair of Dennis “Robocop” Orcullo and Roberto “Pinoy Superman” Gomez.

According to Billiards Managers and Players Association of the Philippines (BMPAP) founding head Ceferino “Perry” Mariano under the leadership of its’ BMPAP chairman and Philippine Star Editor-in-Chief Isaac Belmonte as host country, the Philippines gaining the privilege of fielding two teams, Reyes and Bustamante have been tapped to form the RP team A while Orcullo and Gomez will carrying the RP team B.

“I believe they’re our strongest bets," Mariano, referring the pair of Reyes and Bustamante and as well Orcullo and Gomez who doing great in the past international competitions this year from Japan, Canada as well in the United States.

“I think we have a strong chance to retain the World Cup of Pool crown,” added Aristeo “Putch” Puyat, BMPAP co-founder, acknowledge RP billiards patron.

Reyes and Bustamante, playing under the banner of Puyat Sports ruled the inaugural edition of this event in 2006 in Newport, England, where they beat Americans Earl Strickland and Rodney Morris.

Last Year, Reyes and Bustamante rallied from a, 7-9 deficit to beat the tandem of Ralf Souquet and Thorsten Hohmann, 11-9, of Germany to reclaim their coveted title enroute the $60,000 first prize in the 32-team field from 31 countries held at the SM North Edsa Annex in Quezon City.

Reyes, the 2010 Player of the Decade for his part: “The key is really listening to your teammate,” added Reyes. “But this kind of tournament is difficult to predict because some of the strongest teams may not do well and the perceived weak teams may play really well.”

The entire event will be broadcast by Solar Sports live across the Philippines with the live feed of the tournament available internationally. In addition Matchroom Sport will be producing a 31 x one hour highlights package of the event.

Meanwhile, Matchroom Sport Chairman Barry Hearn commented, “We are delighted to be returning to the Philippines after having enjoyed last year one of the greatest pool tournaments we have ever promoted.

Solar Sports did a fantastic job bringing all the drama and excitement of the tournament to the screen and the large, enthusiastic crowds created an atmosphere unlike any I have ever seen at a pool tournament.

“The World Cup of Pool is fast becoming the biggest pool tournament in the world and we are delighted to see its continued growth in Asia and around the world.”

Other stars of the pool world scheduled to take part include World Champions Ralf Souquet and Oliver Ortmann (Germany), Daryl Peach and Karl Boyes of England, Johnny Archer (USA) and Finland’s Mika Immonen.

Other top draws appearing in Manila are Marcus Chamat (Sweden), Niels Feijen of Holland, Malta’s Tony Drago and a host of big names to be announced.

Brecel And Walker Handed World Open Slots

Belgian prodigy Luca Brecel and Rileys Future Stars Of Snooker champion Joel Walker have been awarded places in the qualifying rounds of the World Open.

The unique new tournament will see 32 amateur players enter the professional qualifying rounds at the World Snooker Academy in Sheffield from August 21-24, when they will be battling to get through to the televised stages at the SECC in Glasgow in September. Two amateur places have been allocated to juniors, with Brecel and Walker selected for those slots.


Considered one of the most promising talents in snooker, 15-year-old Brecel recently became the youngest ever winner of the European Championship, beating several experienced players including Holland’s Roy Stolk 7-4 in the final. He is also the current Belgian champion and has beaten the likes of Jimmy White and Ken Doherty in invitation events.

Sheffield’s 16-year-old Walker was selected by Ronnie O’Sullivan as the most promising player in the nationwide ‘Future Stars’ competition run by Rileys, which was entered by over 1,000 juniors. The final stages of the rigorous selection process took place at the Crucible during the Betfred.com World Snooker Championship, when Walker showed off his skills to beat the opposition and earn a year of training and mentoring from O’Sullivan.

“I’m over the moon to have been picked to play in the World Open, it’s a great chance for me,” said Walker. “I feel good about my game and hopefully I will get through to the venue and play against one of my idols I have watched on TV. I’ll be practising with Ronnie a couple of times before then, I’m always learning from him.”


Rileys Chief Executive Maurice Kelly said: “It’s a great break for Joel. Everyone at Rileys is delighted for him. We are particularly pleased with the way Joel is coming along under Ronnie O’Sullivan’s influence. We hope our Future Stars winner is now on the road to becoming a star in his own right.”

The remaining 30 amateur places in the qualifiers will be made up by two former World Champions, two women, six international players and 20 winners of regional pre-qualifying events staged by Rileys and other snooker clubs.

For full details see www.worldsnooker.com/qualifierswanted.

Tickets for the final stages, which run from September 18 to 26, can be bought by calling 0844 395 4000 or visiting www.worldsnooker.com/tickets

The World Open receives equal funding and support from EventScotland and Glasgow City Marketing Bureau.

Williams Supports Rankings Overhall

Former World Champion Mark Williams believes that snooker's new ranking system will be fairer for the players and more exciting for fans.

The new system will see the rankings updated at three 'cut-off points' during the season. It will be a two-year rolling list, so ranking points earned at the corresponding tournaments in the 2008/09 season will be taken off at each stage.

This means that players currently in the official top 16 are not guaranteed to be in the Masters in January or at the Crucible in April and will have to perform throughout the season to maintain their ranking. The old system updated rankings only once at the end of the season following the Betfred.com World Snooker Championship.

"The system needed a shake-up," said Williams, Crucible King in 2000 and 2003. "The way it was before, a top 16 player could lose every match, and still be there at the end of the season. The players who are getting to the later stages of tournaments should have a chance of getting into the top 16 during the season.

"The way it will work now is very cut-throat," added the Welshman, who is currently ranked eighth in the world. "If you have a bad run you could drop like a stone. But it opens it up for players lower down the rankings to climb up quickly which has got to make things more interesting for everyone. We couldn't have done it this way in the past because there weren't enough tournaments. But now we have the 12 extra Players Tour Championship events which have ranking points - and those are a great idea."

World No 24 Michael Holt agreed with Williams' assessment. "It makes the rankings more up to date and more about current form," he said. "It's still a two-year list, so you've still got protection from points you've earned in previous seasons. But if you have a purple patch you can end up being in the Masters or not having to qualify for the Crucible, and that's the way it should be, as those events should have the best players. A few years ago Ding Junhui won the UK Championship but then he lost in World qualifying so he wasn't at Sheffield, which wasn't right."

Up-and-comer Judd Trump added: "It's good because there will be more pressure for the players and more movement up and down the rankings. It's taken me quite a few years to climb up, but now players breaking through will be able to do it more quickly."

The cut-off points are shown in the calendar below:

PTC1: June 25-27
PTC2: July 9-11
PTC3: August 6-8
PTC4: August 14-16
Shanghai Masters: September 6-12
World Open: September 18-26
Euro PTC1: August 27-29
Euro PTC2: October 1-3

FIRST CUT-OFF POINT, GIVING SEEDINGS FOR THE UK CHAMPIONSHIP AND THE MASTERS

PTC5: October 8-10
PTC6: October 15-17
Euro PTC3: October 22-24
Euro PTC4: October 29-31
Euro PTC5: November 12-14
Euro PTC6: November 19-21
UK Championship: December 4-12

SECOND CUT-OFF POINT, GIVING SEEDINGS FOR GERMAN MASTERS AND WELSH OPEN

German Masters: February 2-6
Welsh Open: February 14-20

THIRD CUT-OFF POINT, GIVING SEEDINGS FOR CHINA OPEN AND BETFRED.COM WORLD SNOOKER CHAMPIONSHIP

PTC finals: March 17-20
China Open: March 28 to April 3
Betfred.com World Snooker Championship: April 16 to May 2

Global Field For New Players Tour Championship

The first event in snooker’s new Players Tour Championship has attracted entries from over 70 professional players.

Top stars such as Ronnie O’Sullivan, Mark Selby, Shaun Murphy, Mark Williams, Stephen Maguire, Graeme Dott, Peter Ebdon and Jimmy White are among the line up for the four-day event, which starts this Thursday at the World Snooker Academy in Sheffield.

The field also has an international flavour, with the likes of Brazil’s Igor Figueiredo and Germany’s Patrick Einsle set for action as well as players from China, Thailand, Malta and Belgium.
The PTC events are also open to amateurs and the first tournament has drawn a total of 148 entries; 73 professionals and 75 amateurs.

There will be 12 PTCs in the series, six at the Academy and six in Europe, each with a £50,000 prize pot. A new Order of Merit will track how much money players win, with the top 24 after the 12 events to go through to the televised conclusion in March.

World Snooker chairman Barry Hearn said: “We’re delighted with the strength of the field for the first PTC event. Bearing in mind that a lot of players might miss it because of previously-arranged commitments, to get 73 of the 96 professionals there is a very good strike rate.

“There are ranking points and a lot of money up for grabs at these events, so players who miss the first one might see themselves slipping down the rankings and quickly get their names down for the second one. Ideally I’d like to see all of them competing and striving for a place in the final stages.

“This is a fantastic time to be a snooker player as we’re putting on more tournaments with adventurous formats. With the 12 PTCs, we’ve got 20 events this season which will carry ranking points – a big difference from last season when there were only six. I’m looking forward to the new era and I’ve no doubt the players are too.”

Matches to look out for in the first round of PTC1 include O'Sullivan against Welshman Andrew Pagett, Murphy against former Junior Pot Black winner Mitchell Mann and Marco Fu against Belgian prodigy Luca Brecel. The draw is available at www.worldsnooker.com

For details of how to enter the PTC events, see www.worldsnooker.com/ptc

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"PINOY SUPERMAN" GOMEZ START QUEST IN P1 MILLION PACQUIAO 10-BALL TODAY
BY: MARLON BERNARDINO

ROBERTO GOMEZ hopes to sustain his fiery form as he tries to duplicate his feat when the much awaited money rich Congressman Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao Cup Open 10-ball tournament gets underway today, Saturday in his hometown in General Santos City.

Gomez, one of the top players of the star-studded Perry Mariano’s Bugsy Promotions bested Japan based Dondon Razalan, 11-6, in the finals to win the title in May 2007.

“Pipilitin ko na makuha muli ang titulo na pinagharian ko noong 2007,” said Gomez, dubbed as Pinoy Superman in the local pool circuit, who is best to remember after settling a runner-up place finish to eventual champion Daryl Peach of Great Britain during the 2007 World Pool Championships (9-ball) was held at the historic Araneta Coliseum in Cubao, Quezon City.

Billiards Managers and Players Association of the Philippines (BMPAP) founding head and Bugsy Promotions president Perry Mariano commented: “Roberto (Gomez) is the most underrated player today,” said Mariano, heads Bugsy Promotions, stable and star players headed by former double world champion Ronnie "Volcano"Alcano, 2007 World Pool Championship runner-up Roberto "Pinoy Superman" Gomez, newly-installed World Pool Master titlist Dennis "Robocop" Orcollo, Southeast Asian Games gold medallist Gandy "Yang-Yang" Valle and Carlo “Cool” Biado.

To make it two in a row, the Divisoria, Zamboanga native Gomez must hurdle the challenge from fellow veteran internationalists Ramil “Bebeng” Gallego, Warren “Warrior” Kiamco, Rodolfo “Boy Samson” Luat and Carlo “Cool” Biado in the four-day event (June 26 to 29) with the champion getting the whopping top prize of P1 million.

Newly-elected Sarangani Congressman Emmanuel “Manny” Pacquiao and RP no.1 trickshot player and tournament director Julie “Falcon” Guevarra will be on hand to deliver inspirational message and hit the ceremonial break.

WPBSA Statement

The WPBSA Disciplinary Committee has resolved to refer an investigation arising from the News of the World newspaper's report of May 2, 2010, which contained allegations against John Higgins and Pat Mooney, to a hearing board convened under the auspices of Sport Resolutions UK.

David Douglas, head of the WPBSA's disciplinary committee, said: "Sport Resolutions deals with cases in various sports and is named in WPBSA disciplinary rules. It is completely independent of the WPBSA and we have no doubt that it will bring a fair conclusion to this matter."

There will be no further comment at this stage.

ORCULLO, ALCANO OFF TO QATAR FOR WORLD POOL TOURNEY; WORLD 9-BALL BEGINS TODAY
BY: MARLON BERNARDINO

READY AND CONFIDENT.

That was how Filipino pool wizards Dennis "Robocop" Orcullo and Ronato "Volcano" Alcano described their condition a day before their departure yesterday (Sunday) for the WPA World Pool Championships (World 9-Ball) which begins today, Monday, June 28 and will ends on July 5 in Doha, Qatar.

Orcullo and Alcano, top players of Perry Marinoa's Bugsy Promotions make it to the tournament proper through Asian Pocket Billiard Union (APBU) invitation.

“I hope to do well in this event,” said Orcullo, a former fisherman from Bislig, Surigao del Sur in a telephone interview on Saturday.

Orcullo, is coming from a big win in the 2010 Partypoker.net World Pool Masters last May 12 to 16 at the Riviera Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada.

" I prepared my self 100 percent for this event, ito na lamang kasi ang kulang sa akin at lahat naman ng bilyarista sa buong mundo ay pangarap maging WPA World 9-ball Champion," added Orcullo, who beat Japanese Toru Kuribayashi in the World Pool Masters finals enroute the top prize US$20,000.

Alcano on his part: "Target ko na maibalik sa bansa ang world 9-ball crown," said the lanky cue artists Alcano, who beat Ralf "Kaiser" Souquet of Germany during the finals of 2006 WPA World 9-ball at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC) in Pasay City.

In 2007, Daryl Peach of Great Britain broke the heart of the Filipino crazy billiard fanatics after beating hometown crowd favorite Roberto "Pinoy Superman" Gomez in the finals at the historic Araneta Coliseum in Cubao, Quezon City.

After this staging is no more WPA World 9-ball event being held due to global economic crises but thanks to Qatar who accepting the challenge for hosting the biggest pool event in four consecutive years. The prize fund (World Pool) for this initial appearance and in 2011 in Qatar is $250,000 and will increase to $300,000 for both 2012 and 2013.

Billiards Managers and Players Association of the Philippines (BMPAP) founding head Ceferino "Perry" Mariano commented the chances of the Pinoy tumbok king " We have very good chances winning again the prestigious WPA World 9-Ball crown based in the performance of our players in the past international tournament."

Other Filipino pool shark in the main draw are Lee Vann Corteza, Jeffrey de Luna, Marlon Manalo, Antonio Gabica and Antonio Lining through their world ranking status. Also being invited are newly-crowned Spanish Open ruler Efren "Bata" Reyes and Francisco "Django" Bustamante thorugh wild card entries of the host country.

Three current WPA (World Pool Billiard Association) champion Ralf "Kaiser" Souquet of Germany (World 8-ball), Daryl Peach of Great Britain (World 9-Ball) and Mika Immonen of Finland (World Ten-ball) are leading the charge for the huge European contingent that includes Darren Appleton, Karl Boyes, Imram Majid and Scott Higgins of Great Britain, Niels Feijen, Nick Van den Berg and Huidji See of the Netherlands, Ruslan Chinakhov and Konstantin Stepanov of Russia, Artem Koshovoj of Ukraine, Thorsten Hohmann, Oliver Ortmann, Thomas Engert and Christian Reimering of Germany, Marcus Chamat of Sweden, David Alcaide of Spain, Radoslaw Babica, Karol Skowerski and Mariusz Skoneczny of Poland, Stephan Cohen of France, Fabio Petroni and Bruno Muratore of Italy, Dimitri Jungo of Switzerland, Karlo Dalmatin of Croatia, Sandor Tot of Serbia, Tony Drago of Malta and Martin Kempter of Austria.

The United States are fielding Shane Van Boening, Johnny Archer, Corey Deuel, Charlie Williams and Oscar Dominguez. Mexico at the helm is Ernesto Dominguez while Canada are parading Alain Martel, Jason Klatt, John Morra and Francis Crevier.

Other renowned players are Ko Pin-yi, Yang Ching-shun and Chang Jung-lin of Chinese-Taipei, Ricky Yang of Indonesia, Yukio Akakariyama,Masaaki Tanaka, Hayato Hijikata and Toru Kuribayashi of Japan, Li Haitao, Dang Jinhu of China, Jeong Young Hwa and Ham Won Sik of Korea, Nitiwat Kanjanasri of Thailand, Nguyen Puc Long of Vietnam, Muhammad Zulfikri of India, Kenny Kwok and Bobby Lee Chenman of Hongkong, Ibrahim Bin Amir of Malaysia, Chan Keng Kwang and Toh Lian Han of Singapore.