Hurricane Billiards

Field Narrows at Women’s Great Lakes 9-Ball Classic

admin — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 14:15:02 +0000

From the new Stardust Convention Center at the Blue Chip Casino, day two began with a web match featuring rookie Kathleen Moon and P&B’s own Ewa Laurance. Ewa showed no mercy and defeated the young qualifier 9-0… Liz Ford and Sarah Rousey matched up on the one loss side in what would normally be a 2nd round winner’s bracket match. Although Liz put up a good fight, eventually Sarah gained the advantage and won 9-7. Meanwhile, Iris Ranola, who’d had a tough match against Jeanette Lee in the 2nd round winner’s bracket, came back today on the one loss side to face veteran player and Billiard Education Foundation Executive Director, Laura Smith. According to Iris, Laura played very well and defeated Iris 9-3. Iris may have finally succumbed to the pressures of traveling as she’d been on the road along with many of the pros for several back-to-back international events. Sarah Ellerby, back for her first event since mid 2008, also finished 33rd, along with top Arizona Women’s Billiard Tour player, Nicole Keeney; Exempt pro Sueyen Rhee and former Exempt player, Morgan Steinman. Round 3 winner’s bracket action was fierce and included a fantastic web match between current #1 Ranked Monica Webb against up-and-comer Yu Ram Cha. Both players were like dogs with bone, not yielding one to the other until the score was 6-5 Monica. From that point, the wheels seemed to fall off of Monica’s game as Yu Ram won the next four games to send Monica to the one loss side. Monica goes on to face Kim Shaw for a berth in the final 16. Jasmin Ouschan defeated a formidable Karen Corr 9-6. Jeanette Lee faced off against Ga Young Kim but the Little Devil Girl proved too strong and won easily 9-4. Vivian Villarreal, Xiaoting Pan & Kelly Fisher all advanced, and once again Gerda Hofstatter and Allison Fisher matched up in “Groundhog Day” fashion. Allison is playing very well and defeated Gerda 9-4. Allison is definitely riding a high after finding out about her BCA Hall of Fame nomination and she’ll be inducted along with favorite Johnny Archer in a ceremony on October 22nd, in Chesapeake, VA. The one tight match of the round was Japan’s Miyuki Sakai vs. former World 9 Ball Champion, Julie Kelly. The match went hill-hill, and although Julie fought like a lion, Miyuki came through in the end and advanced into the final 16. On the one loss side, a great match ensued between veterans Laura Smith and Ewa Laurance. It looked as though Ewa would pull through but Laura wouldn’t give up and sank the 9 to win after a hard fought hill-hill match. Last year’s US Open surprise dark-horse, Pam Cimarelli, will play for a place in the final 16 on Saturday. Pam had defeated Helena Thornfeldt in the first round, but lost to Julie Kelly thereafter. She’s since picked her way through the one loss side, including a sound victory over Janet Atwell, 9-2. She goes on to face the #14 seed for this event, Melissa Herndon. Check back to www.wpba.com for the most up-to-date brackets (posted after each round is completed). CLICK HERE for a front row webstreaming seat to these featured matches!

Jasmin Ouschan Wins Great Lakes Classic

admin — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 14:15:02 +0000

As several of the WPBA Sponsors looked on with the capacity crowd at the Blue Chip Casino, Kelly Fisher and Jasmin Ouschan stepped up for the lag in the finals of the 2009 WPBA Great Lakes Classic. Both had won events last year, and were looking to win their first title of the new season. If Kelly won this event, she would vault back into the #1 position by herself. If she came in second, she would be tied for 1st place with Ga Young Kim. If Jasmin were to win, she’d tie for 2nd along with Xiaoting Pan and Monica Webb. Jasmin won the lag and broke, but found herself embroiled in a safety battle with Kelly Fisher on several of the balls in the rack including the 7. Kelly stuck Jasmin directly behind the 9 but Jasmin was able to kick one side rail, leaving the 7 ball at the foot of the table and the cue ball near the 1st spot by the corner pocket. She attempted to cut the ball, missed but got lucky and left Jasmin hooked, the 7 ball having come to rest behind the 9. Jasmin kicked from the back rail, and the two kept going back and forth until finally Jasmin gained the upper hand and finished out the rack to win the first game of the match. Kelly broke in game 2 but failed to pocket a ball. Jasmin had a touchy thin cut on the one and the crowd applauded as she made it with positing for the 2/9 combination. Just like that, she earned her 2nd game in just minutes of play to go up 2-0 and into game 3 with the break advantage. She pocketed the 3 ball, but the one proved unmake-able and she chose to play a great safety, striking the cue ball behind the 7 forcing Kelly to kick. She missed entirely giving Jasmin ball in hand, but Jasmin failed to take advantage of the opportunity and missed the 6 ball. As luck would have it, she didn’t leave Kelly an open shot so Kelly sent the 6 ball to the side rail behind the 7. Jasmin could see enough of the ball to play a great cross bank to the side pocket and left herself straight in on the 7. She drew back the cue ball for the 8, giving herself an out and taking a 3-0 lead. Kelly broke but failed to pocket a ball and Jasmin made a pretty shot on the 1 with position for the 2. She wasn’t so perfect from the 3 to the four, though and was forced to play a safe. Her attempt failed and Kelly had an open shot to run out and post her first game of this final match, down 1-3. Jasmin looked to fare better in game 5 as she had the break, but nothing fell for her. Several of the balls clustered around each other, preventing an easy run-out. Kelly made a beautiful cut shot on the one ball and tapped the 2 ball into a makeable position on the table. The crowd gasped as she undercut the 2, leaving Jasmin a wide open shot. The three barely cleared the 5 ball while the 4 was wide open in the side. Jasmin successfully navigated through all of these issues until she found herself straight in on the 6. Without missing a beat she force followed the cue ball (cheating the very tight pockets) down-table for great position on the 7, to the 8 and finally the 9 to retake a 3 game lead, 4-1. Kelly broke and made a ball but her safety attempt came up short. Jasmin made a thin cut on the one, sending her cue ball up-table and snookering herself behind the 9 for the 2 ball. She jumped, struck the 2 and left Kelly with a side pocket cut shot. Kelly quickly came to the table and made short work of the rack, now facing a 2 game deficit instead of 3, down 2-4. Jasmin stepped up to break in game 7, and after pocketing a ball on the break, had a monster cluster to contend with as the 2, 6, 7 and 9 ball were all tied up on the side rail by the corner pocket. It was ugly! However, Jasmin calmly played the 2/7 carom, breaking the 2 away from the 6 and 9, giving herself the opportunity to run out and retake the 3 game lead. Kelly looked on without any expression as Jasmin ran out, up 5-2. Much to Kelly’s chagrin, she scratched on the break. Jasmin played a great position shot from the 1 to the 2 ball to get in line and run out another rack. As Kelly crossed her arms in obvious frustration, Jasmin came around from the 2 to the 3, and from the 3 to the 5 squeezing between the 7/8 balls. Steve called out “10″ and Jasmin took her extension on the 6 ball as she carefully thought out how she’d get position to the 7. Pocketing the 6 in the side and coming off the side rail, she was perfect on the 7, the 8 and the 9 to reach the hill, 6-2. It appeared as though Jasmin was putting on a clinic for all to see, including Kelly Fisher. Jasmin continued on in game 9 with the break and pocketed 2 balls but found herself without a pocket for the one ball. She played safety and Kelly fired back with one of her own, starting a safety exchange. Jasmin slow rolled the cue ball, barely kissing the one, then onto the rail as Kelly came back to the table smiling at the great shot. The two competitors continued on with the safety battle of wits, which ended when Jasmin went for a bank shot into the side pocket. She barely missed, leaving Kelly a very thin cut into the corner pocket. She came up short and Jasmin had an open shot to the one ball. However, she still would face the 3 and 4 ball tied up near the side rail. Eyeing the shot, she played a beautiful throw/combination, pocketing the four and leaving perfect shape back on the 3 ball. With only four balls left on the table between her and victory, Jasmin strode around the “Zanzibar” table with confidence, and won her first event of 2009! For full round results and tournament brackets, visit www.wpba.com

Billiards Expo Cues Up in Vegas

admin — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 14:15:01 +0000

The 26th annual Billiard Congress of America Billiard & Home Recreation Expo kicked off in Vegas with a brisk first day’s business. The 150 exhibitors saw quite a few buyers on the show floor opening day, and exhibitors report that the nation’s billiard retailers and billiard clubs are there to shop! When not shopping for new cues, pool tables, poker tables and gameroom accessories, buyers are attending one of several BCA seminars, from improving online customer appeal to marketing in challenging economic times. On the docket for today’s activities: A seminar on “Generation Youth” – and a new benefit for exhibitors as BCA will begin signing up exhibitor space for next year’s event, again to be staged in Las Vegas. Stay tuned for more details and photos from the show…

BCA Billiards & Home Recreation Expo Declared a Success!

admin — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 14:15:01 +0000

The 26th Annual Billiard Congress of America (BCA) International Billiard & Home Recreation Expo came to a successful conclusionat the Sands Expo and Convention Center in Las Vegas. Buyer attendance for the three-day event was 1,120. The number of companies exhibiting at the event was 116, while the total number of booths was 412. A smaller show to be sure, but exhibitors were pleased with the results. “I was excited to see how well the show turned out and I am very pleased with all of the positive comments that I have received from both exhibitors and buyers,” said Ivan Lee, co-chair of the Expo and 2008-2009 chairman of the BCA Board of Directors. “Informally, the show was a roll-call for the billiard industry and the exhibitors that attended saw a strong show of support from the retail base. Many buyers commented that Las Vegas is the right place for the BCA Expo and they were happy to be back in Vegas. I was also impressed with the Business of Billiards Seminar Series. We had very good attendance at the seminars this year and the information presented was timely and very useful. If you are involved in the billiard industry and didn’t participate in the BCA Expo you missed out,” said Lee. Kicking off the Expo was the BCA’s annual general membership meeting, where results of the 2009-2010 Board of Directors elections were announced: Category 1 (Manufacturer/Distributor) Tom Gregory (Toltec Lighting), three-year term Eric Weber (CueStix International), three-year term Fred Cohen (D&R Industries/Championship LLC), three-year term Skip Nemecek (Tweeten Fibre Co.), three-year term Michael Serra (MBS Group, Inc.), two-year term Thomas Rodgers (Robertson Billiard Supplies), one-year term Category 3 (Room Operator) Danny Kuykendall (Danny K’s Billiards), three-year term In follow-up elections, Ivan Lee of Iwan Simonis, Inc. (pictured) accepted a one-year term as BCA Board chairman, as did each of the remaining seated officers: First Vice Chairman Renee Lyle (American Poolplayers Association); Second Vice Chairman Kathy Vegh (Danny Vegh’s Billiards & Home); Secretary Eric Weber (CueStix International); and Treasurer Karim Belhaj (Predator Group). The remaining directors include: Nick Alexander (Clicks Billiards); George Darafeev (Mikhail Darafeev, Inc.); Barry Hart (Viking Cue Mfg., Inc.); John Petti (Atlas Billiard Supplies); and Tony Stick (The Billiard Factory). “The past year has been turbulent for the economy, as well as for our industry, and leading the Board though this period has been demanding,” said Lee. “However, I will accept the challenge to lead the Board once again and I will work diligently to ensure that the BCA’s key initiatives of enhancing the value of both membership and the BCA Expo will remain in focus. The Board members, individually and collectively, must remain dedicated and committed to the success of the BCA and I am confident that we can work together to accomplish our stated objectives.” The BCA has secured the Las Vegas Convention Center for the 2010 Expo, which will take place June 24-26, 2010, and the Sands Expo and Convention Center, June 23-25, 2011.

Brunswick Billiards Celebrates 165-Year History With New Pool Table

admin — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 14:15:02 +0000

John D. Rockefeller founds the Standard Oil Company; Thomas Edison turns on the first functioning light bulb, and writers such as Mark Twain, Louisa May Alcott and Henry James publish some of their finest works. During this same time, 1870 to 1880, Brunswick Billiards was impressing connoisseurs across the country with its Exposition Novelty table, which is now being resurrected in honor of Brunswick Billiard’s 165-year anniversary celebration taking place in 2010… The 1878 J.M. Brunswick and Balke Co. catalog defined the Exposition Novelty as a table manufactured for “gentlemen’s private residences” that was “a marvel of artistic excellence.” With its superb workmanship, exquisite and elaborate inlay, and elegantly carved leg, the Exposition Novelty represents the contrast between that 19th Century decade’s sophisticated culture of innovation and the country’s untamed west. Accordingly, this stately and detailed table was a judge’s favorite of the age, winning gold medals in San Francisco and Cincinnati, and, as the 1878 catalog states, “wherever exhibited.” “Brunswick produced more than 130 different table models during its first 100 years,” said Austin Rothbard, president of Brunswick Billiards. “But we chose to revive the Exposition Novelty due to the table’s heritage design that speaks to a bold era of art, culture and politics in America and around the world. It is an elegant table that finely represents how we’ve been connecting generations of billiards enthusiasts throughout our rich 165-year history.” The commemorative antique replica Exposition Novelty boasts of magnificent craftsmanship through the use of sapele rails, solid white oak legs, a variety of beautifully grained veneers, solid brass rosettes and rail sights made of Asian Water Buffalo bone. Each table features a limited edition brass Brunswick emblem, and will be offered with a matching cue rack and distinctive Brunswick Exposition Novelty cue. Only 25, nine-foot Exposition Novelty tables will be made available to the public beginning October, 2009, in preparation for the company’s 165th anniversary celebration in 2010. The table, with matching cue rack and cue, retails for $39,999. For more information about Brunswick Billiards and its product line, visit www.brunswickbilliards.com.

New 9-Ball Stop on the Women’s Pro Billiard Tour

admin — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 14:15:02 +0000

The Sky Ute Casino Resort in Ignacio, Colorado will host the WPBA September 16-20, 2009. The Southern Ute Indian Tribe in conjunction with Sky Ute Casino Resort are pleased to announce that the Casino/Resort will be hosting the Women’s Professional Billiards Association’s Colorado Classic, taped to air October 18th, 2009 on ESPN. The competitive field will be made of 45 WPBA Exempt Professionals for 2009 with the remaining spots going to qualifiers and invited players. This event caps off an exciting time for the Casino/Resort as the one year anniversary of the brand new facility nears. “As the General Manager/COO of Sky Ute Casino Resort,” said Matt Olin, “I could not be more pleased to be hosting a WPBA event. I am excited to bring professional billiards to the Four Corners region and I know our customers and guests are looking forward to it as well.” Anne Craig, WPBA Event Administrator, echoes Mr. Olin’s sentiments. “It’s been quite a few years since the WPBA has had a Professional Tournament in this region and we are excited to bring our Classic Tour to such a fantastic facility and the beautiful surroundings that Sky Ute Casino Resort provides. Our players are looking forward to the hospitality that Sky Ute Casino Resort offers.” The Sky Ute Casino in conjunction with the WPBA will kick off with a Charity Pro-Am benefiting their Peaceful Spirit Charity, which offers substance abuse treatment options for young persons. The preliminary rounds of tournament play begin Thursday, September 17th, 2009 at 11:00 am and run through Saturday night, when the field will be narrowed down to four players for the taping of the two semi-finals and final match on Sunday. Tickets go on sale August 1st, 2009. Thanks to the WPBA’s Presenting Sponsor for Web Streaming 2009, Pooldawg.com, the WPBA and Sky Ute will offer live, free web streaming of one match per round during the non-televised portion of during the Colorado Classic. It was a huge success at the San Diego and Great Lakes Classic events, where featured players included Allison Fisher, Jeanette Lee, Ga Young Kim and Kelly Fisher, Gerda Hofstatter, Jasmin Ouschan, Xiaoting Pan, Ewa Mataya Laurance and Karen Corr. About Sky Ute Casino & Resort: The new site includes a 45,000 square foot casino hosting hundreds of slot machines, blackjack tables, 3-card poker tables, crap tables, roulette and an exclusive private poker room. There is also a 200-seat Bingo hall, a 24-lane bowling center, a miniature golf course, a multiple of restaurants, and administrative offices. Built within the Casino/Resort is an 18,000 square foot ballroom designed to host conferences as well as a variety of live sporting and entertainment events. The ballroom can accommodate up to 1,800 seated persons. Also available are three separate meeting breakout rooms designed for a variety of events. The Casino/Resort is built in conjunction with a 140-room luxury hotel; including an indoor pool, several retail spaces, a small fitness center, and a salon/day spa. It has been the goal of both the Southern Ute Indian Tribe and Sky Ute Casino Resort to incorporate as much Southern Ute Culture into the new facility as space will allow. Both locals and visitors alike are exposed to a wide variety of Native American Art blending in with the architectural concepts throughout the complex. For more info, visit skyutecasino.com

Galveston World Classic Reaches Broadcast Agreement

admin — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 14:15:03 +0000

Taylor Road Productions, working in conjunction with the International Pool Tour (IPT), will broadcast 11 hours of the Galveston World Classic on ESPN Star, the pan-Asian sport network. The deal was reached in cooperation with the IPT, who has agreed to provide the Galveston World Classic with 11 hours from its broadcasting agreement with ESPN Star. The Galveston World Classic will be a combination of pool events which will be played at Moody Gardens in Galveston, TX. The tournaments will feature top professional men and women players along with amateur players with total prizes that according to organizers could exceed $900,000 USD. Some professional players already committed to play are Efren Reyes, Francisco Bustmante, Earl Strickland, Shane Van Boening, Johnny Archer and Nick Varner. The Galveston World Classic will take place September 11-20, 2009. Louie Vickio of Taylor Road Productions said, “We’re extremely excited about reaching this milestone. This is a fantastic agreement for Taylor Road Productions and for the sport of pool and billiards. We really see great things in store for the future of the sport.” Deno J. Andrews, IPT Director said, “We are delighted to share some of our Asian broadcasting hours with the Galveston World Classic.” Taylor Road Productions will make more announcements concerning the event and top players that will be playing at The World Classic as the event date approaches. Entries, vendor spaces, stadium seating and VIP seating can be paid online at the Galveston World Classic web site. About Taylor Road Productions Taylor Road Productions is the producer and promoter of the Galveston World Classic from September 11-20, 2009 at Moody Gardens in Galveston, TX. The vision of the company is to produce pool and billiard events that promote the sport to a new level with large cash prizes, televised events and high profile events for all to experience. The company web site is The World Classic.

P&B’s 8-Ball Blog on Technorati

admin — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 14:10:03 +0000

Forgive the intrustion 8-Ball Blog fans – Just updating some info – More pool news soon! Shoot Straight! Shari & The P&B Crew 4t9cszn5r2

Women’s Regional Tour to Debut in Florida

admin — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 14:10:02 +0000

Holy pink flamingos! Women pool players in Florida lost out this year when the Ladies Spirit Tour, founded by Heather Barkley and Bonnie Coats, folded its tent. But West Palm Beach’s Mimi McAndrews has announced that a new Flamingo Billiards Tour, recognized as a regional tour by the Women’s Pro Billiard Association, will debut its first event on August 15 at Ultimate Billiards in Ft. Pierce, Florida. The event will be open to all pro and amateur players and will serve as a qualifier for a 2009 pro tour stop. High point winners through regional tour play this year will be invited to the WPBA’s National Regional Championships in January 2010. For more info on the fledgling flamingos, visit FlamingoBilliardsTour.com

69th Predator World Straight Pool Championship

admin — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 14:10:00 +0000

For the fourth straight year, Dragon Promotions will produce the Annual Predator World 14.1 Championship, marking the 69th running of this prestigious title. Comet Billiards will host this year’s event playing on beautiful Brunswick Gold Crown tables and using Simonis Cloth, Master Chalk, and the Laser Rack. Play begins August 24, 2009 and ends with a new champion on August 29. The greatest straight pool players from around the world will arrive on USA’s east coast Invented by Jerome Keough and shortly after recognized as the official game of billiards, the first World 14.1 Championship was held in 1911, won by Alfredo DeOro. In its history due to war and economics, the World 14.1 Championship had 29 tournaments that did not take place including a 15 year gap between 1990-2005 until Dragon Promotions revived the game and the World Tournament in 2006. That also became the first year a non-American won the event, Germany’s Thorsten Hohmann… 14.1 stars including Thorsten Hohmann, John Schmidt, Ralf Souquet, Danny Harriman, Tony Robles, Mika Immonen and defending champion Niels Fiejen are just a few of the powerful list of world beaters who will compete. Qualifiers thus far will be held at Drexeline Billiards in PA, Amsterdam Billiards in NY, and Comet Billiards in NJ. To host a qualifier or play, contact worldstraightpoolchampionships@gmail.com The format for the event will be the same as the past three years. 64 players divided into 8 groups of 8 players in round robin brackets playing races to 100. The top 32 players will advance to a double elimination tournament races to 150. The top 16 players will then advance to a single elimination race to 200 points. Half of the field will earn prize money with the champion winning $11,500. The champion will also have his/her name inscribed on the World 14.1 Champion’s Cup alongside the names of previous winners such as Steve Mizerak, Mike Sigel, Willie Mosconi, Thorsten Hohmann and Oliver Ortmann. August 23, the night before the event kicks off, Comet Billiards will host a special sponsor / pro team match tournament for the patron sponsors of the event. Billiard aficionado Stu Mattana of NYC and long time billiard supporter Harold Siegel of NYC are two of this year’s generous patrons of the Predator World 14.1 Championship. Their contributions are helping keeping the event going. “The World Straight Pool Championship has become a very important event for the players, fans, and billiard community. It is a very tough time in the economy now, but based on the outpouring support of players and fans we felt it was our responsibility to try to put on the event. We hope others in the billiard community feel the same and work towards keeping the World Straight Pool Championship alive,” said Cindy Lee, CEO of Dragon Promotions. The 2009 Predator World Straight Pool Championship is proudly sponsored by Predator Cues, Comet Billiards, Brunswick Billiards, Simonis Cloth, Ozone Billiards, Laser Rack, Master Chalk and patron sponsors Stu Mattana and Harold Siegel of Excelsior Graphics. For more information on player registration, sponsorship, or if you would like to submit a comment, please email worldstraightpoolchampionships@gmail.com or contact Dragon Promotions at 1-407-782-4978. For more info on this event and its sponsors, visitwww.dragonpromotions.com