Super Billiards Expo Underway

Posted by admin as Billiard News

Super Billiards Expo Underway
18th Annual Super Billiards Expo / King of Prussia, PA

by InsidePOOL Staff

Allen Hopkins’ 18th Annual Super Billiards Expo kicked off March 18, with hundreds of players signed up for the myriad tournaments that will be taking place throughout the weekend. The Expo is held annually at the Valley Forge Convention Center in King of Prussia, PA.

The Diamond Open 10-Ball Professional Players Championship, one of the main draws at the yearly event, began with a full field of 64 players. This event’s format is a race to 9, double-elimination, alternating break, with $20,000 added.

Defending champion John “Mr. 403” Schmidt, who won last year’s event over Corey Deuel in the finals, won his first-round match tonight, defeating Shannon Murphy 9-6. His next match will be against Filipino Al Lapena, who delivered a stunning 9-1 blow to Joey Testa earlier.

There have been a few upsets in the event already, including a 9-7 defeat of 2009 Player of the Year Mika Immonen by Ralph Eckert, innovator of the PAT Training System. Immonen immediately went to the one-loss side and eliminated Danny “Kid Delicious” Basavich 9-1. Also, Ryan “The Genie Man” McCreesh delivered a first-round loss to Rodney Morris 9-5, while Jeremy Sossei sent Earl Strickland to the left side of the chart 9-7. From there, Strickland dealt Bob Weimar a donut 9-0.

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Ronnie “Everything’s Funny When You’re Winning Big Money” Wiseman and Steve Moore fought a battle that went double-hill before Wiseman edged past Moore 9-8. That was the only hill-hill match of the first round.

Player of the Year for 2008, Shane Van Boening is going strong, having won his first match 9-2 against Raj Vannala. He will go up against New York’s Frankie Hernandez in the next round, as Hernandez just defeated Rich Musser 9-6. Former world 9-ball champion Thorsten Hohmann sent Northeast player Brandon Shuff to the west side 9-2 and will go on to face Onur Berber, who defeated Jarrod Clowery 9-3, in the next round.

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Hofstatter Wins San Diego Classic

Posted by admin as Billiard News, WPBA Tour

Hofstatter Wins San Diego Classic
WPBA San Diego Classic / Alpine, CA

by InsidePOOL Staff

Gerda Hofstatter went all the way through the 64-player field at the WPBA San Diego Classic unscathed to win the title over Shu-Han Chang of Chinese Taipei. This event was hosted by the Viejas Casino in Alpine, CA, March 10-14.

Hofstatter’s path to the finals included wins over Lisa Davids, Angelina Paglia, and Kyoko Sone. Once in the final 16, she bested Monica Webb and advanced to the quarterfinals, where she eliminated the tour’s number-one player, Ga Young Kim. In the semifinal match Hofstatter ousted Karen Corr, and then “G-Force” claimed the title over Chang in the finals.

After a first-round victory over Laura Smith, Chang was sent to the one-loss side by Corr. From there she fought back to the finals with wins over Jasmin Ouschan, Jeanette Lee, and Xiaoting Pan in the semifinals.

Results:
1st Gerda Hofstatter
2nd Shu-Han Chang
3rd Xiaoting Pan
Karen Corr
5th Jeanette Lee
Sarah Rousey
Kelly Fisher
Ga Young Kim
9th Line Kjorsvik
Monica Webb
Liz Ford
Kyoko Sone
Melissa Little
Allison Fisher
Melissa Herndon
Jasmin Ouschan

White Wipes out the Competition

Posted by admin as Billiard News, Great Southern Billiard Tour

White Wipes out the Competition
Great Southern Billiard Tour / Cornelius, NC

by Lea Andrews

Though Ron Park tried twice, he couldn’t take down Brian White, who went undefeated to top the March 13-14 stop of the Great Southern Billiard Tour. White and Park were among the field of 43 that arrived at Kylie’s Sports Bar and Grill in Cornelius, NC, for the $1,500-added event.

AA-ranked White took care of A-ranked Matt Reed, who was racing to 9, 11-6 to face Park for the first time in the hot seat match. Park, who’d just blown through B-ranked JR Poste 9-2, moved over to the semifinals after notching just one game against White.

On the one-loss side, Mark Patterson got past fellow B-player Doug Bartlett 7-5 to face Jeff Peele, who’d ousted Bartlett’s brother Tim 9-3. But Peele, who owns the room named after his five-year old daughter, Kylie, with his wife, Amy, managed just three games himself against Patterson, landing in seventh. Meanwhile, last stop’s winner Josh Newman took care of B-ranked Paul Mullins 9-4 to meet up with Marty Free, who’d shut out B-ranked Robert Ash.

Newman’s bid for two in a row ended there, though, and he finished in seventh 7-5. Free moved on to Poste, who held him to four games to advance to the quarterfinals against Reed, who’d put Patterson in fifth 9-3. But against Poste, Patterson came up two games shy of his goal of nine games, and Poste advanced to the semifinals against Park. Their match-up went a little better for Poste this time around, but still not well enough. Park earned the rematch with White hill-hill 9-6.

In the true double-elimination final match, White could afford to lose the first set, but he didn’t take any chances. He stayed ahead of Park to earn his victory in one 11-6 set.

Results:
1st Brian White $1,000
2nd Ron Park $500
3rd JR Poste $300
4th Matt Reed $200
5th Mark Patterson $125
Marty Free
7th Jeff Peele $55
Josh Newman

Latest Billiards Magazine Free Download

Posted by admin as Billiard News

March 2010 Issue of Inside POOL Magazine Available for Free Download

Efren Reyes Wins Fifth Derby City Classic Master of Table

The February issue of Inside POOL Magazine, which again features Efren Reyes on the cover as he captures his record fifth Master of Table tile at the Derby City Classic has been made available for free download at InsidePOOLmag.com. This month the download features new technology in online billiards magazine viewing such as enhanced clarity, Bonus Content, full-screen full length videos, links to favorite web sites, flipping pages, zooming, emailing, sharing, and printing.

March 2010 Inside POOL Magazine features Efren Reyes on the front cover as he wins his fifth Master of Table award. Get to know Shaun “Get Some” Wilkie. Figure out whether to shoot or bunt from Grady Mathews. Get a trick shot lesson from Jason Lynch. Get the secret on how pros aim. Ever wonder what it takes to choke like a pro? Check out what Donnie Mills has in his Pool Cue case. See Corey Harper’s new vision of sports marketing. Get the pool on TV lisitngs and check out some cool places to play pool and buy billiards supplies. See what’s new in the pool world. Ken Shuman gives us a lesson in being a referee. Get the latest billiards news from tours and tournaments around the U.S. and the rest of the world.

View the March 2010 issue of Inside POOL Magazine for Free

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Inside POOL Magazine publishes both print and online versions of each issue. The online version is usually made available for FREE (without a membership) viewing and downloading around the middle of each month. If you would like to receive the print version of this wonderful magazine, please visit InsidePOOLmag.com to subscribe.

About Inside POOL Magazine
Inside POOL Magazine launched in 2001 and, with pool player-based content and high impact photography, quickly became the largest magazine in the world for the sport of billiards. The official web site, InsidePOOLmag.com, followed shortly after and became one of the largest web sites in billiards. The web site features videos, image galleries, pool lessons, custom Pool Cue makers, online games, player profiles, tournament brackets, live streaming video, rules, product reviews, and the latest billiard news from around the world.

Hatchet Man Cuts Through Joss Billiards Field

Posted by admin as Billiard News, Joss Northeast 9 Ball Tour

Hatchet Man Cuts Through Joss Billiards Field
Joss Northeast 9-Ball Tour / Clifton Park, NY

by Lea Andrews

Dennis “The Hatchet Man” Hatch took a brief hiatus from the winner’s circle at the last stop of the Joss Northeast 9-Ball Tour, coming in second to Steve Moore’s first, but he reclaimed his regular spot on top at the March 13-14 stop. The $2,000-added event, held at Trick Shot Billiards in Clifton Park, NY, marked Hatch’s fifth number-one finish on the tour this season.

Hatch cruised past Dwight Dixon 9-5 to reach the hot seat match against Bucky Souvanthong, who’d gotten past Jason Michas 9-6. Souvanthong found himself in another 9-6 match against Hatch, but his was the short end of the stick, and he moved over to the semifinals.

On the left side of the bracket were two men making a strong bid for the finals. Dave Grau, who’d taken a first-round hit from Jeff Smolen, edged out Bruce Carroll 9-8 to meet Chance Chin, who’d just ousted Smolen 9-7. Taking care of Chin 9-5, Grau moved on to Dixon. Meanwhile, tour director Mike Zuglan, a third-round 9-7 victim of Hatch’s, was plowing a steady path, notching a 9-6 win over Angelo Hilton and a 9-4 win over Dave Valano, who’d just squeezed past Jim Yonge 9-8. Next up was Michas, who managed to reach the hill, but the final game went to Zuglan, and he advanced to the quarterfinals against Grau, who’d breezed past Dixon 9-3. Though both fought hard in their hill-hill battle, it was Grau who marked up the last game to move on to the semifinals against Souvanthong, but it was there that Grau’s journey ended, and he landed in third 9-6.

In the true double-elimination final match, a second set seemed to be a possibility, as Souvanthong kept pace with Hatch, tying it up at six games apiece. But then Hatch made his move, taking three straight racks to earn his victory 9-6. The tournament wasn’t his only victory, though—his name was drawn in the raffle, earning him a custom-engraved Joss Cue valued at $1,200.

The tour’s next stop is March 27-28 at Salt City Billiards in Syracuse, NY. For an updated schedule, please visit www.insidepoolmag.com/calendar or joss9balltour.com, and for questions, call Mike Zuglan at 518-356-7163.

Results:
1st Dennis Hatch $1,170
2nd Bucky Souvanthong $900
3rd Dave Grau $700
4th Mike Zuglan $450
5th Dwight Dixon $250
Jason Michas
7th Chance Chin $100
Dave Valano