Archer Earns Top Gun Honors

Posted by admin as Billiard Tour News - UPA Tour

Archer Earns Top Gun Honors

10-ball Desert Shootout / Tempe, AZ
by Skip Maloney
Veteran billiard player Johnny Archer struggled through some middle matches in the 10-ball Desert Shoot-Out but roared back in the double-elimination finals to defeat Mika “Iceman” Immonen twice and take home the $12,500 first prize.
Immonen got off the first shot in the hot seat match, and the two started firing back and forth until the score seesawed to double-hill. From there Immonen got the last rack to advance to the finals undefeated 9-8.

On the one-loss side, Mike Davis was hard at work shooting his way back. He traded shots with Robb Saez early, then jumped out to a 7-3 lead. Saez fought back to within one at 7-6 before Davis closed it out with two in a row.
Charlie “Hillbilly” Bryant dispatched John Schmidt into fifth place and faced Davis in the quarterfinal. Davis dropped Bryant into fourth and turned to face Archer. It looked for a while as if Archer had rediscovered his rhythm, opening the semifinal match winning three in a row, but Davis could see the $12,500 and tried to struggle back one game at a time. He got within two at 8-6 before Archer finished him off and dropped him into third place.
“The Scorpion” came at Immonen in the first game of the final with both guns blazing, taking a 3-0 lead that he never relinquished. The Finn took the fourth game and the sixth in that first match, but that was it—Archer won the first set 9-2. Immonen spent the break at a table, shooting at metaphoric “tin cans” to stay loose and on target. It worked, because he took the first lead of the two-set match. Archer came back to tie and then take a 3-game lead at 4-1.
“Don’t get mad,” goes the saying, “get even,” and that’s just what Immonen did, winning the next three games to tie it at 4. This was the last tie, and as it turned out, Immonen had only one more bullet in the chamber. He fired it after Archer had won three more in a row. At 7-5, Archer took the next two to finish the shootout as top gun, while Immonen loaded his saddlebag with the second-place haul of $7,500.
Results:
1st Johnny Archer $12,500
2nd Mika Immonen $7,500
3rd Mike Davis $5,000
4th Charlie Bryant $4,000
5th John Schmidt $2,800
Robb Saez
7th Oscar Dominguez $1,500
Corey Deuel
9th Jose Parica $1,250
Gabe Owen
Tony Robles
Tony Crosby
13th Rodney Morris $1,000
Efren Reyes
Earl Strickland
Cliff Joyner

Torres Wins Big at Bogies

Posted by admin as Juniors and Collegiate - BEF Billiard Education Foundat

Torres Wins Big at Bogies

Junior National Qualifier / Houston, TX
by InsidePOOL Staff
Eleven-year-old Joey Torres, pool-playing prodigy, made his way through a 22-player field at Bogies Billiards in Houston, TX, to earn a ticket to the Junior Nationals in Tucson, AZ.
In the quarterfinals, Torres wreaked revenge upon Brandon Turner, who had sent him to the one-loss side earlier, in a hill-hill match that ended in a tough loss for Turner. Torres moved on to play Aaron Hughey in an all-Texas shootout, with Torres capturing the win.
The final round saw the undefeated Eric Calhoun, who traveled all the way from Albany, GA, and Torres dueling in a final race to 7. Torres took an early lead and maintained it throughout, besting Calhoun 7-4.
The players not only receive a spot for Nationals, they also take home certificates and trophies, most of which are donated by the South East Texas APA League. South Texas Junior Pool Tour (stjpt.com) is a nonprofit organization that holds 22 junior events per year, holds qualifiers for Nationals, and raises money to make sure they get there. When a junior wins a qualifier, they want them to accept that spot and will help provide them with the financial means to make that dream a reality. Each of the six players who qualified at Bogies received $50 each for travel expenses. All 14 of the juniors will benefit from BBQ fundraisers being held throughout May. If you would like to help make a youngster’s pool dream come true, you can make a donation by visiting stjpt.com.

Results:
1st Joey Torres
2nd Eric Calhoun
3rd Aaron Hughey
4th Brandon Turner

Fuller goes undefeated in Carolina Tour Stop

Posted by admin as Billiard Tour News - Jacoby Cues Carolina Tour

Fuller goes undefeated in Carolina Tour Stop

Jacoby Custom Cues Carolina Tour / Greensboro, NC
Mike Fuller worked his way through a field of 40 entrants on the Jacoby Custom Cues Carolina Tour stop at Fast Eddie’s in Goldsboro, NC, the weekend of April 26-27. He sent Larry Faulk to the one-loss side of the bracket with a decisive shut-out in the round of 8 and defeated him again in the finals to capture the first-place prize.

Larry Faulk worked his way through two opponents on the west side before meeting Arnold Hamlet in the quarterfinals. He won all but 5 of the next 19 games, dropping 2 versus Hamlet and 3 against Liu in the semifinal.

The final match-up was something of a waltz, played out three steps at a time. Fuller and Faulk danced their way one game at a time to a 3-3 tie before Fuller decided that he wanted to lead the dance and jumped out 6-3. Faulk responded with his own three steps and tied it at 6-6, but it was Fuller who brought the waltz to a three-step finale to finish the dance.

The tour stop also featured a Friday night early bird tournament with 9 entrants, a second chance tournament Sunday with 11, and a small junior tournament with 3 entrants. Cary Dunn took the early bird, defeating Wade Crane, with Michael Fuller in third place. Mike Triplett defeated Shane Barnwell 7-1 to take the second chance first prize; Peaches Fuller and Charlie Brinson took third and fourth place, respectively. Justin Ward defeated Tiffany Leonard in the finals of the three-player junior tournament, taking the lead in points for the race to qualification to the Junior Nationals.

Results
1st Michael Fuller
2nd Larry Faulk
3rd Qi Liu
4th Arnold Hamlet
5th Younger Chapman
Wade Crane
7th Sidney Champion
Chris Vollmar
9th Cary Dunn
Mike Frowein
Charles McClung
John Hernandez

Heidrich Hangs on to Win

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

Heidrich Hangs on to Win

Joss Northeast 9-ball Tour / Parsippany, NJ
by Skip Maloney
In a true double-elimination final match on the Joss Northeast 9-ball Tour in Parsippany, NJ, Dan Heidrich withstood a strong attack that put him on the brink of defeat. He rallied in the second match to defeat Adam Kielar and capture the first place prize in the $2,000-added event. The tour stop drew 29 entrants to Comet Billiards on the weekend of April 26-27.
Earlier in the day, Heidrich knocked Jesse Ramirez to the one-loss side of the bracket as Kielar was doing the same to Jonathan Smith. The last two winners then squared off in the hot seat match, battling back and forth to a 9-7 win for Heidrich.
On the one-loss side, Bucky Souvanthong dropped Jason Michas into the seventh-place slot, as Carmen Lombardo, in a 9-7, three-hour marathon, did the same to Bobby Blackmore. In a series of tightly contested games and matches leading up to the quarterfinals, Smith, fresh from the winners’ side, defeated Souvanthong, and Carmen Lombardo got by Jesse Ramirez. Smith then knocked Lombardo into fourth place with a 9-6 win.
With visions of the 9-7, back-and-forth struggle that had knocked him onto the west side in his mind, Kielar wasted little time dispatching Smith into third place. He jumped out to a 7-0 lead before trading a couple of games and closing it out 9-2.
At the beginning of the true double-elimination match-up versus Heidrich, it looked as though Kielar was going to build on the momentum he’d established in his semifinal match against Smith. He won that first set handily 9-3 and stood poised to avenge his earlier defeat in the hot seat match. But Heidrich turned the tables rapidly, capitalizing on a few mistakes, running five racks in the middle of the contest and closing it out at 9-4 for the victory.
Results:
1st Dan Heidrich
2nd Adam Kielar
3rd Jonathan Smith
4th Carmen Lombardo
5th Bucky Souvanthong
Jesse Ramirez
7th Jason Michas
Bobby Blackmore

Homegrown Billiard Talent Shines

Posted by admin as Billiard Tour News - Pool Tour News

Homegrown Billiard Talent Shines
The Canadian 9-ball Tour – Event VII,
Bourbon Street Billiards, Winnipeg, Manitoba

The Canadian 9-ball Tour presented by Indigo Chapters bookstores and Cineplex Entertainment brought only eight men back for play on Sunday morning at Bourbon Street Billiards. Of these eight, the four undefeated names on the right hand side of the draw sheet could all boast that they had honed their skills in the city of Winnipeg and on top of that, quite possibly in the very venue that was hosting event number seven of the Canadian tour.

Winner’s bracket matches saw Jason Klatt face off against Felix Beardy. Both confident and aggressive players this match presented a high powered battle of shot making. Beardy took the early initiative here and quickly jumped out in front of Klatt. His lead at 6-2 looked to be comfortable but with a player capable of hitting back in a hurry as is the case with Klatt, no lead is secure. Beardy held his four rack lead at 7-3 and Klatt was now under the gun but breaking in rack 11. A great safety shot from Beardy once again provided the advantage a couple racks later and the left handed Beardy administered the final touch in a convincing 9-5 victory.

Next up from the undefeated section pitted the teacher against the student in Randy Pruden vs Erik Hjorleifson. Both listing national titles on their resume’s, this encounter promised a game within the game. Hjorleifson was in dominating form from the outset and rarely allowed Pruden a chance at the table. Stringing racks together he applied added pressure to the elder Pruden and led 7-2 at one stage. Hjorleifson was playing at a fast tempo and in doing so, was administering psychological body blows to Pruden as well as running up the score to 8-3. Pruden fought back staving off the loss for a number of racks but found the deficit to big to overhaul, finally succumbing by a final score of 9-6.
The A side final for the hotseat was now set with Erik Hjorleifson facing Felix Beardy.

From the loser’s side, the most anticipated match was Tyler Edey meeting up with young Blake Martel, the young man who had impressed so many that were previously unaware of his immense ability. This match was a bit scrappy with both players throwing rack winning opportunities away early. Edey looked to be a bit steadier than did his opponent and eased his way into an early advantage at 6-2. Young Martel fired back with unerring accuracy and snapped off the next four racks to get level at 6-6. The competitors exchanged the next two racks for 7-7. Martel took the next rack to be breaking on the hill with Edey responding in kind to force a hill-hill nail biter for the fans in attendance to enjoy. The last rack took plenty of time as one would expect and it proved to be experience that was the difference as Edey squeaked out the 9-8 win.

Lastly, it was the event’s top seed from Calgary, Edwin Montal, meeting restaurant owner, Dave Strachan. Montal was apparently in no mood to let Strachan’s dream run in this event go any further as he assumed the early momentum with a 3-1 lead. The two players shared the next four racks to see Montal in front 5-3. Strachan was proving to be a difficult prospect for the heavily favored Montal and breaking at 7-8 behind, was still in with a fighting chance. The last rack and match went to Montal in unfamiliar fashion with the top seed extracting three fouls to continue his run in Winnipeg with a 9-7 win over Strachan.

The next round on the loser’s side brought Edwin Montal up against Randy Pruden and Tyler Edey opposing Jason Klatt. It was a Calgary vs Winnipeg match up on both tables.

Montal jumped out of the gate in ideal fashion to lead Pruden 3-1. Pruden hit back to take the next only to see Montal reply to bring the score to 4-2 in Montal’s favor. The reigning Canadian champion won rack seven to move into a 5-2 lead and further increased that to 6-2 with some great potting in the next. Pruden was looking very unsettled in his chair and desperation was not far away in the race to nine. Montal was playing with a lot of confidence and it was being displayed in his mannerism around the table. More importantly it was translating to racks on his side of the score sheet as he assumed a 7-3 stranglehold on the match with Pruden. Sharing the next two racks was not in Pruden’s favor as Montal now found himself needing one more rack at 8-4 in front. Montal was not going to be denied and Pruden was in his path. A solid clearance for Montal and the game fight from Randy Pruden had fallen short as he fell to the number one seed by a 9-4 result.

Edey grabbed the quick lead over Klatt at 3-1 and looked very focused after his big win over Blake Martel about ten minutes earlier. Klatt is a fierce competitor and his road experience plays a key role in his match temperament. This allows him to dig deep when he needs to and he knew he had to keep Edey in his cross hairs. Knowing what you have to do and doing it do not always go hand in hand however and it was Edey who forged further in front to lead 5-2. Klatt stemmed the tide winning the next for a 3-5 score line. The comeback continued as Klatt quickly won the next two racks to level the scores at 5-5. Klatt finally took the lead after winning rack eleven and increased that to two racks at 7-5 shortly afterwards. It had become apparent to all watching that Klatt had found another gear as he slid into an 8-5 advantage over Edey. Five minutes later Klatt had gained the win over the classy Edey and assured himself a date against the winner of Montal and Pruden with a 9-5 win.

The winner’s side final brought Erik Hjorleifson and Felix Beardy together, two players that knew each other’s games very well. Hjorleifson, originally from Winnipeg and now calling Toronto his home, has a little more seasoning than does Beardy and jumped out to an early 2-1 lead. After six racks the score did nothing to indicate who would be first over the finish line as the players were even at three racks apiece. This match was showing all the ear marks of going right down to the wire and with Beardy finely poised at 7-6 ahead, nothing had happened to dispute that assessment. Breaking to get to the hill Beardy nailed it and cleared up to go 8-6 in front. One more rack and Beardy would assure himself of his best ever finish at a Canadian Tour event having finished fourth a season ago at a western Canadian stop. Hjorleifson still had something to say about the final result and snatched rack number fifteen to trail 7-8. In the next Beardy produced the shot of the tournament. From a very difficult snooker, he smashed the cue ball into the long cushion and pocketed the six ball. The cue ball then caromed off the near cushion and contacted the nine ball to land absolutely perfect on the eight ball. Two shots later Beardy had secured his berth in the final with a 9-7 victory over Hjorleifson.

Edwin Montal and Jason Klatt presented a great match up for the B side semi final. Klatt always seemed to find himself at the wrong end of the score early in many of his matches and this trend followed suit against Montal as he dropped the first two racks to trail 0-2. Once again the rebounding ability of Klatt became apparent as he climbed out of the hole and brought the match to a level score at 3-3. It’s fair to say that being a strong finisher is much more enviable than being a slow starter and this is obviously a theory that Jason Klatt subscribes to as he motored in front of Montal 6-4. Klatt took the next rack to go 7-4 in front. Montal could afford no more mistakes at this point and Klatt was starting to smell blood. With this in mind Montal swooped in to take rack number twelve and quickly asked for a short break as he now trailed 5-7. After winning the next rack Montal was playing himself back into contention in this match and it looked like coming down to whichever player could hold his nerve best. Following a tactical exchange Montal had drawn even at seven racks each. A break and run out took Montal to the hill and breaking for the win. Some terrific shot making afforded Montal the finish line and he was quick to take the chance and dispatch the challenge from Jason Klatt by virtue of a 9-7 win.

Edwin Montal would now meet Erik Hjorleifson for the right to oppose Felix Beardy in the final. The number one and three seeded players respectively in this event had made their way through a very tough field and were assured of no worse than a third place finish for their efforts.

Hjorleifson won the opener and after a dry break that followed, sat and watched Montal tie the match at 1-1. Montal raced in front further after taking racks two and three to move 3-1 in front. Hjorleifson, coming off his loss to Beardy, appeared to be slightly out of focus in a match that required his complete attention. Montal on the other hand was riding a wave after taking down Klatt in a real see saw battle that forced the transplanted Philippino star to pull out his best. Hjorleifson won rack five to trail by the odd rack at 2-3 and was starting to exhibit the type of confidence and tempo around the table that has made him one of the more feared players in Canada. He also won the next to lay further claim that he had settled in and was ready for the battle. Montal had a sense of urgency and elected to try and force a slower pace of play into the match. This philosophy seemed to work as Montal won the next three racks to assume a commanding lead of 6-3 in the race to nine.The reigning Canadian champ won rack ten to increase his lead to 7-3. Hjorleifson was in big trouble and everyone in attendance knew it. He won rack eleven and following a big mistake from Montal in rack twelve, where Montal lost the cue ball and saw it go into the side pocket, Hjorleifson pulled back to 5-7. Montal secured rack thirteen to put Hjorleifson on the brink of elimination. By winning the next rack, Hjorleifson had brought the score to 6-8 and forced at least one more rack to be played. Unfortunately for Hjorleifson, one more rack was all it took for Montal to seize the victory with a final score of 9-6.

The final would be contested over a race to eleven rack wins between Edwin Montal and Felix Beardy. Beardy had yet to know defeat in this event and with one more match to be played he certainly didn’t want to know what that taste would be like now. The general consensus around the venue with players and with knowledgeable fans in the crowd was that this final was going to be a very close call and it could well be determined by a single break. Beardy drew first blood and won the first rack. He maintained that lead four racks later at 3-2. Play was tentative as one would expect and both players exhibited their share of nervousness in the early going. Montal took the next rack to bring the score to 3-3. This final was looking to live up to the pundit’s predictions as Beardy won rack seven to keep his nose in front at 4-3 and right on cue, Montal replied by securing the next to once again tie it up at 4-4. Hand in hand the two combatants marched towards the finish line with nothing to choose between them. Montal had never seen the lead in this final and it finally materialized in rack nine when he was staked to a 5-4 lead by virtue of a Beardy scratch on the 7 ball. He increased that lead to 6-4 with some sound tactical play and no allowing Beardy to free wheel with his tremendously smooth cueing action. At 7-4 to Montal, it had become clear that the top seed was forcing his style of play on this match and this was something that Beardy had to change if he was to have any chance at the title in Winnipeg. Beardy stopped Montal’s string of racks at four in a row by winning rack number twelve, bringing the score to 5-7.
Any thoughts of Beardy stringing some racks together, was quickly dispelled when Montal grabbed the next rack to move into a 8-5 advantage. The lead increased to 9-5 for Montal after a break and run out in rack fourteen. Felix Beardy could feel the event slipping away and time was running out on his bid for the winner’s circle. Montal finally allowed him back to the table and after a quick look at the shot, Beardy laid his cue on the table and opted for a short break to gather his thoughts and decide on how to proceed against the in-form Montal. If Beardy said any prayers during the break they must have fell on deaf ears because Montal won that rack to arrive on the hill at 10-5. He now broke for the last time in the final and came up dry bringing Beardy out of his chair with nothing more than a glimmer of hope. A safety exchange ensued and it was Beardy who came away with the chance and snatched the win to keep that flickering candle lit. Trailing 6-10, Beardy broke and cleared the balls in rack seventeen showing some character and resolve to pull back to 7-10. Needing to win the last four racks in succession, Beardy went about his task methodically as he cleared the balls once again to pull closer at 8-10. Fans were starting to wonder if they might not be seeing an epic fight back by the larger than life Beardy. Those thoughts took flight when Beardy’s cue ball went straight into the side pocket following his break in rack nineteen. With everything invitingly placed, Montal proceeded to clear up for the last time in the event and take the well deserved victory lap with a 11-8 win over a game Felix Beardy. With the win, Montal solidified his number one ranking and took away the winner’s cheque along with 200 valuable ranking points. Beardy’s weekend finished with a very respectable second place finish and drew attention for his terrific sense of humour and classy manners around the match table.

Kudos to Bourbon Street Billiards, their owner and staff for putting on a perfect event from start to finish. With a following for pool like this, it is assured that a major event will come back to Winnipeg in the near future.

Prize Money Breakdown:
Winner: $5000.00
Runner Up: $3000.00
3rd Place: $1750.00
4th Place: $1250.00
5-6th Place: $900.00 each
7-8th Place: $600.00 each
9-12th Place: $350.00 each
13-16th Place: $150.00 each
The Canadian 9-ball Tour would not be possible without the generous support of the tour sponsors, Indigo Chapters bookstores, Cineplex Entertainment, Canada Billiard Bowling, Dufferin Billiards, Stan James The Sports Bookmaker, Simonis Pool cloth and Aramith Billiard Balls. We thank them all for helping to make the Canadian 9-ball Tour a success.

Efren Reyes Leads All Star Asian Force into the Predator International 10-Ball Championship

Posted by admin as Billiard Tour News - Pool Tour News

Efren Reyes Leads All Star Asian Force into the Predator International 10-ball Championship
Fans and pro players alike, everyone knows the inevitable was coming. Pool’s most powerful pro continent is sending a true force to be reckoned with, as none other than pool master and maestro Efren Reyes leads Asia into Las Vegas for the 8th Annual Predator International 10-ball Championship. Japan, China, Korea, India, and Philippines will be well represented during the event. This year 20 top pro players throughout Asia will be testing the very limits of their western foes.

Japan will have a strong force with several experienced champions such as Hiroshi Takenaka, Goh Takami, and 3rd Place finisher at the US Open Tomoki Mekari. Lookout for young gun action with 18 Year old World Junior 10-ball Champion Hayato Hijikata and the fast shooting, flashy style of Japan’s #2 Naoyuki Oi.

Experienced pro Lee Chenman of Hong Kong will be a tough draw as well as India’s Raj Hundal, India American Tony Chohan, and Korea’s Pil Hyun Cho.

But the threat of the Philippines will be obvious as they are sending a massive force of 9 fearsome players. Leading this elite regiment will be Puyat Sports team of Efren Reyes, Alex Pagulayan, and Francisco Bustamante. Bugsy Promotions will be sending their lone silver bullet in former World 9-ball 8-ball Champion Ronnie Alcano. Negros Stable’s deadly aresnal will include Lee Van Corteza, Warren Kiamco, and Ramil Gallego. Legendary Jose Parica and Canadian Filipino Edwin Montal will also be giving their share of pain to the field. This experienced team of Filipinos have a combined title list which includes, 3 World 9-ball Championships, 2 World 8-ball Championships, 2 US Open Titles, 5 World All Around Championships, and a multitude of major pro wins in USA, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, and more.

Skybox Seats available for the first time at Predator International 10-ball Championship. Watch the pros play in style up high in the elite Skybox area seating. In the past, these seats were exclusive only to pro players,special guests and sponsors. This year the Skybox seating will host the pro players and sponsors as well as elite VIP ticket holders who specifically purchase tickets just for the skybox areas. Any remaining tickets can be purchased on site at the tickets sales counter near the pro arena. Buy now in advance at www.playbca.com (http://www.playbca.com)

The 8th Annual Predator International 10-ball Championship is produced by Dragon Promotions. The event is hosted by the BCA Pool Leagues at the Riviera Hotel Casino and sponsored by The Predator Group, Seyberts.com, Diamond Billiard Products, Simonis cloth, Aramith Balls, Delta-13 Rack, and Extreme Focus Sports Drink. The event matches will be covered daily by Kozoom.com

More info on the event can be found at www.dragonpromotions.com (http://www.dragonpromotions.com)

Viking Billiards Tour Offers Health Insurance

Posted by admin as Billiard Tour News - Viking Cues 9 Ball Tour

Viking Billiards Tour Offers Health Insurance
Just about every day, a staff member at Viking Tour gets asked the following question: Do you have a health insurance program for player members or business associate members? Beginning this month, the answer is yes!
The Viking cue 9-ball Tour has just launched a new membership-only benefit: Viking Tour Health and Benefits Solutions. Through this new program, Viking Tour player members and business associate members across the country can take advantage of lower rates and broader benefits on comprehensive health insurance (individual or group), life insurance, long-term care, dental, disability, and critical illness. Health Benefits Professionals Association Health Programs of Overland Park, KS, has been retained to administer the program.
Under the program, many Viking Tour player members and business associate members will be able to take advantage of lower pricing and creative solutions in healthcare because of the high volume of business administered by Association Health Programs. With over 160 national associations, over 2.5 million members, 18 years providing associations with member benefits, and large blocks of business with the insurance carriers, this allows for Viking Tour members to realize savings up to 40% on their insurance needs. Accordingly, Viking Tour player members and business associate members will benefit by favorable underwriting practices and pricing because of the volume of business AHP does with major insurance carriers. This will aid our members initially and at renewal.
Viking Tour player members and business associate members who currently provide health insurance coverage for themselves or their employees should take a moment to compare their existing plan with one offered by the Viking cue 9-ball Tour Tour/AHP. Plus members who want to begin providing health insurance and other benefits should begin shopping with the Viking Tour.
Health insurance is available to the group or individuals within the companies of Viking Tour business associate members on a discriminatory or select basis. With this new program, your part-time and full-time employees can have access to coverage without ever losing their coverage, and employers can afford to provide access to their employees for health insurance.
In addition to health insurance, Viking Tour player members and business associate members should investigate the long-term care program. This offers our members access to every long-term care provider nationwide at up to 40% savings. Long-term care is the fastest-growing segment of the health insurance industry as average life expectancy lengthens and the cost of home care, assisted living, and nursing home care continues to escalate.
Our life insurance programs should benefit our members by savings and underwriting for risk while saving up to 20% off current and new policies. Disability income, critical illness, guaranteed issue limited medical plans for the uninsurable, dental and vision are just a few of the other benefits we can offer members.
For more information on becoming a Viking Tour player member or business associate members or to get started if you are already a member, e-mail the Viking Tour at vikingtour2@yahoo.com (mailto:vikingtour2@yahoo.com) or call 1-800-200-POOL (7665) to get your Viking Tour member information insurance packet.
The Viking cue 9-ball Tour is proud to be the first tour in the U.S. to ever offer these types of benefits to our Viking Tour player members and business associate members. For more information about the Viking cue 9-ball Tour, please log onto vikingcue.com/9balltour.htm.

Canadian 9-Ball Tour Hits Bourbon Street Billiards

Posted by admin as Billiard Tour News - Stan James Canadian Tour

Canadian 9-ball Tour Hits Bourbon Street Billiards

The seventh stop of the Canadian 9-ball Tour, presented by Indigo Chapters bookstores and Cineplex Entertainment, saw unseasonably cold weather once again greet the 64 players making their way back to the venue for Saturday morning play. Apparently the cooler temperatures affected some of the players’ sleeping patterns. Second seed John Morra was one of three players to be disqualified on the one-loss side and was forced to make his way back to Toronto empty-handed. The other two players to be listed among the missing on the B-side were Scott Harder and Fast Eddy. All three were relegated to the stands for the remainder of the event in Winnipeg.

Winners’-side action commenced early with some enticing prospects to whet the appetite of the pool fans in Winnipeg. Top-seeded Edwin Montal again looked strong in defeating Doug Nobiss 9-1. He carried that form through to his match against American Rory Hendrickson with a 9-3 win. In total, Montal had dropped only five racks in his first three matches. Jason Klatt survived a hill-hill scare before advancing over Jeff Clare 9-8. Klatt then faced Ryan Solleveld in a re-match of the final at Canadian Tour event number 5l. This re-match went the same way as that previous final but with a more convincing result in favor of Klatt, this time 9-4 over Solleveld. Tyler Edey overcame a tough opponent in Berry McLean by a 9-5 score and found himself in another tussle with highly regarded Felix Beardy. Beardy was well-prepared, and playing in his homeroom did little to throw him off the scent. When the smoke cleared it was a surprisingly easy 9-5 win for Beardy over Edey. An excellent match-up took place when Shannon Ducharme hooked up with former national champ Randy Pruden. The former champ took control of this match early and never relinquished the reins en route to a surprising 9-3 victory over the tenth-ranked player on the tour.

Adam Smith, Erik Hjorleifson, and Blake Martel all progressed with minimal resistance through round three and then into round four on the A side. There was also a good deal of local talent on display, many of which were gaining momentum as the second day of the Canadian Tour was heating up.
After a couple of wins each, Smith and Hjorleifson met up on the draw sheet. The crowd on hand was very partial in favor of their local star, and Hjorleifson appeared to relish that aspect. In what always promised to be a close match, Hjorleifson proved one rack better when it counted most and scraped home a 9-8 winner. Another anxiously awaited confrontation in round four on the winners’ side saw Montal oppose Klatt. Similar to the Hjorleifson versus Smith match, the crowd was very vocal in their support of another hometown star in Klatt.

The left-hand side of the draw brought Shannon Ducharme and Berry McLean together. McLean coming off a win and Ducharme coming off his loss meant that McLean was the player in the positive frame of mind. It proved to be just enough to allow McLean to fend off Ducharme after a hill-hill struggle at 9-8.

Tyler Edey fought back after his loss to Beardy with back to back wins over Martel and Smith, respectively. The latter, a convincing 9-4 account that proved Edey had pulled his socks up and would be ready for Sunday.

Play went smoothly and without issue all day Saturday, and event organizers took advantage of this and decided to play down to the last eight for Sunday. This meant four from the winners’ bracket and four from the one loss-bracket would be coming back to take their shots at the $5,000-guaranteed purse for the winner of the event.

Of the eight men returning on Sunday, the four on the winner’s side were all homegrown Winnipeg natives. Erik Hjorleifson, Felix Beardy, Jason Klatt, and Randy Pruden insured that all the fans in the city were going home happy. The four left from the other half of the draw and coming back with no insurance policies in hand are travelling companions Tyler Edey and Edwin Montal, along with Gimli Manitoba’s Dave Strachan and another Winnipeg hopeful, Blake Martel.

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Archer and Immonen to Meet at High Noon

Posted by admin as Billiard Tour News - UPA Tour

Archer and Immonen to Meet at High Noon

10-ball Desert Shoot-Out / Tempe, AZ
By Skip Maloney
It’s only fitting that the last two winning billiards “cowboys” still standing in the 10-ball Desert Shoot-Out in Tempe, AZ, will meet in the desert at high noon on the tournament’s last day. Johnny Archer continued his blistering pace on Saturday, defeating both Gabe Owen and Mike Davis to move into the winners’-side final against Mika Immonen, who defeated Robb Saez and John Schmidt to move into the hot seat showdown.
Archer opened the tournament with 23 straight wins before giving up two games to Bobby Emmens. As he prepared for Sunday, he had given up a total of only eight games to five opponents. He defeated Owen 9-4 in the round of eight and then played almost flawlessly through the subsequent match against Mike Davis. He was up 6-0 before trading games with Davis and reaching the hill at 8-2, where he closed it out.
Immonen sent Saez to the one-loss side with a 9-5 win before dispatching Schmidt with a 9-7 victory that wasn’t as close as the final score might indicate. Immonen reached the hill with Schmidt down by four racks—Schmidt’s late charge fell just short of forcing a hill-hill game, and Immonen moved on.
On the one-loss side, Efren Reyes was eliminated by Charlie Bryant in a hill-hill match. Bryant went on to defeat Owen 9-7 and eliminate him from further action. Tony Robles took Earl Strickland out of the tournament with a 9-6 win before running into Corey Deuel, who took him out in another close match 9-7.
Tony Crosby was eliminated from the tournament after defeating Cliff Joyner and then falling 9-7 to Saez. Deuel was scheduled to meet Saez in the next round, as Bryant squared off against Oscar Dominguez, who’d been knocked off the winners’ side by Davis. Schmidt was scheduled to meet the winner of the Deuel/Saez match, while Davis was to meet the winner of the Bryant/Dominguez contest.
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Rock-Ola Goes Green

Posted by admin as Billiards Industry News - Information

Rock-Ola Goes Green

Torrance, CA — The Rock-Ola wraps up the “green conversion” of its Torrance factory just in time for Earth Day on April 22. The facility’s prominent new green awnings are a sign of the environmentally conscious changes taking place inside the renowned 70,000 square foot factory.

Throughout the Rock-Ola headquarters and factory building, all standard fluorescent light fixtures—almost 1,700 plus emergency exit signs—have been replaced with high-efficiency fluorescent tubes and computer-controlled electronic ballasts. Service for the conversion was provided by California Edison, who also picked up three-quarters of the cost of replacement. In exchange, California Edison can draw down 10% of Rock-Ola’ s power during peak summer usage hours, helping to offset power needs in other parts of the state. “It’s a win-win for Rock-Ola and the environment,” beamed CEO Glenn Streeter.

The conversion is estimated to pay for itself in energy cost savings within 11 months and lighting expenses are estimated to be 40% of the cost prior to the new lighting hardware. In addition to the cost savings, the new system provides significantly more light than the older conventional fixtures.
Rock-Ola Product updates
Since the European Union adopted the Restriction of Hazardous Substance (RoHS) Directive, Rock-Ola has been using RoHS compliant parts in all export jukeboxes. Effective July 1, 2006, the directive requires that all products for sale in the EU comply with RoHS. Though the United States has not yet adopted a comprehensive policy on the matters of electronic waste, Rock-Ola has taken the initiative to replace its domestic product parts containing lead with RoHS compliant parts, using California’s SB80, Electronic Waste Recycling Act of 2003 as a guideline.

Under its new green-colored awnings, Rock-Ola will continue to make “environmentally friendly” choices for products and procedures just as the famous jukeboxes create a “friendly environment” in restaurants, bars, and at home.

For more information on eCycling, visit the U.S. Government Environmental Protection Agency website: http://www.epa.gov/epaoswer/hazwaste/recycle/ecycling/rules.htm (http://www.epa.gov/epaoswer/hazwaste/recycle/ecycling/rules.htm) .