Wiseman and Moses Post Billiards Wins in Tampa

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

Wiseman and Moses Post Billiards Wins in Tampa
Viking cue 9-ball Tour / Tampa, FL
by InsidePOOL Staff
Strokers 2, the newest billiard room in Tampa, FL, hosted the June 28-29 Viking cue 9-ball Tour events. A total of 85 players, including 18 junior and women players and 21 league players, participated, with Ronnie Wiseman taking first in the open division and Bill Moses claiming the amateur.

The tour’s open division field of 41 players included a strong pro and top regional player contingent, with the likes of Shawn “Big Bubba” Putnam, Wiseman, Cory Deuel, Tony Crosby, Sparky Ferrell, and WPBA player Tracie Hines participating. Strokers 2 provided a great tournament atmosphere for all the players and spectators, and all enjoyed the 23 nine-foot tables.

Wiseman began his trek to the finals by defeating James Roberts 9-7, Leslee Davis 9-1, Rodel Morados 9-6, Bobby Livrago 9-8, Justin Hall 9-5, and then Deuel in the hot seat match 9-6. Deuel was faced with Crosby in the semifinals and ended up running the final seven racks of the match to earn a rematch against Wiseman in the finals. Deuel claimed the first set 9-7, but in the true double-elimination format, the players went neck and neck in the second set until Wiseman moved ahead to take the match 9-6.
The amateur division comprised 44 players, including local favorites such as Neil “Murphy” Young, Ted Lepak, Jose Ybarra, and Jeremy Bell. Moses drew a bye in round one and then defeated Emily Wilmoth 5-0 and Trey Jankowski 5-2 before losing to Scott Howard 5-4. On the one-loss side he fought his way back to the finals, eliminating Jesse Langston 5-3, Justin Stocks 5-2, Kim Dyer 5-3, and Ybarra 5-3 to reach the finals. There he faced down Jonathon Demet and was victorious in the first set 5-3 and then won hill-hill in the second 5-4.

Open Results:
1st Ronnie Wiseman
2nd Cory Deuel
3rd Tony Crosby
4th Shawn Putnam
5th Bob Livrago
Justin Hall
7th Adam Wheeler
Stoney Stone

Amateur Results:
1st Bill Moses
2nd Jonathon Demet
3rd Jose Ybarra
4th Kim Dyer
5th Justin Stock
Scott Howard
7th Chris Walsh
Julio Delpoza

Third Straight Billiards Win for Nevel

Posted by admin as Billiard Tour News - Great Southern Billiard Tour

Third Straight Billiards Win for Nevel
Great Southern Billiard Tour / Hickory, NC
by Skip Maloney
Larry “The Truth” Nevel picked up his third straight and eighth overall win on the Great Southern Billiard Tour the weekend of June 28-29 by defeating J. R. Rossman twice. The $1,500-added event drew 45 total entrants to Randolph’s Billiards in Hickory, NC.
Earlier Sunday, Nevel had sent Eddie Little to the one-loss side with a commanding 9-1 victory before facing Rossman in the hot seat. Rossman, who’d sent Peaches Fuller west with a 9-6 victory in his previous match, fell to Nevel 9-3 to face Mike Davis in the semifinals.
On the one-loss side, Davis and Mark Parlier had worked their way through Darrel Caldwell and Brian Capps, respectively, before dropping Fuller and Little into a fifth-place tie and facing each other in the quarterfinals. Davis advanced with a narrow 9-7 win before ending up in third place in a semifinal match that went to hill-hill before Rossman advanced for a second try at Nevel.
Rossman had hopes of bettering his 9-3 hot seat defeat, but Nevel wasn’t interested. “The Truth” went from the final four on the winners’ side to first place having lost only 5 games of the 32 he played, including his final 9-1 defeat of Rossman.
Results:
1st Larry Nevel
2nd J. R. Rossman
3rd Mike Davis
4th Mark Parlier
5th Eddie Little
Peaches Fuller
7th Brian Capps
Darrell Caldwell

Allison Fisher Wins Great Lakes Classic

Posted by admin as Billiard Tour News - WPBA Tour

Allison Fisher Wins Great Lakes Classic
by InsidePOOL Staff
Allison Fisher has wrapped up another win at the WPBA (Women’s Professinal Billiard Association) Great Lakes Classic, scoring a 7-4 victory over Kelly Fisher in the finals.
In the first semifinal match, K. Fisher met with Sarah Ellerby. Both former snooker pros from the U.K., the players traded the first four racks in the shortened race to 7. Fisher took the lead in the next rack after a safety exchange over the 3 ball. They traded the next two games, and then Fisher took a two-point lead after a dry break by Ellerby, making it 5-3. However, Ellerby parried, taking the next two after a couple of errors on Fisher’s part. Fisher broke and ran out to reach the hill, and Ellerby countered by pocketing two balls on the next rack. Unfortunately for Ellerby, she rattled the 9 ball, and it was all over at that point, as Fisher pocketed the 9 and the 7-5 win.
A. Fisher met with Karen Corr in the second semifinals, and when Corr came up empty on her first break, Fisher cleared the table to take the first rack. The score seesawed to 2-all, at which point Fisher surged ahead to go up 5-2, capitalizing on a few errors by Corr. Undaunted, Corr took the next two racks with the help of a long-rail bank shot. But she missed a key 2-9 combo in the following game, and Fisher took the hill 6-4. Corr came up dry on her last break, and Fisher dished up to win 7-4.
K. Fisher instantly took a 2-0 lead in the finals, but A. Fisher was quick to retaliate and tie things up. Mistakes by both gave each multiple chances, and soon the score rested at 4 apiece. An excellent safety by A. Fisher behind the 8 ball saw her earn ball in hand, and she cleaned the table to take a one-rack advantage. She also broke next and, pocketing two balls, had little trouble running out to reach the hill. K. Fisher broke and made two balls next but rattled her first shot, the 1 ball. Though she got a bit out of line for the 6 ball, A. Fisher had little troubles potting the balls and taking back the Great Lakes Classic title.
Corr has jumped back up to number two in the WPBA rankings, surpassing both Ga Young Kim and Xiaoting Pan, while Anna Kostanian, who came in fifth place, is now ranked sixth.
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Results:
1st Allison Fisher
2nd Kelly Fisher
3rd Karen Corr
Sarah Ellerby
5th Anna Kostanian
Jeanette Lee
Xiaoting Pan
Monica Webb
9th Jennifer Chen
Ga Young Kim
Vivian Villareal
Sarah Rousey
Dawn Hopkins
Megan Minerich
Yu Ram Cha
Tiffany Nelson

Four Remain in Great Lakes Classic

Posted by admin as Billiard Tour News - WPBA Tour

Four Remain in Great Lakes Classic
by InsidePOOL Staff
The final four are set at the WPBA Great Lakes Classic, hosted by the Blue Chip Casino in Michigan City, IN. Allison Fisher, Karen Corr, Kelly Fisher, and Sarah Ellerby are the last women standing and will pair off Sunday in the semifinals.
It was Kelly Fisher who dashed the hopes of defending champion Xiaoting Pan. After Fisher bested Vivian Villareal and Pan ousted Sarah Rousey, both 9-7, in the round of 16, they moved on to play each other. Theirs was a brutal, double-hill match that saw Fisher advance to the semifinals.
Fisher’s opponent will be Sarah Ellerby, another English snooker player. Ellerby bested Jennifer Chen 9-3 in the third round, only to have to play her again in the next. This time it wasn’t so easy for Ellerby, but she prevailed 9-7. She then eliminated Monica Webb from the event with a 9-7 victory to move on to face Fisher.
Corr’s event began with a forfeit by her first-round opponent and has gone without a hitch so far. She ousted Dawn Hopkins 9-4 to advance to the quarterfinals, where she faced down Jeanette “The Black Widow” Lee 9-5. Lee had just come off a hill-hill victory over Yu Ram Cha in the previous round.
Number-one-ranked Allison Fisher, Corr’s opponent in the semifinals, first faced Tiffany Nelson in the round of 16 and won 9-5 and then went on to play Anna Kostanian in the quarterfinals. Kostanian had eliminated Fisher from the GenerationPool.com 9-ball Championships into fifth place only a few weeks before. This time, though, Fisher took control and advanced with a crushing 9-1 win.
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Executive Billiards Delta-13 Rack Brings on New Marketing Representation

Posted by admin as Billiards Industry News - Information

Executive Billiards Delta-13 Rack Brings on New Marketing Representation

Executive Billiards, makers of the DELTA-13 rack, is pleased to announce their marketing alignment with Samm Diep of Aurora, Colorado (creator of SammsPocket.com and PoolTipJar.com). Diep will be promoting and representing the DELTA-13 rack at upcoming professional and amateur events across the country in 2008.
So far in 2008, the DELTA-13 rack is already the official rack for the UPA Tour and Tony Robles Predator 9-ball Tour. It was also the sponsoring rack for the 8th Annual Predator International 10-ball Championships in Las Vegas, NV. It will also be the official rack for the BCA GenerationPool.com 9-ball Championships in Charlotte, NC during the BCA tradeshow.
“I’m thrilled to have someone with her experience so close to home,” says Terry Taggart, founder of Executive Billiards. Samm Diep, “Cherry Bomb”, semi-professional player, instructor, writer, reporter, and author of “You Might Be A D Player If…” has a degree in marketing and comes from a strong business and marketing background. She plans to use her expertise and relationships in the industry to educate players on the quality of the DELTA-13 rack.
“I couldn’t represent a product that I didn’t truly believe in. The wooden and plastic racks can’t touch the DELTA-13. It’s truly state of the art,” says Diep. She has been using the DELTA-13 rack during all her practice and teaching sessions.
She’s not the only one excited about that rack so far. There’s already a buzz amongst the professionals that have been using it in the tournaments. “It’s the best rack I’ve ever seen. There are no spaces in between the balls. It’s awesome!” says Tony Robles, Professional Player and Predator 9-ball Tour Director. “My custom laser engraved rack looks beautiful and works great! Straight pool enthusiasts will love the small size of this rack— many more break balls are usable with this thin but strong profile.” says Mike Fieldhammer (BilliardCoach.com), Professional Billiard Instructor.
“Delta” is for the Greek symbol for its shape and “13” is for aluminum’s place on the periodic table of elements. Made from 6061 Aluminum, the DELTA-13 racks are quality checked on a CMM (Coordinate Measuring Machine) to ensure accuracy. Unlike the standard plastic or wooden rack, it’s guaranteed to never warp, bend, or break. There is absolutely no give in the sides of the rack and that’s why it outperforms the others.
Ask for the DELTA-13 rack at Seyberts.com or PoolDawg.com. The unique, patent-pending ergonomic design of the rack allows for easy removal from the balls. It’s available in red, blue, black, or gold and each side can be personalized with custom engraving to include text and graphic logos. The retail price is $119 plus $12 shipping/handling. Please visit ExecutiveBilliards.com for more details.
Executive Billiards is a subsidiary of RJD Machining, a 21 year old precision machining company which manufactures components for aerospace, medical device, and computer storage industries. 85% of the components they manufacture are made from aluminum, which has given them a great deal of experience and expertise in cutting this material. Executive Billiards is also a member of the Billiards Congress of America.

Schmidt and Lac Take First at Diamond Billiards

Posted by admin as Billiard Tour News - Tiger Planet Pool Tour

Schmidt and Lac Take First at Diamond Billiards
Tiger Tour / Midlothian, VA
by InsidePOOL Staff
The Tiger Tour was held at Diamond Billiards in Midlothian, VA, for the first time May 31-June 1, where the room added a total of $2500 to the event with the help of Jagermeister and a cue donated by John Schmidt’s sponsor, OB1, and the sponsors of the Tiger Tour. Billiard professional John Schmidt took top honors in the open division, while My-Hanh Lac took the ladies’ event.
The open field was a strong one, with 41 players coming out to prevent Chau from taking his fourth tournament in a row and 20 ladies attending for the title of Virginia State champion. Saturday’s line-up included several of the top points leaders of the tour, along with some new faces from the Richmond area.
The surprise visitor from Florida was pro player Schmidt, currently sponsored by the host pool room. Schmidt’s tournament run didn’t allow a single player to reach above four games. He fought his way through to the final four in the winners’ bracket, where he dispatched of David Hunt 9-3 to face Chau. This was a much-anticipated match, but Schmidt sent Chau to the one-loss side with a 9-4 win.
His wins Saturday included Dave White 9-3, Larry Kressel 9-4, and his final match for Saturday against Dustin Paris ended 9-3, taking him into Sunday, where he would meet Richmond local David Hunt in the final four of the winners’ bracket.
After taking an early loss Saturday to Paul Helms, Brandon Shuff began plugging away to get back to the top. He struggled through the one-loss side to best Larry Kressel 7-0 and advance to the semifinals against Chau. He bested Chau a stunning 7-1 to meet Schmidt. The finals weren’t too evenly matched, for Schmidt walked away with the first-place prize after defeating Shuff in an 11-0 victory.
The ladies’ division Sunday saw 20 players vying for the title of Virginia State champion and the much-coveted spot at the WPBA 2008 U.S. Open. With a surprise visit from Virginia’s Governor Gilmore, the ladies were really in the spotlight.
Newcomer to the tour Iris Ranola of Manila, Philippines, appeared to be the toughest competition for Ming Ng and My-Hanh Lac early in the day. The big surprise for the day was longtime friend of the tour, Christine Foster. Foster pushed her way through the winners’ bracket, defeating Ann Bellamy 7-4 and Katie Cowan 7-5 but was sent to the elimination bracket by Lac. She didn’t give up and went on to defeat Sharon O’Hanlon 7-5 for a shot at Ng. Ng didn’t give her a chance, defeating her 7-0, sending Foster into fourth place. Ng and Lac matched up to see who would go on to play Ranola in the finals, with Lac coming up with the win. Lac had already qualified for the U.S. Open and was going strictly for the Virginia State title. Lac came out ahead 9-7 against Ranola, so Ranola will be attending the WPBA 2008 U.S. Open alongside My-Hanh Lac.
Open Results:
1st John Schmidt
2nd Brandon Shuff
3rd Manuel Chau
4th Larry Kressel
5th Danny Green
David Hunt
7th Joey Ryan
Paul Helms
9th Dustin Paris
Eric Moore
Bernie Kirby
My-Hanh Lac
Ladies’ Results:
1st My-Hanh Lac
2nd Iris Ranola
3rd Ming Ng
4th Christine Foster
5th Sharon O’Hanlon
Katie Cowan
7th Cheryl Pritchard
Ji-Hyun Park

Daulton Tallies First Great Southern Billiard Win

Posted by admin as Billiard Tour News - Great Southern Billiard Tour

Daulton Tallies First Great Southern Billiard Win
Great Southern Billiard Tour / Greenville, SC
by Skip Maloney
In his eighth attempt, tour director Shannon “The Cannon” Daulton picked up his first win on his own Great Southern Billiard Tour the weekend of May 31-June 1. In so doing, he snapped a three-week winning streak by Larry “The Truth” Nevel, defeating him in the hill-hill finals. The $1,500-added event drew 34 entrants to Palace Billiards in Greenville, SC.
Earlier Sunday, Daulton sent Brad Black westward with a 9-5 victory, while Steve Moore was ending Helena Thornfeldt’s day on the winners’ side with a commanding 9-1 victory. In the hot seat match that followed, Daulton jumped out to an early 4-1 lead, before missing a 9 ball and watching Moore win five in a row. Daulton regained the lead and hung on to win 9-6.
Nevel, already on the one-loss side, faced off against Mike Laney in the quarterfinal match, defeating him 9-3, to move into the semifinal against Moore. The final two matches of the event were close from start to finish. In the semifinals, Nevel and Moore battled their way one game at a time to a 7-7 tie, at which point Moore scratched on the break. Nevel ran the rack and repeated that performance for the 9-7 win and a chance to pick up his fourth event victory in a row.
In the double-elimination finals, Daulton moved out to a slim 6-4 lead. Nevel fought back to go ahead 7-6 before Daulton surged to the hill. Nevel followed suit before Daulton closed it out.
“You kind of get your stroke back a little,” Daulton said, “and it gets you playing again.”
Results:
1st Shannon Daulton
2nd Larry Nevel
3rd Steve Moore
4th Mike Laney
5th Brad Black
Helena Thornfeldt
7th James Bearden
Josh Roberts
9th Monica Webb
Jeff Tibet
Jonathan Pinegar
Boyd Bouknight

Iceman Finally Breaks the Ice

Posted by admin as Billiard Tour News - Pool Tour News

Iceman Finally Breaks the Ice
Predator 9-ball Tour / Parsippany, NJ
by InsidePOOL Staff
The Predator 9 ball Tour made its seventh stop of the season at Comet Billiards in Parsippany, NJ, the weekend of May 31-June1. The event drew 62 players, with Mika “Iceman” Immonen coming out on top.
Stop 7 had nine women participating. Karen Corr had a rare early exit after winning her first match against Dave Deserio 9-2 but lost her next two to Shane Winters 9-2 and Bobby Blackmore 9-6. Also, Liz Ford was the highest-finishing lady, earning $100. She won her first two matches but then ran into newly elected Hall of Fame member Allen Hopkins, who bested her 9-3. Once on the one-loss side, she was eliminated by Bill Horne 9-6.
Immonen was business as usual, taking care of the bottom portion of the chart by defeating Julie Kelly 9-6, Bill Gricenko 9-2, Gail Glazebrook 9-1, Jim Conn 9-1, and Warren Kiamco 9-8 to earn a shot at the hot seat.
Tony “The Silent Assassin” Robles was taking aim, defeating Jonathan Castillo 9-1, Bora Jeong 9-4, Carmen Lombardo 9-2, Victor Nau 9-5, and the always-dangerous Hopkins 9-6 to earn his shot at the hot seat.
The hot seat was all Robles, who played a near flawless match to beat the Iceman 9-5. But Immonen was not to be denied as he defeated Kiamco 9-5 in the semifinals to earn another opportunity with Robles.
In the finals, Robles won the first two games and missed a tough 2-9 billiard and then lost the next seven games in a row as Immonen fell into dead stroke. The Finn missed only one shot from that point on, as Robles struggled throughout the match to pocket a ball on the break, allowing Immonen to earn his first Predator 9-ball Tour Championship.
Results:
1st Mika Immonen
2nd Tony Robles
3rd Warren Kiamco
4th Allen Hopkins
5th Joey Kong
Shane Winters
7th Steve Lillis
Jason Michas
9th Jimmy Conn
Victor Nau
Mike Fingers
Chris Lynch
13th Mike Wong
Wali Muhammad
Bill Horne
Marc Vidal

Page Takes Two From Davis

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

Page Takes Two From Davis
Tar-Heel Open 9-ball Tournament / Rocky Mount, NC
by Skip Maloney
Steve Page went undefeated in the Tar-Heel Open 9-ball Tournament in Rocky Mount, NC, the weekend of May 31-June 1. He defeated billiard player Mike Davis twice to capture the first-place prize in the $750-added event, which drew 25 entrants to Dot’s cue Club.
On Sunday, Page sent Larry Pittman to the one-loss side with a 9-3 victory, as Davis was doing the same to Mike Fuller 9-4. Page prevailed in the subsequent hot seat match, sending Davis over with a 9-5 victory.
On the one-loss side, Scott Rabon was at work on a march that would eventually take him to the semifinals. He defeated Qi Liu 7-4 before turning to face Fuller. He eliminated Fuller from the tournament and moved on to challenge Pittman. He dropped Pittman into fourth place with a 7-5 victory and then ran into a determined Mike Davis. Davis moved into the finals with a 7-4 victory that ended Rabon’s strong run.
The true double-elimination finals lasted only a single set. The two struggled to a 3-3 tie before Page surged ahead by 4 games. Davis managed two more racks but so did Page, ending it 9-5. It was Page’s first event victory of the year.
Scott Rabon followed his third-place effort in the open division with a hill-hill 3-2 finals victory over Tommy Briscoe in a $110-added bank tournament. Rabon had defeated Wade Crane 3-1 to face Briscoe in the finals, as Briscoe sent Mike Davis into the third-place slot with a hill-hill 3-2 victory.
Open Results:
1st Steven Page
2nd Mike Davis
3rd Scott Rabon
4th Larry Pittman
5th Phillip Richardson
Mike Fuller
Bank Results:
1st Scott Rabon
2nd Tommy Briscoe
3rd Mike Davis
Wade Crane

Ice Man Cometh to You Online

Posted by admin as Billiard Tour News - Pool Tour News

Ice Man Cometh to You Online
Mika Immonen Launches New Blog

Fans of Finnish billiard professional Mika Immonen can now hear straight from the Ice Man’s cool fingertips as he recounts his latest triumphs (and tragedies) in his pool career. Fans will enjoy the personable accounts of the former World 9-ball Champion. People may read his blog at www.icemanmika.blogspot.com (http://www.icemanmika.blogspot.com/).

I believe all players can learn something from Mika’s blog as he writes about his own experiences. In my opinion he is a very modern player. I follow his blog myself, so I suppose you can say I’m a Mika fan. says 2-time World Champion Thorsten Hohmann.
Mika is an ultra consistent player. He is always right there at the end of a tournament. He’s the kind of guy you want to fight for your life on a pool table. says Rodney Morris, Former US Open Champion.

He comes with more tough clutch shots than any other European I’ve ever seen. comments Johnny Archer, #1 Ranked in the USA.

Mika Immonen is known for his tremendous offense, banking,kicking and all around game that has made him one of the most consistent and most feared players in the world today. Immonen has won the World 9-ball Championship, European Straight Pool Championship, Korea Pro Tour Championship, US Pro Tour Championship, Philippines 9-ball Open, and UPA Atlanta Open back to back times among countless other wins. Immonen was voted 5th Best Player in the World’s Top 100 Players of 2006 , a poll taken only by professional players. Mika has shown his warmer side in charitable causes such as the Boys Girls Club of America and Police Athletic League(PAL) . Immonen is sponsored by Mezz Cues, Cafe Puro and managed by Dragon Promotions.

www.icemanmika.blogspot.com (http://www.icemanmika.blogspot.com/)