Souquet Promises to Win Billiard Triple Crown

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Souquet Promises to Win Billiard Triple Crown
World 10-Ball Championship / Manila, Philippines

by InsidePOOL Staff

Ralf "The Surgeon" Souquet is promising to deliver another billiard world title at the World 10-Ball Championships in Manila, Philippines.

Ralf “The Surgeon” Souquet, past winner of both the world 9-ball and world 8-ball championship titles, vowed to add the world 10-ball crown to his resume to become the first triple crown billiard champion. He had an easy 9-1 victory over Patrick Menillo of Italy in the first-round matches. “I like my chances and I’m ready to play against anybody here,” Souquet stated firmly.

Reigning world 9-ball champ Daryl Peach is also adjusting well to the conditions, defeating Japan’s Kazuo Furuta 9-3. “I feel much better now than in my first match,” Peach explained, in which he bested Sit Shun Ching 9-4.

Jasmin Ouschan lost her second match against Germany’s Roman Hybler 9-5, while her brother, Albin, won his second match against Radoslaw Babica of Poland in a 9-8 nail-biter.

Team America is struggling, though Shane Van Boening remains undefeated, notching a 9-1 win over Alphonse Hoge Monday and a 9-0 victory over Po-Cheng Kuo. Charlie Williams is also unscathed, with wins over Raj Hundal and Elmer Kalaquain, both 9-3.

Shaun Wilkie came through in fine fashion against Bashar Hussein of Qatar 9-5, rebounding from a first-round 9-4 loss to Ricky Yang. Corey Deuel whitewashed his opponent Lin Yuan-Chan Tuesday, while Oscar Dominguez lost a hill-hill match to Thomas Engert of Germany. Gabe Owen lost 9-3 to Dimitri Jungo, and Steve Moore was bested by Naoyuki Oi in a tight 9-7 match.

Richeson and Walsma Score Top Honors in Michigan

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Richeson and Walsma Score Top Honors in Michigan
Michigan Players Tour / Holland, MI

by InsidePOOL Staff

Richie Richeson won the mini tournament and Arlo Walsma won the main billiard event at Chalky’s Q Stick Café in Holland, MI.

The Michigan Players Tour swept through Holland, MI, the weekend of September 27-28, holding both a mini tournament and a main event. Chalky’s Q Stick Café played host to both events, with Richie Richeson winning the mini and Arlo Walsma taking the main.

In the mini tournament, Richeson came through the one-loss side after being defeated by Tony Chochan 7-5. He came back, though, to win the next four matches to earn a rematch with Chochan, whom he bested 7-4. Having made it to the finals, he now had to defeat Mark Ozman twice for the title. Even with a field of 40, this was no easy task, but he won convincingly, taking the first set 7-3 and the second 7-1.

The main event had a field of 26 players. Walsma went through the first few rounds unscathed, defeating Dave Schaefer 9-4, Mark Javis 9-6, and Richeson 9-4 before he ran into Chohan, who sent him to the one-loss side 9-7. There he matched up with Ronnie Wiseman, who held an 8-3 lead going to 9 but missed a slow-rolled 6 ball and ended up sitting in his chair for the next five racks as Walsma came back to defeat him 9-8. Now unstoppable, Walsma ousted Smith double-hill and Doug Young 9-5 before wreaking revenge on Chohan 9-4, 9-4 in the finals.

Mini Tournament Results:
1st Richie Richeson
2nd Mark Ozman
3rd Tony Chohan
4th Neil Dryflout
5th Jason Kirkwood
Adam Smith
7th Russ Andrews
Arlo Walsma

Main Event Results:
1st Arlo Walsma
2nd Tony Chohan
3rd Doug Young
4th Adam Smith
5th Ronnie Wiseman
Jason Kirkwood

Tascarella Wins First Predator Amateur Billiard Event

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Tascarella Wins First Predator Amateur Billiard Event
Predator 9-Ball Tour / West Hempstead, NY

by InsidePOOL Staff

Pete Tascarella Jr.

The Predator 9-Ball Tour held its first A-B-C-D tournament the weekend of September 27-28 at Raxx Pool Room Bar and Grill in West Hempstead, NY.  Forty-seven of the region’s top amateur players came out to vie for their piece of the $1,000-added event, with Pete Tascarella Jr. coming out on top. 

The event’s structure required A and B players to compete against one another on the top half of the chart, while the C and D players battled it out at the bottom, only to meet one another in the quarterfinals.  

Leading the A/B players was tournament veteran Tascarella Jr.—son of famous cue maker Pete Tascarella Sr.—who had the unfortunate luck of drawing his father in the first round.  After a nail-biting hill-hill match, Junior defeated his father and went on to defeat Ariel Rivera 7-4, Chris Laz 7-3, Thomas Wan 7-4, and Eric Toledo 7-6.

The bottom of the chart had its share of close calls amongst the C/D players.  After narrowly defeating John MacArthur 7-6, William Finnegan went on to defeat Emily Harrison 7-2, Mike Schloven 7-1, and Marco Dy 7-2.  This set up the hot seat match between Finnegan and Tascarella Jr.

Day two action on the left side saw Wan defeat Mark Pantovic 7-3 before being defeated by Toledo 7-4. Toledo met up with Marco Dy next and fought hard to best the dangerous C player 7-5 to face Finnegan in the semifinals, who lost a tough match to Tascarella for the hot seat 7-4. The underdog, Finnegan pulled out all the stops to close the door on Toledo’s tournament, defeating him 7-5 and leaving him to settle for third place. In the finals, Finnegan showed a lot of heart but simply couldn’t keep up with the more experienced Tascarella and fell short 7-3. 

Results:
1st Pete Tascarella Jr.                            
2nd William Finnegan                           
3rd Eric Toledo                                     
4th Marco Dy                                        
5/6th Thomas Wan                                   
5/6th Jose Soto                                         
7/8th Mike Schloven                                
7/8th Mark Pantovic                                
9/12th Anthony Pizaro                          
9/12th Stew Warnock                         
9/12th Borana Andoni                        
9/12th Aron Rovner

Saez Goes Undefeated at Joss Billiards Stop

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Saez Goes Undefeated at Joss Billiards Stop
Joss Northeast 9-Ball Tour / Waterville, ME

by Skip Maloney, Inside POOL Magazine

Saez outlasted Marc Vidal to take down the Joss Northeast 9-Ball Tour stop at TJ's Billiards in Waterville, ME.

Robb Saez withstood a double challenge from Marc Vidal and took home the first-place prize on the Joss Northeast 9-Ball Tour stop September 27-28. The $2,000-added event drew 28 entrants to TJ’s Classic Billiards in Waterville, ME.

Among the winners’ side final four, Saez and Billy “the Kid” Lanna sent Vidal and Ivaylo Petrov, respectively, to the one-loss side of the bracket with identical 9-6 victories. Saez then grabbed the hot seat, sending Lanna over with a 9-7 win.

On the one-loss side, Ray McNamara and Tom McGonagle dropped Chris Leal and David Hall into a tie for seventh before meeting up with Vidal and Petrov. The latter two dropped McNamara and McGonagle into a tie for fifth place and squared off to face each other in the quarterfinals. Vidal and Petrov battled to a 9-7 win for Vidal, who went on to defeat Lanna in the semifinals 9-6.

In what turned out to be only the third match among the tournament’s final ten to conclude with a score differential higher than four racks, Saez concluded his first journey of the year to first place with a commanding 9-3 victory over Vidal.

Results:
1st Robb Saez
2nd Marc Vidal
3rd Billy Lanna
4th Ivaylo Petrov
5/6th Ray McNamara
5/6th Tom McGonagle
7/8th Chris Leal
7/8th David Hall

World 10-Ball Championship Commences

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World 10-Ball Championship Commences
World 10-Ball Championship / Manila, Philippines

by InsidePOOL Staff

Ouschan defeated Lin Yuan Chun in the preliminary round of the World 10-Ball Championships in Manila, Philippines. The event is sanctioned by the World Pool-Billiard Association.

The World 10-Ball Championship kicked off in Manila, Philippines, September 29, with a total of 128 of the finest players from all over the world vying for the first-ever world title in the 10-ball format as sanctioned by the World Pool-Billiard Association.

The international event is also offering up a massive prize purse of $400,000. Leading the pack in pursuit of the lion’s share are the three reigning world champions: Niels Feijen, recently crowned the world straight pool champion; Ralf Souquet, world 8-ball champion; and Daryl Peach, world 9-ball champion.

On the American team, number-one-ranked Shane Van Boening is joined by Johnny Archer, Corey Deuel, Steve Moore, Jeremy Jones, Gabe Owen, Max Eberle, Oscar Dominguez, Glen Atwell, Louis Ulrich, Shaun Wilkie, and Charlie Williams.

The 128 players entered in the main draw will be divided into 16 groups of 8 and will contend in a double-elimination format. From there, four players from each group will advance to the final sixty-four. At that point, the format changes to single elimination with one small exception: Instead of a tie for third place, there will be a match to determine the third- and fourth-place finishers.

In a battle of top women, Austria’s Jasmin Ouschan bested Lin Yuan Chun of Chinese Taipei 9-6. Germany’s Martin Kempter delivered a 9-7 defeat to Archer while fellow countryman Roman Hybler came out ahead of his hill-hill match with Deuel. Hungary’s Vilmos Foldes handed Dominguez his first defeat 9-6, and Ricky Yang bested Wilkie 9-4. All are now one loss away from being sent home. Ernesto Dominguez also suffered a first-round loss to Russia’s Rusian Chinahov. However, Williams bested Raj “The Hitman” Hundal 9-3, while compatriot Owen defeated French shooter Vincent Facquet 9-7 to move within one win of advancing to the knockout stages.  

Visit InsidePOOL for the latest news in the sport of billiards and pool.

ACS Midwest 8-Ball Championships Announced

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The ACS Midwest 8-Ball Championships will once again be feld in Hubertus, WI.

The ACS Midwest 8-Ball Championships returns for a third year in Hubertus, Wisconsin (near Milwaukee), at the Richfield Chalet, November 14-16! The event will feature singles and 3-person team divisions for ACS and CCS-sanctioned league players with four weeks of play since June 1, 2008.

Any pool league can sanction or dual-sanction with the ACS simply by paying a $10/player sanction fee. Entry forms and flyers may be downloaded from the ACS website at Americancuesports.org. ACS league members are qualified to compete in twelve (12) ACS state championships within their respective states, four (4) CCS Canadian regional and national championships and the 2008 ACS National Championships to be conducted May 31 – June 6 at the Riviera Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. The ACS also offers both certified referee and instructor/coach programs, and the highest-placing ACS member wins a free entry into the ACS Nationals at each Pechauer All American Tour stop – open to any amateur player. ACS presents the 2008/2009 installment of the Pechauer All American Tour in October, 2008.

The ACS is a non-profit, national organization dedicated to heightening the interest and awareness of cue sports through the support and sanctioning of organized competition throughout the United States and North America.

American Pool Deluxe Racks up on Wii™

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American Pool Deluxe Racks up on Wii™

The Ultimate Pool & Billiard Simulation Coming This Fall

The American Pool Deluxe pool and billiard video games will be available for Wii™ this Fall.

“The most realistic pool game on the market to date!”
Eric “The Preacher” Yow, WPA Massé World Champion

“The only game that can actually make you a better pool player on the real felt!” 
Jennifer Barretta, Women’s Professional Billiards Association

Austin, TX – September 9, 2008 – Coming this fall, American Pool Deluxe offers your favorite pool and billiards games for Wii™. American Pool Deluxe makes use of Wii remote’s accelerometer technology for the most realistic experience possible.

American Pool Deluxe pool and billiards video games.

From 8-ball to 9-ball to snooker, American Pool Deluxe features head-to-head and two person multiplayer, trick-shot challenges, as well as a complete tournament mode. Players in a tournament can face off against other pool champions from around the world. Three professional commentators analyze the action as players walk around the table and plan their shots from any angle.

“With superior graphics and incomparable gameplay, American Pool Deluxe is as authentic as they come,” said Eric “The Preacher” Yow, World Pool-Billiard Association Massé World Champion. “For years the gaming industry has attempted to duplicate the complex physics and geometry of cue sports into a lifelike rendition for families to enjoy. Finally, a game captures the beauty of the sport and allows you to perfect your skills! Run a rack without ever leaving your chair!”

American Pool Deluxe is the first game to come out of Upshot Games, the casual games division of Gone Off Deep Inc., whose other brands include video game publishing company Gamecock Media Group.

For more information please visit www.AmericanPoolDeluxe.com. American Pool Deluxe will be released on Wii this November for $49.99. 

About Upshot Games
Upshot Games is the casual games label of Gone Off Deep LLC, who also operates as Gamecock Media Group. Upshot seeks opportunities to reach mainstream audiences with quality offerings on all gaming platforms worldwide.
Wii and Nintendo DS are trademarks of Nintendo. © 2006 Nintendo.

Contact:
Shaun Norton
Sandbox Strategies
212-213-2451 x 226
shaun@sandboxstrat.com

Lanuto Logs Tri-State Billiards Win

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Lanuto Logs Tri-State Billiards Win
Tri-State Tour / Edison, NJ

by Skip Maloney

Sal Lanuto fended off the field to capture the Tri-State billiards tour stop title at Sandcastle Billiards in Edison, NJ.

Sal Lanuto went undefeated to take first place in the Tri-State Tour stop September 27. The $500-added, B,D-handicapped event drew 30 entrants to Sandcastle Billiards in Edison, NJ.

Positioned among the winners’ side final four, Lanuto first sent Gary Murgia to the one-loss side with a 7-2 victory before taking on Amy Triolo in the hot seat match. Triolo, who’d defeated Jason Egeln 7-5, followed him over on the heels of a 7-3 Lanuto victory.

On the one-loss side, Phil Carr, positioned among the final eight there, defeated Angelo Fiorino 7-2 and Ted Lubis 7-5 before facing Egeln. Carr dropped Egeln 7-5 into a tie for fifth place with George Osipovich, who’d fallen 7-2 to Murgia. In the early going of the quarterfinal match that followed, Carr was building on his momentum and took a 4-0 lead against Murgia.  Murgia rallied to tie it and then surged ahead by two games to reach the hill first. Carr responded to go double-hill before Murgia finished it 7-6 and turned to face Triolo in the semifinals.

In the handicapped format, Triolo entered the semifinals with a 4-0 lead. Murgia allowed her to win only two actual games, closing it out at 9-6 and preparing for his second match-up against Lanuto.

Like Triolo in the semifinals, Lanuto started the final match with two games in hand against the higher handicapped Murgia. Murgia erased that lead to tie it at 2-2 right away but missed opportunities to open and widen a gap as the match progressed. The two battled to a 5-5 tie, before Lanuto took advantage of successive opportunities and finished it 7-5.

Results:
1st Sal Lanuto
2nd Gary Murgia
3rd Amy Triolo
4th Phil Carr
5/6th George Osipovich
5/6th Jason Egeln
7/8th Teddy Lubis
7/8th Ben Sadowski
9/12th Randy Mackin
9/12th Angelo Fiorino
9/12th James DeGiosafatto
9/12th Michael Seas

Ranola Wins Arizona Women’s Billiard Tour Event

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Ranola Wins Arizona Women’s Billiard Tour Event
Arizona Women’s Billiard Tour / Tempe, AZ

by Skip Maloney

Iris Ranola snapped off her second straight Arizona Women's Billiard Tour event at Corner Pocket Billiards in Tempe, AZ.

Iris Ranola fought off a strong challenge by Susan Mello from the one-loss side and captured her second straight win on the Arizona Women’s Billiards Tour the weekend of September 27-28. Ranola, who’d won the stop in Tucson late in August, joined a field of 23 women for the $500-added event, hosted by Kolby’s Korner Pocket Billiards in Tempe, AZ.

Among the winners’ side final four, Ranola shut out Nina Tagley to face Nicole Keeney in the hot seat match. Keeney, who’d sent Kathleen Wallace west with a 7-3 victory, followed her over with a 7-4 defeat at the hands of Ranola.

On the one-loss side, Mello and Susan Williams emerged from among the final 12, dropping Sara Miller and Angel Paglia, respectively, into a tie for seventh and then facing Wallace and Tagley over from the winners’ side. The two Susans dropped Wallace and Tagley into a tie for fifth and then battled through a double-hill match in the quarterfinals that sent Mello to meet Keeney in the semifinals. Mello followed her hill-hill victory over Williams with a solid 7-1 defeat of Keeney that moved her into the finals against Ranola.

Mello’s momentum in the semifinals helped to define a give and take struggle in the finals. Ranola, however, was not to be denied and closed it out at 7-5 to secure her second straight win on the tour.

Results:
1st Iris Ranola
2nd Susan Mello
3rd Nicole Keeney
4th Susan Williams
5/6th Nina Tagley
5/6th Kathleen Wallace
7/8th Sara Miller
7/8th Angelina Paglia
9/12th Ashea Erdahl
9/12th Liz Bernreuter
9/12th Krystal Edmondson
9/12th Trinh Lu

photo courtesy of Rixx Images

Powers Holds off Laney to win at Diamond Billiards Club

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Powers Holds off Laney to win at Diamond Billiards Club
The Great Southern Billiard Tour / Chattanooga, TN

by Skip Maloney

Rock Powers held off Mike Laney in the finals of the Great Southern Billiard Tour stop at Diamonds Billiard Club in Chattanooga, TN.

Rick Powers withstood a strong challenge from the one-loss side by Mike Laney to take first place in the Great Southern Billiard Tour’s amateur stop the weekend of September 27-28. The $2,000-added event drew 52 amateur pool players to Diamonds Billiard Club in Chattanooga.

Early Sunday, Powers and Daniel McKenney, on the winners’ side, sent Kendall Frazier and Josh O’Neal over to battle for fifth place and faced each other in the hot seat match. They battled to double-hill before Powers prevailed, sending McKenney to the semifinals.

Laney, in the meantime, was working from among the one-loss side’s final eight, defeating Darrell Stites and Gabe Appolos before facing O’Neal in the battle that determined fifth place. Dave Crockett was at work as well, moving past Jared McGee and Jarrett McPherson for his fifth-place struggle against Frazier. Crockett and Laney faced each other in the quarterfinals, won by Laney 8-4.

Laney completed his trip to the finals with an 8-6 victory over McKenney, only to be defeated by the same score in the finals against Powers.

Results:
1st Rick Powers
2nd Mike Laney
3rd Daniel McKenney
4th Dave Crockett
5/6th Josh O’Neal
5/6th Kendall Frazier
7/8th Jarret McPherson
7/8th Gabe Appolos
9/12th Jared McGee
9/12th Darrell Stites
9/12th Jeff Tabet
9/12th Jamey Hickman