Corr Grabs Pennsylvania State Billiards Title

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Corr Grabs Pennsylvania State Billiards Title
Pennsylvania State 9-Ball Championship / Drexel Hill, PA

by Skip Maloney

Corr turned up the heat on the field and walked away with PA State Women's Championship title at Drexeline Billiards in Drexel Hill, PA.

Karen Corr is the Pennsylvania State Women’s Champion after completing an undefeated run at the Pennsylvania State 9-Ball Championships October 11-12. The $2,500-added WPBA qualifier drew 35 entrants to Drexeline Billiards in Drexel Hill, PA.

Early Sunday, Corr, among the winners’ side final four, sent Liz Taylor west with a 7-2 victory as Julie Kelly sent Linda Shea to the one-loss side with a 7-3 win. The hot seat match versus Kelly proved to be Corr’s toughest challenge in the tournament. She’d given up only nine racks through four challenges before facing Kelly but found herself locked into a hill-hill battle that eventually sent Kelly to the semifinals.

On the one-loss side, Pam Cimarelli had been sent west in the third round by My-Hanh Lac and then came through six opponents to reach Kelly in the semifinals. Lac fell a game short of meeting her a second time when she fell 7-3 to Taylor. Cimarelli dropped Taylor into fourth place with a commanding 7-1 victory, scoring the qualifier as a result, and turned to face Kelly.

Kelly finished.Cimarelli’s run with a 7-2 victory and headed back for a rematch versus Corr in the finals. Corr took an early 3-0 lead before Kelly responded with two racks that included, in the second, a jump shot that set up a combination on the 9 ball. Corr won the next four racks in a row to nip that run in the bud and take home the first-place prize.

Results:
1st Karen Corr $1,000
2nd Julie Kelly $600
3rd  Pam Cimarelli $475
4th Liz Taylor $350
5/6th Linda Shea $225
5/6th My Hanh Lac
7/8th Ming Ng $150
7/8th Brandi Brown
9/12th Emily Duddy $75
9/12th Kim Smith
9/12th Brianna Miller
9/12th Megan Minerich

Fujiwara Takes First Seminole Billiards Title

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Fujiwara Takes First Seminole Billiards Title
Seminole Pro Tour / Jacksonville, FL

by InsidePOOL Staff

Neil Fujiwara outlasted Tommy "TKFLA" Kennedy in the finals of the Seminole Florida Pro Tour at Bankshot Billiards in Jacksonville, FL.

The October 10-12 installment of the Seminole Pro Tour has ended, crowning a new winner—Neil Fujiwara. The Jacksonville resident defeated Tommy Kennedy in the final match, winning the $10,000-added event, which was hosted by Bankshot Billiards.

Earlier in the day, Steve Moore faced off against Gabe Owen in the quarterfinal match. The first half of their match was tight, but from a 4-all tie, Moore only allowed Owen one more rack before finishing him off 8-5. Moore then advanced to the semifinals against Kennedy, who had just suffered his first loss in the hot seat match to Fujiwara 8-5. Kennedy was gearing up for a rematch and sent Moore home in third place 8-5 to meet with Fujiwara again.

In Fujiwara’s first major tournament win, he kept it exciting down to the final rack. He started off with a small lead in the extended race to 9 through some strong play. Countering, Kennedy caught up with him, and the two traded safeties back and forth. Fujiwara held a two-rack lead when he reached the hill. Kennedy had a chance to run out the final rack but hung up the 4 ball, and Fujiwara cleared the table for his 9-6 win.

View the Seminole Florida Pro Tour tournament brackets

Results:
1st Neil Fujiwara $3,000
2nd Tommy Kennedy $2,300
3rd Steve Moore $1,850
4th Gabe Owen $1,450
5/6th Jeremy Jones $1,150
5/6th Jerry Calderone
7/8th David Broxson $850
7/8th John Pinegar
9/12th Dave Grossman $550
9/12th John Ditoro
9/12th Hunter Lombardo
9/12th Tony Crosby
13/16th Javier Chirino $350
13/16th James Davis Jr.
13/16th Butch Croft
13/16th David Howard

Fujiwara Captures Bankshot Billiards Hot Seat

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Fujiwara Captures Bankshot Billiards Hot Seat
Seminole Pro Tour / Jacksonville, FL

by InsidePOOL Staff

Fujiwara claimed the hot-seat at Bankshot Billiards after a few unlikely upsets.

In a series of small upsets, Neil Fujiwara has taken the hot seat at the October 10-12 stop of the Seminole Pro Tour. This event is hosted by Bankshot Billiards in Jacksonville, FL, and offers a $10,000-added prize purse.

With only 12 players returning Sunday, the 4 remaining in the winners’ side matched up. Tommy Kennedy and Gabe Owen, both former U.S. Open champions, squared off on the top bracket, with Kennedy coming out the winner with a crushing 8-2 victory. In the bottom bracket, another former U.S. Open champ, Jeremy “Double J” Jones, faced off against Fujiwara and was sent to the one-loss side after a close 8-6 match. Fujiwara advanced to play Kennedy and emerged the 8-5 victor, now resting in the hot seat and awaiting his final challenger.

On the west side of the chart, the final eight began the winnowing process Sunday morning. Jerry Calderone ousted Tony “The Sniper” Crosby 8-5, while Jonathan Pinegar won a hill-hill battle with Hunter Lombardo. Calderone and Pinegar then played each other, with Calderone dropping Pinegar into seventh place.

Steve Moore, still in contention for the prestigious Player of the Year award from the Seminole Pro Tour, met up with John Ditoro in the left side and sent him packing 8-6, while David Broxson dealt Dave Grossman an 8-2 death blow. Moore and Broxson advanced to play each other, with Moore going on after a close 8-6 victory.

View the Seminole Florida Pro Tour tournament brackets

Moore then faced Jones, newly arrived from the winners’ side, and eliminated him in fifth place 8-4, while above, Owen dropped Calderone into a tie with Jones after winning their match 8-5. Owen and Moore will play in the quarterfinals, with the winner going on to face Kennedy in the semifinal match.

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USA Billiards Team Claims World Cup Title

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USA Billiards Team Claims World Cup Title

Van Boening and Morris Too Much for England

The USA billiards team of Van Boening and Morris captured the World Cup of Pool title with a win over team England.

USA’s victorious World Cup of Pool pairing have revealed their pride at becoming the first Americans to win the prestigious team trophy.

Rodney Morris and Shane Van Boening defeated England’s Daryl Peach and Mark Gray 11-7 in a thrilling final at the Outland nightclub in Rotterdam, Holland.

“This is a major tournament, a world event, a world title, so to win this is just awesome,” said Morris.

“We didn’t perform at our best in the beginning of the tournament but that’s why we were seeded and we felt good and gelled nicely. Shane is a good partner because he never misses.

“I think we peaked at the right time and got a nice rhythm. Shane got me playing a little smarter and tighter and got me concentrating.

“It’s more special for me to see Shane win and I was trying hard not to let him down.

 “I’m just happy we made it and it’s a relief. I didn’t want to let my team down and that keeps me tight.”

Shane Van Boening was representing USA for the first time in this tournament and he believed him and Morris had made a bit of history.

“Winning this means we are the first American team to win it and that really means something,” said van Boening.

“We didn’t know each other very well but we got along well and had a good time. We’re looking forward to coming back here next year as well and defending our title.

“I played good and we broke well and ran a couple of racks. We got the break figured out and played at our best.”

This was the third staging of the World Cup of Pool, which this year was sponsored by PartyPoker.net, and this victory wipes out the painful memory of 2006 where USA lost in the final.

Morris was part of the American side, along with Earl Strickland, that lost 13-5 against Philippines and 2006, and admitted he had been more determined to win as a result.

“It’s a big relief but it feels really good,” said Morris. “I didn’t want to get to the final again and lose.

“We felt we were big favourites in our own mind and the semi-final victory over the Philippines was like winning the final for us.

“Obviously it wasn’t but beating the Philippines gave us that extra confidence.

“The final was difficult because I gave away some games and I kept them close. We were poised to roll them out but after a couple of mistakes it ebbed and flowed.

Daryl Peach was disappointed that he could not add the World Cup of Pool title to go with the World Pool Championship that he claimed last November.

“I’m absolutely gutted but at the same time there has to be a winner and loser. We said we would win as a team and lose as team - there’s no in between.

Van Boening and Morris hoist their hardware after the finals.

“It’s been a pleasure to team up with Mark. We did England proud and I hope everyone else thought so. We hope to come back here stronger next year.

“The best players in the world are in this tournament and there’s hardly no weak links, maybe a couple of teams in the first round but no one from the last 16 onwards.

“We’ve had a tough match from the first round and we’re also the first team to beat (2007 Champions) China and we can go home with our heads held high.”

Mark Gray, the European No.1, was competing in the biggest match of his career after only taking up the game seriously four years ago.

He believes himself and Peach have earned the right to represent England in next year’s World Cup.

“I’m disappointed but in the match we didn’t get the rolls when we needed to and we didn’t break too well apart from once,” said Gray.

“We made a couple of errors early doors but in general looking at the big picture to come runners-up in the World Cup is a pretty big achievement.

Austria-bound Evans Claims Season’s Third Snooker title

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Austria-bound Evans claims season’s third title

World Ladies Billiards & Snooker Association Press Relase

WLBSA East Anglian champion Reanne Evans with two-year-old daughter Lauren.

Reanne Evans’ victory at the East Anglian Championship extended her unbeaten run on the World Ladies Billiards & Snooker Association circuit to 19 matches.

The mother-of-one, from Dudley, West Midlands, defeated Ronnie O’Sullivan’s 26-year-old cousin Maria Catalano 3-0 in the final at Cambridge Snooker Centre on Saturday, October 11.

“I’m pleased with the way I’m playing,” said the 22-year-old, who pocketed £200.

“I’m been cueing quite well so hopefully I can keep it up, and improve a little bit.”

Evans, who last won the title in 2006, dropped just one frame all day - against Sheffield’s Sarah Smith in the semi-finals. She ran out a 3-1 winner with breaks of 72, 41, 41 and 32.

In the quarter-finals, Evans posted a 55 against Derby’s England International Joanne Davies and added a 40 in the final.

Defending champion Katie Henrick went out 3-1 to Catalano in the second semi.

Evans, a record four-time WLBSA world champion and twice European champion, will celebrate her 23rd birthday in Austria later this month while defending the IBSF World Championship title which she won for the second time in Thailand last November.

In Derbyshire last month she won the first two WLBSA tournaments of the season – the Wytech Masters and the UK Championship.

But a clean sweep of women’s titles is on hold – at least for this season.

Desperate to become the first woman to qualify for the Main Tour, Evans misses the British Open in Rushden in November to compete in the EASB Pro-Ticket Tour event two in Leeds.

“It’s so difficult now,” she admitted. “I don’t think people realise how many good players there are now. You don’t really play the same game as you do with the women. You have to be a little more tighter.”

Entry list: 
Reanne Evans
 Dudley, West Mids
 
Martina Lumsden
 Eastbourne
 
June Banks
 Orpington, Kent
 
Hannah Jones
 Derby
 
Katie Henrick
 Bickley, Kent
 
Joanne Davies
 Derby
 
Maria Catalano
 Dudley, West Mids
 
Pam Wood
 Newcastle
 
Emma Bonney
 Portsmouth
 
Marianne Williams
 Smallfield, Surrey
 
Jenny Poulter
 Maidstone
 
Jan Hughes
 St Neots, Cambs
 
Chris Sharpe
 Chelmsford
 
Charlotte Holloway
 Derby
 
Eva Palmius
 Isleham, Cambs
 
Georgina Holloway
 Derby
 
Gaye Jones
 Melksham, Wilts
 
Sarah Smith
 Sheffield
 
Naomi Clare
 Ripley, Derbys
 

RESULTS (breaks):

PRELIMS: Pam Wood bt Hannah Jones 3-0, Emma Bonney (49, 36) bt Marianne Williams 3-0, Jenny Poulter bt Charlotte Holloway 3-1.
LAST 16: Katie Henrick bt Wood 3-0, Eva Palmius bt Jan Hughes 3-0, Martina Lumsden bt Gaye Jones 3-2, Maria Catalano bt Chris Sharpe 3-0, Bonney (32) bt June Banks (47) 3-1, Sarah Smith bt Georgina Holloway 3-0, Joanne Davies bt Naomi Clare 3-0, Reanne Evans bt Poulter 3-0.
QUARTER-FINALS: Henrick (52) bt Palmius 3-0, Catalano bt Lumsden 3-2, Smith (36, 37, 36) bt Bonney 3-1, Evans (55) bt Davies 3-0.
SEMI-FINALS: Catalano (39, 33) bt Henrick 3-1, Evans (72, 41, 41, 32) bt Smith 3-1.
FINAL (£200/£100): Evans (40) bt Catalano 3-0.

PLATE RESULTS:

PRELIMS: Marianne Williams bt Gaye Jones 2-0, Pam Wood bt Jenny Poulter 2-0.
QUARTER-FINALS: Wood bt Williams 2-1, Hannah Jones bt Georgina Holloway 2-0, Jan Hughes bt Naomi Clare 2-0, Chris Sharpe bt Charlotte Holloway 2-0.
SEMI-FINALS: Sharpe bt Hughes 2-1, Wood bt H Jones 2-1.
FINAL: Sharpe bt Wood 2-1. 

JUNIORS RESULTS:

PRELIM: Hannah Jones bt Georgina Holloway 1-0.
SEMI-FINALS: Jones bt Joanne Davies 1-0, Naomi Clare bt Charlotte Holloway 1-0.
FINAL: Jones bt Clare 1-0.

SENIORS RESULTS:
PRELIMS: Eva Palmius bt Jenny Poulter 1-0, Gaye Jones bt Martina Lumsden 1-0.
SEMI-FINALS: Palmius bt Jan Hughes 1-0, Jones bt Sharpe 1-0.
FINAL: Palmius bt Jones 2-1.

The WLBSA is hosting six ranking events this season culminating in the World Championships in April.

Next ranking event:

British Open
Saturday, November 15, 2008

Rushden Snooker Centre
Glassbrook Road
Rusden
NN10 9TH
Tel: 01933 319191

Picture by Mandy Fisher

More details and pictures available from:

Tim Dunkley (WLBSA press office)                                                                                           
88 Lionheart Way
Bursledon Green
Southampton
SO31 8HN
Tel home: 02380 562647
Tel work: 01329 853513
Mobile: 07986 37611
E-Mail: timdunkleysnookerdad@hotmail.com

England and USA Billiards Teams Collide

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It’s England v USA for World Cup Glory

China and Philippines Beaten in Semis

USA 9 – 6 Philippines

The USA billiard team of Morris and Van Boening cruised past the pre-tournament favorite Philippines billiard team, 9-6. They now face off against the billiards team from England in the finals.

Team USA delivered their best performance of the week as they beat a strong Philippines side consisting of Francisco Bustamante and Dennis Orcollo to book their second PartyPoker.net World Cup of Pool final in three years.

The American side of Rodney Morris and Shane Van Boening took the match 9-6 and Morris, who was in the losing side along with Earl Strickland in 2006 was delighted.

“That was the most solid performance we have made so far and we’re due for another great match,” said Morris.

“We’re getting in stroke and this is the final match so someone has to dethrone (reigning World Pool Champion) Daryl.

“It will be a great match as England have played solidly and are in good form. We’re loose, they’re loose so it will just be a case of making the better decisions and the better shots.

“Against the Philippines was the most difficult match we’ve had as historically Francisco has been a thorn in my side. He used to beat me up on the table and he remembers when I couldn’t play.

“Me and Shane are working well together. I would normally shoot more but my game has adapted to his and it’s good that I can adjust.

“On this format winning this would be right up there in my career, probably just under winning the Mosconi Cup. But it’s a world cup, a world title and no tournament that I’ve ever won had ‘world’ in it.

The Philippines steadied their nerves as they took the opener but the USA got back to the table in the second game. Van Boening and Morris completed a decent run out to level the score.

Van Boening crushed his break shot but nothing dropped and it left the 1 ball on for the Filipinos. They raced through the rack to regain the lead.

Orcollo made an illegal break whereby less than three balls were either potted or passed the headstring, so the US got back to the table but some flashy shot making from the Pinoy duo looked to taking them into a 3-1 lead. Orcollo though, missed a fairly easy 9 ball to gift the rack to the USA and tie the score at 2-2. It was to prove a critical point in the match

Morris missed the 2 ball in the next but it rolled safe. Orcollo came with his jump stick but could not get safe and the USA cleared to go into a 3-2 lead.

Morris played a delicate 1/2 combination but was forced to lay a snooker on the 3 ball in the next but Bustamante could see it. The shot was difficult and did not come off leaving an open table for the USA and they ran out to open up a two rack lead.

A great break from Morris set up a nice run out with the only the 4 and 7 balls stuck together but the Rocket broke them up nicely to record their fourth consecutive rack and give them an ominous  5-2 lead.

The Philippines tucked the US up in a snooker and although they escaped it left the table open and Bustamante and Orcollo got a confidence booster as they ran out to reduce the deficit.

Orcollo played a nervous positional shot, leaving a tough 6 ball for his partner. He missed it and a safety battled ensued which the USA always had the upper hand and Morris ended the deadlock with a great long pot on the 6 ball as the USA went into a 6-3 lead.

The Americans ran the next from the break to go to 7-3, just two racks away from a spot in the final. A dry break from Van Boening got the Philippines back to the table and they ran it out to get to 4-7.

A muffed safety from Van Boening in the next gave the Philippines a great chance and they cleared to close down the American lead. A disastrous scratch off the break by Bustamante gave ball in hand to the USA and they completed the run out to get to get to the hill at 8-5.

The Philippines took the next but an excellent run out from Van Boening and Morris sealed an excellent 9-6 victory and the American’s best performance of the week.

 
England 9 – 5 China

Peach and Gray managed to defeat the billiard team from China to earn their spot int he finals against USA.

Enlgand, who had never advanced past the last 16 in two previous World Cup of Pool competitions, played their way into the final. They produced a near faultless performance in a 9-5 victory over Chinese duo of Li He-wen and Fu Jianbo, the defending champions.

Reigning World Pool Champion Peach said: “When we first came here we said that no matter what happened, if we missed silly balls, won or lost, then we won as a team and lost as team.

“No one would get blamed and it has worked for us, it was a little motto I learnt from the Mosconi Cup.

“China have already proved themselves by going eight matches without losing and they work well together as me and Mark do.

“It’s a good achievement to win but I would be lying if I said we didn’t expect to win.”

Former snooker professional Gray has been playing pool for four years and now faces the biggest match of his career against the USA in the final.

“That was by far our best performance in the tournament and probably the best performance from anyone as no one missed a ball,” said Gray. “We both set high standards as Daryl is the World Champion and I’m No.1 in Europe.

“We had watched a bit of China and they are very attacking players and go for their shots but had not been under any pressure. We knew if we put them under pressure we would win.

“Winning the competition would mean the world to me. I’m in my first world final and I’ve come from a snooker background where I had limited success.

“I’ve always been financed by my parents so I dedicate this to my mum and dad, Vicky and Tony.”

England won the lag but an illegal break gave China back the table. England got the better of a safety exchange and then ran out the rack from the 2-ball for an early lead.

That soon doubled as a good break from Mark Gray proved the catalyst for a run out and England had made the perfect start.

But Daryl Peach scratched in the third rack and China, with ball-in-hand, did the rest to get their first rack on the board. It became level soon after as Peach overhit an attempted safety shot and left the 1-ball on and every mistake was being punished in a high-class opening.

That continued in the next two racks as all errors were being made to pay. Gray overcooked a safety and China made it 3-2 but a Chinese mistake in the sixth led to England making it 3-3.

England restored their two rack advantage by claiming the next two for 3-5. Fu was unsuccessful with a jump shot on the 1-ball in the seventh before Fu failed to escape from a tight snooker laid by Gray in the eighth.

The match was swinging from one side to the other and China then claimed the next two for 5-5.

England seemed to have a game plan by putting pressure on to the Chinese by deliberately leaving a series of long but difficult pots on. The strategy was working as both Chinese players were then missing the pots with England now sitting in a good position.

The Europeans made it 6-5 before they out-fought the Chinese in the 12th. A deliberate foul from Gray was immediately followed by a careless mistake from Fu as no ball hit the rail as the Chinese seemed to be feeling the pressure.

In fact, both Chinese players were now struggling and a routine pot on the 1-ball in the next from Li went wrong and China sat down for the rest of the rack as England moved to the hill at 8-5. A 9/4 combination from Peach sealed the victory.

Final Four Undefeated at Carolina Billiards Event

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Races Tighten at Carolina Open 10-Ball
Carolina Open / Goldsboro, NC

by Skip Maloney

Archer is one of the final four undefeated billiard players in the 10-ball event at the Carolina Open hosted by Fast Eddie's in Goldsboro, NC.

Johnny Archer, Keith Bennett, Brian White, and Jason Klatt are the last four standing on the winners’ side of the Carolina Open’s 10-ball tournament, hosted by Fast Eddie’s in Goldsboro. Together they moved Manny Chau, Mike Davis, Antonio Mendieta, and Charlie Brinson to the one-loss side and a battle for ninth place; the last money position in the tournament.

After opening his tournament bid with an 11-5 win over Delton Howard and a commanding 11-0 victory over Andrew Coley, Archer advanced to the winners’ side final four on the heels of two double-hill victories—Michael Fuller in the third round and Chau in the fourth. Archer will face Bennett Sunday, who moved past Sylver Ochoa 11-9 and Davis 11-8. Brian White’s road to the winners’ side final four went through Tony Chohan 11-5 and Mendieta 11-6. After sending Charlie Bryant west in the opening round, Jason Klatt, who’ll meet White on Sunday, moved on to defeat Brandon Shuff 11-6 and breezed past Brinson 11-2.

On the one-loss side, Bryant finished Mendieta’s tournament to win his fifth straight match since falling to Klatt in the second round. Fuller dropped Charles Brinson into the ninth place tie, as Sam Monday did likewise to Manny Chau. The final match of the evening, which pitted Davis against Chris Bartram, ended well after midnight and concluded a clean sweep by the one-loss side players, with Bartram advancing.

Bryant will look to make it six in a row in a match against Fuller on Sunday, while Monday will be looking for his fourth in a row on the one-loss side as he faces Bartram in a battle that, like Bryant and Fuller’s, will determine seventh place.

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