January 2011 Inside POOL Magazine Premium by Inside POOL Magazine

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A u t h e n t i c. A c c u r a t e. A l w a y s.

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Contents On the Cover:

Instruction 10

Beat People With a Stick

Tricknology

Billiards Skeet Shooting

For the full story, please visit page 24.

Pro Pool Workout

Learning Through Cosmosis

Team Europe celebrated another victory at the 2010 PartyCasino.com Mosconi Cup, their third in the past four years. This year the event went back to jolly old England in East London for the first time since 2002.

Fear and Ignorance

The Year of Pro Secrets

Take That to the Bank!

Banking With The Beard

A Little Knowledge is a Good Antidote for Difficulty

Features 20

White Outlasts the Pros at Carolina Open

22 23

Daulton Brings Home One-Pocket Title

North America Gains Gold & Silver Medals

2010 World Junior 9-Ball Champions Crowned

Pan Goes Overboard at Niagara Falls

Earns WPBA Championship Title

Recapturing the Cup

Europe Masters USA in Mosconi Comeback Victory

2 InsidePOOL Magazine â&#x2014;&#x160; January 2011

Publisher JR Calvert publisher@insidepoolmag.com

Contents

Departments 6 8 17 31 34

Pool on TV Advertiser Directory Billiard Community.com Player of the Month Billiard Education Foundation Player of the Month APA Player of the Month

Regional Roundup

36 40 43 46 47

Northeast Southeast Central Western World

Columns 28

Cue Maker’s Corner

Stripes

33 38 48

Pete Tonkin – The New Kid on the Block Chalk Talk

Industry News SudoCue Puzzle Crossword Puzzle

Editor Sally P. Timko editor@insidepoolmag.com Graphic Artist Laura Luzier art@insidepoolmag.com Allen Hopkins Jr. Editorial Assistant Lea Andrews Video Designer Alvin Nelson Advertising Sales Director Bill Perry sales@insidepoolmag.com Feature Photo Credits JR Calvert, Lawrence Lustig E-mail info@insidepoolmag.com Website www.insidepoolmag.com Toll Free 888-428-7665 Instruction Staff Johnny Archer, Freddy Bentivegna, Shannon Daulton, Bob Henning, Jason Lynch, Matt Sherman, Tom Simpson Contributing Writers Fred Agnir, Lea Andrews, Jose Burgos, Jonathan Demet, Tim Dunkley, Matt Jackson, Rob Johnson, Ken Shuman, Jerry Tarantola Administrative Offices PO Box 972 Kittanning, PA 1620

InsidePOOL Magazine Volume XI, Issue 1 (ISSN1547-3511) is published monthly except June and August by Spheragon Publishing, PO Box 972, Kittanning, PA 16201. Single copy price: $3.95 in U.S.A., $5.95 in Canada. Subscription prices: $19.99/yr in the U.S.A., $28/yr in Canada, $39/yr international. Periodicals postage at Kittanning, PA, and additional mailing offices. Submissions of manuscripts, illustrations, and/or photographs must be accompanied by a self-addressed, stamped envelope. The publisher assumed no responsibility for unsolicited material. Reproduction of this magazine in whole or in part without written permission of the publisher is prohibited. POSTMASTER: Please send address changes to: InsidePOOL Magazine, PO Box 972, Kittanning, PA 16201.PRINTED IN THE U.S.A. 4 InsidePOOL Magazine ◊ January 2011

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Advertiser Directory

To contact any of our advertisers, visit their website, send an e-mail, or give them a call.

Diamond Billiard Inspired Jewelry www.PoolJewelry.com Iwan Simonis, Inc. www.SimonisCloth.com

American Poolplayers Association www.PoolPlayers.com

Inside Front Cover

Jason Lynch 42 www.MichiganKid.com

Jim Murnak Cue Cases 38 www.JimMurnakCueCases.com

Baby’s Pro Shop www.BabysProShop.com

London Bridge Billiard Products 47 www.LondonBridgeBilliards.com

Banks That Don’t Go—But Do! 773-956-6280

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Masters 10-Ball Tournament 757-499-8900

Billiard Community www.BilliardCommunity.com

McDermott Handcrafted Cues www.McDermottCue.com

Billiard Education Foundation www.BilliardEducation.org

Pneu Power Cues 19 www.PneuPowerCues.com

Atlas Billiard Supplies www.CueStik.com

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Inside Back Cover 1

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Break Speed www.MyBreakSpeed.com

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Castillo Leather Goods www.CastilloLeatherGoods.com

Tiger Products www.TigerProducts.com

Classified Ads

Tom Simpson, Billiard Instruction www.PoolClinics.com

8 InsidePOOL Magazine ◊ October 2010

15, Back Cover

9 11

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< by Tom Simpson

Learning Through Cosmosis

tween the CB and the pocket intended for that OB. If you’d like to try more balls in your cosmo, simply continue adding balls in this fashion.

once in a while, you’ll hear an old-timer in the E very poolroom exclaim, “Hey, it’s a cosmo!”

Once you’ve constructed your cosmo pattern, align your cue ball to the first OB. See how well you can execute the pattern. It requires perfect stop shots from a variety of distances. Often, when you’re off by a slight amount, you may be able to recover position using spin or cheating the pocket. Really—try it. This is not as easy as it looks in diagrams.

Huh? What’s a cosmo? Was that a sharking move? No, a cosmo is a layout (or a portion of a layout) that can be played as a series of stop shots. We’ll work with this idea a bit, but first let’s pay homage to the man behind the moniker. Sorry, it’s not Cosmo Kramer, of “Seinfeld” fame. I’m told that in the 1960s Tom Cosmo was a burlesque comedian and a pretty good straight pool player. Back in the day, the Jansco brothers, who put on the infamous Hustlers Jamboree in Johnston City, Illinois, each year, hired Cosmo to entertain at the event. Cosmo actually wore a clown suit while he was performing. One of his exhibition specialties was to set up a 9-ball rack and then run out all the balls with perfect stop shots. And so it came to pass that layouts that could be played as stop shots became known as cosmos. Wouldn’t it be nice if you knew how to spot these patterns? Let’s work on that a little. Study the layout below. It’s a 9-ball cosmo. Notice how a perfect stop shot on each ball sets up for a perfect stop shot on the next. Would you have discerned this pattern?

2 7 9

Instruction

3 8 6

Stop the cue ball dead on every shot, leaving it perfectly straight on the next shot.

’

I suggest starting with three- or four-ball cosmos. Your stop shots may not be as crisp as you expect. Shooting these patterns is a terrific way to perfect your stops. A tip: If you’re having trouble stopping accurately, try shooting more firmly. This pattern practice is also a great way to develop your finesse position play—getting back in line, recovering from slight errors, moving the cue ball a little this way or that. Worthwhile stuff. If you’ve gone to the bother of actually constructing a few cosmos, as I hope you will, you’ll find you will recognize them more readily in play.

The old-timers would say, “I can stop on a dime and give change.” Being able to stop the cue ball dead at whatever distance (within reason) is one of the most critical of pool skills. This exercise will show you the truth of your stop skills—and the truth of why it matters.

Learn through cosmosis. Stop dead.

The best way to learn to recognize cosmos is by constructing and executing some yourself. Start with an easy one, maybe just three balls. Place the first OB somewhere on the table. Freeze the CB directly behind the OB (the ghost ball position), in line with the pocket to which it will be shot. Now, place the second OB on the line directly between the CB and the pocket intended for that OB. 10

You’re planning to stop the cue ball dead on every shot, leaving it perfectly straight on the next shot. To place a third OB, freeze the CB to the ghost ball position behind the second OB. Just as before, place the third OB on the line directly be10 InsidePOOL Magazine ◊ January 2011

Tom Simpson Tom Simpson is a Master Instructor in both the BCA and ACS Instructor Programs. He delivers his acclaimed 3-Day Weekend Intensive in 12 cities nationwide. As inventor of Elephant Practice Balls®, the Stroke Groover™, and the Ghostball Aim Trainer®, and authorized instructor for Secret Aiming Systems™, Tom’s innovations in training have helped thousands of players. Listen to an audio description of the Intensive, and read 35 instructional articles at www.NationalBilliardAcademy.com. Contact: Tom@PoolClinics.com.

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< by Jason Lynch

Billiards Skeet Shooting

tainty. In what other pool sport do you hit a ball while it is moving? I have chosen three different types of “wing shots” for this month’s lesson—so named by Tom Rossman, arguably the best in the world at these shots, because the ball is “winged in” as it rolls. The key to any wing shot is in the roll of the moving ball. If the ball is rolled too fast, you may have a hard time repositioning for the stroke of the cue. If the ball is rolled too far offline, you may be faced with an almost impossible cut.

The last of the three wing shots is one of the craziest shots I have ever seen made in competition, and it was made by “Dr. Cue” at the first APA Ultimate Trickshot competition held in Las Vegas. Tom rolled not one, but two balls down table and made both in one shot. He used a bowling pin for a blocker and the shot was akin to picking up a 7-10 split. Tom used to bowl quite often and has a 300 ring. Who knew that bowling could translate to pool?

I say that artistic pool is unlike any other W hen pool game, I can say that with the utmost cer-

v 9

Wing Shots

The first is a normal wing shot. Each of the balls is rolled down the table past the chalk and cut into the cornet on the fly. I usually try to roll the balls at the center diamond of the end rail. The cue ball must be hit from behind the black line. v

2 6

holding area for balls

chalk

roll object ball by hand shoot cue ball to rolling object ball v

The second of the wing shots for this month is the reverse of the first. The cue ball is rolled down table and the object ball is hit with the cue and caromed into the corner off the cue ball. The roll point for this shot is one and a half diamonds from the corner into which we are playing the object balls. The hardest part is waiting until the object ball gets past the chalk! 8

Reverse Wing Shots holding zone

chalk

e lin ll lin ing l ro shoot l a b ll cue ct ba e j b o

4 3 2

both balls held in hand 1

12 InsidePOOL Magazine ◊ January 2011 6

Instruction

Jason Lynch Jason Lynch grew up playing pool in Michigan. In his early twenties he started playing in the VNEA and placed as high as 16th in 8-ball and 9-ball. In 2005, he won the Michigan VNEA speed pool contest. He has also pocketed 11,100 and 12,011 balls in 24 hours as fundraisers for the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life. In 2007 he had his best finish to date, placing sixth at the Artistic Pool U.S. Open and winning the stroke category. Jason is ranked 14th in the world by the WPA. His sponsors are Shelti Pool Tables, Seybert’s Billiard Supply, McDermott Cue, and Leisure Elements. Visit his website at www.michigankid.com.

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Instruction

Fear and Ignorance

< by Bob Henning

in the zone requires a high level of trust and P laying confidence and a natural balance of left and right

brain functions. The major obstacle to achieving this dead stroke state and getting your best game out and into competition is the presence of fear and ignorance.

Most people know themselves from a left brain perspective and the ego that they have formed over the course of their life is very often who they consider themselves to be. They can shut this off and turn control over to the right brain during execution when nothing is at stake, but when the pressure is increased, they seize up. In an attempt to reduce the risk, some players will attempt to control their entire performance, even the right brain activities, with the left brain thinker. It takes courage to put the ego aside and let the unconscious player come to the forefront.

A pool player works best when he loses himself and plays pool.

’

Minnesota Fats said that what made him such a tough money player was that he did not experience fear. He wasn’t afraid of being busted and losing what he had. Most of the great money players from his era had the same trait. They experienced no fear about being busted, because a loss on the pool table was simply that—a loss at the table, something that had happened to them many times before. It was uncomfortable, but it did not threaten their identity. A pool player trying to reduce his vulnerability by controlling his performance is like an actor trying to play a role by faking it. It doesn’t work. An actor works best when he actually loses himself—when he surrenders himself and becomes the character he is playing. A pool player works best when he loses himself and plays pool.

Fear in pool competition almost always stems directly from ignorance. To let go fully, you have to know what you are doing. To be able to go with the flow of your game, you have to know it and trust it. If you haven’t trained yourself to deliver a smooth and level stroke, for instance, you can’t trust yourself to do so in competition. If you haven’t trained yourself to recognize the correct ways to move the cue ball around the table, you won’t trust yourself to do so during a match. If you 14 InsidePOOL Magazine ◊ January 2011

don’t know when you are supposed to pass up a shot and play safe, you will eventually break down your confidence and open the door for anxiety and fear. Trust and confidence are based on belief, and belief is based on training and experience. When your flow of play is constantly interrupted with situations in which you don’t know what to do, you will have a hard time getting in stroke. It will be difficult to resist the urge to move the thinker up to the front office. In fact, it’s appropriate to turn the situation over to him because analysis is what he does best. The problem comes when you call on him too often. He begins to think he is in charge, and he can and will undermine your efforts to let go if you give him too much space. This is what people mean when they talk about paralysis by analysis—when you overextend your welcome to the thinker. In competition, for most shots, if you think for more than about 20 or 30 seconds, you are probably flirting with trouble. The best ways to reduce the fear and ignorance associated with pool competition are also the most important requirements for playing at a high level. You have to practice, study, and train—a lot. If you do so, you will have better command of your tools, and you will also know what to do in many more situations. In closing, here’s some information and an opportunity for you. This is my ninety-seventh column for InsidePOOL Magazine. I’m planning on writing an even one hundred columns of this nature and then convert to a specific shot-and-table-situation format. If there are any topics you would like me to tackle in the next three columns, please let me know. You can send your ideas to the editor, Sally Timko, via e-mail to editor@insidepoolmag. com.

Good luck and good shootin’!

Bob Henning Bob Henning is the author of The Pro Book, widely considered to be the most advanced training resource for competitive pool players. It brings the latest techniques of the top coaches and trainers of all sports into pool. It is intended for those who wish to prepare physically, mentally, and psychologically for pool competition. Bob is also the author of “The Pro Book Video Series,” a complete, on-the-table training system, and he also released The Advanced Pro Book and The Stroke Zone: The Pool Player’s Guide to Dead Stroke. In addition, he has authored Cornbread Red, a biography of the colorful Billy Burge.

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< by Matt Sherman

Take That to the Bank! to Kill (1990) was one of the first Steven Seagal acH ard tion blockbusters. In it, the loathsome Senator Trent has a slogan that voters can trust him and they can “take that to the bank.” Seagal as tough guy Mason Storm responds, “I’m gonna take you to the bank, Senator Trent. To the blood bank!” Sinking banks is fine, but to draw blood, one must shape the cue ball too. Even a winning 8 or 9 ball bank becomes a loser with a scratch. Let’s review basic bank aim and get our cue ball into shape. Beginner to intermediate players should learn two basic banks, starting with “1-2-3 bank aiming” and then widening or tightening the object ball as needed with english. v

the inside english (left english on the cue ball, which produces a small amount of right english on the object ball), narrows the shot rebound off the rail. Of course, a tighter rebound means you must aim on a line coming straighter into the side pocket. Now you know why the pros hit banks close to the side pocket hard and inside on one of those rare occasions when a harder stroke is suited for play.

v v

After a couple of hard inside banks, take a couple of the outside banks shown (the orange line for the 5 ball in Diagram B). Shoot quite softly using outside english (right english on this shot). Shooting just two or three inside hard banks and then a couple of spin banks before each session makes a huge difference in all your banking. Something about the angles and the different sort of concentration involved for banks make cue position an “anything goes” proposition for many players. Watch where your cue ball rolls to on the two practice shots of Diagram B, and you’ll be amazed at your new-found ability to roll to the next shot after any bank. Another help is to cut the object ball to the bank spot as if there was no rail to hit, which relaxes the nerves and prevents squeezing or clutching the stroke. Your goal is to grow your confidence to stay on one side of the table or cross over for the next stroke—something vital for defensive shape, too, if you fail to pocket a banked ball. And when you’re ready to fly, move on to read Freddy the Beard’s article elsewhere in this issue. He’ll help raise your bank skills to a new level! *Matt’s tip of the month: Chalk your tip before every shot. If the next shot sinks without chalk, you got lucky, and it’s better to be prepared than (un)lucky in the next inning. 1

The 1-2-3 method (Diagram A) aims the cut on an object ball for a one-rail bank: Line 1: Identify the shortest line between the object ball and the banking cushion. Line 2: Imagine a line parallel to Line 1 that runs from the scoring pocket directly across the table to the opposite pocket. Line 3: Cross the lines formed between pocket and rail point, and ball and opposite pocket, and a third parallel line from the cross point shows where to aim for the bank. Some help for all your bank shots: • Bear in mind that the edge of the object ball, not its center, strikes the cushion, which helps in concentration as you develop your bank sighting • Aim near the bottom of the cushions near the cloth, and not the top of the rail, as the view up top is off slightly from the true bank angle • You’ll need outside english on the object ball when you want to widen the angle off the cushion (forcing the 1-2-3 point away from the pocket) or inside english on the object ball to tighten the rebound (banking the bank closer to the pocket) 2

Speaking of spin banks, they are a deadly weapon using this simple technique. Pound a couple of hard inside banks (the purple 4 ball track in Diagram B) into a side pocket to start any pool session. The harder stroke creates faster speed, which, along with 16 InsidePOOL Magazine ◊ January 2011

Instruction

Matt Sherman Get in shape for pool with Matt "Quick Draw" Sherman, who appears frequently in print and on television promoting billiards and entertainment. His popular site is billiards.about.com, and his Picture Yourself Shooting Pool book and DVD is available at Amazon.com and other outlets worldwide.

Featured Member - A.J. Londono Stats:

I was born in Long Island, NY, 22 years ago. I now live in Boca Raton, FL, and attend college at Florida Atlantic University. My favorite game is 9-ball, and I shoot with a Mezz/Predator collaboration custom cue and a Mezz break cue.

Q: What brought you to the game of pool? A: I grew up watching my father play pool and fell in love with it.

We have a table at the house, so I naturally started playing, eventually becoming the BilliardCommunity.com 8-Ball League’s number-one-ranked player!

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of pool to a whole new audience. It is bringing new age social networking to a game that has been overlooked for far too long. Billiard Community is growing and giving recognition to a game that I love and enjoy like countless others around the country. Everyone should definitely check it out and join and support the movement so that we can all grow and share the sport we love.

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Instruction

A Little Knowledge is a Good Antidote for Difficulty seldom-played but very makeable one-rail bank, T his featuring edge-to-edge aiming, shows a situation in one-pocket that is seldom taken enough advantage of. Most players, even if they consider the shot, are usually put off by the prospect of scratching in one of the corner pockets. Diagram 1 v

v hard

edge to edge

< by Freddy Bentivegna

Yes, at first glance they appear to not be “on,” but if played properly they can become “automatics”—shots with a high expectation of scoring. If executed correctly, the actual “make” percentage of these shots is probably pretty close to even money—they should go approximately one out of every two times attempted. Both the cue ball and the object ball are lined up dead in the middle of the side pockets. Many players think they need english to make these types of shots, but I use a level cue, dead center ball, no english whatsoever, with a half-ball aim and hard speed. The balls in Diagram 3 are lined up exactly as in Diagram 2. The biggest difference between making this shot three times as opposed to making it two times per Diagram 2 is the speed used to make it. Diagram 3 3 3

However, with a little practice anyone can get the hang of it. Use a razor-thin cut with extreme reverse english (right english in this case), and extreme draw. Use a hard speed. The draw and reverse english keep the cue ball from scratching in one of the corner pockets. Would I shoot this shot for the money? Yes sir, and I have done so on many an occasion. Let’s investigate two more shots that are often overlooked and seldom played. Again, many players recognize the possibility of these shots but mistakenly think they are much more difficult than they really are. 6

Diagram 2

v 1

2 6

18 InsidePOOL Magazine ◊ January 2011 14

In Diagram 2 we used hard speed to make it twice. The key on this shot is to use firm speed for it to go three times. Another slight adjustment is to cut this shot slightly more than the previous shot. We need to slice it a little more than the half-ball cut we had used to make it twice across. 6

To repeat, level cue, dead center-ball, no english whatsoever, with a little more than a half-ball cut. But this time we are going to tone our stroke down a little and only use a firm speed.

Chicago-born Freddy “The Beard” Bentivegna has been in the mainstream and the underbelly of pool for over 50 years. In 2005 Freddy was elected on the first ballot into the Bank Pool Hall of Fame. He has written two books and two popular DVDs on his specialty, bank pool. He is widely regarded as one of the premier experts on the game and science of banks.

Freddy Bentivegna

half full ball left

slightly less than half ball left v

In pool, unlike singles bars, it’s not who you know, it’s what you know.

hard

firm

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WHITE

Outlasts the Pros at Carolina Open Daulton Brings Home One-Pocket Title

by Lea Andrews

n amateur player, AA-ranked Brian White, fought his way through a field dotted with pros to emerge the undefeated winner at the Great Southern Billiard Tour Championship event, which also served as the 9th Annual Carolina Open. The $7,500-guaranteed purse 9-ball event, which was run alongside mini tournaments and a one-pocket event, won by Shannon Daulton, November 10-14, drew 60 tough players to Fast Eddie’s Sports Bar and Grill in Goldsboro, NC. White tossed aside several amateur players before coming upon last year’s third-place finisher, Shawn “Big Bubba” Putnam. Putnam, who was racing to 13, rushed out to a 5-0 lead, but after White played safe on the 1 ball in the next rack, Putnam’s hit, a jump/massé, left White out and on the board. Putnam regained his lost rack and then some, stretching his lead to a seemingly unconquerable eight racks at 9-1. A safety exchange in the next rack went in White’s favor, allowing him to finish out the rack to make it 9-2, and the break-and-run that followed put the score at 9-3. White continued to edge closer, bringing the score to 10-7, but Putnam marked up two in a row to reach the hill 12-7. The final 9 ball eluded him, though. White took the last four racks to win the weighted match 1112 and proceed to the winners’ side final four, where he faced Larry “The Truth” Nevel. This time the two-game spot lent him no assistance, and White moved on 11-8 to the hot seat

match against Alex Olinger, who’d managed his own big win over defending champion, Hall-of-Famer Johnny “The Scorpion” Archer 9-8. In the hot seat match, it was White giving up the two games, but he held back Olinger 11-7 to become the last man standing on the winners’ side. On the other side of the bracket, tour director Shannon “The Cannon” Daulton, who’d fallen in the third round to Nevel 13-10, plowed his way through Josh Newman 13-6, Chris Bruner 13-8, Ryan Buck 13-6, and Evan Lunda 13-1 before facing Nevel once again. Meanwhile, Putnam ousted Sam Monday 13-9 and Tony Morrison 13-6 to meet up with Archer, but it was the end of the road for him. Coming up two racks shy, Putnam landed in fifth, while Archer moved on to the quarterfinals against Daulton, who’d exacted his revenge on Nevel 13-11. The first two racks went to Archer, but Daulton answered with two racks of his own, and the two veterans stayed with each other through the beginning of the match. Archer missed a 5 ball to go up 7-5, allowing Daulton to tie it at 6, and though Archer nosed ahead at 10-8 and 11-9, Daulton once again evened the score at 11. A position error that nearly left Archer corner-hooked looked as if it could be Daulton’s chance to pull ahead, but “The Scorpion” was able to see enough of the 5 ball to play it off the 9 ball in the side, and the rest of the balls soon followed. A break and run in the final rack put him into

20 InsidePOOL Magazine ◊ January 2011

Brian White Alex Olinger

RESULTS:

Johnny Archer

Shawn Putnam

Open Results: 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 7th 9th

Brian White Alex Olinger Johnny Archer Shannon Daulton Larry Nevel Shawn Putnam Evan Lunda Tony Morrison T.J. Moore Ryan Buck B.J. Hucks Sam Monday

One-Pocket Results: 1st 2nd 3rd

Shannon Daulton Shawn Putnam Nick Varner

$2,500 $1,500 $1,000 $600 $400 $250 $150

$600 $350 $170

the semifinals 13-11, while Daulton stayed behind in fourth. Archer soon followed, though, as Olinger managed the honor yet again of pocketing the final 9 ball in a match against a legend, advancing to a finals rematch against White 9-9. Olinger hit the string first in the alternate-break, true double-elimination final match, but White took six straight before Olinger hit it again to make it 6-2. White held on to his lead through the next several racks, and he three-fouled Olinger to reach the hill 10-5. He looked to be well on his way to the win after breaking open the next rack and making a thin cut on the 2 ball, but his miss on the 7 ball left brought Olinger back to the table to kick. White tried a safety next, but Olinger was able to make the long shot and claim the rack for himself. The next one went to Olinger, too, when the 9 fell prematurely, and after White scratched on the break in the next rack, Olinger got out to make it hill-hill 10-8. He had to win the final rack to push the second set, but nothing fell for him on the break— he’d missed his chance. White didn’t allow him back at the table, pocketing all the balls to become the undefeated Carolina Open champion. In the 20-entrant one-pocket event, which featured a staggered entry fee based on skill level, Shawn Putnam shut out Sparky Ferrell 3-0 to reach the hot seat match against

Nick Varner, who’d sent Shannon Daulton west 3-1. Edging out Varner 3-2, Putnam claimed the hot seat while Varner moved over to the left side of the bracket, where Larry Nevel, who’d suffered a first-round 3-0 loss to Putnam, was trying to make his way back to him. Shutting out Chris Adams, Mike Basha, Sidney Champion and Adam Towery, Nevel seemed well on his way, but he hit a Daulton-shaped roadblock and landed in fifth 3-1, as did Brian White, thanks to Ferrell. In the quarterfinal match, Daulton held Ferrell to one game to advance to Varner. The seasoned players battled it out, but Daulton, who is accustomed to being behind the scenes on his normally amateur-only tour, enjoyed a rare opportunity to earn a spot in the finals, which he did 3-1, putting Varner in third. To reach the winner’s circle, though, Daulton had to win both sets of the true double-elimination final match. He took the first set 3-1 and then got up in the second set 2-0. In the third game, with seven balls left on the table, Daulton needed just one. Putnam played carefully, taking advantage of a cluster uptable, leaving Daulton in the middle of it and seemingly without a shot, but Daulton could see the winning ball resting against the opposite rail. The wide bank shot fell cleanly into Daulton’s pocket, and he finished the tournament in style with a 3-0 shutout.

Shannon Daulton January 2011 ◊ InsidePOOLmag.com 21

Videos GSBT Championships

o o o o o o o o o o o o o o

Nick Varner vs Wendell Tompkins at the Great Southern Billiard Tour Championships Shawn Putnam vs Brian White at the Great Southern Billiard Tour Championships Billiards Shannon Daulton vs Nick Varner at the Great Southern Billiard Tour Championships Jeff Abernathy vs Sam Monday at the Great Southern Billiard Tour Championships Jeff Abernathy vs Adam Hill at the Great Southern Billiard Brian White vs Alex Olinger Hot Seat Match in the 9-Ball Brian White vs Alex Olinger in the Finals of the 9-Ball Great Southern Billiard Tour Billiards Johnny Archer vs Shawn Putnam at the Great Southern Billiard Tour Championship Johnny Archer vs Alex Olinger 1 in the 9-Ball of the Great Southern Billiard Tour Championship Johnny Archer vs Alex Olinger in the 9-Ball of the Great Southern Billiard Tour Championship Billiards Johnny Archer vs Shannon Daulton 9-Ball Match Billiards Larry Nevel vs Shannon Daulton at the Great Southern Billiard Larry Nevel vs Jeff Abernathy at the Great Southern Billiard Tour Championships Larry Nevel vs. Chris Vollmar Finals mini tourney at the Great Southern Billiards Tour

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America North

Gains

Gold

Silver

Medals

2010 World Junior 9-Ball Champions byCrowned InsidePOOL Staff

A North American medal winners Brianna Miller, Jesse Engel, Brittany Bryant

Results: Boys’ Division:

Ist Gold Medalist Francisco Ruiz-Sanchez (ESP) 2nd Silver Medalist Jesse Engel (USA) 3rd Bronze Medalist Ruslan Chinahov (RUS)

Girls’ Division:

1st Gold Medalist Brittany Bryant (CAN) 2nd Silver Medalist Briana Miller (USA) 3rd Bronze Medalist Anastasia Nechaeva (RUS)

World Junior Championships Medalists

22 InsidePOOL Magazine ◊ January 2011

fter the last ball was pocketed at the XIX World Pool-Billiard Association (WPA) World Junior 9-Ball Championships, North America finished with a gold and silver medal in the girls’ division and a silver medal in the boys’ division. Junior billiard champions 19 years old or younger from 20 countries and 6 continents traveled to Reno, NV, to shoot for the world titles. The United States Pool Players Association (USPPA) and the Rail Bird Project produced this prestigious junior event alongside the WPA World Wheelchair 9-Ball Championships at the Peppermill Resort November 29-December 1. Brittany Bryant of Canada won her second gold medal and was crowned the 2010 WPA World Junior 9-Ball champion of the girls’ division. Bryant started strong, winning a match against Hee-Joo Kang of South Korea 7-4; 2009 WPA World Junior 9-Ball champion Keng Chun Lin of Taipei 7-5; and Jauslinn Arnold of the USA 7-3 before being bested her by determined 15year-old Briana Miller of the USA. Miller made her way through the winners’ bracket by edging ahead of long-time rival Samia Konishi of Japan 7-6. She then defeated Simone Kuenzl of Germany 7-3 and went on to win a thrilling match 7-6 after trailing four games against Karen Garcia of Nicaragua. She then sent Bryant to the one-loss side, winning handily 7-3. Bryant was anxious for another chance to play Miller and made quick work of the semifinal match against Anastasia Nechaeva of Russia, winning 7-1. In the one-set finals match, Miller’s swift shooting style was put to a halt when Bryant won three consecutive games when the score was tied at 6 apiece, giving her the match win 9-6 and the world title. Miller embraced the well-deserved silver medal.

Also representing the United States in the 16-player girls’ division were BEF Junior National champion Liz Lovely and Jauslinn Arnold. Arnold won two thrilling 7-6 matches against Zhi-Ting Wu of Taipei and Natalia Seroshtan of Russia before being defeated by Bryant and Nechaeva. Arnold finished in fifth place, while Lovely finished thirteenth. In the boys’ division, Jesse Engel of the USA stormed through the winners’ bracket with victories over Manuel Ederer of Germany 9-4, Ryan Spence of Canada 9-3, and Marcos Garcia of Nicaragua 9-5. Engel then faced the defending champion, Ruslan Chinahov of Russia, winning gracefully 9-6, and then sent Francisco RuizSanchez of Spain to the one-loss side in a close match 9-7. The undefeated Engel patiently awaited an opponent to battle for the world title. Meanwhile, Sanchez seized any glimpse of hope that former champion Chinahov had to defend his title by whirling through their match and winning 9-1. Sanchez charged ahead for a rematch with Engel, taking the bull by the horns, and won the match 11-6 to be crowned with the gold medal. Engel took honors to become the 2010 silver medalist. Among the field of 31 boys who competed in the event were USA favorites Danny Olson, finishing in seventh place; BEF Junior National champion Landon Shuffett, finishing in ninth place; Billy Thorpe finishing in seventeenth place; and Brendan Crockett taking twenty-fifth place. Other North American players include Canadians Ryan Spence and Pod Shognosh, finishing seventeenth and twenty-fifth, respectively.

World Junior Championships North American Group

Karen Corr

nior 9-Ball Championships just a few days prior to the Niagara Falls event. She traveled from Reno, NV, across the country to play against the top women pros in the U.S. and suffered a hill-hill loss to Sarah Rousey 9-8.

Pan

Goes Overboard

at Niagara Falls

Earns WPBA Tour Championship Title by InsidePOOL Staff iaoting Pan won her first— and last—Women’s Professional Billiard Association event this year when she bested Karen Corr in the finals of the tour championship. The tour wrapped up its 2010 season at the Seneca Niagara Casino and Hotel in Niagara Falls, NY, December 1-5, where Pan was one of 64 ladies to attend.

included Lisa Davis 9-3 and Joanne Ashton 9-8. A 9-6 defeat at the hands of Pan sent her to the oneloss side, where she then faced off against defending champion Jasmin Ouschan, who had been sent west by Helena Thornfeldt 9-5 in the second round. Going on to the final elimination round, Lee was sent home in ninth place by Julie “Motor Molly” Kelly 9-4.

Jeanette Lee’s first tour stop after the birth of her daughter in September saw her advance to Saturday’s matches with wins that

Another big story of the event started taking shape when Brittany Bryant, the young gun from Canada, won the World Ju-

But Bryant rebounded to make her way to the final round of 16 via a 9-2 routing of Amy Chen to earn a lopsided 9-3 win over Monica Webb. She then went on to a showdown against Jennifer Chen, who had just ousted Cathy Metzinger 9-2 in the previous round. This was a closer match for Bryant, but she still was able to prevail decisively 9-5 to advance to the final four. Meeting her in the semifinals was veteran Corr, who had gone undefeated through the event and just eliminated former junior champion Mary Rakin 9-4. And though Bryant had a good portion of the crowd cheering her on against the seasoned Irishwoman, before she knew it, Corr had won six racks in a row in the shortened race to 7. In the seventh game Bryant made an intelligent run-out to get on the board, but she ran into trouble in the next rack on the 1 ball and hung it in the corner. Corr approached the table and calmly pocketed the remaining balls for a 7-1 semifinal victory. The second semifinal featured Pan, fresh off a 9-3 defeat of Kelly, against Ga Young Kim, who had just narrowly bested Billiard Congress of America Hall of Fame member Allison Fisher in a hill-hill nail-biter. Pan took an early tworack lead, but Kim quickly fought back, and after give and take by both players the score was knotted at 6 apiece. In the final game, Pan missed a 1-9 combination, but Kim followed with a miss of her own. After that, there was no stopping Pan, who fired a 2-9 billiard in

Brittany Bryant

to sink the 9 ball and advance to the finals 7-6. In the final race to 7, Pan was able to take a daunting 3-0 lead right from the start after two errors by Corr and a run-out of her own. Corr got on the board after Pan missed a safety, and then she narrowed the gap after a weak safety attempt. “The Irish Invader” tied the score at 3 when Pan missed a cut on the 8 ball after coming up short on position. An inadequate safety by Corr gave Pan the lead again in the next 4-3, which lengthened to a 5-3 lead after a miscue by Corr in the next rack. But Corr is not one of the tour’s top players for nothing, and she put the following game under her belt after Pan jawed the 5 ball to draw within one rack. However, things looked grim for Corr when she scratched attempting to play safe and allowed Pan to reach the hill 6-4. In the final rack, Corr made three balls on the break and ducked. Pan also opted to play safe, and Corr kicked at the 2 ball and left a shot. It was all Pan needed, as she thinly cut in the 2 ball and dished up for the tour championship title.

Results:

Ga Young Kim

1st 2nd 3rd 5th 9th

Xiaoting Pan Karen Corr Brittany Bryant Ga Young Kim Jennifer Chen Mary Rakin Julie Kelly Allison Fisher Jeanette Lee Cathy Metzinger Helena Thornfeldt Gerda Hofstatter Monica Webb Melissa Little Vivian Villareal Sarah Rousey

January 2011 ◊ InsidePOOLmag.com 23

(L-R): Ralf Souquet, Mika Immonen, Johan Ruijsink, Darren Appleton, Nick Van den Berg, Karl Boyes

Mosconi cup

by Matt Jackson photos courtesy of Matchroom Sport / Lawrence Lustig

For the third time in four years Team Europe proved the stronger team as they steamrolled Team USA on their way to an 11-8 victory at the 2010 PartyCasino.net Mosconi Cup. Though America had possession after the 2009 event, Europe again showed that they are not to be trifled with when it comes to the ownership of the prestigious Cup.

Ralf Souquet and Darren Appleton congratulate each other on a European victory. 24 InsidePOOL Magazine ◊ January 2011

he immensely popular event was held December 9-13 and returned to York Hall in Bethnal Green, East London, for the first time in eight years, where tickets sold like hot cakes. Commented Matchroom Sport chairman Barry Hearn, ÒThe interest in this event is absolutely incredible, and ever since we announced the York Hall as the venue for Mosconi Cup XVII, the phones have never stopped ringing. Not having staged the Mosconi in the UK for eight years now, it is exciting to realize that the event has really come of age.Ó

Five team members and one non-playing captain comprised each contingent. Team Europe was headed by Johan Ruijsink and manned by Darren Appleton and Karl Boyes of the U.K., Ralf Souquet of Germany, Mika Immonen of Finland, and Nick Van den Berg of Holland. For Team USA, Nick Varner captained Johnny Archer, Rodney Morris, Corey Deuel, Shane Van Boening, and Dennis Hatch.

USA LEADS CHARGE ON DAY ONE

Day One saw Team America leave the arena with a one-game edge, for though Team Europe won the team match that traditionally opens the event each year, the U.S. took the next two matches. The effervescent doubles team of Rodney Morris and Dennis Hatch took a daunting 5-0 lead in the second match over the pairing of HollandÕs Nick Van den Berg and GermanyÕs Ralf Souquet, but Europe clawed back into the match to bring it to 5-4 USA before a failed crossbank by Van den Berg gave USA the win.

Mosconi cup

ÒIt was great to win coming off a loss, and you have to show a lot of heart. But as I've said, we've got more heart and we're going to show it,Ó said Morris.

“It was great to win coming off a loss, and you have to show a lot of heart. But as I’ve said, we’ve got more heart and we’re going to show it,” said Morris. Last yearÕs MVP, Hatch added, "I like the crowd and it's a different atmosphere to last year as they're not for us but against us. I can't be as emotional as I was in Las Vegas but I'm still not going to sink back into my chair. I'm still going to try to get my team riled up.Ó To cap the day, Corey Deuel played the lone singles match against Mika Immonen, who led 3-0 only to watch Deuel end up the 6-4 victor.

APPLETON SHINES ON DAY TWO

Each team scored two points during the Friday night session, which saw Team USA go into Day Three still with a slight advantage in the race to 11. Three of the four

matches played were decided by a single rack, emphasizing the closeness of the competition. In the show opener, recent U.S. Open 9-Ball Championship winner ÒDynamiteÓ Darren Appleton and rookie Karl Boyes joined forces to go up against veteran Johnny Archer and partner Shane Van Boening. A match full of nerves, atmosphere, and brave shot-making, mainly from Appleton, had Europe as 6-3 winners, evening the total score at 2-all. Appleton was delighted with his form. "I've been playing really well for the last couple of months. Last year I didn't win a point. But here the crowd is amazing and a major help. I like to play in teams with Karl and he's a good friend and has been for fifteen years, so this is a dream. We knew we were a great team, so to get a point on board for the guys is amazing." The captainÕs pick match, where the respective skippers select their opponentÕs player, put Archer and Souquet in the arena. Presumably both players were there for their shakier performance on Day One, but it turned out to be another thriller. Archer took a big 4-0 lead as Souquet foundered, but ÒThe SurgeonÓ found himself and came back to make it 5-4 in his favour. The miracle comeback was not to be, though, as ÒThe ScorpionÓ took the next two racks to restore the USAÕs one-point lead. There was another towering performance for YorkshireÕs Appleton in the third match of the evening as he and Souquet nicked a point from Morris and Deuel to once again level things. In a nip and tuck affair, the USA reached the hill first and, breaking for the match, Deuel delivered a good one. Their visit came undone, though, as Deuel played an inexplicable shot and massively overran the cue ball. Morris's attempt at a safety left everything on for Europe and they took what was a thrilling match to the hill.

Last year’s MVP Dennis Hatch and doubles partner Shane Van Boening celebrate.

ˢʫː ˖ˊˇ ˈˋː˃ˎ ˄˔ˇ˃ˍ ˑˈ ˖ˊˇ ˏ˃˖˅ˊʏ ʣ˒˒ˎˇ˖ˑː ˆˇˎˋ˘ˇ˔ˇˆ ˃ ˒ˇ˃˔ˎˇ˔ ˃˕ three balls dropped and there was a clear shot on the 2 ball. They completed the run out for the win and Appleton danced with delight, even planting a kiss on SouquetÕs cheek. But USA got the final word in a high-quality encounter that saw Van Boening edge past Van den Berg in a match that either player could have won. It all came down to the final rack when Van den Berg got to the table but was forced to play safe after a poor positional shot. January 2011 ◊ InsidePOOLmag.com 25

"I was very lucky and missed a couple of shots. We had a few rolls that went against us yesterday but got lucky today,Ó said Archer. "I would rather be seven up but leading is much better than losing. But this is going to be a dog fight and I expect it to go to the end." ˢ It was Boyes, though, who dented those hopes in the final match of the session as he defeated Morris 5-2 against the odds, making it three wins from three matches for Boyes.

THE SCREAM TEAM

In an unbelievable night of drama, Europe took down three of the four matches to take a two-point lead into the final day, only needing three wins to regain the PartyCasino.com Mosconi Cup. ˢˢ The evening started brightly for Team USA as Hatch and Van Boening pulled the first point of the evening right out of the fire as they came from 4-1 down to take the match in the final rack. It was a bitter blow for the Europeans, who had yet to take the lead since the opening team game. Hatch, who barely completed an interview with Sky SportsÕ Andy Goldstein last year without the tears flowing, was no different this time. ˢ "Representing my country means more to me than anything. I'm fighting for my country, with my family back home watching I want to perform... the tears are coming,Ó said an emotional Hatch. ˢ EuropeÕs win in the second match was almost predictable as they squared the scores for the fifth time in the competition. It was Boyes again who grabbed the point along with Souquet as they got the better of Morris and Archer 5-4 after almost letting the match slip away from them.

Mosconi cup ”I was born in London and feel at home here. This crowd is great.”

Van Boening blasted the cue ball across the table and managed to fluke the 2 into the middle pocket. One pot and a 3-9 combination and it was all overAmerica went to bed as Mosconi Cup leaders.

THE “WEAKEST LINK” PROVES U.S. WRONG

Boyes was the man Saturday afternoon as he got Europe on level terms twice: first with a 5-1 win in the company of Immonen over Hatch and Archer and then a 5-2 victory over Morris in the singles. That made the overall score a finely-poised 5-5 as the action moves into the Saturday evening session. Boyes was clearly motivated by HatchÕs earlier claims that he was the weak link in the European lineup. ÒIt's unbelievable,Ó Boyes exclaimed. ÒThat's for Dennis Hatch. If he's about or listening, that's for you, pal! With the races reduced from six to five because of time constraints, the pressure was even more intense for the players. Add to that the packed-to-the-rafters crowd, and the scene was set for a test of nerves. Archer had the redeem himself in the and he enjoyed some luck as he and partner Souquet and Immonen 5-2.

Corey Deuel watches as Souquet studies the table intently.

opportunity to second match, huge slices of Deuel bested

26 InsidePOOL Magazine ◊ January 2011

Next the Appleton and Hatch singles match was nothing short of sensational. It had everything that a pool match could have as Hatch came out the traps fast and once again built up a 4-1 lead. But Appleton, who looked in a bad way in the early stages, mounted a comeback and tied the score at 4-4 as Hatch broke for the match. ˢ He had a long shot on the 1 ball and made it and got position for the tricky-looking 4 ball. The hyped-up American looked good for the win but amazingly left a thin part of the 9 ball obscuring the 8. He tried to swerve round but failed to pot the ball, leaving a tough 8 ball up table for Appleton. He downed it and screamed out in excitement, jumping round the table. ˢ He pocketed the 9 ball, dropped his cue on the floor, ran around the table, and jumped high in the air into the arms of teammate Karl Boyes and then captain Johan Ruijsink. It may well have been the most exuberant celebration in Mosconi Cup history. The shaft on Appleton's cue got broken in the melee and Europe took the lead at 7-6, the first time they had lead since 1-0. ˢ It was Van den Berg and Immonen who delivered the crushing blow, though, as they hammered Van Boening and Deuel 5-1 to give their side a two-point cushion. ˢ ÒI'm over the moon,Ó said a delighted Van den Berg. ˢ Immonen added, "I was born in London and feel at home here. This crowd is great. Watching Darren win the last match, we just wanted to keep it going. With the emotion that came out of Darren we were all on a high and just wanted to continue in the same way."

Nick Van den Berg roots a ball in.

THE BOTTOM FALLS OUT FOR THE U.S.

Trailing by two coming into the Sunday afternoon session, the USA got off to the worst possible start as Morris bit the dust, a 6-1 victim of Immonen as the races returned to six. That meant that Europe was within two points of regaining the Cup. ˢ The flying Finn, making his fourteenth Mosconi Cup appearance, put in his most assured performance of the event so far, while Morris, by contrast, made too many mistakes to have a realistic chance of it. ˢ "I knew a lot of pressure was on my shoulders to keep the lead and if they close the gap then they could be unstoppable so it was important to come out with all guns blazing,Ó said a delighted Immonen.

"I'm honored by my coach to be picked first, and I'm glad I came through. Johnny Archer kept U.S. hopes alive in the next as he took away BoyesÕ unbeaten tag in another thrilling encounter. Boyes looked dead in the water at 5-1 down, but he looked composed as he got the match back to the inevitable 5-5 scoreline. Full credit to Archer, though, as he held his nerve and ran out the final rack from the break to keep his team right in it. "We've been fighting all week and it's tough. A couple of times I didn't get shots off the break but a couple of times I did and then the bottom fell out of it,Ó said an honest Archer "The pressure doesn't compare to anything. The Mosconi Cup pressure is something you never get to experience unless you're in the team.Ò

Mosconi cup

It was Hatch who got his side to within a point of the Europeans with another final rack win, this time over Van den Berg. Hatch led 4-0 but a spirited comeback from the Dutchman saw him reach the hill first. Hatch levelled it and they both had chances in the final rack before the American prevailed. ˢ "I think we've played horribly,Ó stated Hatch. ÒWe were supposed to have won almost every match. The only match we were supposed to lose was me and Johnny in the partners match but the momentum is now going our way.Ó ˢ

Johnny Archer kept the team spirit alive Sunday.

EUROPE STORMS TO MOSCONI CUP TRIUMPH

Karl Boyes revels in the crowd’s applause.

The teams entered the evening session with Europe needing two points and the Americans three, and it was Appleton who fired Europe within one point of victory with a stunning performance that put him right in line for the MVP award.

ˢ He defeated Van Boening 6-2 in what was a 50/50 match on paper, but the man from Pontefract put in his best show of the week to put his team on the hill. Appleton played some magnificent shots under pressure, including an eye-catching table-length draw shot as he overwhelmed Van Boening. That set the scene for Souquet to bring the Cup home for Europe. It was Souquet who downed the winning 9 ball - a repeat of the 2007 event when he bested Morris for an 11-8 win. This time his victim was Deuel, and the York Hall erupted as the GermanÕs teammates charged into the arena for some wild celebrations. ˢ "This is the greatest feeling on earth to make the final nine ball and make us win, Òsaid a jubilant Souquet. It was a disappointing end to the weekend for the Americans, though, who were always in it but fell away in the critical closing stages. ˢ "They played well, so congratulations to the Europeans. They outplayed us all week, and we just have to take it and wait for next year," commented Rodney Morris.

overnight and that set us up for today and the guys played awesome. The emotion is just crazy. We had a great spirit in the campÑthe crowd were fantastic and were our sixth man.Ó ˢ EnglandÕs Boyes, the only rookie in the event, completely dispelled any doubts about his ability to handle it with a string of match-winning performances. ˢ "I've watched a lot of Mosconi Cups being a sports fan, and everyone has always said Bethnal Green is the place it should be. On the first night I saw the crowd shouting and chanting, and it was just unbelievable. Everything has just been awesome," Boyes summed up.

The MVP Award went to Appleton, who won the hearts of the crowd with a string of marvellous performances filled with superb shot-making under pressure. His record of two singles and two doubles points with a single defeat was unmatched by any other player in the event. ÒYou can't win the Mosconi Cup without playing like a team, and the lads have been amazing,Ó said Appleton. "We had a lead January 2011 ◊ InsidePOOLmag.com 27

Pete Tonkin

Cue Maker’s Corner

The New Kid on the Block by Fred Agnir

hat does it take for a new cue maker to make a significant impact in the cue world? That is a conundrum, as normally the nature of the business demands “time in the trenches” as a requisite to put a cue builder’s name among the known top tier. There are the rare cases of cue makers who put themselves into the elite stratosphere very early in their career with their innovation and design. Today California’s Pete Tonkin has been gathering accolades and awards on his way to placing his name among the best of his peers in what has been a relatively short period of time.

28 InsidePOOL Magazine ◊ January 2011

Tonkin Custom Cues, including "Concertina," the 2010 Cue of the Year at the Super Billiards Expo (second from the top)

Born in 1960 in the small logging community of Willow Creek in the mountains of northern California, Pete Tonkin grew up around his family’s road construction business. Always working fabrication of some sort, Pete and his brother started a machine shop for the lumber industry in the early ‘90s. The work included designing and building custom complex computer-controlled equipment specialized for saw mills and other large wood operations. Additionally, Pete used his shop to build custom parts for hydroplane boats. This led to the fabrication and racing of the hydroplane boats themselves, a hobby shared by several of his friends. Tragedy befell Tonkin as he lost his best friend in a hydroplane accident, which in turn ended his passion for the sport.

The Perfect Background Like most of his contemporaries, Tonkin is a lifelong pool player. Upon looking at a catalog to purchase a new cue, he decided instead to try his hand at building one. He bought a forearm blank from the Prather Company to start. His vast knowledge and background in fabrication, marine assembly, custom equipment, and the wood industry made the attempt at custom cue building a natural fit. This combined knowledge from his previous career experience made his jump into building cues unique in the industry. His first cue was so successful that upon showing it to some of his friends, Tonkin immediately started getting orders. With the amount of information available through books and the Internet,

Tonkin was able to reverse engineer the building process rather quickly. Other than using a pre-made part for that first cue, Tonkin immediately started building his own forearm blanks. Because he already had a background that included CNC equipment, adding intricate CNC design work also came easily to Pete. That being said, he purchased a Gorton pantograph and forced himself to use it for a year. “I wanted to understand what people did when they only used pantographs,” he shared. “I wanted to experience that aspect of cue making.” To that point, Pete Tonkin is a vocal proponent of CNC technology. Looking at his cues today, it’s clear that he pushes the design capabilities of CNC. He believes the typical cue buyer may not give CNC its due respect. “I can take someone off the streets with average mechanical intelligence and teach them to run a pantograph in an afternoon,” he said. “I can’t teach someone CAM software and CNC machining in three months.”

Developing His Craft Pete developed his structural design to what he thought it should be based on his experience as a player and a fabricator. He used feedback from friends who are top flight players to help tweak and modify his methods. He credits cue makers Richard Chudy and Dave Jacoby as two of his biggest aids from the cue industry. Jacoby, the current president of the American Cuemakers Association (ACA) was the first cue maker Tonkin met in person and the

January 2011 ◊ InsidePOOLmag.com 29

lar. He will not stray from these standards as they are what make Tonkin custom cues consistent from cue to cue.

The Driving Force Pete Tonkin is now concentrating on building fancier cues, trying to push the boundaries of design—the more complex the design, the better. That’s what drives him as he admits to getting bored easily. The machining and fabrication aspect because of his background came relatively easy for him, so it’s the aesthetic aspect that really motivates him. Because he is concentrating on intricate cues, however, he can only build about 25 cues or less per year.

“Twisted Pair” - from the Phil Windham Collection

first to whom he showed his cues. Jacoby’s input was invaluable in Tonkin’s progression. Additionally, Tonkin praises Richard Chudy for being there to answer all of his tough questions any time he called. “He’s a prince,” Tonkin said. “We’ve gotten to be really good friends.” Tonkin started his cue shop in his garage after he and his brother closed their machine shop because of the downturn in the lumber industry. He moved his equipment to the pool hall that he and his wife Joanna started operating in 2003. Eventually Pete became a full-time cue maker in 2005. Among the standard cue builder’s equipment, he also added a Haas CNC for inlays and wood working equipment to build radially-lamented cores. He uses these cores for his cues but realized that building the cores solely for his use was cost prohibitive. He offered to build and supply Atlas Billiards with these cores at the same price that they were receiving them from overseas, to which Atlas readily agreed. It is one of Pete’s primary goals to make all of his cues feel alike. Tonkin is particular and meticulous about keeping all his dimensions and tolerances the same. The laminate cores help to keep all his cues playing and feeling identically. Additionally, he only builds a 3/8th-10 flat-faced joint with a phenolic or ivory col-

30 InsidePOOL Magazine ◊ January 2011

Today Pete is an award-winning cue builder. He took home the prestigious ACA People’s Choice “Cue of the Year” Award at the 2010 Super Billiard Expo at the Valley Forge Convention Center. Because of his display and award at the Expo, Pete has now been inundated with orders. He has recently been invited to display at next year’s International Cue Collector Show (ICCS), a show typically showcasing the magnificent creations of the ultra-fancy cue builders. He points to the cue shows as life-changing events for him and his business. “Valley Forge was overwhelming for me,” he said. “I’m still scrambling to catch up from what happened this last year!” For the majority of craftsmen who build cues, it is the rare cue maker who turns the hobby into a full-time career and makes a name for himself outside his local area. To become well known across the country and to be recognized as potentially one of the elite of the field requires an incredibly special individual. Pete Tonkin is such an individual whose work has put his name among his peers in a relatively short time. For the 50-year-old “new kid on the block,” his future in the cue world looks very bright.

A mechanical engineer by trade, Fred Agnir hails from Massachusetts and has been an amateur pool player for over 30 years, with several league and amateur state titles to his credit in singles, partners, and team competition. He is the 2007 New Hampshire State Amateur Open 8-Ball champion.

Billiard EducationJunior Foundation Player Profile photo courtesy of WPBA/Anne Craig

Briana Miller Hometown: Allentown, PA

What kind of cue do you use? Jacoby

Birthdate: September 18, 1995

Are you right- or left-handed? Right-handed

Nickname: Bri

Sponsors: Jacoby Custom Cues

School: Allentown Central Catholic High School

Favorite band/music: All kinds

Grade: 10

Hobbies: Pool, shopping, hanging out with friends

Favorite Subject in School: Math

Memorable pool moment: Winning my first Junior Nationals at age 11

Started playing pool: Age 8 Titles: 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 BEF 14 and Under Girls Junior National champion; 2010 Womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Valley Forge Super Billiards Expo 9-Ball champion; 2009 Womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Valley Forge 8-Ball Bar Box champion Other notable awards: 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 WPA World Junior 9-Ball championships, U.S. representative; JPNEWT regional tour points leader; 2009 and 2010 third place New York State 9-Ball championships; 2010 second place Maryland State 9- and 10-Ball championships; competed at first WPBA event (U.S. Open) at age 13

Favorite food: Pizza Real world hero: My grandfather, because he taught me how to play pool. Fondest childhood memory: Going fishing with my grandfather when I was little. Goals: I would like to attend college, but I am not quite sure what I would like to major in yet. I would also like to continue to play pool on a competitive level.

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Stripes

Chalk Talk < by

Ken Shuman

pool players all have in common is using O nechalk.thingSothat this month we’re going to discuss several aspects of that little cube as they pertain to both the formal rules governing chalk and some informal, unwritten rules about player etiquette when they use it. Chalk rules are brief, yet necessary. For reference, we will again look to the 2011 edition of the World-Standardized Rules (WSR) and the 2010-11 edition of the BCAPL rule book. In the WSR General Rule Section, rule 1.3, Player’s Use of Equipment, states: “(b) The player may apply chalk to his tip to prevent miscues, and may use his own chalk, provided its color is compatible with the cloth.” The BCAPL rule is almost identical. Their General Rule 1.3, Use of Equipment, states: “c. you may use your own chalk provided its color is compatible with the cloth.” Note that the key to both rules are the color of the chalk must be compatible with the cloth. No red chalk on blue cloth or gold chalk on green cloth, etc. BCAPL rule 1.3f continues by stating, in part: “you may hold chalk in your bridge hand while bridging, but the chalk may not be used to elevate your hand off the table.” Doing so would be a foul for using equipment other than in its intended manner.

Please don’t take the only piece of chalk still on the table with you back to your chair.

’

Both books also have rules that address player responsibility for chalk when they are shooting. WSR rule 6.6, Touched Ball, states in part: “the shooter is responsible for the equipment he controls at the table, such as chalk, bridges, clothing … that may be involved in such fouls.” BCAPL rule 1.3.1 states: “You are responsible for all equipment and accessory items you bring to the table.” Again we see similar language with identical intent. If a piece of chalk touches, moves, or changes the path of an object ball, it is a foul regardless of who owns the chalk or who brought to or left it at the table. The final chalk rule issue to mention relates to a rule that no longer exists! However, it remains a source of confusion for those who have not kept their rules knowledge current. This obsolete rule last appeared on page 30 in the Instructions for Referees section of the 2007 WSR edition. It pertained to providing guidance for judging double hits when the cue ball and object ball were very close but not frozen. Former WSR rule 2.20 showed an illustration of a cue ball and an object ball with a cube of chalk in between them. That rule 32 InsidePOOL Magazine ◊ January 2011

used to read: “When the distance between the cue ball and the object ball is less than the width of a chalk cube, special attention from the referee is required. In such a situation, unless the referee can positively determine a legal shot has been performed, the following guidance may apply: if the cue ball follows through the object ball more than 1/2 ball, it is a foul.” This rule was deleted in 2008 and replaced with current rule 6.7, Double Hit / Frozen Ball, which reads in part: “If the cue stick contacts the cue ball more than once on a shot, the shot is a foul. If the cue ball is close to but not touching an object ball and the cue tip is still on the cue ball when the cue ball contacts that object ball, the shot is a foul.” It still amazes me how many players think this old “chalk cube width” rule still applies. I’ve even seen players actually try to place a piece of chalk between the balls to try and pre-determine if a foul would be called. It’s ridiculous. Trained referees judge double-hits based upon physics and the reaction of the balls after contact. The distance between the balls is irrelevant. I’m going to close with just a few remarks about chalk etiquette. None of these are rules, just observations that I believe will benefit all players. Please don’t leave the chalk upside down on the rail after you use it. And please don’t “tap” the cube on the rail to shake out any loose particles either before or after you chalk up. These actions leave excessive chalk dust that eventually gets on the cloth, your hands, your shaft, and the balls. Please don’t take the only piece of chalk still on the table with you back to your chair. If you have a particular one you like and want to take it, just make sure you have left enough for your opponent. And two pieces are enough. Having four or five cubes of chalk on the rails is a nuisance and completely unnecessary.

Ken Shuman Ken Shuman of Sacramento, CA, is one of the country’s premier tournament directors. He is an accomplished professional referee and is considered an expert on the rules of play. Ken has officiated at World Championship events in the USA and the Philippines. He directs some of the major tournaments, including the Derby City Classic, the U.S. Bar Table Championship, CSI’s National Championship Series, the U.S. Open 9-Ball Championship, and the U.S. Open 10-Ball Championship. Contact Ken at shucue@yahoo.com.

Industry

News News

Tad Kohara to Be Inducted Into ACA Hall of Fame

The American Cuemakers Association (ACA) has announced that this year’s inductee into the ACA Hall of Fame will be Tad Kohara. Building cues since the early 1960s, Kohara helped to define the West Coast look, differentiating from the traditional East Coast designs of his contemporaries George Balabushka, Gene Balner, and Frank Paradise. Born in California, Kohara studied cabinet making in Hiroshima, Japan. He returned to the U.S. in 1949 and eventually opened Tad’s Family Billiards in 1963 in Los Angeles. His early cue repair work for the pool hall ultimately led him to building custom cues full time. Tad’s Custom Cues is a true family enterprise as his wife Susie has done much of the pantograph work while his son Fred is now the lead cue builder. Tad cues have become some of the most collectible in the industry, and Kohara has been the inspiration for a great number of subsequent cue makers.

The Billiard Congress of America Announces Ranking Events for 2011 The Billiard Congress of America (BCA) has announced the events that will be deemed as points events for the 2011 season. These events are used to rank players for international invitational purpose. They are: 1. The Masters – $35,000 added, Chesapeake, Virginia, March 1-5 2. The Ultimate Ten Ball Championship – $35,000 added, Dallas, Texas, April 21-24 3. The US Open 10-Ball Championship – $25,000 added, Las Vegas, Nevada, May 16-21 4. Turning Stone Summer – $25,000 added, Verona, New York, August 11-14

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The US Open 9-Ball Championships – $50-75,000 added, Chesapeake, Virginia, October 16-22 The Steve Mizerak Championship – $50,000-75,000 added, Hollywood, Florida, dates to be announced Turning Stone Winter – $25,000 added, Verona, New York, dates to be announced

Events may be added if the Billiard Congress of America receives requests for new qualifying events at least 120 days prior to their start date, the events are approved by the Billiard Congress of America, and they do not conflict with major international events. In addition, existing events may be removed from the list if their specifications or dates are changed and no longer fit the requirements of the calendar. Any changes will be done with all due haste, players will be notified, and the calendar will be changed to reflect the removal.

APA ANNOUNCES BLACK WIDOW TOUR FOR 2011

Jeanette Lee to Perform Exhibitions in Ten North American Cities “The Black Widow,” Jeanette Lee, may be coming to an area near you in 2011 courtesy of the American Poolplayers Association (APA). The APA Black Widow Tour will open with two shows January 12 and 13 in Chicago, IL. Other tour stops include: Miami – January 19 New York City – February 21 Dallas - May Memphis - May Seattle - September Toronto – September Specific dates for each city will be released at a later date. The final three cities will be determined directly by APA members. The three APA League areas that grow the most members between spring and fall will win a visit from the Black Widow. The final three tour stops are tentatively scheduled for late fall of 2011. Each exhibition will feature Jeanette talking about how she overcame scoliosis and got involved in pool, challenge matches against spectators, and a photo and autograph session. Most of the exhibitions will be free of charge.

APA Player of the Month Christopher Staley Staley from Garland, TX, has been instrumental to the C hristopher Northeast Dallas County APA. He plays several nights a week,

volunteers as a division representative, and recruits players and teams. “Chris is also there to help us, the league operators, with anything he can,” Nikki Brown, Northeast Dallas County APA League Operator, said. “During the set-up phase of our local team championship, he’s there with us from start to finish with the tables and seating.” Chris shattered both shins several years ago while in boot camp for the Army, causing a permanent disability. Despite that, he’ll still dolly a pool table into position and help level it and get up in the ceiling to wire lights. Chris also volunteers his services as a referee any time he isn’t involved in the tournament. Chris will go to other locations for his league operators (sometimes an hour away) and help get a new division up and running. He’s been an APA member since 2004 and is a skill level 7 in 8-ball and a skill level 8 in 9-ball. “We absolutely couldn’t do it without him,” Brown said. “Chris is outstanding as a division rep, as a player, and as a person. I wish I had a hundred more of him.”

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Regional Roundup Bubet Busts Tri-State Field Tri-State Tour / East Rutherford, NJ by InsidePOOL Staff

Kyle Bubet, Bill Focaccia, Corey Sohlman

was open to C and D players.

Going undefeated through the 23player field, Kyle Bubet won the Tri-State Tour’s November 13 stop without a hitch. The $500-added tournament was hosted by Castle Billiards in East Rutherford, NJ, and

A 6-4 victory over Corey Sohlman in the winners’ side final four put Bubet in the hot seat match. Joining him there was Alex Borukhovich, who had just bested Peter Chin in a hill-hill bout 6-5. The hot seat match wasn’t as close, as Bubet won twice as many games as Borukhovich to take the win 6-3. Once on the west side of the chart, Sohlman seemed inspired, eliminating Antonio Navarro 6-3 to reach the quarterfinals. His opponent there was Scott Abramowitz, fresh off a 6-1 rout of Chin. Abramowitz put up a good fight against Sohlman, but he was no match as Sohlman ousted him 6-3. Driven by desire to reach Bubet for a rematch, Sohlman tore through his match against Borukhovich 6-1 to reach the finals. But that is where the tourna- Results: ment ended for Sohlman, Kyle Bubet $450 as Bubet dominated the 1st Corey Sohlman $225 final match 6-1 to take the 2nd 3rd Alex Borukhovich $135 title. 4th Scott Abramowitz $90

"You Might Be A D Player If ... (101 Classic Moves That All Pool Players Can Appreciate)" by Samm Diep. Ask for it where you buy your billiard books. 36 InsidePOOL Magazine ◊ January 2011

Iceman Douses Dechaine at Ocean State Championships Joss Northeast 9-Ball Tour / Providence, RI by Lea Andrews

Mika “Iceman” Immonen battled Mike Dechaine not once, not twice, but three times at the 22nd Annual Ocean State 9-Ball Championships, ultimately taking him down when it Mika Immonen counted to pocket the top prize. The $5,000-added event, a beefed-up stop on the Joss Northeast 9-Ball Tour, drew a powerful field of 79 to Snookers Billiards Bar and Grill in Providence, RI, November 13-14. Immonen first faced Dechaine in the winners’ side final eight, and he handled him easily 9-3 to move on to last year’s runner-up Dave Grau, who’d just sent Al Lapena west 9-5. Another 9-3 victory landed Immonen in the hot seat match, where he met up with Jarrod Clowery, who’d arrived via back-to-back 9-6 wins over John Ortiz and John Ricciardelli. Clowery fared slightly better than Immonen’s last two opponents, but the four racks he marked up merely earned him a spot in the semifinals, while Immonen claimed the hot seat as his own. Making waves on the other side of the bracket was one of Grau’s earlier victims, Tom D’Alfonso, a recent runner-up on the tour. D’Alfonso ousted Greg Nice 9-3 and Ortiz 9-2 to meet up with Jeff Kennedy, who’d made his way through Mike Bradford 9-2 and Billy Lanna 9-4. D’Alfonso put Kennedy in seventh 9-4 to get a chance at revenge with Grau, but his second go went the same way as the first and he finished in fifth 9-4. Meanwhile, Dechaine was fighting his way back to Immonen, plowing through Tom McGonagle 9-7 and Lapena 9-5 before coming upon Ricciardelli, who managed to notch seven games to Dechaine’s nine. Dechaine moved on to the quarterfinals against Grau, and though all the remaining players on the left side of the bracket wanted another chance at Immonen, Dechaine wanted it the most. Results: He planted Grau in fourth 1st Mika Immonen $2,500 9-3 to advance to the semi- 2nd Mike Dechaine $1,700 finals against Clowery, who 3rd Jarrod Clowery $1,300 marked up just two games 4th Dave Grau $1,000 against the determined De5th Tom D’Alfonso $800 chaine. John Ricciardelli 7th Jeff Kennedy $600 The true double-elim Al Lapena ination final match began 9th John Ortiz $400 evenly enough, but with Billy Lanna the score tied at 7, Dechaine Mike Minichello broke and ran the final two Tom McGonagle racks to push the second 13th Greg Nice $250 set 9-7. This time it seemed Mike Bradford the match would go the Jeremy Sossei way of their first encounter, Shayne Cote with Immonen getting out $125 to a 5-2 lead, but Dechaine 17th Dave Wright Jay Polanski put up a fight, and before Shane Winters long, he had the lead 7-6. Dave Fernandez The 2008 and 2009 Player of Bob Madenjian the Year had already set his Phil Davis eyes on yet another victory, Steve Goulding though, and he didn’t allow Joe Tucker Dechaine another game, earning the big win 9-7.

Kaba Cashes on Mezz Tour Mezz Pro-Am Tour / Rockaway, NJ

Miller Claims Mezz Title Mezz Pro-Am Tour / East Rutherford, NJ

by Jose Burgos

Spanky Kaba took top honors at the November 14 stop of the Mezz Pro-Am Tour, defeating Josh Brothers Spanky Kaba, Josh Brothers, Bob Guerra, in the first set of the Mike Watson double-elimination finals for the title. The event was hosted by Rockaway Billiards in Rockaway, NJ.

Mike Miller dominated the field at the November 21 installment of the Mezz ProMike Miller, Josh Brothers, Victor Nau, Am Tour, easily besting John Trobiano Josh Brothers in the finals to take the title. The tour was hosted by Castle Billiards in East Rutherford, NJ, and attracted a 30-player field to vie for their share of the $1,000-added money.

Bob Guerra led the top half of the bracket, notching victories over Carl Khan 7-2, Jay Brotherton 7-5, and Mike Watson 7-6. Leading the way on the bottom half of the bracket was Kaba, with wins over Devil Dave 7-2, Mike Miller 7-5, and Brothers 7-3.

Miller led the top half of the bracket, scoring victories over Spanky Kaba 7-6, John Trobiano 7-2, Shaun Dobson 7-2, and Jeremy Sossei 7-5. Brothers was on a course to meet him in the winners’ side finals, with wins over Frankie Ramos 7-4, Tippy 7-0, Matt Krah 7-4, Victor Nau 7-3. The hot seat match went double-hill, but when all was said and done, it was Miller who sent Brothers to the one-loss side 7-6.

Kaba and Guerra collided in the hot seat match, and Guerra reached the hill 6-3 and looked to be out. But Kaba fought back and stole the match 7-6 to ad- Results: vance to the finals, while Spanky Kaba $670 Guerra was sent west. 1st Brothers was waiting for 2nd Josh Brothers $400 him, winning the semifinal 3rd Bob Guerra $120 4th Mike Watson $80 match easily 7-3. In the true double-elimination finals, Brothers had to defeat Kaba twice for the win. It never made it that far, for Kaba bested Brothers 7-5 in the first and only set to take the title.

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Waiting on the west side for Miller was Victor Nau, and it was another hill-hill match, but Results: it was Brothers who ended Mike Miller $872 up advancing 7-6. In the fi- 1st $550 nals, Brothers had to defeat 2nd Josh Brothers Miller twice to claim the 3rd Victor Nau $450 title. It was too high of a hill 4th Manny Chau $200 to climb that day, as Miller 5th Jeremy Sossei $100 dominated their match Brian Hunter from the start and won 7-2. 7th Matt Krah $80 Shaun Dobson

Smith Takes Tri-State Title Tri-State Tour / Edison, NJ by InsidePOOL Staff

Christian Smith and Vinny Zuniga made a quick end to the TriState Tour finals with a sudden-death match Ken DeBroske, Vinny Zuniga, Christian Smith that saw Smith come out on top for first place. The $750-added event brought in 24 players to host room Sandcastle Billiards in Edison, NJ. Smith went through the winners’ side undefeated, besting Teddy Lubis 7-4 on the winners’ side final four to reach the hot seat match. Meeting him there was Vinny Zuniga, who eked out a hill-hill victory over Ken DeBroske 7-6. Zuniga whitewashed Smith in the winners’ side finals 7-0 to advance to the hot seat unchallenged. On the one-loss side, DeBroske regrouped and put in a solid defeat of Duane Toney 7-5, while Teddy Lubis ousted Dave Ascolese 7-4. The two went on to meet in the quarterfinal match, where DeBroske squeaked by Lubis 7-5. It was touch and go in the semifinal match, but Smith managed to edge out DeBroske 7-6 in the semifinals to earn a chance to go up against Zuniga in the finals. Once there, though, the two Results: players opted to play a sin- 1st Christian Smith $570 gle game to determine top 2nd Vinny Zuniga $285 honors. Smith won, and the 3rd Ken DeBroske $170 rest was history. 4th Teddy Lubis $110 January 2011 ◊ InsidePOOLmag.com 37

Brothers Goes Undefeated at Mezz Tour Mezz Pro-Am Tour / Drexel Hill, PA

Lubis Takes Tri-State Title Tri-State Tour / Edison, NJ

by Jose Burgos

by InsidePOOL Staff

Josh Brothers eas Teddy Lubis went ily cut through the field unchallenged through the at the December 5 inTri-State Tour’s 20-player stallment of the Mezz field December 5, besting Pro-Am Tour, besting Frank Barreca 7-4 in the fiEddie Abraham, Bob Maidhof, Josh Brothers Eddie Abraham in the nals. The event was hosted by Gotham City Billiards in finals for the title. The $1,000-added event was hosted by Drexeline Edison, NJ, and featured a Billiards in Drexel Hill, PA. $1,000-added prize fund. Frank Barreca, Teddy Lubis, Mel McCullen Abraham led the top half of the bracket with wins over Dan McGin A lopsided 8-4 victory over Russel Babaniyazov in the winners’ side final nis 7-3, Chris Riley 7-3, Tony Long 7-2, and Clint Clayton 7-3. Brothers four sent Lubis to the match for the hot seat, where met faced off against Mel mowed through the bottom half, notching wins over John Marabito McCullen. McCullen had just delivered an 8-5 defeat to Basdeo Sookhai. It was 7-5, Lou Patrikios 7-2, John Greshock 7-3, and Danny Basavich 7-2. a fairly close match, but Lubis prevailed 9-6 while McCullen went to the west side of the chart. Brothers and Abraham met up in the match for the hot seat, and Brothers took control with ease, taking an early lead and never Barreca was busily fighting his way through the left side, scoring a 6-0 relinquishing it to win whitewashing over Babaniyazov to advance to the quarterfinal match. There Results: 7-2. Waiting for Abraham he matched up against Sookhai, who had just eliminated Gary Murgia at fifth on the one-loss side was 1st Josh Brothers $835 place 7-2. Barreca showed determination in his quest to keep moving on, and Long, who he had sent 2nd Eddie Abraham $620 he ousted Sookhai 7-2. west earlier. This grudge 3rd Tony Long $255 match went double-hill, 4th Clint Clayton $150 McCullen did not fall so easily, but he did ultimately go home in third but Abraham edged out 5th Bruce Nagle $120 place after his semifinal loss to Long 7-6 to earn his own Danny Basavich Barreca 7-5. Once in the final Results: revenge match against 7th Ryan McCreesh $80 match against Lubis, Barreca 1st Teddy Lubis $600 Brothers. But again, it was Lou Patrikios faltered, and it was Lubis who 2nd Brothers winning, this time Frank Barreca $300 went on to claim the event title 3rd by the score of 7-2 to take Mel McCullen $180 7-4. the title. 4th Basdeo Sookhai $100

SudoCue Puzzle

When this SudoCue is solved, the letters in “Quick Draw” will appear in each row, column, and box—but only once, and not in any particular order. Answer available online at www.InsidePOOLmag.com.

Courtesy of Sandy Brown 38 InsidePOOL Magazine ◊ January 2011

< Simonetti Comes Back to Win Predator Event Ozone Billiards Predator Tour / New York City, NY by Jerry Tarantola, NYCgrind.com

Scott Simonetti took down the final points event for the 2010 Ozone Billiards Predator Tour, winning a revenge match Robert Piersa, Mike Gasper, Peter Brennan against William Shorty in the finals. This event was the First Annual Eastside Billiards Manhattan Classic and the last chance for players to make their mark in the points rankings for the tour’s season. Hosted by Eastside Billiards in NYC, the tournament was held December 4-5 and featured $1,500 in added prize money. In the winners’ bracket Andrew Kane went on a run against Luis Novas 7-6, Diana Rojas 7-6, Bob Severance 7-5, and Rene Villalobos 7-2 to earn a spot in the hot seat match against Shorty. Shorty was also impressive with wins over Mark Pantovic 7-3, Mike Yednak 7-2, Neslihan Gurel 7-3, and Simonetti 7-6.When the two met up, Shorty clutched out a close 7-5 win to earn a spot in the finals. On the one-loss side Borana Andoni bounced back from a firstround 7-6 loss to Ray Feliciano to win seven matches in a row, elimi-

nating Yomaylin Feliz 7-4, Luis Novas 7-4, Matthew Harricharan 7-5, Teddy Cook 7-5, Severence 7-4, Rojas 7-5, and Villalobos 7-5 before being sent home by Simonetti 7-3 and finishing in fourth place. Simonetti also had an impressive season while continuing to take his game to a higher level. He had a nice run through the winners’ side with wins over Rikki Ragoonanan 7-6, Carl Yusef Khan 7-6, Lidio Rasta 7-0, and Raj Vannala 7-2 before Shorty sent him west 7-5. Simonetti bounced back with the 7-3 win over Andoni and 7-5 win over Kane in the semifinals to earn a rematch against Amateur Results: Shorty in the final. Al- 1st Scott Simonetti $1,000  though Shorty went un- 2nd William Shorty $700 defeated into the finals, 3rd Andrew Kane $500  Simonetti persevered in 4th Borana Andoni $400  the final match to avenge 5th Rene Villalobos $200 his earlier loss to Shorty. Raj Vannala   7th Diana Rojas $150 The open/pro divi- Noel Bensurto   sion, which included top 9th Dinko Busanich $100 guns Zion Zvi, George Neslihan Gurel “Ginky” SanSouci, Tony Ramilo Tanglao Robles, Oscar Bonilla, Bob Severance Manny Chau, Jeremy Sossei, and Frankie Hernan- Open Results: dez, saw Sansouci defeat 1st George SanSouci $700 Sossei in the finals 9-8. 2nd Jeremy Sossei $400 3rd Manny Chau $100

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January 2011 ◊ InsidePOOLmag.com 39

> >>

Regional Roundup Another Monday Massacre at GSBT Event Great Southern Billiard Tour / Inman, SC by Lea Andrews

Sam Monday suffered a late loss to fellow frequent Shannon Daulton, Sidney Champion, Danny high-finisher Josh Mastermaker, Shaq Wiggins Newman at the November 27-28 stop of the Great Southern Billiard Tour, but the setback was brief. Monday controlled the matches that followed to finish on top of the $1,500-added event, which drew 42 contenders to Raisin’ Cain’s in Inman, SC. Monday’s 9-7 loss to Newman cost him a spot in the hot seat match and sent him to left side of the bracket, while Newman went on to face Scottie Ward, who’d just sent Zack Robbins west 7-4. Against Newman, Ward managed just three racks and moved over to the semifinals. On the one-loss side, heavy hitters were trimming the field before coming upon each other. Cliff Joyner got rid of Harold Binesett 10-2 to meet up with Derek “Chewy” Leonard, who’d just taken care of John Thompson 10-5. Joyner held Leonard to four games to move onto Robbins, while Carolina Open winner Brian White took care of Mike Basha 10-7 and fellow AA player Greg Dix 10-8. Unfortunately for White, next up was Monday, who was on a mission. Monday planted White in fifth 10-6 to advance to the quarterfinals against Robbins, who’d managed to hold back Joyner 7-5. He couldn’t go any further, though, because Monday blew through their match 10-3 to move on to Ward in the semifinals. Another lopsided match ensued, and Ward finished in third 10-4, sending Monday on to a rematch with Newman in the finals. In the first set of the true double-elimination final match, Newman, who was trying for his third win this season, notched up four games, but Results: Monday was less generSam Monday $800 ous in the second set. 1st $550 Reaching his goal of ten 2nd Josh Newman Scottie Ward $350 while Newman was still 3rd 4th Zack Robbins $200 at two, it was Monday Brian White $135 who clinched his third 5th Cliff Joyner win of the season. 7th Greg Dix $85 Derek Leonard

Knight and Berber New Poison Winners Poison 9-Ball Tour / Fort Pierce, FL by InsidePOOL Staff

Richard Knight and Han Berber became the newest Poison 9-Ball Tour winners the weekend of November 13-14, taking top honors in the amateur and open divisions, respectively. Ultimate Billiards in Fort Pierce, FL, was the host room for the $2,000-added event.

40 InsidePOOL Magazine ◊ January 2011

Richard Knight

Han Berber

Mike Fieldhammer was looking strong in the amateur event as he made his way to the hot seat match with wins over Tom Karalis 7-6, Jeremy Boling 7-5, Prescott Buckwold 7-5, and Anthony Meglino 7-1. He then faced Knight in the winners’ side finals after Knight scored victories over Kenny Decure 7-0, Dan Lettau 7-5, Stephen Richmond 7-2, and Jim Sandaler. Fieldhammer cruised to a 6-3 lead, but Knight leveled the match at 6-6. Just when it looked like Knight was going to take the hot seat, a miss on the 9 in the side pocket proved enough for Fieldhammer to take the case game. On the one-loss side Wesley White looked dangerous, recording wins over Allen Auman 5-4, Steve Frost 5-3, Sandaler 5-1, and Anthony Meglino 5-4. But the following semifinal match was one-sided, with Knight routing White 5-0 to advance to the finals with Fieldhammer. Knight won the first set of the finals 7-4 to set up a one-rack shootout that he also took to win his first-ever Poison Tour event. The open event brought out the big guns like Mike Davis, Tommy Kennedy, Hunter Lombardo, and Richard Broumpton, to mention a few. But Han Berber proved to be the man to beat on that day as he recorded wins over Tony Crosby 7-3, Kennedy 7-5, John Ditoro 7-6, and Neil Fujiwara 7-4 to take the hot seat match. On the one-loss Amateur Results: Richard Knight side Anthony Meglino 1st made his way back after 2nd Mike Fieldhammer Wesley White a 7-4 loss to Broump- 3rd Anthony Meglino ton, scoring wins over 4th Jimmy Sandaler over Matt Deweese 6-4, 5th Stephen Richmond Crosby 6-4, Ditoro 6-5, 7th Steve Frost and Jerry Calderon 6-4 Ed Kiess before running into Fujiwara in the semifinals. Fujiwara deposited Open Results: Meglino in third place 1st Han Berber 6-0 and went on to face 2nd Neil Fujiwara Anthony Meglino Berber in the finals. But 3rd Jerry Calderon it was all Berber, who 4th Richard Broumpton cruised to a 7-4 victory 5th John Ditoro to take his first Poison Tour title.

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$570 $400 $300 $200 $100

< Trest Last Man Standing Great Southern Billiard Tour / Conyers, GA by Lea Andrews

David Trest faltered briefly in his quest for his first Great Southern BilShannon Daulton, David Trest, Danny Smith, liards Tour victory, Robert Phillips but he came back when it counted. Trest was the last man standing at the $1,500added event, which drew 31 players to Classic Billiards in Conyers, GA, December 4-5. Trest sailed through the field into the final four on the winners’ side, where he dealt Greg Haigin a 9-4 blow to reach the hot seat match against Danny Smith, who’d sent David Walters west 10-6. Holding AA-ranked Smith to five games, A-ranked Trest claimed the hot seat for himself and put Smith into the semifinals. On the left side of the bracket, two men who’d fallen in the first round were making the long journey towards the money rounds. Randy Jordan ousted fellow A-player Denny Singletary 9-6 and AA-player Jesse Middlebrook 9-3 to face Haigin. Meanwhile, Cliff Joyner moved through A-players Jeff Jordan 10-6 and JR Rossman 10 to meet up with Walters. Joyner put Walters in fifth 10-4, while Jordan did the same to Haigin 9-5. The two determined players squared off in the quarterfinals, and though it went hill-hill, only one could go on, and it was Joyner 10-8. Another hill-hill match was in store for Joyner in the semifinals against Smith, but this time the final rack eluded him, and it was Smith who earned the spot in the finals 10-9. In the first set of the true double-elimination final match, Trest notched a big chunk of the games necessary to win, but he came up a couple Results: short. Smith pushed the David Trest $800 second set 10-7, but 1st 2nd Danny Smith $500 the next set was tighter. Cliff Joyner $300 Jacked up over the 9 ball 3rd Randy Jordan $180 in the last game of the 4th 5th David Walters $100 hill-hill set, Smith missed Greg Haigin the 6 ball, allowing Trest JR Rossman $45 to pocket what was left 7th Jesse Middlebrook to nab his first tour win 9-9.

Scarborough and Davis Take Down Tampa Event Poison 9-Ball Tour / Tampa, FL

7-6, Hall Schaeffer 7-5, Jose Del Rio 7-3, Jarred Schlauch 7-3, and Rick Gatta 7-1. This put him in the winners’ side final, where he faced pool cue case maker Dan Whitten. Whitten had arrived in the hot seat match via victories over Jeremy Mike Davis Aurswald 7-5, Walter Blacker 7-2, Jerry Troisi 7-1, Jon Curtis 7-2, and Todd Anderson 7-4. Scarborough proved to be too much for Whitten and came out on top 7-3, sending Whitten west. On the one-loss side Jim Sandaler was taking names after a 7-6 loss to Gatta. He won five straight matches before running into Anderson, where he was eliminated at fourth place after their hill-hill match. Anderson then avenged his loss to Whitten with a 5-3 victory to put himself in the finals. But Scarborough played great all-around pool to take down Anderson 7-2 in the final match. The $1,000-added open event drew a small but strong 25man field, but Mike Davis would once again prove to be the man to beat as he made his way through to the hot seat with wins over Jessica Barnes 7-1, James Roberts 7-6, Dan Whitten 7-1, and Butch Croft 7-6. The one-loss side saw Tony Crosby make a charge after a first-round loss to Richie Richeson, going on to eliminate Nick Prouty, Lee Holland, Results: Richey Richeson, Whit1st Joe Scarborough $650 ten, and James Roberts 2nd Todd Anderson $400 before running into Croft, 3rd Dan Whitten $300 who stopped his run 7-3 4th Jim Sandaler $200 win to leave Crosby in 5th Jarred Schlauch $125 third and set up a finals Rick Gatta rematch with Davis. 7th Lincoln Seiffert $100 Jerry Troisi The final match was another chance for Croft Results: to try and gain his first title on tour. But Davis had 1st Mike Davis $600 been playing solid pool 2nd Butch Croft $400 all day, and the final was 3rd Tony Crosby $300 no different with Davis 4th James Roberts $200 coming out on top 7-3 to 5th Joey Ryan $100 take his third title of the Dan Whitten season.

by InsidePOOL Staff

Joe Scarborough and Mike Davis won their respective divisions at the penultimate Poison 9-Ball Tour event, taking the amateur and open titles. Strokers Billiards II in Tampa, FL, was the host room to the players who showed up December 4-5 to vie for their share of the $2,000-added prize fund. Scarborough looked in control as he fought his way through the 36-player field with hard-fought wins over Mark Wathen January 2011 ◊ InsidePOOLmag.com 41

Videos GSBT

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Billiards Match - Abel Ferrer vs Justin Lazarro at the Great Southern Billiard Tour Alex Olinger vs Tony Stigger at the Great Southern Billiard Tour Charlie Guilfoyle vs David King at the Great Southern Billiard Tour David Rice vs Tommy Stevenson at the Great Southern Billiard Tour Mike Grooms vs Mark Sly, Jr. at the Great Southern Billiard Tour Billiards Match Jay Copeland vs Mike Grooms Hot Seat Match Great Southern Billiard Tour Jordan Grubb vs Bernie Collins at the Great Southern Billiard Tour Billiards Justin Lazarro vs Ron Stone at the Great Southern Billiard Tour Billiards Kevin Murphy vs Alex Olinger at the Great Southern Billiard Tour Billiards David King vs Chris Basse at the Great Southern Billiard Tour Billiards Louis D'Marco vs Stephen Dillon at the Great Southern Billiard Tour Mark Sly Jr vs James Smith at the Great Southern Billiard Tour event Mark Sly Jr vs Joe Pierce at the Great Southern Billiard Tour Mike Franklin vs Justin Lazarro the Great Southern Billiard Tour Billiards Finals Mike Grooms vs Joe Pierce in the Great Southern Tour Randy the Plumber vs Whitey Stevenson at the Great Southern Billiard Tour Shannon Murphy vs Josh Hamlin at the Michael's Billiards Speed Break Contest at the Michael's Billiards Whitey Stevenson vs Louis D'Marco in the Finals of the Bank Pool event Whitey Stevenson vs Jim Griff in the Semi-Finals of the Bank Pool event

< Capps Claims Ozone Victory Ozone Billiard Tour / Hickory, NC by InsidePOOL Staff

In a battle of Brians, Brian Capps bested Brian White in the finals of the Ozone Billiard Tour’s December 4-5 event to take the title. The $1,500-added event was hosted by RanBrian Capps dolph’s Billiards in Hickory, NC, featuring a $1,000-added 9-ball tournament that kicked off Saturday, as well as a $500 guaranteed 8-ball tournament Sunday.

The 8-ball tournament kicked off Sunday with a full field of 32 players. Tony Morrison claimed the first-place prize by defeating Jeff Abernathy. Morrison worked his way through the top half of the bracket defeating Chris Steele 5-2, Brad Gates 5-1, Jason Ray 5-4, Dan Madden 5-4, and Jeff Abernathy 5-3. In the finals Morrison lost the first set 5-3 to Abernathy but made a comeback in Set Two 5-4 to claim the win.

The 9-ball tournament attracted 54 players, but it was Capps and White battling it out Sunday for the top-place prize. Capps had won the hot seat by defeating Sam Monday. In the semifinals White, who had been 9-Ball Results: sent to the one-loss side Brian Capps $1,140 earlier in the event by 1st 2nd Brian White $700 Monday, made a comeSam Monday $500 back to defeat Monday in 3rd Josh Newman $300 a hill-hill match to reach 4th Adam Pendley $150 the finals and face Capps. 5th Mark Meyers Jeff Abernathy $70 In the double-elim- 7th Eddie Little ination finals White bested Capps in the first set 9th Tony Morrison $50 9-6, but Capps won the Clint Clark second 9-8 to take home Lay Thammavon the first-place prize mon- Darren Shaffer ey. Capps’ path to the finals began by defeating 8-Ball Results: Skip Coffey 9-5, Mackie 1st Tony Morrison $250 Lowery 9-4, Dan Madden 2nd Jeff Abernathy $125 9-6, Mark Meyers 9-6, and 3rd Jody Musselman $75 Monday 9-8. 4th Mike Bumgarner $50

Play Video Play Video

>Upcoming Southeast Tournaments 1/8

Tiger Southeast Open 9-Ball Tour

Miscue Lounge

Fort Myers, FL

239-936-1116 $500

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1/8-9

Great Southern Billiard Tour

Classic Billiards

Conyers, GA

770-679-5278 $1,500

Amateurs

1/9

Tiger Southeast Open 9-Ball Tour

Miscue Lounge

Fort Myers, FL

239-936-1116 $200

No pros

1/15

Lucasi Hybrid All-American Tour

Inland Reef

Virginia Beach, VA

757-647-3421 $1,000

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1/15-16 Great Southern Billiard Tour

Fast Eddie’s Sports Bar and Grill Goldsboro, NC

919-759-0071 $1,500

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1/22-23 Poison 9-Ball Tour

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321-459-9100 $2,000

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1/23

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West Palm Beach, FL 561-965-8898 $500

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2/3-6

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Fort Mitchell, KY

702-738-4950 TBA

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2/5-6

Poison 9-Ball Tour

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Spring Hill, FL

352-688-9965 $2,000

Open/Amateurs

2/12

Lucasi Hybrid All-American Tour

Q’s Sports Bar and Girl

Port Charlotte, FL

941-585-9600 $500

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2/12-13 Great Southern Billiard Tour

Classic Billiards

Conyers, GA

770-679-5278 $1,500

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2/19-20 Tiger Southeast Open 9-Ball Tour

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334-793-9644 $1,000

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42 InsidePOOL Magazine ◊ January 2011

> >>

Regional Roundup Hayes and Runnels Champs at Midwest Cup Billiard Congress of Wisconsin 9-Ball Tour / Waukegan, IL by Jonathan Demet

Walter Hayes Sr. of Waukegan, IL, left the McDermott Midwest Cup a hometown hero when he won the first tournament of this season’s Billiard Congress of Wisconsin Tour at Legends Billiards. The tournament drew in Ike Runnels 29 handicapped amateurs who competed for a serious purse and the honor of becoming the first McDermott Midwest Cup 9-Ball amateur champion. On the right side of the chart four players fought hard for the hot seat match. Chicago’s Jonathan Strzezewski bested Chris Mason 8-3, while Hayes outplayed Christopher Szarek in a double-hill nail-biter 8-4. Hayes proved to be too much for Strzezewski and sent him to the one-loss side 8-6. Four were left on the one-loss side, and all fought with great tenacity. Szarek nipped Mike Regan 4-3, while Mason ousted 17-year-old Erick Hincks 6-4. It was difficult for Mason to overcome the handicap as he lost the quarterfinal match 4-5 to B-player Szarek, leaving Mason with a good showing of fourth place. Szarek then fell to Strzezewski 7-2, ending his battle with a third-place finish. In the final match, Strzezewski was looking for revenge on Hayes but fell short 8-5, making Hayes the first McDermott Midwest Cup 9-Ball amateur champion. In the open division, 18 of the Midwest’s diehard big-table players showed up, with master player Ike Runnels going home the champion. Runnels Amateur Results: battled his way through 1st Walter Hayes Sr. $413 a few close matches and 2nd Jonathan Strzezewski $255 came out on top, just 3rd Christopher Szarek $165 above Jonathan Demet. 4th Chris Mason $97 5th Mike Regan $55 On the right side Eric Hincks of the bracket Demet 7th Paul Repischak $34 bested Bill Fowler 7-4, Mike Stowe and Runnels defeated Frankie Bashir in a dou- Open Results: ble-hill match, leaving Ike Runnels $700 the two winners to fight 1st 2nd Jonathan Demet $360 for the hot seat. Runnels Bill Fowler $204 routed Demet 7-1, send- 3rd Henry Brodt $140 ing him to the west side 4th 5th Frankie Bashir $80 of the bracket. Jon Giles

While Runnels patiently waited to see who would play against him in the final match, the shooters on the left side had to play perfectly against their tough competition. Fowler defeated Jon Giles 6-1, while Henry Brodt ousted Bashir 6-3. Fowler maintained some top-notch pool by besting Brodt 6-4. Demet however showed no mercy against Fowler and got him again, this time in a hill-hill match, earning another chance at Runnels. It was a close match, but Runnels pulled ahead and won 7-5, becoming the first Open division McDermott Midwest Cup champion.

Tour Championship Brings First Win for Petrosino OB Cues Ladies’ Tour / San Leon, TX by InsidePOOL Staff

Terry Petrosino notched her first OB Cues Ladies’ Tour victory during the tour’s championship stop, taking first place over Jennifer Kraber in the finals. The Novem- Jennifer Kraber, Roy Robinson, Terry Petrosino ber 13-14 event was hosted by Casper’s Billiards in San Leon, TX, and featured a $2,000added prize purse. As it was the championship event, it was announced that the points leader for the year was Lisa Marr, with Kraber in second. The award for the most improved player went to Michelle Prince. Of the 32 players who started in the main event, 8 returned for Sunday’s matches. On the one-loss side, Kraber eliminated Ricki Lee Casper, while Amanda Lampert ousted Deanna Kinola. Finishing in a fifth-place tie were Angela Garza and Lampert. Michelle Cortez had a solid year of high finishes, and in this event, she was defeated by Kraber to take fourth place. In the semifinal match, it was once again the top-two-ranked players, Kraber and Marr. These two have waged plenty of battles against each other all year long, and this time was no different. Kraber was again triumphant at this event, sending Marr home in third place. Kraber, after losing her first match against Julie Stephenson 7-6, came back and won eight matches to earn her spot in the finals against Petrosino, Results: who was undefeated. She $750 defeated a number of 1st Terry Petrosino $550 strong shooters, starting 2nd Jennifer Kraber 3rd Lisa Marr $400 out with Tara Williams, $260 Julie Stephenson, Lisa 4th Michelle Cortez $160 Henderson-Major, Mi- 5th Amanda Lampert Angela Garza chelle Cortez, Marr, and $100 then Kraber in the finals 7th Deanna Kinola Ricki Lee Casper 7-5. Petrosino always has been a strong contender, 9th Lisa Henderson-Major $50 Natalie Mans but this time there was no Julie Stephenson looking back. She stayed Ashley Nandrasy on target and focused to 13th Monica Anderson $30 achieve her first OB Cues Yvette Reyes Ladies’ Tour win ever, capAmber Stone turing the first-place prize Belinda Lee money of $750.

January2011 ◊ InsidePOOLmag.com 43

Dunklin Destroys Lucasi Field Lucasi Hybrid All-American Tour / Pontiac, IL by InsidePOOL Staff

Mike Dunklin breezed through the Lucasi Hybrid AllAmerican Tour’s November 13 field, taking first place over Gary Gwinn Jr. in the finals. The $500-added event was hosted by the Pontiac Crystal Gary Gwinn Jr., Mike Dunklin Palace in Pontiac, IL, and featured 31 players in a double-elimination 8-ball format on 7-foot bar boxes. Dunklin captured the A-side, scoring wins over John Yarger in the semifinals 6-2 and Gwinn in the winners’ side finals 6-1. Gwinn had earlier dispatched Derek Bernardini 6-1 in the semifinals just prior to his loss to Dunklin. On the B-side Dean Foster and Bob Nodine eliminated Chris Wilder 4-2 and Johnny Kerr 4-1, respectively, at seventh place, Foster and Nodine continued their winning ways by ousting Bernardini and Yarger at fifth place by respective 4-2, 4-4 scores. Foster then outlasted Nodine in a hill-hill match by a score of 4-3 to place Nodine in fourth place, but Foster lost his Results: momentum in his 4-0 loss 1st Mike Dunklin $390 to Gwinn for a third-place 2nd Gary Gwinn Jr. $250 finish. The tournament 3rd Dean Foster $160 finals went one set, as 4th Bob Nodine $110 the undefeated Dunklin 5th John Yarger $60 Derek Bernardini topped off his winning $45 night with easily handling 7th Chris Wilder Johnny Kerr Gwinn 6-1.

Bowman Bests Benhke Twice for Title Lucasi Hybrid All-American Tour / Dubuque, IA by InsidePOOL Staff

Jesse Bowman double-dipped Chad Behnke in the finals of the November 13 Lucasi Hybrid All-American Tour to take the title. The $500-added event was hosted by Bulldog Billiards in Dubuque, IA, and feaJesse Bowman tured 30 players in a double-elimination 8-ball format on 7-foot bar boxes. Behnke, rated a “5” on a regional handicap system used, took down the A-side that included a win over Mike Rohner 5-3 and a hot seat win over Christ Aiardo 5-3. Aiardo had earlier vanquished Ron Pluym 4-4 in the semifinals just prior to his loss to Behnke. 44 InsidePOOL Magazine ◊ January 2011

On the B-side Bob McDonald and Bowman eliminated Joe Lindsay 5-1 and Ronnie Martin 7-1, respectively, at seventh place. In the next round both McDonald and Bowman won again by ousting Pluym 5-4 and Rohner 7-2, respectively, at fifth place. Bowman then sent Bob McDonald home in fourth place 7-2, and Bowman’s run continued Results: to the tournament finals when he whitewashed 1st Jesse Bowman $600 Aiardo at third place by 2nd Chad Behnke $350 a 7-0 margin. The finals 3rd Christ Aiardo $225 between the once-de4th Bob McDonald $125 5th Ron Pluym $75 feated Bowman and un Mike Rohner defeated Behnke went 7th Joe Lindsay $50 two sets, and Bowman Ronnie Martin skimmed by Behnke 7-4 and 7-2 for the title.

Behnke Triumphs at Lucasi Tour Lucasi Hybrid All-American Tour / Sioux Falls, SD by InsidePOOL Staff

In the second set of the true doubleelimination finals, Adam Behnke recovered to take the title at the November 27 stop on the Lucasi Hybrid Adam Behnke, Jerry Behnke, Angel Lopez All-American Tour. Hosted by the new Dakota Cue Club in Sioux Falls, SD, the $500added event featured a 33-player field in a double-elimination, handicapped 8-ball format on 7-foot Diamond bar boxes. As an elite player and spotting all his opponents as a “9” based on the regional handicap system used, Sioux Falls resident Behnke proved unstoppable on this day, completing his undefeated run to the hot seat via an A-side semifinals win over Hank Nelson 9-4 and an A-side finals win over Angel Lopez 9-4. On the B-side Marc Phillips and Jerry Behnke eliminated Ryan Behnke 4-3 and Sam Disse 7-3, respectively. Phillips and Behnke continued their momentum in the next round by respectively ending the day at fifth place for Nelson 5-4 and Austin Sissel 7-3. In the B-side semifinals Jerry Behnke ousted Phillips 7-2, but Behnke came up short against Lopez 6-2 in the B-side finals. When Lopez faced off against Adam Behnke in the tournament finals, he made things interesting by handing Adam his first loss in the first set 6-7. But Behnke recovered in the second and took down Lopez by a 9-4 margin for the title.

Results: 1st Adam Behnke 2nd Angel Lopez 3rd Jerry Behnke 4th Marc Phillips 5th Hank Nelson Austin Sissel 7th Ryan Behnke Sam Disse

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< >Upcoming Central Tournaments 1/7-9

OB Cues 8-Ball Mania

Remington Park

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http://bankingwiththebeard.com/?cat=6 January2011 ◊ InsidePOOLmag.com 45

> >>

Regional Roundup Haddad Handles Lucasi Field Lucasi Hybrid All-American Tour / Fort Collins, CO by InsidePOOL Staff

Mark Haddad went undefeated at the November 27-28 stop of the Lucasi Hybrid All-American Tour, besting Johnny Vasquez in the finals to win the title. The $1,000-added “Annual Turkey Shootout” was hosted by Match-Ups in Fort Collins, CO, and featured a 60-player field in a double-elimination 8-ball format on 7-foot Valley bar boxes. Top Colorado gun Haddad pulled out all the stops over the weekend and captured the hot seat with an unblemished record, completing his run in the A-side semifinals and finals with respective wins over Louie Salazar 5-1 and Matt Evans 5-1. Evans had earlier knocked off John Sandifer to make the A-side finals.

On the B-side Vasquez lost his first match but vanquished all his further opponents to survive to the tournament finals. He eliminated Bobby Begey 5-1 at seventh place, Sandifer at fifth place 5-2, Dave Gomex at fourth place 5-3, and Matt Evans at third place 5-3. Vasquez having to defeat Haddad two sets in the finals was a tougher challenge, and Haddad was fully capable of cooling off Vasquez’s hot hand. Haddad vanquished Vasquez 5-2 in the first set for the title.

Results: 1st Mark Haddad 2nd Johnny Vasquez 3rd Matt Evans 4th Dave Gomez 5th Louie Salazar John Sandifer 7th Bobby Begey Rich Haines 9th Bill Meacham Tony Piazza James Fortin Pom Ray 13th Michael Willeford Robert Rivers Devin Schweer B.J. Spencer

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46 InsidePOOL Magazine ◊ January 2011

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Regional Roundup

Reanne Evans

Evans Zeros in on 100 World Ladiesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Billiards and Snooker Association / Bury St. Edmonds, Suffolk by Tim Dunkley

Reanne Evans said sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s targeting 100 straight wins on the womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s snooker circuit after extending her record-breaking run with victory in the British Open. The undisputed world number one, who compiled a massive 140 break in the last four, defeated Portsmouthâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Emma Bonney 3-1 in the final November 27. Pot Black London Bridge Ad.pdf 1 10/20/10 4:12 PM Sports Bar in Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk, hosted and sponsored the

CMY

third leg of the World Ladiesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Billiards and Snooker Associationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 2010-2011 tour. Â Evans, the six-time womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s world champion, has now won her last 76 WLBSA matches. After successfully defending her British Open title, the 25 year old from Dudley, West Midlands, said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;It was a bit scrappy and all the balls went a bit awkward. I needed a snooker in the second frame, got it, and then she potted a brilliant pink.â&#x20AC;? Â But the frame turned out to be a purely a consolation for five-time world billiards champion Bonney, who was unable to halt Evansâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; march towards a 26th WLBSA ranking title. Â Evans matched her highest break with a 140 total clearance in a 3-0 semi-final victory over Kentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s June Banks. WLBSA chairman Mandy Fisher said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;It was a fantastic 140. You donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t get many like that.â&#x20AC;? Â Despite being virtually unbeatable on the womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s circuit, Evans is still searching for that elusive first victory on the professional circuit. She narrowly lost 4-3 to world champion Neil Robertson in the European Players Tour Championship in Prague the previous week and four days later crashed out of the UK Championship 9-1 to Chinaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Xiao Guodong. Â She said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;No matter what, all it can do is increase my confidence for the Ladiesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; [tour]. I can only take the positives from it, because thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s all it is this season. I canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t expect much, really, just experience and enjoying it. She added with a laugh, â&#x20AC;&#x153;I just need that win and Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll be all right.â&#x20AC;?

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w w w . L O N D O N B R I D G E B I L L I A R D S . c o m November 2010 â&#x2014;&#x160; InsidePOOLmag.com 47

Derby City Classic Word Search

We've hidden the names of all of the past champions of the Derby City Classic since its inception in 1999. Also included are the names of all of the "St. Louis Louie" Roberts awards, the different disciplines, and other related words. Good luck! Alex Pagulayan Aramith Banks Billiard Buddy Hall Casino Chris Bartram City Classic Cliff Joyner Danny Harriman Dave Matlock Dee Adkins Derby Diamond Efren Reyes Gabe Owen George SanSouci Horseshoe Jason Miller Jeanette Lee John Brumback John Schmidt Jose Parica Larry Nevel Larry Price Louie Roberts Mika Immonen Nick Varner Niels Feijen Nine ball One pocket Products Ralf Souquet Scooter Goodman Scott Frost Shane Van Boening Shannon Daulton Simonis Stevie Moore Tony Watson Troy Frank 48 InsidePOOL Magazine â&#x2014;&#x160; January 2011

Visit www.InsidePOOLmag.com for the answers to this puzzle.