Billiards

Although billiards may not be at the top of the list when you think of collegiate sports, hundreds of emerging collegiate pool players from across the country compete for the honor of participating in the ACUI National Collegiate 9-Ball Championships. Each year, regional qualifier tournaments determine which top players will make it to Nationals. The ACUI (Association of College Unions International) has recently announced the list of players who made the cut in 2013…which is set to be a record year for participation. Read on for all the details on the event, and see the complete list of qualified players. … BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — The Association of College Unions International (ACUI) announces its list of contestants invited to the 73rd collegiate pocket billiards national championships, which will take place at Arizona State University’s “Sparky’s Den” on June 28-29, 2013. ACUI is a nonprofit educational organization dedicated to enhancing campus life. With 41 men and 23 women registered for 9-ball, 2012 was the largest field in the 75-year history of the ACUI Pocket Billiards program. With the list of 77 men and 38 women below invited for 2013, the path is paved for a new record to be set. Men’s Division Tommy Adair – University of Wisconsin Whitewater Hussain Aleid – University of Montana Abdulaziz Alkhan – University of North Carolina at Charlotte David Anderson – University of North Carolina at Charlotte Ashkanov Apollon – Portland Community College Taylor Axley – Minnesota State University-Mankato Skyler Banfill – West Virginia University Charles Barker – Weber State University Ernesto Bosque – Florida State University Douglas Cady – Texas A&M University Justin Chan – California State University-Fresno James Chen – Carnegie Mellon University Wilson Dorsey – University of Wisconsin Whitewater Sajal Ghimire – Mississippi State University Sam Gilmer – Mississippi State University Mac Harrell – East Carolina University Jaydan Hergott – Lindenwood University Carter Herrmann – Sacramento State William Hill – East Texas Baptist University Ben Hockman – University of Delaware Dustin Hoffman – West Virginia University Kevin Hsiao – University of Michigan Minghe Hu – University of Illinois Bo Jin – Purdue University Max Johnson – North Dakota State University Ali Jomah – St. Cloud State University Matt Keith – University of Montana Tai Lam – University of Maryland Baltimore County Stefan Le – University of North Carolina at Charlotte Xiaohang Li – University of Utah Raymond Linares – Miami Dade College-Kendall Campus Ben Litvak – Radford University Alex Mann – University of Wisconsin Whitewater David Masse – Fitchburg State University Zachary McKee – University of Akron Paul Min – University of Michigan Derek Morris – Darton College Hesam Mosharraf – Portland Community College Hee Suk (Brian) Myung – Indiana University Dan Otto – Lindenwood University Brantley Oxendine – University of North Carolina at Pembroke Sameer Pandit – California State University-Northridge Alex Pham – University of Texas-Austin Andrei Popa – Indiana University Mohan (Gordon) Qian – Indiana University Ben Reynolds – University of Arkansas Khadaffy Ripors – California State University-Long Beach Winstone Seow – University of Michigan Matt Seus – Oregon State University Matt Shilinski – University of Maryland, Baltimore County Stephen Skvarka – Virginia Tech Thomas Smith – James Madison University William Stem – University of Maryland Nathan Sweitzer – West Virginia University Corey Sykes – Virginia Tech Cody Terry – University of North Carolina at Charlotte Jonathan Ting – Purdue University Nghi Ton

The Ultimate 10-Ball Championships is now in it’s third day of competition at Harrah’s Resort & Casino in Tunica, Mississippi, where many of the world’s greatest players are geared up to take their shot at one of the premier titles in pool today. With divisions for both professional men and women, great added money for both divisions, and the best tournament staff in American pro pool, the event has drawn an all-star lineup. The women’s event counts toward the WPBA pro rankings, and the field includes many of the tour’s top stars…such as Jasmin Ouschan, Karen Corr, Allison Fisher, Jeanette Lee, Monica Webb, and many others. In the men’s event, some of the favorites who yet remain undefeated include reigning US Open Champion Shane Van Boening, Dennis Orcollo, Alex Pagulayan, Darren Appleton, Niels Feijen, Francisco Bustamante, Johnny Archer, Mika Immonen, Ralf Souquet, and recent China Open Champion Lee Van Corteza, among many other premier international players. The complete player lists for both divisions, along with tournament information, are available on www.Ultimate10Ball.com. Free live streaming is available here on the Ultimate 10-Ball site: http://www.ultimate10ball.com/2013/wp/?page_id=48 AZbilliards.com, which recently launched its newly-redesigned site, is also providing live score updates & links to the online brackets here: http://www.azbilliards.com/tours_and_events/151-ultimate-ten-ball/5597-ultimate-10-ball-championship-2013/live/

At the BCAPL State tourney, I along with all the other Open players had to race to 5 in the women's 8ball division. If one was an Advanced player, then you had to race to 6. This was noted with the letter "A" next to your name on the scoresheet.So I play one of my teammates in my very first match of the second day, at 10am. This is for 9th place. We are both happy to still be in the tourney, but we also pick on each other because we love being teammates. :)She sends me a text and asked if I was awake about 30 minutes before our 10am match.I replied, "Um, yes."She replies, "You better bring your game because I plan to kick your ass." I said, "Same to you. LOL."As I finished getting ready, I then sent her another text."Hey, they moved our match to noon. See you then."She replies, "Really? Who told you that? I heard they just moved it to 1pm."LMAO!We are both screwing with each other, basically saying we don't want to play each other because it's gonna be a tough match.Our match had not moved at all and was still planned as scheduled for 10am.I get there about 9:50am and go to our table. She already has the score-sheet at our assigned table but she is in the bathroom.I look down at our score sheet and the bitch wrote an "A" next to my name!!Funny girl!!

“Just checked my euro millions numbers...... Looks like I have to make this trip to china today!!! There's always Tuesdays draw I suppose!!!”So said a mischievous, and exclamation mark happy, Mark Allen before boarding for Wuxi where he is, of course, “bored outta my brains.”I also checked the Euro Millions numbers and found I hadn’t won and would have to carry on writing this blog, although it probably didn’t help that I hadn’t bought a ticket.Allen’s just got married so any time away from home right now is difficult but his antipathy towards China shows no immediate sign of abating, despite the two ranking titles he has won there.And that’s the point. Whatever he thinks of the place it doesn’t seem to affect his performance. In some ways it may even relax him because if he does lose he knows he’s back on the plane home again.Today he faces Peter Lines, a nice bloke and solid pro from Leeds, in the last 64.It seems a long time ago now that Peter beat John Higgins in a ranking event in China, primarily because it is. It was 14 years ago in Shanghai.Since then he’s toiled mainly in the cubicle set up, although he was a UK Championship quarter-finalist a couple of seasons back.Allen tends to score heavily and, if he does, he’ll surely win. Rustiness, though, is apt to be exploited.Judd Trump’s preparation for the tournament pre-qualifying was ideal: he went to Vegas with his mates, had a terrific time, came back and made three centuries to win his match in under an hour.Today he plays Li Hang, a young Chinese player making his second attempt to survive the pro ranks.Trump doesn’t strike me as a great one for post mortems. When you’re that age you tend to live for the moment. So it’s unlikely he’s thought much about some of his performances last season when he looked like he could become the player to take a stranglehold at the top of the world rankings.It didn’t quite happen but he is still close to Neil Robertson and Mark Selby in the three-way battle for world no.1.There was an encouraging win yesterday for Jimmy White, who beat Ricky Walden, the defending champion.White has struggled to produce much in the way of form on television in recent times so this will be a boost for the enduring crowd favourite.Lu, some say Lyu, Haotian also advanced. He is only 15 and already the youngest professional ever to win a match by qualifying.He summed up the change to the system for a player in his position thus: “The new format meant I only had to win one match to qualify, which is extraordinarily good for the new players on tour like me. It’s much easier to get through, because before I would have had to win four matches in a row.”Hard to argue with that, and good use of the word ‘extraordinarily’ to boot.One problem with having so many players at the venue, though, is that practice time is severely limited with only two tables afforded for what is, after all, an important part of a tournament for any player.Indeed, one player emailed me to say: “The practice sheets have been scrapped. It’s now an every man for themselves scenario.”Finally, a word for WPBSA chairman Jason Ferguson, who made a speech at the opening ceremony, an occasion less exciting than it sounds, which was note perfect and even ended with a phrase in Chinese. He is apparently learning some local lingo in an effort to better communicate with the movers, not forgetting the shakers, in China, which is creditable bearing in mind the usual strategy of Brits in foreign climes is to say something akin to: “Do you speak English, or am I going to have to shout?”

TAR35 | Dennis Orcullo vs Shane Van Boening, 10-ball race to 100 Continue reading a beautiful TAR

Steinway Billiards, one of NYC’s top spots for pool, was host to the Tri-State Tour on Saturday, June 15. The $1,000-added event had a great turnout of 52 players at Steinway, located in Astoria, Queens, NY. For the second time in three weeks, Luis Jimenez ran undefeated to win the Tri-State. Jimenez, who is an NYC-based pool player, worked his way through the winner’s bracket with wins against Gail Glazebrook 7-3, Chris DeCaprio 6-4, Michael Aro 6-3, and Ambi Estevez 6-2 to make it to the hot seat match. One of the Tri-State area’s top female players, Annie Flores, also came out very strong in this event, and met with Jimenez in the hot seat match after defeating Emerson Verano 7-6 in the final four. In their playoff to see who would guarantee a spot in the final, Jimenez would defeat Flores at 7-4. Meanwhile, the one-loss side featured many top area amateur contenders who also hoped to get a shot at the victory. Of them, Lidio “Rasta” Ramirez would forge a strong comeback after a loss in the winner’s bracket to Annie Flores 7-4. Ramirez then moved on to win eight straight matches, and capped off his run with a win in the quarterfinal against recent Tri-State winner Thomas Rice, 8-4. Lidio Ramirez then got a second chance to take on Annie Flores in the semifinal, and she again prevailed, winning 7-5. Flores would then rematch against Luis Jimenez in the final. With the event finishing late at night, both players were tired, but Jimenez maintained his strong play, winning the event’s finale at 7-2. While Jimenez earned credit for another strong win, Flores also made a great statement, finishing runner-up for the second time at Steinway in recent months, as she also took second in the Predator Tour’s April 14 event there. Luis Jimenez (1st), Rhio Anne Flores (2nd), Lidio Ramirez (3rd) The Tri-State Tour would like to thank Sterling Gaming, Ozone Billiards, Poison Cues, Ron Tarr Cues, Kamui Tips, Phil Capelle, BlueBook Publishing, and Human Kinetics for their sponsorship leading to this event, as well as Steinway Billiards & their staff. The next Tri-State stop is a $750-added A/B/C/D event, to be held on June 22, 2013 at Clifton Billiards in Clifton, NJ. Top Finishers & Payout: 1st: Luis Jimenez – $830 2nd: Rhio Anne “Annie” Flores – $550 3rd: Lido Ramirez – $340 4th: Thomas Rice – $200 5th/6th: Emerson Verano, Ambi Estevez – $130 7th/8th: Bogie Uzdejczyk, Shivam Gupta – $100 9th-12th: Manny Stamatakis, Glenn Rmasey, Chris DeCaprio, Michael Aro – $80 … Juan Guzman continued on his recent hot streak to win the Tri-State Tour’s big $2,750-added event held at Gotham City Billiards on June 8. Adding to his recent run of wins on the Tri-State at Cue Bar & Gotham, along with the Predator Tour at Cue Bar, Guzman dominated once again at Gotham in Brooklyn, NY. On his undefeated run to victory, Juan Guzman defeated Marco Costello 7-3, Rajesh Vannala 7 -3, Jimmy Acosta 7-3, Gary Murgia 7-6, Geoff Bauer 7-5, and Raymond Lee 8-5 to claim the hot seat. Raymond Lee would then meet with the winner of the loser’s bracket…another recent top Tri-State finisher, Geoff Bauer. Bauer had previously defeated Steve Wright in the final four of the one-loss side, then moved on to the quarterfinal, where he won against Ambi Estevez. Estevez, who finished in fourth, has gained recent momentum in New York area events, and has had a number of top finishes as well. Bauer then took on Lee in the semifinal, but Lee would finish strong with an 8-4 victory. Raymond Lee then had another shot against Juan Guzman in the final, and took an initial lead. Guzman then tied it at 3-3. They proceeded to trade the lead, but Guzman then pulled away at 6-6 and won the final two games to take the win at 8-6. Congratulations to Juan on a great win, along with all of the event’s top finishers at Gotham. Geoff Bauer (3rd), Juan Guzman (1st), Raymond Lee

May 24, 2013 (Englewood, CO): CueSight.com, a leading online retailer of pool cues and other billiards supplies, is committed to supporting the young players of the Billiard Education Foundation (BEF) by donating 5% of sales to the nonprofit organization. As an added bonus, shoppers who enter coupon code “SUPPORTBEF” will not only be supporting their favorite charity, but will also receive 10% off their purchase. The retailer is no stranger to supporting worthy causes. They also gave 10% of sales 2010 to the Haiti Relief. “The BEF is instrumental in introducing a younger generation to key elements of the game of billiards that they can carry into their everyday lives. By using billiards to promote character traits such as honesty, integrity, and sportsmanship, the BEF helps kids to develop strategy and communication skills that demonstrate courtesy and respect that will last a lifetime. We are happy and proud to be supporters of the BEF,” said Matt Carter, General Manager of Sterling Gaming, parent company of CueSight. CueSight is an online retailer located in Matthews, NC.  They specialize in billiards supplies and carry such brands as Fury, Milliken, Blaze, Viking, Aramith, Simonis, Slippy, and many others.  For more information about CueSight you can visit their website at www.cuesight.com or call 1-800-660-2572. The Billiard Education Foundation (BEF) was formed in 1993 as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit charity committed to promoting a lifelong love of pool and building the next generation of players through youth programs and academic scholarships. Visit billiardeducation.org or call (303) 926-1039 to learn more about junior billiard programs in your area.

Another week in China, another time to ponder Ding Junhui.Few would argue that Ding is one of snooker’s finest break-builders. He has won six world ranking titles, including two UK Championships, plus the Masters.To me, he is a top four player but the fact remains he is not in the top four and in China itself he invariably struggles.The conclusion must be that this is the pressure of expectation. When he won the 2005 China Open the week he turned 18 he was a virtual unknown, suddenly catapulted to fame.Fans maybe assumed success would come easily to him after that initial win, but success doesn’t come easily to anyone in snooker.The curious way snooker works saw Ding, who hails from Wuxi, have to qualify in Gloucester. Luckily for the tournament he did, but only just, beating Aditya Mehta 5-4.It is Ding the game has to thank for the Wuxi Classic. It began as an invitation event, the Jiangsu Classic, played in the place he grew up and he won the first staging.Now it’s a ranking event, one of five in China. But Ding’s influence seems to have benefited everyone bar the man himself.It seems odd that the only ranking event he has won on home soil was that 2005 success. It proves that home support can be a curse as well as a plus. Jimmy White may agree with that.Snooker is perhaps the ultimate individual sport but when Ding plays in China he is playing for a nation, knowing there are many millions willing him to succeed.I don't think this is the whole story with Ding - he is an inconsistent player in general. But it is a factor and part of the reason is that none of his compatriots have seriously threatened his status as top dog.There are many other Chinese players – eight others have qualified – but Ding is still very much China’s no.1 and this puts him on a precarious pedestal.On Monday he plays Jamie Burnett, a former Shanghai Masters runner-up. Ding once thrashed him at the Crucible but on Chinese soil the old uncertainties return.He would, of course, be a very popular winner of the title. Maybe a run to a trophy in China would banish the pressures he feels when he plays there once and for all.But it is those pressures, as much as the quality of the opposition, which could once again stand in his way.

The final stages of the Wuxi Classic features a varied field of 64 players: big names, old stagers, new faces and, for the first time, a woman.Reanne Evans became the first female player to qualify for a ranking event when she beat Thepchaiya Un Nooh in Gloucester.Her reward is to play a wildcard, Zhu Yinghui, rather than a much anticipated first round match against Neil Robertson.Even if she beats Zhu, World Snooker have scheduled her match with Robertson for the one time UK and European viewers won’t be able to watch – 10am in China, so the middle of the night back home, with Eurosport covering the afternoon and evening sessions.The afternoon match that day on that table is Mark Allen v Peter Lines, which few, perhaps even Allen and Lines, would argue was a bigger deal for the sport, especially given the amount of pre-publicity Evans has got the event, with appearances on television, radio and in newspapers.For all the warm words the governing body has spoken about promoting women’s snooker, this was a golden chance to gain some actual exposure and they’ve completely blown it.The wildcard situation is a nonsense as well in this bright, shiny new era of ‘fairness.’Originally, wildcards were used in China to build local interest and they did do. One of them – Ding Junhui – won the 2005 China Open. With snooker now firmly established in China, the wildcards are being used to give free practice at the top level to Chinese players. This is not what ranking events are for.There are nine Chinese qualifiers plus Hong Kong’s Marco Fu: more than enough local representation without four more having to be parachuted in.The big names who failed to qualify were Mark Selby and Shaun Murphy. Ronnie O’Sullivan withdrew from qualifying due to a family bereavement. Stephen Maguire and Mark Davis didn’t enter.The rest of the top 16 are there, with Ricky Walden defending the title. His first round opponent is Jimmy White, one of snooker’s most iconic names. His old rival Steve Davis is also in the draw and faces Andrew Higginson.What’s good about this new system is that plenty of players perennially stuck in the qualifying quagmire are now at the venue, experiencing life in the big time, and are guaranteed prize money.So step forward the likes of Joel Walker, Scott Donaldson, Adam Duffy, Alex Davies, Liam Highfield and the other young prospects making the trip to Wuxi City.With 64 players, plus the wildcards, there will be a lot of matches to get through, obviously many taking away from the TV screens.The first prize is now £80,000 - an increase of £5,000 on last season and massively up on what these ranking events far away from British shores used to be worth.Eurosport are live from 7.30am UK time on Monday.

New York has long been known as one of the nation’s top hotspots for straight pool… and the NYC billiard community, including Tony Robles’ National Amateur Pool League, is once again joining forces to support the World Tournament of 14.1. Check out the details below in the announcement from the NAPL… … We are very proud to announce that the National Amateur Pool League, also known as the NAPL, is an Official Sponsor of the 2013 World 14.1 Tournament, which will take place at Steinway Billiards in Astoria, Queens on August 19-24! Open only to NAPL members, the NAPL will run a qualifier on Saturday, June 22nd at one of its host rooms, Amsterdam Billiards & Bar in Union Square, New York City. This unique experience gives one dedicated amateur a chance to play in a World Championship amongst professionals from all around the world. The winner of the qualifier will get a guaranteed spot in the event and a paid entry (worth $580) to the 14.1 World Straight Pool Tournament. Special thanks to Amsterdam Billiards’ owner Greg Hunt for providing his room for this qualifier event and to Dragon Promotions for giving the amateurs the opportunity to compete against the world’s best straight pool players! For more information about the NAPL please visit PlayNAPL.com. Tony Robles