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More than $1 Million in Prize Money Awarded in 30th Annual Team Championships

by InsidePOOL Staff

The American Poolplayers Association’s (APA) 30th Annual National Team Championships saw a record number of teams compete in the newly expanded ten-day extravaganza. Nearly 2,000 8-ball, 9-ball, doubles, and masters teams made the trek to Sin City to compete August 19-28 for more than $1 million in prize money. Because of record participation, the event had to be extended an extra day.

In the 8-ball open division, “Chumba’s All Stars” of Topeka, KS, defeated “Bad Elements” of Black Mountain, NC, 3-1 in the finals to take home $25,000 in cash and the championship title. As runners-up, Bad Elements received $15,000 in prize money.

Finishing in third place were “Deep Pockets” of Osawatomie, KS, and “That’s How We Roll” of Baton Rouge, LA. Each received $7,500 in prize money. In a four-way tie for fifth place were “The Legends” of Kirksville, MO; “Dream Busters” of Fairfield, OH; “Ice Breakers” of East Peoria, IL; and “Mack’s 8-Ballers” of Louisville, KY. Each team received $5,500 for finishing tied for fifth place.

In the finals of the ladies’ 8-ball division, it was “Don’t Need a Man” of Clover, SC, defeating “Fight Like a Girl” of Hixson, TN, 3-2 to win $10,000 in first-place prize money. As runners-up, Fight Like a Girl received $5,000 in cash.

Don’t Need a Man advanced to the finals with a victory over defending champions “Let It Ride” of Bakersfield, CA, in the semifinals. Fight Like a Girl defeated “All Or Nothin” of West Monroe, LA, in the semifinals to advance. Both Let It Ride and All Or Nothin each took home $2,500 for their third-place finishes.

In a tie for fifth place were “Hustlers” of Gretna, LA; “I’m Just Saying” of South Park, PA; “Chicks with Sticks” of Jackson, MS; and “Pink 8’s” of Lafayette, LA. Each fifth-place team received $1,000 in prize money.

All teams in the 8-ball championships squared off in a modified single-elimination format that ensured each team played at least twice before elimination. All 8-ball open division teams automatically received $350 in national qualifier money, and the top eight teams won at least $5,000. In the 8-ball ladies’ division, all teams automatically earned $350 national qualifier money, with the top eight teams winning at least $1,000. The open division began play August 22 and concluded August 28. The ladies’ division of the tournament started August 19 and ended August 22.

In open 9-ball national championship action, it was “The Fort” of Baltimore, MD, defeating “Ryders” of Meriden, CT, 52-48 in the finals. The Fort took home $15,000 of the more than $200,000 guaranteed purse. As runners-up, the Ryders received $7,000 in cash.

Two teams tied for third place in the open 9-ball division: “9-On-The-Run” of Woonsocket, RI, and “Land Sharks” of Garner, NC. Each team took home $3,500 in prize money.

Finishing in fifth place were “Bad Attitudes” of Memphis, TN, and “Good Fellas” of Mississauga, Ontario. Each fifth-place team received $2,000 in prize money.

The Open 9-Ball National Championship was held August 19-23, with each team competing in a modified single-elimination format that ensured each team played at least twice before elimination. All national qualifiers received a minimum of $350, with the top six teams winning at least $2,000.

After winning their divisions in weekly APA 8-ball and 9-ball league play and then placing in local team championships throughout the United States and Canada, 723 open 8-ball, 399 open 9-ball, and 57 ladies’ 8-ball teams, all consisting of five to eight players, qualified to compete in the 2010 National Team Championships.

In the open 8-ball doubles division, it was “Carolina Express” of Dunn, NC, winning $6,500 in the finals with a victory over “Melissa and Joseph” of Madison, TN. Melissa and Joseph received $4,000 as runners-up in the 384-team event.

The finals of the masters’ championship event featured “Triple Fish” of Montgomery, AL, defeating “Zack Attack” of Portland, OR. Triple Fish took home $7,800 in first-place prize money, while Zack Attack received $3,600 as runners-up in the 192-team event.

In the open 9-ball doubles championship, “Kool Katz” of Stoneham, MA, defeated “Yeaa Buddy” of Lake Worth, FL. Kool Katz took home a first-place prize of $5,000 and the championship trophy, while Yeaa Buddy walked away with $3,000 in prize money.

Dale Fitch of Federal Way, WA, defeated Andrew Niebrugge of Decatur, IL, for $2,400 in the finals of the wheelchair challenge. Niebrugge took home $1,000 as runner-up.

In addition, the APA conducted nearly round-the-clock MiniMania tournaments, which took place daily and were open to all APA members. The MiniMania tournaments offered multiple formats with 100% prize money payback that awarded nearly $200,000.

The APA and its championships are sponsored by Aramith, Action Cues, and PoolDawg.

Texas wasn’t the only thing hot the weekend of August 21-22—when the OB Cues Ladies’ Tour held their $2,000-added sixth tour stop, the heat was on for the competitors as well. The Billiard Den in Richardson, TX, hosted the 36 ladies, and Jennifer Kraber won her first OB Cues title.

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Lisa Marr went head to head with Kraber for the hot seat, and the hard-fought win went to Kraber in a hill-hill finish. Angela Garza and Julie Comitini finished seventh, Michelle Cortez and Lisa Henderson-Major tied for fifth, Orietta Strickland took fourth, and Julie Stephenson finished in third place.

Kraber, who just this year has been in the finals three additional times, considered herself “always a bridesmaid, never a bride.” This day, though, she defeated Marr in the finals with a score of 7-3. Kraber has been a consistent player on the OB Cues Ladies’ Tour, and with her first tour win ever, she is at the top of the rankings.

Results:
1st Jennifer Kraber $750
2nd Lisa Marr $550
3rd Julie Stephenson $400
4th Orietta Strickland $280
5th Lisa Henderson-Major $160
Michelle Cortez
7th Angela Garza $110
Julie Comitini
9th Monica Anderson $60
Kim Pierce
Melinda Bailey
Corina Campbell
13th Michelle Prince $35
Rebecca Riley
Annie Doyle
Tara Williams

Crazy 8’s Family Pool Hall in Port Arthur, Texas played host to the Lone Star Tour’s twelfth stop of the year on August 28th-29th. The $1,350 added 9-ball events not only drew 43 open pool players and 13 women with almost $6,000 in cash up for grabs, but local Channel 4 News coverage as well. Charlie “Hillbilly” Bryant, Sylver “Cho-Uh” Ochoa, David Gutierrez, Steve Lenz, and Louisiana’s own Troy Woodard were all in attendance. LSBT’s Houston crowd represented as well with Rodney Stewart, Will Felder, Viet Do, Charles Crouch, Brent Thomas, Brian Rosenbaum, Chuck Adams, Eric Renteria, Thomas Juarez and Mike Alonzo.

Match play wrapped up on Saturday evening and brought the final twelve back on Sunday, in the money! On the winners’ side final 8, Bryant bested Will Felder 9-3, Gutierrez dusted Dalton Riley 9-4, Ochoa ousted Brian Rosenbaum 9-2, and it was Mike Alonzo over Viet Do 9-5. After being down by a deficit of 5-1, Gutierrez sent Bryant west by a score of 9-7, and Ochoa stopped Alonzo cold. In the hot seat match, Ochoa sent Gutierrez west 9-0 while the one loss side played out. It was David Heinz over Rosenbaum and Do over Stewart, Woodard bested Felder, and Riley eliminated Chuck Pham. Rosenbaum took down Do to meet up with Bryant, and Riley eliminated Woodard to meet up with Alonzo. One round later, it was Bryant v. Riley but the “Hillbilly” made quick work of him 7-0 then eliminated Gutierrez 7-4. In the final Ochoa came on strong 4-1 then 6-4 but Bryant gave his final answer 9-7. In overtime, Bryant wasted no time and defeated Ochoa 7-3. Also, congratulations to Dalton Riley (4th), Viet Do (7th-8th), Rodney Stewart (9th-12th), and Chuck Pham (9th-12th) who had their best finishes to date.

In the ladies event, Ming Ng played near flawless with wins over Love Nguyen, Belinda Lee, Marie Chhuon, and Loretta Lindgren. It was Chhuon who made her way out of the woods and into the finals, but was out gunned by Ng 7-1.

LSBT recognizes its Official Cue, Poison Cues; Official Rack, Delta-13 Rack; Leagueshirts.com; and Barnett Ranching. LSBT would like to thank Jerry Jordan, Managing Editor of the Examiner in Port Arthur along with Channel 4 local news for their coverage of this event.

The tour debuts at Skinny Bob’s Billiards (formerly G Cue Billiards) in Round Rock, Texas on September 11th-12th. Join LSBT “on the road”, accept the challenge, and take your game to the next level! See you on the Lone Star Trail!

Open Payouts
1st $800 Charlie Bryant
2nd $400 Sylver Ochoa
3rd $300 David Gutierrez
4th $200 Dalton Riley
5th-6th $125 Mike Alonzo, Brian Rosenbaum
7th-8th $80 Viet Do, Troy Woodard
9th-12th $45 Chuck Pham, Will Felder, Rodney Stewart, David Heinz

Auction
1st $1,400
2nd $910
3rd $510
Ladies Payouts
1st $265 Ming Ng
2nd $170 Mary Chhuon
3rd $70 Loretta Lindgren
4th $40 Belinda Lee
Ladies Auction
1st $185
2nd $80

WPA Women’s World 9-Ball Championships / Shenyang, China

by InsidePOOL Staff

The 2010 WPA Women’s World 9-Ball Championships saw Xiaofang Fu of China crowned the new victor after she bested Allison Fisher in the finals. This grueling, week-long event was held in Shenyang, China, and saw a total of 128 of the world’s best female 9-ball players compete for the prestigious title.

After working her way through the double-elimination, 128-player stage of the event, Fu went on to the 64-player, single-elimination phase. There she ousted Hui Shan Lai, Ho Yun Tan, and Chieh-Yu Chou, all representing Taipei, to reach the semifinal matches.

Her opponent was the defending champion, fellow countrywoman 17-year-old Shasha Liu. Earlier in the event Liu had eliminated Miso Lin of Taipei, Kelly Fisher of Great Britain, and Siming Chen of China. Liu was unable to hold on to her title, though, and had to content herself with a third-place finish as Fu advanced to the final.

Allison Fisher, a four-time winner of this coveted crown, was waiting for her. Fisher had faced down Xioachun Zheng of China, Angelina Paglia of the U.S., and the WPBA’s number-one-ranked player, Ga Young Kim, to make it to the semifinals. There she had to go up against Shu-Man Chang, who had eliminated Yun Mi Lim of Korea, Monica Webb of the U.S., and Yuan Chun Lin of Taipei. Hoping to take a fifth title, Fisher pressed on to victory and defeated Chang as well.

But another victory was not in the cards for Fisher this time. The extended race to 9 was a hotly contested battle, but in the end it was Xiaofang Fu who took top honors with a 9-7 final score.

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Tri-State Tour / Brooklyn, NY

by InsidePOOL Staff

An undefeated run through the Tri-State Tour’s August 28 field saw Jason Egeln standing in the winner’s circle at the tournament’s end. The $750-added event was hosted by Gotham City Billiards in Brooklyn, NY, and drew a field of 25 to vie for the title.

After his 7-4 defeat of Ryan McCarthy in the winners’ side final four, Egeln moved on to the hot seat match. There he faced off against Ken DeCuire, who had just delivered Andrew Cleary to the one-loss side of the chart 7-3. Egeln had little trouble sending DeCuire to follow Cleary, defeating him 7-4 and claiming the hot seat.

Cleary ran into trouble in the form of Nicholas Chan on the west side, and their match went hill-hill but saw Chan advance 7-6 to the quarterfinals. Meeting him there was John Egeln, who had quickly finished his previous match against McCarthy 6-2. Egeln was then felled by Chan, who took charge of their match and ousted Egeln 6-2. In turn, Chan was then eliminated by DeCuire in the semifinals, as DeCuire was eager for a rematch with Egeln.

But the final match was all Egeln, as he took a 4-0 lead before DeCuire got his foot in the door. The players traded a few racks, but when DeCuire had 3, Egeln reached the finish line and won the match 6-3.

Results:
1st Jason Egeln $500
2nd Ken DeCuire $270
3rd Nicholas Chan $180
4th John Egeln $110
5th Ryan McCarthy $60
Andrew Cleary

WPA World Women’s 9-Ball Championship / Shenyang, China

by InsidePOOL Staff

The World Women’s 9-Ball Championship has revealed the final 4 players of the original 128 talented ladies vying in Shenyang, China, for the title. Great Britain’s Allison Fisher is one of the four, while the other three players hail from Asia.

In the first round of the single-elimination phase that comprised 32 players, Fisher faced off against Xiaochun Zheng of China. She handled Zheng easily 9-2 and went on to play Angelina Paglia of the U.S., whom she also defeated with ease 9-1. In the third round Fisher went head to head with the WPBA’s top player, Ga Young Kim, and though they had a closely contested battle, it was Fisher who advanced 9-7.

Fisher’s semifinal opponent will be Shu-Man Chang of Taipei. After besting Yun Mi Lim of Korea 9-1 in the first round of the final 32, Chang also eliminated Monica Webb of the U.S. 9-7. Her closest match came from fellow countrywoman Yuan Chun Lin, which went double-hill before Chang moved on to the semifinals.

China’s Xiaofang Fu fought off three Taipei players en route to the semifinals. She bested Hui Shan Lai 9-3 in the first round and then advanced to meet Ho Yun Tan. Another quick victory for Fu went 9-2 and then she met Chieh Yu Chu. This match was much closer, but still Fu was able to move forward with a 9-7 victory.

View the Women’s World 9-Ball Preliminary Rounds tournament brackets

View the Women’s World 9-Ball tournament brackets

Meeting Fu in the semifinals will be Shasha Liu, also from China. In Liu’s first match she ousted Miso Lin of Taipei 9-5. Her second match, though, did not go so easily. Her opponent was Kelly Fisher of Great Britain, and Fisher took Liu to the hill but did not advance. Liu bested her 9-8 and then went on to meet China’s Siming Chen, whom she defeated 9-5.

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WPA Women’s World 9-Ball Championship / Shenyang, China

by InsidePOOL Staff

The Women’s World 9-Ball Championship, held this week in Shenyang, China, has gotten through its initial double-elimination, 128-player field and winnowed down to only 32 players to fight for the title in a single-elimination format.

Junior champion Brittany Bryant came through the one-loss side to make her appearance in the final 32. Bryant was defeated by Sarah Rousey in the first round 7-3 but dealt a 7-0 donut to Carlynn Sanchez in the next. She then survived a hill-hill nail-biter against Jasmin Ouschan 7-6 to reach the single-elimination round and to oust the Austrian prodigy.

Monica Webb also survived the west side of the chart to make it through. She won her first match against Nataly Camancho Villarroel of Bolivia 7-1 but was routed by former world champion Shin Mei Liu of Taipei 7-2. But Webb rallied in her next match, which was against Iris Ranola, and defeated the Filipina 7-2 to advance.

Also from the U.S., Rousey and Angelina Paglia have moved on to the single-elimination phase without a loss. After her win over Bryant, Rousey went on to face Adriana Villar and defeat her 7-3. Paglia has bested Japan’s Kajatani Akimi 7-3 and Xiaochun Zheng 7-6.

View the Women’s World 9-Ball Preliminary Rounds tournament brackets

View the Women’s World 9-Ball tournament brackets

Both Allison and Kelly Fisher remain unscathed and have moved on to the single-elimination format. A. Fisher first defeated Gerda Hofstatter 7-3 and then Ina Jentschura of Germany 7-2, while K. Fisher scored wins over Ya Ting Chan 7-5 and Siming Chen 7-5.

Ranked number two on the WPBA, Karen Corr did not survive to play in the round of 32. Corr was sent to the west side of the chart after her first-round, hill-hill loss to Chieh Yu Chouh. She bested Kynthia Orfandis 7-4 but then was eliminated by Taipei’s Hui Shan Lai 7-5.

Representing Ireland, Julie “Motor Molly” Kelly survived a stint on the left side of the bracket to make a triumphant return to the final 32. Kelly defeated Ranola in the first round 7-5 and fought hard against Vivian Villareal in the next round but fell 7-5. She advanced to the final 32 after a 7-4 defeat of Canada’s Veronique Menard.

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Florida State 9-Ball Championships / Fort Pierce, FL

by InsidePOOL Staff

Robb Saez earned the Florida State 9-ball title August 21 when he bested Butch Croft in the finals of the Florida State Open 9-Ball Championships. This $2,000-added event drew 47 players to Ultimate Billiards in Fort Pierce, FL.

There were some marquee match-ups right out of the gate with Louis Altes turning a 5-1 deficit against Jeff Beckley into 7-6 win. Saez, playing an improving Jerry Calderon, looked strong and won the match 7-2. He followed that up with wins over Todd Anderson 7-4 and Jarred Schlauch 7-3 and then notched an 8-5 victory over Anthony Meglino to reach the winners’ side final.

One of the surprise players of the day was relatively unknown player Jason Steman from Atlanta. Steman had people talking, with his comprehensive wins over Altes 7-2, Justin Hall 7-6, and then 7-5 win over Tommy Kennedy, who was looking to take his seventh straight win on the Poison Tour. But Jacksonville’s Croft proved to be too strong for Stemen and booked himself a winners’ side final with Saez after a hard fought 8-6 win.

Calderon wreaked havoc on the one-loss side after a second-round loss to Saez, eliminating Dave Ross, Richard Knight, Tony Crosby, Hall, Raul Alverez, Jarred Schlauch, Steman, and then Meglino to put himself in the semifinals. The hot seat match was a tight affair, with both players matching each other shot for shot to take it to the wire. At 7-7 Saez held his nerve and captured the hot seat 8-7. Croft then had to deal with Calderon, and he did so convincingly with a 7-1 victory.

Having played solid pool all weekend, Saez continued to do so in the final match. Croft never got out of second gear as Saez raced to a 9-5 win to take the $1,000 in first-place prize money and the title, plus the entry into the Seminole Pro Tour’s Steve Mizerak Championship.

Results:
1st Robb Saez $1,000
2nd Butch Croft $600
3rd Jerry Calderon $500
4th Anthony Meglino $400
5th-6th Tommy Kennedy $300
Jason Steman
7th John Foster $190
Jarred Schlauch
9th Chris Gentile $85
Raul Alverez
Jeff Beckley
Julio Aquino

WPA Women’s World 9-Ball Championship / Shenyang, China

by InsidePOOL Staff

A full 128-player field filled with the top female billiards players in the game today have gathered in Shenyang, China, to see who is the best of the best. The WPA Women’s World 9-Ball Championship has concluded two rounds of play, and already there have been some upsets.

Perhaps most surprising is the two-and-out exit of Yu Ram Cha, a promising young player on the Women’s Professional Billiards Association (WPBA) from Korea. Cha’s first-round match saw her go up against Taipei’s Ho Yun Tan, who delivered Cha to the one-loss side of the chart 7-3. There she met Japan’s Kawahara Chihiro, who had just been edged out of a hill-hill match against fellow countrywoman Keiko Yukawa 7-6. Cha put up a good fight against Chihiro but fell 7-5.

Ireland’s Karen Corr, ranked third on the WPBA, headed the bracket and faltered in her first-round match against Chieh-Yu Chouh, which went hill-hill before Corr went west. Corr then eliminated Kynthia Orfandis of the Netherlands 7-4 and will next play Hui Shan Lai of Taipei.

Also surprisingly, Xiaoting Pan, who is ranked fourth on the WPBA, fell in the first round to Taipei’s Pei Chen Tsai 7-5. She rebounded in the one-loss side against Norway’s Line Kjorsvik, trouncing her 7-1, and will next face Yun Mi Lim.

Another unexpected loss came from Austria. Number-two-ranked Jasmin Ouschan did well in her first match against Shu Wah Hoe of Singapore, besting her 7-5. But in the second round, Ouschan went to the hill against China’s Xue Chen and ended up heading west 7-6. There she will face Brittany Bryant, former junior champion, who just dealt Carlynn Sanchez of Venezuela a donut 7-0.

View the Women’s World 9-Ball tournament brackets (updated continuously)

Representing the U.S., Sarah Rousey has gone through the first two rounds unscathed, defeating first Bryant 7-3 and then Costa Rica’s Adrian Villar 7-3. U.S. players who have won the first-round matches include Angelina Paglia, Vivian Villareal, and Monica Webb.

Allison Fisher won her first two matches easily, sending first Gerda Hofstatter 7-3 and then Germany’s Ina Jentschura 7-2 to the left side of the chart. Also undefeated, Kelly Fisher bested Taipei’s Ya Ting Chan 7-5 and then Siming Chen of China double-hill.

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Great Southern Billiard Tour / Conyers, GA

by Lea Andrews

A determined John Maikee delivered a late hit to BR Tatum at the August 22-23 Great Southern Billiard Tour stop, but it wasn’t enough to take the veteran player’s eyes off the top prize. Tatum and Maikee were among the field of 30 that gathered at Classic Billiards in Conyers, GA, for the $1,500-added event, which was sponsored by Nick Varner Cues and Cases and Andy Gilbert Custom Cues.

B-ranked Tatum got past A-ranked Jordan Grubb 7-7 to reach the hot seat match against AA-ranked Clint McCullough, who’d breezed past B-ranked Jack Fernandez 10-1. Tatum held his own against McCullough, reaching his goal of seven games, while McCullough came up two racks shy of his own goal of ten.

On the one-loss side, past winner Horace “Groundhog” Goodwin, who’d fallen earlier to fellow winner Grubb, squeaked past B-ranked Jamie Lowery 9-6 to face James Bryson, who’d ousted junior player Dylan Letchworth 7-2. Bryson got that score flipped on him, though, and he landed in seventh 9-2. Meanwhile, Maikee, who’d been on the left side since his first-round loss to Chris Chamberlain, edged out fellow A-player Jeff Hooks 9-8 to meet up with B-ranked Dave Shadden, who’d taken care of A-ranked Casey Joiner 7-2. Shadden managed just two games against Maikee to land in fifth, though, while Maikee moved on to Fernadez. After taking care of Fernandez 9-6, Maikee advanced to the quarterfinals against Goodwin, who’d exacted his revenge on Grubb 9-8. Taking control of the match, Maikee put Goodwin in fourth 9-7 to move on to the semifinals against McCullough, and a tight 9-8 victory put him into the finals against Tatum.

In the true double-elimination final match, Maikee, who was looking for his first Great Southern Billiard Tour victory, blew through the first set 9-2 to push the second set. But there, a steady-shooting Tatum pushed the match hill-hill, marking up the final game to earn his first tour win 7-8.

Results:
1st BR Tatum $1,000
2nd John Maikee $500
3rd Clint McCullough $250
4th Horace Goodwin $150
5th Jack Fernandez $75
Jordan Grubb