BROOMFIELD, Colo., July 27, 2010 — Francisco Bustamante, one of the most accomplished players to come out of the Philippines, has been elected for induction into the Billiard Congress of America Hall of Fame in voting conducted by the United States Billiard Media Association. Also, in the Meritorious Service, Terry Bell and Larry Hubbart, founders of the American Poolplayers Association league system in 1979, were elected for induction. Bustamante, 46; Bell, 66; and Hubbart, 69, will be formally inducted into the BCA Hall of Fame on Oct. 21 during ceremonies in conjunction with the U.S. Open 9-Ball Championship in Chesapeake, Va.

Bustamante, one of the most accomplished players to come out of the Philippines, has been elected for induction into the Billiard Congress of America Hall of Fame in voting conducted by the United States Billiard Media Association

Bustamante finally garnered his first recognized world title in 2010, winning the WPA World 9-Ball Championship in Doha, Qatar. His strongest game is 9-ball, where his blockbuster break is legendary; although he is more than proficient at all the major games, as witnessed by his All-Around title at the 2008 Derby City Classic.

Upon hearing the news that he would be the second Filipino in the BCA Hall of Fame (after Efren Reyes’ 2003 induction), Bustamante was completely shocked.

“Really? I’m still young!” Bustamante said. “Two things that I always dreamed of were to be world champion and to be in the Hall of Fame. This year both dreams came true. We all dream to be in the BCA Hall of Fame, so I am very happy today. We are heroes in the Philippines, but for the American people to recognize me like this makes me very proud.”

Bell and Hubbart spent several years pouring all of their time and resources into developing the APA and its franchise system.

Bell and Hubbart spent several years pouring all of their time and resources into developing the APA and its franchise system. With the support of sponsorship from Busch beer as a title sponsor beginning in 1981, the APA grew from 1,000 to 100,000 members over the next decade. Their ability to garner such non-endemic national sponsorship allowed the APA to grow into a league that today has more than a 250 thousand players and 270 franchisees. As a matter of fact, the APA was listed earlier this year as one of Entrepreneur Magazine’s “10 Great Franchises For Less Than $20,000.”

“We were outcasts for a long time because we were looked at as competition,” Bell said. “But Larry and I just tried to build a business and do something worthwhile. We’ve always felt like we’ve done things that have helped the industry.”

Voting was conducted by the USBMA Hall of Fame Board, which consists of USBMA members, elected At-Large members and living members of the BCA Hall of Fame. Induction is awarded to the player named on the most ballots. A second player is elected if he or she is named on more than 70 percent of the ballots. Bustamante (56 percent) was the leading vote getter, edging out familiar foe Ralf Souquet (46 percent) and fellow Filipino Jose Parica (44 percent). No other players were named on more than a quarter of submitted ballots.

According to BCA Hall of Fame voting rules, this was the last year of eligibility for Parica and Jim Mataya in the Greatest Players category. Both individuals will be past the age of 60 in 2011, which means the Veterans Committee will consider them for possible induction in future years.

To be eligible for consideration in the Greatest Player category, a player a) must be 40 years old by Jan. 1 of the year of their induction; b) must have a professional playing career of at least 10 years; and c) must have recorded significant achievements in U.S.-based events.

Hubbart and Bell were placed on the general election ballot after the USBMA’s Board’s 10-member Meritorious Service Committee named them as its official nominee. Thirty-one of 39 board members voted to approve Hubbart and Bell, with a simple majority required for induction.

About Billiard Congress of America
Founded in 1948, the Billiard Congress of America is a non-profit trade organization dedicated to growing a united, prosperous and highly regarded billiard industry through BCA leadership. The BCA seeks to enhance the success of its members and promote the game of billiards though educational, marketing and promotional efforts, annual industry trade shows and other programs designed to encourage billiards as a lifestyle and make pool everybody’s game. For more information, visit www.bca-pool.com or call 303.243.5070.

by Alison M. Fischer, NYCgrind.com

A field of 67 players visited Amsterdam Billiard Club in New York, NY, July 24-25 to participate in the Ozone Billiards Predator Tour. Offering a wide range of top NYC-area amateur and pro players, the event showcased plenty of competition, but it was John Alicea and tour promoter Tony Robles who won their respective divisions.

Alicea ran to the top of the A-D 9-ball division, rolling through the A/B bracket to meet custom cue case maker Jim Murnak, who won the C/D bracket in the hot seat match. A 7-4 victory left Alicea sitting in the king seat.

Daniel Dagotdot claimed four winners’ side matches before Alicea sent him west after their winners’ side final four match. He returned for a rematch with Alicea by besting Murnak in the semifinals 7-2. Though he rallied in the final match against Alicea and came back from behind, Alicea was able to complete his undefeated run 7-6 to win his first Predator Tour event of the 2010 season.

In the open/pro division, “The Silent Assassin” was handed a first-round loss by Jeremy Sossei 8-4 but then charged through the one-loss side to earn revenge on Sossei 8-2 to advance to the finals. George “Ginky” Sansouci was busy firing through the winners’ bracket to claim the hot seat. In the final match, Sansouci faced Robles in a match that Robles dominated to take the title.

A field of 67 players visited Amsterdam Billiard Club in New York, NY, July 24-25 to participate in the Ozone Billiards Predator Tour.

Open/Pro 10-Ball Results:
1st Tony Robles $700
2nd George Sansouci $400
3rd Jeremy Sossei $150

Broomfield, Colo. – July 28, 2010 – During its general membership meeting in Las Vegas, Nevada, on July 13, 2010, the Billiard Congress of America (BCA) announced the results of the 2010-2011 Board of Directors elections, which are as follows:

Founded in 1948, the Billiard Congress of America is a non-profit trade organization dedicated to growing a united, prosperous and highly regarded billiard industry through BCA leadership.

* Austin Rothbard (Brunswick Corporation), three-year term
* Elaine Gerber (Presidential Billiards, LP), three-year term
* Martin Bloom (Olhausen Billiard Mfg., Inc.), three-year term
* Thomas Rodgers (Robertson Billiard Supplies), three-year term

Category 2 (Retailer)

* Tony Stick (The Billiard Factory), three-year term

Category 3 (Room Operator)

* Nick Alexander (Clicks Billiards), three-year term

In follow-up elections, Ivan Lee (Iwan Simonis, Inc.) accepted a one-year term as BCA Board Chairman, as did each of the remaining seated officers: First Vice Chairman Karim Belhaj (Predator Group); Second Vice Chairman Kathy Vegh (Danny Vegh’s Billiards & Home); Secretary Skip Nemecek (Tweeten Fibre Co., Inc.); and Treasurer Mike Serra (MBS Group).

The remaining directors include: George Darafeev (Mikhail Darafeev, Inc.); Tom Gregory (Toltec Lighting); Danny Kuykendall (Danny K’s Billiards); Fred Cohen (D&R Industries/Championship LLC) and Eric Weber (CueStix International, Inc).

“I look forward to teaming with a very experienced and talented group of individuals who are committed the Billiard Congress of America and its mission to enhance the success of its members and promote the game of billiards,” said Chairman Lee. “The additional representation from the table manufacturers is welcome and their support and input will be invaluable over the next three years.”

About Billiard Congress of America

BCA logo
Founded in 1948, the Billiard Congress of America is a non-profit trade organization dedicated to growing a united, prosperous and highly regarded billiard industry through BCA leadership. The BCA seeks to enhance the success of its members and promote the game of billiards through education, marketing and promotional efforts, an annual industry trade show, tournaments and other programs designed to encourage billiards as a lifestyle and make pool everybody’s games. For more information, please visit bca-pool.com or call 303.243.5070.

by InsidePOOL Staff

Samm “Cherry Bomb” Diep came back from a late loss to earn top honors at the Arizona Women’s Billiard Tour’s July 24-25 event, besting Susan Williams in the final match. The tour’s third stop of 2010 was hosted by Pockets in Tucson, AZ, and featured a $300-added prize purse.

Diep came back from a late loss to earn top honors at the Arizona Women’s Billiard Tour’s July 24-25 event, besting Susan Williams in the final match.

The west side saw Diep recover from her loss and eliminate Sunny Griffin, as Wagner ousted Ashea Erdahl. Diep and Wagner then went on to the quarterfinal match to face off, and Diep eked out a hill-hill win, sending Wagner home in fourth place. A rematch saw Diep go up against Lawless for the second time during the event, but this time Diep came out on top and advanced to the finals.

In the single race to 9, the players traded racks until the score was 5-3 in Williams’ favor. Then Diep went on a tear, winning the next five games in a row to tilt the score in her favor 8-5. After a few exchanges and some safety play, Diep came out on top to win the match 9-5.

Results:
1st Samm Diep $200
2nd Susan Williams $140
3rd Kathleen Lawless $90
4th Rebecca Wagner $60
5th Sunny Griffin $30
Ashea Erdahl
7th Jeri Engh $25
Sara Miller

by Lea Andrews

Brian White, who earned his first Great Southern Billiard Tour victory in March, made an undefeated run through the tour’s July 25-26 stop to earn his second. The $1,500-added event, which was sponsored by Nick Varner Cues and Cases, brought 57 competitors to World Cup Billiards in Greenville, SC.

Brian White, who earned his first Great Southern Billiard Tour victory in March, made an undefeated run through the tour’s July 25-26 stop to earn his second.

On the left side of the bracket, recent winner Jordan Grubb, who’d suffered an earlier loss to White, moved past B-ranked John Thompson 9-3 and A-ranked Matt Mancini 9-6 to face Megia. Meanwhile, Josh Newman, a past winner who’d fallen to Megia, ousted B players Justin Price 9-5 and BEF Junior Nationals 14-and-Under Boys’ champion Billy Thorpe 9-5. Newman continued his quest for another first-place finish by planting King in fifth 9-3 to reach the quarterfinals against Grubb, who’d had his own 9-3 win over Megia. The two A players had a close battle, but it was Newman who advanced 9-7 to meet Cairnes in the semifinals. Newman’s smooth shutout earned him a ticket to the finals, while Cairnes settled for third.

The true double-elimination final match was, unfortunately for Newman, a replica of the stellar performances that White had put on the rest of the weekend. White gave it everything he had to earn his first-place finish by a decisive 11-5 margin.

Results:
1st Brian White $1,000
2nd Josh Newman $500
3rd Gary Cairnes $300
4th Jordan Grubb $200
5th Aaron Megia $125
David King
7th Matt Mancini $80
Billy Thorpe
9th John Thompson $45
Tony Morrison
Justin Price
Daniel Rutledge

Asia will be getting another huge event under its belt with the recent acquisition of the Predator International 10-Ball Championship. The 10th annual event is produced by Dragon Promotions and will take place at SM North Mall Edsa in Manila, Philippines on September 15-19,2010 right after the Predator Sweet Sixteen Tournament the day before. The Predator International 10-Ball Championship is the very first event The Predator Group had ever sponsored starting a decade ago and the oldest Dragon Promotions production.

Asia will be getting another huge event under its belt with the recent acquisition of the Predator International 10-Ball Championship.

“The Predator International Championship is the longest running Dragon Promotions event, and we can think of no place better than the Philippines to host it. The level on which Asia values the sport of billiards is higher than any other continent, and we feel this event belongs in that kind of environment”, explained Dragon Promotions CEO Cindy Lee on the huge decision to move the event.

“This is a class event. It’s one of the most well run and well organized events I’ve ever played in”, said Tony Drago, a former winner of the event.

Over 30 countries is estimated to be represented at this year’s event including Germany, India, Sweden, China, England, Japan, Vietnam, Korea, Taiwan, Philippines, Australia, Finland, Hong Kong, Norway, Pakistan, Mexico, Canada, Curacao, Venezuela, Spain, Portugal, Russia, Austria, Hungary, Netherlands, Italy, Malta, and the USA. Defending champion Dennis Orcullo of the Philippines will be one of the 96 world class pros from across the globe who will make their way to the far east to get a share of the $50,000+ prize fund. The event will take place over five days and will air live on ABS-CBN and re-broadcasted on Eurosport.

“The move to Asia is brilliant. The market is huge for us there and the event will attract even more people than when we hosted it in Las Vegas. Predator is committed to improvement on every level, and now thousands of fans will be able to watch it live in person and millions around the world through television. The players love this event and it has become a staple tournament in the pool world. We are proud to be able to continue this long tradition between the pro players and Predator”, said Predator Group CEO Karim Belhaj.

Dragon Promotions will also be handling the production finalization of The Predator Sweet Sixteen, the continuation of the Predator Group’s event from Spain earlier this year which was uncompleted due to traumatic weather conditions. The Sweet Sixteen event will be completed in the two days prior to the Predator International 10-Ball Championship, which Predator will be paying the flight and hotel costs for those sixteen players. Expenses paid and a chance to play in two big tournaments? A pretty sweet bonus for those qualified players.

” As a top pro player, being able to play in back to back events is a huge benefit. And the players love going to Asia to play! It’s the one place where it’s viewed as a real sport, and the pro players are treated like stars,” explains top 5 USA ranked Charlie Williams, who also founded Dragon Promotions. Williams continues, ” Looking back at the origins of the Predator International Championship, this thing started in a poolroom in Orlando ten years ago. Then it moved to Jacksonville where Predator headquarters is located. Then we moved it to Las Vegas. And now to a whole new world with global television and live broadcast. It’s really amazing to see how huge this event has grown.”

Fans and players who wish to attend the event can stay at the luxurious 4 star Crowne Plaza Hotel in the heart of Manila. The Crown Plaza Hotel is conveniently connected to the Robinson Mall full of restaurants, movie theatres and great shopping. Transportation will be provided daily to the venue. Dragon Promotions has blocked off a superb rate including the Crowne’s award winning breakfast buffet daily and free internet. Rate is $79 per night reserve online http://tinyurl.com/DPevent

For fans and players attending The World Mixed Doubles on September 4-6 and all the Predator events, the rates are good for September 3 – September 20, 2010
Fans and players can find info online at www.dragonpromotions.com and www.predator10ball.com .

Predator Group, an international billiards industry leader, is focused on bringing constant innovation and game-improving equipment to billiards players worldwide. Headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida, USA, Predator Group’s core brands include Predator Cues – high-end (professional level) cues with revolutionary technology to enhance performance, Poison Billiards – recreational cues with cutting-edge designs and Predator engineering for best-in-class playability, and Uni-Loc® – precision billiards equipment manufacturer. For more information regarding Predator Group’s products, visit www.predatorgroup.com.

Dragon Promotions is one of the leading producers of billiard programming in the world today. Dragon produces over 40 events a year airing on networks in the Philippines, USA, Korea, India, and Europe such as ESPN, MBC ESPN, XTM, XPORTS, ABS-CBN,ESPN STAR, and Euro Sport. Events include The Women’s World 10-Ball Championship, The World 14.1 Championship, The Predator International 10-Ball Championship, King & Queen of Carom, Empress Cup, Pro Pool Schools, Women’s Trickshot Challenge, World Junior 10-Ball Championships, Korea vs USA, and many more. Dragon also manages some of the world’s best players including Mika Immonen, Shanelle Loraine, Mike Davis, Yu Ram Cha, Raj Hundal, , Rodney Morris, Charlie Williams, and many more.
Visit www.dragonpromotions.com or www.dragonpromotions.co.kr

Taylor Reynolds – Growing up in the Sport
The July/August 2010 online issue of Inside POOL Magazine, featuring teen pool player Taylor Reynolds as she grows up in the sport of billiards, has been made available for free viewing at InsidePOOLmag.com. This month the download features more banking secrets from new instruction writer Freddy “The Beard” Bentivenga along with tons of great new technology in online billiards magazine viewing such as enhanced clarity, Bonus Content, loads of videos, links to favorite web sites, flipping pages, zooming, emailing, sharing, and printing.

Taylor Reynolds grows up in the sport of billiards.

Taylor Reynolds graces our front cover for July/August 2010. Lee Van Corteza claims the Mezz Hard Times event and the U.S. Open 10-Ball. Dennis Orcollo wins the World Pool Masters in Las Vegas. “Rocket” Rodney Morris snaps off the Seminole Pro Tour event in Hollywood. See coverage of the APA National Singles Championships. Want to know what’s hot for Summer? Check out our Summer Buying Guide for Billiards. Get pool lessons from the top instructors in the world. Tom Simpson teaches us how to own the line. Jason Lynch shows us how to get a kick out of pool. Bob Henning gives us a lesson on knowing your limits. Freddy Bentivegna romances the stone while Matt Sherman teaches us that pacing beats chasing. Check out the APA Player of the Month and get to know the BilliardCommunity.com featured member. Get the latest regional billiard news from around the U.S. and internationally.

View the July/August 2010 issue of Inside POOL Magazine for Free

View in Hi-Res viewer for free

Inside POOL Magazine publishes both print and online versions of each issue. The online version is usually made available for FREE (without a membership) viewing and downloading around the second week of each month. If you would like to receive the print version of this wonderful magazine, please visit InsidePOOLmag.com to subscribe.

About Inside POOL Magazine
Inside POOL Magazine launched in 2001 and, with pool player-based content and high impact photography, quickly became the largest magazine in the world for the sport of billiards. The official web site, InsidePOOLmag.com, followed shortly after and became one of the largest web sites in billiards. The web site features videos, image galleries, pool lessons, custom Pool Cue makers, online games, player profiles, tournament brackets, live streaming video, rules, product reviews, and the latest billiard news from around the world.

by InsidePOOL Staff

The Lone Star Billiards Tour crowned three winners at their July 24-25 event, where 56 open 9-Ball, 9 one-pocket, and 11 open ladies’ 9-ball competitors battled it out for over $6,000 in cash, which included $1,550 in added money. The event was hosted by Q Stix Billiards in Houston, TX, and saw Francisco Taylor, Charlie Bryant, and Megan Smith took first place in their respective divisions.

Saturday’s matches played down and brought back the final 12 open players Sunday. The final four on the winners’ side were Francisco Taylor, David Gutierrez, Sylver Ochoa, and Smith. The west side saw Bryant clean up, while Taylor clinched the hot seat over Ochoa 9-3. Gutierrez and Bryant reached one another, and Bryant escaped 7-6 for an all-too-familiar semifinal match with Ochoa but was put away 7-1. In the Taylor versus Ochoa final, the Nicaragua native came on strong and secured his first LSBT win undefeated 9-7.

In the one-pocket event it was Bryant over Ochoa for the cat bird’s seat and Gutierrez over Alonzo on the one-loss side. Gutierrez then took down Ochoa for a shot at first but fell to Bryant in the final 3-1.

The ladies’ side saw Smith, Ming Ng, Kyu Yi, and others compete for a chance at the $550-added, $1,080 total purse. The final two on the winners’ side pitted Smith and Yi, while Ng and Rose McCrory dueled on the west side’s final two. It was Yi over Smith 7-5, while Ng fell to McCrory 5-4. Smith persevered over McCrory 5-4 in the semis then defeated Yi both sets in the true double-elimination format.

The Lone Star Billiards Tour crowned three winners at their July 24-25 event, where 56 open 9-Ball, 9 one-pocket, and 11 open ladies’ 9-ball competitors battled it out for over $6,000 in cash, which included $1,550 in added money. Pictured is Francisco Taylor and Megan Smith.

One-Pocket Results:
1st Charlie Bryant $550
2nd David Gutierrez $350

Ladies’ 9-Ball Results:
1st Megan Smith $315
2nd Kyu Yi $200
3rd Rose McCrory $100
4th Ming Ng $50
5th Robyn Petrosino $25
Ricky Casper

by Lea Andrews

Keith Bennett, who last won a Jacoby Custom Cues Carolina event in January, found himself back in the winner’s circle after getting past the best in the Carolinas. The $1,000-added twelfth stop of the tour was held at Break Time Billiards in Wilmington, NC, the weekend of July 24-25.

The final four on the winners’ side were a fearsome bunch—all past winners—and Bennett swept past Sam Monday 7-3 to reach the hot seat match against Michael “Bulldawg” Fuller, who’d just sent last month’s winner B.J. Ussery west 7-4. Another 7-3 victory for Bennett secured him the hot seat and sent Fuller to the semifinals to try for another chance.

On the left side of the bracket, two of Bennett’s early victims were fighting for their own second chances. Jared McGee edged out Larry Faulk 7-6 and junior player Jackson “Smokey” Jeffreys 7-2 to face Ussery. Meanwhile, Hindu Williams ousted Rodney Strickland 7-4 and Arnold Hamlett 7-6 to face Monday. That was as far as McGee and Williams got, though, as they landed in fifth 7-6 and 7-5, respectively. In the quarterfinals, Monday notched another 7-5 win to earn his spot against Fuller in the semifinals, where the two battled for the right to fight Bennett once again. It was Monday who reached the goal first, while Fuller stayed behind in third 7-4.

Keith Bennett, who last won a Jacoby Custom Cues Carolina event in January, found himself back in the winner’s circle after getting past the best in the Carolinas.

In Friday’s early bird tournament, Barry Irving took home $140 for his 7-6 win in the finals over Dana Hallett, who took home $85. Hindu Williams earned $50 for third, and Sam Monday earned $25 for fourth. Jackson Jeffreys was a two-time winner this weekend, pocketing $35 for topping the break contest, and $60 for his 7-6 win in the finals of the juniors’ division over Gabe Grissom. Terry Faulk once again took the ladies’ event, and Anton Hall won a $600 limited-edition Jacoby cue in the raffle. The break and run pot went unclaimed at this event, and will move to $105 per ball at the next. In Sunday’s second chance event, Larry Faulk swept past Nolan Leonard 7-2 in the finals, earning $100, while Leonard earned $40.

Results:
1st Keith Bennett $1,000
2nd Sam Monday $500
3rd Michael Fuller $225
4th B.J. Ussery $75

by Suzanne Smith

Jana Montour came out on top of the July 17-18 stop of the Northwest Women’s Pool Association by going undefeated to take the title. A total of 27 ladies attended the event and represented Alberta, Washington, Colorado, and Oregon. Stixx and Stones Billiards in Bremerton, WA, was host to the event.

The weekend’s typically festive atmosphere was overshadowed by the loss of fellow player Martha Hartsell, who succumbed to cancer the previous week. In her memory, the NWPA will be hosting a memorial event every year starting in 2011 at The Cue Ball in Salem, OR.

Montour advanced over Shelby Locati 7-1 to advance to the hot seat match. There she met Kimberly Kirk, who had just bested Sandra Badger 7-5. Montour was able to best Kirk 7-3 and send her to the one-loss side while she waited for her last opponent.

One the west side, June Maiers bested Mary Hopkin 7-2, while Jackie Karol ousted Cindy Sliva 7-3. In turn they were eliminated by Badger 7-4 and Locati 7-5, respectively. Badger and Locati then squared off for a hill-hill bout that saw Badger earn a rematch with Kirk, who sent her to the left side earlier in the event. Badger was ready this time and defeated Kirk 7-2 to head to her first finals appearance in an NWPA event.

The final match was close initially as some uncharacteristic errors by Montour provided Badger with some early opportunities that she took advantage of. Though the score was knotted at 3 apiece, soon some missed chances saw Montour take a three-rack lead. Back and forth misses in the following game saw Badger bring the match within two games. But Montour again took every opportunity afforded in the next three racks to close out the match 9-4 and win her second stop of the year.

Jana Montour came out on top of the July 17-18 stop of the Northwest Women’s Pool Association by going undefeated to take the title.

by InsidePOOL Staff

George Osipovitch went unchallenged through the Tri-State Tour’s July 24 event to take top honors over Mark Alicea in the final match. The tour’s 24-player field was hosted by Edison Billiards in Edison, NJ, who vied for a piece of the $750-added purse.

Osipovitch sent Rick Shellhouse to the one-loss side after their 7-5 match in the winners’ side final four, while Duane Toney delivered Gary Murgia there as well 7-2. In the following hot seat match, it was a close call, but Osipovitch overcame Toney 7-5 and rested while he waited for his finals opponent.

Once on the west side, both Shellhouse and Murgia were eliminated quickly. Ken DeBroske ousted Shellhouse 7-5, and Alicea took care of Murgia 7-4. DeBroske and Alicea then faced each other in the quarterfinal match, which turned into a hill-hill nail-biter before Alicea edged out DeBroske 6-5. Alicea had fewer troubles with Toney, defeating him in third place 7-3. But he could not conquer Osipovitch, who won their final match by a decisive 6-2 score.

George Osipovitch went unchallenged through the Tri-State Tour’s July 24 event to take top honors over Mark Alicea in the final match.

Top 16 players to compete in Philippines

On Sept. 13 and 14, the top 16 players of the recent Predator World 10-Ball Tour event will reunite in Manila, Philippines. Dubbed the “Sweet Sixteen” event, the rematch is a continuation of the World Tour stop originally scheduled for Jan. 6 to 9 in Lloret De Mar, Spain. The Predator World 10-Ball Tour is sponsored by Predator Cues, an international leader in performance products for the billiards marketplace.

The Sweet Sixteen tournament culminates a competition that began in Spain with 88 players, each of whom earned the opportunity to compete through qualifier events held around the world. Severe weather conditions postponed the second day of play in Lloret De Mar, and players and tournament officials agreed to reschedule for a later date. Predator Cues is providing a stipend to the final 16 players to cover travel and lodging costs.

“We want to give the players the chance to finish what they started,” said Karim Belhaj, President and CEO of Predator Group. “They worked hard to get to the top, and it’s our honor to help them complete this journey.”

On Sept. 13 and 14, the top 16 players of the recent Predator World 10-Ball Tour event will reunite in Manila, Philippines.

- David Alcaide, Spain

- Johnny Archer, USA

- Marcus Chamat, Sweden

- Tony Crosby, USA

- Henrique Correia, Portugal

- Lee Van Corteza, Philippines

- Corey Deuel, USA

- Ernesto Dominguez, Mexico

- Niels Feijen, Netherlands

- Aziz Hamrah, Afghanistan

- Thorsten Hohmann, Germany

- Oliver Ortmann, Germany

- Steve Moore, USA

- Rodney Morris, USA

- Huidji See, Netherlands

- Charlie Williams, USA

The Sweet Sixteen event will be held at SM City North Edsa in Manila, and will include four rounds of competition consisting of three semi-finals and a final match. All matches will be played according to current World Pool-Billiard Association rules and will be televised live by ABS-CBN and shown at a later time on EuroSport in Europe. The prize pool will remain consistent with the Spain event.

“We could not have brought this rematch to Manila without the help of Dragon Promotions, which is producing the Predator International event on Sept. 15, immediately following the Sweet Sixteen,” said Belhaj. “By hosting both the Sweet Sixteen and Predator International events in Manila, we hope to simplify travel plans for the players.”

Predator World 10-Ball Tour sponsors include Aramith, Atlas Billiard Supplier, Bilhares Carrinho, Billiard Master, Dragon Promotions, Guitart Hotels, Kozoom Multimedia, Poison Billiards, QKS Cases, Simonis Cloth, Tiger Products and Uni-Loc. For updated information on the Predator 10-Ball World Tour schedule, visit www.Predator10Ball.com. The website streams live video and provides real-time scoring during tour events.

ABOUT PREDATOR CUES

Predator Cues, an international billiards industry leader, is a high-performance, professional Pool Cue producer focused on developing revolutionary technology that enhances performance for billiards players worldwide. Headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida, USA, Predator Cues is a division of Predator Group whose core brands also include Poison Billiards and Uni-Loc®. For more information regarding Predator Group’s products, visit www.predatorgroup.com. For information on Predator Cues visit www.predatorcues.com.

Imran Majid ended a two-year wait for British silverware at the Barceló Daventry Hotel July 17 by taking down man-of-the-moment Karl Boyes with a staggering 9-2 scoreline to win the GB9 Pro Cup. Looking like the calm and composed Maharaja of old, Majid’s quest for glory was never really challenged as he dropped no more than five racks against any of his opposition on the day, with wins over Dominic Clemens 9-5, So Shaw 9-1, Paul Williams 9-3, and Jayson Shaw 9-5. Majid substituted the smooth cueing for some smooth talking after his final victory and said about the achievement, “Yeah, it’s a good feeling. Obviously I’ve gone through a little bit of a dry patch—taking six to seven weeks out to get married and stupidly changing my cue stick have been the major reasons. Admittedly, it has taken me a while to get back into the swing of things, but I want to let everyone know that ‘The Maharaja’ is back from his slump and ready to kick butt. My lions and elephants are roaring again! I have to say, hats off to my wife, Alia. She is a clinical physiologist, and we’ve been working on meditation and breathing techniques, so on top of the support she gives me, the bounce back is down to her, too.”

An indicator of Majid’s return to form might well have been his performance at this month’s Austrian EPBF Eurotour event, where wins over German stars Thorsten Hohmann and Ralf Souquet took him to a ninth-place finish. The winner of that event was Majid’s opponent in the Pro Cup final, Boyes. Of the current world 8-ball champion Boyes and the GB 9 Ball Tour, Majid commented, “Karl’s had a fantastic year and is on fire currently, so to win the final 9-2 is great. The standard is getting higher all the time, and I’ve always said that sooner or later Britain will dominate. We just don’t miss as many balls as everyone else. The GB 9-Ball Tour has had a huge part to play in that. Take today for example: This venue in Daventry is easily on a par with other world events such as the Eurotour. It’s really great.”

Majid ended a two-year wait for British silverware at the Barceló Daventry Hotel July 17 by taking down man-of-the-moment Boyes with a staggering 9-2 scoreline to win the GB9 Pro Cup.

“I’ve played some good players along the way, and every game seems to have been tight and almost a bit of a struggle, coming from behind a couple of times. I’m made up,” said Shaw immediately after the final. Like the previous Challenge Cup winner, Ben Finch, Shaw came through one of the pre-season qualifying events to gain his tour spot, proof again of the growing stature of the sport in Great Britain. ”I played snooker a little bit when I was about sixteen, but it was the UPC University pool that really got me into nine-ball. From there I obviously spotted the GB9 and thought, ‘When I’ve got the money, I’m there.’ I knew I was capable of taking a trophy home, but did I honestly think I would? Probably not, as the standard of play is just so high, I just hoped I would I guess. The aim now is to finish in the top eight of the Challenge and then give it a go against the big boys in the Pro.” Shaw’s path to victory saw him oust Phil Hughes 9-4, Colin Rennison 9-3, Stephen Capaldi 9-8, Andy Worthington 9-7, Neil Cummins 9-7, and Andrew Morris 9-6.

Shane Appleton’s run to a second consecutive Challenge Cup final could be seen by some as being as noteworthy, if not more so, than actually taking home the trophy. There seems no creature more competitive than an Appleton; however, “It’s hard to take the positives right now because nobody remembers the runners up,” said Appleton. ”I suppose when I look back I’ll be chuffed to bits, especially considering I’ve only been playing American for eight months. I enjoyed the final—last-rack deciders are a bit of a lottery, especially when there’s a few people watching and there’s safety involved. I thought I’d fluked the eight ball after he’d snookered me—to see it sit over the pocket is a bit sick. Fair play to Adam, though.”

Karl Boyes is currently enjoying one of the few sporting phenomena that every participant in any game dreams—a winning streak. The 27-year-old from Blackpool, simply known as “Guapo,” took the spoils over “Dynamite” Darren Appleton in the final of the GB9 British Grand Prix by 11-7 at the Barceló Daventry Hotel July 18. In a month that has already seen Boyes take his first coveted EPBF Eurotour title (in the process topping the European rankings) and a year so far yielding a pair of WPA world titles, Boyes’ first ranking win on home soil this season completes a very neat national, continental, and world set.

Boyes’ victory was housed in what many of the players called “the perfect venue” when performing their now ritual pre-tournament walk-around on the Friday evening. Spacious enough to easily allow the 16 SAM Magno Pro tables, as well as the growing mass of spectators now following the GB9 action, Daventry provided one of the most professional tournaments ever held in Great Britain to date. Play commenced July 17, with the only brief for the competitors to qualify for a last 64 berth and the opportunity to cash in on the £6000 on offer the following day.

Boyes first blasted through Stuart Daff 9-3 in the round of 64 before Ipswich’s Phil Morgan 9-5. A sterner test followed in 2009 World Junior runner-up Phil Burford 9-6, a match that saw no less than eight break and run-outs, six of which were from Boyes—a healthy figure indeed considering the momentum-inhibiting alternating-break format. A convincing 9-3 victory over another in-form Briton, Mansfield’s Scott Higgins, in the quarterfinal set up a clash with Blackpool neighbor and rival for headlines, Daryl Peach. “The Dazzler” and Boyes combined will have a nation’s hopes on their shoulders in September when they will become “Team England” in Manila for the World Cup of Pool. Peach will quite rightly be billed as the senior player of the scotch pairing, but in Daventry at least, it was young master Boyes calling the shots, taking their semifinal encounter 9-4.

Darren Appleton‘s charge to the final could be considered a “B-game master class.” Appleton single-handedly created the atmosphere on the final day as he vocally battled against not only his inherent quest for perfection but also the increasingly hungry opposition in the next chair. Battling from behind to snatch victories against both James Welch 9-7 and Ben Moore 9-8, Appleton’s pedigree went on to take him past Damian Massey 9-5, 2010 BCAPL double winner Chris Melling 9-5 and in the semifinal, Tony Drago 9-6.

Other stand-out performances on the day were provided by Challenge division players Dave Nelson, who took out GB9 Paul Medati Trophy runner up James Kay 9-6 to achieve a superb fifth-place finish and Andrew Morris, a 9-5 victor over Mark Gray, a finalist at the previous four tour stops, at the last 32 stage. However it is still Gray who sits proudly at the top of the British tree with a 12-point lead over Darren Appleton.

The 2010 edition of the Billiard Congress of America’s (BCA) International Billiard & Home Recreation Expo, was held at the Las Vegas Convention Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, July 14 – 16, 2010. The total attendance for the three-day event was 1,645, compared to 2009’s total of 1,737; buyer attendance for the 2010 BCA Expo was 833, versus 953 in 2009.

The 2010 exhibit hall contained 132 companies in 465 total booths, including 31 new exhibitors. This represents a seven percent increase in total booth space, of which more than 10% offered products new to the Expo audience.

“The exhibit hall provided an energy for doing business that hasn’t been seen in this market for several years,” commented Ivan Lee, co-chair of the Expo and chairman of the BCA Board of Directors. “Whether it was walking the Expo floor or participating in the Business of Billiards seminar series, you got a very positive feeling for the commitment to the industry and the great opportunities that occur when this industry gets together in person, face to face. There was a powerful sense of productivity taking place that is very refreshing,” said Lee.

Contributing to the dynamic exchange at this year’s Expo was the Billiard Congress of America’s unveiling of BankShot Entertainment. BankShot Entertainment is a new
marketing and activation division of the Billiard Congress of America. BankShot Entertainment will have the responsibility of helping increase the profitability of billiard businesses, including pool rooms and retail stores, by researching and negotiating partnerships with nationally recognized companies that offer discounted products, services and rebates. Through the group purchasing and rebate program, pool rooms and retailers will enjoy the same purchasing power normally reserved for Fortune 500 companies. BankShot Entertainment will also secure marketing partnerships outside the billiard industry that will help increase participation in, and awareness of, pocket billiards.

The 2010 edition of the Billiard Congress of America’s (BCA) International Billiard & Home Recreation Expo, was held at the Las Vegas Convention Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, July 14 – 16, 2010.

“What individuals witnessed during the 2010 BCA Expo was the Billiard Congress of America’s commitment to supporting and energizing the industry with new opportunities and forward thinking. Whether it was new exhibitors, products and education or the announcement of a new industry marketing and promotional effort, the Billiard Congress of America, including its board of directors and staff is committed to supporting a bright future for this industry,” said Lee.

The BCA returns to the Sands Expo and Convention Center for the 2011 Expo, which will take place Wednesday, July 13 through Friday, July 15, 2011.

About Billiard Congress of America
Founded in 1948, the Billiard Congress of America is a non-profit trade organization dedicated to growing a united, prosperous and highly regarded billiard industry through BCA leadership. The BCA seeks to enhance the success of its members and promote the game of billiards though educational, marketing and promotional efforts, annual industry trade shows and other programs designed to encourage billiards as a lifestyle and make pool everybody’s game. For more information, visit www.bca-pool.com or call 303.243.5070.

by Lea Andrews

When the Great Southern Billiard Tour sets up camp in the North, one can expect the unexpected, like a Frost in the middle of summer. Robert Frost went undefeated through a tough 48-player field at the $1,500-added July 18-19 stop, which was held at Michael’s Billiards in Fairfield, OH, and sponsored by Nick Varner Cues and Cases.

A smooth 9-5 victory over B-ranked Joe Pierce put A-ranked Frost into the hot seat match against Joe Brown, who’d just sent fellow A player Alex Olinger west 9-7. That score got flipped on him against Frost, though, who sent him to the left side to try to earn his way back.

On the one-loss side, BEF Junior Nationals 14-and-Under Boys champion Billy Thorpe made his way past Bill Farmer 7-2 and last week’s winner Jordan Grubb 7-6 to meet up with Olinger. The 13-year-old Thorpe, who started the weekend as one of the three junior champions competing in the event (Boys 19-and-Under champ Landon Shuffett and Girls 19-and-Under champ Liz Lovely finished out of the money), ended the weekend as the one who went furthest, landing in fifth while Olinger moved on to the quarterfinals 9-5. Meanwhile, Mike Leek, who’d suffered an early loss to Brown 9-6, swept past Chris Collins 9-6 and Eric Hinx 9-5 to face Pierce, who ended Hinx’s chance at another go at Brown 7-6. In the quarterfinals, Olinger took care of Pierce smoothly 9-4 to match back up with Brown in the semifinals, where he earned his revenge and a spot in the finals 9-7.

The two evenly-matched A players battled back and forth to hill-hill in the true double-elimination final match, and in the final rack, after Olinger missed position on the 5 ball and hung up the cross bank, Frost cleaned up what was left to earn his victory in one set 9-8.

When the Great Southern Billiard Tour sets up camp in the North, one can expect the unexpected, like a Frost in the middle of summer.