Strickland Aces 8-Ball Champs

Strickland Aces 8-Ball Champs
U.S. Open Bar Table Championship / Reno, NV

by InsidePOOL Staff

Former world 9-ball champion Earl Strickland took home the 8-ball division title of the U.S. Open Bar Table Championship February 28, besting Darren Appleton in the finals. The 8-ball division was the final of a three-pronged event, hosted by the Sands Regency Hotel and Casino in Reno, NV, that saw Shane Van Boening win both the 10-ball and the 9-ball crowns.

Appleton had a rough week at the start, feeling under the weather, but he rallied in the final division, which attracted 184 players. He won his first four matches but ran into trouble in the form of Oscar Dominguez in the fifth round. “The Big O” sent Appleton to the left side of the chart. From there Appleton had to win another five matches just to reach the quarterfinals against the event’s all-around champion, Van Boening.

On the flip side, Strickland sailed through the winners’ bracket untouched, defeating players such as Dan Louie, Sylver Ochoa, and Beau Runningen to reach the hot seat match. His opponent there was Scott “The Freezer” Frost, recent Derby City Classic one-pocket victor. Frost faltered against Strickland 5-1 and was sent to the left side of the chart, while Strickland awaited a finals opponent.

Against “The South Dakota Kid” Appleton earned a convincing win 5-2 and then advanced to meet Frost. Frost was tough competition for Appleton but ended up settling for third place 5-3. On a roll, Appleton whitewashed Strickland in the first set of the double-elimination final match, leveling the playing field. But in the second, Strickland took no prisoners, winning the deciding set 5-2.

In the 38-entrant ladies’ division, Melissa “The Viper” Little took home the first-place prize. Little went undefeated through the field, defeating Tina Pawloski twice to earn the title. She defeated Nicole Hellmer 4-3, Karla Bagley-Tias 4-1, Kimberly Benson 4-1, and Sunny Griffin 4-1 to reach the hot seat match.

Pawloski bested Paula Davis 4-2, Kim Anderson 4-2, Andrea Wilson 4-0, Susan Williams 4-3, and Heather Pulford 4-1 to meet Little in the hot seat match. After Little won by a convincing 4-1 score, Pawloski was sent to the west side of the chart to the semifinal match, where she again faced Pulford and won 4-2 to earn her rematch with Little. However, little changed in their second meeting: Little again managed to defeat Pawloski 4-1 and claim the title.

Results:
1st Earl Strickland $6,200
2nd Darren Appleton $3,800
3rd Scott Frost $2,000
4th Shane Van Boening $1,300
5th Chris MacDonald $850
Beau Runningen
7th Sylver Ochoa $600
Oscar Dominguez
9th Glenn Atwell $400
Tyler Edey
Chris Melling
Matt Clatterbuck
13th Steve Moore $275
Rylan Hartnett
Josh O’Neal
Thorsten Hohmann
17th Stan Tourangeau $200
Gabe Apollos
Nicholas Kruger
Charles Bryant
Edwin Montal
Gregory Harada Jr.
Johnathan Pinegar
Derek Pogirski

Ladies’ Results:
1st Melissa Little $1,250
2nd Tina Pawloski $800
3rd Heather Pulford $500
4th Sunny Griffin $300
5th Bonnie Plowman $175
Kimberly Benson
7th Julie Hunter $125
Noel Campos

Van Boening Captures 9-Ball U.S. Bar Table Title

Van Boening Captures 9-Ball U.S. Bar Table Title
U.S. Open Bar Table Championship / Reno, NV

by InsidePOOL Staff

Shane Van Boening has had a busy week so far, and it’s not over yet. Not content with winning the 10-ball bar table division at the U.S. Open Bar Table Championship, he has also taken the 9-ball crown and is making a run at the 8-ball division as well. The week-long event is being hosted by the Sands Regency Hotel and Casino in Reno, NV.

After defeating Jose Parica in the finals of the 10-ball division, Van Boening went right into the 9-ball event, which began with 136 men. Van Boening bested Phil Kerns 9-2, Duane Jones 9-6, Chris Melling 9-1, Dan Louie 9-2, and Oscar Dominguez 9-5. He then came up against former world 9-ball champion Thorsten Hohmann, and though the German is not very familiar with bar-table pool, Hohmann was able to send Van Boening to the one-loss side 9-5.

Hohmann had whizzed through his first few matches, winning over Joe Gonzales 9-1, Richard Cook 9-2, and Arturo Hernandez 9-1. Things got a little tougher at that point, but still Hohmann sent to the left side Tommy Tokoph 9-7, Jeff Heath 9-7, and Sylver Ochoa 9-7. After dealing Van Boening his first—and so far his only—loss this week, Hohmann then matched up with Scott “The Freezer” Frost and sent him to the west side 9-5.

On the left side Van Boening was faced with Steve Moore, whom he eliminated 9-2 to advance to the quarterfinals, where his second meeting with Dominguez resulted in Van Boening moving on 9-6. Frost formed Van Boening’s next challenge, but Van Boening was determined to earn a rematch with Hohmann and sent Frost home in third place with a convincing 9-1 score. In the true-double elimination final match, Van Boening double-dipped Hohmann for the title, winning both sets by the score of 9-5.

This year was the first time the ladies were granted their own division, and 24 came out to vie for the title. Melissa “The Viper” Little went undefeated through the event, besting Melinda Bailey 7-4, Edwidge Cavanna 7-2, Tina Pawloski 7-2, and Bonnie Plowman 7-5 to reach the hot seat match. Meeting her there was Amanda Lampert, who had scored victories over Shawn Modelo 7-1, Tara Vreeland 7-3, Heather Pulford 7-5, and Andrea Wilson 7-5.

The hot seat match was a lopsided affair that saw Little advance to the finals 7-1, while Lampert went west. There she faced Pawloski, who had just sent Plowman home in fourth place 7-3. Pawloski wasn’t ready to join Plowman, though, and she eked out a hill-hill win over Lampert to earn a rematch with Little, who had been the one responsible for Pawloski’s earlier loss, in the finals. But it ended there, as Little surged ahead to claim the crown in the first and only set 7-1.

In the 8-ball event, which kicked off Friday, 183 men and 38 ladies began play. To date, no one has ever won all three divisions of the U.S. Open Bar Table Championship, but Van Boening could always be the first. Visit InsidePOOL for the latest news in the sport of billiards and pool.

Open Results:
1st Shane Van Boening $5,300
2nd Thorsten Hohmann $3,400
3rd Scott Frost $1,700
4th Oscar Dominguez $1,100
5th Rob Phillips $750
Steve Moore
7th Sylver Ochoa $500
Jose Parica
9th Chris Melling $300
Earl Strickland
Beau Runningen
Jaynard Orque
13th Tyler Edey $150
Tommy Tokoph
Max Eberle
Dan Louie
17th Brendan Crockett $125
Brandon Shuff
Charles Bryant
Justin Whitehead
Jeff Heath
Johnathan Pinegar
Glenn Atwell
Dan Olson

Ladies’ Results:
1st Melissa Little $1,000
2nd Tina Pawloski $675
3rd Amanda Lampert $400
4th Bonnie Plowman $225
5th Sunny Griffin $150
Andrea Wilson
7th Kimberly Benson $100
Tara Vreeland

Van Boening in Reno 10-Ball Hot Seat

Van Boening in Reno 10-Ball Hot Seat
U.S. Bar Table Championship, 10-Ball Division / Reno, NV

by InsidePOOL Staff

The 10-ball division of the U.S. Bar Table Championship is in the homestretch at the Sands Regency Hotel and Casino in Reno, NV. From the original field of 115 players, only four remain standing, with Shane Van Boening sitting pretty in the hot seat.

The format mostly remains the same as last year’s event, with a couple of changes. It is still a race to 7, alternating break, rack your own, true double elimination. However, unlike last year, neither the 9 ball nor the 10 ball will count on the break, no matter what pocket it drops into.

Also, there is a separate division for the ladies this year. In the 9-ball division, which begins today at 1 p.m., there are 24 women, and in the 8-ball event, 36 women signed up. There is no separate division for the ladies in the 10-ball event. Some early favorites include Tina Pawloski, Amanda Lampert, Melissa Little, and Andrea Wilson of Canada.

Defending 10-ball champion Darren Appleton delivered a donut to Melissa Little in the first round and won 7-2 over Linn Petty in the second, but he was stopped in the third round by Manny Chau in a hill-hill affair. From there Appleton ousted Vince Tedesco 7-2 and Tommy Tokoph 7-6 but was on the wrong end of another hill-hill match, this time against Bernardo “King Kong” Chavez.

Earl Strickland made his first appearance at the event and did quite well. He lost his second-round match to Kings Santy 7-4 and fought his way back through the one-loss side. His meeting with Steve Moore in the eighth round was the match of the event. Moore jumped out to a 4-0 lead, but slowly and surely Strickland chipped away at Moore’s lead. Strickland managed to tie the score at double-hill and then prevail for the win. He was eliminated in the next round by Sal Butera 7-5, ending up in ninth place.

Van Boening enjoyed an uncomplicated run to the hot seat. He has notched wins over Billy Palmer 7-3, Barry Boney 7-4, PJ Massicotte 7-3, Billy Lee Bailey 7-5, and Sal Butera 7-6. In the hot seat match, he completely dominated Jose Parica, sending “Amang” to the west side of the chart 7-1 to await a finals opponent.

Parica, who recently won the Jay Swanson Memorial Tournament at Hollywood Billiards in Hollywood, CA, escaped a hill-hill first-round match against Arturo Rivera and then went on to best Matt Clatterbuck 7-4, Shane Winters 7-4, Butler 7-3, Dominguez 7-5, and Larry Wilson 7-1 before his meeting with Van Boening.

Defending all-around champion Glenn Atwell has had a rather tough road, being sent to the left side 7-4 by Billy Lee Bailey in the third round. From there he had to win seven matches in a row to make it to the quarterfinals against Butera. Butera made it to the fifth round before he was sent to the west side by Van Boening and then ousted Strickland, Brian Butler 7-4, and Larry Wilson 7-2 before meeting Atwell.

The 9-ball division begins at 1 p.m. Wednesday with 136 men and 24 women. Visit InsidePOOL for the latest news in the sport of billiards and pool.

22nd Annual Music City 9-Ball Open to be Streamed Live

22nd Annual Music City 9-Ball Open to be Streamed Live

The 22nd Annual Music City 9-Ball Open, hosted by JOB Billiards Club in Madison, TN, January 13-17, 2009, will be streamed live at PoolActionTV.com. The live streaming will begin with the open division player auction on Thursday, January 14 at 8 p.m. CST and continue with daily action throughout the course of the event.

The Music City 9-Ball Open begins on Wednesday, January 13 at 8 p.m. CST with a mini tournament and runs until Sunday with the Open and Ladies champions being crowned. The entry fees are $75 for the open division and $60 for the ladies’ division, with $6,000 being added to the open division. The total prize fund, with a full 128-player field, will be $12,400.

The format is race to 11, double elimination, World/BCA rules, 9-ball being played on 7-foot Diamond Smart Tables™. The event will also feature an eight-man event known as “Midnight Madness” that features a $500 entry fee and is a winner-takes-all format.

The live stream will be aired free at PoolActionTV.com starting at 8 p.m. CST on Thursday, January 14, 2010. PoolActionTV.com offer visitors the ability to view the stream and chat with others while viewing.

Players attending this year’s event include defending champion Jonathan “Hennessee” Pinegar, former U.S. Open 9-Ball champion Gabe Owen, and local favorite Bobby Pickle. These players are also expected to be featured as guest commentators throughout the event, schedule permitting.

About JOB Billiard Club
JOB Billiard Club has been hosting the Music City 9-Ball Open for 22 years in Madison, TN. Located at 960 S. Gallatin Rd in Madison, TN, the club features dozens of tables, a full bar and food and has hosted professional tournament with the best pool players in the world. To contact them, please visit JOB Billiards or phone 615-868-4270.

About PoolActionTV.com
PoolActionTV.com is dedicated to providing live streamed billiard programming. Operated by Ray “Bigtruck” Henson, the show features the best pool players in the world playing in regional and professional events around the United States.

British Billiards Stars Miss out on Predator World Tour Stop

British Billiards Stars Miss out on Predator World Tour Stop
by David Knight www.pro9.co.uk

World Ranked No.3 player Darren Appleton and Former World 9 Ball Champion Daryl Peach from England are among a host of players from the United Kingdom who will be unable to attend the Predator World Tour in Lloret del Mar, Spain as most airports in Great Britain have been closed due to the heaviest snow fall in 30 years.

Other British pool players affected by what is becoming known as “the big freeze” include Imran Majid, Chris Melling, Scott Higgins, former IPT Player Mick Hill, 9 Ball Bronze Medalist in 2008 Karl Boyes, and a host of others were devastated after waiting several hours at the airport only to eventually be told that there would be no resumption of flights that day.

Appleton said, “it’s one of those things, you can’t beat nature!”

The Predator World Tour stop is scheduled for January 6-10, 2010. As with the Anadia event last September, ESPN Star and Eurosport will cover the finals and semifinals in Barcelona. This 128 player invitational tournament will take place in Lloret De Mar, just outside of Barcelona. For more information about the Predator 10-Ball World Tour visit www.Predator10Ball.com.