Three Times a Charm for Newman

Three Times a Charm for Newman
Great Southern Billiard Tour / Inman, SC

by Lea Andrews

Though Josh Newman’s first encounter with Mark Parlier didn’t go his way, the 17-year-old made up for it in the next two sets to earn his first win as an A-player on the Great Southern Billiard Tour. Newman topped the mega-sized field of 81 that arrived for the $1,500-added A-B amateur event, held March 6-7 at Raisin’ Cain’s in Inman, SC.

Newman faced A-ranked Parlier for the first time on the winners’ side final four, and Parlier earned a spot in the hot seat match 9-7. Earning the other spot was B-ranked Dusty Gosnell, who’d sent A-ranked Paul Mullens west 7-5. Gosnell came up one game shy of his goal of seven games against Parlier, and he moved over to the semifinals for a shot at the rematch.

On the one-loss side, A-ranked Chase Smith blew through B-ranked Randy Henderson 9-1 to meet up with B-ranked Marvin Reed, who’d gone hill-hill with A-ranked Marty Free 7-8. Another hill-hill match was waiting for Reed against Smith, but he was on the wrong end of this one, and he landed in seventh 9-6. Meanwhile, AA-ranked recent winner Jared McGee took care of B-ranked Trey Melton 11-4 to face B-ranked Michael Walker, who’d ousted A-ranked Barry Medlock 7-5. Holding Walker to five games, McGee moved on to Newman, who pushed his way past 9-7 to reach the quarterfinals. There he faced Smith, who’d edged out Mullins 9-8. Another 9-7 victory for Newman put him up against Gosnell in the semifinals, where they were both fighting for another chance with Parlier. It was well into the early hours of Monday at this point, and Newman outlasted Gosnell to claim his spot in the finals 9-5.

The first set of the true double-elimination match went hill-hill, and in the final rack, it seemed like it would be the only set. An unlikely late miss by Parlier brought Newman back to the table, though, and he finished off the rack to push the second set 9-8. Though neither showed it, fatigue had to have been wearing on both players, but Newman’s stamina served him well, allowing him to finish off his win 9-7 at just after 6 a.m. Monday morning.

Results:
1st Josh Newman $1,000
2nd Mark Parlier $600
3rd Dustin Gosnell $400
4th Chase Smith $200
5th Paul Mullins $150
Jared McGee
7th Marvin Reed $100
Michael Walker
9th Randy Henderson $50
Marty Free
Barry Medlock
Trey Melston
13th Nathan Roberts $25
Kenny Wilson
Dayne Miller
John Thompson

Basha Holds off Monday for Billiards Victory

Basha Holds off Monday for Billiards Victory
Great Southern Billiard Tour / Goldsboro, NC

by Lea Andrews

A big obstacle—Southern superstar Sam Monday—stood in Mike Basha’s way at the February 27-28 Great Southern Billiard Tour stop, but Basha stood his ground to earn his spot in the winner’s circle. Basha and Monday were among the field of 51 that gathered at Fast Eddie’s Sports Bar in Goldsboro, NC, for the $1,500-added A/B amateur event.

B-ranked Basha got past fellow B-player Justin Ward to reach the hot seat match against B-ranked Tony Williams, who’d managed to fend off Monday, who was racing to 11, 7-9. Taking care of Williams 7-2, Basha claimed the hot seat, while Williams took his spot in the semifinals.

On the left side of the bracket, B-ranked Rick Royster made his way past B-ranked Bobby Hicks 7-6 to face recent winner Tony Morrison, who’d ousted A-player Zach Wilson 9-6. After easing past Morrison 7-7, Royster moved on to Ward. Meanwhile, AA-ranked Sparky Ferrell blew through A-ranked “Pokey” 11-1 to meet up with Larry Faulk, who’d breezed by fellow A-player Montez Lloyd 9-3. Ferrell edged out Faulk hill-hill 11-8, but that score got flipped on him by Monday, and he landed in fifth. Monday advanced to the quarterfinals against Royster, who’d squeaked past Ward 7-6, and looking for the rematch with Williams in the semifinals, Monday put Royster in fourth 11-5. Against Williams, Monday more than made up for the last match, earning his spot in the finals 11-2.

In the first set of the true double-elimination final match, Basha reached the hill first, but Monday took the next two racks to make it hill-hill 10-6. His break and run in the final rack pushed the second set, which he opened with another break and run. Allowing Basha few chances at the table, Monday stretched his lead to 5-0, but after topping a safety battle, Basha got on the board, and he took advantage of some unlikely opportunities in the next racks to keep it close at 7-3. He made it 7-4 with a 3-9 carom and 7-5 with a 4-9 combination, but Monday took three in a row to reach the hill. In the alternate-break format, Basha broke open the next rack, putting more into his final break than he’d put into others in the set, but his reward was a cue ball on the floor and what looked like no more chances at the table. The ultimate reward came late, though, as Monday missed what was, for him, a routine shot on the 6 ball, allowing Basha back at the table to make it hill-hill. It was Monday’s turn to break, and after making a delicate cut on the 1 ball, he found himself bridging behind the 8 ball for a shot on the 2. He overcut it and Basha pocketed it instead, and though he was faced with tough position on the 4, a thin cut all the way down the rail put the 4 in the pocket and the cue ball in position for the 5. Basha’s win was just a matter of staying in line, and he pocketed the rest of the balls to notch his first GSBT victory 7-10.

The next $1,500-added stop will be at Raising Cain’s in Inman, SC, March 6-7.

Results:

1st Mike Basha $1,000
2nd Sam Monday $500
3rd Tony Williams $300
4th Rick Royster $200
5th Justin Ward $100
Sparky Ferrell
7th Tony Morrison $70
Larry Faulk
9th Bobby Hicks $40
Zach Wilson
Montez Lloyd
“Pokey”

Pool Trick Shots Video Released

Venom Trickshots Groundbreaking DVD

The people that brought you the next generation of instructional video with Mastering Pool, are now taking trickshots to a whole new level with Venom Trickshots. Runout Media has produced this amazing DVD with Masters of Trickshot Champion Florian “Venom” Kohler. Florian’s artistry combined with superb production value will leave you questioning if what you just watched was even real.

“In all my years of viewing amazing artistic pool presentations, I have never seen such a unique blend of billiard talent and spectacular shot execution. Truly awesome – A must see for everyone!” – Tom ‘Dr. Cue’ Rossman (ESPN & World Masters Trickshot Champion)

Florian Kohler may not yet be a household name in pool, but you won’t soon forget him after this first installment of Venom Trickshots. Prepare yourself for more than 160 of the most advanced shots ever performed on a pool table. Quintuplet masse shots, a 24 foot two-rail jump shot, doubles play, mini-table action, and a beautiful assistant are only a few of the incredible displays that make Venom Trickshots one of the best trickshot collections ever assembled.

“This is some of the most amazing artistry you will ever see in pool. The kid is a phenomenon. Who is he?” – Mika ‘The Iceman’ Immonen (Inside POOL Magazine Player of the Year and World ranked #1 player)

“I never even heard of this kid, but when Runout Media contacted me and showed me a sample of their DVD, I immediately called up my partner and showed it to her. 48 hours later we booked him for our TV event in Korea. He wowed the audiences there and won the tournament. “, said TV billiard producer of Dragon Promotions and world class pro player, Charlie Williams.

Runout Media is a new company that is dedicated to producing premium quality billiard content. Last year it kicked off with the largely successful release of Mastering Pool, an instructional DVD series that featured World Champion Mika Immonen. Runout Media has a line of products with a company assurance of the highest quality. Runout Media prides itself in investing an incredible amount of time into their products to ensure that they are the best in the industry. New products are added on a regular basis, including their new clothing line, Runout Media apparel. Be sure to check back often for updates and sneak peaks on upcoming video releases. Visit www.runoutmedia.com

Immonen, Ouschan Named USBMA Players of the Year

Immonen, Ouschan Named USBMA Players of the Year

Finnish-born Mika Immonen, who won his second consescutive U.S. Open 9-Ball Championship title, the world 10-ball crown and the International Challenge of Champions, was the unanimous choice for male Player of the Year in voting conducted by the United States Billiard Media Association, the USBMA announced today. Immonen, 37, was named
on all 21 ballots turned in by members of the media group.

Jasmin Ouschan, of Austria, who won half of the Women’s Professional Billiard Association’s six Classic Tour events, was the USBMA’s choice
for woman Player of the Year. Immonen, who resides in New York City, enjoyed his best year ever as a pro, adding the Galveston World Classic 10-ball title and Qatar Open title to his 2009 haul. Overall, Immonen won five of the seven events that featured a top prize of more than $20,000. His 2009 winnings topped $230,000.

Meanwhile, Ouschan made her mark by winning the WPBA Great Lakes Classic, the WPBA Pacific Coast Classic and the WPBA Tour Championship. She also placed third in the women’s world 10-ball event and second to Allison Fisher at the World Games. Despite finishing second to Korea’s Ga Young Kim in the WPBA year-end points standings for 2009 (26,500 to 26,000), Ouschan picked up 12 votes for player of the year. Kim received four votes, while Karen Corr received two votes.

Manlulu Prevails on Tri-State Billiard Tour

Manlulu Prevails on Tri-State Tour at Sandcastle Billiards
Tri-State Tour / Edison, NJ

by InsidePOOL Staff

Ed Manlulu topped the 30-player field that showed up for the January 16 stop on the Tri-State Tour, besting Chris Luethi in the finals. The event was hosted by Sandcastle Billiards in Edison, NJ, and boasted a $750-added prize fund.

Manlulu went unchallenged to the finals, besting George Osipovitch 7-5 in the winners’ side final four to reach the hot seat match. Meeting him there was Luethi, fresh off a 7-5 defeat of Gary Murgia. In the lopsided winners’ side final that followed, Manlulu sent Luethi packing 7-1.

Once on the one-loss side, Murgia and Osipovitch were ousted quickly. Raul Reyes Jr. eliminated Murgia 7-4, while Scott Abramowitz sent Osipovitch home 6-1. In the ensuing quarterfinal match, Abramowitz dealt a 6-3 blow to Reyes and advanced to the semifinals. With a rematch with Manlulu in his sights, Luethi raced past Abramowitz 8-4 in the semis but could not get a toehold against Manlulu, who ended up winning the final match 7-5.

Results:
1st Ed Manlulu $$530
2nd Chris Luethi $310
3rd Scott Abramowitz $210
4th Raul Reyes Jr. $125
5th George Osipovitch $75
Gary Murgia