Allison Fisher US Open MT. PLEASANT, MI – The WPBA Masters at the Soaring Eagle Casino & Resort has now concluded, and the winner is none other than Ewa Mataya Laurance (right), defeating #2 ranked Allison Fisher (left) in an epic battle of two veteran champions.

Billiard Congress of America (BCA) and Women’s Professional Billiards Association (WPBA) Hall of Famer and former Grand Ledge, Michigan resident, Ewa Mataya Laurance took an early 2-1 lead in the short televised race to 7 against fellow BCA Hall of Famer, #2 ranked Allison Fisher. Ewa then extended the lead to 3-1, 4-1 and 5-1… And then Allison mounted a comeback!

Laurance took an early 2-1 lead in the short televised race to 7 against fellow BCA Hall of Famer, #2 ranked Fisher.

5-2, 5-3, 5-4 and suddenly the score was tied 5-5; a race to two, with Allison breaking. Ewa dug deep and pulled out the next two games for a 7-5 victory and $10,000 payday in the first WPBA event of 2012!

In the first sem-final, Ewa proved she’d be a formidable contender when she defeated #1 ranked Ga Young Kim 7-6 for her place in the title bout.

The other semifinal was a battle of the Fishers: Kelly Fisher vs. Allison Fisher (pictured left). Though they’re not related, they both hail from the U.K. and both yield a deadly cue. Allison pulled out all the stops and defeated Kelly 7-4 to head to the finals against Laurance.

Final Results Top 24 (24 Placed Paid):
1 Ewa Mataya Laurance $10,000
2 Allison Fisher $5,500
3/4 Ga Young Kim, Kelly Fisher $2,750 ea.
5/6 Helena Thornfeldt, Jasmin Ouschan $2,000 ea.
7/8 Jeanette Lee, Eleanor Callado $1,750 ea.
9/12 Liz Ford, Dawn Hopkins, Monica Webb, Brittany Bryant $1,500 ea.
13/16 Karen Corr, Line Kjorsvik, Jennifer Barretta, Gerda Hofstatter $1,250 ea.
17/24 Emilyn Callado, Susan Williams, Joanne Ashton, Teruko Cucculelli, Tamara Peeters, Jennifer Chen, Jessica Barnes, Nicole Keeney $1,000 ea.

To view the final tournament chart, visit www.wpba.com and click on “2012 Soaring Eagle Tournament Board.” The three final-round one-hour matches will be broadcast by ESPN for on Sunday, March 18, from 1:30 – 4:30 pm EST.

About the Women’s Professional Billiard Association (WPBA)

The WPBA was established in 1976 as the Women’s Professional Billiard Alliance, and will celebrate its 35th anniversary in 2011 as the oldest pro player organization in the sport. The WPBA sanctions and produces the Women’s Pro Billiard Tour, which features ESPN-televised events with the world’s greatest women players. Visit www.wpba.com for more. The WPBA Classic Read more ...]]> http://www.cuesandpool.com/billiard-news/laurance-claims-wpba-masters.html/feed 0 http://www.cuesandpool.com/billiard-news/wpba-soaring-eagle-casino-day-1-results.html http://www.cuesandpool.com/billiard-news/wpba-soaring-eagle-casino-day-1-results.html#comments Fri, 27 Jan 2012 11:05:34 +0000 Pool and Billiards News http://www.insidepoolmag.com/?p=16723 WPBA Soaring Eagle Casino Day 1 Results
First Day’s Play Complete: 16 Undefeated Players Remain

MT. PLEASANT, MI – The Women’s Professional Billiard Association’s (WPBA) WPBA Masters kicked off with 11 am matches. The event is hosted by the Soraing Eagle Casino in Mt. Pleasant, MI. The day session featured 32 unseeded players matching up to determine who would first face the top 16 seeds.

In the evening session, the top 16 played their first round. Upsets included Joanne Ashton over Cathy Metzinger; Dawn Hopkins over Gerda Hofstatter; Eleanor Callado over Line Kjorsvik; and Liz Ford over #5 ranked Monica Webb.

To view the chart and ongoing results, visit www.wpba.com and click on “2012 Soaring Eagle Tournament Board.” One-loss side matches begin at 11:00 a.m. Friday. The sixteen undefeated players compete at 3 and 6 p.m.

Ford upset number 5 seed Webb at the Saoring Eagle Casino WPBA event.

Round One (Unseeded) Results:

Jacqui Herrera d. Emily Duddy 9-5

Dawn Hopkins d. Emilyn Callado 9-2

Jessica Barnes d. Val Finnie 9-6

Joanne Ashton d. Susan Williams 9-7

Liz Cole d. Cheryl Pritchard 9-2

Belinda Calhoun d. Teresa Gifford 9-4

Liz Ford d. Teruko Cucculelli 9-3

Erica Park d. Janet Atwell 9-4

Laura Smith d. Barbara Lee 9-8

Morgan Steinman d. Lonnie Fox 9-5

Jana Montour d. Jennifer Chen 9-8

Eleanor Callado d. Tina Hess 9-3

Naomi Williams d. Rebecca Wagner 9-1

Maureen Seto d. Vicki Paski 9-8

Melissa Little d. Angel Paglia 9-6
Kyoko Sone d. Erin McManus 9-4

Round One (Seeded Round):
Ga Young Kim d. Jacqui Herrera 9-5
Dawn Hopkins d. Gerda Hofstatter 9-7
Ewa Laurance d. Jessica Barnes 9-5
Joanne Ashton d. Cathy Metzinger 9-6
Karen Corr d. Liz Cole 9-8
Brittany Bryant d. Belinda Calhoun 9-1
Liz Ford d. Monica Webb 9-6
Helena Thornfeldt d. Erica Park 9-3
Jasmin Ouschan d. Laura Smith 9-6
Nicole Keeney d. Read more ...]]> http://www.cuesandpool.com/billiard-news/wpba-soaring-eagle-casino-day-1-results.html/feed 0 http://www.cuesandpool.com/billiards/parker-puts-it-to-breast-cancer.html http://www.cuesandpool.com/billiards/parker-puts-it-to-breast-cancer.html#comments Mon, 18 Oct 2010 18:23:44 +0000 Pool and Billiards News http://www.insidepoolmag.com/?p=13106 Flamingo Billiards Tour / Stuart, FL

by InsidePOOL Staff

JoAnn Mason Parker, having friends affected by breast cancer, was even more motivated to bring awareness to the cause, and she did so when she won the Flamingo Billiards Tour’s “Cues for the Cause” breast cancer fundraising event, held in conjunction with the American CueSports Alliance/Lucasi Hybrid All-American Tour. It was a special event, as 23 players gathered at Amy’s Billiards in Stuart, FL, October 16.

JoAnn Mason Parker, having friends affected by breast cancer, was even more motivated to bring awareness to the cause, and she did so when she won the Flamingo Billiards Tour.

Parker started the day with a 7-4 win over Emily Wilmoth Broxson. Shelly Harrison, fresh off winning the Atlanta Billiards Expo amateur 9-ball tournament, sent Parker to the one-loss side 7-5. Not to be stopped, though, Parker won her match against Jessica Barnes 7-2 to make it back to the final eight redraw.

Parker had a revenge match in the single-elimination redraw as she matched up again against Harrison, this time winning 7-5. Parker went on to take the next match against Kelly Coyle 7-4, making it to the finals.

This day was also good to relative newcomer Chris Ann Fields, who made it to the finals by defeating Robin Boggs 7-4 and top tour players Stephanie Mitchell 7-5, Helene Caukin 7-3, and Sabra MacArthur Beahn 7-3.

In the finals, Fields appeared to lose steam, and Parker quickly took a commanding lead. With Parker up 5-1, Fields scratched in the seventh rack, giving ball in hand and the game to Parker. Now on the hill, Parker took the final game after a dry break by Fields, winning the final match 7-1.

Results:
1st JoAnn Mason Parker $400
2nd Chris Ann Fields $280
3rd Kelly Coyle $185
Sabra MacArthur-Bean
5th Amy Poulter $90
Shelly Harrison
Kelly Cavanaugh
Helene Caukin

by InsidePOOL Staff

Chris Fields dominated the 20-player, $400-added tournament held at Wally’s in Lakeland, FL, September 25. It was her first Tiger Bay Area Amateur Tour (BAAT) win since joining in July, and it launched her into tenth place overall for the 2010 season.

Chris Fields dominated the 20-player, $400-added tournament held at Wally’s in Lakeland, FL, September 25. It was her first Tiger Bay Area Amateur Tour (BAAT) win since joining in July, and it launched her into tenth place overall for the 2010 season.

After eliminating Jessica Barnes and Sabra MacArthur Beahn, Niki Rasmussen went on to face Fields in the quarterfinal match. They split the first four racks, but when the match changed from 8-ball to 9-ball, Fields found her rhythm, sweeping the next three games for the 5-2 win.

The semifinal round was a grudge match between Fields and Jamie Toennies, who had delivered Fields to the left side of the chart earlier with a 5-2 win. Fields showed she was ready to play, winning the first two games of 8-ball. Toennies struck back, taking the following game. But Fields was not to be vanquished. The game changed to 9-ball, and Fields swung the momentum back her way, snagging the next three games and the match with a score of 5-1.

The stage was set for the final round between Fields and hot seat winner Shelly Harrison. The first match went hill-hill, with Fields forcing the second set. A couple of errors on Harrison’s part led to a lopsided 5-2 victory for Fields in the second set, with Fields collecting her first TBAAT title.

Results:
1st Chris Fields $300
2nd Shelly Harrison $225
3rd Jamie Toennies $125
4th Niki Rasmussen $100
5th Sabra MacArthur Beahn $50
Kelly Cavanaugh $50

by InsidePOOL Staff

Jason Richko and Mike Davis won their respective divisions at the Poison 9-Ball Tour’s season opener September 11-12. Hosted by Hammer Heads Billiard Lounge in Holiday, FL, the event featured a total of $2,000 added and 82 players.

Richko made his way to the finals with strong wins over Lee Holland, Monty Cooper, Joe Scarborough, Casey Groves, and a 7-1 win over Dave Adams to capture the hot seat. Adams’ route to the finals consisted of wins over Stephanie Mitchell, Dave Ross, Raymond Linares, Casey Merrell, and James Adam before running into a red-hot Richko.

Hosted by Hammer Heads Billiard Lounge in Holiday, FL, the event featured a total of $2,000 added and 82 players. Pictured (L-R) Jim Sandaler 2nd, Room Owner Peter Shabo, Winner Jason Richko

Jarred Schlauch was looking strong after taking a third-round loss to Scarborough. He went onto oust Steve Fiat, Mike Vore, Merrell, and Mike Delawder before Jimmy Sandaler eliminated him in fourth place 5-4. Sandaler then went on to defeat Adams in the semifinals, setting up a finals match with Richko. Richko put an end to Sandaler’s five-match winning streak with a solid 8-2 win to take down the season opener.

Davis battled his way to the winners’ side final with hard-fought wins over Avi Vega, James Roberts 7-6, Richey Richeson 7-4, and then a 7-2 win over Raymond Linares to set up a hot seat match with Tony Crosby. Crosby had notched victories over Jessica Barnes 7-4, Tommy Kennedy 7-2, Todd Anderson 7-1, and Hall 7-2. The hot seat match went right down to the wire, with Crosby eventually coming out on top with a 7-6 win.

After eliminating Kennedy in fifth, Hall went on to play recent ACUI champion Raymond Linares, who dominated Hall 7-2. In the semifinals Davis proved to be too strong for Linares and won 7-3 to advance to the finals against Crosby. The race-to-9 finals saw Davis and Crosby seesaw to 6-all, and then Davis surged ahead to win the next three racks. Because of the new format guaranteeing that whoever takes second place would have lost two matches, a single-rack shoot-out was then played. Crosby won the lag and made two balls on the break, but he missed a tricky 2 ball. This proved to be a costly miss, for Davis ran out the rack to take the season opener.

Amateur Results:
1st Jason Richko $650
2nd Jimmy Sandaler $450
3rd Dave Adams $300
4th Jarred Schlauch $200
5th Casey Grove $150
James Adams
7th Mike Delawder $100
Raymond Linares
9th Joe Scarborough $55
Casey Merrell
Jose Del Rio
Jerry Troisi

Open Results:
1st Mike Davis $550
2nd Tony Crosby $400
3rd Raymond Linares $300
4th Justin Hall $200
5th Jerry Troisi $60
Bobby Livrago

by Michell Monk

Helene Caukin won her first Lucasi Hybrid All-American Tour stop May 1, besting Nicolle Rasmussen in the finals. Hosted by the Art of Billiards in Gainesville, FL, the $250-added event attracted 11 of Florida’s top women players.

The single-elimination event quickly wound down to the final four competitors, with Caukin facing Shanelle Lorraine, while Rasmussen went up against Jessica Barnes. In the first semifinal match, Caukin rattled a couple of 9 balls, and Lorraine took an early lead. But Caukin countered and brought the score to 5-all after Lorraine jawed the 9. From there, it was all Caukin as she took over the table and eventually won the match 7-5.

In the other semifinals, Rasmussen quickly took a 2-0 lead, but Barnes fired back and tied the match. Rasmussen pulled away taking the lead 4-2, but Barnes managed to pull within one game. When it looked that she would tie the score, Barnes missed the 8 ball, and Rasmussen went up 5-3. Again Barnes found her rhythm and looked to be out when an unexpected miss on the 6 ball gave Rasmussen another game. Now on the hill, Rasmussen ran out, closing out the match 7-3.

Helene Caukin won her first Lucasi Hybrid All-American Tour stop May 1, besting Nicolle Rasmussen in the finals. Hosted by the Art of Billiards in Gainesville, FL, the $250-added event attracted 11 of Florida’s top women players.

Results:
1st Helene Caukin $370
2nd Nicolle Rasmussen $250
3th Jessica Barnes $100
Shanelle Lorraine $100

by InsidePOOL Staff

Two hard-working poolroom owners, each playing with only two hours of sleep, squared off in the finals of the Flamingo Billiards Tour stop March 6 at Ultimate Billiards in Fort Pierce, FL. Margie Soash of Hollywood Billiards in Hollywood, FL, outlasted Stephanie Mitchell, owner of The Corner Pocket in Largo, FL, after a long, safety-dominated slugfest.

It was the first Flamingo Billiards Tour event for Soash and five other new members, all of whom made a big impression at the tour’s 2010 kick-off event. Soash went undefeated for the day, squeaking by Mimi McAndrews 7-6 and Christie Cloke 7-5.

Mitchell started the day with a loss 7-3 to new member JoAnn Mason Parker, the 1990 WPBA U.S. Open champ who has returned in excellent form after a long hiatus. Mitchell then caught a bye before blanking Kelly Cavanaugh 7-0.

After the modified double-elimination redraw, Mitchell avenged her early loss to Parker 7-4, Jessica Barnes defeated Kim Caso 7-2, Jeannie Seaver swept Helene Caukin 7-0, and Soash went 7-5 against Melissa Durkin, another impressive new member.

In the semifinals, Seaver fought back from a 6-2 deficit but eventually lost to Soash 7-5. Meanwhile, Mitchell ran the final table on Barnes for a 7-3 victory.

The first game of the finals was a precursor of things to come, with each player notching six innings at the table. Smart play, tight pockets, and tired eyes led to a true test of focus and endurance. After Soash took the first rack, Mitchell went on a five-game streak before jawing the 9 ball in the seventh game. Soash brought it to double-hill, and the last rack saw Mitchell jaw the 9 ball again, leaving Soash the game and match.

Two hard-working poolroom owners, each playing with only two hours of sleep, squared off in the finals of the Flamingo Billiards Tour stop March 6 at Ultimate Billiards in Fort Pierce, FL.

by InsidePOOL Staff

After nearly 15 hours of competition, Jessica Barnes outplayed Bethann Ryno to capture the win at the second stop of the Tiger Bay Area Amateur Tour’s (BAAT) 2010 season. The $400-added event was held at Strokers of Tampa, FL, and hosted 20 players from around the state February 27.

Significantly, one player slid into the top three Saturday. Seventy-five-year-old Barbara Ellis, whose previous best finish with BAAT was fifth place, has steadily been improving her game and stroked herself into a third-place finish.

As the tournament progressed, veteran Michell Monk was bested by Shanelle Loraine, who resigned Monk to a seventh-place finish tie with Sis Tarver, who lost to Susanne Cherkowsky. Loraine went to the hill before being eliminated by Valerie Dukick 6-3, tying with Cherkowsky for fifth.

Dukick, who returned to the tour last month after a long hiatus, defeated Tammy Gillis, Kelly Cavanaugh, and Cherkowsky before being sent to the one-loss side by Ellis. Ryno had prevailed over last month’s winner Rachel Delaney and last year’s tour champion Monk before succumbing to Barnes. Dukick and Ryno faced off in the hard-fought quarterfinal match and went hill-hill with Ryno sinking the game-winning ball, taking the match 4-4.

Facing Ryno in the semifinals was Ellis, who defeated Christine Brenner, Lana Loomis, and Dukick before being defeated by Barnes. All but one of Ellis’s matches went to the hill, and this one was no different. The games went back and forth, Ellis playing with new-found deliberation and Ryno stroking with steady determination. Ryno dominated 6-3 and took the opportunity to try to exact revenge on Barnes in the finals.

After nearly 15 hours of competition, Jessica Barnes outplayed Bethann Ryno to capture the win at the second stop of the Tiger Bay Area Amateur Tour’s (BAAT) 2010 season.

Results:
1st Jessica Barnes $300
2nd Bethann Ryno $225
3rd Barbara Ellis $150
4th Valerie Dukick $100
5th Shanelle Loraine $50
Susanne Cherkowsky $ 50

by Skip Maloney

Avenging an early hill-hill defeat at the hands of Corey Deuel, tour director Tony Crosby fought back through the one-loss side, meeting and defeating Deuel in the finals of the KF Cues 9-Ball Tour’s March 14 stop. The $1,000-added open event drew 25 entrants to TJ’s Billiards in New Port Richey, FL.

It was Deuel and James Roberts who met in the hot seat match—Deuel after defeating Richie Richeson 7-4, and Roberts after sending Jason Richko westbound 7-2. Deuel appeared to be getting stronger as he sent Roberts to the semifinals 7-2 and sat in the hot seat.

Meanwhile, Crosby and Ronnie Wiseman worked their way forward from among the final 12 to meet Richeson and Richko. Wiseman dropped into the tie for fifth on the heels of narrow hill-hill win by Richeson, as Crosby moved into the quarterfinals with a 7-3 win over Richko. Crosby dropped Richeson into fourth place with a 7-4 win and then got by Roberts in the semifinals with yet another hill-hill victory.

Deuel jumped out to a slim 2-0 lead in the finals that followed before Crosby fought back to tie it. The two traded racks to a 4-4 tie; the last of the match. Deuel scratched on a subsequent break, and Crosby moved ahead at 7-5. It was a lead he never relinquished, expanding it by one rack to close the match at 9-6.

A $700-added amateur event, which drew 64 entrants, was won by Tony Pete, who worked his way through five matches on the one-loss side to face Albert Howe in the finals. Howe, who’d defeated Rich Johnson to gain the hot seat, fell 7-4 to Pete in those finals and took second place. Prizes were also awarded to the top two players in an eight-entrant junior tournament and six-entrant ladies’ event. Taz Naravane and Tevin Yang took first and second in the juniors, while Jessica Barnes and Cassidy Mulligan took the top two slots in the ladies’ event.

Avenging an early hill-hill defeat at the hands of Deuel, tour director Tony 'The Sniper' Crosby fought back through the one-loss side, meeting and defeating Deuel in the finals of the KF Cues 9-Ball Tour’s March 14 stop.

Results:
1st Tony Crosby $650
2nd Corey Deuel $400
3rd James Roberts $300
4th Richie Richeson $200
5th Ronnie Wiseman $100
Jason Richko
7th Dave Ross $85
Julio Aquino
9th Cal McGann
Taz Naravane
Mike Clay
Bill Dunsmore