Great Southern Billiard Tour / Cornelius, NC

by Lea Andrews

Josh Newman’s first win as an A player on the Great Southern Billiards Tour came in March, when his talent and stamina allowed him to come from the west side and stay strong through two sets in the finals, pocketing the final 9 ball just after 6 a.m. Monday morning. On the weekend of May 22-23, Newman did it again, topping the 45-entrant field that gathered at Kylie’s Sports Bar and Grill in Cornelius, NC, for the $1,500-added A/B amateur event.

Newman sailed unscathed into the hot seat match, getting by fellow A player John Sandifer 9-4 to face Glenn Russell, who’d just sent A-ranked Ron Park to the left side 9-7. Russell repeated that margin against Newman to earn a spot in the finals of a GSBT event for the first time, while Newman took a detour to the semifinals.

On the one-loss side, AA-ranked Jeff Abernathy, who’d fallen earlier to Park, edged out B-ranked Marvin Reed 11-6 to meet up with Rick Roper, who’d ousted B-ranked Bob Ruffalo 7-3. Abernathy missed his second shot at Park by two games, falling 7-9 to Roper in the weighted race. Meanwhile, another of Park’s victims, A-ranked Mike Baumgarner, pushed past A players Matt Reed and Riley Myers 9-7 and 9-3, respectively, to welcome Sandifer to the other side by dealing him a 9-6 blow. Baumgaurner advanced to the quarterfinals for a rematch with Park, who’d breezed past Roper 9-3, and though Baumgarner managed several more games than the three he’d managed in their last face-off, he nonetheless came up short, finishing in fourth 9-8 and allowing Park a shot at the finals. But to get there, Park needed to get through Newman, who would have none of that–Newman arrived in the finals with a solid 9-2 victory.

The first set of the true double-elimination finals began at 2:30 a.m., but both Newman and Russell were up to the challenge of a late-night pool duel, and they traded games back and forth. In the end, though, Newman edged ahead, pushing the second set 9-7. In the second set, just as in the first, the two stayed even, but as the end drew closer, Newman once again forged ahead, earning his second win this season 9-7.

Josh Newman’s first win as an A player on the Great Southern Billiards Tour came in March, when his talent and stamina allowed him to come from the west side and stay strong through two sets in the finals, pocketing the final 9 ball just after 6 a.m. Monday morning.

1st Josh Newman $1,000
2nd Glenn Russell $500
3rd Ron Park $300
4th Mike Baumgarner $300
5th John Sandifer $85
Rick Roper
7th Riley Myers $45
Jeff Abernathy

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.

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.

By Edward Asistin

57 Players representing the seven different countries of Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Philippines, and the U.S.A. battled in a Stage 1 Qualifier for 8 spots in the main field of 64 of the 2009 Philippine Open. The Stage 2 Main Tournament is being dubbed as the “SHOWDOWN @ MEGAMALL”.

The Stage 1 Qualifier was held at the Star Billiards Center on the outskirts of Manila in the city of Quezon City. The entry fee was $200 USD and the format was double elimination, race to 9 throughout the draw. Four players qualified for the main field by the end of Saturday, May 23, with the play-in matches on the winner’s side, with the other four knowing their fate by the end of Sunday, with the play-in matches on the one-loss side of the bracket.

Sol Gueco of Raya Sports is the tournament director for both the Stage 1 Qualifier and the Stage 2 Main Tournament. The qualifying tournament was played on Brunswick Metro Tournament Edition tables with YTT Billiard Cloth. The main tournament will be played on Brunswick Metro Tournament Edition with Simonis 860 cloth. The Stage 2 Main Tournament is being held at the MEGAMALL in Megatrade Hall 2 and will have a 10-table setup; 1 television table, 8 more tables for tournament play, and 1 practice table.

The story of the weekend is how three junior players from the Philippines outlasted the big boys in the Stage 1 Qualifier for their first trip to a major tournament and a chance to win the $20,000 USD first-place prize. Resty Labastida, Marvin Tapia, and Jestoni Magadia all were playing in last year’s Philippine Junior Championships and now get a chance to play with the elders for the big money.

Stage 1 winner's side qualifiers from left to right; Oliver Villafuerte, Jestoni Magadia, Resty Labastida, Arnel Bautista.

Stage 1 winner’s side qualifiers from left to right; Oliver Villafuerte, Jestoni Magadia, Resty Labastida, Arnel Bautista.
Qualifiers from the winner’s side play-in matches:

Oliver Villafuerte (Philippines)

Arnel Bautista (Philippines)

Jestoni Magadia (Philippines)

Resty Labastida (Philippines)

In the winners’ side play-in matches, Resty Labastida caught a gear and rebounded from a 5-2 and 6-4 deficit to win four straight games to get to the hill before finishing his opponent 9-7. Oliver Villafuerte traded games with his opponent until 6-6 then put together two in a row to get to the hill and finished it off 9-7. Arnel Bautista advanced by surviving a marathon match that lasted over 3 hours, and Jestoni Magadia took down a fellow Filipino pretty handily.

View the Philippine Open Qualifier Brackets

Stage 1 loser's side qualifiers from left to right; Marvin Tapia, Bernard Tey, Naoyuki Oi, Elmer Kalaquian.

Qualifiers from the one-loss side play in matches:

Naoyuki Oi (Japan)

Bernard Tey (Singapore)

Marvin Tapia (Philippines)

Elmer “Buddy” Kalaquian (Philippines)

In the one-loss side play-in matches, Bernard Tey won his match easily but only after barely surviving the previous match when he was down 8-4 and came back to win. Elmer “Buddy” Kalaquian was down 7-6 to his opponent but won the next three racks to advance. Marvin Tapia lost the second match he played 9-8 but never looked back as he won his next five matches to qualify. Naoyuki Oi handled his opponent with ease to advance.

There was a pleasant surprise Sunday evening when the 9th-12th place finishers of the Stage 1 Qualifier received news that there was one more spot available in the main tournament. After losing two matches, the four players now had a third chance for a spot in the main tourney and drew cards to see who would play each other in the first match of a mini single elimination, winner takes the spot tournament, with the runner-up becoming first alternate for Stage 2.

Kenichi Uchigaki (Japan) drew James Al Ortega (Philippines) with Uchigaki winning the match with ease. The other match was between Chan Keng Kwang (Singapore) vs. Luis Saberdo (Philippines) and went hill-hill and Saberdo averted the pressure on a tough shot in the case game that had the 10 ball on the spot and the cue ball in the jaws of one of the lower corner pockets. Saberdo guided it in the side pocket and advance to the play-in match. But Saberdo could not manage the pressure in the play-in match as Uchigaki defeated Saberdo to take the last spot to the main tourney.

Japan’s contingent sent twelve players to the Philippines. Nine played in the Stage 1 Qualifier with three being given automatic berths into the Stage 2 Main Tournament. By the end of the qualifier weekend five players from Japan remain with a shot at the $20,000 USD first prize.

There was also another qualifier held May 8th and 9th exclusively for the local Filipino players. Jointly promoted by Raya Sports, Star Billiards Center, and the BSCP (Billiard and Snooker Congress of the Philippines). This qualifying tournament advanced two players into the Stage 2 Main Tournament. There was no entry fee for the players as a result from the support of the promoters. The two players earning entry through this local’s only tourney were Allan Cuartero and Jonas Magpantay. Jonas is only 15 years old and played in the World Juniors in Reno, Nevada, last year and this will be his first major tournament.

The One Pocket Hall of Fame industees have been announced.

OnePocket.org is pleased to announce the results of their 2008 Hall of Fame elections.  In One Pocket, elusive under-cover player Jack Cooney topped a hotly contested field of well-qualified players.  Jack is one of the modern icons of action One Pocket, and an excellent example of “After Hours Legends who have demonstrated their excellence and their heart by matching up against the best of their time,” to quote from the One Pocket Hall of Fame selection criteria.

The second induction for One Pocket is the late great player, Marvin Henderson. Marvin was one of the top all-around players of his time, including not just pocket billiards, but three-cushion billiards as well.  He was the One Pocket division winner in the 1968 Stardust tournament. Known for his silky smooth stroke, in his heyday he was one of the most feared talents in pool. Marvin died in 1998.

In Bank Pool the sole inductee this year is the current grand master of traditional full rack Banks, Tony ‘Fargo’ Ferguson.  Growing up in rural Kentucky, in the heart of Bank Pool country, Tony was able to hone his skills against many of the top bankers of the era. He is a perennial top ten finisher in the Derby City Classic Banks division.

The Lifetime Pool in Action honor this year goes to action legend, Jimmy ‘Flyboy’ Spears. Over his long career as player, ‘Flyboy’ has been known as a determined competitor with a reputation for skills, stamina and an eagerness to gamble, making him one of the best high stakes players of his era. The annual Pool in Action award, which is not limited to One Pocket and Bank Pool, gives fans an opportunity to reach out to some of the uniquely talented and entertaining characters that have made pocket billiards where the action is over the years. ‘Flyboy’ embodies that spirit.

The 5th annual One Pocket Hall of Fame Dinner is again being held during Derby City Classic tournament week, this year at their new host location, the Horseshoe Casino in Elizabeth, Indiana.  On Tuesday,  January 27th, this year’s slate of legendary One Pocket and Bank Pool players will be inducted into the One Pocket Hall of Fame.   As always, this promises to be a lively and entertaining evening, as these players are among the most colorful, talented and action-oriented legends in all of cue sports.  For more information and advance reservations visit www.onepocket.org.

Fellow Hall of Fame inductees Grady Mathews and Freddy ‘The Beard’ Bentivegna will co-host as Master of Ceremonies.

Advanced tickets are available now from www.onepocket.org.  Any remaining tickets will be available at the Derby City Classic.

The One Pocket Hall of Fame is the creation of OnePocket.org in collaboration with Diamond Billiard Products and the Derby City Classic, and is not affiliated with the Billiard Congress of America.

Steve Booth
OnePocket.org

by Rick Davis
The Tri-State Tour drew in 12 teams for their 9-ball doubles event that took place at Master Billiards in Queens, NY. The team of Jim Ireland and Chris Luethi were unstoppable as they took the event undefeated over the December 1-2 weekend.
Fighting their way to the hot seat match were team Jan Aleria and Marvin Malapit, but they fell just short of team Ireland/Luethi, who defeated them 7-6 to advance to the finals. On the one-loss side the team of Ron Mason and Jimmy Martinez ousted the team of Mike Amaya and Luis Rios by a whopping 7-2 in the quarterfinals but were tripped up in the semifinals, where team Aleria/Malapit eliminated them 7-5.
Back in the finals it was a rematch as team Aleria/Malapit sought revenge from their earlier defeat, but Ireland/Luethi kept just out of reach and once again defeated them 7-6, this time to claim the event.
Results:
1st Jim Ireland/Chris Luethi
2nd Jan Aleria/Marvin Malapit
3rd Ron Mason/Jimmy Martinez
4th Mike Amaya/Luis Rios

Canadian 30K Tour / Barrie, ONT
by Willy Hermoza and Tony Butera
With many of the top players playing in the U.S. the weekend of June 2-3, a new winner was crowned on the Canadian 30K Tour. George Cornelius went undefeated through the 28-player field at Dunlop Billiards in Barrie, ONT.
On the top bracket of the A side Cornelius rolled through Brian Bedford, Marvin Catindig, Dave McMahon, and defeated Kory Jacobs 7-1 to get a chance to play for the hot seat. Youngster Jeff Robson cruised through the bottom of the A side, getting a bye first, then defeating Jarret
White, Tony Butera, and then taking out Glen Lee 5-3. The battle for the hot seat was a decisive one as Cornelius defeated Robson 8-3, sending him to the one-loss side to grind it out.
On the one-loss side Randy Fawcett defeated Glen Lee 6-3, while Wayne Tate matched up with Kory Jacobs 5 and prevailed to go one more round. He stumbled against Randy Fawcett, though, with the match going double-hill before Fawcett prevailed.
Fawcett advanced then to play against Robson, taking the match with a 6-0 drubbing. But he was unprepared for Cornelius in the finals. Though it was a close match at first, Cornelius kicked it into high gear and made quick work of Fawcett, defeating him 8-4.

Results:
1st George Cornelius
2nd Randy Fawcett
3rd Jeff Robson
4th Wayne Tate
5th Glen Lee
Kory Jacobs