Mike Ricciardella and JAB Productions are proud to announce the return of the Planet Pool Tour. The Planet Pool Tour is a two-day open tournament with staggered entry fees. Events will take place in the Northeast region.

Mike Ricciardella and JAB Productions are proud to announce the return of the Planet Pool Tour.

“I am happy to work with Jose Burgos, who runs the best one-day tournaments in this region. We hope to offer a highly competitive tournament and great prizes for pros and amateurs alike. We will also give each player a free raffle ticket for a Mezz cue and Mezz case at the grand finale tournament, along with prizes for the top five point leaders of the year,” explained Ricciardella.

Jose said, “I am honored to join forces with Mike Ricciardella. We believe there are a lot of great players in the Maryland, Virginia, and Washington areas to again make the Planet Pool Tour one of the premier tours in the region.”

Along with the Planet Pool Open Tour, there will also be a women’s tour.

“With so many great female players in the Northeast region, this is a great opportunity to provide a competitive tour for them to participate in. We will feature great prizes at each stop, as well as hold a grand finale tournament with added monies. Prizes will also be awarded for the top three female players. I am very excited be able to provide an opportunity for our local female players to sharpen their competitive edge,” said Burgos.

The official launch of the Planet Pool Tour will be February 12-13 at Champion Billiards Sports Café in Frederick, MD. For more information, please call tournament director Jose Burgos at 267-257-8006. Visit the official Planet Pool Tour website, Planetpooltour.com, for more information.

Mika Immonen and Mezz Cues are proud to announce the Mezz Pro-Am Tour. The Mezz Tour is a 1-day Open Tournament with staggered entry fees and additional cash prizes for the top 2 finishers in the A/B and C/D division. Events will take place in the North East region.

“We are happy to work with Jose Burgos, who runs the best 1-day tournaments in this region. We hope to offer a highly competitive tournament and great prizes for pros and amateurs alike. We will also give each player a free raffle ticket for a Mezz Cue and Mezz Case at the Grand Finale Tournament along with prizes for the Top 10 point leaders of the year,” says Mika.
Jose describes, “I am honored to join forces with Mika Immonen and Mezz Cues. I believe having the best player in the world along with one of the leading cue companies in the industry as sponsors will make the Mezz Pro-Am Tour one of the premier tours in the region.”

Along with the Mezz Open Tour, we are also proud to announce a Mezz Women’s Tour overseen by WPBA Pro and Mezz USA President, Caroline Pao.

“With so many great female players in the Northeast region, this is a great opportunity to provide a competitive tour for them to participate in. We will feature great prizes at each stop as well as hold a Grand Finale tournament with added monies. Prizes will also be awarded for the Top 3 female players of the year with the Top Female receiving paid entry to the prestigious Turning Stone Tournament in Syracuse, NY. I am very excited be able to provide an opportunity for our local female players to sharpen their competitive edge. Once we complete the 8 event schedule, it will be on our official Mezz Tour website, www.mezztour.com,” explains Caroline.

Immonen and Mezz Cues are proud to announce the Mezz Pro-Am Tour.

As a prelude to our official launch of the Mezz Pro-Am Tour, we had a great event at Drexeline Billiards in Drexel Hill, PA on January 31st with an attendance of 53 players. Joey Testa and Ignacio Chavez were co-champions of this event with Victor Nau in 3rd and Josh Brothers in 4th place.

The next stop will be at on February 21st at :
Atlantic City Billiards
6701 Blackhorse Pike
Egg Habor, NJ 08234
(609) 645-7576

Visit the official Mezz Pro-Am Tour website, www.mezztour.com, for more information.
For sponsorship opportunities, please contact info@mezztour.com.

WPBA Professionals Sarah “Heartbreaker” Rousey and Jennifer “9MM” Baretta along with US Professional Hunter Lombardo join top players Mika Immonen, Alex Pagulayan and Marcus Chamat as part of Team Mezz USA.

Sarah Rousey, who finished in 5th place at the 2009 WPBA San Diego Classic, says “I have decided to switch to a Mezz EC7 series because I like the feel and consistency of their products. The shaft I use is low deflection but still has the feel of an original maple shaft. I feel like my arsenal of shots has increased. I can spin the ball in ways I couldn’t before and my confidence in shots has gone way up. With my new Mezz cue I feel like my game is going to rise to a new level. And the Power Break II is unbelievable! I usually break with a lot of Power. But with the Power Break II, I get the same break reaction with less effort. I almost feel like it’s cheating with all the movement and reaction I get out of this break cue!!”

Rousey takes a shot with a bridge at a recent event.

Jennifer Barretta, who returns to the WPBA Classic Tour after taking a year off to spend time with her family, is equally impressed with the Mezz line of products. “Since I’ve started playing with the Mezz AYA series and the Dual Force Break Jump cue I’ve noticed more consistency in my shot making and more power in my break. Both of these cues have amazing balance and the most solid hit I’ve ever encountered.”

Hunter Lombardo recently finished in 4th place on the Seminole Pro Tour. When asked about his outstanding performance he said, “I recently changed to the Mezz [WD700] playing shaft and it’s given me a new lease to want to play more. It’s my first tournament with the new shaft and I’m really happy with the results. It’s one thing knowing what you want, but to finally feel what you want…that’s Mezz!”

Mezz USA Co-Founder and reigning US Open Champion, Mika Immonen says, “After Hunter started using the Mezz shaft, he seems to have found the passion he thought he lost. That seems to be the case with a lot of the players I’ve encountered using Mezz.”

Barretta is another welcome addition to the Mezz Cues group of players.

“Miki Co., Ltd. has been making cues since 1960 from their very own factory in Japan. The final product we have in our hands today is the testament of 50 years in the art of cue making. It’s no surprise that Mezz Cues is the #1 brand in Asia. We are glad to finally be able to offer the Mezz line of products in the US and the feedback we’ve been getting, from amateurs as well as professionals, has been very positive. We are very happy to have Hunter, Sarah and Jen on our team and to have Mezz be a part of their future success.” says Mezz USA President and current WPBA Professional, Caroline Pao.

Hunter Lombardo currently resides in Florida and can be found competing in the Seminole Pro Tour where he is currently ranked 12th. You can visit Sarah Rousey at http://www.facebook.com/l/;www.sarahrousey.blogspot.com and Jennifer Barretta at http://www.facebook.com/l/;www.jenniferbarretta.wordpress.com.

For the latest news and information of Mezz products, visit www.mezzusa.com.

by Jose Burgos

Riley’s Concord Billiards in Boothwyn, PA, hosted the Blaze 9-Ball Tour March 29. A strong field of 34 players came out to play, such as Shaun Wilkie, Eddie Abraham, Sharon OHanlon, Josh Brothers, Matt Krah, Chris Riley, and ultimate event winner Joey Testa.

Leading the top half of the bracket was Abraham with wins over Frank Bogush 7-1, Bill Wilson 7-0, Chuck Roth 7-2, and Scott Freeman 7-5. Testa took control of the bottom half of the bracket, notching victories over Mike Fernan 7-3, Kenny Rutman 7-3, Adam Kielar 7-2, and Josh Brothers 7-3.

Abraham and Testa met in the hot seat match, with Testa pulling away late in the match with a 7-5 win, sending Abraham to the one-loss side. Waiting for him in the semifinals was Wilkie. Their match went hill-hill, with Wilkie walking away with the win. Wilkie had to best Testa twice in the finals, but he never made it past the first set, as Testa won easily 7-2.

Joey Testa would like to thank his new sponsor Mezz Cue, Mika Immonen, and Caroline Pao. This was the first time Joey Testa used the Mezz Cue, and it also was his first win on the Blaze Tour.

A strong field of 34 players came out to play, such as Shaun Wilkie, Eddie Abraham, Sharon OHanlon, Josh Brothers, Matt Krah, Chris Riley, and ultimate event winner Joey Testa, pictured right.

Results:
1st Joey Testa $1,100
2nd Shaun Wilkie $550
3rd Eddie Abraham $325
4th Scott Freeman $150
5th Josh Brothers $120
Adam Kielar
7th Chuck Roth $70
Mike Miller