by InsidePOOL Staff

Pro player Mike Davis took off the January 21 stop of the Tiger Classic Tour, double-dipping John Souders in the finals to take the title. The open event drew 32 players to Cue Phoria in Winter Park, FL.

Davis first encountered Souders in the winners’ side final four, where Souders delivered Davis to the one-loss side 7-3.

Davis first encountered Souders in the winners’ side final four, where Souders delivered Davis to the one-loss side 7-3. In the other bracket, Harry Nathan bested George Sanders 7-5 to move on to the hot seat match and face off with Souders, who took that match 7-4.

Nick Applebee eliminated Sanders in fifth place to advance to the quarterfinal match. Meeting him there was Davis, who had just ousted Julio Aquino in a fifth-place tie with Sanders. Davis dominated Applebee 7-2 and continued his trek through the west side.

In the semifinal match, Davis easily handled Nathan 7-4 to reach the double-elimination finals against Souders. Souders struggled to take the title, but Davis notched a narrow 7-5 win in the first set and then whitewashed Souders in the second to claim his victory.

Results:
1st Mike Davis $450
2nd John Souders $200
3rd Harry Nathan $100
4th Nick Applebee $80
5th George Sanders $60
Julio Aquino

by InsidePOOL Staff

Norris Brady went undefeated to win the last stop for 2011 on the Great Southern Billiard Tour after escaping a double-dip attempt by Glenn Russell in the final match. The $1,500-added event was hosted by Speakeazy Billiards in Sanford, NC, and drew a strong field of 52 players.

Brady delivered a donut to Tommy Cook in the winners’ side final four 9-0 to move on to the hot seat match, as Chris Vollmar only allowed Mike Walker one rack before winning their match 9-1 to meet Brady. In the hot seat match, it was another story, as the players traded rack for rack before Brady ultimately edged out Vollmar to win 9-8.

After Russell whizzed past Shawn Ray 9-2, he went on to send Cook home with a score of 9-5 to advance to the quarterfinal match. Meeting him there was B.J. Hucks, who had gone through Billy Thorpe 9-4 and then Walker 9-4. The quarterfinal match was a closer one, but still Russell managed to best Hucks 9-6 to keep his momentum going.

Norris Brady went undefeated to win the last stop for 2011 on the Great Southern Billiard Tour after escaping a double-dip attempt by Glenn Russell in the final match. The $1,500-added event was hosted by Speakeazy Billiards in Sanford, NC, and drew a strong field of 52 players.

In the semifinals against Vollmar, Russell was unimpressed and sent his opponent home in third place with a 9-3 win. On a roll, Russell took Brady to the hill in the first set of the double-elimination finals and triumphed 9-8. In the second set, though, it was Brady who came through with a 9-5 victory to claim the title.

This was the last event of 2011 for the Great Southern Billiard Tour. They would like to thank their sponsors: Nick Varner Cues and Cases, Delta 13 Rack, Tiger Products, Andy Gilbert Custom Cues, and Mike Davis Exterminating.

Results:
1st $1,000
2nd $650
3rd Chris Vollmar $425
4th B.J. Hucks $300
5th Tommy Cook $150
Mike Walker
7th Shawn Ray $100
Billy Thorpe

by InsidePOOL Staff

Earl Strickland is on a tear at the Turning Stone Classic XVIII—he earlier whitewashed Johnny Archer 9-0, followed that up with a 9-4 win over “Iron Mike” Davis, and most recently trounced Shane Winters 9-3 to reach the final 8 on the winners’ side. In the next round he faces fellow Hall of Famer Ralf Souquet of Germany, who just sent Stevie Moore to the one-loss side 9-4.

India’s Raj Hundal is also unscathed as yet, having won both of his last two matches 9-3 over Brian Brekke and Chris Lynch. Hundal’s next challenge will come from Dustin Morris, recently the victor over Danny Thompson 9-3.

“The Fireball” burned down Dennis Hatch, who can still take the title but from the west side. Their match saw Mike Dechaine advance 9-6 to next play Brandon Shuff, who recently bested Johnathan “Hennessee” Pinegar 9-7.

Two Mosconi Cup teammates matched up when Shane Van Boening and Shawn Putnam went head to head, but only one went on to remain undefeated. It was the closest of matches, but Putnam was the one to win it 9-8, while Van Boening must trudge through the left side if he is to make a try for the title.

View the Turning Stone tournament brackets (updated continuously)

Another Mosconi Cup member, Rodney Morris, also had a hill-hill match but eked out a 9-8 victory over Bucky Souvanthong. Morris and Putnam will play each other in the following round.

Visit InsidePOOL for the latest news in the sport of billiards and pool.

by InsidePOOL Staff

In the featured match of the winners’ bracket in the evening rounds of the Turning Stone Classic XVIII, Dennis Hatch defeated Darren Appleton in a double-hill match to send the Brit to the one-loss side of the chart.

Hatch, who despite dominating the Joss Northeast 9-Ball Tour is still chasing the elusive Turning Stone title, was tied with the reigning U.S. Open champion at 4-all and then at 8-all when things went Hatch’s way, and he took the match 9-8. Appleton now must play at noon in the brutal bracket, while Hatch’s next opponent will be Mike “The Fireball” Dechaine, who earlier bested Jennifer Barretta 9-4.

In the featured match of the winners’ bracket in the evening rounds of the Turning Stone Classic XVIII, Hatch defeated Appleton in a double-hill match to send the Brit to the one-loss side of the chart.

Earl Strickland dealt a shocking 9-0 loss to Johnny Archer in the second round of the winners’ side matches and then also sent Mike Davis to the west side 9-4. Archer recovered to hand Jerry Crowe a donut in the following round. Shane Winters, who earlier defeated Dan Heidrich 9-3, will face off with Strickland in the next round.

View the Turning Stone tournament brackets (updated continuously)

The other remaining lady, former world junior champion Brittany Bryant, suffered her first loss against Stevie Moore 9-4. Bryant went west to face off against the winner between Oscar Dominguez and Jim Sinclair, while Moore has to play former Turning Stone champion Ralf Souquet, who just bested Ruben Bautista 9-5.

Elimination rounds begin in earnest Saturday. Visit InsidePOOL for the latest news in the sport of billiards and pool.

by InsidePOOL Staff

Tom D’Alfonso bested hometown hero Mike “Fireball” Dechaine in a gritty double-elimination finals at the November 19-20 stop of the Joss Northeast 9-Ball Tour to claim the title. The $5,000-added stop was hosted by Snookers Billiards Bar and Grill in Providence, RI, and drew a field of 64 top players.

It was D’Alfonso who skated through the winners’ bracket, defeating Ivaylo Petrov hill-hill and advancing to the hot seat match. There his opponent was Matt Tetreault, who had just bested Stevie Moore 9-6. The hot seat match was no contest, as D’Alfonso easily handled Tetreault 9-2 and sent his opponent to the west side of the chart.

Dechaine moved speedily through the one-loss side, eliminating Jennifer Barretta 9-5, Bucky Souvanthong 9-2, and then Moore 9-7 to reach the quarterfinal match. “Iron Mike” Davis, having just ousted Petrov 9-5 at a fifth-place tie, was Dechaine’s competitor, and Dechaine slipped past him 9-2.

In the semifinal match, Dechaine also found little resistance from Tetreault, sending his opponent home in third place 9-5. In the double-elimination final match, Dechaine dominated D’Alfonso in the first set 9-3, but D’Alfonso turned the tables in the second and won the title by the score of 9-3.

Tom D’Alfonso bested hometown hero Mike “Fireball” Dechaine in a gritty double-elimination finals at the November 19-20 stop of the Joss Northeast 9-Ball Tour to claim the title.

Results:
1st Tom D’Alfonso $2,500
2nd Mike Dechaine $1,800
3rd Matt Tetreault $1,300
4th Mike Davis $1,000
5th Stevie Moore $750
Ivaylo Petrov
7th Bucky Souvanthong $550
Brittany Bryant
9th Ray McNamara $350
Jennifer Barretta
Greg Antonakos
Ron Casanzio

by InsidePOOL Staff

Half of the undefeated players at the 36th U.S. Open 9-Ball Championships have gone through two rounds of play, while on the west side of the chart, the elimination rounds have begun. This year’s event brought 250 players to the Chesapeake Conference Center to vie for their piece of the $175,000 prize fund.

InsidePOOL’s 2010 Amateur Player of the Year, Raymond Linares, had a tough draw but bested Jonathan Demet 11-6 in the first round before facing off with Lee Vann Corteza in the second. An 11-1 loss sent him to the one-loss side, where he will play Hayato Hajikata.

Jesse Engel, the 19-year-old who wowed spectators last year with back-to-back victories over Earl Strickland 11-10 and Mike Sigel 11-1, bested S. Suryawanshi 11-3 in the first round but suffered a second-round loss to Jundel Mazon 11-8. His first opponent on the one-loss side will be Mark Horn.

Jesse Engel, the 19-year-old who wowed spectators last year with back-to-back victories over Strickland 11-10 and Sigel 11-1, bested S. Suryawanshi 11-3 in the first round but suffered a second-round loss to Jundel Mazon 11-8. His first opponent on the one-loss side will be Mark Horn.

Famed Los Angeles player Ernesto Dominguez was defeated in the first round by Tim Colvin 11-6 but fought back in the second round by whitewashing Shaun Moylan 11-0. Dominguez’s next challenge will be former junior champion Brittany Bryant.

The live scoring will be provided by ProPool.com and posted at Inside POOL TV Live U.S. Open Scoring and the tournament brackets will be updated continuously and posted at:

U.S. Open 9-Ball Tournament Bracket 1

Corey Deuel, who won this event in 2001 from the west side, recovered from his first-round loss to Li Wen Lo 11-8 and eliminated Aradhana Naik 11-1 to advance. “The Korean Dragon” was slain in the second round by Robb Saez 11-6 and will have to get past Cleiton Rocha in the next round. Mike Davis was also defeated in the second round by England’s Mark Gray 11-7 and will have to face Canada’s John Morra next. Virginians Chris Bruner and Larry Kressel are both on the west side, having been bested by Niels Feijen 11-4 and Larry Nevel 11-5, respectively.

Visit InsidePOOL for the latest news in the sport of billiards and pool.

by InsidePOOL Staff

“Rocket” Rodney Morris and Shawn Putnam are the final two undefeated players at the Turning Stone Classic XVII and will face off in the hot seat match this afternoon, while four other players remain in the west side of the chart. The $25,000-added event is held this weekend at Turning Stone Casino in Verona, NY, and attracted a full field of 128.

After dispatching tour promoter Mike Zuglan 9-4 to the one-loss side, Morris went on to face down Larry “The Truth” Nevel and dealt him a 9-3 loss. A 9-5 victory over Charlie Williams put Morris in the final four undefeated, where he bested Jose Parica 9-5 to reach the hot seat match.

Putnam escaped a double-hill match Fiddlestix Billiards Café owner Chris Szuter 9-8 to defeat Jeremy Sossei 9-4. Another 9-4 victory, this time over Josh Ulrich, saw Putnam meet up with Morris.

Morris and Putnam are the final two undefeated players at the Turning Stone Classic XVII and will face off in the hot seat match this afternoon, while four other players remain in the west side of the chart.

View the Turning Stone Classic tournament brackets

Much like Pagulayan, Johnny Archer, winner of the Turning Stone Classic XV and XIV, also lost his second-round match, which was against Sossei, and has been able to stay alive. Archer’s victories in the one-loss side include wins over Jennifer Barretta, Williams, and Greg Antonakos.

Visit InsidePOOL for the latest news in the sport of billiards and pool.