The World Tournament Champion will also have his/her name inscribed on the 14.1 Champion's Cup alongside the names of previous winners such as Mizerak, Sigel, Mosconi, Hohmann, Ortmann, Feijen, and Cohen.

“It’s quite an honor to host this historic event. Breaker Billiards has never held so many top names under one roof and we are very excited,” said Ricky Coren, Owner of Break Billiards and new home to Accu-Stats.

This year marks the 70th World Tournament, and stars such as Thorsten Hohmann, John Schmidt, Oliver Ortmann, Niels Feijen, Allen Hopkins, Jasmin Ouschan, Johnny Archer, Mika Immonen and defending champion Stephan Cohen of France are just a few of the powerful list of world beaters who will come to play in the greatest straight pool tournament in the world. Players may also join qualifiers to get a chance to compete in the World Tournament with all the legendary greats. Qualifier info can be found at www.DragonPromotions.com To host a qualifier or play, contact worldstraightpoolchampionships@gmail.com

The format for the event will be the same as the past four years. 64 players divided into 8 groups of 8 players in a round robin format playing races to 100. The top 32 players will advance to a double elimination tournament races to 150. The top 16 players will then advance to a single elimination race to 200 points. Half of the field will earn prize money with the champion winning $11,000.

The World Tournament Champion will also have his/her name inscribed on the 14.1 Champion’s Cup alongside the names of previous winners such as Mizerak, Sigel, Mosconi, Hohmann, Ortmann, Feijen, and Cohen.

“The Predator World Tournament till this day has proven to have the most passionate fans and players. Myself and our staff at Dragon Promotions have really come to a true appreciation of this game and its rich history. We are very proud to have become the caretakers of this prestigious event”, said Cindy Lee, CEO of Dragon Promotions.

The 2010 Predator World Tournament is proudly sponsored by straight pool afficianados Dr.Louis Pannullo of NYC, Bill Austin of UT, Harold Siegel of NYC, Stu Mattana of NYC, and Badi Nazhat of Curacao. Other significant patrons include Dr.Michael Frank, and Ralph Rubin. Co-Contributors we like to recognize include Dennis Walsh, Bill Marapolus, Peter Burrows, Richard Klein, and Jeff Mohl. For more information on player registration, sponsorship, or if you would like to submit a comment, please email worldstraightpoolchampionships@gmail.com or contact Dragon Promotions at 1-407-782-4978.
Full event info is at www.dragonpromotions.com

Predator Group, an international billiards industry leader, is focused on bringing constant innovation and game-improving equipment to billiards players worldwide. Headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida, USA, Predator Group’s core brands include Predator Cues – high-end (professional level) cues with revolutionary technology to enhance performance, Poison Billiards – recreational cues with cutting-edge designs and Predator engineering for best-in-class playability, and Uni-Loc® – precision billiards equipment manufacturer. For more information regarding Predator Group’s products, visit www.predatorgroup.com.

Dragon Promotions is one of the leading producers of billiard programming in the world today. Dragon produces over 40 events a year airing on networks in USA, Korea, and Europe such as ESPN, MBC ESPN, XTM, XPORTS, and Euro Sport. Events include The World 14.1 Championship, The Predator International 10-Ball Championship, King & Queen of Carom, Empress Cup, Pro Pool Schools, Women’s Trickshot Challenge, World Junior 10-Ball Championships, Korea vs USA, Mezz Classic and many more. Dragon also manages some of the world’s best players including Shanelle Loraine, Rodney Morris, Charlie Williams, Mika Immonen, Mike Davis, and many more.

Cavalcade of World Champs Manila Bound

Matchroom Sport can announce the teams and players to contest the forthcoming Partypoker.net World Cup of Pool which takes place in Manila, Philippines from Tuesday to Sunday 7th to 12th September.

With 32 teams representing 31 countries – home nation Philippines has two sides in the competition – the World Cup of Pool sees the gathering of some of the most decorated stars of the pool firmament.

Defending champions Efren Reyes and Francisco Bustamante along with Johnny Archer, Daryl Peach, Rodney Morris, Dennis Orcollo, Niels Feijen, Jasmin Ouschan, Mika Immonen, Oliver Ortmann, Karl Boyes, Fu Jianbo, Ga Young Kim, Tony Drago and Marcus Chamat are just some of the greats of the game who will be going for the $250,000 prize fund on offer.

In fact, the 64 players competing in the tournament possess 10 World 9 Ball Championships, three World 8 Ball crowns, two World Straight Pool titles, six US Open titles, 11 World Pool Masters crowns and four World Junior Championships between them. In addition nine of the competitors have contested a World Cup of Pool final in the past.

This is the fifth running of the PartyPoker.net World Cup of Pool and defending Philippines team of Reyes and Bustamante have recorded two wins in the event – 2006 and last year. Fu Jianbo and Li Hewen won for China in ’07 while the American duo of Rodney Morris and Shane Van Boening collected the silverware in Rotterdam in 2008.

With a total purse of $250,000, the winning pair split $60,000 between them while first round losers are guaranteed $1,500 each. All the action will be carried live on Solar Sports in the Philippines and other broadcasters across the region.

Matchroom Sport can announce the teams and players to contest the forthcoming Partypoker.net World Cup of Pool which takes place in Manila, Philippines from Tuesday to Sunday 7th to 12th September.

‘Last year’s final was a fantastic occasion with the old campaigners Reyes and Bustamante completing a fairy tale week as they held off Germany in arguably the most exciting pool final of recent times.

‘Those two are back and Bustamante’s recent World Championship triumph would indicate that they still have all the ammunition at their disposal to make it a third World Cup triumph.

‘That said, half the teams in this competition are capable of winning it and I’m delighted that I will be in Manila to watch the final weekend’s play,’ he added.

2010 PartyPoker.net World Cup of Pool – Teams & Players

Australia James Delahunty / Ricky Emery

Austria Mario He / Jasmin Ouschan

Belgium Serge Das / Noel Bruynooghe

Canada John Morra / Jason Klatt

China Fu Jianbo / Li Hewen

Croatia Carlo Dalmatin / Philipp Stojanovic

England Daryl Peach / Karl Boyes

Finland Mika Immonen / Markus Juva

France Stephan Cohen / Francois Cottance

Germany Ralf Souquet / Oliver Ortmann

Holland Niels Feijen / Nick Van Den Berg

Hong Kong Lee Chenman / Kenny Kwok

India Raj Hundal / Dharminder Singh Lilly

Indonesia TBC

Italy Fabio Petroni / Bruno Muratore

Japan Naoyuki Oi / Toru Kuribayashi

Korea Yu Ram Cha / Ga Young Kim

Malaysia Ibrahim Bin Amir / Lee Poh Soon

Malta Tony Drago / Alex Borg

Philippines 1 Efren Reyes / Francisco Bustamante

Philippines 2 Roberto Gomez / Dennis Orcollo

Poland Radoslaw Babica / Mariusz Skoneczny

Qatar Mohammad Al Bin Ali / Bashar Hussain

Russia Konstantin Stepanov / Ruslan Chinakhov

Singapore Chan Keng Kwang / Toh Lian Han

Slovenia Matjaz Erculj / Matej Sulek

Spain David Alcaide / Francisco Sanchez Ruiz

Sweden Marcus Chamat / Thomas Mehtala

Taiwan Ko Pin –Yi / Chang Jung-Lin

Thailand Nitiwat Kanjanasri / Surathep Phoochalam

USA Rodney Morris / Johnny Archer

Vietnam Luong Chi Dung / Do Hoang Quan

Luke Riches, Matchroom Sport: luke.riches@matchroom.com

Notes: Matchroom Sport are one of the world’s leading producers of televised sport and are responsible for over 1,100 hours of original programming across a range of sports. Based in the UK and chaired by charismatic founder Barry Hearn, the World Cup of Pool is one of a stable of pool events that include the Mosconi Cup and the World Pool Masters.

The 2010 World Cup of Pool is sponsored by PartyPoker.net, the world’s leading online poker room. Tables are supplied by Brunswick Billiards, cloth by Iwan Simonis, Super Aramith balls by Saluc and the Official Cue is Predator.

Defending Champs Efren and Django Lead the Way

The Partypoker.net World Cup of Pool will once again take place in Manila following last year’s hugely successful event in the Philippines. Taking place from Tuesday to Sunday 7th to 12th September, the event will feature 32 two-player teams shooting for a $250,000 prize fund.

Leading the way will be defending champions Efren Reyes and Francisco Bustamante, whose heroics last year lifted the nation as they beat Germany 11-9 in one of the most exciting finals in pool history.

That was the second time in the tournament’s four year run that the Filipino veterans have lifted the coveted trophy and with the host nation having the honor of fielding two teams in the event, they will be joined by recent World Pool Masters Champion Dennis Orcollo and Roberto ‘Superman’ Gomez as Team ‘B’.

Other stars of the pool world scheduled to take part include World Champions Ralf Souquet and Oliver Ortmann (Germany), Daryl Peach and Karl Boyes of England, Johnny Archer (USA) and Finland’s Mika Immonen.

Other top draws appearing in Manila are Marcus Chamat (Sweden), Niels Feijen of Holland, Malta’s Tony Drago and a host of big names to be announced.

The entire event will be broadcast by Solar Sports live across the Philippines with the live feed of the tournament available internationally. In addition Matchroom Sport will be producing a 31 x one hour highlights package of the event.

Commented Matchroom Sport Chairman Barry Hearn, “We are delighted to be returning to the Philippines after having enjoyed last year one of the greatest pool tournaments we have ever promoted.

“Solar Sports did a fantastic job bringing all the drama and excitement of the tournament to the screen and the large, enthusiastic crowds created an atmosphere unlike any I have ever seen at a pool tournament.

The Partypoker.net World Cup of Pool will once again take place in Manila following last year’s hugely successful event in the Philippines.

Nations Represented

Europe (15)

Austria, Croatia, England, Finland, France, Germany, Holland, Italy, Malta, Poland,

Russia, Spain, Sweden, Qualifier 1, Qualifier 2

Asia (13)

China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Philippines 1, Philippines 2,

Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam.

Rest of the World (4)

Australia, Canada, Qatar, USA

Jerry Forsyth

WPA Press Officer

The World 8-Ball Championships final was a run-out fest between Niels Feijen and Karl Boyes. The First rack had a bit of back and forth action and was taken by Boyes. Then he broke and ran three consecutive racks to lead 4-0. When he came up dry on his next break Feijen ran the table and then broke and ran the next rack. 4-2. Then Feijen suffered a dry break and Boyes cleared that table and broke and ran the next. Another dry break brought Feijen back to the table to clean up. With the score at 6-3 Feijen broke but the table came up tough. He missed his second shot at the table and Boyes returned the favor by missing his second shot attempt as well. Again Feijen came to the table and again his second shot failed. The table simply was not being at all generous with opportunities. Boyes studied the table for a while and jacked up for a nifty little nip shot into the corner that gave him the chance to clear the table. When he succeeded the score became 7-3 in our race to 13 and Feijen was in trouble deep.

Two more break and runs for Boyes brought his lead to 9-3 before he had another dry break and Feijen did a marvelous job of breaking out two trouble balls in order to get himself the point and bring the score to 9-4. Feijen then broke and the balls again came apart poorly. It was a struggle to get through the rack and Feijen scratched on his fourth ball, giving ball in hand to Boyes. Boyes had no problem clearing the table to gain a 10-4 advantage. Another break and run brought Boyes to 11-4 but then his next break came dry and Feijen needed to get some momentum going. Feijen managed to clear that table and then put together some break and runs of his own. A great little nip shot on the final ball in game number 18 brought him hope as the score narrowed to 11-7. Feijen followed with two more break and runs to bring the score to 11-9 but then broke dry.

With his recent World 8-Ball title, Boyes joins Appleton and Peach as the latest world champion to be crowned from the UK.

Boyes took that table but then broke dry himself. Feijen ran the table out. Then Feijen jumped the table on his break shot and Boyes had ball in hand to win the Championship. On his fifth shot he was off just enough so that the draw shot wound up with him snookered behind the two ball. He missed his attempt at a good hit and with the ball in hand Feijen ran out to take the score line to 12-11. Feijen mad a ball o the break but the table was anything but easy. He studied his way from ball to ball and wound up with a tough cut on the 14. He took a lot of time to get comfortable with the shot and nailed it. He made the next shot but left himself a tough cut on the 11 to finish off his set of balls. He made it but came up just short of position. Another tough cut. But he dropped the 8 ball and we had a double-hill final with Feijen breaking.

View the UAE WPA World 8-Ball Championships Group Brackets

View the UAE WPA World 8-Ball Championships Single Elimination Brackets

Feijen came to the table knowing that his break had failed him several times before. It failed again. He broke dry and Boyes came to an open table. You could see the tension of the moment robbing Boyes arm of its trustiness. He missed position on his first shot and only had one shot to choose from. But he made that and then looked good to clear it up for the win. The final four balls were fairly easy ones and Boyes confidence was coming back quickly. They all dropped and then Boyes began to feel it. He walked back to his chair, shook Feijen’s hand and then gave us a double fist pump to celebrate moment. Karl Boyes, Champion of the World.

Jerry Forsyth

WPA Press Officer

The great eight had their shot at the spotlight in Fujairah and three of them made the most of the early going. 45 minutes into the round Ruslan Chinakhov led Jeff de Luna 5-1, Karl Boyes enjoyed the same lead over Vicenancio Tanio and Darren Appleton had a 4-1 gap over Joven Alba. Neils Feijen and Andreas Roschkowsky were being a bit more dramatic as Feijen led their match 3-2 at that point.

None of our leaders would ever falter. Ruslan Chinakov and Karl Boyes both won their matches by score lines of 10-5, Darren Appleton squeaked past Joven Alba 10-8 and Niels Feijen gradually widened the gap between he and Roschkowsky until he sank the final ten ball at 10-6.

The semi-final rounds saw Ruslan Chinakhov facing Karl Boyes and Darren Appleton squared off aganst Niels Feijen. Early leads would again be the order of the day as Boyes jumped out to a 6-1 lead over Chinakhov and Feijen led 5-1 over Appleton. In a winner-breaks format such as this huge comebacks are possible but first you have to win and gain control of the table. Our leaders were not giving up that control.

The great eight had their shot at the spotlight in Fujairah and three of them made the most of the early going.

For Ruslan Chinakhov it was mostly an evening spent as a spectator. Karl Boyes broke and ran the balls time and again and wound up putting on a completely dominating display of 8-Ball and winning their match 10-2. Boyes would be the first player to make it to finals on Saturday.

View the UAE WPA World 8-Ball Championships Group Brackets

View the UAE WPA World 8-Ball Championships Single Elimination Brackets

Niels Feijen dominated his match as well. Darren Appleton did his best to make a match of it when, at 9-4, Feijen suffered a dry break. Appleton took that rack to draw within 4 games. He then broke and ran the next to pull within three. But the next break left him in difficult position and his first shot failed him, leaving a grand opportunity for Feijen. He took that to the bank and ran the tablet to win the match 10-6 and grab the second chair in the finals.

by InsidePOOL Staff

The Joss Northeast 9-Ball Tour’s Turning Stone Classic XIV kicked off December 17 with a full field of 128 players, all vying for the top prize of $8,000. The $25,000-added event is hosted by Turning Stone Resort and Casino in Verona, NY.

The first round of matches is complete, with the second round well underway. After an 11-7 victory for Team USA at the 2009 PartyPoker.net Mosconi Cup, members from both teams are in contention for the Turning Stone title. All of Team USA is present. Defending champion Oscar “The Big O” Dominguez won his first match against Pete Tascarella Sr. 9-4 and his second against Elio D’Andrea 9-5. , Fellow teammates Johnny Archer and Shane Van Boening ended up facing each other in the second round after winning their first matches over Jamie Mangini 9-1 and TJ LaFlamme 9-2, respectively. Archer, who was recently inducted into the BCA’s Hall of Fame, was the victor in that match 9-5, sending Van Boening to try his luck on the west side.

The Joss Northeast 9-Ball Tour’s Turning Stone Classic XIV kicked off December 17 with a full field of 128 players, all vying for the top prize of $8,000.

View the Turning Stone tournament brackets (will be updated regularly)

From Team Europe, Mika Immonen, Thorsten Hohmann, and Ralf Souquet all managed to make it to the event, while teammates Darren Appleton and Niels Feijen did not. Immonen, who struggled with an illness during Mosconi Cup, escaped a hill-hill match with Martin Lalonde 9-8 but was sent west by teammate Hohmann in the second round 9-3. In his first round, Hohmann bested Benoit Michaud 9-4. Souquet won his first match against Frank Sorriento 9-2 and next faces Shane Winters.

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

by Sally P. Timko

Team USA, which went into the 2009 PartyPoker.net Mosconi Cup 2-1 underdogs, came out of Friday’s matches with a daunting 7-2 lead, winning three of the four matches played today. Team Europe will really have to hustle Saturday if they can be considered in contention for the prestigious Cup.

The first match featured the American powerhouse team of Johnny Archer and Shane Van Boening against Niels Feijen and Ralf Souquet. Europe drew first blood after capitalizing on a weak safety by Van Boening, but the US drew even after the next and then took a one-rack lead with a break and run-out. With Europe struggling with the break shot, they came up empty on the next and the U.S. team cleared for a lead of 3-1.

Archer crushed his next break, sinking three balls, and the USA moved another game closer. After Feijen tried to return a safety on the 2 ball but left an open shot in the following game, the U.S. ran out to reach the hill. A ray of hope appeared when Archer hung the 4 ball in the next game, and Europe put another rack under their belt, but after Feijen fouled on the 2 ball in the final game, Team USA cleared to take the first set of the day 6-2.

“We’re here to play, and we’re here to win,” Van Boening averred afterward. Archer added, “We’re all a team, we’re all enjoying ourselves … there’s no selfishness out here.”

Germany’s Thorsten Hohmann was matched up with Corey “The Prince of Pool” Deuel in the second set, and it was a knock-down, drag-out fight, with Europe desperately trying to stay in the race. Deuel took the first rack, but his ineffective breaks throughout the match cost Team USA, as Hohmann took the second rack after an illegal Deuel break and then won the next rack with a superb kick shot on the 6. Deuel came up empty on his following break, but Hohmann rattled the 1, and Deuel cleared to draw even at 2-all. A break and run-out by the former world 9-ball champion put Europe in the lead again, but Deuel reclaimed parity in the next after a safety battle over the 2 ball.

Yet another break and run by Hohmann gave Europe the edge again, and when Deuel scratched on his next break, it looked as though Europe was going to reach the hill, but Hohmann lost a safety exchange over the 3 ball, and Deuel took the rack to make it 4-all. Deuel scratched on the 2 ball in the next, and Hohmann cleared the table to reach the hill, and in the next and last rack, Deuel came up dry again on the break, and Hohmann carefully picked his way through the rack to put Team Europe on the board for the first time Friday with his 6-4 victory.

It was the next doubles match that pushed Team USA past the halfway point in the race to 11. The pairing of rookies Oscar Dominguez and Dennis Hatch easily handled newbie Darren Appleton and Mika Immonen at the beginning of the match. The U.S. broke and ran the first rack and then capitalized on a rattled 1 ball by Appleton to go up 2-0. Appleton redeemed himself in the next with a kick shot on the 5 ball to put Europe on the board, but when he came up empty on his next break, Team USA ran out to lead 3-1. Appleton missed position in the next rack and hooked Immonen, who was foxed and handed another rack to the U.S.

View the Mosconi Cup 2009 image gallery

Team USA, which went into the 2009 PartyPoker.net Mosconi Cup 2-1 underdogs, came out of Friday’s matches with a daunting 7-2 lead, winning three of the four matches played today.

Pointing at Team Europe’s captain, Alex Lely, Hatch screamed, “One plus one! One plus one!” He explained in the interview following that when Hatch had an illegal break earlier in the match, Lely twitted him by shouting, “One plus one,” referring to the amount of balls that had passed the headstring. This, Hatch said, was “rude.”

But it was a visibly emotional Hatch who said, when asked about his experiences so far at the event, “It means more to me than anything in the world. The pressure is unbelievable—the emotions, the tears—I gotta hold them back.”

“I wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world—it’s pretty cool,” Dominguez added. When asked about the 2-1 odds with which Team Europe went into the Mosconi Cup, he astutely pointed out, “It’s on paper. When it comes down to it, we’re playing on a pool table, not on paper.”

The fifth match of the day was canceled, so Johnny Archer versus Darren Appleton was the last showdown Friday. Things went Appleton’s way in the first two racks, as small errors by Archer put him up 2-0. A more glaring mistake was when Archer opted for a dicey 8-9 carom in the next instead of playing the safe—he missed, and Appleton pocketed the two balls to reach a 3-0 lead. Archer pocketed four balls on his next break and played safe on the 5 ball. Appleton kicked at and hit the 5 but left an open shot, and Archer got on the board. A break and run moved Team Europe closer, and Appleton reached the hill after Archer fouled on the 3 ball, making it 5-1.

A short bank on the 4 ball by Archer gave him the next rack, and then a break and run by Archer put him only two racks away from Appleton 5-3. When Appleton scratched on his next break, Archer cleared the table, drawing within a game. It became a hill-hill affair when Appleton scratched on the 3 ball in the next game, and Archer dished up to make it 5-all. Appleton broke illegally in the final game, passing control of the table to Archer. “The Scorpion” ducked on the 2 ball, and Appleton unwisely opted to shoot it instead of playing safe, leaving it hanging in the corner pocket. Archer speared it and cleanly picked his way through the rest of the rack, winning 6-5 and moving Team USA up to a massive 7-2 lead going into Saturday’s matches.

“It was tough to breath out there. Mosconi Cup puts a lot of heat on you, and the crowd really pulled me through,” said Archer of his incredible comeback. “Darren’s such a great player and a great guy, he’ll come back from that.”

Team USA only needs 4 points in the race to 11 to claim the Cup, while Team Europe needs 9. Visit InsidePOOL for the latest news in the sport of billiards and pool.

After three hard days of play the final field of 64 has now been determined. Thirty-two of these players are thus far undefeated and will be seeded into the final brackets according to their performance up to this point. The other 32 players are subjected to a blind draw to determine whom they will face in the matches tomorrow.

There will be many exciting matches on Saturday. Filipino hotshot Jericho Banares will play Thorsten Hohmann on the first TV match of the day. Other TV matches will feature Lee Van Corteza against Konsatantin Stepanov and Oscar Dominguez will do battle with Dennis Orcullo.

The outside tables will find, among others, Corey Deuel squared off with Antonio Lining, Niels Feijen facing Mika Immonen in a match between two giants of the game who know one another well, Imran Majid versus Ronnie Alcano, Ralf Souquet against Ignacio Chavez, Marcus Chamat will play Kuo Po-Cheng and David Alcaide will have to fade Antonio Gabica.

Dominguez will square off against Dennis Orcollo in the next round.

View the WPA World 10-Ball Championships tournament brackets

We are now down to the single-elimination stages so every match is do or die. Fans will be watching to see which players are able to remain in their pace and which will succumb to the nerves of the moment. Pick your favorites now. In three short days we will have a new Champion of the World!

Johnny Archer, the 40 year-old veteran of 12 Mosconi Cups, gets his chance to help overturn a four year winless spell for America as he becomes the first player named for Team USA ahead of December’s PartyPoker.net Mosconi Cup at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

The Georgia-based Archer’s inclusion was announced by Matchroom Sport Chairman Barry Hearn via a DVD played out at the Marriott Hotel, Chesapeake, Virginia where Archer was inducted into the BCA Hall of Fame on Thursday night (22nd October).

With eight Mosconi victories under his belt and a 29 wins from 58 match record, Archer will need every ounce of his experience if his side are to derail a rampaging European side that has already named Ralf Souquet, Niels Feijen and Darren Appleton.

Commented Matchroom Sport’s Barry Hearn, “Johnny may or may not make the top two of the rankings, but he is a natural pick if the USA are about to get back to winning ways at the Mosconi Cup.

Archer gets his chance to help overturn a four year winless spell for America as he becomes the first player named for Team USA ahead of December’s PartyPoker.net Mosconi Cup at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

“In among the young guns you need a steadying hand with bags of experience and Johnny is just that. He also knows how to win this event and if he can help galvanise his team, then I believe that for all the European talent, the Americans have got a very realistic chance of winning the Mosconi Cup outright for the first time since 2005”

The 2009 PartyPoker.net Mosconi Cup takes place from Thursday to Sunday 10-13 December at the MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas.

Live in its entirety on Sky Sports in the UK, the event features two five-man teams representing Europe and the USA doing battle in a series of singles and doubles matches. Now in its 16th year, the Americans hold a 10-4 lead with one tied match in 2006.

With the US Open set to conclude this Saturday 24th October, the next three American players will be named early next week. They will be the #1 & 2 players atop the BCA Points List as well as one wild card pick. The remaining spot will go to the player who amasses the most votes in a public poll set to take place on the pages of www.matchroompool.com