by InsidePOOL Staff

All but 4 of the 72 players who entered the Diamond Open 10-Ball Professional Players Championship have been eliminated. Sunday morning will see Ralf Souquet versus Robb Saez in the hot seat match, while Dennis Hatch battles Shane Van Boening in the quarterfinals. The $25,000-added event is one of the prime draws at the 19th Annual Super Billiards Expo.

The $25,000-added event is one of the prime draws at the 19th Annual Super Billiards Expo.

On the winners’ side in the afternoon round, Alex Pagulayan and defending champion Van Boening matched up to see who would advance to the final four on that side. Van Boening took a commanding 5-0 lead at the beginning but let “The Lion” come roaring back into the match to tie it at 5-all. Van Boening countered by taking the next three racks, but Pagulayan wouldn’t give up and fought to make it 9-8. However, a wide-open table in the final game gave Van Boening the opportunity he needed to win the match 10-8.

Also in that round, Saez bested Jason Klatt, Johnny Archer defeated Gabe Owen, and Souquet won over Stevie Moore. Van Boening ran into trouble in the next round against Saez, who edged him out 10-9 to advance to the hot seat match against Souquet, who had just defeated Archer 10-5.

View the Super Billiards Expo image gallery

The west side saw the end of all but two players by the end of the evening. Hatch, who suffered his first loss to Souquet, went through John Morra, Tony Robles, Jason Klatt, and Pagulayan to reach Archer. “The Hatchetman” took a commanding 7-1 lead before the seemingly weary Archer began chipping away and brought the score to 7-5. Hatch broke and ran out the next rack to inch closer to the goal, and though Archer had a chance in the following game, he hung the 7 ball in the corner pocket, and Hatch cleared the table to reach the hill. A last break and run-out for Hatch advanced him to the quarterfinals 10-5.

View the Super Billiards Expo tournament brackets

Hatch’s opponent will be Van Boening, who capped his evening off with a strong victory over Darren Appleton. After his loss to Jason Klatt, the 2010 Player of the Year buzzed through Thorsten Hohmann, Shawn Putnam, Stevie Moore, and Gabe Owen to reach Van Boening. Though Van Boening held the lead at the beginning of the match 7-4, Appleton fought his way back and drew within a game at 8-7. Van Boening took the hill but Appleton followed that up with a win to make it 9-8. A safety battle in the final rack ended with Appleton fouling, and Van Boening was left with ball in hand and an open table, which he ran out for the 10-8 win.

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There have been a lot of rumors as to why Earl Strickland was disqualified from the Diamond Open 10-Ball Professional Players Championship, so InsidePOOL went to tournament director Frank Del Pizzo and asked for his side of the story.

“There were three separate incidents with Earl,” Del Pizzo began. “He played the match with Jose Parica and he was being loud and sharking other players on other tables, so I had to ask him to stop yelling to the crowd … He’s playing Jose Parica, who’s a gentleman in there. So I asked him to stop talking to the crowd—we’re not allowing it, it’s something we went over in the players’ meeting … I said to him to stop, and he gets up and he says, ‘You’re a fool. You’re a fool. You have no idea what you’re doing.’ I said, ‘You’re warned.’ And then I told him, ‘Don’t ruin your day, Earl. You’re warned.’

Frank Del Pizzo is in the center of controversy after expelling Strickland from the Super Billiards Expo Diamond Professional 10-Ball Championships.

Del Pizzo continued, “And then he got a couple different little things where I had to tell him to calm down, and he made it through the entire set after that … He won, and then playing Alex, he immediately started in on Alex, on the rack. The rack was sideways, so he came over and said, ‘The rack’s sideways.’ So I went over and looked, and it was sideways, so I helped Alex fix it. He racked and then ran out, and then Earl ran out, and then back and forth, and then Alex started to pull away from him and the antics got worse and worse and worse.

“He [Earl] was yelling at the crowd, yelling at Alex, telling Alex not to do certain things, just sharking, constantly sharking. I warned him again, and it got to the point where he was losing at this point now. It was the first shot on the table. It was the one ball, he was going to bank the one so he took the cue and went whack whack whack whack whack on the side pocket like ‘It’s going in here!’ and he was whacking the side of the table.

“I went out and told him [Earl] to stop and that was when he called me a clown,” Del Pizzo recalled. “He said, ‘You’re a clown.’ And I asked him to stop and said, ‘You can either stop or you can go.’ He said, ‘Well, I’ll go then.’ I said, ‘Then go then. You’re all done. Just go.’ And he said, ‘I’ll execute my second option.’ I said, ‘Which is?’ He said, ‘I’ll finish.’ I said, ‘Okay, then keep your mouth shut and finish. There are other players in this poolroom. There are other players in here that are playing. Keep your mouth shut and finish. This is your final warning. That’s it. There will be no other warnings.’

“When it came to his match later in the evening, the matches, because they’re races to ten, they go a little long sometimes. One was about fifteen to twenty minutes late, which is not really bad, if you think about it, considering it went hill-hill. He is standing out [in the hallway] pacing and people wanted to take pictures with him, and I was standing over there by the water, and these people want to take a picture with him. He goes, ‘Why would I want to take a picture with you?’

“These are fans,” Del Pizzo explained. “[Earl says] ‘Why would I want to take a picture with you? What am I, a clown? Am I funny to you? Is that why you want to take a picture?’ He says to the people, ‘Why don’t you take a picture with the tournament director? He’s a fool. Why don’t you take a picture with him?’ So I said, ‘Earl. Don’t come in here like that. Don’t start like that.’

“The table finally cleared off that I could put him on, and I said, ‘Come on Earl.’ He followed me in, and as he’s walking in he’s yelling and talking to the people, and I said, ‘Earl, just knock it off, we’ve got players playing here. Just stop.’ I finally got him down to the table, and he said, ‘Where’s my opponent? He should be here.’ I said, ‘Well, he has fifteen minutes, from the time I call his name, to get here.’

“‘Call him? You gotta call him?’

“‘No, Earl. From the time I call him. You know what, Earl? You’re done. You’re just all done. Winner by default, Hancock. You know what else? Your behavior is unbecoming of a professional. You’re an embarrassment to this tournament and to this business, and you’re done. Winner by default, Hancock. Disqualified. Ladies and Read more ...]]> http://www.cuesandpool.com/billiard-news/billiards-referee-tells-his-side-of-story.html/feed 0 http://www.cuesandpool.com/billiard-news/strickland-expelled-as-super-billiards-field-dwindles.html http://www.cuesandpool.com/billiard-news/strickland-expelled-as-super-billiards-field-dwindles.html#comments Sat, 12 Mar 2011 05:42:36 +0000 Pool and Billiards News http://www.insidepoolmag.com/?p=15377 Strickland Expelled as Super Billiards Field Dwindles
Diamond Open 10-Ball Professional Players Championship / King of Prussia, PA

by InsidePOOL Staff

It was a busy day at the Diamond Open 10-Ball Professional Players Championship at the 19th Annual Super Billiards Expo. The field of 72 has been trimmed down considerably, with one notable exit in Earl Strickland.

The field of 72 has been trimmed down considerably, with one notable exit in Strickland.

Early in the afternoon Strickland was given his final warning by tournament director Frank Del Pizzo. Upon Strickland’s arrival for his one-loss side match with Steve Hancock, he exchanged words with the tournament director and was consequently ejected from the tournament. As this event is a BCA ranking tournament, it is unknown what effect that will have on Strickland’s ranking.

Stevie Moore and Matt Clatterbuck matched up on the one-loss side. Down 8-5, Clatterbuck conceded the 10 ball to Moore in that rack, which resulted in him losing not only that game but the next because of the no concession rule.

On the winners’ side Mike Davis was up 8-5 against Shaun “Get Some” Wilkie and let him back into the match 9-8. Wilkie pocketed a 1-10 combo to make it hill-hill. Davis was running out but got poor shape on the 10 ball. He left a bank, which Wilkie missed but left tough. Davis also missed but left it straight in, and Wilkie pocketed it to take the match 10-9. Davis went on to oust John “Mr. 400” Schmidt in a hill-hill thriller 10-9.

View the Super Billiards Expo tournament brackets

In a featured match on the one-loss side, Corey Deuel and Jose Parica faced each other. “The Leader of the Filipino Invasion” took a 4-1 lead, but Deuel countered to stay in the race at 6-5 Parica. When Parica missed the 2 ball in the next rack, Deuel was left with a 2-10 combo that he pocketed to tie the match at 6 apiece. Deuel took the next couple of racks as well and then was left with another 2-10 combo when Parica pushed after an empty break by Deuel, which he made to reach the hill. The players traded innings in the last rack, but Deuel was able to come out the winner 10-6. In the next round Deuel was eliminated by Jeremy Sossei 10-7.

Saturday’s matches begin in the early morning hours. There are 16 players on the winners’ side and 16 on the one-loss side.

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

by InsidePOOL Staff

The Diamond Open 10-Ball Professional Players Championship kicked off Thursday morning with a field that was expanded to 72 players. Boasting a $25,000-added prize purse with a whopping $20,000 going to first place, this four-day event is one of the biggest draws of the Super Billiards Expo, held at the Valley Forge Convention Center in King of Prussia, PA.

The Diamond Open 10-Ball Professional Players Championship kicked off Thursday morning with a field that was expanded to 72 players.

With the amended 72-player format, 8 players participated in the first round, notably with Alex “The Lion” Pagulayan moving past Matt Krah hill-hill. In the second round Pagulayan delivered Corey Deuel to the one-loss side 10-8 and will face Earl Strickland, who defeated Jose Parica, in the third.

The second round involved all of the players, including 2010 Player of the Year Darren Appleton. He barely had retrieved his cue stick from the airline when he went up against his first competitor, John “Mr. 400” Schmidt. “Daz” was on fire the entire match and kept Schmidt in his seat for most of it, making his 10-0 victory look easy.

Defending champion Shane Van Boening skated past his opponent, Cary Dunn, 10-4. Van Boening’s next match will be against Mike Dechaine, who just took fourth place last week at the Masters 10-Ball Championship.

Former player of the year Mika Immonen was sent to the west side after his match with Matt Clatterbuck ended with Clatterbuck advancing 10-5. Clatterbuck’s next opponent will be Stevie Moore, who defeated Masafumi Mochizuki in the second round.

Tony Robles faced Thorsten Hohmann in the second round and edged past him 10-8. Robles will play Rodney Morris, who bested Dave Grau, in the third round. Grau and Hohmann play on the one-loss side Friday.

Mike Davis, who just took third place at the Masters 10-Ball, bested former amateur player of the year Scott Tollefson and will next play Shaun Wilkie, who was runner-up at this event in 2008.

Dennis Hatch, another former champion of this event, is present and won his first match over Robert Hart. His next match will be against Dee Adkins, who bested Chris Orme.

View the Super Billiards Expo tournament brackets

In the elimination round Deuel ousted Jonathan Smith 10-6 and will play Parica next. Scott Tollefson was eliminated by Matt Krah 10-2, and Schmidt eked out a tight 10-8 win over Robert Krull.

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

KING OF PRUSSIA, PA (February 26, 2011): Allen Hopkins, promoter of the annual Super Billiards Expo, has announced that he will be adding a total of $35,000 to its three professional events at this year’s Super Billiards Expo, to be held March 10-13 at the Valley Forge Convention Center in King of Prussia, PA.

Allen Hopkins, promoter of the annual Super Billiards Expo, has announced that he will be adding a total of $35,000 to its three professional events at this year’s Super Billiards Expo, to be held March 10-13 at the Valley Forge Convention Center in King of Prussia, PA.

The majority—$25,000—will be added to the Diamond Open 10-Ball Professional Players Championship. This 64-player tournament is open to men and women and is a ranking event for the Billiard Congress of America points list. The winner will receive $20,000, as well as a trophy and free entry into the following year’s event.

An additional $5,000 will be added to the prize purse for the WPA World Artistic Pool Championships, which is a much-anticipated event by both the participants and the fans. This event will feature some of the most talented and entertaining international players in artistic pool.

Also, $5,000 will be added to the prize pool of the Professor Q-Ball Promotions Invitational Three-Cushion Champion of Champions event. Sponsored by Gabriels Billiards, Simonis cloth, and Longoni, this event will showcase the top players in the world today.

Participation in the events is the highest it has ever been. Entry fees for juniors are now a thing of the past. The junior players’ age classifications have changed this year to 17 and under or 12 and under. Hopkins has also added an amateur division: Super Seniors. This event is available to all senior players 65 and over.

The Super Billiards Expo will be available in 3D this year. Comcast video will be at the Valley Forge Convention Center filming the World Artistic Pool Championships and other areas of the multi-pronged event.

“This is the first time ever that Comcast is televising pool, and they’re doing it in three-dee,” Hopkins said. “It could be the future of trick shots. They will also be taking film of exhibitors and the other tournaments.”

Hopkins also decided to cut down on the booth space to give players more room to play. “I want to keep it more available for the players.”

The free live stream will be available at Inside POOL Magazine and Inside Pool Streaming Channel at Ustream.

About the Super Billiards Expo:
Celebrating its nineteenth year in 2011, Allen Hopkins’ Super Billiards Expo is the largest consumer-oriented billiards show in existence, bringing together the finest manufacturers, retailers, and custom cue makers in the world. This unique show unites customers, fans, and professional and amateur players annually at the Valley Forge Convention Center in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, and is sponsored by Iwan Simonis Inc., Diamond Billiard Products Inc., Mueller Recreational Products, and Run-Out Sportswear. InsidePOOL Magazine is the official magazine of the Super Billiards Expo.

The Billiard Congress of America, after conducting an email survey of the top male professional players in America, has now added the Players Championship to the roster of BCA ranking events for 2011. The BCA was informed on Monday of this week by promoter Allen Hopkins in a phone call to Jerry Forsyth of the BCA/WPA committee that the event, held annually at the Super Billiards Expo in Valley Forge, PA, would have sufficient added money ($25,000) to qualify as a points event.

The Players Championship, which occurs annually at the Super Billiards Expo, is now a BCA ranking event.

“I told Allen that the BCA requires a six month lead time for an event to be included as a ranking event, but that exceptions could be made if the players were in agreement with the exception. 100% of the players who responded to our email said they wanted this event to be a points event. It only makes sense. They will all be in the area already for the Masters Championship in nearby Chesapeake so by having another event so close the players can save in travel expenses while being offered the opportunity to participate in two prize pools. This is definitely an exception to the rule for ranking events but Allen has a long legacy as a promoter that the players support and he deserves the exception.” said Mr. Forsyth.

The Players Championship will be held March 10-13 at the Valley Forge Convention Center. More information may be found at Super Billiards Expo Official web site.

The Super Billiards Expo is considered to be the biggest and best event in the billiards industry. With amateur events, pro events, league players, vendors, and thousands of attendees the event has become a must-see event for any person or company in the billiards industry. The 2011 Super Billiards Expo will be held March 10-13 at the Valley Forge Convention Center in King of Prussia, PA.

Shane Van Boening Captures Diamond Players Championship
The May/June 2010 online issue of Inside POOL Magazine features Shane Van Boening as he punishes the field at the Super Billiards Expo has been made available for free viewing at InsidePOOLmag.com. This month the download features more banking secrets from new instruction writer Freddy “The Beard” Bentivenga along with tons of great new technology in online billiards magazine viewing such as enhanced clarity, Bonus Content, 40 full-screen full length videos, links to favorite web sites, flipping pages, zooming, emailing, sharing, and printing.

The May/June 2010 issue of Inside POOL Magazine features Van Boening crushes the competition at the Super Billiards Expo.

The May/June 2010 issue of Inside POOL Magazine features Shane Van Boening crushes the competition at the Super Billiards Expo. Get 40 full length, full screen videos from the Super Billiards Expo. Receive coverage of Karl Boyes winning the World 8-Ball Championship. Get pool lessons from top billiards instructors like Tom Simpson, Bob Henning and Freddy Bentivegna. Check out Steve Moore’s Seminole Pro Tour victory at Bank Shot Billiards. Get the latest regional billiard news from around the world and of course, get the latest regional tour news from around the US.

View the May/June 2010 issue of Inside POOL Magazine for Free

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Inside POOL Magazine publishes both print and online versions of each issue. The online version is usually made available for FREE (without a membership) viewing and downloading around the second week of each month. If you would like to receive the print version of this wonderful magazine, please visit InsidePOOLmag.com to subscribe. Purchase a subscription now and you can receive the next issue.

About Inside POOL Magazine
Inside POOL Magazine launched in 2001 and, with pool player-based content and high impact photography, quickly became the largest magazine in the world for the sport of billiards. The official web site, InsidePOOLmag.com, followed shortly after and became one of the largest web sites in billiards. The web site features videos, image galleries, pool lessons, custom Pool Cue makers, online games, player profiles, tournament brackets, live streaming video, rules, product reviews, and the latest billiard news from around the world.