by InsidePOOL Staff

Samm “Cherry Bomb” Diep came back from a late loss to earn top honors at the Arizona Women’s Billiard Tour’s July 24-25 event, besting Susan Williams in the final match. The tour’s third stop of 2010 was hosted by Pockets in Tucson, AZ, and featured a $300-added prize purse.

Diep came back from a late loss to earn top honors at the Arizona Women’s Billiard Tour’s July 24-25 event, besting Susan Williams in the final match.

The west side saw Diep recover from her loss and eliminate Sunny Griffin, as Wagner ousted Ashea Erdahl. Diep and Wagner then went on to the quarterfinal match to face off, and Diep eked out a hill-hill win, sending Wagner home in fourth place. A rematch saw Diep go up against Lawless for the second time during the event, but this time Diep came out on top and advanced to the finals.

In the single race to 9, the players traded racks until the score was 5-3 in Williams’ favor. Then Diep went on a tear, winning the next five games in a row to tilt the score in her favor 8-5. After a few exchanges and some safety play, Diep came out on top to win the match 9-5.

Results:
1st Samm Diep $200
2nd Susan Williams $140
3rd Kathleen Lawless $90
4th Rebecca Wagner $60
5th Sunny Griffin $30
Ashea Erdahl
7th Jeri Engh $25
Sara Miller

by Jose Burgos

Manny Chau took down the Second Annual New Jersey State 8-Ball Championships, winning the lion’s share of the $2,000-added prize purse and defeating Josh Brothers in the final match. The event was hosted by Atlantic City Billiard Club in Egg Harbor, NJ, July 17-18, and a field of 33 players participated.

Chau made his way through the top half of the bracket with victories over Ed Robson 7-0, Kevin Guimond 7-5, and Brent Boemmels 7-0. In the winners’ side final four, he met Brothers for the first time in the event and sent him west 7-5. “Forty” worked his way through the bottom half of the bracket and notched wins over Chris Ruggerio 7-4, Bruce Nagle 7-5, Rob Metz 7-3, and Jose Cruz 7-4.

“Forty” and Chau met in the hot seat match, which saw Chau pull away late to win the match 7-5, sending “Forty” to the one-loss side. Brothers, meanwhile, was making his move, eliminating players such as Joey Testa 5-3 and Matt Krah 5-2. In the semifinals Brothers ousted “Forty” at third place 5-3 to earn a rematch with Chau. In the double-elimination finals, Brothers would have had to defeat Chau twice to claim the title. He gave it his best shot, but with the score knotted at 5 apiece, Chau surged ahead to win the final two games and the championship.

Manny Chau (pictured left) took down the Second Annual New Jersey State 8-Ball Championships, winning the lion’s share of the $2,000-added prize purse and defeating Josh Brothers (pictured right) in the final match.

by InsidePOOL Staff

Shane Van Boening went undefeated through the 64-player field at the Seminole Pro Tour / Gem City Open to take first place, defeating Charlie Williams in the final set for the title. The event was held at the Marietta Billiard Club in Marietta, GA, July 10-12, and boasted an $11, 500-added prize purse.

After his unchallenged run through the winners’ bracket, including strong victories over James Roberts 9-1, Donny Mills 9-2, and Williams 9-2, Van Boening went up against Maine’s Mike Dechaine in the hot seat match. Dechaine had vanquished tough opponents such as Johnny Archer 9-6 and Adam Smith 9-8 before reaching the hot seat match. However, Van Boening handled Dechaine easily, sending him to the one-loss side 9-4 to await his finals opponent.

Van Boening went undefeated through the 64-player field at the Seminole Pro Tour / Gem City Open to take first place, defeating Charlie Williams in the final set for the title.

Williams was fighting through the west side after his defeat by Van Boening, sending Shaun “Get Some” Wilkie home in fifth with a 9-5 defeat and going on to face Smith in the quarterfinals. Smith had just ousted Corey Deuel 9-4. An epic hill-hill battle saw Williams move on to the semifinals, where Dechaine awaited him. Another double-hill bout ensued, and again it was Williams who moved on, moving back to the right side of the chart to try to revenge his loss to Van Boening.

View the Gem City tournament brackets (updated frequently)

However, in the final match Williams was outmatched in his opponent. Van Boening took an early 4-1 lead and, with his massive break, managed to outplay Williams at every opportunity. It wasn’t too long before Van Boening won his first Seminole Pro Tour title of the season 11-3.

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by InsidePOOL Staff

The Billiard Congress of Wisconsin’s State Championships wrapped up June 26, crowning numerous victors in their respective divisions. The event was hosted by Ho Chunk Gaming Wisconsin Dells in Baraboo, WI.

The $2,500-added amateur 9-ball championships attracted 37 players, with Varun Raheja taking first place. In the winners’ side final four, Tyler Styer defeated Raheja 6-4 and went on to the hot seat match to face John Barton, who had just bested Jason Jick 7-6. Styer triumphed in the hot seat match 6-5, and Barton was sent west. In the semifinals he faced off against Raheja, who eked by with a 6-5 win to earn a rematch with Styer. In the double-elimination final match, Raheja double-dipped Styer, winning the sets 6-4 and 6-5 to earn $1,600 for first place.

The open 9-ball division saw 36 players vying for their shares of the $4,000-added prize purse, and it was Jeff Carter who took home $2,300 for first place. Like Raheja in the amateur division, Carter was defeated in the winners’ side final four and came back to double-dip his finals opponent. Carter was sent west by Jesse Engal 7-3, while Gene Albrecht defeated Tony Hilla 7-3. In the hot seat match, Albrecht came out the winner 7-3. After Carter eliminated Hilla in fourth place 7-5, he went on to the semifinal match against Engal, whom he ousted 7-5. In the finals against Albrecht, Carter won both sets with double-hill margins 7-6.

There were 108 players in the $1,500-added singles 8-ball barbox championship event, with Jack Wu taking first place. Wu went undefeated through the event, defeating Jeff Potts in the winners’ side final four 5-4 to reach the hot seat match against Matt Berg, who had just bested Shane Minihan 5-4. Another hill-hill match saw Wu take the king seat 5-4. Ryan Behnke took on Potts in the quarterfinal match and eliminated him 5-4, and he kept his momentum going by ousting Berg 5-4 in the semifinals. But he was stopped in the finals by Wu, who won the single-set finals 5-3.

The open one-pocket division boasted a $2,500-added purse and drew 23 players, with Beau Runningen taking the undefeated route to the winner’s circle. Runningen bested Jeff Carter 3-2 to reach the hot seat match against Ike Runnels, who had just whitewashed Tony Hilla 3-0. In the king seat match, Runningen eked out a 3-2 victory, while Runnels went west. Sylver Ochoa was working his way through the one-loss side and met up with Mike Perron Jr. in the quarterfinals, eliminating him 3-1. Ochoa also defeated Runnels 3-2 to reach the final match against Runningen. It was a close battle, but Runningen slid by with a 3-2 victory.

The Billiard Congress of Wisconsin’s State Championships wrapped up June 26, crowning numerous victors in their respective divisions.

9-Ball Open Results:
1st Jeff Carter $2,300
2nd Gene Albrecht $1,275
3rd Jesse Engal $875
4th Tony Hilla $575
5th Manuel Chau $300
Ramesha Gokhul
7th Sylver Ochoa $150
Billy Lasee
9th Beau Runningen $75
Jason Barnhall
Jon Giles
Randy Lamar

8-Ball Barbox Results:
1st Jack Wu $1,251
2nd Ryan Behnke $625
3rd Matt Berg $417
4th Jeff Potts $295
5th Ray Skinadore $208
Shane Minihan
7th Chad Cunningham $125
Chad Behnke
9th Jared Anderson $90
David Wilbelhouse
Reggie Runnels
John Pfeffer

One-Pocket Results:
1st Beau Runningen $1,296
2nd Sylver Ochoa $720
3rd Ike Runnels $504
4th Mike Perron Jr. $360
5th Jeff Carter $216
Tony Hilla
7th Billy Lasee $144
Bill Fowler

by InsidePOOL Staff

Neslihan Gurel took home the lion’s share of the $1,500-added prize purse at the Tri-State Tour’s June 12-13 stop, besting Basdeo Sookhai in the final match for the title. The event attracted 40 players to Master Billiards in New York City, NY.

Gurel went the undefeated route through to the finals, defeating Alan Chan in the winners’ side final four 6-2. Meeting her in the hot seat match was Sookhai, who had just sent Dave Shlemperis to the one-loss side of the chart 7-5. The hot seat match was a hill-hill nail-biter that saw Gurel advance while Sookhai went west.

Once on the left side of the chart, Shlemperis met up with Scott Simonetti, who won the previous tour stop. Simonetti sent Shlemperis home in fifth place with a 7-5 win, while tying with him was Ramilo Tanglao, who was defeated by Chan 6-5. Chan triumphed over Simonetti in the quarterfinal match 9-4 but was himself eliminated at third place by Sookhai, who won the semifinals 7-5. In the finals between Gurel and Sookhai, it was Sookhai who took an early lead, but soon the players were tied at 5-all. Sookhai missed the 9 ball to reach the hill, and Gurel pocketed that 9 ball and won the next rack to take the title.

Neslihan Gurel took home the lion’s share of the $1,500-added prize purse at the Tri-State Tour’s June 12-13 stop, besting Basdeo Sookhai in the final match for the title.

by InsidePOOL Staff

Fresh off their first stop on the West Coast two weeks ago, the Seminole Pro Tour is back in Florida this weekend. A total of 49 players are vying for their share of the $7,000-added prize purse, and Capone’s Billiards in Spring Hill, FL, is the host location.

The field has already winnowed down to the final eight on the winners’ side of the chart, led by Johnny Archer, Stevie Moore, and Donny Mills. Archer is highly focused and has already defeated Jimmy Hines 7-1 and Ricky Sanchez 7-0, with his next match against Mike Hutchinson. Mills fought a tough first-round match against Rodney Morris, who won the last stop at Hollywood Billiards in Hollywood, CA, and won 7-5. His second-round match saw him best Julio Aquino 7-5, and next he will play Moore, who has dealt losses to Hunter Lombardo 7-3 and Kelly Lake 7-1.

A total of 49 players are vying for their share of the $7,000-added prize purse, and Capone’s Billiards in Spring Hill, FL, is the host location.

On the bottom half of the winners’ bracket, “Iron Mike” Davis looks to take charge. He defeated Paul Song in a hill-hill first-round battle and then went on to send to the west side Erick Poveda 7-1 and Anthony Meglino 7-4. His next match will be against Robb Saez, who has faced a tough lineup already. In the first round he whitewashed Bob McCulley 7-0, and then he went hill-hill with Tommy Kennedy and won, finishing with a 7-3 victory over Corey Deuel.

View the Capone’s Seminole Tour brackets (updated continuously)

Justin Hall had a bye in the first round and then defeated James Adams 7-4 and Mike Delawder 7-5 to face Shawn “Big Bubba” Putnam in his next match. Putnam has won over Bobby Livrago 7-4, Sam Staats 7-1, and Tony Crosby 7-6.

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

by InsidePOOL Staff

The First Annual Hard Times Mezz 10-Ball Open kicked off today at Hard Times Billiards in Bellflower, CA. The $5,000-added prize purse attracted a 76-player field, with the winner guaranteed $4,000.

Many in the international field stopped in Los Angeles to warm up for the World Pool Masters, which begins next week in Las Vegas, NV. Already some top names are faced with a long, uphill climb through the one-loss side. Player of the Year Mika “Iceman” Immonen was delivered west after a 9-1 trouncing by Efren “Bata” Reyes, while fellow Filipino Lee Van Corteza cooled house player Ismael “Morro” Paez by the same score.

The winners’ bracket is already down to 16 players, and elimination rounds have started on the left side. Most of the players had a first-round bye, but several found themselves facing an opponent early in the day. Former world 9-ball champ Thorsten Hohmann went up against Tina Pawloski and sent her to the one-loss side, where she rebounded with a victory over Lee Harvey. One featured first-round match-up saw Rodney Morris and Marcus Chamat go head to head, with the Swede heading to the left side. Chamat won two matches on the left side and is still alive going into Saturday. Morris’ next challenge will be from the legendary Reyes.

The First Annual Hard Times Mezz 10-Ball Open kicked off today at Hard Times Billiards in Bellflower, CA. The $5,000-added prize purse attracted a 76-player field, with the winner guaranteed $4,000.

View the Inaugural Hard Times Mezz Open tournament brackets (updated continuously throughout event)

Steve Moore of Atlanta, GA, will play Corteza Saturday, as he won two tough matches—the first over San Diego’s Victor Castro and the second over Marc “Spain” Vidal. Manny Chau defeated Kevin May and Hunter Lombardo but will have a fight on his hands in his next round as he faces 2007 world 9-ball runner-up Roberto Gomez.

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

by InsidePOOL Staff

Scott Simonetti surged through the Tri-State Tour’s April 4 event unchallenged to take top honors over Wilfredo Albay in the final match. The tournament was hosted by Castle Billiards in East Rutherford, NJ, where 47 players came out to vie for a piece of the $500-added prize purse.

In the final four on the winners’ side, Simonetti clashed with Carl Sallo and bested him with a strong 7-2 score to advance to the hot seat match. Meeting him there was Tony Eglesias, who had just defeated Albay in a hill-hill match. Simonetti handled Eglesias easily, sending him to the one-loss side with another 7-2 win.

From the west side Albay made a recovery, eliminating Gary Murgia 7-5 in fifth place. Brian Hunter tied with Murgia after being ousted by Sallo in a double-hill battle. In the quarterfinals, it was Albay sending Sallo home in fourth place 7-1 to keep his streak going.

Scott Simonetti surged through the Tri-State Tour’s April 4 event unchallenged to take top honors over Wilfredo Albay in the final match.

The semifinal match was a close one, but Albay managed to squeak past Eglesias 7-6 to advance to the finals against Simonetti. There his run was ended, as Simonetti had waited five hours to play and was fired up. The hill-hill match saw Simonetti end up in the winner’s circle with a 7-6 victory over Albay.

Results:
1st Scott Simonetti $800
2nd Wilfredo Albay $475
3rd Tony Eglesias $325
4th Carl Sallo $200
5th Brian Hunter $85
Gary Murgia
7th Rick Shellhouse $75
Sam Li
9th Richard Ng $65
Chuck Giallorenzo
Yomalin Feliz
Scott Abramowitz

by Jose Burgos

Dominic Noe earned top honors at the March 28 installment of the Mezz Pro-Am Tour. A field of 41 players, including Josh Brothers, Joey Testa, Eddie Abraham, and Matt Krah, came out to Rileys Concord Billiards in Boothwyn, PA, to vie for the $1,000-added prize purse.

Noe cut a swath through the top half of the bracket, defeating Bruce Nagle 7-4, William McWilliams 7-4, Testa 7-4, and Brandon Slualis 7-6. Leading the bottom half of the bracket was Bob Burt with wins over Shawn Mankovich 7-1, Abdellatif Chamseddine 7-5, Todd March 7-3 and Marty Ciccia 7-5.

Noe and Burt collided in the hot seat match, and Noe recovered from a 4-1 deficit to win the match 7-4, sending Burt to the one-loss side. Brothers, having suffered an early loss to Slualis 7-5, went on a tear, defeating Adam Kielar 7-3, Testa 7-5, Ciccia 7-6, Slualis 7-2, and Burt 7-0 to reach the finals. Brothers and Noe decided to be co-champions of the event.

A field of 41 players, including Josh Brothers, Joey Testa, Eddie Abraham, and Matt Krah, came out to Rileys Concord Billiards in Boothwyn, PA, to vie for the $1,000-added prize purse.

by Lea Andrews

Dennis “The Hatchet Man” Hatch, who went undefeated at the March 13-14 Joss Northeast 9-Ball Tour stop, made a repeat performance at the March 27-28 stop. The $1,500-added event, which featured a total prize purse of $3,660, drew 27 competitors to Salt City Billiards in Syracuse, NY.

Hatch took care of Ron Casanzio 9-6 to reach the hot seat match against Robb Saez, who’d squeaked past Dave Grau 9-8. Another 9-6 victory gave the hot seat to Hatch and sent Saez to the west side.

On that side of the bracket, recent winner Chris Orme, who’d taken a third-round 9-7 hit from Grau, went on to oust Nick Brucato 9-2 and Mike Renshaw 9-3 before coming up on Casanzio. Meanwhile, Lyn Wechsler, Hatch’s first-round 9-5 victim, was edging out tour director Mike Zuglan 9-8 and Grau 9-8 to match up with Orme in the quarterfinals. Wechsler’s chance for a rematch with Hatch in the finals ended there, though, and he landed in fourth 9-5. Orme advanced to the semifinals against Saez, who dropped him into third 9-7 to earn another go at Hatch.

In the true double-elimination final match, Hatch jumped out to a 3-0 lead, and though Saez managed to get within two at 5-3, Hatch pulled back ahead, earning his sixth tour win this season 9-5.

Hatch, who went undefeated at the March 13-14 Joss Northeast 9-Ball Tour stop, made a repeat performance at the March 27-28 stop.

Results:
1st Dennis Hatch $1,100
2nd Robb Saez $800
3rd Chris Orme $600
4th Lyn Wechsler $400
5th Dave Grau $250
Ron Casanzio
7th Mike Zuglan $130
Mike Renshaw