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

Tiger Products, a manufacturer of fine pool and billiard products, announces their sponsorship of WPBA pro pool player Cristina De La Garza. “I am extremely happy that we have teamed up with Cristina to promote the Tiger® brand. She is very professional & classy woman player who will be a great representative for us and for the game of pool. We have lot of new stuff in works and look forward to working with her for the years to come,” said president of Tiger Products, Inc., Tony Kalamdaryan.

DeLaGarza, 2009 National BCA 8-ball Champion, recently took a year off from competition while she was on maternity leave. She has relocated to Zurich, Switzerland with her son and boyfriend, Swiss Champion Marco Tschudi, and will return to competition in 2012 beginning with the Paris Open in January. The pair will plan and promote events in their region of Europe throughout 2012 and 2013 and have teamed up with Tiger Products for sponsorship of these events. Additionally, DeLaGarza will represent Tiger Products at upcoming billiard events in the U.S. and Europe.

DeLaGarza, 2009 National BCA 8-ball Champion, recently took a year off from competition while she was on maternity leave.

“Tiger makes great quality products and I am excited to be working with them. The popularity of their products is growing across the globe so I look forward to helping promote Tiger both in the United States and my new home in Europe, “ said DeLaGarza. Born in Austin, Texas, Cristina turned pro in November 2008. In addition to her career as a player, she is a recognized writer/reporter and presenter and has worked with top promoters in the industry including Matchroom Sports, American Poolplayers Association, Kozoom, Dragon Promotions and InsidePOOL Magazine.

About Tiger Products, Inc.
Tiger Products, Inc. is a recognized name in the industry, proudly manufacturing pool and billiards products made in the USA. Tiger began with laminated cue tips and now offers a variety of products including cues, shafts and multiple accessories. For more information about Tiger Products, Inc. visit www.tigerproducts.com.

The $1,500 Added event is an A/B amateur 9-ball tournament with staggered/discounted entry fees.

Player discounts:
League players: (APA, BCA, TAP) $35 + $10= $45
Seniors: (60 & up) $35 + $10= $45
Juniors: (14 & under) $35 + $10= $45
Military: (active w/ ID) $35 + $10= $45
Ladies: (non-touring pro) $20 + $10= $30

** PLAYERS MUST HAVE A VALID ID TO PLAY IN THE AMATEUR EVENTS!!
A/B Amateur Events-NO PROS ALLOWED!!!!

Player rank will be determined by prior tournament play. For more information, please contact Shannon Daulton – 865-850-4572.

Match Races:
There are 3 ranks of players: AA, A, & B.
AA: race to 10
A: race to 9
B: race to 7

Rules & Details:
-Lag for the break
-Rack your own balls w the 2 ball in the back of the rack
-Alternate the break
-Texas Express rules
-9-ball does not count on the break in the bottom two pockets (NEW RULE)
-7 ft Diamonds

Start time:
Free practice at noon

LIVE Streaming by the GSBT:
You can watch your favorite pool player or family member LIVE every weekend on USTREAM. Please pass this on to your friends and family. You can view any archived videos or LIVE matches at http://www.ustream.tv/channel/greatsouthernbilliardtour

2010 Sponsors:

Title Sponsor: Nick Varner Cues & Cases

http://www.nickvarner.com

Andy Gilbert Custom Cues

Tiger Products

http://www.tigerproducts.com

The GSBT Tournament Trail:

December 11-12, 2010
Greentop Billiards
1948 Stonerose Drive
Rocky Mount, NC
252-454-0152
$1,500 added amateur 9-ball
9 ft Diamonds

December 18-19, 2010
Speakeazy Billiards
1221 D. North Horner Blvd.
Sanford, NC
919-775-1166
$1,500 added amateur 9-ball
9 ft Gold Crowns

To join the Great Southern Billiard Tours mailing list, please send an email to greatsouthernbilliardtour@yahoo.com or visit www.greatsouthernbilliardtour.com

Great Southern Billiard Tour / Murfreesboro, TN

by Lea Andrews

A lot of players took shots at Alex Olinger at the October 23-24 stop of the Great Southern Billiard Tour, but none could take him down. Olinger went undefeated through the 31-player field at the $1,500-added event, which was held at Murfreesboro Billiard Club in Murfreesboro, TN, and sponsored by Nick Varner Cues and Cases, Andy Gilbert Custom Cues, Delta-13, and Tiger Products.

A lot of players took shots at Alex Olinger at the October 23-24 stop of the Great Southern Billiard Tour, but none could take him down.

On the left side of the bracket, one of Olinger’s earlier victims, AA-ranked Josh O’Neil, was trying to wade through the field to get back to him, ousting B-ranked Jamie Crouch 11-5 and AA-ranked Justin Cone along the way. Meanwhile, AA-ranked Ryan Stone, who’d fallen to Hickerson, took care of B-ranked junior player Billy Thorpe 11-3 and A-ranked Rick Powers 11-2 to meet up with Boss. Allowing Boss just one rack, Stone moved on to the quarterfinals against O’Neil, who’d taken care of Hickerson 11-4. But that was as far as O’Neil got on his quest for a rematch with Olinger–managing just five games against Stone, he finished in fourth. In the semifinal match against Lagace, Stone continued his hot streak, holding Lagace to five games to earn his spot in the finals against Olinger.

But Olinger had been on a hot streak all weekend, and it was no different in the true double-elimination final match. No second match was needed–Olinger reached his goal first, earning his victory in one well-played 9-9 set.

Results:

1st Alex Olinger $800
2nd Ryan Stone $550
3rd Steve Lagace $350
4th Josh O’Neil $160
5th Hamilton Boss $75
Nick Hickerson

Great Southern Billiard Tour / Conyers, GA

by Lea Andrews

Adam Towery’s first win on the Great Southern Billiard Tour didn’t come easy–he had to get by past winner Horace “Groundhog” Godwin twice–but he nevertheless made it through unscathed. Towery and Godwin were among the field of 30 that arrived at Classic Billiards in Conyers, GA, the weekend of October 16-17 for the $1,500-added event, which was sponsored by Nick Varner Cues and Cases, Andy Gilbert Custom Cues, Delta-13, and Tiger Products.

Towery and Godwin were among the field of 30 that arrived at Classic Billiards in Conyers, GA, the weekend of October 16-17 for the $1,500-added event.

A-ranked Towery sent B-ranked Trent Talbert west 9-3 to reach the hot seat match, where he met Godwin for the first time. Godwin, who’d taken care of fellow A player Jason Steman 9-5, pushed the hot seat match hill-hill, but he couldn’t mark up the final game.

On the one-loss side, A-ranked Aaron Frady, one of Godwin’s earlier victims, shut out Dwayne Brown 9-0 to meet up with A-ranked John Maikke, who’d notched his own shutout win over Steve Owens. Against Frady, though, Maikke managed just three games to finish in seventh, sending Frady on to Talbert. Meanwhile, A-ranked Claude Marrier, who’d been edged out earlier by Maikke 9-8, ousted A-ranked Jeff Hooks 9-6 and B-ranked Dave Shadden 9-4 to face Steman. It was Steman who prevailed 9-7, advancing to the quarterfinals against Talbert, who’d planted Frady in fifth 7-6. Looking for another go at Godwin, Steman held Talbert to four games to earn his spot in the semifinals against Godwin. Once again, though, Steman fell short 9-5, allowing Godwin to get his own chance at revenge against Towery.

In the true double-elimination final match, both players played well, just as they had in the hot seat match, but Towery was able to take advantage of a few dry breaks by Godwin to widen the gap a bit more this time around. He earned his first Great Southern Billiard Tour victory in one set, 9-6.

Results:

1st Adam Towery $800
2nd Horace Godwin $500
3rd Jason Steman $300
4th Trent Talbert $200
5th Claude Marrier $75
Aaron Frady

by Lea Andrews

Josh Newman, who last won a Great Southern Billiard Tour in March at Kylie’s Sports Bar and Grill in Cornelius, NC, returned to the scene of the crime the weekend of October 9-10 for a repeat performance. Newman was the last man standing among the field of 25 at the $1,000-added event, which was sponsored by Nick Varner Cues and Cases, Andy Gilbert Custom Cues, Delta-13, and Tiger Products.

Josh Newman, who last won a Great Southern Billiard Tour in March at Kylie’s Sports Bar and Grill in Cornelius, NC, returned to the scene of the crime the weekend of October 9-10 for a repeat performance.

Newman rode a 7-3 win over fellow A-player Chris Turner into the hot seat match against last stop’s winner, AA-ranked B.J. Ussery, who’d just blown past Cliff Cribb 9-2. Managing to get ahead of Ussery, Newman claimed the hot seat 7-6.

On the one-loss side, A-ranked Matt Reed ousted B-ranked Bob Ruffalo 7-1 and A-ranked Larry Faulk 7-3 to meet up with Turner. Meanwhile, A-ranked Chris Adams, who’d fallen in the first round to Reed, took care of B-ranked Jose Tovar 7-2 and B-ranked Art Colors 7-2 to face Cribb. Adams earned his spot in the quarterfinals 7-3, but he was denied a chance at a rematch with Reed, who’d fallen 7-5 to Turner and landed in fifth. Adams continued on his steady path through the field, planting Turner in fourth 7-2 and moving on to Ussery, who fell shy of his goal again and finished in third 7-5.

In the true double-elimination final match, Adams forced the second set 7-2, but Newman already had his eyes on the prize. The second set went to Newman 7-3, his third tour win to date.

Results:
1st Josh Newman $500
2nd Chris Adams $300
3rd BJ Ussery $200
4th Chris Turner $100
5th Matt Reed $55
Cliff Cribb

The Billiard Education Foundation (BEF) held its annual “Challenge the Stars” fundraiser on May 18th during the BCAPL National 8- Ball Championships and the 2010 U.S. Open 10-Ball Championship in Las Vegas. Pros, amateurs and fans contributed to the $4,200 that was raised to help fund academic scholarships, “Pool In School” and other junior billiard programs.

Among the pros that graciously donated their time to play on the 7’ Diamond tables were champions Jasmin Ouschan, Ralf Souquet, Tom “Dr. Cue” Rossman, Sarah Rousey, Charlie Williams, Dawn Hopkins, Grace Nakamura and Jason “The Michigan Kid” Lynch. The challengers were from among the thousands of amateur league players and fans attending the championships.

Spectators and challengers attending the benefit also participated in the silent auction, raffle and grab bag made possible by the generous donations from almost 30 billiard industry supporters. Included in the long list of donors is RT9 Design, Delta-13, Tiger Products, OB Cues, Viking Cue Mfg, PoolDawg.com, Cuestix International and McDermott Cue Mfg, just to name a few. Diamond Billiard Products and BCAPL provided the pool tables and arena for the festivities.

The Billiard Education Foundation (BEF) held its annual “Challenge the Stars” fundraiser on May 18th during the BCAPL National 8- Ball Championships and the 2010 U.S. Open 10-Ball Championship in Las Vegas.

The BEF charity event was made possible by a team of over two dozen dedicated volunteers including Billy Joe Stephenson, Tim Thompson, Keven Engelke, John Taylor, Jerry Johnson, Scott “Scooter” Hutchinson, Aric Beckwith, Paul Hargrave, Claude Gragg, Kristie Womack, Rick Donor and many BCAPL referees. Randy Goettlicher and BEF President Tom Riccobene shared the honors as Master of Ceremonies. A comprehensive list of all who came together to support junior billiard programs is available on the BEF website at www.BilliardEducation.org.

About Billiard Education Foundation
The Billiard Education Foundation (BEF) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization which is committed to promoting education and encourages the development of life skills through youth billiard programs. The BEF funds academic scholarships, produces the Junior National 9-Ball Championships, sponsors billiard athletes to attend the WPA World Junior 9-Ball Championships and promotes “Pool In School” programs. For more information, please visit www.BilliardEducation.org or call 303.926.1039.

By Cristina De La Garza

The Predator World Tour event in Lloret drew 88 players, including a record setting field of 12 Americans. Over 20 countries are represented in this race to 8, 10-ball event. The tournament is being conducted with WPA rules and 16 players are seeded according to the current tour rankings. The number 1 seed, David Alcaide took an early trip to the one-loss side in the early rounds of day 1 and will have to take the long road if he wants to defend his ranking in his home country.

American Junior player, Brendan Crockett defeated Spain’s David Simon 8-6 in the first round but was eliminated in the last round of day 2. Another notable win was American qualifier, James Davis Jr., who shut out Spanish Women’s Champion, Amalia Matas, 8-0 and will face Vincent Faquet in his next match. Stevie Moore and Neils Feijen had impressive wins on the TV table on day 2. Moore defeated Marcus Chamat 8-2 while Feijen sent Jeffery De Luna to the one-loss side in his first European tournament. In his first tournament back, Mike Sigel defeated Yukioi Akagariyama of Japan 8-6 and looks to be a favorite to advance to the redraw in the final 32.

The Predator World Tour event in Lloret drew 88 players, including a record setting field of 12 Americans.

At the conclusion of day 2, all four women have been eliminated and 10 of the 12 Americans in attendance are still going strong on the winners’ side. Exciting match ups for day 3 will include Johnny Archer against Charlie Williams, Neils Feijen against Ernesto Dominguez and Raj Hundal against Mika Immonen.

For more tournament news and live scoring please visit www.Predator10Ball.com. The Predator World Tour recognizes the following sponsors: Atlas Billiard Supplier, Bilhares Carrinho, Billard Master, Guitart Hotels, Kozoom Multimedia, Poison Cues, QK-S, Simonis Cloth, Tiger Products and Uni-loc.

by InsidePOOL Staff

The Tiger Canadian Women’s Pool Tour held its last stop of the season at VIP in Scarborough, ON, November 21. Tiger Products and Jeff Bell Custom Cues welcomed 15 players to their $1,000-added year-end championships following the tour’s annual awards ceremony and cash prizes to all the top players. Awards were handed out for best sportsmanship, with Brittany Bryant taking first place. For the most 9-ball runs, the award went to Bryant again, and there was a tie for 9-ball break: Naomi Williams and Brittany Bryant.

In the tournament, Denise Belanger exhibited focus and determination to oust her competitors, including Hanna Kwon 8-2 and Leanne Amable 8-0, sending them to their fate to the other side of the board to await an opponent while she waited in the hot seat.

On the one-loss side, Joanne Ashton, after being defeated by Kwon in the A-bracket, turned her game around to defeat Kwon in a hill-hill rematch. Ashton went on to face Grace Nakumura, eliminating her at fourth place 8-1.

In the semifinal match between Amable and Ashton went head to head. Ashton pulled off some strong defense—coupled with the fact that Amable was making costly scratches, it wasn’t long before Ashton came out the 8-3 victor, sending Amable home with third place.

The Tiger Canadian Women’s Pool Tour held its last stop of the season at VIP in Scarborough, ON, November 21.

Results:
1st Denise Belanger $680
2nd Joanne Ashton $420
3rd Leanne Amable $250
4th Grace Nakamura $170
5th Hanna Kwon $90
Krista Walsh

With much success at the first stop of the Predator World Tour in Anadia, Portugal in September, Predator will be hosting their second stop of the tour in Lloret de Mar, Spain on January 6-9 and it promises to be the first hot event of the New Year. David Alcaide won the most recent event in Anadia, Portugal and took home $14,000 in prize money. He appears to be the early favorite for Lloret De Mar but, with challengers coming from Europe, Asia, America and elsewhere, it is unlikely that “El Matador” will have an easy time of it, especially with the list of top pros in attendance.

The event is sanctioned by the European Pocket Billiard Federation and WPA rules will govern all matches. Players can earn up to 945 points against the EPBF rankings. Assuming 64 or more entrants, players will compete for a guaranteed prize fund of 50,000 euros (more than $70,000).

Predator’s tour web site, www.Predator10Ball.com, will stream live video, offer a video magazine and provide real-time scoring. As with the Anadia event last September, ESPN Star and Eurosport will cover the finals and semifinals in Barcelona. The final from Portugal will be presented separately on November 27 at 23:00 on Eurosport (Eurosport France will offer a different schedule). Please stay tuned for additional information.

With much success at the first stop of the Predator World Tour in Anadia, Portugal in September, Predator will be hosting their second stop of the tour in Lloret de Mar, Spain on January 6-9 and it promises to be the first hot event of the New Year.

The Lloret de Mar, Spain stop is sure to be an extraordinary event with sponsors such as Aramith, Atlas, Bilhares Carrinho, Kozoom, Poison, Predator Products, QKS Cases, Simonis Cloth, Tiger Products, and Uni-Loc; the event is being promoted by Masterpool.

“This is a seminal event and we’re excited to see it take off,” says Karim Belhaj, CEO of Predator Group. “We’re committed to promoting our sport, increasing interest in the game and making billiards more of a household word. This tour represents a giant step in that direction.”

Stay tuned to www.Predator10Ball.com for additional news and live-play coverage. If you would like to register to play in the event or receive information, please send an email to Predator10Ball@masterpool.es