Van Boening Takes Turning Stone Billiards Title

Posted by admin as Billiard News, Joss Northeast 9 Ball Tour, Mosconi Cup, Tournament Brackets

Van Boening Takes Turning Stone Billiards Title
Turning Stone Classic XVIII / Verona, NY

by InsidePOOL Staff

After a hill-hill, fourth-round loss to Shawn Putnam, Shane Van Boening came back through the one-loss side to take the Turning Stone Classic title over Raj Hundal in the finals. The $25,000-added tournament, held twice a year at the Turning Stone Resort and Casino in Verona, NY, drew a packed field of 128.

At the start of Sunday’s matches, only four players remained undefeated. Mike “The Fireball” Dechaine suffered his first loss to Rodney Morris, both recently returned from the Mosconi Cup, 9-5, while Ralf Souquet, a Mosconi Cup veteran, was sent to the west side by Raj Hundal 9-5. Hundal went on to best Morris 9-4 and await a finals opponent.

After a hill-hill, fourth-round loss to Shawn Putnam, Van Boening came back through the one-loss side to take the Turning Stone Classic title over Hundal in the finals.

On the left bracket, Darren Appleton, who suffered a third-round, hill-hill loss to Joss Northeast 9-Ball Tour threat Dennis Hatch, won six matches in a row to reach Mosconi Cup teammate Souquet and fell 9-3 in fifth place. Tying with him was Dechaine, who came out on the short end of a hill-hill match against Van Boening.

Once on the west side of the chart, Van Boening disposed of top-notch players such as Larry Nevel 9-5, Bucky Souvanthong 9-6, Earl Strickland 9-4, and Dennis Hatch 9-2 to reach the quarterfinals. After disposing of Dechaine, he then had to face the determined Souquet, a past champion of the Turning Stone event. He made quick work of the German, moving on to the semifinals with a 9-3 win.

View the Turning Stone tournament brackets (updated continuously)

Defending champion Morris awaited Van Boening, but there was no repeat performance for the Hawaiian as “The South Dakota Kid” allowed him 5 racks in the race to 9. In the extended race-to-13 final match, Van Boening allowed Hundal a few chances, but when all was said and done, Van Boening took the final match and the title 13-9.

Strickland Reaches Final 8 Undefeated at Turning Stone

Posted by admin as Billiard News, Joss Northeast 9 Ball Tour, Mosconi Cup, Tournament Brackets

Strickland Reaches Final 8 Undefeated at Turning Stone
Turning Stone Classic XVIII / Verona, NY

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.

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Hatch Topples Appleton at Turning Stone Billiards Event

Posted by admin as Billiard News, Joss Northeast 9 Ball Tour, Tournament Brackets

Hatch Topples Appleton at Turning Stone Billiards Event

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.

Turning Stone XVII Begins

Posted by admin as Billiard News, Mosconi Cup, Tournament Brackets

Turning Stone XVIII Begins

by Inside POOL

The Turning Stone Classic XVIII has begun, once again boasting a full field of 128 of top players from all over the world. The Turning Stone Resort and Casino in Verona, NY, is hosting the $25,000-added event, put on twice a year by Mike Zuglan of the Joss Northeast 9-Ball Tour.

Flying directly from Las Vegas, the entire American Mosconi Cup team is present, including defending champion “Rocket” Rodney Morris, who lambasted Mike Selig 9-1 in his first-round match. The rest of his teammates won their matches as well: Mosconi rookie Mike Dechaine bested trick shot artist Steve Lillis 9-1, Shane Van Boening defeated Alex Platonov 9-2, Shawn “Big Bubba” Putnam won 9-6 over Greg Antonakos, and Johnny Archer defeated Gregg McAndrews 9-5. Archer’s first-round win lines him up to face off with Earl Strickland in the second round, which is sure to be a crowd-pleaser.

From the victorious Team Europe, Darren Appleton, current U.S. Open 9-Ball champ the last two years, won his first match over Steve Way 9-0. Recent Hall of Fame inductee Ralf Souquet won his first match as well, besting 9-4. His next challenger will be young gun Jesse Engel, who made such a splash at the 2010 U.S. Open with his back-to-back victories over Strickland and Mike Sigel.

The Turning Stone Classic XVIII has begun, once again boasting a full field of 128 of top players from all over the world.

Brittany Bryant, Kathryn Fairchild, and Dawn Fox join New Yorker Jennifer “9MM” Barretta as the four female participants of the event. Barretta won her first match in fine style with a 9-7 win over Randy Labonte, while Bryant one-upped her with a 9-1 rout over Jesse Janovsky.

View the Turning Stone tournament brackets (updated continuously)

Father and son team Ernesto and Oscar Dominguez both won their first matches, defeating John Babravich 9-2 and Dave Ascolese 9-6, respectively. Ernesto next faces Canada’s Eric Hjorliefson, and Oscar’s next match will be against Putnam.

Friday will see the beginning of the elimination rounds, as the field whittles down from its original 128 players. Visit InsidePOOL for the latest news in the sport of billiards and pool.

The U.S. Open Race Heats Up

Posted by admin as Billiard News, Tournament Brackets

The U.S. Open Race Heats Up
U.S. Open 9-Ball Championships / Chesapeake, VA

by InsidePOOL Staff

The contest for the main prize at the 36th U.S. Open 9-Ball Championships is heating up in Chesapeake, VA, with only 8 players going into Friday’s matches without a loss and 24 players vying for their piece of the $175,000 prize fund.

Reigning champion Darren Appleton looks a good bet at this point—he has breezed through his first four opponents to match up with Johnny Archer, who won the Open in 1999. Archer put on a clinic in his evening match against Antonio Lining, holding the Filipino to 3 to win their match.

Shane Van Boening, champion in 2007, is still going strong after a close call over India’s Raj Hundal 11-9 to move on to best reigning world 9-ball champ Yukio Akagarima 11-8. Van Boening’s next challenge will come from Shawn Putnam, who overcame Hall of Famer Earl Strickland 11-8 earlier.

Japan can be proud of hometown hero Kenichi Uchigacki, who has triumphed over former winner Tommy Kennedy, Harvey Shognosh, Kevin Bailey, and Filipino Jundel Mazon to reach the final 8 without a scratch, only to face down formidable opponent Lee Vann Corteza 11-9. Uchigacki’s next opponent, Larry “The Truth” Nevel, earlier bested one of Europe’s best, Mark Gray, in a narrow 11-9 victory.

The contest for the main prize at the 36th U.S. Open 9-Ball Championships is heating up in Chesapeake, VA, with only 8 players going into Friday’s matches without a loss and 24 players vying for their piece of the $175,000 prize fund.

Alex “The Lion” Pagulayan had an easy day of it, first defeating Stan Shuffett 11-4 and then going to to whitewash fellow countryman Warren Kiamco 11-0. Pagulayan’s next match will be against former 14.1 champ Huidji See, who earlier sent Rodney Morris to the one-loss side 11-8 after Morris had just sent Nick Varner west 11-5.

Live real-time scoring of the U.S. Open 9-ball is being provided by ProPool.com at InsidePOOL TV.

2011 U.S. Open 9-Ball Tournament Brackets
Day 1 Results
Day 2 Results
Day 3 Results
Day 4 Results
On the one-loss side, Niels Feijen of Holland eliminated Hall of Fame inductee Ralf Souquet 11-8. Dennis Hatch is still alive, after ousting Hunter Lombardo 11-4 and then Chris Bartram 11-6. China Open champ Chris Melling was sent home after an 11-7 loss to Naoyuki Oi. Hall of Famer Nick Varner is still alive, having eliminated Raj Hundal 11-7, while Charlie Williams ousted two-time champion Mika Immonen 11-3.

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

U.S. Open Elimination Rounds Continue, Winners to Face off

Posted by admin as Billiard News, Tournament Brackets

U.S. Open Elimination Rounds Continue, Winners to Face off
U.S. Open 9-Ball Championships / Chesapeake, VA

by InsidePOOL Staff

More players have been ousted at the 36th U.S. Open 9-Ball Championships as the elimination rounds have continued Wednesday, while the 64 undefeated players remaining will be halved to 32 after Wednesday evening’s rounds.

Allen Hopkins, who took this event in 1977 and 1981, suffered a first-round loss to the formidable Lee Vann Corteza but recovered nicely, eliminating Jonathan Demet 11-9 and then former world 9-ball champion Thorsten Hohmann 11-8. Hopkins’ next opponent will be Brian Brekke.

Young gun Shane Jackson took out Jose Parica, a.k.a. “The Leader of the Filipino Invasion,” in the elimination round Wednesday afternoon. The score was close all through the match, but he ultimately pulled ahead to win it 11-9.

Deuel is still alive after his first-round loss to Li Wen Lo. Deuel routed Aradhana Naik 11-1 and then bested Robert Hart 11-5 to face Steve Lillis in the next round.

Another former champion of this event, Corey Deuel is still alive after his first-round loss to Li Wen Lo. Deuel routed Aradhana Naik 11-1 and then bested Robert Hart 11-5 to face Steve Lillis in the next round.

Eric Hjorliefson ousted New York’s Frankie Hernandez in the afternoon round 11-3, as fellow Canadian John Morra, who was bested in the first round by Shaun “Get Some” Wilkie 11-6, went on to send home Mike Davis 11-5 and then Jimmy Garza 11-4.

There are some tough winners’ matches to call coming up. Shane Van Boening, the 2007 champion, will face off against India’s Raj “The Hitman” Hundal, while another exciting match-up will be between five-time champion Earl Strickland and Donny Mills.

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

Ralf Souquet, who narrowly escaped a defeat at the hands of Wilkie in the previous round, will face Bill Duggan, who just eked out an 11-10 win over Jerry Tarantola. Reigning world 9-ball champion Yukio Akagariyama will play England’s Tony Crosby, and fellow Japanese player Kenichi Uchigaki plays Kevin Bailey.

Defending champion Darren Appleton will play Juan Carlos Esposito, while fellow Brits Karl Boyes and Mark Gray will match up. Closer to home, U.S. player Mike Dechaine will play Larry “The Truth” Nevel, as Shawn Putnam and B.J. Ussery will face each other.

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

U.S. Open 9-Ball Elimination Rounds Begin

Posted by admin as Billiard News, Tournament Brackets

U.S. Open Elimination Rounds Begin
U.S. Open 9-Ball Championships / Chesapeake, VA

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.

36th U.S. Open 9-Ball Begins

Posted by admin as Billiard News, Tournament Brackets

36th U.S. Open 9-Ball Begins
U.S. Open 9-Ball Championships / Chesapeake, VA

by InsidePOOL Staff

The 36th installment of the prestigious U.S. Open 9-Ball Championships kicked off in Chesapeake, VA, October 16 at the Chesapeake Conference Center, where 251 players converged to vie for their share of the $50,000-added prize purse.

Past champions in attendance include Allen Hopkins, Earl Strickland, Johnny Archer, Ralf Souquet, Shane Van Boening, Mike Lebron, Gabe Owen, Alex Pagulayan, Nick Varner, and Tommy Kennedy.

Champion in 2001, Corey Deuel suffered a surprising first-round loss to Li Wen Lo 11-8, so if he intends to reclaim the title, he will have to do so from the one-loss side as he did in 2001.

Reigning champion Darren Appleton scored a bye in the first round and will play Robert Hart, who went double-hill with Mike Badstuebner and won, in the next round.

Japan is well-represented in this event, with top players such as Toru Kuribayashi, Kengo Matsumoto, Naoyuki Oi, and reigning world 9-ball champion Yukio Akagariyama. Kenichi Uchigaki won his first-round match over Tommy Kennedy 11-9 and will advance to play Harvey Shognosh in the next round.

Appleton is always a major threat to snap off a big event.

The live scoring will be posted at Inside POOL TV Live U.S. Open Scoringand the tournament brackets will be updated continuously and posted at:

U.S. Open 9-Ball Tournament Bracket 1

U.S. Open 9-Ball Tournament Bracket 2

England also has a strong contingent at this year’s Open. In addition to Appleton, Chris Melling, the reigning China Open champion is here, as well as former world 9-ball champ Daryl Peach, Karl Boyes, Jason Shaw, and Mark Gray.

The Filipino factor seems to be less this year—former champ Alex Pagulayan is here, as is Antonio Gabica, Antonio Lining, and Lee Vann Corteza.

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

2011 U.S. Open Live Scoring and Tournament Brackets Provided by ProPool.com

Posted by admin as Billiard News, Tournament Brackets

2011 U.S. Open Live Scoring and Tournament Brackets Provided by ProPool.com

The 2011 U.S. Open 9-Ball live real time scoring and tournament brackets will be provided by ProPool.com. The event will be held October 16-22, 2011 at the Chesapeake Conference Center in Chesapeake, VA and will feature 251 of the world’s greatest billiards players including Earl Strickland, Ralf Souquet, Nick Varner, and Johnny Archer.

The 2011 U.S. Open 9-Ball live scoring and tournament brackets will be provided by ProPool.com.

The live scoring will be 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

U.S. Open 9-Ball Tournament Bracket 2

U.S. Open 9-Ball Tournament Bracket 3

U.S. Open 9-Ball Tournament Bracket 4

The action starts at 11am EST on October 16 and will continue through October 22.

About Propool.com
Propool.com has taken almost two decades of accumulating statistics, refined them, and created a system to rating the playing ability of players from all over the world. These ratings can be used to handicap weekly tournaments, leagues and even one-on-one match-ups. See more at Propool.com.

Morris New Turning Stone Billiards Champion

Posted by admin as Billiard News, Tournament Brackets

Morris New Turning Stone Billiards Champion
Turning Stone Classic XVII / Verona, NY

by InsidePOOL Staff

Rodney Morris rocketed undefeated through the 128-player field at the Turning Stone Classic XVII to claim the title, besting Alex “The Lion” Pagulayan in the finals. The $25,000-added event was held this weekend at the Turning Stone Casino in Verona, NY.

Morris went unchallenged through the field, besting Charlie Williams 9-5 and then Jose Parica 9-5 as well to reach the hot seat match against Shawn Putnam, who had just delivered Josh Ulrich 9-4. In a closely contested battle, Morris was able to eke out a 9-8 victory over Putnam and await a finals opponent.

On the west side of the chart, Pagulayan, who suffered a second-round loss to Morris 9-6, recovered to win the next nine matches in a row to reach Morris again. He sent Jeremy Sossei home in ninth place 9-4, then bested Bucky Souvanthong 9-4, and dominated Parica 9-2 to reach the quarterfinals.

Pagulayan’s opponent in the match for fourth place was Johnny Archer. No stranger to the winner’s circle at this event, Archer also suffered a second-round loss and worked his way through the left side of the bracket, ousting players such as Bruce Nagle 9-3, Charlie Williams 9-8, Greg Antonakos 9-7, and Ulrich 9-2.

Morris rocketed undefeated through the 128-player field at the Turning Stone Classic XVII to claim the title, besting Alex “The Lion” Pagulayan in the finals.

View the Turning Stone Classic tournament brackets

After their long treks through the one-loss side, both players faced off in the quarterfinal, with neither giving an inch until the end, when Pagulayan pushed through for a 9-7 win. It was much of the same in the semifinal match against Putnam, who went neck and neck with Pagulayan until “The Lion” squeaked past 9-8 to earn a rematch with Morris.

Pagulayan and Morris traded the first two racks, but that was the only time the score was in parity. Morris whizzed ahead to a 4-1 and then a 7-2 lead in the extended single race to 13. Pagulayan was in the electric chair for most of the match as Morris was clearly on a roll. The Hawaiian reached the hill 12-4, and though Pagulayan won the next three matches to inch closer to the goal, he scratched on his following break and left a wide-open table for Morris, who cleared up to take the title 13-7.

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