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2006 Carlsberg Scottish 9-Ball Championships
Styx American Pool Bar
28 Victoria Road
Kirkcaldy
Scotland
Tel: 01592 265483
www.scottish9ball.com
Download the full double elimination tournament chart (30 kb .pdf file)
Download the Last 16 tournament chart (40 kb .pdf file)
2006 SAPPA Provisional Ranking List(80 kb .xls file)

Saturday-Sunday 21-22 October 2006

Mario Caira (right) presents Pat Holtz with his �1,000 prize money and the trophies as 2006 Scottish 9-Ball Champion. Pat is holding the trophy that he gets to keep while Mario is holding the new Scottish 9-Ball Championship trophy.

HOLTZ COMEBACK TO TAKE SCOTTISH TITLE

Pat Holtz overcame the largest field ever to play in a SAPPA event to take the 2006 Carlsberg Scottish 9-Ball Championships with an enthralling 10-9 win over Scott Gillespie in the final.

A total of 96 players came to play in this year�s event with a line up that included the usual SAPPA favourites such as Michael Valentine, Pat Holtz, Jayson Shaw, Davy Jack, Clark Smith and Stevie Capaldi as well as visitors such as Rob McKenna, Wales� 2-time WEBF World 8-Ball Champion and Andy Croasdale, the reigning EUKPF European 8-Ball Champion. There was also a gang of some 20 players over from Ireland, once again headed by Paul Bonner and Paddy McLoughlin, Ireland�s number one and 2 ranked players respectively.

Click on "Read More..." for the details by Peter McLanachan.

The tournament was run in 2 parts. The first part was a Double Elimination format with the matches being races to 7 in both the Winners� and Losers� Brackets until there were 16 players remaining � 8 in each bracket. These 16 players would then move on to the Single Elimination phase that would eventually bring us our winner.

Highlights of the early-round match ups included Rob McKenna v Michael Valentine in the second round of the Winners� Bracket with McKenna winning a very tight match by 7 racks to 6.

Aberdeen�s Anthony Yeu blasted Irish number 2 Paddy McLaughlin over to the Losers� Bracket with a very impressive 7-2 scoreline while Glasgow�s Stevie Capaldi had an excellent 7-6 win over Andy Croasdale, only to come up against an in-form Ross McInnes in the Winners� Bracket qualifying round then Paddy McLoughlin � still smarting from his loss to young Yeu � in the Losers� Bracket qualifying round.

Finally, at around 5:30 on Sunday afternoon, the 96 starters had been whittled down to just 16

Winners� Bracket Qualifiers
Rob McKenna
Scott Gillespie
Jim O�Hare
Clark Smith
Ross McInnes
Jayson Shaw
Richard Berry
Pat Holtz

Losers� Bracket Qualifiers
Paddy McLoughlin
Darren Raine
Ian Skirving
Michael Valentine
Andy Morris
George Fagan
Mark Oaten
John Owen

The last 16 draw saw each of the 8 Winners� Bracket qualifiers being drawn against a Loser�s Bracket qualifier and gave us the following matches:-

THE LAST 16
Rob McKenna	8 : 2	Paddy McLoughlin
Scott Gillespie	8 : 3	John Owen
Jim O'Hare	8 : 7	Andy Morris
Clark Smith	8 : 1	Ian Skirving
Ross McInnes	8 : 6	Darren Raine
Jayson Shaw	8 : 7	Michael Valentine
Richard Berry	8 : 7	Marc Oaten
Pat Holtz	8 : 2	George Fagan

Without doubt, the highlight match of the round was the repeat of last year�s final between Jayson Shaw and Michael Valentine and it did not disappoint with Valentine edging out to a 7-5 lead, only for the 18-year-old reigning Champion to fight back to 7-7. A good break saw the cueball and 1-ball being sent to opposite ends of the table. Jayson played a push out, putting the cueball about 3 inches from the short rail, with the 1-ball less than �-an-inch from the opposite end rail. Valentine passed the shot back, only for Shaw to raise the back end of his cue and fire the 1-ball into the pocket getting perfect position for the 2-ball, allowing him to run the match out to advance.

The shot that helped Jayson Shaw beat Michael Valentine in their last 16 match of the 2006 Carlsberg Scottish 9-Ball Championships. The cueball hit the rail, then the 1-ball which fell in the pocket. The cueball continued on to give him perfect shape on the 2-ball.

Before his last 16 match, Scott Gillespie said �I�m determined to win this match as I want to play (Rob) McKenna.� Scott kept his end of the bargain with an excellent 8-3 win over Glasgow�s John Owen. While that was going on, McKenna was beating Ireland�s Paddy McLaughlin with an equally impressive 8 racks to 2 win. Other one-sided results in this round included an 8-1 win for Clark Smith over Edinburgh�s fast improving Ian Skirving and an 8-2 victory for Pat Holtz over Glasgow�s George Fagan.

Rob McKenna (left) and Paddy McLaughlin lag for the opening break before their last 16 match.

At 7-3 up, Ross McInnes was coasting along against Darren Raine when he missed an easy finish to close out the match. Raine managed to get back to 7-6 down before McInnes finally won the match to advance to the quarter finals. The Irish Tour�s Scottish transplant, Richard Berry, managed to come back from 7-5 down to beat Aberdeen�s Mark Oaten by 8 racks to 7 but the Aberdeen contingent still had someone to shout for when SAPPA Tour stalwart Jim O�Hare beat Stirling�s Andy Morris by 8 racks to 7.

THE QUARTER-FINALS
Scott Gillespie	8 : 2	Rob McKenna
Jim O'Hare	8 : 7	Clark Smith
Jayson Shaw	8 : 2	Ross McInnes
Pat Holtz	8 : 3	Richard Berry

The much anticipated match-up between Rob McKenna and Scott Gillespie turned into a very one-sided affair with Gillespie winning the match over the Welshman by 8 racks to 2. Gillespie was in such good form that he was 4-0 up before McKenna could get a clear shot at a ball. In the Semi Final, Scott would meet Jim O�Hare who managed to edge past Glasgow�s Clark Smith by 8 racks to 7 in what turned out to be one of the more dramatic matches of the tournament in which the lead swung back and forth with Smith leading 3-1 at one point only for O�Hare to come back and take a 5-3 lead before things in the match started to get really close.

Ross McInnes� quarter final match with Jayson Shaw was delayed by 10 minutes when Ross� 6-month-old son, Preston, decided it was time for a feed. Daddy duties over and Preston back with the babysitter, Ross then had the task of taking on reigning champion Jayson Shaw. As it was, Shaw was able to beat McInnes by 8 racks to 2. Jayson would meet Pat Holtz, ensuring a Scottish winner of the 2006 Scottish Championships, after Holtz beat Richard Berry by 8 racks to 3.

THE SEMI-FINALS
Scott Gillespie	9 : 6	Jim O'Hare
Pat Holtz	9 : 3	Jayson Shaw

This round had yet another mouth-watering match with Scotland�s 2 International Pool Tour representatives, Jayson Shaw and Pat Holtz, playing each other. Holtz played one of the best matches of the weekend, managing to keep Shaw out of the game from 3 racks each to win 9 racks to 3.

Glasgow�s Jayson Shaw getting a rare chance to rack the balls in his Semi Final match against Pat Holtz.

The other semi final, between Scott Gillespie and Jim O�Hare, was a real roller coaster of a match with Gillespie taking a 7-2 lead, only to see it being whittled away by the Aberdonian to 7-6. O�Hare had a chance to make it 7-7, but a missed ball allowed Gillespie in to extend his lead and, eventually, win the match by 9 racks to 6.

Aberdeen�s Jim O�Hare in the process of finishing off another rack in his Semi Final match, as his opponent, Scott Gillespie, watches intently.

And so the 2006 Carlsberg Scottish 9-Ball Championships came down to an all-Larkhall affair between Pat Holtz and Scott Gillespie. An enthusiastic crowd stood around the table that was to be used for this year�s final. Here�s a rack-by-rack account of one of the most exciting finals to be played in a SAPPA event.

Scott Gillespie (left) and Pat Holtz with the Scottish Championship trophy before their final.

Rack 1
Scott Gillespie wins the lag and breaks, making a ball but leaving himself no shot on the 1-ball. Holtz returns the push-out to Gillespie who tries to play safe, but leaves Holtz a long shot at the 1. Pat misses the shot and Scott looks good to run the rack out, but misses a simple 4-ball, leaving Pat to finish off the last few balls to take the opening rack.

Score: Pat Holtz 1 � 0 Scott Gillespie

Rack 2
Holtz brakes, but fails to make a ball. Gillespie pockets an excellent 1-ball, but misses the attempted bank on the 2. After a few scrappy shots, Gillespie manages to run the rack out.

Score: Pat Holtz 1 � 1 Scott Gillespie

Rack 3
Now it�s Scott�s turn for a dry break. Pat comes to the table and decides to jump at the 1-ball, making it, but then misses a tough table-length 2-ball up the rail. A safety on the 3-ball give Gillespie ball in hand, from which he runs the rack out.

Score: Pat Holtz 1 � 2 Scott Gillespie

Rack 4
Gillespie makes 2 balls off the break and leaves a straight-on 2 ball. Things seem to be going well until he misses a fairly easy 4-ball, bringing Holtz to the table. Pat them carelessly scratches on the 6-ball, giving Scott ball in hand but it seems like Scott forgets that he�s not playing Blackball rules and places the cueball against the rail and behind the line for his ball in hand on the 7-ball which leads to him missing the 8. Holtz comes back to the table to mop up the 8 and 9 to tie the match.

Score: Pat Holtz 2 � 2 Scott Gillespie

Rack 5
Pat makes the 9-ball on the break

Score: Pat Holtz 3 � 2 Scott Gillespie

Rack 6
Holtz scratches on the break. Gillespie runs out from the resultant ball in hand.

Score: Pat Holtz 3 � 3 Scott Gillespie

Scott Gillespie in action during the final.

Rack 7
Scott breaks and makes a ball, but has no clear shot. After a safety battle, Scott misses a half-chance at the 2-ball. Pat comes to the table but misses a tough 4-8 combination, leaving a straight 4-ball followed by a tough 5. Gillespie runs short on position for the 6, but this doesn�t cause him any problems and he promptly runs out the remainder of the rack to regain the lead.

Score: Pat Holtz 3 � 4 Scott Gillespie

Rack 8
Gillespie�s break eludes him again but doesn�t leave Holtz much of a chance. However, a fantastic cut on the 1-ball gives him the opportunity to run out and level the match once again.

Score: Pat Holtz 4 � 4 Scott Gillespie

Rack 9
Successful breaks are proving hard to come by just now as Holtz has another dry break, giving Scott a shot at a relatively easy table, which he duly converts into another rack.

Score: Pat Holtz 4 � 5 Scott Gillespie

Rack 10
Scott makes a ball on the break, but the 1-ball is tough. He manages to make it, but almost scratches when playing 2-rail position for the 5-ball later in the rack and is forced to play safe. Pat scratches from the escape attempt allowing Gillespie to run out, extending his lead.

Score: Pat Holtz 4 � 6 Scott Gillespie

Rack 11
Scott makes a ball on the break and has excellent shape on the 1-ball, leading to the first break and finish of the final.

Score: Pat Holtz 4 � 7 Scott Gillespie

Rack 12
Gillespie�s break eludes him once again as he comes up dry and leaves Holtz a clear shot at the 1-ball, which he takes and finishes to get back to a 2-rack deficit.

Score: Pat Holtz 5 � 7 Scott Gillespie

Pat Holtz at the table in the final.

Rack 13
Holtz has some bad luck on the break as the cueball is kicked in on the break. This causes Pat to show a very rare display of emotion during a match when he slaps the table. Scott has ball in hand with a very open table but misses an easy 4-ball, hooking Pat on it in the process. Pat jumps over and contacts the 4, but just misses making the ball into the side pocket. This time, it is Scott who is hooked on the 4. He manages to escape, but fails to contact a rail after contacting the 4-ball and Pat runs out from the resultant ball in hand.

Score: Pat Holtz 6 � 7 Scott Gillespie

Rack 14
Pat breaks and makes 2 balls from the break, but has no shot on the 2-ball. An excellent safety from Holtz gives him a chance at running the rack out after Gillespie�s escape but he misses the long 2-ball and Scott clears up to extend his lead once again.

Score: Pat Holtz 6 � 8 Scott Gillespie

Rack 15
Gillespie makes a ball on the break but then misses the 1-ball. He manages to hook Holtz on the 1 but Holtz kicks the cueball off 2 rails and makes the 1. Unfortunately, he�s left hooked on the 2 this time! Another kick shot almost gives Pat the same result, only the 2-ball hangs deep in the jaws of the corner pocket and the cueball tight on another rail. Scott manages to pocket the 2 but then misses a 4-ball up the rail allowing Pat back in to run the rack out and get back to just one rack behind.

Score: Pat Holtz 7 � 8 Scott Gillespie

Rack 16
Pat breaks and makes a ball but after an attempted safety on the 2-ball, leaves Scott with a 2-9 billiard to get the 2-rack lead back and get on the hill first.

Score: Pat Holtz 7 � 9 Scott Gillespie

Rack 17
Scott breaks and makes a ball but has no real shot at the 1. After a few moments studying the table, he resorts to slapping it around the table in the hope that something will go in. He leaves Pat a tough shot up the rail, which he makes � a great shot! Pat then plays safe on the 2-ball and clears up with ball in hand after Scott fails to make contact.

Score: Pat Holtz 8 � 9 Scott Gillespie

Rack 18
A great break leads to the second break and finish of the match, tying the score up at 9 each with both players now on the hill.

Score: Pat Holtz 9 � 9 Scott Gillespie

Rack 19
The players shake hands before the final rack and, after what feels like an age trying to get the rack to sit correctly, Pat takes his position to break. Pat smashes into the rack and the 9 starts rolling towards the corner pocket into which it drops to near stunned silence. Scott walks over to Pat and, in a great display of sportsmanship, is the first to congratulate Pat on winning the 2006 Carlsberg Scottish 9-Ball Championship

Final Score: Pat Holtz 10 � 9 Scott Gillespie

After the match, the prizes were awarded by Mario Caira, the owner of Styx American Pool Club.

Mario Caira (right), owner of Styx American Pool Club presents Scott Gillespie with his �400 runner�s up prize.

Mario Caira (right) presents Pat Holtz with his �1,000 prize money and the trophies as 2006 Scottish 9-Ball Champion. Pat is holding the trophy that he gets to keep while Mario is holding the new Scottish 9-Ball Championship trophy.

It was, as ever, a fantastic weekend and there are a number of people that have to be thanked:-

To all the players who travelled from far and wide, whether they be based in Scotland, Wales, England or Ireland. Special thanks go to Ronnie Boyle who once again organised for a group of some 20-odd players and fans to come over from the Emerald Isle.

To Ross McInnes, Tam Talent, Graham Tough and Martin Hughes for organising and running another fantastic Scottish Championships.

To Carlsberg for once again sponsoring the Scottish 9-Ball Championships.

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