Ireland’s American 8 & 9 Ball Pool Tour
Ronnie Boyle
N.Ireland 07776365059
Rep of Ireland 0044 7776365059
www.irelands9balltour.com
rb@irelands9balltour.com
17 November 2006
Stephen Johnson (Antrim) the 2006 Co. Down American 8Ball Pool Champion.
A Selection of Results from All Ireland Events
Match reports, like buses, never come at expected times, and there's invariably three at once.... So hey... Let's have them all in one article!
Here's news and photos from the Belfast 9-Ball Open Pool Championships 2006, the Co. Down American 8Ball Pool Championships, the All Ireland American 8Ball Championships... AND... The latest inductee to Ireland’s Hall of Fame.
"Read More..." for the details.
Mc Laughlin Claims Another Official Ranking Tournament
Paddy Mc Laughlin (Down) won yet another deserved official ranking tournament and claimed his number one spot back on Ireland’s American 8 & 9 Ball Pool at the weekend past defeating the tours inform player Stephen Johnson (Antrim) in another classic final to claim the 2006 Belfast Open 9-Ball Event.
With Paddy travelling a lot lately to overseas tournaments mostly in England and Scotland and also to a good few in Europe has brought his game up to another level which I have no doubt will be challenging some of Europe’s and the Worlds best players in years to come, and not forgetting the high standards he is already setting for the rest of the Irish tour come the new 2007 playing season.
Ireland’s American 8 & 9 Ball Pool Tour brought its very first ranking event to the Club-9 venue where the playing conditions was first class where the tournament was played to a very high standard throughout the day with a few major shocks along the way, no more so than the current 2006 All Ireland 9-Ball Champion Sam Gibson not coming out of his group which was played in a round robin format.
It was the ever improving and inform Stephen Johnson who knocked out the tournaments number one seed Paul Bonner in the ¼-finals on a 7-2 score-line but it was the “ GINGER MAGICIAN ” once again who showed the rest of the field and all the tour that if they want to catch the Ginger Magician they must start putting in a lot more practise sessions before the new 2007 playing season cues off.
Ireland’s American 8 & 9 Ball Pool Tour would like to take this opportunity to thank Sam, Joe (senior) and Joe (junior) and all there staff and playing members at Club-9 for all there hospitality in making everyone very welcome at the 2006 Belfast Open 9-Ball Event.
The semifinalists before play in the 2006 Belfast Open 9Ball Pool Championships
LtoR: Tristan Byrne (Down), Stephen Johnson (Antrim, runner-up),
Paddy Mc Laughlin (Down, winner) and Paul Strawbridge (Derry).
The two players who contested the final of the 2006 Belfast Open 9Ball Pool Championships Stephen Johnson (Antrim, runner-up) and Paddy Mc Laughlin (Down, winner).
Paddy Mc Laughlin (Down) the 2006 Belfast Open 9Ball Pool Champion.
THE LAST 16 | ||
Paul Bonner (Donegal) | 7 : 3 | Sean Judge (Antrim) |
Stephen Johnson (Antrim) | 7 : 2 | Gary Johnson (Antrim) |
Paul Strawbridge (Derry) | 7 : 2 | Paul Corrigan (Tyrone |
Ronnie Boyle (Tyrone) | 7 : 6 | Gareth Deegan (Dublin) |
Tristan Byrne (Down) | 7 : 2 | Daniel Gorman (Antrim) |
Mark Mc Donald (Antrim) | 7 : 2 | Paul Canavan (Antrim) |
Raymond Todd (Tyrone) | 7 : 5 | Gerald Elliman (Antrim) |
Paddy Mc Laughlin (Down) | 7 : 2 | Elmedin Osmanagic (Slovenia) |
THE QUARTER-FINALS | ||
Stephen Johnson | 7 : 2 | Paul Bonner |
Paul Strawbridge | 7 : 5 | Ronnie Boyle |
Tristan Byrne | 7 : 4 | Mark Mc Donald |
Paddy Mc Laughlin | 7 : 1 | Raymond Todd |
THE SEMI-FINALS | ||
Stephen Johnson | 7 : 5 | Paul Strawbridge |
Paddy Mc Laughlin | 7 : 3 | Tristan Byrne |
THE FINAL | ||
Paddy Mc Laughlin | 9 : 6 | Stephen Johnson |
All roads led to Frames Snooker & Pool Club in Belfast for the second staging of the 2006 All Ireland American 8-Ball Pool Championships which seen the tournament attract up in 50 players to the Belfast venue all trying to be crowned the 2006 All Ireland 8-Ball Pool Champion.
It was nice to see once again these prestigious championships attracting a lot of Ireland’s top snooker players from throughout the 32 counties where these great cueists are starting to get more involved in this fast growing cue-sport game which is becoming very popular right around the world never mind in the Emerald Isle.
These 2006 All Ireland Championships seen the tournament played in a straight knockout format with the first three rounds being a race to 8 with the ¼-finals and semi-finals races to 10 and the final a race to 11 giving all players plenty of time to settle down in this long and great format where all players was well pleased but it was once again the Co. Down’s top cueist who stole the show with another great performance to claim victory and right himself into the record books by being inducted into Ireland’s Hall of Fame.
When play got underway a number of to top players was starting to make there mark with some fantastic pool but everyone was keeping a close eye on Co. Down’s Paddy Mc Laughlin who was putting in a fine performance round after round to make his way into the final with victories over William Dines (Down, 8-2, last-32), Michael Brandly (Sligo, 8-1, last-16), Damien Corrigan (Tyrone, 10-2, ¼-finals) and young Mark Mc Donald (Antrim, 10-6) in the semi-finals.
In the other half of the draw it was touch and go who was going to join Paddy in the final as a good number of top players including two N. Ireland international 8-ball pool players Rab Fee Manny Byrne and the 2006 Co. Down American 8-Ball Champion Stephen Johnson was starting to play outstanding pool along the way but it was once again it was the inform Stephen Johnson who defeated both Manny Byrne (10-6, ¼-finals) and Rab Fee (10-7, semi-finals) to book his place for the first time in a All Ireland final.
The grand-final seen play get underway in front of the large crowd of players and club members that stayed on to watch two of Ireland’s top American cue-sport players in action when Paddy Mc Laughlin (Down) and Stephen Johnson (Antrim) took to the table.
The early racks seen play go rack for rack before the Ginger Magician once again turned on the style to move up a few gears to run out a 11-6 winner and be crowned the 2006 All Ireland American 8-Ball Pool Champion and right himself into the history books by becoming another player on Ireland‘s American 8 & 9 Ball Pool Tour to be inducted into Ireland‘s Hall Of Fame.
The two finalists in the 2006 All Ireland American 8Ball Pool Championships
Stephen Johnson (Antrim, runner-up) and Paddy Mc Laughlin (Down, winner).
Paddy Mc Laughlin the 2006 All Ireland American 8Ball Pool Champion.
Some of the spectators which watch the 2006 final are pictured with Stephen Johnson (runner-up) and Paddy Mc Laughlin (winner).
THE LAST 16 | ||
Stephen Johnson | 8 : 1 | Dean Largey |
Manny Byrne | 8 : 5 | Paul Canavan |
Rab Fee | 8 : 4 | Joe O’ Driscoll |
Tristan Byrne | 8 : 5 | Sam Gibson |
Paddy Mc Laughlin | 8 : 1 | Michael Brandly |
Damien Corrigan | 8 : 5 | Gareth Quinn |
Mark Mc Donald | 8 : 4 | Colin Bingham |
Ronnie Boyle | 8 : 1 | Gary Johnson |
THE QUARTER-FINALS | ||
Stephen Johnson | 10 : 6 | Manny Byrne |
Rab Fee | 10 : 5 | Tristan Byrne |
Paddy Mc Laughlin | 10 : 2 | Damien Corrigan |
Mark Mc Donald | 10 : 7 | Ronnie Boyle |
THE SEMI-FINALS | ||
Stephen Johnson | 10 : 7 | Rab Fee |
Paddy Mc Laughlin | 10 : 6 | Mark Mc Donald |
THE FINAL | ||
Paddy Mc Laughlin | 11 : 6 | Stephen Johnson |
Stephen Johnson (Antrim) has made a return to the winners enclosure after a good number of months when he came through a strong field of players at TJ’s American Pool Club in Newry to claim the 2006 Co. Down American 8-Ball Pool Championship title with a 8-3 victory over N. Ireland 8-ball international Manny Byrne.
The tournament was played in groups of six in a round robin format which seen Stephen go into the tournament as the number two seed and he retained that ranking for the knockout stages by putting in some fine performances along the away topping his group by recording four wins out of five over some of Ireland’s top players.
All Stephen’s group victories where recorded against Leslie Walsh (Wexford), Enda Ennis (Donegal), Vernon Wall (Meath), and Gerald Woods (Louth) before losing to the home venue player Declan Mc Mahon (Down).
The knockout stages once again seen the Co. Antrim player keep up his fine run of form to progress to the final over Raymond Field (Monaghan, 6-3) in ¼-finals and followed that up with a great 7-4 victory over the tours most improved player Joe O’ Driscoll (Dublin) in the semi-finals to set-up a clash with Down’s Manny Byrne in the final.
Manny also toped his group in the round robin stages winning all his five matches against Mark Gargan (Dublin), Tommy Mc Quaid (Monaghan), Paul Tierney (Meath), Ben Mc Moran (Tyrone) and Sean Mc Bride (Monaghan) to book his place in the knockout stages.
The N. Ireland 8-ball international then overcame the challenges of Declan Mc Mahon (Down, 6-4 in the ¼-finals), Ronnie Boyle (Tyrone, 7-6 in the semi-finals) to reach the final when he would come up against the inform Johnson.
The final seen Stephen step up a gear while Manny just couldn’t get things going, but it was the performance that came from the Co. Antrim player not only in this final but throughout the tournament that give him victory to be crowned a worthy champion and the 2006 Co. Down American 8-Ball Title.
The semi-finalists in the 2006 Co. Down American 8Ball Pool Championships
LtoR: Joe O' Driscoll (Dublin), Manny Byrne (Down, runner-up),
Stephen Johnson (Antrim, winner) and Ronnie Boyle (Tyrone).
The two finalists in the 2006 Co. Down American 8Ball Pool Championships,
Manny Byrne (Down, runner-up) and Stephen Johnson (Antrim, winner).
Stephen Johnson (Antrim) the 2006 Co. Down American 8Ball Pool Champion.
THE QUARTER-FINALS | ||
Ronnie Boyle (Tyrone) | 6 : 2 | Ian Condron (Dublin) |
Manny Byrne (Down) | 6 : 4 | Declan Mc Mahon (Down) |
Joe O’ Driscoll (Dublin) | 6 : 3 | Tommy Mc Quaid (Monaghan) |
Stephen Johnson (Antrim) | 6 : 2 | Raymond Field (Monaghan) |
THE SEMI-FINALS | ||
Manny Byrne | 7 : 6 | Ronnie Boyle |
Stephen Johnson | 7 : 6 | Joe O’ Driscoll |
THE FINAL | ||
Stephen Johnson | 8 : 3 | Manny Byrne |