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Topic: *Industry News* 2011

THE BIG BOYS BEAR DOWN

POOL'S ELITE PLAYERS ALL LOOK TOUGH AS DAY 1 AT THE WORLD 9-BALL CHAMPIONSHIP COMES TO A CLOSE IN DOHA

Story and Photo by Ted Lerner

(Doha, Qatar)--Over the years pool fans have become accustomed to the opening stages of the World 9-ball championship producing major upsets, with unheralded newcomers shocking world class players and sending them reeling over to the precarious losers side of their group brackets. From there the top player is pushed into a do or die situation with every shot carrying the weight of shame and embarrassment if he doesn’t produce.

The storyline that emerged loud and clear last night at the Al Sadd Sports Club in Doha, Qatar, however, was a completely different one. Many of pools big guns were in action in the final two sessions on day 1 and none were even close to being touched or threatened. World 10-ball champion Huidji See, former World 10-ball hampion Darren Appleton, former double world champion Wu Chia Ching, former double world champion Ralf Souquet, former World 9-ball champion Thorsten Hohmann, former US open champion Shane Van Boening, former world 8-ball champion Karl Boyes, Beijing Open winner Chang Jung Lin all romped to victory while barely breaking a sweat.

It could be said that part of the reason for the easy victories by pool’s elite was that the level of competition in the early stages of a 128 man field doesn’t always stack up. And it is true that perhaps more than half the field assembled in Doha has no chance at all to win pool’s most prestigious title. Perhaps only 40 to 50 players have any real chance to raise the trophy on Sunday.

But what was on display last night in the Al Sadd spoke of another kind of statement; that this year’s World 9-ball championship is for the big boys. Clearly the use of the notoriously difficult Diamond tables is proving a big advantage to the best players and will limit “incredible” upsets. Also the newly ramped up tournament venue at the beautiful Al Sadd Sports Club, which many are saying is the finest they’ve ever seen in pool, is getting players’ adrenalin supercharged and helping to bring the best out of the best.

Indeed the heavyweights of pool put on crushing displays last night in Doha. In the day’s third of four sessions, Thorsten Hohmann looked extremely strong in taking down Chinese Taipei’s very capable Ko Pin Yi, 9-4. The Netherlands Huidji See overcame some early mistakes and blew out Germany’s talented Thomas Engert 9-4. Chinese Taipei’s Chang Jung Lin had no problem with the Philippines’ Vicencio Tanio, also winning easily 9-4. England’s Karl Boyes cruised to victory over Francisco Olita of the Philippines, 9-2.

Before the final session of the day the Qatar Billiards and Snooker Federation held a 30 minute opening ceremony. Local dignitaries made speeches, a young man said a prayer, two young girls read a poem and then the arena was filled with a wild laser light show accompanied by music. For the finale the head of the Qatar Olympic Committee , who was seated up in the balcony, broke the ceremonial rack on Table 1 by pulling a hidden string from his perch overlooking the arena.

The impressive display by pool’s elite continued immediately afterwards. Souquet buried Poland’s Mariusz Skoneczny 9-1. Wu, who now plays under the banner of China, had no problem with Italy’s Bruno Muratore, winning 9-4. Appleton defeated Egypt’s El Assal 9-4. Van Boening cruise past the Philippines Joven Alba 9-4. And Sweden’s Marcus Chamat blanked Qatar’s Abdulatif Fawal 9-0.

In what promised to be a highly competitive match, Raj Hundal took on the Philippines Lee Van Corteza. Hundal, who lives in London but players under the flag of India, hadn’t played in a world championship event since 2007 but looked in fine form as he sprinted past Corteza for a 9-4 win.

“I played solid,” Hundal said afterwards. “I only missed two balls. But he also only missed two balls. It was a high quality match and he’s hard to beat so I’m pretty satisfied.”

The group stages continue Sunday at the Al Sadd Sports Club with four sessions running throughout the day and evening. The players have been divided into 16 groups of 8, playing a double elimination format, race to 9, alternate Beak. 4 qualifiers (2 from winner’s brackets and 2 from loser’s brackets) will advance into the final round of 64 players which is single elimination, race to 11, alternate Break. The final will be a race to 13, alternate break.

The 2011 World 9-ball championship has $250,000 in prize money on offer, with $36,000 going to the winner. The tournament will run daily through July 1.

The WPA will be providing complete coverage of all the action from inside the Al Sadd Sports club throughout the tournament. Fans around the world can follow matches as they happen via our live scoring platform. The live scoring button can be seen on the front page of the WPA’s new and improved website, www.wpa-pool.com . There you can also see the brackets icon which will give you updated standings from each group and the knockout stage.

Fans can also get instant updates, insights and scores by following the WPA on Twitter. Our Twitter user name is @poolwpa. You can go directly to our Twitter page at, www.twitter.com/poolwpa.

In addition, the WPA will be providing insights and analysis with articles posted several times daily on the WPA home page.

Complete results from sessions three and four on day 1 of the 2011 World 9-ball championship are below.

Group G
Thorsten Hohmann(GER) 9—4 Ko Pin Yi(TPE)
Waleed Majid(UAE) 9—4Tomasz Kaplan(POL)
Oliver Medenilla(PHL) 9—5Mohammed Al Harthi(KSA)
Nguyen Phuong Thao(VIE) 9—8 Hunter Lombardo(USA)

Group H
Jeffery De Luna(PHL)9—4 Abdulwahed Jamil Hussain(UAE)
Riyan Setiawan(INA) 9—7 Ibrahim Bin Amir(MAS)
Huidji See(NED) 9—4 Thomas Engert(GER)
Takhti Zarekani(IRI) 9 – 2 John Morra(CAN)

Group I
Chang Jun Lin(TPE) 9 – 4 Vicenancio Tanio(PHL)
Soheil Vahedi(IRI) 9 – 5 Amin Fekry(UAE)
Karl Boyes(GBR) 9 – 2 Francisco Olita(PHL)
Lee Chenman(HKG) 9 – 6 Dennis Grabe(EST)

Group J
Ralf Souquet(GER) 9 – 1 Mariusz Skoneczny(POL)
Sundeep Gulati(IND) 9—1 Mohd Buainain(QAT)
Shane Van Boening(USA) 9 vs. 4 Joven Alba(PHL)
Wu Jiaqing(CHN) 9 – 4 Bruno Muratore(ITA)

Group K
Darren Appleton(GBR)9 – 3 El Assal(EGY)
Bader Al Awadi(KUW) 9 – 5 Kim Laaksonen(FIN)
Chang Yu Lun(TPE) 9—3 Israel Rota(PHL)
Serge Das(BEL) vs. Mazen Berjauoui(LEB)

Group L
Marcus Chamat(SWE) 9--0 Abdulatif Fawal(QAT)
Allan Cuartero(PHL) 9 -- 5 Mohmad Al Sofi(SYR)
Raj Hundal(GBR) 9 -- 4 Lee Van Corteza(PHL)
Ohi Naoyuki(JPN) 9 – 6 Erik Hjorleifson(CAN)

"DJANGO", "BATA" OFF TO GOOD STARTS IN WPA WORLD 9-BALL IN DOHA
BY: MARLON BERNARDINO

DEFENDING World Pool-Billiard Association (WPA) World 9-ball champion Francisco "Django" Bustamante and former World 9-ball and 8-ball champion Efren "Bata" Reyes got off to good starts in the opening round of the 2011 World Pool-Billiard Association (WPA) World 9-Ball Championship at the Al Sadd Sports Club in Doha, Qatar on Saturday.

Bustamante, plays for the Puyat Sports of sportsman/businessman Aristeo "Putch" Puyat to opened his retention title bid by beating countryman Caneda Villamor, 9-7, in Group D.

Reyes, also from Puyat Sports edged with a come from behind victory over Mark Gray of Great Britain, 9-8, in Group A.

The Tarlac cue master race a 5-2 commanding lead before unheralded Villamor cut the lead to 6-5 in the race-to-9, alternate break format.

The two went back and forth for the next 30 minutes in what became a nervy and entertaining battle. Bustamante was leading 8-7 with Villamor pressing him in a safety battle. Then, facing what looked to be a sure safety play, Bustamante pulled a rabbit out of the hat when he hit a full table kick on the 6 ball, which collided with the 9 and sent the winning ball into the side pocket for the victory. It appeared to be a lucky shot, but Bustamante said he saw the possibility and went for it.

“I tried to make that 9-ball,” said Bustamante to American billiard writer Ted Lerner. When asked if he was surprised at how good his unknown opponent played the Hall of Famer responded: “Hey don’t forget, he’s a Filipino. All Filipinos play good. I’m just happy to win because now there’s not too much pressure.”

Downed to 6-2 in the early match, Reyes back in the groove and tied the match at 7-7, then went up up 8-7 with a break and run in the 15th racks. Gray cleared off a poor safety by Reyes in rack 15 to bring the match to a 1 rack decider. Reyes, though, made a ball on the break then coolly ran the rack for the victory 9-7 victory.

"I played OK,” Reyes said immediately afterward. “Two times I didn’t make a ball on the break.” Asked if he thought he could win his second World 9-ball title, Reyes said; “I don’t know. This is very difficult. Too many good players are here.”

The Filipino dynamic duo Bustamante and Reyes move to the winners side of their group and need just one win to move into the knockout stage of 64. The 128 players have been divided into 16 groups of 8, playing a double elimination format, race to 9, alternate Break. 4 qualifiers (2 from winner’s brackets and 2 from loser’s brackets) will advance into the final round of 64 players which is single elimination, race to 11, alternate Break. The final will be a race to 13, alternate break.

In other Filipino results, Dennis "Robocop" Orcollo, the reigning World 8-Ball titlist from Perry Mariano's Bugsy Promotions beat Andrew Kong of Hong Kong,9-4, in Group A, as well 2011 World Ten Ball semi-finalists Carlo "Cool" Biado also from Bugsy crushed Petri Makkonen of Finland in Group D.

In the second round, Reyes opposite Konstantin Stepanov of Russia, winner over Vilmos Foldes of Hungrary, Orcollo versus Yousef Jalal of Venezuela, who beat Mohanna Obaidly of Qatar, 9-4, and Bustamante battles Majide Alazme of Kuwait, who dealt Jon Grimley of Great Britain, 9-6. Sharing the limelight is Oliver Medenilla who outplayed Mohammad Al Harthi of Kingdom of Saudia Arabia, 9-5, in Group G, to meet Nguyen Phuong Tao of Vietnam, who crushed Hunter Lombardo of the USA, 9-8.

Meanwhile, Antonio "Ga-Ga" Gabica, the 2006 Doha Asian Games 9-ball gold medal winner and 8-ball silver medallist, yielded to 2011 China Open Champion Chris Melling of Great Britain, 9-8, in Group B while 2007 World 9-ball finalist Roberto "Pinoy Superman" Gomez bowed to Manuel Gama of Portugal, 9-8, in Group E. A total of 128 players coming from 44 countries participate in the $250,000 total pot prize tournament offering a $36,000 top purse.

HAPPY TO BE ALIVE!

DOWN TO WIRE WINS BRING PLENTY OF JOY IN DO OR DIE MATCHES ON DAY 2 AT THE WORLD 9-BALL CHAMPIONSHIP

Story and Photos by Ted Lerner

(Doha, Qatar)-- Do or die. Win or Walk. Sudden Death.

These are the phrases that instill fear in professional pool players and, at the same time, grab the attention of fans who love the unique drama that tends to emanate from the small blue pitch. And in this sport, where a roll of a ball even just a fraction of a millimeter can be lead to life changing turn of events, the sink or swim scenario can be downright cruel. And it can also be sheer joy.

With the losers brackets underway here on day two at the World 9-Ball Championship in Doha, Qatar, the now or never scenario has already brought plenty of happiness, and a fair share of heartache as well.

Take Mark Gray. The 37 year old from Peterborough Cambridgeshire in the UK found himself in the losers bracket of his group of 8 by the slimmest of margins. Yesterday in the very first match of this year’s World 9-ball championship, he drew the legend, Efren Reyes of the Philippines. Gray was pumped to play the great Hall of Famer and he played like it too, jumping out to a 5-2 lead. But in the end, Gray, despite playing near mistake free pool, lost a hill-hill thriller.

In today’s do or die match versus Hungary’s Vilmos Foldes on the losers side, Gray found himself down 7-2 in a the race to 9 alternate break match and staring at an early exit from the World Championship. He was beside himself because he’d actually played good in both matches.

“I’m 7-2 down to Foldes and I’m thinking, ok here I go again,” Gray said. “I played alright. I only missed 2 balls and the luck goes against me. But I stuck in there.”

Indeed Gray clawed his way back into the match and as he began to close the score line on Foldes, suddenly the Hungarian was feeling the heat of elimination.

“He missed a few and I could see he(Foldes) was feeling the pressure,” he said. Gray sensed blood and went on to win the match 9-7, sending Foldes for the exits. Gray now will be back tomorrow for one more crack at the final 64. He’s now had two matches with two unlikely turn of events. Afterwards he wasn’t sure if should feel elated or like a punching bag.

“I missed two pots against Efren and only two pots against Foldes and I’m hanging in there by a thread,” Gray said laughing. “Other guys have got easy draws, but I guess I should be happy just to still be alive.”

That’s the way it goes in the biggest tournament of them all, and in a game like 9-ball where just about anything can happen and it usually does. You have to take things one shot, one game at a time. One minute you’re facing elimination, the next you’re making a run at the title.

If he catches a gear, Gray certainly has the pedigree to go all the way. For others success at the World Championship is measured in much less lofty terms. But the sheer joy of escaping in a world championship when all the chips are down is the same for the greats and the newcomers.

Lebanon’s Mohammad Ali Berjawi is playing in his first world championship. The 21 year old from Beirut lost easily yesterday to Canadian Chris Orme, 9-4. But he came back today in a sink or swim match and found himself in a tight contest with Henriqu Correia of Portugal. Tied at 8-8, Berjawi got the table and coolly ran the last six balls. As the final 9 ball fell, he gave a small pump of his fist.

While Berjawi obviously has no chance to win the World Championship, afterwards the joy of just surviving to play another day, a day that could see him move into the final 64 knockout stage in the biggest tournament in the world, was written all over his face.

“It would mean so much to me if I could get into the final 64,” Berjawi said. “It would mean so much for pool in Lebanon.”

Berjawi said pool is very popular and growing in Lebanon, with almost 350 players in the national federation. He said he’s the number one ranked 9-ball player, while his 20 year old brother, Mazen, who’s also playing in the World 9-ball championship, is the number one ranked 8-ball player.

Berjawi will be in another do or die match tomorrow at the Al Sadd Sports Club. One easily get’s the feeling that no matter what happens, he’ll love every minute of the experience.

The group stages continue Sunday evening at the Al Sadd Sports Club with two more sessions. The players have been divided into 16 groups of 8, playing a double elimination format, race to 9, alternate Beak. 4 qualifiers (2 from winner’s brackets and 2 from loser’s brackets) will advance into the final round of 64 players which is single elimination, race to 11, alternate Break. The final will be a race to 13, alternate break.

The 2011 World 9-ball championship has $250,000 in prize money on offer, with $36,000 going to the winner. The tournament will run daily through July 1.

The WPA will be providing complete coverage of all the action from inside the Al Sadd Sports club throughout the tournament. Fans around the world can follow matches as they happen via our live scoring platform. The live scoring button can be seen on the front page of the WPA’s new and improved website, www.wpa-pool.com . There you can also see the brackets icon which will give you updated standings from each group and the knockout stage.

Fans can also get instant updates, insights and scores by following the WPA on Twitter. Our Twitter user name is @poolwpa. You can go directly to our Twitter page at, www.twitter.com/poolwpa.

In addition, the WPA will be providing insights and analysis with articles posted several times daily on the WPA home page.

Complete results from sessions 1 and 2 on Day 2 of the World 9-ball championship are below.

Group L
Ronnie Alcano(PHL) 9 -- 5 Hamzah Al Saeed(ERI)
Radoslaw Babica(POL) 9 -- 8 Raymund Faron(PHL-UAE)
Mohammad Al Hazmi (SYR)9 –6 Nguyen Phuc Long(VIE)
Daryl Peach(GBR) 9 – 5 Keng Kwang Chan(SIN)

Group N        
Marlo He(AUT) 9 – 3 Lui Haitao(CHN)
Hsu Kai Lun(TPE) 9 –6 Khamis Obaidly(QAT)
Nick Van den Berg(NED)9 -- 4 Omar Al Omari(KSA)
Francisco Sanchez Ruiz(ESP) 9 -- 6 Mohamad Asfari(SYR)

Group O
Yukio Akakariyama(JPN) 9 -- 8 Mohammed Al Bin Ali(QAT)
Alok Kumar(IND) 9 – 4 Desmond Goh Teck(SIN)
Niels Feijen(NED) 9 – 4 Tamoo Takano(JPN)
Sascha-Andrej Tege(GER) 9 – 0 Badr Al Hamdan(KSA)

Group P
Antonio Lining(PHL) 9—4 Liu Cheng Cheih
Ali Saeed(UAE) 9 –1 Ramiz Turulja(BAN)
Tohru Kuribayashi(JPN) 9 -- 6 Oliver Ortmann(GER)
Carlo Dalmatin(CRO) 9 – 2 Taher Hussain(QAT)

Group A Losers Bracket
Mark Gray(GBR) 9 --7 Vilmos Foldes(HUN)
Mohanna Obaidly(QAT) 9 -- 6 Andrew Kong(HKG)

Group B Losers Bracket
Ali Berjawi, Mohamad(LEB) 9 -- 8 Henriqu Correia(POR)
Antonio Gabica(PHL) 9—4 Majed Al Zaab(UAE)

Group C Losers Bracket
Han Hao Xiang(CHN)9 –8 Jason Klatt(CAN)
Omaral Shaheeme( KUW) 9 – 6 Abdulmajed Hussain

Group D Losers Bracket
Caneda Villamor(PHL) 9—1 Jon Grimley(NZL)
Scott Higgin(GBR) 9—8 Petri Makkonen(FIN)

LOSERS FEEL THE SQUEEZE

32 PLAYERS HEAD FOR THE EXITS ON PRESSURE FILLED DAY 2 AT THE WORLD 9-BALL CHAMPIONSHIP IN QATAR.

Story and Photo by Ted Lerner

(Doha, Qatar)--There was plenty of heartbreak and lots of relief as well inside the spectacularly appointed Al Sadd Sports Club in Doha, Qatar Sunday as Day 2 of the 2011 World 9-ball championship has now been completed.

32 players saw their dreams of glory crash out , while 32 others got a much welcome reprieve as all of the matches on the losers side of each group bracket took place. The field of 128 players from over 40 countries around the world has now been trimmed to 96.

The final two sessions of the day saw several dramatic and pressure packed matches as players desperately tried to hang on to their dreams of moving on in the most prestigious pool tournament in the world. One trend that was clear is that the talent level across the globe is growing exponentially, especially in the Middle East. Guys you’d expect to win handily were be taken to the limit by unknowns from countries not normally considered pool breeding grounds.

The Philippines Roberto Gomez came into his match with Jordan’s Almed Naeem Ali as a massive favorite but quickly found himself in a dogfight for survival with the boyish looking 19 year old. The pair were tied at 7 and Gomez had the all clear for the lead but blew a shot on the 7 ball. Ali stepped up and cleared to go up 8-7 in the race to 9 and got himself a big cheer from the nice crowd on hand. Ali then broke for the win but got robbed when the cue ball got knocked in. Gomez looked confused and was clearly under pressure and eventually gave the table back with a poor safety. Ali was heading for the biggest win in Jordanian pool history when he scratched with just three balls on the table. After Gomez tied the match, the Filipino broke and ran for the lucky escape, leaving the youngster from Amman devastated.

Germany’s Thomas Engert survived to play another day when he squeaked by Canada’s John Morra 9-8. Filipino Francisco Felicilda, who works and plays out of the United Arab Emirates stayed alive in his group when he barely ousted Estonian Dennis Grabe, 9-8.

One match that seemed to catch the local crowd’s fancy was Qatar Abdulatif Fawal and Syria’s Mohamad Al Sofi. The two battled for nearly two hours and went right down to the wire. From 7-7, the pair were under so much pressure that they could barely hold their cues, and even simple straight in shots became major testers. Much to the delight of the many Qataris in the crowd, Fawal somehow managed to get his act together long enough to make the final two balls and one more chance to make it to the final 64.

Other players who put in fine performances and can still see daylight were Chinese Taipei brothers Ko Pin Yi and Ko Ping Chun, the Philippines Lee Van Corteza, the USA’s Hunter Lombardo, Oliver Ortmann of Germany, Tamoo Takano of Japan, Liu Haitao of China, and Mohamad Asfari of Syria.

The 2001 World 9-ball Championship continues in Doha on Monday with the winners from each bracket squaring off. The players have been divided into 16 groups of 8, playing a double elimination format, race to 9, alternate Beak. 4 qualifiers (2 from winner’s brackets and 2 from loser’s brackets) will advance into the final round of 64 players which is single elimination, race to 11, alternate Break. The final will be a race to 13, alternate break.

The 2011 World 9-ball championship has $250,000 in prize money on offer, with $36,000 going to the winner. The tournament will run daily through July 1.

The WPA will be providing complete coverage of all the action from inside the Al Sadd Sports club throughout the tournament. Fans around the world can follow matches as they happen via our live scoring platform. The live scoring button can be seen on the front page of the WPA’s new and improved website, www.wpa-pool.com . There you can also see the brackets icon which will give you updated standings from each group and the knockout stage.

Fans can also get instant updates, insights and scores by following the WPA on Twitter. Our Twitter user name is @poolwpa. You can go directly to our Twitter page at, www.twitter.com/poolwpa.

In addition, the WPA will be providing insights and analysis with articles posted several times daily on the WPA home page.

Complete results from sessions 3 and 4 on Day 2 of the World 9-ball championship are listed below. All the winners have one more chance to move on to the final 64, while all the losers are out of the tournament.

Group E Losers Bracket
Ahmad Faufiq Bin Murni(BRU) 9 – 5 Meshal Turkey(QAT)
Roberto Gomez(PHL) 9 – 8 Almed Naeem Ali(JOR)

Group F Losers Bracket
Hany Al Hori(UAE) 9 – 6 Martin Daigle(CAN)
Ko Ping Chun(TPE) 9 – 3 David Alcaide(ESP)

Group G Losers Bracket
Ko Pin Yi(TPE) 9 – 5 Tomasz Kaplan(POL)
Hunter Lombardo(USA) 9 – 5 Mohammad Al Harthi(KSA)

Group H Losers Bracket
Ibrahim Bin Amir(MAS) 9 – 5 Riyan Setiawan(INA)
Thomas Engert(GER) 9 – 8 John Morra(CAN)

Group I Losers Bracket
Venancio Tanio(PHL) 9 – 4 Ameen Fekree(UAE)
Francisco Felicilda(PHL-UAE) 9 – 8 Dennis Grabe(EST)

Group J Losers Bracket
Mariusz Skoneczny(POL) 9 - 1 Mohd Buainain(QAT)
Joven Alba(PHL-UAE) 9 – 6 Bruno Muratore(ITA)

Group K Losers Bracket
Kim Laaksonen(FIN) 9 - 3 El Assal(EGY)
Israel Rota(PHL-QAT) 9 – 6 Mazen Berjaoui(LEB)

Group L Losers Bracket
Abdulatif Fawal(QAT) 9 - 8 Mohamad Al Sofi(SYR)
Lee Van Corteza(PHL) 9 – 4 Erik Hjorleifson(CAN)

Group M Losers Bracket
Raymond Faron(PHL-UAE) 9 - 2 Hamzah Al Saeed(ERI)
Nguyen Phuc Long(VIE) 9 - 3 Keng Kwang Chan(SIN)

Group N Losers Bracket
Lui Haitao(CHN)9 – 2 Khamis Obaidly(QAT)
Mohamad Asfari (SYR) 9 – 0 Omar Al Omari(KSA)

Group O Losers Bracket
Desmond Goh Teck(SIN) 9 – 5 Mohammed AlBin Ali(QAT)
Tomoo Takano(JPN) 9 - 5 Badr Al Hamdan(KSA)

Group P Losers Bracket
Taher Hussain(QAT) 9 – 2 Ramiz Turulja(BIH)
Oliver Ortmann(GER) 9 - 6 Liu Cheng Chieh(TPE)

AMERICAS LAST BEST HOPE

SHANE VAN BOENING WINS CLIFFHANGER OVER WU JIAQING AND MOVES INTO THE LAST 64 AT THE WORLD 9-BALL CHAMPIONSHIP IN DOHA, QATAR

Story and Photo
by Ted Lerner

(Doha, Qatar)-- Shane Van Boening will be the first to admit that he hasn’t performed up to his self imposed high expectations when he plays overseas. The American star, who continually travels the globe to play tournaments, has only won twice outside of his native USA. To Van Boening, though, those two victories were small events close to home; a 10-ball tournament in Aruba and another small event in Nicaragua. The American has much higher aspirations. He wants to win the world championship overseas.

Tonight on the center table at the Al Sadd Sports Club in Doha, Qatar, Van Boening took a big step towards achieving his dream when he narrowly defeated former double world champion Wu Chia Ching(now known as Wu Jiaqing) in a 9-8 cliffhanger. With the victory the American qualified for the business end of the 2011 World 9-ball Championship, the single elimination knockout round of 64 which begins on Wednesday.

Van Boening, however, nearly found himself on the ropes and in the losers bracket. He was up 7-3 in the race to 9, alternate break contest. But Wu fought back to close to 7-6. Van Boening pushed the score line to 8-6, before Wu rallied to tie. Wu broke in the final rack and potted a ball, but uncharacteristically played a bad safety on the 1, which left the American a clear shot. In his trademark nonchalant style, Van Boening picked off the remaining colors for the big win.

While the South Dakota native craves a big win overseas, he isn’t just trying to win the world championship for himself either. In what has to be one of the biggest ironies seen in the sport of pool in sometime, only two Americans have bothered to travel to Qatar and enter the world championship of the American game of pool. And the other American player beside Van Boening, Hunter Lombardo, is making his first ever appearance on the big stage.(Lombardo plays in the losers bracket of his group Tuesday.) So realistically the hopes of the nation that created the great game of pool rest on the shoulders of one man.

“It’s motivation because I’m pretty much here by myself,” Van Boening said after defeating Wu. “ I want to win this for the USA.”

As to why many American players are becoming more scarce on the growing international scene these days, Van Boening says it’s for a number of reasons.

“The other American players don’t like to travel,” he said. “And there’s a lot of pressure with all the expenses to go this far. I just like to play anywhere I can. I love to travel the whole world and play pool.”

Van Boening feels confident that he can progress far in this year’s World Championship, where the field of 128 players from over 40 countries is as strong as ever. Two years ago he came here and reached the semi finals of the Qatar Open, which was the tournament that would become the current World 9-ball Championship.

But there’s another angle at play here that just might work in Van Boening’s favor this year. For the first time ever in a World 9-ball Championship, the players are playing on Diamond tables, which have been playing extremely difficult and getting rave reviews from the top players. The American has a special fondness for the American tables.

“I’m confident on Diamond tables,” Van Boening said smiling. “I know how the pockets are. The tournaments I win in the States are all on Diamonds.”

It could be just the thing to put the World Championship of the American game back in American hands.



Van Boening is just one of many big names who made it through to the final 64 here in Doha. The third day of the World 9-ball Championship was given over to the winners’ side of the group matches, and 32 players have now advanced into the final 64, which begins Wednesday.

So far in the 2011 World Championship there have been no major upsets, and nearly all of pool’s big names have gone through to the knockout stage. Many people are crediting this development to the very tough table conditions, which always favor better players, and puts added pressure on everyone else, especially if they haven’t had much experience at this level. One thing is sure in the coming days. The sport's big guns are going to be slugging it out in some all time classics.

One who’s had plenty of experience at the highest echelons of pool is Efren Reyes of the Philippines. Reyes was first up on day three in a match against the young Russian Konstantin Stepanov. Once again Reyes was placed on center table where he could best be seen by the 500 plus Filipino fans, all of them overseas workers who live in Qatar, who turned out to cheer their hero’s every shot.

After falling behind 2-0 Reyes completely dominated Stepanov and ran away with the match. The Magician broke well, looked confident in his potting and punished Stepanov for every mistake. Reyes won going away, 9-3 and advanced to the round of 64.

“I played good this time,” an obviously pleased Reyes said after the match. “My break was working well. The breaking was easy with this plastic rack. I have a day off tomorrow so I need rest.”

Reyes, who’s a living legend in his native Philippines and is mobbed wherever he goes, often complains of the immense pressure to win when he’s playing in big events back home. He said it’s not much different even when he travels abroad.

“Yes there’s also pressure here because there are so many Filipinos here,” he said laughing. “I’m ashamed to them if I lose. They think I can never lose.” To prove his point, Reyes left the arena and was literally mobbed by several hundred rabid Filipino fans, who shouted “Idol!” and pushed and clamored for photos.

The always strong Filipino contingent pitched a shutout in the first session as all four Pinoy players won easily. Dennis Orcullo easily beat Venezuela’s Jalal Yousef 9-3. The young gun Carlo Biado waltzed over Korea’s Lee Gun Jae, 9-2. And Hall of Famer Francisco Bustamante defeated Kuwait’s Alazmi Majed, 9-4.

For England’s Chris Melling, it was another powerhouse performance from pool’s hottest player right now. Melling broke and ran every single time he had the break and ran away from a very capable Lo Li Wen of Japan, 9-2. The burly Brit has now won two tournaments in a row, including the world ranking China Open, and hasn’t lost in 16 matches. Melling said he had already mastered the break shot, but wasn’t worried that others might follow suit.

“This is the best I ever played,” he said. “I’ve got the break shot down. I’m controlling the cue and the one ball. The Diamond tables are a bit tight but it’s too easy to break. If you figure it out it’s guaranteed you’ll pot the one ball on the break. It’s going to come down to luck. And who can handle the pressure. That’s ok with me because right now I’m definitely the top four or five under pressure.”

Other players who qualified in the first session and looked very strong were last year’s semi-finalist Kuo Po Cheng, former World 9-ball champion Mika Immonen, Chris Orme of Canada, England’s Imran Majid, and France’s Stepan Cohen.

The day’s second session saw mostly routs from some big names. Germany’s Ralf Souquet , current World 10-ball champion Huidji See of the Netherlands, England’s Karl Boyes and Taiwan’s Chang Jung Lin all went untouched. Former World 9-ball champion Thorsten Hohmann struggled a bit but passed the grade. Three out of four Filipinos made it the round of 64, including the hard hitting Jeffrey De Luna.

Current US Open champion Darren Appleton found himself in a tough match with Bader Al Awadi of Kuwait. Appleton was down 5-3 before coming back to win and afterwards praised the progress of the local lads.

“These Middle Eastern guys have improved a lot in the last two years,” Appleton said. “You’ll see a few of them getting to the last 16 for sure. I wouldn’t be surprised to see one of them get to the final within two years.”

The evening session confirmed that the Europeans have all but taken over pool, as the Netherlands Nick van den Berg and Niels Fiejen played strong and booked spots in the final 64. So too did 18 year old Austrian Mario He, who won an 9-8 tester against Taiwan’s Hsu Kun Lai.

The best match of the evening session came between Poland’s Radislaw Babica and the Philippines Ronnie Alcano, the former World 9 and World 8-ball champion. In front of a boisterous crowd of mostly Filipinos, Babica went up 5-2 in the race to 9 and then watched Alcano sprint to the hill at 8-6. Babica showed some serious nerve and tied up the match. Then the confident Pole kept Alcano in his chair and broke and ran for a very satisfying victory.

The group stages wind up on Tuesday at the Al Sadd Sports Club with all matches do-or-die as players from the losers side of each bracket compete for the final spots in the round of 64.

The WPA will be providing complete coverage of all the action from inside the Al Sadd Sports club throughout the tournament. Fans around the world can follow matches as they happen via our live scoring platform. The live scoring button can be seen on the front page of the WPA’s new and improved website, www.wpa-pool.com . There you can also see the brackets icon which will give you updated standings from each group and the knockout stage.

Fans can also get instant updates, insights and scores by following the WPA on Twitter. Our Twitter user name is @poolwpa. You can go directly to our Twitter page at, www.twitter.com/poolwpa.

In addition, the WPA will be providing insights and analysis with articles posted several times daily on the WPA home page.

Complete results from Day 3 of the World 9-ball championship are below. All winners have advanced to the knockout stage of 64, while the losers get one more chance on Tuesday.

1st Session

Group A Winners Bracket
Dennis Orcullo(PHL) 9 – 3 Jalal Yousef(VEN)
Efren Reyes(PHL) 9 – 3 Konstantin Stepanov(RUS)

Group B Winners Bracket
Chris Orme(CAN) 9 – 0 Fu Jan Bo(CHN)
Chris Melling(GBR) 9 – 2 Lo Li Wen(JPN)

Group C Winners Bracket
Roman Hybler(CZE) 9 – 5 Muhammad Zulfikri(INA)
Carlos Cabello(ESP) 9 – 4 Fu Chei Wei(TPE)

Group D Winners Bracket
Carlo Biado(PHL) 9 – 2 Lee Gun Jae(KOR)
Francisco Bustamante(PHL) 9 – 4 Alazmi Majed(KUW)

Group E Winners Bracket
Ko Puo Cheng(TPE) 9 – 1 Christian Tuvi(URU)
Imran Majid(GBR) 9 – 7 Manuel Gama(POR)

Group F Winners Bracket
Mika Immonen(FIN) 9 – 2 Hwang Yong(KOR)
Stephan Cohen(nothing) 9 – 6 Dhang Jinhu(CHN)

2nd Session

Group G Winners Bracket
Thorsten Hohmann(GER) 9 – 4 Majed Waleed(QAT)
Oliver Medenilla(PHL) 9 – 6 Nguyen Phuong Thao(VIE)

Group H Winners Bracket
Jeffrey De Luna(PHL) 9 – 4 Riyan Setiawan(INA)
Huidji See(NED) 9 – 2 Takhti Zarekani(IRI)

Group I Winners Bracket
Chang Jung Lin(TPE) 9 – 1 Soheil Vahedi(IRI)
Karl Boyes(GBR) 9 – 0 Lee Chenman(HKG)

Group J Winners Bracket
Ralf Souquet(GER) 9 – 1 Sundeep Gulati(IND)
Shane Van Boening(USA) 9 – 8 Wu Jiaqing(CHN)

Group K Winners Bracket
Darren Appleton(GBR) 9 – 5 Bader Al Awadi(KUW)
Chang Yu Lun(TPE) 9 – 3 Israel Rota(PHL-QAT)

Group L Winners Bracket
Alan Cuartero(PHL-KUW) 9 – 5 Marcus Chamat(SWE)
Raj Hundal(IND) 9 – 8 Naoyuki Oi(JPN)

3rd Session

Group M Winners Bracket
Radoslaw Babica(POL) 9 – 8 Ronnie Alcano(PHL)
Daryl Peach(GBR) 9 – 4 Mohammad Al Hazmi(KSA)

Group N Winners Bracket
Mario He(AUT) 9 – 8 Hsu Kai Lun(TPE)
Nick Van Den Berg(NED) 9 – 5 Francisco Sanchez Ruiz(ESP)

Group O Winners Bracket
Yukio Akakariyama(JPN) 9 – 3 Alok Kumar(IND)
Niels Feijen(NED) 9 – 4 Sascha Tege(GER)

Group P Winners Bracket
Antonio Lining(PHL) 9 – 4 Tohru Kouribayashi(JPN)
Carlo Dalmann(CRO) 9 - 5 Ali Saeed(UAE)

ABP Sanctions the World Tournament of 14.1
From Oscar Dominguez - ABP Board Secretary & Treasurer

On August 28-Sept 2, history will be made with the Association of Billiard Professionals World Tournament of 14.1, the largest prize fund in straight pool history with a 35,000USD added totaling to a 70,000USD prize fund. The World Tournament is the oldest tournament in history that still exists today. Also making this event all the more special, this will be the first officially sanctioned tournament by the ABP. It is the ABP's goal for ABP sanctioning to mean that a tournament meets, or exceeds the guidelines set forth by the ABP body and raises the bar for our sport.

In addition, this event will be a BCA/ABP rankings event for ½ points. The top 32 BCA/ABP ranked pros will receive an automatic invite to the event and 6 qualifiers are already set nationwide. So expect some of your favorite American and international pool players to be there. This is one event you will not want to miss!

"I love that this event is a sanctioned ranking event. We need these kind of events on our calendar. I wish we had more 14.1 tournaments. We need to keep straight pool alive and well because it's a great game", says Mika Immonen, ABP Board Member and 2x World Champion.

The 71st World Straight Pool event is produced by Dragon Promotions in partnership with the support of Dr.Michael Fedak. The event will be held in New Brunswick, New Jersey at the Hyatt Regency Hotel. The event is also supported by Predator Cues and will feature some of the world’s best players including defending champion Oliver Ortmann from Germany. Other feature names include Stefan Cohen, Thorsten Hohmann, Johnny Archer, Rodney Morris, and Jasmin Ouschan among others. Official equipment used will be Andy Cloth and Aramith Balls.

Fans and players can make hotel reservations now at the Hyatt Regency by calling 732-873-1234 and ask for "US Pool Players" Group Vendor spaces are also available, please contact dp.sally@gmail.com For spectator/player information please email worldstraightpoolchampionships@gmail.com and for more info on ABP go visit www.abp-players.com

Billiard Congress of America Issues Correction to ABP Release

Broomfield, Colo. – June 30, 2011 – The Billiard Congress of America today issued a correction to a recent news release issued by the Association of Billiard Professionals (ABP) regarding the World Tournament of 14.1. In their announcement, the ABP indicated that the upcoming World Tournament of 14.1 is a, “BCA/ABP ranking event for 1/2 points.”

The Billiard Congress of America would like to clarify that this is not a BCA point-ranking event for the 2011 calendar. The Billiard Congress of America further clarified that it does not recognize a, “BCA/APB ranking system.”

As the North American representative to the World Pool-Billiard Association (WPA), the Billiard Congress of America is responsible for maintaining a points system designed to rank American players according to their performance in American tournaments. The ranking is then used forinviting American players to compete in WPA sanctioned world championship events.

In order for tournaments to be designated as a BCA point-ranking event they must meet or exceed a predetermined set of requirements and must request such designation from the Billiard Congress of America’s WPA Committee. At this time, neither the ABP nor the World Tournament of 14.1 promoters have requested from the BCA’s WPA committee to become a BCA point-ranking event.

For a complete list of 2011 BCA Ranking Events or for a complete explanation on how the point system works please visit the ‘Follow Pool’ section on the BCA Website at bca-pool.com > Follow Pool > BCA Standings.

About Billiard Congress of America Founded in 1948, the Billiard Congress of America is a non-profit trade organization dedicated to growing a united, prosperous and highly regarded billiard industry through BCA leadership. The BCA seeks to enhance the success of its members and promote the game of billiards though educational, marketing and promotional efforts, annual industry trade shows and other programs designed to encourage billiards as a lifestyle and make pool everybody's game. For more information, visit bca-pool.com or call 303-243-5070.

2011 McDermott New Product Line

McDermott Cue Mfg., LLC is a leading manufacturer and world-wide distributor of pool cues, performance shafts and billiard accessories. McDermott is proud to announce new products into their 2011 product line. The new products will be unveiled to dealers and distributors at the 2011 BCA Show in Las Vegas.

New additions to the McDermott line include: 2011 one-of-a-kind Masterpiece Cue; the 2011Jim McDermott Cue of the Year and Cue of the Year Enhanced limited edition cues; 3 shaft inlay cues that feature intricate inlays in the shaft that complement the cue's design; a point inlay cue at an entry level price point. All new McDermott cues feature high-performance shafts. In addition to growing the McDermott line, Star also added 10 all new pearl cues that feature real pearl inlays and pearl butt plates.

"We are very excited about the new additions to our product line. Last year's cue line was very well received and we believe the new products added in 2011 give our customers an even better selection with all the performance, value and craftsmanship they are used to from McDermott." said Larry Liebl, McDermott Executive Vice President.

McDermott also added cases and accessories to the 2011 product line.

McDermott Cue is headquartered in Menomonee Falls, WI markets under the brands of McDermott Cue, Star Cue, Lucky Cue, Element Cue, Wildfire, Pool Prodigy, Intimidator Shafts, G-Core Shafts, Big Boy Shafts, Sledgehammer Break Cue, Stinger Jump/Break Cues, and Elephant Balls.

For more information about this press release contact Marketing Director, Michael Slowik at mslowik@mcdermottcue.com or call 1-800-666-2283. More information can be found at www.mcdermottcue.com.

FILIPINO ALCANO SETTLES FOR SECOND IN WPA WORLD 9-BALL IN DOHA, QATAR; JAPANESE AKAKARIYAMA POCKETS $36,000
BY: MARLON BERNARDINO

FORMER WPA World 9-ball and 8-ball champion champion Filipino Ronato "Volcano" Alcano rediscovered his fine form but Japanese Yukio Akakariyama scuttled his bid to win another world title.

Akakariyama outsteadied Alcano in a thrilling duel, 13-11, by display of pressure packed 9-ball before a partisan crowd of close to 1500, most of them Filipinos, to add the 2011 World Pool-Billiard Association (WPA) World 9-Ball Championship to his growing list of titles late Saturday at the Al Sadd Sports Club in Doha, Qatar.

For beating the Calamba hotshot Alcano, Akakariyama join the list of the Japanese World 9-ball champions in the company of Takeshi Okumura (1994, Chicago, USA) and Kunihiko Takahashi (1998, Taipei, Taiwan).

His triumph also collected $36,000 top purse in this $250,000 total pot prize week-long WPA sanctioned tournament. Last May, Akakariyama failed to win his first-ever World Ten Ball crown losing to eventual champion Huidjie See of the Netherlands, 9-6, in the semi-finals was held in Manila.

Ranked No. 2 in the world, Alcano earned his way in the finals by edging countryman Dennis "Robocop" Orcollo, 11-9, in an all Filipino-semi final encounter to arranged a titular showdown with Akakariyama, an 11-10 winner over England's Mark Gray.

Alcano, who won the 2007 WPA World 8-ball crown in Fujairah, United Arab Emirates, received the runner-up prize of $18,000 while semi-finalists Orcollo and Gray, both went home $10,000 each.

Alcano, who beat German ace Ralf "Kaiser" Souquet for the 2006 WPA World 9-ball crown in Manila, meantime failed to duplicate the feats of Johnny "The Scorpion" Archer of the USA (1992, Taipei, Taiwan), (1997, Chicao, USA) and Chao Fong-pang of Chinese-Taipei (Konigswinter, Germany, 1993), (Alicante, Spain, 2000), both won twice in WPA World 9-ball competition.

Earl The Pearl" Strickland of the USA (1990 Bergheim, Germany), (1991 Las Vegas, USA) and (2002 Cardiff, Wales, UK) hold the distinction of the most winningest player for the WPA World 9-ball tiara by winning thrice.

Other Filipino WPA World 9-ball champions were Efren "Bata" Reyes (1999, Cardiff, Wales, UK), Alex "The Lion" Pagulayan (2004, Taipei, Taiwan), and Francisco "Django" Bustamante (2010, Doha, Qatar).

McDermott Website Redesign

McDermott Cue Mfg., LLC is a leading manufacturer and world-wide distributor of pool cues, performance shafts and billiard accessories. McDermott is proud to announce a totally redesigned website to be launched July 1, 2011.

The new website features a simplified navigation that makes it easier to find information on McDermott's 12 product brands. The user will also find updated G-Core and i-Shaft illustrations, as well as a shaft comparison page that quickly explains the benefits of McDermott's high-performance shafts.

"Our customers come to our site for the latest news on our products, services and industry events. The simplified site structure and clearly branded product sections allows the user to quickly access the information they are looking for," said Michael Slowik, Marketing Director.

The site features online cue and warranty registration, new featured products and an enhanced social media presence. McDermott’s new site includes a retired cue section, which is a great reference point for collectors and billiard players trying to identity retired McDermott cue models.

"The new site was designed with the consumer in mind," said Derek Blaguski, Marketing Specialist. "Our goal was to streamline the content and navigation for a more user-friendly experience. The improved site structure makes it easier to update and maintain."

McDermott Cue is headquartered in Menomonee Falls, WI markets under the brands of McDermott Cue, Star Cue, Lucky Cue, Element Cue, Wildfire, Pool Prodigy, Intimidator Shafts, G-Core Shafts, Big Boy Shafts, Sledgehammer Break Cue, Stinger Jump/Break Cues, and Elephant Balls.

For more information about this press release contact Marketing Director, Michael Slowik at mslowik@mcdermottcue.com or call 1-800-666-2283. More information can be found at www.mcdermottcue.com.

Carter - Snooker World Cup Is Wide Open

England's Ali Carter believes that the unique format of next week's PTT-EGAT Snooker World Cup increases the chance of a shock winner.

The new tournament, which runs from July 11-17 in Bangkok and will be televised by Eurosport, will see 20 two-man teams battling for a bumper top prize of $200,000. Matches in the initial group phase will be over five frames, including a doubles frame with alternate shots. The top two teams in each of four groups of five teams will then progress to the quarter-finals.

"It's a new format for all of us. I've never played doubles with alternate shots before and it will take some getting used to," said World No 6 Carter, who will carry England's hopes alongside Mark Selby. "You might see some surprise results.

"England, Scotland, Wales and China are going to be the favourites but there are a lot of other teams with a chance. Mark Allen and Gerard Greene for Northern Ireland is a strong team because they are both great potters and that's what you need in short matches. And the two Thai teams will be dangerous because they will have the home support and they're used to the conditions there.

"It's exciting to be playing in a team event as it's something I've never done before. You don't want to let your opponent down. I've got a very strong partner in Mark Selby and we both know the other will be giving everything to win.

"I had a poor record in Asia until last season when I won the Shanghai Masters. I've got more confidence playing out there now and I know I can win tournaments."

For 2008 World Championship finalist Carter, the World Cup will be sandwiched in between this week's Wuxi Classic in China and the Australian Goldfields Open, in a busy start to the season.

"It's going to be a long trip, but you've got to take the opportunities that are coming up now, and I just hope I can come home at the end of it with some good results and maybe a trophy," added the 31-year-old from Essex.

"We've not had much of a summer break and I've struggled to get enough practice so far to be sharp but with these three events back-to-back it's a chance to get straight into the action."

For all information on the World Cup including players, draw and tickets, see www.pttegatsnookerworldcup.com

NATIONAL SNOOKER WEEK - 25 - 29 JULY 2011

· Download your voucher for free snooker
· Chance to win tickets for the UK Championship in York

National Snooker Week is nearly upon us, and that means free snooker and free Rileys membership for anyone during that week.

Endorsed by World Snooker and Rileys, National Snooker Week takes place 25 - 29th July, during the school summer holidays.

National Snooker Week (NSW) aims to get more people of all ages playing the sport. Snooker is a sport that's accessible to everyone and, thanks to Barry Hearn's World Snooker, it's growing in popularity amongst younger people.

To celebrate the first ever NSW, Rileys will be offering free snooker every day during National Snooker Week, plus each Rileys venue across the UK will be running a series of events and activities, including mini tournaments, events and great competitions.

The 'free snooker' voucher is available now to download from Rileys website and, courtesy of World Snooker, there will also be a chance to win tickets to the UK Championships on Rileys Facebook.

World Snooker's Barry Hearn says: "There has never been a better time to be a snooker player, we've got so many tournaments nowadays, and the prize money is going through the roof! National Snooker Week is for everyone…whether you enjoy playing the game already, or just fancy giving it a try for the first time. And what better time to give snooker a try than when Rileys are offering it for free! I reckon there's a lot of untapped talent out there… it'd be great if we found the next Ronnie O'Sullivan or Stephen Hendry from someone just coming along to try their hand at the game."

For those who don't know the rules, or have never played snooker before, Rileys will have an expert at each of their venues to help any snooker novice get started as they enter the club.

Maurice Kelly CEO of Rileys says: "Barry has created a real buzz around snooker, and it's great to see so many youngsters coming through. Judd Trump was amazing in the final at the World Championship, it looks like he's going to go on to do great things in the sport…he's definitely one to watch! National Snooker Week will give people the chance to give snooker a try, Rileys clubs are a safe, fun environment for the kids and we just want people to come along and enjoy themselves."

To claim your free snooker and Rileys membership download the voucher now from ww.rileys.co.uk/snookerweek

Free snooker is available up to 6pm every day between 25 - 29th July with the voucher at any of Rileys 115 venues across the UK.

National Snooker Week
25 - 29th July 2011

www.rileys.co.uk
www.worldsnooker.com

Follow us on Twitter
EPBF News will now also be available on Twitter

Wednesday, July 06, 2011: Starting today, EPBF will spread news using the Twitter network. If you want to be informed as things happen, follow us on twitter at EPBF_News
We will update our followers with tweeds from our current events on a regular basis. News will include scores, player’s info and special event information.

The Euro-Tour event will be hosted by the European Governing Body for Pool, the European Pocket Billiard Federation (EPBF) and organized by International Billiard Promotion (IBP). For further information and reference please go to the event website www.eurotouronline.eu or contact our press office.

Doherty - Snooker Needs World Cup

Ken Doherty is eagerly awaiting next week's PTT-EGAT Snooker World Cup and believes it is vital for the sport to have a team event on the calendar.

The former World Champion from Dublin pairs up with Fergal O'Brien in the Irish team for the $700,000 event in Bangkok, Thailand, which runs from July 11-17. It's the first snooker World Cup since 1996 and Doherty is delighted to see the tournament return.

"It's vitally important for snooker to have a World Cup as all the other big sports have some kind of team event where different nations are represented," said the 41-year-old who is still ranked among the world's top 32. "We're becoming more of a global game and having a World Cup is a part of that.

"The event generates so much excitement and passion, and gives some variety to the calendar. I've spoken to some of the other players involved next week and we can't wait for it. I'm already in Thailand doing some exhibitions and the fans here are talking about it and building an atmosphere.

"I remember as a kid watching the World Cup when Ireland won it three years in a row (1985-87). It's a tournament that makes for great television. It's shame it hasn't been staged for 15 years but I'm pleased it's back now and the standard of play is dramatically higher than it was back then."

From Thailand, Doherty will head to the Australian Goldfields Open, a ranking event which runs from July 18-24 in Bendigo in Victoria. It's an area he knows well as his wife Sarah comes from Melbourne.

"I was desperate to qualify for Australia because of the family I have out there," said Doherty, who did just that by beating Scott MacKenzie 5-2 in the qualifiers last week. "My wife and son and a lot of the family will be there to watch me.

"I've not seen much of Bendigo but I know that Victoria is a beautiful place. People love snooker there and I hope they will come to support the tournament."

Tickets for the Australian Goldfields Open are on sale - for details see www.worldsnooker.com/tickets

Both events will receive extensive TV coverage from Eurosport, plus Channel 3 in Thailand and Fox in Australia.

WORLD SNOOKER AND IMG EXTEND PARTNERSHIP WITH EUROSPORT

World Snooker, IMG Media - a division of IMG - and Eurosport are pleased to announce the extension of their long term partnership for an additional five seasons: 2011-2012 to 2015-2016.

The new agreement nearly doubles Eurosport's snooker offering, which increases from 10 to 19 tournaments per season. The sport’s biggest tournaments, including the World Championship, will be shown to over 125 million homes in Europe.

Eurosport has acquired all exclusive TV and digital rights to broadcast LIVE the 19 tournaments on Eurosport and Eurosport 2 channels as well as on the Eurosport Player web TV service and mobile application. The deal covers all Eurosport's 59 countries (with some exceptions* in the UK).

Eurosport has broadcast snooker since 2003 and contributed to its growing popularity in Europe thanks to unrivalled exposure. Last season over 500 hours of snooker were broadcast on Eurosport, reaching 96 million different viewers, and these figures are set to increase.

During the coming 2011/12 season, Eurosport and Eurosport 2 will broadcast all world ranking events plus the Wuxi Classic, World Cup and Brazilian Masters and, for the first time, six of the Players Tour Championship events held in Europe.

World Snooker Chairman Barry Hearn said: “IMG has negotiated a fantastic deal for snooker and gives further momentum to the growth of the sport throughout Europe and beyond.

“We have established new events in the continent including the German Masters ranking event and the European PTC tournaments, and we’re delighted that all of these will be screened by Eurosport. The spread of snooker in the region has been phenomenal in recent years and this is a key part of our continued efforts to make it a global sport.

“Revenues from our International broadcast agreements are becoming significantly more relevant for our business and the sport as a whole. Expanding these revenue streams will help us to create new events with more prize money for the players."

Adam Kelly, Senior Vice President & Marketing Director, IMG Media said: “IMG Media is pleased to have renewed the deal between World Snooker and Eurosport for this prestigious and emerging property. Over the last five years IMG has witnessed significant growth in snooker revenues and the continued partnership with Eurosport is testament to the growing popularity of the sport as it reaches broadening audiences across Europe.”

Julien Bergeaud, Director of Programmes and Broadcasting, Eurosport Group said: "Snooker performs well in all European markets and achieves audience peaks equivalent to the greatest sporting events. For instance we drew 50 million different viewers for the 2011 World Snooker Championship. Our exclusive partnership with IMG Media and World Snooker confirms the status of Eurosport as the reference for Snooker in Europe."

* The deal does not feature coverage in the UK of the Masters, Welsh Open, UK Championship and World Championship and does not guarantee exclusive coverage in the UK of the World Open.

The 19 tournaments for the 2011-2012 season on Eurosport are:

6-10 July 2011, Wuxi Classic, China
11-17 July 2011, World Cup, Thailand
18-24 July 2011, Australian Goldfields Open, Australia
25-28 August 2011, PTC Europe / Paul Hunter Classic, Germany
5-11 September 2011, Shanghai Masters, China
15-18 September 2011, Brazilian Masters, Brazil
30 September - 2 October 2011, PTC Europe, Poland TBC
21-23 October 2011, PTC Europe, TBA
27-30 October 2011 or 26 March - 1 April 2012, World Open, TBA
11-13 November 2011, PTC Europe, Belgium TBC
3-11 December 2011, UK Championship, York
16-18 December, PTC Europe, TBA
6-8 January 2012, PTC Europe, Germany TBC
15-22 January 2012, The Masters, London
1-5 February 2012, German Masters, TBA
13-19 February 2012, Welsh Open, TBA
14-18 March 2012, PTC Final, TBA
26 March - 1 April or 2-8 April 2012 , China Open, China
21 April - 7 May 2012, World Championship, Sheffield

PTC: Player Tour Championship
TBA: to be announced
TBC: to be confirmed

About Eurosport Group

The Eurosport Group is Europe's leading sports entertainment group. Eurosport, the n°1 pan-European TV channel, broadcasts in 20 languages and reaches 125 million homes across 59 countries. Eurosport HD is the high definition simulcast of Eurosport. Eurosport 2 broadcasts to 51 million households in 17 languages across 47 countries. Eurosport 2 HD was launched in August 2009. Eurosport Asia-Pacific reaches 15 countries in the region. Eurosportnews is the sports news channel transmitted worldwide. Eurosport.com, Europe's n°1 online sports destination, has over 14 million unique users per month (comScore) across an international network of sports websites in 11 languages, including Yahoo! co-branded sites in Germany, Spain, Italy and the UK. The Eurosport.com free mobile application is available in 10 languages. Eurosport Player, Eurosport's web TV service, provides LIVE and on-demand sports to fans' PCs in 59 countries and the Player mobile application is available in 5 countries. Eurosport Events is the group's expert division in the management and promotion of international sporting events. For more information, please visit www.eurosportcorporate.com

About IMG Media

IMG Media is the world’s largest independent distributor of sports programming, distributing over 20,000 hours of content to major global broadcasters annually. This content originates from more than 200 clients and events including AELTC (Wimbledon), Tennis Australia (The Australian Open), TPL (ATP Masters 1000s), The R&A (The Open Championship), International Rugby Board (Rugby World Cup), Dorna (Moto GP), National Football League (NFL) and International Volleyball Federation (FIVB). IMG Media operates from over 30 offices worldwide and has daily exchanges with over 4,000 key media contacts. IMG Media distributes across all forms of media including TV, Audio, Fixed Media, Inflight and Closed Circuit, Broadband and Mobile. IMG Media also maintains the world’s largest sports archive with more than 250,000 hours of footage.

IRELAND SLUMP TO SHOCK DEFEAT IN SNOOKER WORLD CUP

Republic of Ireland suffered a shock defeat against Pakistan on the opening day of the 2011 PTT-EGAT Snooker World Cup.

The two-man Irish team, consisting of Fergal O’Brien and former World Champion Ken Doherty, slumped to a 3-2 loss against Pakistan at the Bangkok Convention Centre in Thailand.

This is the first staging of the World Cup since 1996 when O’Brien and Doherty were in the Irish side that lost to Scotland 10-7 in the final, although each team had three members then.

“We’re very disappointed to lose but it’s amazing that we both made a century break each but lost the match 3-2,” said Doherty, who made 111 in frame one, while O’Brien made 101 in frame five.

“There will be a lot of shocks and surprises and it’s very hard to get into rhythm, especially with the doubles match.

“It’s a disappointing start but every frame counts so that’s a good thing so if we beat Germany or Egypt 4-1 or 5-0 then we’re right back in it.

“Pakistan and India always have good cueists and they have a tradition of producing good players over the years.

“They will be a test for any of the other teams in our group so it won’t be as straight forward as it looks.

Doherty beat Muhammad Sajjad in the first singles match and O’Brien did the same in the last singles match but two wins for Sahid Aftab and success in the doubles clash gave Pakistan victory.

“It’s fantastic to be back in Thailand,” added O’Brien. “We never thought that it would take 15 years after 1996 for the next event.

“But hopefully it will be every two years from now on. The hotel is fantastic and the Thai people love their snooker and it shows how strong the game is worldwide.”

Hong Kong became the second seeded team to lose as they fell to a 3-2 defeat against a Polish side that included 15-year-old Kacper Filipiak.

He beat former Grand Prix winner Marco Fu in their singles match and Fu believes Filipiak, the current Under 21 European Champion, has a great future in the sport.

"It's good to see someone so young and he comes from Poland so it's nice to see the game develop across Europe and across the world,” said Fu.

"It's really good for the game and hopefully we will see more talent coming through from different parts of the world.”

The Thailand second team of Thepchaiya Un-Nooh and Passakorn Sunwannawat made a winning start as they defeated Afghanistan 3-2 with Un-Nooh beating Mohammad Saleh in the decisive singles match.

Un-Nooh also won his earlier singles encounter against Mohammad Rais, while Thailand triumphed in the doubles match.

Sunwannawat said: “We’re not yet at our target of performance and we wanted to win 4-1. But today was really good as it’s only a short game and we needed to make a good start.”

In the other match of the afternoon session, Brazil’s pairing of Fabio Luersen and Noel Rodrigues won 3-2 against Belgium’s Luca Brecel and Bjorn Haneveer.

PTT-EGAT SNOOKER WORLD CUP 2011
BANGKOK CONVENTION CENTRE, BANGKOK, THAILAND
DAY ONE – AFTERNOON SESSION
Group A – Pakistan 3-2 Republic of Ireland
Group C – Brazil 3-2 Belgium
Group D – Thailand 2 3-2 Afghanistan, Poland 3-2 Hong Kong

Hendry Targets Top Eight

Snooker legend Stephen Hendry has set his sights on getting into the top eight of the world rankings, despite having dropped out of the top 16 for the first time in 23 years.

The 42-year-old Scot is flying Down Under this week for the first ranking event of the season, the Australian Goldfields Open in Bendigo. The event starts on Monday and Hendry faces Martin Gould in his opening match.

Patchy form in recent seasons has seen Hendry drop to 17th in the world, his lowest position since 1987/88 when he was still climbing the list. However, the seeding list for tournaments will not be revised until early October, which means Hendry has until then to get back into the top 16 and avoid having to qualify for tournaments.

"That's my immediate goal, to be in the top 16 when the cut-off point comes," said the seven-times World Champion. "But my longer term goal is to get into the top eight. You have to set yourself high targets and I think it's achievable.

"The start of the season is always something to look forward to and I want to get off to a good start. I've been practising a lot, in fact I've hardly stopped since the end of last season. It's probably the first time in my career that I've not really had a summer break. I have a table at home so it's easy just to do a few hours."

Hendry feels that the players competing in this week's World Cup in Thailand, including top-two ranked Scots John Higgins and Stephen Maguire, will have an advantage next week in Australia.

"They're half way around the world already so it's less of a journey and easier to acclimatise," said Hendry. "Australia is a long way to go from the UK. I won my first professional tournament in Sydney in 1987 (the Australian Masters, a non-ranking event) and haven't been back since. Everyone wants to have a worldwide circuit and see the game grow in different parts of the world so it's great that we have a new tournament there.”

Tickets for the Australian Goldfields Open are still on sale – for details see www.worldsnooker.com/tickets

YOUTH DIRECTOR LEAVES EPBF

Personal reasons force Lamminaho to step down from his office

Thursday, July 14, 2011: It is with regret that we have to inform that our Board member Tommi Lamminaho withdrew from his position as Youth Director.

During the past four years, Tommi has played an active role in developing the youth progress in European Pool Billiard. Under his guidance, the Youth program was improved and taken to the level where we find it today.

Tommy has been an asset to the Board of Directors of the EPBF and it has been a pleasure to work with him on the different projects. His resignation is due to the lack of time for his office since he has found a new profession and his private life also changed in a way that does not allow him to travel abroad as much as it is necessary for the job within the EPBF.

“When we received Tommi’s letter of resignation, we felt very sorry though we do understand the reasons for it. Personal life sometimes changes and does not give you the options you would want to have”, states EPBF President Gre Leenders. “We will miss Tommi and his good work. We wish him all the best for his future and hope everything turns out to his benefit”. When asked about the successor, Leenders says: “We do have someone we would want to have but things are not finalized yet. As soon as we know details we will publish them”.

Half Price UK Championship Snooker Tickets!

World class snooker is coming back to York this December with the UK Championship - and World Snooker have come up with an unbelievable offer for fans.

Tickets go on sale today (July 15) and for the next two weeks selected tickets will be available for HALF PRICE!

The tournament runs from December 3 to 11 at the York Barbican. It's the second-biggest ranking event in snooker and top stars such as defending champion John Higgins, new sensation Judd Trump and crowd favourite Ronnie O'Sullivan are likely to feature.

Tickets for Monday December 5, Tuesday December 6 and Wednesday December 7 are on sale NOW for half price. That means that fans can watch a session for just £7.50, or enjoy a whole day of snooker for only £12.50! This offer also applies to concession tickets (students, under-16s and OAPs), priced at £5 per session or £7.50 for a whole day.

World Snooker Chairman Barry Hearn said: "This is an incredible offer and any snooker fan who doesn't take it up must be barmy. The chance to watch the very best players in the world competing for one of the most important trophies, for just £12.50 for a whole day, is the best value for money you'll find in any sport.

"We're coming back to York for the UK Championship this year for the first time since 2006 and we can't wait to get there because it's a beautiful city and a great venue. This offer is really our way of saying 'thank you' to York for welcoming us back, and to the fans who supported the tournament so well in the past.

"Anyone who loves snooker, and those who have never been to a live event before, should make sure they get their tickets booked up quickly and don't risk missing out. This event is really going to be something special."

BOOK TICKETS NOW by calling 0844 854 2757 or visiting www.worldsnooker.com/tickets. To receive the half-price offer just quote ‘celebrateyork’

Oscar Award for Cue King Promotions

Cue King Promotions are delighted to announce the signing of elite professional player Oscar Dominguez and becomes CKP’s first American player to join the ranks of Daryl Peach and Tamara Rademakers among others.

Oscar, from Los Angeles California fits perfectly into our specified criteria of youth development. Being only 26, we hope Oscar has many years ahead as a top flight international professional American Pool player. Decorated with many coveted titles, Mr. Dominguez already boasts a CV that is the envy of most professionals which includes Mosconi Cup and Turning Stone Classic wins in 2009.

Recently appointed Chief Executive, Trevor Haythorne also shared his enthusiasm as it points to a new direction of developing grass roots talent throughout the world of Billiards. “Our Youth Program must strive to invest in the best talents around to fulfil the criteria of supporting Cue Sport experts from all corners of the world.” He added “We’ve also recently tied up links with Ireland’s junior player Coilean Massey and female player Tanja Argillander from Finland, who are promising pool players of the future.”

“We are all looking forward to work alongside Mr. Oscar Dominguez and to continue to further educate and develop all of our players for future success. We are completely happy with all the signings we have made to date and we’re possibly in the position to find one or two more players before closing the doors of recruitment.” explained Marketing Director, Rachel Adams.