9-Ball Billiards

Strickland Schmidt Upset at Viking Billiards Eventby InsidePOOL StaffViking Tour Championship photo gallery (/pool_billiard_photos/index.php?cat=19)There were a number of close calls in the afternoon round. Dennis The Hatchetman Hatch had a close call against Justin Pope 11-10, while Stoney Stone continued to dominate, besting Tony Watson 11-9. Shannon Daulton won 11-8 over Tom D'Alfonso, Sparky Ferrell defeated Anthony Morgan 11-5, and Chris Bartram upset reigning U.S. Open champion John Schmidt 11-7.

Hill-Hill Thrillers Punctuate Viking National Championshipsby InsidePOOL StaffViking Tour Championship photo gallery (/pool_billiard_photos/index.php?cat=19)Last night's ring game crowned Shane Van Boening the winner over John Schmidt, Corey Deuel, Larry Nevel, and Tony Crosby. The entry fee was $500 per man, with each player receiving 10 chips. Every 10 minutes saw the bet increase until players began slowly dropping out. Down to three players after a couple of hours, twice Deuel rattled the 9 ball and left the next player, Schmidt, hooked behind the 10 ball. Unable to pocket the 9, Schmidt ended up helplessly handing two racks to Van Boening, which caused a major turnaround in the game's finances.

No Upsets at Viking Championships … Yetby InsidePOOL StaffSo far Day 2 of the Viking Cue 9-Ball Tour’s National Championship event has escaped without any upsets. The top players have all progressed, and with elimination rounds looming, players on the west side of the bracket had better beware.Steve Moore, a major contender in this event, debilitated opponent Richard Andrews in his match this evening. After Andrews took the first rack, Moore handily took possession of the next eight in a row to Andrews’ dismay. Another couple of racks exchanged hands, and then Moore coolly pocketed the 9 ball on the break an astonishing two times in a row to win the match 11-2.

Viking Cue 9-Ball Tour National Championship Event Beginsby InsidePOOL StaffA full field of 128 billiard players came out for the Viking Cue 9-Ball Tour’s National Championship event, being hosted by The Pool Room in Duluth, GA, this week. Featuring a $25,000 prize fund, this event is one of the biggest tournaments of the year and has attracted some of the top players in the country.Some of the top picks for this event include Player of the Decade for the 1990s, Johnny Archer; recent BCA Hall of Fame addition Earl Strickland; reigning U.S. Open champion John “Mr. 400” Schmidt (pictured); Southern slayer Steve Moore; Troy Frank; former U.S. Open champ Corey Deuel; local talent Paul Song; Dennis Hatch; and several-time Legends of One-Pocket Champion Shannon “The Cannon” Daulton.” Additionally, seven ladies have entered the event, including pros such as the WPBA’s number-three-ranked Monica Webb, Helena Thornfelt, and Sarah Rousey.

Newcomers Crash U.S. Amateur Billiards ChampionshipWinner of Men’s and Women’s Divisions Advance to ‘07 Pro EventTwo rookies to the U.S. Amateur Championship came to Mr. Cues II in Atlanta, Nov. 3-5, and shocked a field of the nation’s top amateur billiard players to advance to a pro event in 2007.The finals in the Women’s Division pitted Michell Monk of Palm Bay, Fla., against Melinda Huang of Los Angeles. The two were both undefeated when they went head-to-head on the final day of the tournament. It was Huang who would advance to the finals with a 5-2 win. But with only one-loss, Monk still had a good shot at earning redemption. After she defeated Betty Sessions of Atlanta, Ga in the semifinals, the stage was set for the rematch.From the opening game of the 9-Ball set, Monk showed she would not be denied the second time around. She opened up a 4-0 lead before Huang was able to capitalize on a mistake to slow her momentum. Huang managed to win two of the next three games to get back in the match, but with the way Monk was playing, it was simply too late. Monk extended her lead to 7-4 with two more wins in the 9-Ball set.

PartyPoker.com Mosconi Cup Teams CompleteAlcaide and Schmidt Take Final PlacesDiscuss the Mosconi Cup (Schmidt%20(pictured%20above),%20the%2033%20year-old%20from%20Hesperia,%20California,%20broke%20clear%20of%20the%20pack%20in%20October%20with%20a%20fabulous%20run%20at%20the%20US%20Open%20that%20culminated%20in%20an%2011-6%20win%20over%20Rodolfo%20Luat%20for%20the%20title.%20He%20now%20becomes%20the%20second%20debutant%20in%20the%20American%20side%20after%20Mike%20Davis.Alcaide,%20the%2028%20year%20old%20from%20Malaga,%20Southern%20Spain%20had%20a%20good%20run%20at%20the%20recent%20Philippines%20World%20Pool%20Championship%20reaching%20the%20last%2016.%20He%20joins%20Imran%20Majid%20as%20the%20second%20newcomer%20on%20the%20European%20team.Barry%20Hearn,%20Chairman%20of%20promoters%20Matchroom%20Sport,%20said%20“Good%20luck%20to%20John%20and%20David.%20They’ve%20earned%20it%20and%20I’m%20sure%20both%20of%20them%20will%20cope%20with%20the%20pressure%20of%20the%20Mosconi%20Cup.%20“They’ve%20both%20got%20a%20lot%20of%20experience%20in%20their%20respective%20sides%20so%20hopefully%20they%20can%20draw%20on%20that%20when%20the%20going%20gets%20tough.”The%20teams%20are:USAJohnny%20Archer%20(Georgia)%20Rodney%20Morris%20(Hawaii)Earl%20Strickland%20(North%20Carolina)Mike%20Davis%20(Maryland)Corey%20Deuel%20(Ohio)John%20Schmidt%20(California)%20EUROPEMika%20Immonen%20(Finland)%20Imran%20Majid%20(England)Ralf%20Souquet%20(Germany)Thomas%20Engert%20(Germany)Nick%20van%20den%20Berg%20(Holland)David%20Alcaide%20(Spain)%20This%20is%20the%2013th%20running%20of%20pool’s%20answer%20to%20the%20Ryder%20Cup%20and%20the%20current%20score%20stands%20at%2010%20–%202%20to%20the%20Americans.The%20official%20sponsors%20of%20the%202006%20PartyPoker.com%20Mosconi%20Cup%20are%20Brunswick%20Tables,%20Simonis%20Cloth,%20Super%20Aramith%20Pro%20Balls%20and%20Predator%20Cues.The%20event’s%20official%20website%20is%20www.mosconicup.com)

Ronnie Alcano World Pool ChampionWorld Pool Championship Brackets (/images/upload/world-pool-championship-bracket.pdf)Discuss the 2006 Philippines World Pool Championship (/forums/index.php)He now becomes the third Filipino following Efren Reyes in 1999 and Alex Pagulayan in 2004 to hold pool’s most coveted title.

Souquet v Alcano for World Pool ChampionshipWorld Pool Championship Brackets (/images/upload/world-pool-championship-bracket.pdf)Discuss the 2006 Philippines World Pool Championship (/forums/index.php)Souquet had a Taiwanese double as he beat firstly Liu Cheng-chuan 11-8 and then came through a thriller as he beat Fu Che-wei in a hill-hill affair.

Alcano Reaches World Pool Championship FinalWorld Pool Championship Brackets (/images/upload/world-pool-championship-bracket.pdf)Discuss the 2006 Philippines World Pool Championship (/forums/index.php)At 10-8 Alcano looked to have a dreadful mistake when he scratched and Li ran through the balls until he lost position moving from the 8 to the 9.

Alcano Delights Home FansWorld Pool Championship Brackets (/images/upload/world-pool-championship-bracket.pdf)Discuss the 2006 Philippines World Pool Championship (/forums/index.php)Wu won the lag and clinched the opening rack although Alcano took the next to make it 1-1. However, the match swung in the Filipino's favour as he won the third, fourth and fifth to move 4-1 ahead.