Eight Billiard Players Return for U.S. Open including

Only eight players are still alive at the 33rd Annual U.S. Open 9-Ball Championships, held this week in Chesapeake, VA.

Friday’s elimination rounds began with Lee Van Corteza sending 22-year-old Oscar Dominguez home 11-6, while fellow countryman Warren Kiamco ousted Tony Chohan 11-3. Also, Donnie Mills continued his winning ways, eliminating Canada’s Tyler Edey 11-8, with Corey “Cash Money” Deuel defeating Larry Nevel 11-7.

The 1 p.m. round featured winners’-bracket matches. Reigning 9-ball champion Daryl Peach went up against Johnny Archer in one of the event’s lengthiest matches, 4 hours and 40 minutes. It was close throughout, going to 9-all. Peach almost scratched on the break, but Archer cleared that table to take the hill. Archer jumped the cue ball off the table on his next break, but Peach hooked himself on the 4 ball and was forced to jump, almost making the 9. With only five balls left on the table, Archer cleared the table easily for the 11-9 win.

Rodney Morris had a tight match against Thorsten Hohmann. The score went all the way to 10-9 in Morris’ favor when he scratched on the break and screamed. Hohmann cleared to make it hill-hill and then engaged Morris in a lengthy safety battle on the 1 ball. Finally Hohmann left Morris a shot, and Morris jacked up and fired in the 1 ball to clear the remainder of the balls for the 11-10 win.

Mika Immonen grabbed an early lead in his match against Jose Parica and never relinquished it, winning 11-8. In the last winners’-side match, Francisco Bustamante never seemed to show up in his match against Ronnie Alcano. At one point he was down 9-4 but managed to take two racks before Alcano won their match 11-6.

In the 3 p.m. elimination rounds, Corey Deuel demonstrated serious prowess over Francisco Bustamante. Though Bustamante had few errors, they were important ones, while Deuel didn’t always make his position but made some excellent shots to win 11-7.

Hohmann finally ended Donnie Mills’ run at the title after defeating him 11-9, while Corteza sent fellow Filipino Parica home 11-5. Additionally, Kiamco dealt Peach an 11-3 defeat in their elimination match.

In the evening rounds, winners’-bracket matches will be Johnny Archer versus Mika Immonen, and Rodney Morris versus Ronnie Alcano. In the one-loss side, Thorsten Hohmann will play Corey Deuel, while Warren Kiamco plays Lee Van Corteza.

ACKDO Supports QC Vs The World Grand Billiards Showdown

The QC-Philippines vs the World Grand Billiards Showdown received another boost with the Association of Clubs, Karaoke and Disco Operators (ACKDO) throwing its all-out support to the much-anticipated event slated December 2 to 4 at the Trinoma Mall in Quezon City .

With promoting Quezon City as the country’s sports tourism capital, ACKDO did not think twice in backing the project when approached by its chief proponent, City Council Majority Floor Leader Ariel Inton.

“We are very happy to be part of this big event. Entertainment is one of the premier tourist attractions here in Quezon City, so we in the industry are giving our all-out support to this project, which in more than one way will also benefit us,” said ACKDO secretary-general Amil Yap.

ACKDO has been supporting a number of sports events, including the Billiards Managers and Players Association of the Philippines (BMPAP)'s Search for the New Billiards Idol series.

Also known as the “City of Stars ”, Quezon City boasts of having the biggest and liveliest entertainment spots in the country.

Already home to major television broadcasting networks, including giants ABS-CBN and GMA-7, Quezon City also houses dozens of restaurants, bars, night clubs, massage parlors, KTVs and the likes.

Pool icon Efren “Bata” Reyes banners the eight-man Team Q.C.-Philippines, which will pit prowess against a selection of topnotch cue artists from other countries in this three-day competition supported by the Quezon City Government led by Mayor Sonny Belmonte, QC Tourism Council headed by chairman Raffy Chico, and BMPAP with Solar Sports, RPN and the Philippine Star as media partners.

Besides Reyes, the other members of the Team QC Philippines are fellow former world champions Alex Pagulayan and Ronnie Alcano, reigning world no.1 Dennis Orcollo, Francisco “Django” Bustamante, 2007 World Pool runner-up Roberto Gomez, Lee Van Corteza and Warren Kiamco.

They will go up against a foreign team also led by three former world titlists in Chia-Ching Wu of Chinese-Taipei, Mika Immonen of Finland and Thorsten Hohmann of Germany. The other players of Team World are 2006 Asian Games gold medalist Satoshi Kawabata of Japan , Ching-Shun Yang of Chinese-Taipei, and Charlie William and Rodney Morris of the United States and another top European player.

They will compete for the $40,000 winner purse.

Hohmann at Accu-Stats 14.1 Invitational

The double-round-robin event, broadcast live via Internet pay-per-view, wraps up on Sunday with four hourly matches starting at 3 p.m., EST. Thorsten Hohmann of Germany holds an almost insurmountable lead on the field, so far undefeated at 6-0.

The event’s unique format pits five players — Schmidt, Archer, Thorsten Hohmann, Ralf Souquet and Jose Parica — in race-to-60 straight-pool sets. However, winners are allowed to continue their runs in hopes of scoring bonuses and player-spotlight videos produced by event host Accu-Stats Video Productions.

Schmidt lost his first several matches of the event, which began on Thursday, Sept. 4, at Comet Billiards in Parsippany, N.J. But he kept practicing on side tables and finally broke out against Archer on Saturday. He ran 60-and-out and then continued his run in a rhythm that commentator Danny Diliberto compared to free-stroking “Machine Gun” Lou Butera. At 169, he understroked a key ball, ending his streak.

Parica, holding a 4-2 record, is the only player with a shot at matching Hohmann, in which case there will be a 9 p.m. playoff.

Hohmann Rules Accu-Stats 14.1 Straight Pool Invitational

Comet Billiards, Home of the Accu-Stats Arena, Parsippany, N.J.. It's Official. Not even Hurricane Hannah could contain Thorsten Hohmann as he cruised, unscathed, through a minefield chock-full of straight pool powerhouses.

Johnny Archer, Jose Parica, John Schmidt, and Ralf Souquet all felt the frustration as Hohmann hosted a clinic. Accu-Stats' commentators Incardona and DiLiberto were so impressed by Thorsten's performance that they considered him to be the best player they'd ever seen. Never, in recent memory, has there been a round robin event where a player went undefeated. Even Efren, in the 2001 Accu-Stats 8-Ball Invitational, had to compete in a play-off to secure his win.

The Accu-Stats Video Production, Double Round Robin, event, also broadcast over the internet, allowed each competitor to play each other twice with both matches immortalized on DVD. All century plus runs are given a “Player Review” where the aspirant narrates his own DVD.

John "Mr. 400" Schmiidt had highest run honors as he blasted a lightening fast 169. Off to a slow start, and zero for 5 in his opening matches, John redeemed himself by winning his last 3 over Souquet, Archer, and Parica.

Ralf, too, was on shaky ground. He had 3 wins; one over Schmidt and two over Archer.

Johnny garnered wins over Schmidt and a 60-and-out over Parica where he continued to complete a high run of 99.

Parica, with 4 and 4, secured $2,000 in prize money by defeating Archer, Schmidt, and Souquet, twice,

Players earned $500 for each win with a possible $1,000 in bonus money per match.  Once a player hit 60, he could continue pocketing balls in the hope of running to 100 and win an additional $500 or, $1,000 for 150.

Hohmann grossed $5,000 for his 8 wins and his century plus runs of 112 and 149. One more point on the 149 and he would have made an extra $500. Johnny felt the sting too. His 99 was so close yet, so far.

Accu-Stats' Pat Fleming would like to thank Bill Hailey and his crew at Comet Billiards for their superior service, and all who attended the inaugural event there. That means you net surfers too.

In the interest of keeping the production values at peak performance, Pat asked the players for suggestions on how to improve the event. The consensus was, "Don't change a thing."

Final results:

1. Thorsten Hohmann 8-0
2. Jose Parica 4-4
3. John Schmidt 3-5
4. Ralf Souquet 3-5
5. Johnny Archer 2-6

High Runs:
1. John Schmidt 169 _ $1,000
2. Thorsten Hohmann 149 _ $500
3. Thorsten Hohmann 112 _ $500

Hohmann Unscathed at Comet Billiards

It’s Official. Not even Hurricane Hannah could contain Thorsten Hohmann as he cruised, unscathed, through a minefield chock-full of straight pool powerhouses  in the Accu-Stats 14.1 Straight Pool Invitational at Comet Billiards, in Parsippany, N.J. Johnny Archer, Jose Parica, John Schmidt, and Ralf Souquet all felt the frustration as Hohmann hosted a clinic. Accu-Stats’ commentators Incardona and DiLiberto were so impressed by Thorsten performance that they considered him to be the best player they’d ever seen.

Never, in recent memory, has there been a round robin event where a player went undefeated. Even Efren, in the 2001 Accu-Stats 8-Ball Invitational, had to compete in a play-off to secure his win. The Accu-Stats Video Production, Double Round Robin, event, also broadcast over the internet, allowed each competitor to play each other twice with both matches immortalized on DVD. All century plus runs are given a “Player Review” where the aspirant narrates his own DVD.

John “Mr. 400″ Schmiidt had highest run honors as he blasted a lightening fast 169. Off to a slow start, and zero for 5 in his opening matches, John redeemed himself by winning his last 3 over Souquet, Archer, and Parica. Ralf, too, was on shaky ground. He had 3 wins; one over Schmidt and two over Archer. Johnny garnered wins over Schmidt and a 60-and-out over Parica where he continued to complete a high run of 99. Parica, with 4 and 4, secured $2,000 in prize money by defeating Archer, Schmidt, and Souquet, twice,

Players earned $500 for each win with a possible $1,000 in bonus money per match.  Once a player hit 60, he could continue pocketing balls in the hope of running to 100 and win an additional $500 or, $1,000 for 150. Hohmann grossed $5,000 for his 8 wins and his century plus runs of 112 and 149. One more point on the 149 and he would have made an extra $500. Johnny felt the sting too. His 99 was so close yet, so far.

Accu-Stats’ Pat Fleming would like to thank Bill Hailey and his crew at Comet Billiards for their superior service, and all who attended the inaugural event there. That means you net surfers too. In the interest of keeping the production values at peak performance, Pat asked the players for suggestions on how to improve the event. The consensus was, “Don’t change a thing.”

Final results:
1. Thorsten Hohmann 8-0
2. Jose Parica 4-4
3. John Schmidt 3-5
4. Ralf Souquet 3-5
5. Johnny Archer 2-6
High Runs
1. John Schmidt 169 _ $1,000
2. Thorsten Hohmann 149 _ $500
3. Thorsten Hohmann 112 _ $500

Hohmann at 6 and 0 in while Schmidt Finds his Mojo with a 169 at Accu-Stats 14.1 Straight Pool Invitational

Thorsten Hohmann continued his domination over the field with 60 point wins over Archer who got 3 and Schmidt, 2. It was about then that Schmidt had had enough. Zero for 4 will do that to you. He'd been running high in practice, now all he had to do was bring it to the cameras.

Late Saturday afternoon he met Souquet and things changed. Ralf hadn't performed up to par either. He was 2 and 2, with one of the wins over Schmidt. Neither player was at the peak of their confidence when John broke loose and allowed Ralf only 20.

Now,  he faced Hohmann, John got 2. Hohmann, so far, was invincible. Only Parica had really challenged him and that seemed weeks ago. At 10pm, Parica added another loss to Souquet's score, and to close out the evening it was Schmidt versus Archer Part 2. Johnny had got in stroke too, At 7pm,, he pulled a 60-and-out over Parica and rallied to reach 99--one short of the $500 bonus money.

The Double Round Robin event allows each competitor to play each other twice and each Accu-Stats DVD will include both matches. No one wants to be immortalized with 2 losses. And, Johnny had already beaten John. Schmidt had capitalized on every free moment of practice time possible. Those of you watching the live internet stream saw him run ball after ball between matches.

It sure paid off.  He got to the match free stroking. And all Archer could do was watch. Schmidt quickly ran the 60 and out. In the interest of the high-run bonuses or, more probably, to get another instructional DVD if he gets to 100, he kept swinging. At 100, Commentator Danny D was comparing him to "Machine Gun" Lou Butera. There was no stopping him. At 150, Billy and Danny were making side bets that he'd reach 200. Alas, at 169 he understroked the key ball and fell short of a perfect break shot. John laughed all the way to the bank. He'd beaten Thorsten's 149 and earned an extra grand.

Hohmann Holds onto Perfect Record

Hohmann remains unblemished as day 3 of the Accu-Stats 14.1 Round Robin continues
The Accu-Stats 14.1 Straight Pool Invitational.

Although off to a rocky start in the opening rack, in day 2, Thorsten Hohmann’s recovery skills and consummate cue ball control garnered his second high run of the event at 112. Thorsten’s consistency, pattern play, and ability to overcome potential disaster had Accu-commentators Incardona and DiLiberto considering whether Thorsten was the best player, not only playing today, but ever. That’s high praise from men who’ve seen them all.

For other constestants, the Accu-Stats Invitational has held some disappointments. John “Mr 400″ Schmidt has hardly lived up to his monicker as he has managed only 24 balls in 4 matches. The 60 point matches put players in a now-or-never mind set. And, that causes panic. On the upside, this is just sort of come-from-behind motivation that John may need to get rolling.

Archer, with a high run of 150-and-out in a previous Accu-Stats tournament, has only managed one win, interestingly enough, against Schmidt.

Johnny has had opportunity. In his 7:00 pm, Friday night match, he scored 45 against Jose Parica’s 60. Johnny missed a ball he would have made in the case came of any 9 Ball championship. That seems to be the challenge of 14.1. When a ball gets just outside one’s comfort zone, as the consequences are much more dire, errors happen.

8:00pm had John Schmidt (-1) got no sympathy from Thorsten Hohmann with a 60 & Out concluding with a High Run of 112. 10:00pm - Ralf Souquet (60) gave Johnny Archer (15) his 3rd defeat. 11:00pm - Thorsten Hohmann (60) and Jose Parica (54). This was without a doubt the most tightly contested match. Parica needed six when Hohmann was allowed to the table. Thorsten stalled at 58 and a safety battle ensued.

So the tallies so far are, Hohman 4 and 0 losses. Parica 3 and 1, Souquet is 2 and 2,  Johnny is 1 and 3, and Schmidt 0 and 4. For his two, century plus runs, Hohmann has generated an additional $1,000 in bonus money.