Europe Fields 52 Players in World Ten Ball

From l to r: Mika Immonen, David Alcaide & Thorsten Hohmann

Determined to retain its hold on major world pool titles won last year, the European Pocket Billiards Federation (EPBF) is fielding 52 players from 21 member countries in the 2009 World Ten Ball Championship set at the World Trade Center in Manila on November 25-30.

Gre Leenders, EPBF president and secretary-general of the World Pool-Billiard Association, formally announced the composition of the European delegation in an email sent to Raya Sports, organizer of the WTBC.

The European contingent is bannered by defending WTBC champion Darren Appleton (Great Britain), 2008 world 8-ball champion Ralf Souquet (Germany), 2007 world 9-ball champion Daryl Peach (GBR), Qatar Open champion Mika Immonen (Finland), China Open champion Thorsten Hohmann (Germany), and Portugal Predator Open champion David Alcaide (Spain).

Other notable members of the squad are: Marcus Chamat (Sweden), Niels Feijen (Netherlands), Stephan Cohen (France), Bruno Muratore (Italy), and Ruslan Chinakhov (Russia).

Great Britain and Germany, two major powers in the sport, have the most number of participants with 11 and 9 players respectively.

The countries sending players to the WTBC apart from Great Britain and Germany are: Finland, Netherlands, Sweden, Poland, Switzerland, Italy, Russia, Austria, France, Norway, Turkey, Spain, Serbia, Belgium, Denmark, Slovenia, Croatia, Greece, and the Czech Republic.

Leenders said that the WTBC and the10-Ball format have become quite popular in Europe. “EPBF was able to fill all its spots. A European WTBC qualifier, which was held in September after the Euro Tour, attracted over 50 players who wanted to qualify,” he said.

The European players will battle for the WTBC title with players from the other continental federations: North America, South America, Africa, Oceania, and Asia.

The WTBC is the only world pool championship being held this year. Both the world 8-ball and 9-ball championships for 2009 have been cancelled.

The complete EPBF list follows:

1. He, Mario Austria

2. Kempter, Martin Austria

3. Das, Serge Belgium

4. Stojanovic, Phil Croatia

5. Hybler, Roman Czech Republic

6. Lotfy, Bahram Denmark

7. Immonen, Mika Finland

8. Juva, Markus Finland

9. Cohen, Stephan France

10. Facquet, Vincent France

11. Souquet, Ralf Germany

12. Hohmann, Thorsten Germany

13. Engert, Thomas Germany

14. Ortmann, Oliver Germany

15. Reintjes, Christoph Germany

16. Vogel, Marko Germany

17. Zobrekis, Klaus Germany

18. Mund, Ralf Germany

19. Heimmerer, Benjamin Germany

20. Appleton, Darren Great Britain

21. Peach, Daryl Great Britain

22. Melling, Chris Great Britain

23. Gray, Mark Great Britain

24. Majid, Imran Great Britain

25. Osborne, Craig Great Britain

26. Boys, Karl Great Britain

27. Fulcher, Jonni Great Britain

28. Jones, Ricardo Great Britain

29. Burford, Phil Great Britain

30. Higgins, Scott Great Britain

31. Koukiadakis, Andreas Greece

32. Muratore, Bruno Italy

33. Petroni, Fabio Italy

34. Kristoffersen, Kasper Denmark

35. Feijen, Niels Netherlands

36. Van den Berg, Nick Netherlands

37. See, Huidji Netherlands

38. Kristiansen, Vegar Norway

39. Babica, Radoslaw Poland

40. Sniegocki, Mateusz Poland

41. Kaplan, Thomasz Poland

42. Skoneczny, Mariusz Poland

43. Chinakhov, Ruslan Russia

44. Stepanov, Konstantin Russia

45. Tot, Sandor Serbia

46. Erculj, Matjaz Slovenia

47. Alcaide, David Spain

48. Guzman, Rafael Spain

49. Chamat, Marcus Sweden

50. Jungo, Dmitri Switzerland

51. Cankurt, Mehmet Turkey

52. Dincer, Ramazan Turkey

WPA General Assembly to Convene in Manila

Pictured above: WPA president Ian Anderson

The World Pool-Billiard Association (WPA) will convene its General Assembly in Manila on November 27 this year, in the same week that the Philippine capital will host the 2^nd World Ten Ball Championship (WTBC) at the World Trade Center.

Long in the planning, the biennial meeting of the world’s governing body of pool was officially announced by WPA president Ian Anderson, and he relayed the same in a letter to Raya Sports chairman Yen Makabenta.

“I would like to inform you that I have chosen Manila as the venue for the upcoming general assembly of the WPA,” said Anderson in the letter. “This is a meeting that is held every two years, and I thought it appropriate that we hold it this time in Manila during the period of the World Ten Ball Championship.”

The WPA Assembly will be attended by representatives of the six continental federations: the European Pocket Billiards Federation (EPBF), Asian Pocket Billiards Union (APBU), Billiards Congress of America (BCA), All African Pool Association (AAPA), Confederacion Panamerica de Billar (CPB) and the Oceania Pocket Billiards Federation (OPBF).

Slated to tackle vital matters affecting pool sports, the meeting will be held at the Heritage Hotel, the official hotel of the WTBC and where WPA members and officers will be billeted.

“All our members are looking forward to attending, and to having the opportunity to witness some of the great matches that will undoubtedly take place during the

Championship,” Anderson said.

Meanwhile, the Billiards and Snooker Congress of the Philippines (BSCP), led by its president Mr. Sebastian Chua, has welcomed the choice of Manila as assembly venue as “fitting recognition” for the role that the country is now playing in the development and propagation of pool worldwide.

During the visit of the WPA officers and members, the BSCP will host a dinner in their honor.

World’s Top 32 Earn Spots in WTBC

From l to r: Darren Appleton, Ralph Souquet and Mika Immonen

THE top 32 players in the rankings of the World Pool-Billiard Association (WPA) became the first batch of players to be given guaranteed seats in the main draw of the second World Ten Ball Championship (WTBC) slated at the World Trade Center in Pasay City, Metro Manila from November 25-30.

WPA president Ian Anderson has explained that with the new ranking system introduced this year, the world’s governing body for pool ushered in a new system of awarding spots in the world championship. Besides the top 32 ranking players, spots are mainly allocated to the continental federations which then award the spots to deserving players.

The Top 32 are led by current world No. 1 Darren Appleton of Great Britain. He is followed by Ralf Souquet of Germany (2), Mika Immonen of Finland (3), Niels Feijen of the Netherlands (4), and Shane van Boening of the United States (5).

Two Filipinos, Jeffrey de Luna (8) and Demosthenes Pulpul (9), made it to the top 10. Other notable Asians in the elite list are Ko Pin Yi (13) and Yang Ching-Shun (25) of Chinese Taipei, Ricky Yang of Indonesia (14), and Satoshi Kawabata of Japan (18).

The distribution of the 32 players by continents is: 15 Europeans, 13 Asians, four North Americans.

The other North American players besides Van Boening are Americans Corey Deuel (12) and Charlie Williams (15), and Canadian Tyler Edey (29).

Appleton is the defending World Ten Ball champion. He overtook erstwhile No.1 Ralf Souquet of Germany middle of this year after placing third in the Qatar Open, one of several world-ranking events lined up by the WPA in 2009.

No. 3 Mika Immonen ruled the Qatar Open after beating two-time World Junior champion Ko Pin Yi in the finals. He is the current money leader among men players in the world circuit.

The complete list of the WPA’s Top 32 follows:

1. Darren Appleton, GBR

2. Ralf Souquet, GER

3. Mika Immonen, FIN

4. Niels Feijen, NED

5. Shane Van Boening, USA

6. Marcus Chamat, SWE

7. Daryl Peach, GBR

8. Jeffrey De Luna, PHI

9. Demosthenes Pulpul, PHI

10. Thorsten Hohmann, GER

11. Radoslaw Babica, POL

12. Corey Deuel, USA

13. Ko Pin-Yi, TPE

14. Ricky Wang, INA

15. Charlie Williams, USA

16. Lu Hui Chan, TPE

17. Fu Che-wei, TPE

18. Satoshi Kawabata, JPN

19. Liu Haitao, CHN

20. Chris Melling, GBR

21. Marlon Manalo, PHI

22. Dimitri Jungo, SUI

23. Antonio Gabica, PHI

24. Bruno Muratore, ITA

25. Yang Ching-Shun, TPE

26. Wang Hung-Hsiang, TPE

27. Mark Gray, GBR

28. Ruslan Chinakhov, RUS

29. Tyler Edey, CAN

30. Imran Majid, GBR

31. Allan Cuartero, PHI

32. Nick van den Berg, NED

Heritage Manila Tapped as Official Hotel of WTBC

HERITAGE Hotel Manila will serve as the official hotel of the 2009 World Ten Ball Championship when it takes place on November 25-30 at the World Trade Center in Pasay City, Metro Manila. This was officially announced by Raya Sports and Heritage Hotel during the formal contract signing on Friday, September 25 at the hotel’s headquarters on Roxas Boulevard.

As official hotel partner, the five-star hotel will host participating players, officials of the World Pool-Billiard Association, billiards executives and fans during the week-long event. It will also serve as the venue for the WPA General Assembly scheduled on November 27.

Mr. Eddie B. H. Yeo, general manager of Heritage Hotel Manila, and Mr. Yen Makabenta, chairman and CEO of Raya Sports, signed the memorandum of agreement between the two companies.

Heritage Hotel Manila is a member of the London-based international hotel group Millennium Hotels and Resorts. It has all the accommodations and amenities of a luxury hotel. It ushers its guests to 450 newly-refurbished rooms in contemporary design.

And it also houses the 24-hour Philippine Amusement and Games Corporation (PAGCOR) Casino.

Opened in 1994, Heritage is a popular hotel for corporate, convention and leisure travelers. It is centrally located with easy access to two major business districts, shopping, entertainment, and convention and exhibition centers. It is the nearest international hotel to the 60-hectare Mall of Asia Complex. And it is 15 minutes away from the Manila international and domestic airports.

According to the terms of the MOA, during the WTBC Heritage will provide, among others, a special room rate for tournament players, officials and guests and a regular shuttle service between the hotel and the venue.

To avail of the special rates and ensure accommodations, players and guests are urged to book early. They can make reservations through Raya Sports (email: nenyregino@prismphil.com) or direct to the hotel(email: guest@heritagehotelmanila.com).

You may also download a map to the Heritage here.

RP Pool Championships kick off busy November

IT WILL be a busy month of November for billiards as Metro Manila plays host to both the Philippine National Pool Championships (NPC) and the World Ten Ball Championship (WTBC) in succession.

The month-long sportsfest will open on November 3-8 with the 4th National Pool Championships for men and women which the Billiards and Snooker Congress of the Philippines will organize in cooperation with Raya Sports and Star Billiards.

This will be followed by the 2nd World Ten Ball Championship of the World Pool-Billiard Association from November 19 to 30, which is expected to bring to Manila over 200 top players and hundreds of billiards officials and enthusiasts from all over the world.

Open to all Filipino billiard players, the NPC offers a total prize fund of P600,000, with the men’s champion receiving P150,000 and the women’s titlist getting P50,000. Trophies will also be given to the top three placers in both divisions. Cash prizes will be given up to 32nd place in the men’s division, and up to 16th place in the women’s division.

The first four rounds of the tournament will be held at the Star Billiards Center in Quezon City from Nov. 3-6. The competition then moves to the SM North Edsa Annex from Nov.7-8, where the quarterfinals, semifinals and finals will be concluded.

The NPC is a 10-ball tournament under WPA rules. It features a double-elimination up to the Final Four, when the competition becomes a knockout affair.

The BSCP board and officers headed by Sebastian Chua (president) and Yen Makabenta (chairman) have set no player seedings and no limits to the number of players who can enter the national championships. They are inviting billiard clubs and associations all over the country to send their representatives to the tournament.

The entry fee in the men’s division is P600; in the women’s division, P300.

The defending champion in the men’s division is international titlist Marlon Manalo. In the women’s division, Zemonette Oryan is the reigning champion. Both will be defending their titles against a top-notch field of veterans and upcoming players.

Besides trophies and cash prizes, the NPC offers four guaranteed spots in the World Ten Ball Championship later in the month. Following tradition, the top four players in the tournament who are not yet qualified for the WTBC will be awarded the spots by Raya Sports.

Registration for the 2009 WPC will commence on Tuesday, September 22. Players should register with the following officials: Michael Tan at Star Billiards Center, Tel. 0909-2222225; Carlos Santos-Viola, BSCP, 0921-5014550; and Sol Gueco, Raya Sports, Tel. 0910-8875216. Provincial clubs and associations should send their entries direct to Mr. Santos-Viola, BSCP secretary-general.

World Trade Center Hosts Pool for First Time

When the 2009 World Ten Ball Championship opens at the World Trade Center Metro Manila, it will be a first for both the event and the exhibition center. The world championship will use the prestigious venue for the first time after earlier stops at the Philippine International Convention Center and the Araneta Coliseum.

World Trade Center Metro Manila (WTCMM) has been the Philippines’ best international trade and exhibition hall for events for nearly two decades. Located along Roxas Boulevard in the Manila Bay area and in the heart of the city’s business and leisure district, it is easily accessible to events managers, exhibitors, visitors and guests because of its proximity to major thoroughfares, the Ninoy Aquino Airport, the country’s major seaports, the Metro Rail Transit (MRT), major first-class hotels, and top cultural and conference facilities.

The center started operations in January 1990, linking the Philippines for the first time to a global network that provides businessmen with services and facilities needed to make the conduct of international trade easier, faster and cheaper.

WTCMM is a member of the World Trade Centers Association (WTCA) in New York City which has around 100 World Trade Centers operating in almost 100 countries.

It is a private corporation owned by the Manila Exposition Complex and managed by the World Trade Center Management, Inc. World Trade Center Metro Manila belongs to the ICCP Group of Companies.

Through the WTCA, each World Trade Center becomes a branch office for all the others. This unique concept of reciprocity is passed along to all the business establishments affiliated with World Trade Centers, making membership in any center an entry to the international business community.

Adaptable and flexible to meet any event planner’s technically demanding requirements, WTCMM is the ideal venue to hold major trade exhibitions, international conventions and conferences, sports and entertainment events, product launches, gala dinners and parties. With its operable, floor-to-ceiling wall partition that is sound-proof, an exhibition can take place simultaneously in adjoining halls.

It has a seasoned and professional staff to assist an events manager in all aspects of event planning and execution, and to provide efficient service and quick response to all venue related needs.

WTCMM is the only Philippine exhibition venue recognized by the Union des Foire des Internationale (UFI). That is why its reputation as the country’s most prestigious international venue gives each event held therein a sense of distinction it cannot get from any other venue in the country.

World Ten Ball Championship Set in November

FOR the second consecutive year, the World Ten Ball Championship will be held in Manila, with the World Trade Center in the Philippine capital serving as venue when the event unfolds on November 25-30. This was jointly announced Monday (August 3) by the World Pool-Billiard Association and Raya Sports.

The only world men’s championship this year, the WTBC offers a total prize fund of $250,000 (champion’s prize, $75,000) and some 300 players from over 50 countries are expected to participate in the main tournament and qualifying tournament.

The World Trade Center, home to major international events and exhibitions in the Philippines, will be hosting a world pool championship for the first time. Like the 2008 venue, the Philippine International Convention Center, the WTC is located in the Manila Bay area, with many hotels, restaurants and malls close by.

The qualifying tournament, which comprises 10 events, will be held on Nov. 19-23 at the Star Billiards Center in Quezon City, which has hosted three world-championship qualifiers three years in a row.

The WTBC is organized and promoted by Raya Sports, franchise holder of the event and promoter of the last two world 9-ball championship in 2006 and 2007.

“Although the prize fund is smaller on account of the global recession, we expect this year’s championship to be bigger and more competitive in every other way,” said JP Fenix, Raya executive director. “Ten Ball has taken off all over the world, and top players from every region will be eager to contest the top prize and trophy.”

The prestigious event will again be televised worldwide, with ESPN Star Sports broadcasting it live to some 33 countries, and ABS-CBN’s Studio 23 handling the free TV Philippine broadcast.

The main tournament consists of 128 players, who earn their spots through rankings or selection by the WPA and continental federations, or through the various qualifiers conducted by Raya. Assured of spots are the top 10 players in the WPA world-ranking system and the reigning world champions in all disciplines.

The competition format divides the 128 participants into 16 groups. Each group goes through a double elimination competition to determine four players who will qualify for the Round of 64. From there, the competition becomes a knockout affair in which players will compete in race-to-9 matches up to the final. The final will be a race-to-11 match.

Darren Appleton of Great Britain won the first World Ten Ball Championship by beating Wu Chia Ching at the PICC in October last year. He will defend his championship in Manila this November.

For further information on the WTBC visit the Raya website: www.rayasports.com.