The upcoming WPA (World Pool-Billiard Association) tournaments, the World 9-ball and 10-ball Championships might be detrimental effected due to the quarrel between the two Philippine governing bodies the Billiards and Snooker Congress of the Philippines (BSCP) and the Billiards Managers and Players of the Philippines (BMPAP). The BMPAP is currently threatening to ban the 10-ball event and hold an alternative one at the same time, which would attract the local Philippine billiard players, drive away major sponsors and eventually lead to the cancellation of the planned WPA tourney. 

The fear of holding these two prestigious pool world championships without today’s leading pool players Filipinos Efren Reyes, Francisco Bustamante and Ronnie Alcano (to name but a few), that made Ian Anderson, the WPA president to call out the two quarreling bodies and beg them to settle the differences between them, and to make it possible for the 9-ball and 10-ball world championships to take place according to plans, of course, with the presence of the top players in these games. Cancellations or any other damage to the planned events, would eventually harm the image of the sports itself, Anderson declared righteously.

Joe Auty of West Ardsley, England, had celebrated his 100th birthday last month, so the Morely Observer reports. Although he had left the green baize of snooker in favor of the green lawn of Crown Green Bowling, he says he won’t be getting this far without making sportive activities (as well as a healthy diet and good genes) an integral part of his life.

Joe Auty was born in 1908 and spent most of his first 100 years in Church Lane, West Ardsley. He worked as skilled tool maker at the Beacon Works for 50 years and always was, and still is, member of sports club.

It all started out at a Cricket game where Hanging Heaton played against West Indies. A random ball that flew into Mr. Auty’s direction made him decide to start playing the game and soon after forming a cricket club at Woodkirk.

Mr. Auty’s next chosen sport game was snooker (not surprising if you remember that chapter in billiard history saying that the game was an indoor version of the cricket game), and then tennis, along with his Mrs. For a period of 29 years Joe Auty hasn’t touched a snooker cue, but fight after retiring from Beacon Works, he felt that itch that sent him straight to the closest snooker club. The reunion with the cue was so exciting that no one could believe it has been almost 30 years since the couple has last met. And from there, Mr. Auty was tempted to replace snooker with Crown Green Bowling (an outdoor variation of bowling), joined the local league and stayed there for the next 35 years (at least).

* Well, not really, but it is a pool/snooker blog.

Liu Chang was awarded a wildcard entry throughout the 2008-9 snooker season. This award guarantees that you’ll continue to hear about the young Chinese snooker player and his deeds during the next major snooker events. Chang, who had just turned 18, is the fourth player in the history of the game who made it to the World Championship at the infant age of 17. Chang was defeated by Ronnie O’sullivan, another member of the prestigious quartet, on the first round at the Crucible, yet his achievements were impressive enough to award him a wildcard entry. Liu Chang is then the fifth Chinese player to join the next international snooker season and to strengthen the Chinese snooker dominance. 

In the meantime, Ronnie O’sullivan has been penalized for his China Open misbehavior. The 3rd time World Snooker Champion is required to forfeit his prize money (£2,750) and pay another £1,000 fine. In addition, The Rocket is being punished with a loss of 700 ranking points. Nevertheless, these 700 points do not send him away from the top.

Snooker players are not the only ones having problems with their organizations. Across the Atlantic, American pool players deal with delay of payments, sponsorship shortage, sudden changes in ranking systems and other kinds of messes. Therefore, Mark Griffin, the CEO of the BCA Pool League, plans to take charge on the future of the professional sportsmen in the country. 

In his efforts to improve things for American pro pool players, Griffin promises to launch a new billiard tournament with more than $200,000 in added prize money, and to offer a stable, long lasting financial support for pro players to replace their dependency on temporary sponsorship, and might even include a health insurance. To make it possible, the pro pool players in America will have to kick off a new association. 

Griffin’s thinking out loud come in a very good timing, not long after the United States Professional Pool Players Association stand making against the World Pool-Billiard Association, the international parent organization of the BCA. In putting the initiation of a new pool players organization a condition for the implementation of his promising plans, Griffin answers the UPA arguments. About the same time, some leading snooker players have attacked, anonymously the World Snooker Association, arguing the organization fails in promoting the sports to the same level as golf or other sports.

More on the subject:

The quarrel between the two Philippine governing bodies puts the 10-ball and 9-ball world championships in risk.

Not winning his first World Snooker Championship, didn’t break Ali Carter’s spirit, since only a couple of weeks later the chap had triumphed the 2008 Huangshan Cup Snooker All-star Game. Carter faced Hong Kong snooker phenomena Marco Fu, whom despite his amazing 139 break that followed a tight 3-3 score, had lost the final matches, setting the score on 5-3, and handing the title to 2008 World Snooker runner-up. 

Meanwhile, Chinese snooker superstar Ding Junhui, who made it to the third place at the Huangshan Cup, had announced its intentions to donate his entire winning bonus (150,000 yuan which equivalents to about 20,000 U.S. dollars) to the Sichuan Province earthquake victims.

Midway through the 2008 World Snooker Championship, it seems like Ronnie O’Sullivan justifies the predictions seeing him the next Snooker World Championship. The Rocket stride toward his prophesied third World title started out with his 10-5 victory over 17 years old Liu Chang and continued with his 140 break at the best of 25 frames against Mark Williams.

Currently, O’Sullivan leads 5-3, but while the post is being written the last word hasn’t been pronounced yet.  In between, O’Sullivan had made some more headlines by invoking his China Open controversy. The Rocket has apologized for making sexually explicit suggestions towards the media at the press conference. Ronnie’s obscene behavior might cost him disciplinary acts.

"I don’t want to be known as somebody who causes trouble" O’Sullivan withdraws at a talk with the Guardian, "I didn’t realize the microphones and cameras were on. I was just having a joke with an individual." And at the same opportunity pats on his young first round competitor’s back, saying that the wunderkind has the perfect mechanism yet lacks the experience.

I don’t know about you, but I can find a list reasons to cross fingers for Ronnie O’Sullivan. Perhaps it’s his tragic life story, maybe his unusual talent, his puppy eyes or just the longing to an era were snooker players were self-destructive, living-on-the-edge fellows rather than the perfect, protein-shakes-drinkers most snooker players are these days, anyway, run Ronnie run!

The 2008 World Snooker Championship was commenced on Saturday, April 19 at the Crucible Theater in Sheffield. John Higgins, last year’s champion plus Mark King, Ryan Day, Stephen Hendry, Joe Swail, Peter Ebdon, Allister Carter, Neil Robertson and Stuart Bingham have already ensured their spot at the next (best of 25 frames) round. 

The most expected collusion between the two Asian snooker heroes Chinese Ding Junhui and Marco Fu Hong Kong ended with Ding’s triumph 10-9. Ding Junhui will be playing on the next round against no other than 7-times world champion Stephen Hendry. Their final match was broadcast at 6 in the morning China local time and drew about 100 million viewers. 

However, it seems you didn’t have to be their compatriot to appreciate their long series of matches. In more than one report, the two were described as true World Championship material, demonstrating smart breaks, elegant safeties and a row of centuries. Ding has certainly proved to the world and he can’t be farther than the state of a slump…

First round of Ding Junhui vs. Marco Fu

On the other hand, Mark Selby, the finalist of 2007 World Snooker Championship has slipped out of the competition after losing 10-8 to Mark King. His losing puts a question mark on the continuation of his career and in an interview he admitted reconsidering his future at the sports.

Another highly anticipated match that can glue milliard Chinese to their TV sofas is today’s Lui Chang vs. Ronnie O’sullivan, where the 17-years-old prodigy will be competing against the bookmaker’s favorite whom, up until Chang’s arrival, was the holder of the youngest player to make a debut at a World Snooker Championship record.

The Billiard Congress of America (BCA), the biggest non-profit pool association in the US is celebrating its 60^th anniversary. To mark this event, the BCA is updating the official rules of several pool games including 8ball and 9ball and the recently added 10ball pool game.

The updated version of BCA official billiard games rules is all wrapped and up for sale (via the BCA website, for example) in a special BCA 60th Anniversary Edition of Billiards: Official Rules & Records Book. The book includes the latest version of 8ball pool, 9ball, 14.1 continuous, one pocket and 10-ball rules, this year record breaking achievements in cue sports as well as billiard tips, tournaments results, biographies of the BCA hall of famers and more.

In short, what’s new in 8ball and 9ball pool games:

8ball rules - If a player pockets the opponent’s object ball, then the opponent is required to declare a foul prior to his next shot; otherwise, the other player will take over his group of object balls. 

9ball rules – a new category "Stalemate" has been added: the referee can decide a stalemate if non of the players can win from the current position, and allow each of the players to play three additional turns at the table. If both players are still not rescued from their dead end positions, the balls will be re-racked and the breaker will break again.

Stephen Maguire defeated Shaun Murphy 10-9 in the final match of the 2008 World Snooker China Open, held yesterday at the Students University Stadium in Beijing. For Maguire, it was the latest win in a row of successes following his triumph at the Northern Ireland Trophy, his runner up at the UK Championship and his current 147 maximum break at the China Open semi-finals.

By collecting the 2008 World Snooker China Open championship, Maguire, 27, joins a limited, noble list of snooker players who had won in four ranking titles; Stephen Hendry, Steve Davis, Ronnie O’Sullivan, John Higgins, Mark Williams and Jimmy White are among them. In addition to the respectable title, Maguire took home £72,000 prize including £22,000 prize for his 147 maximum break. Next month, he will be facing Anthony Hamilton in the first round of the 2008 World Snooker Championship.

25-years-old Shaun Murphy, 2008 World Snooker China Open runner up, is still placed at the top of the current world ranking despite his surprising defeat to Maguire. At the opening round of the 2008 World Snooker Championship he will be playing against Dave Harold.  

Up until yesterday, Ronnie O’Sullivan was the bookmakers’ leading candidate for the 2008 World Snooker Champion. Now, two-times World Champion seems closer to relive his days as the bad boy snooker. The Rocket caused turmoil when made a sexually explicit remark, followed by suggestive waving of the microphone at the press conference that followed his match against Marco Fu at the 2008 World Snooker China Open. O’Sullivan will be facing, once again, disciplinary acts. The pre-press conference match ended with O’Sullivan loss to Fu 5-4, by the way. 

And on the tables, China Open’s semi-finals came to an end with Stephen Maguire beating Ryan Day 6-5 and achieving a 147 maximum break on the second frame. On the final match, scheduled to tomorrow, Maguire will be playing against Shaun Murphy who defeated Mary Selby 6-3.