Were women really disallowed to play billiard games in fear they would tear up the table’s cloth? This ancient billiards fact, or myth, is still alive in many billiards halls across the globe. Stockport in the UK and Southampton in New Hampshire, are two recent examples that things haven’t change that much in the last couple of centuries, at least not regarding women and billiards. 

Suzie Opacic, Snooker Ladies’ World Junior Champion had planned to take part in the Southampton Social Club league match at the local snooker Netley Central. But since the club rules forbid women of playing snooker, and her snooker team had to play without her. And on the other side of the Atlantic, members of the Great Moor snooker club in Stockport voted against changing the 68 years old ban on participation of women in the club’s snooker activities.

The 10th Derby City Classic started out on Friday, January 4 at the Executive West Hotel in Louisville, Kentucky. Throughout the 9 days of the pool tournament the 2008 Derby City Classic will include contests in almost every various field of billiards including 9-ball, one pocket, straight pool, 10-ball, and artistic billiards.

Coming up are the one pocket events followed by the 9-ball tournament which will close the 10th annual Derby City Classic. The player who will make it to the 9th day of the event with the highest score, will be named The Masters of The Table and will be awarded with a $30,000 prize. This year, the All-Round Division includes 5 additional titles: to the bank, one pocket or 9-ball player with the highest score under 16, under 21, over 62, over 70 and a female player of any age.

I’m sure you can all recite by heart how to break in 9-ball, but what about the 8-ball break? There you go, the ultimate beginners’ guide to breaking in 8-ball ball pool: 

When breaking in 8-ball, you should break open the rack with the cue ball behind the head string and pocket a ball or at least drive four balls (not including the cue ball) to the rails of the table. Moreover, you should do this without scratching, jumping any ball of the table not to mention pocketing the 8-ball. 

1. Your target is the apex ball, in this case the 1-ball (solid yellow ball). Therefore, shoot directly in front of it (imagining a straight line from the cue ball to the yellow ball sometimes helps in aiming).
2. Grip the cue stick lightly; yet get ready to move your body powerfully to perform the power break (yes, as opposed to any other strokes in pool, when breaking the body has to move along with the arm to intensify the stroke).
3. When you are finally ready to shoot, move the weight from your back foot to your front foot and give all you have to give. 

Did it turn out to be something like this?

Please, send us videos, pics, stories or any other documented evidence of your 8-ball breaks!

In a recent interview, Rona Bareket, Play89’s new protégé had stated that as opposed to what’s expected of her, she doesn’t plan to quit snooker in favor of pool. In other words, she says that the big money offered to women pool players will not tempt her to replace snooker with 9-ball.

Rona Bareket’s statement raises two questions. First, you must wonder why winning in pool tournaments is more profitable than in snooker. Secondly, we all know that the world’s top ranked men snooker players make millions of pounds, how come the world’s top ladies snooker players have to cross the continent to play pool?

Let’s take a look at Allison Fisher as an example. She won the first World Ladies Snooker Championship at 17 and even came in the Male Snooker ranking, but since her progression in snooker, she left her homeland of England to blend in the American 9-ball pool scene. As a pool player, Fisher aka The Duchess of Doom quickly became one of the highest earning players in the field, regardless to her sex. Where would she be now if stayed in the English snooker circuit?

Play89 is proud to introduce, and at the same opportunity to sponsor, the most promising snooker talent in Israel - Rona Bareket. The 22 years old snooker player is ranked at number 9 (!) in the World’s Ladies Snooker Players, after making it to the Knockout Stage at the recent 2007 IBSF World Ladies Snooker Championship.

Although she made her first snooker tournament appearance only 4 years ago, Rona Bareket is the great white hope of the Israeli billiards scene. Before Bareket, no Israeli snooker player has ever arrived to such amazing achievements at such a short time.

In order to provide Bareket with the financial stability that will allow her to devote her time to her snooker training and to promote excellency in the snooker game, Play89 decide to adopt the snooker champion to be and to become Rona Bareket official sponsor.

Wait for updates on Rona Bareket snooker tours around the world.

Suppose you are having your friends over for a pool game, what would be the suitable refreshment? If you thought of beer and snacks, subtract one point of your score.

Eight ball zucchini is, at least as far as I know, the only vegetable named after a pool game. The eight ball zucchini is a relatively new variant of the summer squash. Due to its rounded shape and delicate flavor it can be staffed with lots of stuff from rice and beef to Parmesan cheese and breadcrumbs.

Stuffed Eight Ball - Basic Recipe

Eight Ball Parmesan and Breadcrumbs

Stuffed Zucchini with Rice and Ground Beef

Stuffed Eight Ball - Basic Recipe

Cut the eight ball in half longwise and scoop out the pulp so only about a quarter inch thick shell will remain. (don’t throw the pulp, you could use in the stuffing).

Boil the eight ball shells until partially cooked and put them aside to drain.   

Eight-Ball Zucchini Stuffed with Parmesan and Breadcrumbs

Ingredients: (4 servings)

4 eight-ball zucchini

1 garlic clove

1 small onion

1/2 cup dry breadcrumbs or 1/2 slice of yesterday’s bread, torn into small pieces

1/4 cup of grated Parmesan cheese

1 spoon of cooking oil

Salt and pepper

Optional:

Basil leaves, parsley sprigs

• Peel and chop the onion, garlic coves and the eight ball pulp
• Heat cooking oil in a medium frying pan and stir fry the onion, garlic and zucchini pulp for about 5 minutes
• Remove from the heat and mix the breadcrumbs in
• Fill each cut zucchini with the pulp mixture
• Cover each half eight ball with grated cheese
• Bake in the oven until the cheese melts

Stuffed Eight Ball with Rice and Ground Beef

Ingredients: (4 servings)

4 eight ball zucchinis   

1/2 onion

1/2 red pepper

1 lb. ground beef  

1 cup cooked rice

1/4 cup tomato sauce

2 teaspoon cooking oil

1 teaspoon garlic powder

Salt and pepper 

• Chop the onion and the pepper
• Heat oil in a heavy frying pan and saute the vegetables for about 5 minutes or until they are partially cooked
• Remove the vegetables from the pan and start cooking the ground beef until it’ll be browned
• Add garlic, salt and pepper to the cooking beef
• Mix the vegetables, the beef and the rice
• Fill the zucchinis with the mixture and put them in the oven for about 20 minutes

Mosconi Cup 2007 ended yesterday with the 11-8 victory of the European team over America’s billiards team.
Mosconi Cup 3rd day ended up with the surprising 9-6 lead of the European team, nevertheless the final results of the exciting 9-ball event were unpredictable yet. 

Mosconi Cup last day consisted of 4 single matches. The day started with Russian Konstantin Stepanov loss to South Dakota man Shane Van Boening 6-4. On the next match, young Tony Drago took advantage of Johnny Archer foul on the 5 and brought Europe the first victory of the day. Next, Mosconi Cup veteran Earl Stickland won European Daryl Peach 6-3.

Things changed on the 4th match whereby Rodney Morris competed against Ralph Souquet. On the start of the match it looked as if Morris would be kissing the Cup on behalf of the American team, with Morris 4-2 lead. Later on, aloof Souquet made two easy combination shots, a crossbank into the opposite corner to play the 6-ball, Europe victory was one shot away.

The last 9-pool match of the 14th Mosconi Cup resulted 6-4 to German Souquet. The race to 11 was done with Europe triumph 11-8. It was Europe third Mosconi Cup win and the first one in the last 5 years.

The European team to the Mosconi Cup 2007 leads 9-6 after beating the American team in four out of five matches. The last remaining six single matches can still change the final result of the exciting 9-ball pool event, which started out on Thursday, December 13 at the MGM Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas and will end today.

Up to the last day, Europe team, which featured world champion Daryl Peach among others, has been doing great. After the opening match of the third day between American duo Johnny Archer and Corey Deuel and their European colleagues Niels Feijen and Konstantin Stepanov, which resulted in the latter victory 4-1, Europe is leading 9-6.

Currently, Feijen holds the tournament’s highest record of victories with four wins, followed by his team members Tony Drago and Ralf Souquet with three winnings each. Mosconi Cup veteran Earl Stickland, along with Rodney Morris hold the American record with two wins each.

Jeanette "The Black Widow" Lee has signed up with the billiards equipment and media company LiquidWick Pool Cues. As part of the deal, the company will produce a line of signature cues which will be called "Widow Master". LiquidWick managers say that being the biggest billiards star of our days made Lee the most suitable face to support the company billiards equipment.

Lee is the most recognized face of contemporary billiards. The multidisciplinary pool player, who is nicknamed "The Black Widow" after her somehow gothic taste in clothing, masters various types of billiards games including 9-ball pool, speed pool, trick shots and carom billiards.

Earl Stickland and Johnny Archer will be facing each other in a live challenge 8-ball match on December 19th as part of the International Pool Tour. The once in a life time event will be transmitted live on the IPT website for free.

Earl Stickland is one of the greatest 9-ball players in the US and a BCA Hall of Fame inductee. Born in 1961, Stickland had turned professional at the age of 15. He currently holds 5 US Open Nine-Ball Championship titles, and 3 WPA World Nine Ball Championships. Stickland is also part of the American Mosconi Cup team.

Known for his loud temperament, throughout his career, Earl Stickland was involved in several controversies. Nevertheless, and despite his love-hate relationship with the audience Stickland is one of the most trusted players by promoters.

Johnny Archer is also one of the 9-ball pool giants of the past two decades. Born in 1968, Archer won in every major 9-ball pool tournament at least once including the US Open Nine-Ball Championship, WPA World Nine Ball Championship, Brunswick Pro Players Championship, Texas Hold ‘Em Billiards Championship and more. Archer is also a keen speed pool player who had amazed TV viewers when he had managed to break two racks and pocket two sets of 15 balls in one minute and a half.

The 8-ball live challenge match will be commented by Mike Sigel and Grady Mathews. It is something I’m certainly not going to miss.