The Women's Professional Billiard Association inducted two players in the "Greatest Player" category at its annual award banquet at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida.

[More]

The WPBA Board is pleased to announce that Mike Howerton of AZ Billiards has been appointed to the Board to replace Mr. Anthony Gebbia, Treasurer. Mr. Gebbia stepped down from the Board due to personal reasons.

Melissa Herndon, WPBA Board Secretary, offered this statement, "The WPBA welcomes Mike Howerton to the Board of Directors, and we look forward to working with him in making the decisions for our future. As a pioneer in providing billiard-related information to an international viewership, Mike is seen as a visionary within the billiards industry. Mike's sterling reputation within the billiards community, combined with his knowledge of the industry and familiarity with the WPBA, will be a tremendous asset to our organization."

Mr. Howerton had this to say, "I have been a fan of the WPBA for over 20 years now, and I am very honored and excited to be able to help steer the tour towards the future."

The 3rd International Billiards Exhibition, GBE 2009, will take place in Guangzhou, China March 10-12, 2009. International Manager Eva Deng says that the Exhibition is "The largest and most famous billiard Exhibition in Asia." The show will take place at the China Import & Export Fair Pazhou Complex. The Billiard Exhibition is slated to be "the main section of the 6th China (Guangzhou) International Leisure Expo," commonly referred to as GILE2009.

[More]

Matchroom Sport has announced that the captain of the American team at this year's PartyPoker.com Mosconi Cup will be four-time event winner Nick Varner. Varner successfully captained America to Mosconi Cup victory, initially as a player and then as non-playing skipper in 2003, when he inspired a famous last day comeback to secure victory.

[More]

This year's International Challenge of Champions saw four WPBA stars battle for a $25,000 winner take all first prize, and it was Ireland native Karen Corr who took home the cash!

In the first semi-final, Britain's Allison Fisher and China's Xiaoting Pan each took one race-to-four set, which forced a single game playoff to determine who would move on. Pan got the nod.

Meanwhile, Karen handily defeated Taiwan's Ga Young Kim, and headed to the finals. Each player won a set, forcing another sudden death playoff to determine the champ.

Pan won the lag, played safe on the five and let Corr to the table. A critical shot on a seven-nine combo later and Karen Corr was $25,000 richer!

In a definite departure from the ordinary in billiards tables, Brunswick Billiards has introduced the Zanzibar, a distinctly intercontinental table bringing the finest in high-end billiards tables from a legendary name in the industry.

[More]

It was an exciting day for fans in Chesapeake, Virginia as the final four in the 33rd Annual U.S. Open 9-Ball Championships took the stage.

In the match to determine the winner of the winner's bracket final, Ronnie Alcano defeated Mika Immomen 11-6 to take the point and wait for his final opponent. The only American left standing was Johnny Archer, who fell to Warren Kiamco 11-4, finishing in fourth with $8,000.

Immomen was ready for the tough shooting Kiamco though, and he wasn't willing to settle for third. He eked out an 11-9 win over Kiamco, leaving Warren with $10,000 for third. Then, in a race to 13 final match, Mika Immomen sought revenge, pulling to a 10-2 lead and eventually winning the match, title, and hefty $40,000 purse! Alcano took home $20,000 for his second place finish.

On October 27, Guys & Dolls Billiards in Roanoke, Virginia will host international billiard champions Yu Ram Cha and Charlie Williams. The event is brought to the fans by Dragon Promotions and the Predator Group. The Predator Challenges are also co-sponsored by Table Sports Pool & Darts of Yorktown, VA.

[More]

Poison Products employees raised $3,000 in the fight to end breast cancer as participants in the 2008 Komen North Florida Race for the Cure®.

Garnering support from family, friends, corporate sponsors and billiard industry partners, Team Poison was one of the top five companies in the region to raise money for the race. Sponsors included: Allan McCarty; Atlas Billiards; AzBilliards; Cue Sport Promotions; Doctor PC/The Billiard Factory; Dragon Promotions, Cue Sport Promotions; Doctor PC/The Billiard Factory; Dragon Promotions; Frank's Center; Hamson International; Isak Billiard; LK Industries; Pool Cue Outlet; Ray Barbee; Reznicsek, Fraser, Hastings, White & Shaffer, P.A.; Seybert's Billiards Supply; Shooters Family Billiards; and Uni-Loc®.

"Poison is committed to the fight against breast cancer. This disease affects too many of the women in our lives," says Karim Belhaj, CEO Predator Group, "and The Race for the Cure® was the perfect way to get our team involved on a personal level. We want to thank all of our sponsors for supporting this great cause."

Garnering support from family, friends, corporate sponsors and billiard industry partners, Team Poison was one of the top five companies in the region to raise money for the race. Team Poison joined over 3,300 attendants in downtown Jacksonville, Saturday, October 18, 2008, to participate in both the 5K run and 2K walk. Nationally, the event is the largest series of runs and walks in the world with over 100 events scheduled each year. The money raised goes towards breast cancer education and screening, scientific research, and aid for patients suffering from the disease.

Every month Poison donates a percentage of all profits from the new Pink Ribbon cues toward breast cancer research initiatives. This month, in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Poison is donating 100 percent of its profits to the cause. The Pink Ribbon line, with Cyanide and VX designs, was created to let pool players around the world show their support for a breast cancer cure while doing something they love: playing pool.

Poison Products makes cutting-edge cues that utilize exclusive Double Density™ Technology in its Venom™ Shaft for improved accuracy and best-in-class-playability. Poison is located in Jacksonville, Florida, USA and sells cues worldwide. www.poisonbilliars.com

The National Wheelchair Poolplayers Association (NWPA) is honoring two BCA member organizations, Viking Cue Manufacturing, Inc., and the American Poolplayers Association, with its Presidents Award, which will be officially presented during the 2008 WPA World 9-Ball Championship for Wheelchair Players in Reno, Nevada, December 1-3, 2008:

Barry Hart
Viking Cue Manufacturing, Inc., is a long-time supporter of the NWPA and its programs, and its national ranking system is named in its honor. Viking Cue's support is instrumental in the success of the NWPA as it provides significant product donations for each NWPA-sanctioned event. For the 2007 WPA World Championship for Wheelchair Players, Viking Cue provided custom-engraved gold, silver and bronze colored cues for the three medalists. Additional customized cues were provided by Viking Cue for the winners of the 2007 U.S. National Wheelchair 9-Ball Championships, as well as for several special player awards. Viking Cue also significantly increased its support for each of the seven events of the 2008 season of the PVA/NWPA National Wheelchair Billiards Tournament Series, which are enhanced NWPA-sanctioned events designed to encourage and foster participation from wheelchair players of all skill levels. While this award is being given to Viking Cue as a corporation, the NWPA specifically recognizes Barry Hart, vice president of Viking Cue, for his efforts and actions in supporting the NWPA and its mission and players.

Renee Lyle
The American Poolplayers Association (APA), from its national office to local league operators, has supported the NWPA, its mission and players in many ways. The national organization of the APA has provided direct donations for most of the NWPA's major national or international events. Several NWPA-sanctioned events have been sponsored by a local APA league. Many NWPA players compete on APA leagues and are welcomed as fellow competitors. In addition, APA league operators have helped sponsor players to sanctioned NWPA events. In 2005, the APA independently organized a 32-player tournament for its members who compete from a wheelchair. This event, which was conducted together with the APA's Annual National Team Championships in Las Vegas, Nevada, has been held for four consecutive years, has an expanded field size of a maximum of 64 players and a first place payout of $2,000. The APA 8-Ball Wheelchair Challenge is the largest independent wheelchair billiards tournament in the United States and prominently promoted by the APA with same veracity and care as with its other national events. While this award is being given to the APA in its entirety as an organization, the NWPA specifically recognizes Renee Lyle, president of the APA, for her support of the NWPA, her vision in establishing the APA Wheelchair Challenge and the creation of a positive environment on an organizational level for the inclusion of players with disabilities.