Bob Cozzolino Secures Spot for World 14.1 Straight Pool Championships

Drexeline Billiards in Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania, hosted the most recent qualifier for the upcoming World 14.1 Straight Pool Championships to be held at the Hilton in East Brunswick, New Jersey, August 25th-30th.  The owner of Drexeline (Bob Maidhof) and host of this qualifier himself just recently won a spot into the championships only a month ago in Maryland and offered the same opportunity to another.  In addition, he added $250 to the prize fund to encourage the players in their efforts.

The field drew a total of nineteen players, many of which were not novices in the least.  Included in the field was Ed Deska, Jeff Kerr, Marty Ciccia, Norm Look, Joe Hong, and eventual qualifier winner Bob Cozzolino.

Chicago player, Cozzolino snagged the sole championship spot by making his way through a tough draw and with many on the edge of their seats as a couple of the matches were extremely close.  Cozzolino bested Mount Caramel, Pennsylvania, player Jeff Kerr in his initial match 100-92, before moving on against “Trenton Marty”, Marty Ciccia, in the second round race ending 100-25.  Norm Look kept Cozzolino biting his nails, but in the end Look was unable to hold him off falling 100-97.  The hot-seat match saw tough straight pool competitor Ed Deska waiting undefeated, but it was Cozzolino that pulled ahead and sent Deska to the left side of the board 100-30.

By the time the semis came around, the players had been on their feet all day and fatigue began to set in for the three remaining players.  Bob Chamberlain made his way through the one-loss side to ultimately face Deska.  Chamberlain ended the day with the high run bonus of $50 for his 79 ball run prior to his match with Deska, but was unable to push ahead into the finals as Deska finished him off 100-28 in the semis.

It took great stamina for the guys to finish out the day as they had to trek past many strong competitors to reach the finals, but Bob Cozzolino and Ed Deska settled in to battle it out for the one available qualifier spot.  In the final arena, Deska had to defeat his opponent twice.  Deska started out with a strong 100-78 finish and began the second race.  Although it appeared the Deska would take the win twice in a row, it was apparent that pure exhaustion caused him to make errors that you would not normally see from a player of his caliber – at 89 balls, Deska was at the table, had a great traditional break shot and he shot into the rail, busting the balls wide open which ultimately allowed Cozzolino the final twelve balls he needed for victory.  Cozzolino took his time and finish out the final balls to secure his spot in the championships.  Congratulations to Bob Cozzolino and best of luck in Jersey!

To find out more about the venue, visit their website www.drexelinebilliards.com or contact them directly at (610) 259-9144.  Events scheduled for the coming few months include the following:

August 9, 2008 at 1 pm
United States Billiards Association Shot Contest
Entry $10 (all money added by the USBA and collected from entries will be paid back to participants)
Game:  eight billiard shots are provided, all players have to shoot each shot three times, accruing a point for each shot completed accurately, the player with the most points at the end wins

September 28, 2008
Blaze Tour Season Event No. 23
$1000 added
www.blazetour.com

October 11-12, 2008
J.Pechauer Custom Cues Northeast Women's Tour
Pennsylvania State Championships
www.jpnewt.com

Results (from qualifier):
1st Bob Cozzolino $500 (entry)
2nd Ed Deska $125
3rd Bob Chamberlain $75