With a field of fifty-seven players in attendance, the Southern California 14.1 Straight Pool Tournament took place at Stix Billiards in Rancho Cucamonga, California, February 16th and 17th. This $1500 added open event was presented by Breakball Promotions in a continuous effort to revive interest in the game. The tournament did just that as it brought a renewed interest in the game of straight pool for some present. One spectator was so enthralled by the weekend, he decided to take a more serious look at the game and start practicing – this from someone that had never even seen the game prior to watching at Stix.
The tournament drew players from many states including Wisconsin, Washington, Arizona, and both northern and southern California. The various skill levels of the participants made the weekend all that more enjoyable for those watching. Some were beginners while others were at the top of their game professionally. Some of the higher caliber players in-house included such names as Ernesto Dominguez, Oscar Dominguez, Max Eberle, and Jose Parica. To be fair to all, the point system was set-up to have the winners side of the brackets race to 100 points, while the one-loss side only had to get to 75 points. The final round was one single race to 125 points.
Although the final match did not begin until very late in the evening Sunday night, fans were still on hand with great enthusiasm to witness the match. When all was said and done, the final round gave the railbirds plenty to take in as Calvin Coker and Jose Parica continued to go back and forth in points through out the match. There were not a lot of high runs but instead implementing of classic safeties and plenty of strategic play throughout the match. When the score reached 104 to 100 (Coker in the lead), Parica held the table and made a run that appeared to seal his fate as the champion. At the 123rd ball, he made a crucial mistake and over cut the ball into the rail which ultimately cost him his tournament life. Coker regained the table and ran twenty-one and out to take the win.
Breakball Promotions would like to send a special thank you to Michael Piyasombom for directing the tournament; to Joe Harto for officiating the tournament; along with Alex Laoingco (owner of Stix Billiards) and his staff for providing a great atmosphere for this event. In addition, thanks to Danny Kuykendall (owner of Danny K's in Orange, California) for sponsoring an added bonus for the player with the highest run. That $100 bonus prize went to the eventual champion, Calvin Coker for running a total of 91 balls.
For more information on this or future events, or if you would like to become a sponsor of an upcoming event, please contact Roger Tafoya of Breakball Promotions at (714) 299-5432 or email address breakballpromo@yahoo.com
