Parsippany, New Jersey- Germany's Ralf Eckert ran a perfect 100 ball run in his race to 100 round robin match against USA's Dan Louie. Even better was Pat Fleming had picked the match for Accu-Stats streaming, and it turned out to be a wise choice. Eckert's fellow Germans also had another good day staying undefeated on Day 2 of the Predator 69th World 14.1 Championship presented by Ozone Billiards. The Dragon Promotions revived event is in its 4th consecutive year alive with help of industry giants such as Predator, Ozone Billiards, Brunswick Billiards, Simonis Cloth, Master Chalk, Aramith Balls, Accu-Stats and the Laser Rack. Comet Billiards will host this year's event which will start play on August 24, 2009 and end August 29. The greatest straight pool players from around the world will arrive on USA's east coast again to New Jersey, and attend this prestigious event to play for the coveted title of World Straight Pool Champion.
Women's champ Yu Ram Cha won a close 100-87 match against legendary Grady Mathews. Though 3x younger than the Professor and vastly outnumbered in 14.1 knowledge, Cha's shotmaking kept it close and she pulled out the win. Cha later led 75-50 against NYC's Danny Barouty before Barouty out safetied her and clawed back a 100-75 win. Gerda Hofstatter lost a disappointing 100-43 to Shaun Wilkie, but bounced back with a win over Bill Dunsmore. Cha must win at least 1 out of the 2 remaining matches to qualify and faces group top seed Allen Hopkins and NYC's strong Jim Gottier. Hofstatter is also in the same spot but will have her hands full with Group leader Charlie Williams and top men's pro Tony Robles.
Corey Deuel leads Group 6 without any player barely passing 50 points against him and holding 2 opponents to less than a rack of points. Group 8 saw Charlie Williams make a small upset over more seasoned 14.1 player Tony Robles 100-56 to stay undefeated and the leader. Johnny Archer stays undefeated and leads Group 4 while Mika Immonen also stays the leader in Group 3 so far untested. France's Stefan Cohen stays brilliant with his 3 wins including 100-62 over throwback African American champ Earl Herring. Group 7 looks like will be a showdown between NJ/NY legends Allen Hopkins and Danny Barouty for the top seed in Group 7. The top seeds through the round robin will get a bye the first round of the next stage of race to 150 double elimination.
The German doomsday squad of Oliver Ortmann, Thorsten Hohmann, and Ralf Eckert are all undefeated and look very unlikely to lose their #1 spots in their groups.
Fans can watch live online at www.accu-stats.com
Per day tickets can be bought at the door during the event.
The Mosconi High Run Award Will Pay $500 to the players with overall high run of the event plus $100 to the highest run each day.
The high run prizes are sponsored by Jay Helfert of Los Angeles CA, and Louis Pannullo of Queens, NY.
August 28 at 5pm, the night before the finals, Comet Billiards will host a special sponsor / pro team match tournament for the patron sponsors of the event. Billiard aficionado Stu Mattana of NYC and long time billiard supporter Harold Siegel of NYC are two of this year's generous patrons of the Predator World 14.1 Championship. Their contributions are helping keeping the event going. Dragon Promotions encourages others to come on board to join as a sponsor and can be reached at worldstraightpoolchampionships@gmail.com or call 1-407-782-4978
The 2009 Predator World Straight Pool Championship is proudly sponsored by Predator Cues, Comet Billiards, Brunswick Billiards, Simonis Cloth, Ozone Billiards, Laser Rack, Master Chalk and patron sponsors Stu Mattana and Harold Siegel of Excelsior Graphics. For more information on player registration, sponsorship, or if you would like to submit a comment, please email worldstraightpoolchampionships@gmail.com
Ozone Billiards has been providing pool players with top quality billiard products for more than eight years. Its commitment to customer service has helped Ozone Billiards grow to be one of the largest retailers of billiard supplies in the United States. For more information about Ozone Billiards and its product lines, visit www.ozonebilliards.com
Predator Group, an international billiards industry leader, is focused on bringing constant innovation and game-improving equipment to billiards players worldwide. Headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida, USA, Predator Group's core brands include Predator Cues – high-end (professional level) cues with revolutionary technology to enhance performance, Poison Billiards – recreational cues with cutting-edge designs and Predator engineering for best-in-class playability, and Uni-Loc® – precision billiards equipment manufacturer. For more information regarding Predator Group's products, visit www.predatorgroup.com.
