NEWS

4 February 2010

2009/10 BLACK BOTTLE SAPPA SCOTTISH 9-BALL TOUR EVENT 6
6 and 7 March 2010
CHANGE OF VENUE

 

Due to the unfortunate closure of Riley’s Kirkintilloch, the sixth and final event of the Black Bottle SAPPA Scottish 9-Ball Tour will now take place at Reardon's Southside, 1060 Pollokshaws Road, Glasgow.  SAPPA would like to thank the people at Reardon’s for inviting us back to their club for the event.

 

We are still taking online entries for this event, which you can do by clicking on the PayPal button below.

We look forward to seeing you all there.

 

 

SAPPA PartyPoker.net WORLD POOL MASTERS QUALIFIER
REARDON'S SOUTHSIDE, POLLOKSHAWS ROAD, GLASGOW
6 and 7 March 2010

 

SAPPA are holding a qualifying tournament to send a player to the 2010 PartyPoker.net World Pool Masters taking place at the Riviera Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.

 

This event will take place alongside the sixth SAPPA Tour Event at Reardon's Southside, 1060 Pollockshaws Road, Glasgow.  The event will be Single Eliminiation with matches being a minimum of race to 11.  Entry for this event will be £100 and any player wishing to play should contact Ross McInnes directly either by telephone on 07749 550 440 or by e-mail on ispscotland@o2.co.uk

 

The winner of the event will win an expenses paid trip to Las Vegas to play in what has become one of the most prestigious tournaments in pool.

 

After 17 years as a 16-player invitational competition, the Masters, one of the longest established tournaments in pool, will now feature 64 players and take place over five days instead of three.

Once again, the Masters, which will be held from Wednesday, May 12 to Sunday, May 16, will take place at the Riviera Hotel and Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada.

Working in conjunction with Cuesports International, the Masters takes place during the annual BCA National 8-Ball Championships, which sees thousands of players and fans flock to the Riviera for a lengthy festival of pool.

The 64-player line-up will comprise 32 international stars of the game from around the world and they will be joined 32 qualifiers who will have won through events across the globe in the run up to the main event in May.

 

Matchroom Sport are one of the world’s leading producers of televised sport and are responsible for over 1,100 hours of original programming across a range of nine sports. Based in the UK and chaired by charismatic founder Barry Hearn, the World Pool Masters is one of a stable of pool events that include the World Cup of Pool and the Mosconi Cup.

The 2010 World Pool Masters is sponsored by PartyPoker.net. Tables are supplied by Brunswick Billiards, cloth by Iwan Simonis, Super Aramith balls by Saluc and the Official Cue is Predator.

 

23 January 2010

2009/10 BLACK BOTTLE SAPPA SCOTTISH 9-BALL TOUR
TOUR EVENT 6 - RILEY'S KIRKINTILLOCH
6 and 7 March 2010

 

The sixth and final event on the Black Bottle SAPPA Scottish 9-Ball Tour will take place at Rileys, Kirkintilloch 20-22 Cowgate, Kirkintilloch on 6 and 7 March 2010. Entries from non-members are now being taken at a cost of £30 and you can enter and pay using PayPal by clicking on the button below. You can download a poster for this event by clicking here.

 

Any SAPPA Member who has not yet completed payment of the second half of their membership fees should get in touch with Ross McInnes, SAPPA Tournament Organiser, immedately on 07749 550 440 regarding this. Your participation in future SAPPA events could be in jepardy if you fail to do so.

 

6 January 2009

Due to the adverse weather conditions all across the UK, this weekend's Black Bottle SAPPA Tour Event has been postponed. As an added attraction for those who can make it to The Q Club in Glasgow, Stevie Capaldi has organised a special one-off event. Here are the details.

 

“WHAT'S THE DEATHMATCH FORMAT?” I HEAR YOU ASK...

There will be 8 players in each group. Round one will be an open draw.  Round 2 will have round one winners compete against round one winners and round losers compete against round one losers and round 3 will be similar to in format to round 2.

 

At the end of the group phase, in theory, you are now in order of ability.

 

From the bottom of the group you play the DEATHMATCH, knocking each other out (one rack) until you have a winner.  The player who starts at the bottom of the group could win all 7 DEATHMATCHES and win the group.

PRIZE DISTRIBUTION (based on 32 entries)

 

All enquiries and names should be telephoned to Stevie Capaldi on 07968 564 184 or via this thread at the SAPPA Forum.

 

5 January 2009

2009/10 BLACK BOTTLE SAPPA SCOTTISH 9-BALL TOUR
TOUR EVENT 5 - REARDON'S CENTRAL, GLASGOW

 

This weekend's Tour Event, due to take place at Reardon's Central in Glasgow, has been postponed due to the adverse weather conditions all across Scotland. Details of the rescheduling of this event will be announced as soon as possible.


23 December 2009

2009/10 BLACK BOTTLE SAPPA SCOTTISH 9-BALL TOUR
TOUR EVENT 5 - REARDON'S CENTRAL, GLASGOW
9 and 10 January 2010

 

The fifth event on the Black Bottle SAPPA Scottish 9-Ball Tour, and the first of 2010, takes place at Reardon's Central, Hope Street, Glasgow on 9 and 10 January 2010. Entries from non-members are now being taken at a cost of £30 and you can enter and pay using PayPal by clicking on the button below.

 

You can download a poster for this event by clicking here.

 

Any SAPPA Member who has not yet completed payment of the second half of their membership fees should get in touch with Ross McInnes, SAPPA Tournament Organiser, immedately on 07749 550 440 regarding this. Participation in future SAPPA events could be in jepardy if you fail to do so.

Top

14 December 2009

2009/10 BLACK BOTTLE SAPPA SCOTTISH 9-BALL TOUR
TOUR EVENT 4 - THE Q CLUB, GLASGOW
12 and 13 December 2009

 

Pat Holtz became the fifth different winner in as many events in the 2009/10 SAPPA season when he beat Michael Valentine 10 racks to 9 in an enthralling final of the fourth Black Bottle SAPPA Scottish 9-Ball Tour at The Q Club in Glasgow at the weekend.

 

Pat Holtz pockets the winning 9-ball at the end of the 4th Black Bottle SAPPA Tour Event at The Q Club in Glasgow
Pat Holtz pocketing the winning 9-ball at the end of the 4th Black Bottle
SAPPA Tour Event at The Q Club in Glasgow

 

With the top 16 automatically qualifying through to the Sunday, 28 players arrived on the Saturday to fight for the 16 qualifying places the following day and there were a number of very close fought battles through the day's play. At the end of Saturday's play, the draw was made for the last 32 matches on the Sunday and it produced some mouth watering matches.

 

Last 32
Losers - £30
Michael Valentine
10
v
2
Jayson Shaw
Cameron Bowes
7
v
10
Stevie Capaldi
Gary Houstoun
FF
v
10
Alan Maxwell
Darren Murray
4
v
10
Gordon Bain
Chris Fraser
3
v
10
Ryan Davie
Fraser Patrick
10
v
FF
Sanjay Varma
George Fagan
2
v
10
Ross McInnes
Davy Jack
10
v
5
Kev Donohoe
Greg Alexander
10
v
5
John Reid
Tam Talent
10
v
9
Scott Ross
Billy Edmond
8
v
10
Andy McNiven
Andy Morris
10
v
4
Lee Marshall
Clark Smith
10
v
4
Craig Sinclair
Stewart McPhee
FF
v
10
Tam Walkinshaw
Iain Mackintosh
7
v
10
Craig Blackstock
Pat Holtz
10
v
4
Remi Passiatore

 

The most exciting match of the round, on paper, was the one at the top of the chart between Michael Valentine and Jayson Shaw. Unfortunately for Shaw, he could not get started and made too many errors, allowing Valentine a comfortable win while SAPPA Tournament Organiser Ross McInnes rolled back the years with a 10-2 demolition of Glasgow's George Fagan in double-quick time, living up to his nickname "The Flying Scotsman". Elsewhere, Andy McNiven continued to show his improving form with an excellent 10-8 victory over Billy Edmond.

 

Last 16
Losers - £50
Michael Valentine
10
v
4
Stevie Capaldi
Alan Maxwell
5
v
10
Gordon Bain
Ryan Davie
3
v
10
Fraser Patrick
Ross McInnes
1
v
10
Davy Jack
Greg Alexander
10
v
5
Tam Talent
Andy McNiven
5
v
10
Andy Morris
Clark Smith
10
v
1
Tam Walkinshaw
Craig Blackstock
6
v
10
Pat Holtz

 

The last 16 saw another excellent match involving Michael Valentine. This time, he was paired with reigning Scottish Champion Stevie Capaldi. Capaldi did not seem to get the run of the balls that a player sometimes needs in this game and Valentine capitalised on this, winning 10-4. The SAPPA still playing were sent to the sidelines at this stage with Ross McInnes, Tournament Organiser, losing 10-1 to Davy Jack and Tournament Director Tam Talent being eliminated 10-5 by Greg Alexander.

 

Quarter Finals
Losers - £70
Michael Valentine
10
v
5
Gordon Bain
Fraser Patrick
10
v
8
Davy Jack
Greg Alexander
7
v
10
Andy Morris
Clark Smith
6
v
10
Pat Holtz

 

The quality of the matches in the Quarter Finals lived up to expectations with 4 excellent matches. Valentine continued on his difficult run through the bracket with a 10-5 victory over Gordon Bain while Fraser Patrick and Davy Jack played what was considered to be one of the best matches of the event so far. Andy Morris and Pat Holtz made up the quartet for the Semi Finals with good wins over quality opponents in Greg Alexander and Clark Smith respectivley.

 

Semi Finals
Losers - £90
Michael Valentine
10
v
9
Fraser Patrick
Andy Morris
7
v
10
Pat Holtz

 

The semi finals were as good as the quarter finals with the spectators not wanting to look away too much for fear of missing any of the action. The stand-out match of the 2 was the Valentine - Patrick encounter which saw Valentine race off to a 6-1 lead, which he extended to 8-2 then 9-4 before Patrick decided to fight a massive comeback. Sadly for Patrick, it was not to be as Valentine was able to break and finish the last rack of the match.

 

The Final
Winner - £150 :: Runner Up - £150
Michael Valentine
9
v
10
Pat Holtz

 

Michael Valetine (left) and Pat Holtz before the final of Black Bottle SAPPA Tour Event 4
Michael Valetine (left) and Pat Holtz before the
final of Black Bottle SAPPA Tour Event 4

 

The final was a hard-fought match with no player being more than a rack or 2 ahead at any time. Both players, while making the odd error, played some brilliant pool but, as is often the case in a match as tight as this one was, the match was effectively decided by a single shot when Valentine missed a very tough 4-ball at 9 racks each leaving Holtz to run the table out and win the match.

 

Vik Sharma, Director at The Q Club, presents Pat Holtz with the winner's prize money
Vik Sharma, Director at The Q Club, presents Pat Holtz with the winner's prize money

 

SAPPA would like to thank Black Bottle Whisky for their sponsorship of the event, The Q Club for being excellent hosts and all the players for making the weekend such a big success.

 

The full Tournament Charts can be downloaded by clicking here and the updated Provisional Ranking List can be downloaded here.

Top

15 November 2009

2009/10 BLACK BOTTLE SAPPA SCOTTISH 9-BALL TOUR
TOUR EVENT 4 - THE Q CLUB, GLASGOW
12 and 13 December 2009

 

This weekend sees the 4th stop of the 2009/10 Black Bottle SAPPA Scottish 9-Ball Tour at The Q Club in Glasgow. The Q Club is one of the more popular clubs on the Tour and is the home club for most of the Glasgow-based players on the Tour, so it should be an excellent weekend.

 

Any non-member wishing to play this weekend should be at the club before 11:45 so that your name can be entered into the draw.

 

We look forward to seeing you there.

Top

15 November 2009

2009/10 BLACK BOTTLE SAPPA SCOTTISH 9-BALL TOUR

Membership Payments

 

Payments are now due for the second half of the 2009 Black Bottle SAPPA Tour. Details of how to pay can be found in the Scottish Tour section of the site.

Top

14 November 2009

2009 CARLSBERG SCOTTISH OPEN 9-BALL CHAMPIONSHIPS

 

You can find the full report of this year's Scottish Open by clicking here.

12 August 2009

2009/10 BLACK BOTTLE SAPPA SCOTTISH 9-BALL TOUR
TOUR EVENT 3 - RILEY'S MEADOWBANK, EDINBURGH
5 and 6 September 2009

 

Michael Valentine won his first SAPPA Black Bottle Scottish 9-Ball Tour Event of the season with a tight 10-8 victory over Fraser Patrick at Riley's, Meadowbank, Edinburgh. "The Yeti" seemed to turn the clock back a few seasons as he won his first 4 matches with a combined score of 40 racks to 15 against some excellent opponents.

 

Black Bottle Event 3 winner Michael Valentine nearing the completion of another rack
Black Bottle Event 3 winner Michael Valentine nearing
the completion of another rack

 

A total of 54 players were entered into the draw and with the top 16 being seeded through to Sunday, 38 players fought for one of the 16 qualifying spaces. The first day of the event did not bring as many surprises as the previous 2 events but at the end of the Saturday the 16 players remaining were drawn against the top 16 ranked players in Scotland and brought some interesting matches.

 

Last 32
Losers - £30
Michael Valentine
10
v
1
Tomasz Waliszewski
Tam Talent
10
v
5
Remi
Billy Edmond
5
v
10
Andy McNiven
Adam Smith
10
v
2
Stevie Capaldi
Andy Morris
8
v
10
Jayson Shaw
Stewart McPhee
10
v
6
Carl Smith
Chris Cowie
10
v
4
Tam Walkinshaw
Davy Jack
10
v
9
Peter McLanachan
Greg Alexander
5
v
10
Scott Gillespie
Ian Macintosh
10
v
0
Alan Reynolds
Cameron Bowes
5
v
10
Gordon Bain
Clark Smith
10
v
3
Derek Easton
Darren Murray
10
v
4
Dave Moir
Fraser Patrick
10
v
2
Chas Kelly
Chris Fraser
10
v
6
Chris Pringle
Pat Holtz
9
v
10
Scott Ross

 

Stand out results in the last 32 included Ian Macintosh's whitewashing of top 8-Ball player Alan Reynolds, Michael Valentine's 10-1 hammering of Tamasz Waliszewski and Adam Smith's 10-2 drubbing of Stevie Capaldi. At the other end of the scale, Scott Ross managed to squeeze by Scotland's number one, Pat Holtz, 10-9 in a very tight match and Davy Jack survived a scare when he came back from 9-5 down to win 10-9 over Peter McLanachan.

 

Last 16

Losers - £60
Michael Valentine
10
v
2
Tam Talent
Andy McNiven
2
v
10
Adam Smith
Jayson Shaw
10
v
1
Stewart McPhee
Chris Cowie
10
v
8
Davy Jack
Scott Gillespie
10
v
4
Ian Macintosh
Gordon Bain
10
v
2
Clark Smith
Darren Murray
4
v
10
Fraser Patrick
Chris Fraser
7
v
10
Scott Ross

 

Reading the results of the last 16 stage might make you think that most players were trying to get their matches finished in a hurry but the vast majority of them were all very hard fought affairs. The exception to this was Jayson Shaw who beat Stewart McPhee 10-1 in double-quick time.

 

Quarter Finals
Losers - £80
Michael Valentine
10
v
6
Adam Smith
Jayson Shaw
9
v
10
Chris Cowie
Scott Gillespie
10
v
9
Gordon Bain
Fraser Patrick
10
v
3
Scott Ross

 

The Quarter Finals gave us 4 top-quality matches with 2 of them going right down the the wire. While Fraser Patrick was pouncing on a series of uncharacteristic errors from Scott Ross to win 10-3 and Michael Valentine was getting past Adam Smith, the matches between Jayson Shaw and Chris Cowie and Scott Gillespie and Gordon Bain were gaining large crowds of eliminated players and club members as they both went to a deciding rack. The difference between the players in both matches was measured in a matter of a couple of inches as safety shots from Shaw and Bain allowed Cowie and Gillespie respectively in to finish off the matches.

 

Scott Ross can't watch as Fraser Patrick finishes off another rack
Scott Ross can't watch as Fraser Patrick finishes off another rack

 

Semi Finals
Losers - £110
Michael Valentine
10
v
6
Chris Cowie
Scott Gillespie
2
v
10
Fraser Patrick

 

The Semi Finals were both excellent matches with Valentine showing a resurgence in form to get past the ever improving Chris Cowie while former snooker professional Fraser Patrick showed that the work he has been putting into his 9 Ball game has not been in vain with a seemingly easy demolition of Tour Event 2 runner-up Scott Gillespie.

 

Chris Cowie comes to the completion of another rack in his Semi Final match against Michael Valentine

Chris Cowie comes to the completion of another rack in his
Semi Final match against Michael Valentine

 

Final
Winner - £400 :: Runner up - £200
Michael Valentine
10
v
8
Fraser Patrick

 

The final was a tight affair all the way through with no player having a lead of more than one or 2 racks at any one time. At the end of the match, however, it was the player affectionately known as "The Yeti" pocketing the final 9-ball to win his first SAPPA Tour Event since March 2008.

 

SAPPA would like to thank Black Bottle Whisky for their sponsorship of the event, Riley's Meadowbank for being excellent hosts and all the players for making the weekend such a big success.

 

The full Tournament Charts can be downloaded by clicking here and the updated Provisional Ranking List can be downloaded here.

Top

12 August 2009

2009/10 BLACK BOTTLE SAPPA SCOTTISH 9-BALL TOUR
TOUR EVENT 2 - REARDON'S SOUTHSIDE
8 and 9 August 2009

 

Polish visitor Piotr Ostrowski won the second stop on the SAPPA Black Bottle Scottish 9-Ball Tour at Reardon's Southside in Glasgow with a comprehensive 10-6 victory over Larkhall-based Scott Gillespie. Ostrowski, who previous played on the SAPPA Tour when he lived in Scotland a couple of years ago, went through the whole weekend undefeated taking some impressive scalps on his way to the title.

 

Eventual winner Piotr Ostrowski gets out of a tricky situation during his victory over Michael Valentine - picture courtesy of Tomasz Waliszewski
Eventual winner Piotr Ostrowski gets out of a tricky
situation during his victory over Michael Valentine
(picture courtesy of Tomasz Waliszewski)

 

Even with some last-minute withdrawals from the tournament, a total of 54 players arrived at Reardon's Southside over the weekend to play. With the top 16 ranked players seeded straight through to the Sunday, 38 players were there on Saturday to fight for the 16 spots available the following day. As always, there were a few surprise results, one of the main ones being Event 1 Runner Up Scott Ross's back-to-back losses to be eliminated from the event very quickly.

 

Last 32
Losers - £30
Michael Valentine
10
v
2
Gordon Bain
Billy Edmond
2
v
10
Piotr Ostrowski
Cameron Bowes
10
v
7
Ian Greenshields
Adam Smith
4
v
10
Tam Walkinshaw
Clark Smith
10
v
8
George Fagan
Chris Fraser
6
v
10
Stevie Capaldi
Ian Mackintosh
10
v
6
Chris Goode
Davy Jack
6
v
10
Jayson Shaw
Greg Alexander
10
v
8
Pete King
Stewart McPhee
5
v
10
Stuart Ellis
Fraser Patrick
10
v
3
Craig Blackstock
Darren Murray
9
v
10
Scott Gillespie
Andy Morris
10
v
8
Derek Easton
Tam Talent
8
v
10
Lee Marshall
Chris Cowie
10
v
4
Remi
Pat Holtz
8
v
10
Marc Owens

 

Among the standout matches in the last 32 were Davy Jack versus Jayson Shaw, which Shaw won 10-6 in double-quick time, Darren Murray's match against Scott Gillespie, with Gillespie just making it past Murray, and Pat Holtz going against snooker player Marc Owens who was playing in his first SAPPA Tour Event, with Owens managing to get past the Scottish number one in a very tight match.

 

Marc Owens finishing off another rack in his match against Pat Holtz - picture courtesy of Tomasz Waliszewski
Marc Owens finishing off another rack in his match against Pat Holtz
(picture courtesy of Tomasz Waliszewski)

 

Last 16
Losers - £60
Michael Valentine
7
v
10
Piotr Ostrowski
Cameron Bowes
7
v
10
Tam Walkinshaw
Clark Smith
6
v
10
Stevie Capaldi
Ian Mackintosh
2
v
10
Jayson Shaw
Greg Alexander
10
v
6
Stuart Ellis
Fraser Patrick
8
v
10
Scott Gillespie
Andy Morris
10
v
2
Lee Marshall
Chris Cowie
10
v
3
Marc Owens

 

The last 16 was full of excellent matches. The aforementioned Piotr Ostrowski continued his run through the tournament with a well-executed 10-7 victory over Michael Valentine. After the match, Valentine had nothing but praise for Ostrowski's ability with the break. Another excellent match was the one between Stevie Capaldi and Clark Smith with Capaldi, formerly ranked number 3 in Scotland, managing to get past the ever-steady Smith by 10 racks to 6.

 

Stevie Capaldi working his way out of a tricky situation - picture courtesy of Tomasz Waliszewski
Stevie Capaldi working his way out of a tricky situation
(picture courtesy of Tomasz Waliszewski)


Quarter Finals
Losers - £100
Piotr Ostrowski
10
v
6
Tam Walkinshaw
Stevie Capaldi
8
v
10
Jayson Shaw
Greg Alexander
9
v
10
Scott Gillespie
Andy Morris
10
v
6
Chris Cowie

 

The Quarter Finals saw the long-overdue return of Tam Walkinshaw to the latter stages of a SAPPA Tour Event. Sadly for Tam, his run in the event came to an end at the hands of Mr Ostrowski while Scott Gillespie continued his nail-biting run through the event, this time with a final rack win over Greg Alexander. Stevie Capaldi's tournament came to an end at the hands of the ever-brilliant Jayson Shaw while 2009 SAPPA US Open Championship Qualifier Winner Andy Morris continued making his way through the event with a 10-6 victory over Chris Cowie.

 

Andy Morris brings another rack to an end - picture courtesy of Tomasz Waliszewski
Andy Morris brings another rack to an end
(picture courtesy of Tomasz Waliszewski)

 

Semi Finals
Losers - £150
Piotr Ostrowski
10
v
8
Jayson Shaw
Scott Gillespie
10
v
7
Andy Morris

 

Both semi final matches turned out to be excellent affairs with brilliant pool being played by all 4 players. In the end, Ostrowski and Gillespie, both of whom had been playing some of the best pool throughout the tournament, made it through to the final.

 

Scott Gillespie (left) and Piotr Ostrowski before the final
Scott Gillespie (left) and Piotr Ostrowski before the final

 

Final
Winner - £400 :: Runner up - £200
Piotr Ostrowski
10
v
6
Scott Gillespie

 

During the final, as he had throughout the entire weekend Ostrowski's break was working wonders making at least one or 2 balls on each break. Gillespie put up a brave fight, but the Polish player proved to be too strong in the end taking home the trophy and the £400 first prize.

 

Piotr being presented with the trophy and his prize money
Piotr being presented with the trophy and his prize money by Liz,
one of the Managers at Reardon's Southside

 

SAPPA would like to thank Black Bottle Whisky, Reardon's Southside and all the players for making the weekend such a big success.

 

The charts from the tournament can be downloaded by clicking here. The new Provisional Ranking List can be downloaded here.

Top

21 July 2009

SAPPA MERCHANDISE COLLECTION

 

SAPPA are pleased to announce the launch of a line of SAPPA branded merchandise which you can view here.

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12 June 2009

2009 US OPEN 9-BALL CHAMPIONSHIP QUALIFIER
RILEY'S STIRLING
5 July 2009

 

The Scottish qualifier for the US Open 9-Ball Championships will be taking place at Riley’s Stirling on Sunday 5 July 2009.  The winner-take-all prize is paid entry into the 2009 US Open 9-Ball Championships, being held in Chesapeake, Virginia, as well as, dependent on the number of entries, money towards flights and accommodation.

 

The event is limited to 64 players and entry is £25.  Entries must be made in advance and no entries can be taken on the day.  The matches will be races to 9 racks with alternate breaks.

 

The event is being organised and run by Stephen Capaldi, organiser of the popular handicap tournaments previously held at Glasgow’s Q Club.  Like those events, this tournament will also be a Single Elimination handicapped event.  The seedings will be based upon the current SAPPA ranking list, with alterations made at the tournament director’s discretion.  The seeds will be grouped into groups of 8 players.

 

The tournament will start at 11am with the 2 lowest groups of players being drawn with each subsequent round starting around 90 minutes later.  The players in the lower group will have a one-rack start and winning players will carry their start onto subsequent matches, therefore, with a full field, if a player from the lowest group wins his way through to the last 16 he will have a 7-rack start in a race-to-9 match.

 

To enter, please either telephone Stephen Capaldi, the tournament organiser, on 07968 564 184 or by visiting the US Open Qualifier thread on the SAPPA Forum. You can also find more details and have your questions answered on this thread.

 

Please remember all entries must be made in advance and that the tournament is limited to 64 players, so get your names in as soon as possible. You never know, you might just get the chance to play at one of pool's most prestegious tournaments.

Top

19 May 2009

2009/10 BLACK BOTTLE SAPPA SCOTTISH 9-BALL TOUR
TOUR EVENT 1 - RILEY'S STIRLING
16 and 17 May 2009

 

Arbroath’s Greg Alexander won the first event of the 2009/10 SAPPA Black Bottle Scottish 9-Ball Tour, which took place at Riley’s Stirling, with an enthralling 10-8 victory over Scott Ross.  The event attracted a total of 55 players along to test their skills in the new format event.  With the top 16 players seeded straight through to the Sunday, 39 players turned up on Saturday to play for one of the 16 spaces in the draw on Sunday where the prize fund of over £2,100 would be played for.

 

The new format also saw the introduction of the alternate break system to the SAPPA Tour.  The introduction of alternate breaks caused a fair amount of discussion both on the SAPPA Forum and at the event itself with players on both sides being vocal about their support for one system against the other.

 

Black Bottle SAPPA Tour Event 1 runner-up Scott Ross starts running another rack in his semi final with Clark Smith
Black Bottle SAPPA Tour Event 1 runner-up Scott Ross starts
running another rack in his semi final with Clark Smith

 

Day one brought few surprise results, with Perth’s Andy Cheuk recording the biggest shock of the day with his 7-4 victory over eventual finalist, and new EBA World Blackball Masters Champion, Scott Ross.  At the end of the day, the 16 qualifiers were drawn randomly against the players in the top 16 to give us the matches for the last 32.


Last 32
Losers - £30
Michael Valentine

7

v

10

Chris Pringle

Chris Cowie

8

v

10

Scott Ross

Chris Fraser

2

v

10

Jayson Shaw

Adam Smith

10

v

1

Tam Walkinshaw

Clark Smith

10

v

6

Achilleas

Ian Macintosh

10

v

3

Peter McLanachan

Fraser Patrick

10

v

9

Derek Easton

Davy Jack

10

v

5

Lee Marshall

Greg Alexander

10

v

9

Gordon Bain

Tam Talent

10

v

F

Iain Greenshields

Billy Edmond

F

v

10

Alan Reynolds

Darren Murray

6

v

10

Gary Houstoun

Andy Morris

10

v

6

Ryan Davie

Stuart McPhee

10

v

6

Craig Blackstock

Cameron Bowes

10

v

8

Tomasz Waliszewski

Pat Holtz

10

v

8

Remi

 

When the draw was made, two matches stood out from the crowd.  Scott Ross v Chris Cowie and Chris Fraser v Jayson Shaw.  While the Ross v Cowie encounter was a tight affair ending in a 10-8 victory to Ross, the Fraser v Shaw match turned into a potting display from Shaw as he moved easily into the last 16 by 10 racks to 2.  The stand-out result from the last 32, however, was the loss by Scotland’s number 2 Michael Valentine to Edinburgh’s number one, Chris Pringle by 10 racks to 7 in a match that could easily have gone either way.

 

Last 16
Losers - £60
Chris Pringle

7

v

10

Scott Ross

Jayson Shaw

5

v

10

Adam Smith

Clark Smith

10

v

8

Ian Macintosh

Fraser Patrick

10

v

9

Davy Jack

Greg Alexander

10

v

4

Tam Talent

Alan Reynolds

7

v

10

Gary Houstoun

Andy Morris

7

v

10

Stuart McPhee

Cameron Bowes

3

v

10

Pat Holtz

 

Fraser Patrick’s match against Davy Jack went one way, then the other with Patrick being 8-2 and 9-3 up before Jack started a monumental fight back.  Patrick, however, was not to be denied his place in the last 8 as he scrambled over the line to win 10-9.  Another fight back of note was from Clark Smith who came from 6-2 down to win 10-8 over local player Ian Macintosh.

 

Pat Holtz breaks off in his Semi Final match against Greg Alexander
Pat Holtz breaks off in his Semi Final match against Greg Alexander

 

Quarter Finals
Losers - £80
Scott Ross

10

v

6

Adam Smith

Clark Smith

10

v

8

Fraser Patrick

Greg Alexander

10

v

4

Gary Houstoun

Stuart McPhee

5

v

10

Pat Holtz

 

Of note in the quarter finals was the Patrick v Smith encounter which turned into a war of attrition due to a series of difficult table layouts after the breaks.  This match looked destined to be another hill-hill encounter for Patrick before Smith managed to get over the line, winning 10-8.

 

Fraser Patrick nears the finish of another rack
Fraser Patrick nears the finish of another rack

 

Semi Finals
Losers - £125
Scott Ross

10

v

5

Clark Smith

Greg Alexander

10

v

8

Pat Holtz

 

The Ross v Smith semi final match was, effectively decided by a missed 6-ball by Smith with the scores tied at 5 racks each.  This one shot seemed to affect Smith’s concentration and he found himself unable to get back into the match, which Ross won 10-5.  The Alexander v Holtz semi final was a much closer affair with no player being able to get too far ahead of the other.  In the end, Alexander managed to get himself over the line and into his third SAPPA final.

 

Clark Smith breaking in his Quarter Final match against Fraser Patrick
Clark Smith breaking in his Quarter Final match against Fraser Patrick

 

Final
Winner - £400 :: Runner up - £200
Scott Ross

8

v

10

Greg Alexander

 

The final was, again, a relatively close affair with no player getting too far ahead of the other during the match.  At 8 racks each, it looked very much like the match was going to go the whole way but a dry break from Ross allowed Alexander to clear the table and then he broke and cleared the 18th rack to win the match and his first SAPPA Tour Event title.

 

Black Bottle SAPPA Tour Event 1 winner Greg Alexander (right) with Sarah Henderson, Duty Manager of Riley's Stirling and Tam Talent, SAPPA Tournament Director
Black Bottle SAPPA Tour Event 1 winner Greg Alexander (right)
with Sarah Henderson, Duty Manager of Riley's Stirling
and Tam Talent, SAPPA Tournament Director

 

SAPPA would like to thank Black Bottle Whisky, Riley’s Stirling and all the players for making the weekend such a big success.

 

The charts from the tournament can be downloaded by clicking here. The new Provisional Ranking List can be downloaded here.

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9 May 2009

2009/10 BLACK BOTTLE SAPPA SCOTTISH 9-BALL TOUR

 

The Scottish American Pool Players Association (S.A.P.P.A.) is delighted to announce that they have secured a 12-month sponsorship deal with Black Bottle Whisky for the forthcoming 2009/10 season.

 

Black Bottle Whisky logo

 

This deal will provide a massive boost for S.A.P.P.A. as we strive to take the game to the next level in Scotland, with the agreement that the Black Bottle logo will feature on all S.A.P.P.A. merchandise and website activity for the duration of the contract.  It is especially pleasing that the financial investment is coming from such a recognisable Scottish brand.

 

Black Bottle Whisky has been warming the hearts of whisky lovers for over 100 years, with few blended whiskies being able to claim the same rich heritage.  It captures the very essence of Islay in an artful marriage all seven of the island’s classic malts, alongside some of the finest grain available.  From 1879 to the present day, Black Bottle has become something of a whisky paradox, a blend regarded by true whisky lovers as a fine dram.

 

The first event of the 2009/10 Black Bottle S.A.P.P.A. Scottish 9-Ball Tour takes place next weekend at Riley's, Stirling and spaces are still available to join the Tour. Information regarding joining the Tour can be found at www.scottish9ball.com/membership or by contacting Ross McInnes, S.A.P.P.A. Tournament Organiser, on 07749 550 440.

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Last season's news and results can be found in the Archives section.