Team Europe Blitzes to Mosconi Lead
In a stunning turnaround that had members of the U.S. squad befuddled and bitter, Team Europe rolled through five straight match wins Saturday afternoon to take an 8-6 lead in the 2004 Mosconi Cup at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
Trailing, 6-3, as the third day of the Ryder Cup-styled team 9-ball tournament kicked off, the Euros earned a much-needed boost when 23-year-old Nick Van den Berg scored a 5-3 win over mistake-prone Mosconi rookie Tony Robles. Then, in what may be looked back on as the event’s critical match, Germans Ralf Souquet and Thorsten Hohmann edged the U.S. duo of Johnny Archer and Rodney Morris, 5-4, to trim the overall score to 6-5 in the race-to-11.
With European fans becoming more boisterous by the game, snooker legend Steve Davis pitched an unlikely 5-0 shutout against Earl Strickland. Strickland was livid before and after the match, as Mosconi producers Sky Sports aired a pre-match promo that centered on the volatile Strickland’s actions during a match against Davis at the World Pool Championships in Cardiff in July. At that event, Strickland battled the pro-Davis crowd, the match referee, and Davis himself.
Scandanavians Mika Immonen and Marcus Chamat then topped Charlie Williams and Jeremy Jones, 5-3, in the final doubles match to give Europe its first lead of the event at 7-6. The day finished with Souquet pocketing a table-length kick at the 8 ball in the case game for a 5-4 triumph over Jones.
For more match highlights and photos from the 2004 Mosconi Cup, log on to www.mosconicup.com.
U.S. Assumes Command
On the heels of spirited and nearly flawless play from Mosconi Cup debutante Rodney Morris, Team USA won three of four matches Friday afternoon at the MGM Grand Hotel/Casino in Las Vegas to take a 6-3 lead over Team Europe in the annual Matchroom Sport-promoted team tournament.
Morris, unbeaten in his two matches thus far (one doubles win and one singles victory), made the most of every shooting opportunity and worked the capacity crowd into near hysteria while teamming with Johnny Archer in a 5-1 stomping of the German duo of Ralf Souquet and Thorsten Hohmann. Morris continually urged the pro-U..S. crowd for support during the match.
Day Two of the Ryder Cup-style event began with Jeremy Jones, who learned he would be leading off in singles competition just 20 minutes prior to the opening lag, beating Sweden’s Marcus Chamat, 5-3. Earl Strickland and Tony Robles then paired to topple Steve Davis and Nick Van den Berg by the same score. The only thing that kept Europe from squandering all four opportunities on Friday was Mika Immonen’s thrilling 5-4 win over Charlie Williams. Williams had fought back from a 4-1 deficit to tie the match, and had the break in the case game. Not only did Williams fail to make a ball on the break, but he left Immonen a 1-9 combination that sealed his doom. Because of the U.S.’s three-game lead, the promoters decided not to stage a fifth match on Friday, for fear that another U.S. win might lead to an early end to the race-to-11 tournament. In 2001, the U.S. ended the event on Saturday with a 12-1 thrashing, leaving Matchroom and TV partner Sky Sports with no Sunday programming.
For more information on the 2004 Mosconi Cup, log onto www.mosconicup.com.
U.S. Takes Early Mosconi Cup Lead
A surprisingly large and boisterous turn-out greeted Team USA and Team Europe on Thursday when the Mosconi Cup team tournament made its U.S. debut at the MGM Grand Hotel/Casino in Las Vegas, and the players didn’t disappoint. In a five-match mix of singles and doubles play, the U.S. squad closed out the opening day with a 3-2 advantage in the race-to-11 tournament.
Uncertain of how the Mosconi Cup, wildly successful for nine years in London, would fare in America, promoter Barry Hearn of Matchroom Sport was overwhelmed by the 300-plus fans that filled the arena for the 11 a.m. opening lag. “This is absolutely fantastic,” said Hearn, who hopes to switch the Cup to a home-and-home series from this point on. Bouyed by nearly 100 Euros who made the pre-Christmas trek to Las Vegas, the first day featured raucous cheering for the two sides.
The opening match featured Johnny Archer, pool’s hotest player, against reigning World Pool Champion Thorsten Hohmann of Germany. Archer jumped to an early lead, and held on for a nerve-wracking 5-4 win in a match that lasted some 90 minutes.
Europe tied the match when the Scandanavian duo of Marcus Chamat and Mika Immonen rolled to a 5-1 win over Tony Robles and Charlie Williams.
The U.S. took a 3-1 lead after Rodney Morris made an impressive Mosconi Cup debut with a 5-3 pasting of Ralf Souquet, and the team of Earl Strickland and Jeremy Jones squandered a 4-0 lead, but outlasted Steve Davis and Nick Van den Berg, 5-4.
Europe stayed within striking distance of the Americans when Immonen topped Archer, 5-3, in the day’s final match.
For more information and photos from the 2004 Mosconi Cup, and match-by-match updates, go to www.mosconicup.com.
Loree Jon Jones Appearance Moved
WPBA Pro Loree Jon Jones’ appearance on ESPN2’s morning show “Cold Pizza” has been moved back one day. She will appear Friday, Dec. 19. The show runs live from 7-9am and then is re-aired directly after, from 9am to 11am.
Mike Davis Takes Reno Open
Mike Davis has taken this most recent Reno Open. He took the hotseat with a 9-7 win over Cliff Joyner, securing himself a change to battle feisty Filipino Santos Sambajon for the title Davis took an early lead in the final, but Sambajon fought back and pulled ahead, before a missed combination in the 13th rack turned the tides.
Davis clinched the victory on the hill, 9-8. His win earned him $12,000; Sambajon settled for $6,500.
Reno Open Underway
The 2003 Reno Open is down to 48 players as of 7PM EST on Friday.
The winner from last June, John Schmidt, is still undefeated and will play Jimmy Mendoza from Phoenix Arizona on Friday night. Other top seeds who are still undefeated include Rodney Morris, Jose Parica, Santos Sambajon, Jeremy Jones and Max Eberle.
The final winner crowned on Sunday will pocket $12,000 for the win.
Cold Pizza: Breakfast With Loree Jon Jones
Women’s Professional Billiard Association player Loree Jon Jones will appear on ESPN2’s morning show “Cold Pizza” on Thursday, Dec. 18. Jones will be performing trick shots and talking about the women’s pro tour.
“Cold Pizza” is ESPN2’s new morning show which airs live weekdays from 7-9 a.m. ET and repeats from 9-11 a.m. Featuring co-hosts Jay Crawford and Kit Hoover, news anchor Leslie Maxie and national correspondent Thea Andrews, the program combines sports with pop-culture, lifestyle features and consumer advice.
Cold Pizza appearance – Dec. 18 at 7 a.m. ET on ESPN2
Sigel Back at the Table – and Back on Top
“Captain Hook” was back in action.
Sigel took a single loss, 10-8, to Buddy Hall early in the competition, despite pulling ahead early on with a 7-0 lead. On the one-loss side, Sigel pounded through seven straight wins to earn himself another chance at taking down “The Rifleman.” The final saw neither player gaining much of an advantage as the two living legends swapped the lead. Sigel put on a burst of speed to close it out, however, taking the last three racks for an 11-9 victory.
Archer Wins World Summit of Pool
Southern gentleman Johhny Archer had a little something to teach the city slickers at the World Summit of Pool, at Amsterdam Billiards Club East in New York City, Oct. 8-12.
Archer triumphed over Santos Sambajon in the final, 13-5. Archer gained momentum as the final progressed, picking up speed and confidence with every game won. He produced seven break-and-run racks on his way to the win. Sambajon, who had a red-hot breaking game during his hot-seat match against Jose Parica, saw his inertia flag and his break fail in the final. After the score tied at 3-3, Archer took the lead and held it through the end.
Archer took home $12,000 while Sambajon settled for $6,500. Parica and Max Eberle took third and fourth, respectively.