The next round of Ireland’s 9-Ball Pro and Challenge Pool Tours takes place on Saturday 29th August 2009. The Pro event is open to Ireland’s 16 professionals, while the Challenge tour is open to everyone else. The Challenge tour gives a wide range of players a chance to progress in the sport and maybe win a prestigous event, without having to contend with professional players.

The next event takes place in Frames in Belfast, the home of the All Ireland Pool Championships. The Pro 9-ball pool event is up for grabs after it was announced that Paddy McLoughlin would not be competing.

All players that are interested in taking part (including any new players) are asked to contact the Tour Director, Ronnie Boyle, on (NI: 07917887147) (ROI: 00447917887147) or Email: rballsports@yahoo.co.uk, before 27th August.

After much anticipation, the Predator International 10-Ball Tour is coming to Europe. The first event will take place at the Sport Complex in Anadia, Portugal from September 10-12, 2009. With players from all over the world competing on 21 tables, this inaugural event promises to be the largest ever on European soil. The top two finishers will automatically qualify for the World 10 Ball Championship, scheduled for November 25-30, 2009 at the World Trade Center in Manila.

The event is sanctioned by the European Pocket Billiard Federation and WPA rules will govern all matches. Assuming 64 or more entrants, players will compete for a guaranteed prize fund of 50,000 euros (more than $70,000).

Predator’s tour web site, www.Predator10Ball.com, will stream live video, offer a video magazine and provide real-time scoring. In addition, ESPN STAR Asia and Eurosport International will air the final and semi-finals in high definition. The first channel reaches 150 million households throughout Asia while the latter represents the largest viewing audience in Europe with more than 116 million households. According to Karim Belhaj, CEO of Predator Group, “an estimated 500 million people will tune into this event.”

Predator Group’s partner, the multimedia Kozoom Corp. that also produces the Tour’s official web site, shares Mr. Belhaj’s enthusiasm. Xavier Carrer, states that “It is our goal to bring pool & billiards to the widest audience possible; it is an achievement in itself to see that this Tour has enough assets for Eurosport to show it on their main network.” Masterpool and Bilhares Carrinho have also been heavily involved in setting up the Anadia tour stop.

“This is a seminal event and we’re excited to see it take off,” says Belhaj. “We’re committed to promoting our sport, increasing interest in the game and making billiards more of a household word. This tour represents a giant step in that direction.”

Stay tuned to www.Predator10Ball.com for additional news and live-play coverage.

A young man from Co. Waterford called Jason Power produced a dazzling display at the weekend past (Saturday 25th July) to write himself into the history books on Ireland’s American 8 & 9 Ball Pool Tour becoming the youngest poolplayer in the seven year history of the All Ireland Open 9Ball Championships to be crowned champion at the age of 19 years-old.

Not only does Jason make history by coming the youngest player to be crowned All Ireland Open 9Ball Champion but the Co. Waterford cueist has also been inducted into Ireland’s Hall Of Fame on Ireland’s American 8 & 9 Ball Pool Tour, going alongside some fantastic champions on the roll of honours list that has secured the All Ireland title down through the years.

Jason who was playing in his first ever official ranking tournament on Ireland’s American 8 & 9 Ball Pool Tour at the weekend past stormed through a qualify field of players to be crowned champion overcoming the challenge from top Irish poolplayers enroute to the final he played the 2006 past champion Sam Gibson (Antrim) who he defeated in the last-16 on a 9-8 score-line with his other victories coming against Mark Hall (Fermanagh, last-32, 9-1), Sam Gibson (Antrim, last-16, 9-8), Paul Canavan (Antrim, ¼-finals, 9-8), Coilean Massey (Antrim, semi-finals, 9-2).

In the final itself he put in an awesome performance against highly ranked player Manny Byrne (Down) in the final getting over the winning line once again on a last rack decider to be crowned 2009 All Ireland Open 9Ball Pool Champion.

England’s Tony Burton who travels across the Irish sea each year to play in the annual All Ireland Open & Under-21 9-Ball Championships has added his name for the second time on the All Ireland Under-21 roll of honours list defeating the former 2007 European English 8Ball Champion Stephen Dempsey in a brilliant final with Tony getting over the line on a 9-7 victory to be crowned champion.

This young player has achieved other major success at junior level down through the years such as the northern & southern junior championship and twice runner-up in the British junior championship has now added another All Ireland Under-21 9Ball Championship title to his CV going alongside his 2007 victory when he defeated his friend Matt Lawrenson (England) 10-6 on that occasion a few years ago.

Tony, who is otherwise known as the Basildon Bomber overcame a host of top junior pool players from Ireland on route to victory in this years event which was one of the strongest field of players in the six year history of the tournament with the Basildon Bomber in top class form right from the start recording fantastic victories over the following top underage players listed below from the last-16 onwards to claim the title.