Berri 8 Ball Open

The Berri Open has also attracted over 300 entrants since 1988. www.berriopen.com

  BERRI 8 BALL OPEN (JULY)
Year  Winner  Winner      Runner Up Runner-up  Host
2015 . . . . . . .
2014 . . . . . . .
2013 . . . . . . .
2012 . . . . . . .
2011 (SA) Nathan Nemes 4 3 Jake McCartney (VIC) Berri Resort
2010 (VIC) Jake Mccartney 4 1 Brenton Collier (SA) Berri Resort
2009 (SA) Adam Andretzke 4 2 Mark Williams (SA) Berri Resort
2008 (SA) Brenton Collier 4 3 Nick Howie (SA) Berri Resort
2007 (VIC) Jake McCartney 4 1 Russell Youlten (SA) Berri Resort
2006 (SA) Mark Williams 4 2 Ben Nunan (VIC) Berri Resort
2005 (SA) Paul Hancock . . . . Berri Resort
2004 (SA) Emile Riera . . . . Berri Resort
2003 (SA) Russell Youlten . . . . Berri Resort
2002 (SA) Russell Youlten . . . . Berri Resort
2001 (SA) Mick Delahunty . . . . Berri Resort
2000 (SA) Phil Reilly . . . . Berri Resort
1999 (SA) Phil Jones 4 1 Shannon Purcell (SA) Berri Resort
1998 (SA) Phil Reilly . . . . Berri Resort
1997 (SA) Alec Evreniadis . . . . Berri Resort
1996 (VIC) Josh Haynes . . . . Berri Resort
1995 (VIC) Shane Charles . . . . Berri Resort
1994 (SA) Bill Lehmann . . . . Berri Resort
1993 (SA) Ray Stevans . . . . Berri Resort
1992 (SA) Ken Mitchell . . . . Berri Resort
1991 (SA) Mick Delahunty . . . . Berri Resort
1990 (SA) Fred Newton . . . . Berri Resort
1989 (SA) Alec Evreniadis . . . . Berri Resort
1988 (SA) John Barton . . . . Berri Resort
               
  BARMERA 8 BALL OPEN (JULY)
1987 (SA) John Barton . . . . Barmera Country Club
1986 (VIC) Steve Hogan . . . . Barmera Country Club
1985 (SA) Shane Kilpatrick . . . . Barmera Country Club
1984 (SA) Shane Kilpatrick . . . . Barmera Country Club
1983 (SA) Steve Seebohm . . . . Barmera Country Club
1982 (SA) Robert Ripper . . . . Barmera Country Club
1981 (SA) David Evans . . . . Barmera Country Club

 

This is the 25th Anniversary of this event, so we are hoping to attract as many players as possible who have previously played in this event.  We also invite any new players to this event as well.

Hi Guys,

For those players who did not pick up an entry form and nominate for the 2012 Berri Open at this year’s Berri Open, attached is a Poster and Entry form for next year’s event. The Berri Open is scheduled for Saturday 21st & Sunday 22nd July 2012. Next year is the 25th Anniversary of this event, so we would like to see as many players as possible who have played in this tournament in the past, as well as any first time players to help us celebrate the 25th Anniversary of this Tournament, which is rated by many players as the best Open Singles Tournament in Australia.

As part of the 25th Anniversary Celebrations, Mr. Shane Roberts who is the General Manager of the Berri Resort Hotel has announced that the winner of the 2012 Berri Resort Hotel Open 8 Ball Singles Championships will receive an additional $1,000 in prize-money.  This will mean that the Winner will collect $4,500 in prize-money and the total prize-money for the 2012 event will be $16,000.

Looking forward to catching up with some of you at the 2012 Berri Open.

Regards,

Neil Lemmey

Tournament Director

Berri Resort Hotel Open 8-Ball Singles Championships

Phone: 0409 845 808

Attachments:
Download this file (2012_-Berri-Open-Poster.pdf)2012_-Berri-Open-Poster.pdf[ ]1055 kB

Nathan Nemes 4 - 3 Jake Mccartney

REPORT ON 2011 BERRI RESORT HOTEL OPEN 8-BALL SINGLES CHAMPIONSHIPS HELD ON SATURDAY JULY 23RD & SUNDAY JULY 24TH       

Nathan Nemes from Adelaide defeated defending champion Jake McCartney from Ballarat by 4 frames to 3 in one of the closest finals for several years in front of an appreciative audience of over 200 spectators.

Competitors were playing for $15,000 in prize-money.

Nathan Nemes became the nineteenth person to have won the title in the 24 year history of this prestigious event.  Nathan received $3,500 in prize-money, together with a replica of the Perpetual trophy and also the much treasured distinction of having his name engraved on the Perpetual trophy.  Jake received $1,700 plus a trophy for being Runner-up and fell just one win short of being the first triple winner of this event.

The Grand Final saw Nathan race out to a 2-0 lead, only to lose the lead after Jake rallied to win the next three frames to lead 3-2.  Nathan managed to hold his nerve to take the next two frames to win the match 4-3.  A highlight of the final was the clean potting by both players.  

These two players also played each other in the Quarter Finals of the 2010 event, which Jake won 4-3 before going on to win the event.  

Spectators were treated to an excellent display of the skills of the game by all players competing in the Quarter Finals.  The highlight of the Quarter Finals was the match between Mark Williams and Nathan Nemes.  Mark lead this match 3-0 before Nathan won the next 4 frames to win the match 4-3.  In what can only be described as a cruel twist of fate in another Quarter Final Match between Ben Nunan and Adam Andretzke, with the scores locked together at 3 all, Ben played the black into the top pocket, only to see it spit out.  Adam then made an excellent clearance to win the match.  Ben once again proved to everybody in the room what an excellent sportsman he is by his conduct following his misfortune.

Quarter Final results were:

Jake McCartney     (Ballarat)    defeated    Justin Campbell      (Adelaide)        4/2
Adam Andretzke    (Barossa)    defeated    Ben Nunan      (Melbourne)        4/3
Nathan Nemes        (Adelaide)    defeated    Mark Williams      (Robinvale)        4/3
James Hammond    (Kalgoorlie)    defeated    Jakk Phillips      (Melbourne)        4/1

Semi Final results were:

Nathan Nemes                defeated    Adam Andretzke            4/2
Jake McCartney                defeated    James Hammond            4/1

Three hundred and fifty eight players nominated in this year’s tournament, compared to 357 players that entered the 2010 event.  Organizers were extremely pleased with nominations received this year, considering approximately 30 regular players not attending due to the Goldfields Open Snooker event held at Bendigo.  Event organizers were also pleased to receive entries from a group of 7 players from Bendigo.  The event consisted of players being divided up into 36 sections, with the sectional play being held at various Clubs and Hotels in the Riverland.  At the conclusion of play on Saturday, 144 players had qualified for the finals on the Sunday.

The Friday night restricted knock-out competitions resulted in Steve McCormick defeating Cameron Dixon and Steve Perry defeating Neil Brown.  The Friday night Invitational knock-out No. 1 resulted in Aleck Evreniadis defeat Jake McCartney in the final.  The Friday night Invitational knock-out No. 2 resulted in Brenton Collier defeat Jake McCartney in the final.

The Under 18 knock-out resulted in Jarrod Bennett defeat Nick Young in the final.  13 Under 18 players competed in this competition and the skills shown by all players were exceptional.

The Saturday night Pot out competition was won by Brad Richmond.  Fifty entries were received for the Saturday night Ladies competition, which is always keenly contested, resulted in Gemma Pike defeat Emma Babauta in the final.
The “Could have been Champions” knock-out on Sunday for non qualifiers and Round 1 losers saw Jamie Stevens defeat Michael Schulz in the final.

I wish to mention the work done by the Riverland 8-Ball Association.  President Daryl and his committee spent many hours over the week-end to make sure that everything ran smoothly.  I would also like to show my appreciation to the members of the Riverland Women’s 8-Ball Association who assisted with the selling of raffle tickets over the weekend, all proceeds of which are distributed as prize-money to the Saturday night Ladies and Under 18’s knock-outs.  A special thanks also goes to Tracy Altschwager, Deb Trenwith and Trish Stieler for their assistance in organizing the Ladies Knock-out.     

All 18 tables used at the Berri Resort Hotel are supplied and serviced by Aaron Court from Court’s Amusements and I would like to acknowledge his efforts to supply tables of the highest quality.

At the Official Presentation, Berri Resort Hotel’s Manager Shane Roberts assisted in the handing out of the major prizes.  Shane briefly mentioned plans to upgrade facilities before next year’s event.  Shane also announced an increase in prize-money for the 25th Anniversary of the event next year and thanked all players for competing and invited them to come back next year.


Neil Lemmey
Tournament Director

Jake McCartney 4 - 1 Brenton Collier

REPORT ON 2010 BERRI RESORT HOTEL OPEN 8-BALL SINGLES CHAMPIONSHIPS HELD ON SATURDAY JULY 24TH & SUNDAY JULY 25TH
Ballarat based player Jake McCartney defeated Brenton Collier from Adelaide by 4 frames to 1 in the final in front of an appreciative audience of over 200 spectators.
Competitors were playing for $15,000 in prize-money. For his efforts, Jake took home $3,500.00 in prize-money, together with a replica of the Perpetual trophy and also the much treasured distinction of having his name engraved on the Perpetual trophy. Jake is now the fifth dual winner in the 23 year history of this event of this event, previously winning the event as a seventeen year old in 2007. Other dual winners are Russell Youlten (2002 & 2003), Mick Delahunty (1991 & 2001), Phil Reilly (1998 & 2000) and Alec Evreniadis (1989 & 1997).

Brenton would have been the fifth dual winner if he was crowned champion, as he won the title in 2008. Brenton collected $1,700.00 plus a trophy, for being Runner-up in this prestigious event. The Grand Final began with Jake breaking and potting out. In what was a pivotal moment in the final, in the second frame, Brenton while playing his last ball into the top pocket with reasonable force to obtain position on the black, much to the amazement of spectators, umpires and players, the ball spat out of the pocket. This resulted in Jake winning the frame to take a 2-0 lead in the race to 4 frames. The third frame saw Brenton miss a very gettable black, which resulted in Jake taking a 3-0 lead. Brenton broke the fourth frame and cleared the table to keep the final alive and trail 1-3. Jake played a steady fifth frame and potted out to take the title. For the first time in the 23 year history of the event, all semi finalists were previous winners of the event, with defeated semi finalist being Paul Hancock (2005) and Alec Evreniadis, attempting to becoming the first player to win the event for a third time.

Quarter Final results were:
Jake McCartney (Ballarat) defeated Nathan Nemes (Adelaide) 4/3
Paul Hancock (Adelaide) defeated Ricky Emery (Adelaide) 4/1
Alec Evreniadis (Adelaide) defeated Gary Wilcox (Adelaide) 4/1
Brenton Collier (Adelaide) defeated Nick Howie (Bendigo) 4/1

Semi Final results were:
Brenton Collier defeated Alec Evreniadis 4/0
Jake McCartney defeated Paul Hancock 4/0

Three hundred and fifty seven players nominated in this year’s tournament, which was slightly down on the 363 players that entered the 2009 event. The event consisted of players being divided up into 36 sections, with the sectional play being held at various Clubs and Hotels in the Riverland. At the conclusion of play on Saturday, 144 players had qualified for the finals on the Sunday. In keeping with the reputation of this event being the biggest and best Open 8-Ball Singles event in Australia, entries were received from South Australia, Victoria, Tasmania, New South Wales, Queensland, Northern Territory, Western Australia and New Zealand.

The Friday night restricted knock-out competitions resulted in Rob Wood defeating Ross Poole and Andy Ripley defeating Damian Walsh. The Friday night Invitational knock-out No. 1 resulted in Paul Hancock defeat Alec Evreniadis in the final. The Friday night Invitational knock-out No. 2 resulted in Jake McCartney defeat Gary Wilcox in the final. The Under 18 knock-out resulted in Michael Cacciola defeat Jarrod Bennett in the final. 17 Under 18 players competed in this competition and the skills shown by all players were exceptional. The Saturday night Pot out competition was won by Alec Evreniadis. Fifty seven entries were received for the Saturday night Ladies competition, which is always keenly contested, resulted in Carol Nunn defeat De’arne Tibbles in the final. The “Could have been Champions” knock-out on Sunday for non qualifiers and Round 1 losers saw James Delahunty defeat Dale Bolton in the final.

All 36 tables used in the event were manufactured by event sponsor Beta Billiards. The excellent standard of tables supplied was appreciated by all of the players competing. At the Official Presentation, Berri Resort Hotel’s Assistant Manager Darren Baker assisted in the handing out of the major prizes. Darren thanked all players for competing and invited them to come back next year. He also thanked all staff at the Berri Resort Hotel who worked over the week-end to cater for the needs of the players. I wish to mention the work done by the Riverland 8-Ball Association. President Daryl and his committee spent many hours over the week-end to make sure that everything ran smoothly. I also would like to thank Aaron Court from Court’s Amusements who supplied and serviced the 20 tables used at the Berri Resort Hotel.

Neil Lemmey
Tournament Director

Adam Andretzke 4 - 2 Mark Williams

REPORT ON 2009 BERRI RESORT HOTEL OPEN 8-BALL SINGLES CHAMPIONSHIPS HELD ON SATURDAY JULY 25TH & SUNDAY JULY 26TH
Barossa based player Adam Andretzke defeated former winner and favourite for the title, Mark Williams from Adelaide by 4 frames to 2 in the final in front of an appreciative audience of approximately 180 spectators. Competitors were playing for $15,000 in prize-money. For his efforts, Adam who is affectionately known as “Junior” took home $3,500.00 in prize-money, together with a replica of the Perpetual trophy and also the much treasured distinction of having his name engraved on the Perpetual trophy.

Mark fell just short of becoming the fourth dual winner in the 22 year history of this even. “The Machine” collected $1,700.00 plus a trophy, which will help relieve some of the pain of losing such a close final. Three hundred and sixty three players nominated in this year’s tournament, which was slightly down on the 374 players that entered the 2008 event. The event consisted of players being divided up into 38 sections, with the sectional play being held at various Clubs and Hotels in the Riverland. At the conclusion of play on Saturday, 152 players had qualified for the finals on the Sunday.

The Friday night restricted knock-out competitions resulted in Don Colbert (Ballarat) and Sam Faehrman (Adelaide) defeating Jason Camielleri (Melbourne) and Kon Haritos (Loxton) in the final. The Friday night Invitational knock-out No. 1 resulted in Jake McCartney (Ballarat) defeat Ben Nunan (Melbourne) in the final. The Friday night Invitational knock-out No. 2 was a family affair with Mick Delahunty (Adelaide) defeat James Delahunty (Adelaide) in the final. All matches in this competition were high class and entertaining.

The Under 18 knock-out resulted in Kurt Dunham (Melbourne) defeat Nathan Nemes (Adelaide) in the final. 13 Under 18 players competed in this competition and the skills shown by all players were exceptional. This is the second year in a row that Nathan was runner-up in this event.
The Saturday night Pot out competition was won by James Mifsud of Melbourne. The Saturday night Ladies competition, which is always keenly contested, resulted in Tara Butte (Adelaide) defeat Joy Sullivan (Mildura) in the final. The “Non Qualifiers” knock-out on Sunday saw Greg Sumner (Elizabeth) defeat Michael Swift (Adelaide) in the final.

Quarter Final results were:
Adam Andretzke (Barossa) defeated David Rothall (Murray Bridge) 4/1
Steve Seebohm (Adelaide) defeated Russell Youlten (Adelaide) 4/3
James Levering (Adelaide) defeated Jamie Stevens (Ballarat) 4/3
Mark Williams (Adelaide) defeated Kym Saunders (Adelaide) 4/1

Semi Final results were:
Mark Williams defeated James Levering 4/1
Adam Andretzke defeated Steve Seebohm 4/2

All 38 tables used in the event were manufactured by event sponsor Beta Billiards. The excellent standard of tables supplied was appreciated by all of the players competing. At the Official Presentation, Berri Resort Hotel’s Duty Manager Darren Baker assisted in the handing out of the major prizes.

Neil Lemmey
Tournament Director

Brenton Collier 4 - 3 Nick Howie

Adelaide based player Brenton Collier defeated Nick Howie from Bendigo by 4 frames to 3 in an intriguing final in front of an appreciative audience of approximately 220 spectators.

Competitors were playing for $15,000 in prize-money.
For his efforts, Brenton took home $3,500.00 in prize-money, together with a replica of the Perpetual trophy and also the much treasured distinction of having his name engraved on the Perpetual trophy.

In such a close final, Nick committed 2 critical fouls, the first for failing to nominate which group of balls he wished to play after breaking in the second frame and in the second instance while attempting to pot out in the fourth frame, was fouled for an article of clothing making contact with a coloured ball. In such an important match, although these 2 instances did not directly result in Brenton winning the title, it certainly did not help the cause of Nick either.

Nick collected $1,700.00 plus a trophy, which will help relieve some of the pain of losing such a close final.
Three hundred and seventy four players nominated in this year’s tournament, which was slightly down on the 390 players that entered the 2007 event. The event consisted of players being divided up into 37 sections, with the sectional play being held at various Clubs and Hotels in the Riverland. At the conclusion of play on Saturday, 168 players had qualified for the finals on the Sunday.
The Friday night restricted knock-out competition resulted in Jason McLean (Melbourne) defeat Shane Irons (Riverland) in the Final. The Friday night Invitational knock-out No. 1 resulted in James Delahunty (Adelaide) defeat Steve Seebohm (Adelaide) in the final. The Friday night Invitational knock-out No. 2 resulted in Aleck Evreniadis (Adelaide) defeat Michael Scerri (Melbourne) in the final. All matches in this competition were high class and entertaining.

The Under 18 knock-out resulted in Ricky Emery (Adelaide) defeat Nathan Nemes (Adelaide) in the final. 20 Under 18 players competed in this competition and the skills shown by all players were exceptional. The efforts of Ricky Emery is worth noting, as Ricky lost to 2008 Champion, Brenton Collier 4/3 in the Semi Final of the main event.

The Saturday night Pot out competition was won by James Delahunty of Adelaide. The Saturday night Ladies competition, which is always keenly contested, resulted in Kolbe Poole (Melbourne) defeat Lyndall Hulley (Adelaide) in the final. The “Non Qualifiers” knock-out on Sunday saw Daniel Peck (Adelaide) defeat Jason Ramsden (Melbourne) in the final.

Quarter Final results were:
Brenton Collier (Adelaide) defeated Michael Swift (Adelaide) 4/1
Nick Howie (Bendigo) defeated Russell Youlten (Adelaide) 4/2
Greg Sumner (Elizabeth) defeated Matt Cairns (Adelaide) 4/0
Ricky Emery (Adelaide) defeated Jake McCartney (Ballarat) 4/2

Semi Final results were:
Nick Howie defeated Greg Sumner 4/3
Brenton Collier defeated Ricky Emery 4/3

All 37 tables used in the event were manufactured by event sponsor Beta Billiards. The excellent standard of tables supplied was appreciated by all of the players competing.

At the Official Presentation, Berri Resort Hotel’s Duty Manager Rowan Crisp assisted in the handing out of the major prizes.

Neil Lemmey
Tournament Director

Jake McCartney 4 - 1 Russell Youlten

REPORT ON 2007 BERRI RESORT HOTEL OPEN 8-BALL SINGLES CHAMPIONSHIPS HELD ON SATURDAY JULY 21ST & SUNDAY JULY 22ND
Seventeen year old Ballarat player Jake McCartney defeated 2002 & 2003 Champion and former Riverland now Adelaide based player Russell Youlten by 4 frames to 1 in front of an appreciative audience of approximately 190 spectators.
Competitors were playing for $14,000 in prize-money.

For his efforts, Jake took home $3,200.00 in prize-money, together with a replica of the Perpetual trophy and also the much treasured distinction of having his name engraved on the Perpetual trophy.
The highlight and possible turning point in the final happened in the fourth frame. Jake was leading Russell 2 frames to 1 and was attempting to pot out. In his efforts to position the white to pot the black ball (that was mid table) after potting his last ball, Jake played a poor shot resulting in not having a clear shot to pot the black ball. With a maturity that defied his years, Jake calmly played the white ball into the side cushion, contacting the black ball which sent it into the centre pocket. This gave Jake a 3 frames to 1 lead. Jake followed this up by playing a thoughtful fifth frame which resulted in him potting out to win the final 4 frames to 1.

In an interesting piece of trivia, Jake’s father Wayne was runner-up to Mick Delahunty (Adelaide) in the 1991 Berri Open.
Russell did not go home empty handed, collecting $1,600.00 plus a trophy, which will help relieve some of the pain of losing the final.
Jake also received the prize of the best performed Junior from the Professional Pool Players Association. Other players to receive prizes from this Association included defeated semi finalists Geoff Gannon and Paul Pike, who are both Melbourne based players.
Three hundred and ninety players nominated in this year’s tournament, which was slightly down on the 430 players that entered the 2006 event. The event consisted of players being divided up into 40 sections, with the sectional play being held at various Clubs and Hotels in the Riverland. At the conclusion of play on Saturday, 128 players had qualified for the finals on the Sunday.

The Friday night restricted knock-out competition resulted in Mark Stone (Adelaide) defeat Steve Seebohm (Adelaide) in the Final. The Friday night Invitational knock-out No. 1 resulted in Marc Robertson (Melbourne) defeat Paul Keyser (Melbourne) in the final. The Friday night Invitational knock-out No. 2 resulted in James Delahunty (Adelaide) defeat Aleck Evreniadis (Adelaide) in the final. All matches in this competition were high class and entertaining.

The Under 18 knock-out resulted in Damian Walsh (Adelaide) defeat Jake McCartney (Ballarat) in the final. 20 Under 18 players competed in this competition and the skills shown by all players was exceptional.
The Saturday night Pot out competition was won by Russell Youlten of Adelaide. The Saturday night Ladies competition, which is always keenly contested, resulted in Joy Sullivan (Mildura) defeat Elise Mabbott (Perth) 3-2 in the final. The “Non Qualifiers” knock-out on Sunday saw Paul Edwards (Adelaide) defeat Damian Walsh Junior (Adelaide) 2-1 in the final.

Quarter Final results were:
Jake McCartney (Ballarat) defeated Brenton Collier (Adelaide) 4/1
Geoff Gannon (Melbourne) defeated Ben Nunan (Melbourne) 4/3
Russell Youlten (Adelaide) defeated Russell Seymour (Melbourne) 4/2
Paul Pike (Melbourne) defeated Jason Tucker (Adelaide) 4/1

Semi Final results were:
Jake McCartney defeated Geoff Gannon 4/1
Russell Youlten defeated Paul Pike 4/1

The efforts of Melbourne based first time player Geoff Gannon is worth a special mention. Geoff played consistently all week-end defeating several more fancied opponents before being defeated by the eventual winner Jake McCartney in the Semi Finals.
For the first time in the 20 year history of this event, the tables used in all 40 sections were manufactured by event sponsor Beta Billiards. The excellent standard of tables supplied was appreciated by all of the players competing.
At the Official Presentation, Berri Resort Hotel’s Assistant Manager David Sims assisted in the handing out of the major prizes.
The fact that this event has been held for 20 years was mentioned. All players that have competed in this event over the past 20 years, together with any player wishing to play in this event for the first time are invited to nominate for next years event to be held on Saturday 19th July and Saturday 20th July 2008 and help celebrate the 21st anniversary of this unique event.

Neil Lemmey
Tournament Director

Mark Williams 4 - 2 Ben Nunan

REPORT ON 2006 BERRI RESORT HOTEL OPEN 8-BALL SINGLES CHAMPIONSHIPS HELD ON SATURDAY JULY 22ND & SUNDAY JULY 23RD     

For the first time in the 19 year history of this event, the grand final featured 2 Victorian based players in which Mark Williams (Robinvale) defeated Ben Nunan (Melbourne) by 4 frames to 2. A crowd of approximately 220 watched the two high profile players battle for the prestigious title. Competitors were playing for $14,000 in prize-money.

For his efforts, Mark took home $3,200.00 in prize-money, together with a replica of the Perpetual trophy and also the much treasured distinction of having his name engraved on the Perpetual trophy.

This was the first time that these two players competed in the final after having traveled to Berri on numerous occasions seeking to win the title.  In a huge display of sportsmanship, Ben trailing by 3 frames to 1, called a foul on himself for double hitting the cue ball in the fifth frame.  This gesture of sportsmanship did not go unnoticed by the crowd, with a loud round of applause for his excellent sportsmanship.  In his acceptance speech, Mark was also very appreciative of the gesture, stating it as the best case of good sportsmanship that he had ever seen in the game.  It is also worth mentioning, that if Mark had potted out as a result of this foul, it would have resulted in the final been decided in the fifth frame.  In what could be described as poetic justice, Ben eventually won this frame, only to lose the next frame and the championship 4/2.

Ben did not go home empty handed, collecting $1,600.00 plus a trophy, which will help relieve some of the pain of losing the final.

This tournament was also the designated Jackpot tournament for the recently formed Professional Pool Players Association, in which all unclaimed prize money from the previous 4 designated tournaments was distributed at this event, resulting in Mark collecting an additional $3,800 and Ben an additional $1,900.  Several other players from this Association were also rewarded, including Phil Jones (semi finalist) and Martin Brady (best performing novice).

The Tournament took on an International flavor with the inclusion  of a group of 12 players from New Zealand for the first time.  Lead by Jim Johns from Pukekohe, the players selected had to win through a series of qualifying tournaments before being included in the touring party.  Although none of the group reached the finals, they gained valuable experience from the trip.  The ability to adapt to the small white ball used was the main comment made by the players.

Four hundred and thirty players nominated in this year’s tournament, which was only slightly down on the record of 446 players that entered the 2005 event.  The event consisted of players being divided up into 44 sections, with the sectional play being held at various Clubs and Hotels in the Riverland.  At the conclusion of play on Saturday, 132 players had qualified for the finals on the Sunday.

The Friday night restricted knock-out competition resulted in Paul Pike of Melbourne defeat Kym Saunders of Adelaide 2-1 in the Final.  The Friday night Invitational knock-out resulted in Mark Williams of Robinvale defeat Paul Hancock of Adelaide 4-1 in a very high class and entertaining final.  The Saturday night Pot out competition was won by James Delahunty of  Adelaide.  The Saturday night Ladies competition, which is always keenly contested, resulted in Suzie Yeomonds (Melbourne) defeat Annie O’Neill (Adelaide) 3-2 in the final. The “Non Qualifiers” knock-out on Sunday saw Brett Niemann (Adelaide) defeat Daniel Henwood  (Adelaide) 2-1 in the final.

As a result of fund raising activities by a small group of dedicated Ladies and strong support by players in purchasing tickets resulted in prize money for the Ladies event being increased to over $1,400.  This increase was appreciated by the more than 60 players competing in this event.  Donations of raffle prizes by clubs and hotels hosting sectional play on the Saturday was also appreciated.

The inaugural Under 18’s knock-out in which 22 players competed resulted in Michael Hayes (Adelaide) defeat Nathan Nemes (Coober Pedy) 2-1 in front of an appreciative crowd.   

Quarter Final results were:

Mark Williams               (Robinvale)       def           Kym Saunders    (Adelaide)        4/2
Anthony Grantham       (Port Augusta)  def           Emile Riera         (Adelaide)        4/3
Ben Nunan                   (Melbourne)      def           Richard Lamont  (Adelaide)        4/1
Phil Jones                     (Adelaide)         def           Dax Wasley        (Broken Hill)    4/3

Semi Final results were:

Mark Williams                defeated           Anthony Grantham                  4/2
Ben Nunan                    defeated           Phil Jones                                4/2

The achievement of Port Augusta player Anthony Grantham is worth noting in making the semi finals, losing 4-2 to the eventual winner Mark Williams.  This is despite not being exposed to the weekly top competition that players in Adelaide and Melbourne have available to them.  Possibly the unluckiest player in the tournament was Dax Wasley of Broken Hill who fouled by potting an opponents ball after potting the black ball in the first and seventh frames in his loss against Phil Jones in the quarter finals.   

The increase in prize money from $12,000 in 2005 to $14,000 in 2006 was a direct result in $2,000 in sponsorship from 8-Ball Table Manufacturer Beta Billiards.  Beta Billiards was the manufacturer of 41 of the 44 tables used for the Tournament, including the 20 tables used for the finals at the Berri Resort Hotel.

At the Official Presentation, Berri Resort Hotel’s Operations Manager Bruce Gehling thanked all players for their attendance and invited them back to compete in next year’s event.

Neil Lemmey
Tournament Director

Paul Hancock

Open 8-Ball Singles Championships

Event Type Activity Day/Night
Event Focus Tourism
Event Reach All
Event Scope Local Community
Dates 22/07/2005 to 24/07/2005
Performer Details Time: Friday: 7pm – 10.30pm; Saturday: 5pm – 10.30pm; Sunday 5pm – 10.30pm. Contact: Berri Resort Hotel 08 8582 1411 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. This event is the richest 8 ball competition in South Australia and attracts visitors from all over Australia.
Location Berri Resort Hotel
Riverview Drive
Berri SA 5343

 

Emile Riera

Russell Youlten

Russell Youlten

Mick Delahunty

Phil Reilly

Phil Jones 4 defeated Shannon Purcell 3

Phil Jones 4    
Jason Tucker 3 Phil Jones 4  
    Phil Jones 4
Scot Evans 0 Graham Hubner 0  
Graham Hubner 4    
    "Phil Jones"
Chris Lilly 4    
Gordon Paleka 0 Chris Lilly 1  
    Shannon Purcell 1
Russel Youlton 1 Shannon Purcell 4  
Shannon Purcell 4    

 

Phil Reilly

Alec Evreniadis

Josh Haynes

Shane Charles

Bill Lehmann

Ray Stevans

Ken Mitchell

Mick Delahunty

Fred Newton

Alec Evreniadis

John Barton