YESTERYEAR
Pro Players Triumphs + 5 Y E ARS AGO +
+ 10 Y E ARS AGO +
Young Canadian John Morra topped Shane Van Boening, 13-10, in the title match to claim his first major victory in the U.S. at the Pro Players 10-Ball Championship in Valley Forge, Pa. The 26-year-old Morra rebounded from a second-round loss to battle through the 64-player field. Morra won elimination matches against Johnny Archer, Billy Thorpe, Mike Dechaine and Thorsten Hohmann to reach the final against five-time Pro Players champion Van Boening. Elsewhere, Dennis Orcollo used a 97ball run en route to a 200-121 victory over Van Boening to win the U.S. Open Straight Pool Championship in Windsor Locks, Conn.
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BILLIARDS DIGEST
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Germany’s Ralf Souquet overcame injury and surprise challenger Robb Saez to claim the Pro Players 10-Ball Championship in King of Prussia, Pa. Souquet, who had been battling disk problems that left his right arm partially numb, went unbeaten in the 72-player event. In the title match, he topped Saez, 13-8. Souquet also defeated Saez, 10-7, in the winner’s bracket final. Saez’ unexpected visit to the title match came following critical wins over Johnny Archer and Shane Van Boening. A week earlier, it was Mika Immonen defeating Souquet, 10-4, to capture the Masters 10-Ball title in Chesapeake, Va.
CANADIAN JOHN MORRA CAPTURED THE ANNUAL PRO PLAYERS TITLE IN 2016.
+ 15 Y E ARS AGO + A change in tournament format was just what Dennis Hatch needed to break an eight-year title drought. With the annual Pro Players Championship switching from 9-ball to 8-ball, Hatch rebounded from an earlier loss to dispatch previously unbeaten Mike Davis, 5-3 and 5-4, to claim the championship in Valley Forge, Pa. Davis had defeated Hatch, 5-3, 5-4, in the winner’s bracket final, but the 35-year-old Hatch earned a second shot at Davis, stopping Germany’s Ralf Souquet in a sudden death rack after the combatants split the first two sets. Hatch avoided a tiebreaker in the finale, overcoming a 4-1 deficit in the second set after winning the first.
April 2021
3/21/21 10:43 AM
