About the Author
I am from Birmingham, England, and I am a fan of many sports, including F1, snooker and cricket. I don't much care for "soccer".
My name is not of British decent, but of Ukrainian decent. My grandfather was from Lvov, a town in Western Ukraine. During the Second World War, he ended up in Britain.
I am the reigning ArmchairGM Pool and Chess Champion, and I hope to retain my Pool trophy in 2008.
More By Alex Holowczak
Other recent voters
2008 US National Snooker Championship Review
| 4
|
24 American snooker players went to the Embassy Billiards Club, in San Gabriel, California, in May, for the 2008 United States National Snooker Championship.
The tournament was held over three days, with the 24 players split into 4 groups of 6. The top 4 in each group advanced to the knockout stage. Most professional tournaments are best of 9 early on, extending to 17 frames in the Final. However, here, the group stage featured 5 best of 3 frame matches, with dead frames played out. The last 16 and Quarter Finals were best of 5, extending to 7 in the Semi Finals, and 9 in the Final. The two finalists will also win spots in the World Amateur Championship later in the year.
There were four seeded players, one in each group. The #1 seed was Jack Kung, who won the title in 2007. George Lai, twice champion was the #2 seed, and Raymond Fung was 3 and Paul Kimura 4, both former champions.
Group A featured Kung, who had a tough draw in Ajeya Prabhakar and 5-time champion, the veteran Tom Kollins. All three qualified for the knockout phase, with Kung winning the group. The deciding match was Kung beating Prabhakar in the final round of the group, 2-1.
Group B featured Lai, and he had a fairly easy draw, with few others who could mount a challenge to beat him. Lai only lost 1 frame in the whole group, winning 2-1 against Henry Wong, who also qualified, along with Henry Nogiec and Sridhar Shrinivasan.
Group C featured Fung, who had a fairly comfortable draw too. However, he lost his opening game to Jeff Szafransky 2-1. He won his other four matches comfortably however, sending him into the knockout stage with Szafransky, Cheang Ciing Yo and Michael Chan.
Group D featured Kimura, along with newcomer Jian Qiang Wang and Christopher Szarek. Kimura lost his opening match, 2-1 to Jian. Kimura won his other four games, but he was still only second in the group, behind Jian, despite Jian losing 2-1 to Szarek. All three went through, along with Ruan Zhi Ming.
The Last 16 went up to best of 5. Kung beat Ruan 3-1, Lai beat Szafransky 3-1 and Fung beat Shrinivasan 3-0. However, Paul Kimura lost 3-0 to Tom Kollins, the sprightly veteran, sending the #4 seed out of the tournament.
The Quarter Finals saw Kung go through 3-0 against Cheang. Tom Kollins couldn't beat the #3 seed, as he lost 3-2 to Fung. Lai also made his way into the Semi Finals, as he overcame a tough game in former champion Prabhakar 3-2.
The Semi Finals are extended to best of 7. The #1 seed Kung succombed 4-1 to Jian Qiang Wang, sending the newcomer into the Final. His opponent would be George Lai, who beat Fung 4-1 in the other Semi Final.
So, both Lai and Jian would go to the World Amateur Championship to represent the United States. However, Lai and Jian first met in the Final of the US Championship. Lai led 3-1 at the mid-session interval with three 30 breaks along the way, and it went back to 3-2 after a 32 break from Jian. Lai then scored breaks of 39 and 54 to win the match and Championship 5-2. It is Lai's third US Championship title.
Tournament
Group Phase
Group A
| Winner | Score | Runner Up | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
 Tom Kollins
| 2 | Tommy Chen
| 1 |
| Ajeya Prabhakar
| 3 | Charles Looney
| 0 |
| Jack Kung
| 3 | Chris Sheerin
| 0 |
| Jack Kung
| 3 | Tommy Chen
| 0 |
| Ajeya Prabhakar
| 2 | Chris Sheerin
| 1 |
| Tom Kollins
| 2 | Charles Looney
| 1 |
| Jack Kung
| 3 | Charles Looney
| 0 |
| Chris Sheerin
| 2 | Tommy Chen
| 1 |
| Ajeya Prabhakar
| 3 | Tom Kollins
| 0 |
| Chris Sheerin
| 3 | Charles Looney
| 0 |
| Jack Kung
| 2 | Tom Kollins
| 1 |
| Ajeya Prabhakar
| 2 | Tommy Chen
| 1 |
| Jack Kung
| 2 | Ajeya Prabhakar
| 1 |
| Tom Kollins
| 2 | Chris Sheerin
| 1 |
| Charles Looney
| 2 | Tommy Chen
| 1 |
| Place | Player | P | W | L | FW | FL | FD | Q |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jack Kung
| 5 | 5 | 0 | 13 | 2 | +11 | Q |
| 2 | Ajeya Prabhakar
| 5 | 4 | 1 | 11 | 4 | +7 | Q |
| 3 | Tom Kollins
| 5 | 3 | 2 | 7 | 8 | -1 | Q |
| 4 | Chris Sheerin
| 5 | 2 | 3 | 7 | 8 | -1 | Q |
| 5 | Charles Looney
| 5 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 12 | -9 | |
| 6 | Tommy Chen
| 5 | 0 | 5 | 4 | 11 | -7 |
Group B
| Winner | Score | Runner Up | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| George Lai
| 3 | Patrick Gui Gui
| 0 |
| Henry Wong
| 3 | Sridhar Shrinivasan
| 0 |
| Henry Nogiec
| 3 | Martin Li
| 0 |
| George Lai
| 3 | Sridhar Shrinivasan
| 0 |
| Henry Nogiec
| 3 | Patrick Gui Gui
| 0 |
| Henry Wong
| 2 | Martin Li
| 1 |
| Sridhar Shrinivasan
| 2 | Patrick Gui Gui
| 1 |
| George Lai
| 3 | Martin Li
| 0 |
| Henry Nogiec
| 2 | Henry Wong
| 1 |
| Martin Li
| 3 | Patrick Gui Gui
| 0 |
| Henry Nogiec
| 2 | Sridhar Shrinivasan
| 1 |
| George Lai
| 2 | Henry Wong
| 1 |
| Sridhar Shrinivasan
| 3 | Martin Li
| 0 |
| George Lai
| 3 | Henry Nogiec
| 0 |
| Henry Wong
| 3 | Patrick Gui Gui
| 0 |
| Place | Player | P | W | L | FW | FL | FD | Q |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | George Lai
| 5 | 5 | 0 | 14 | 1 | +13 | Q |
| 2 | Henry Nogiec
| 5 | 4 | 1 | 10 | 5 | +5 | Q |
| 3 | Henry Wong
| 5 | 3 | 2 | 10 | 5 | +5 | Q |
| 4 | Sridhar Shrinivasan
| 5 | 2 | 3 | 6 | 9 | -3 | Q |
| 5 | Martin Li
| 5 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 11 | -7 | |
| 6 | Patrick Gui Gui
| 5 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 14 | -13 |
Group C
| Winner | Score | Runner Up | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jeff Szfransky
| 2 | Raymond Fung
| 1 |
| Cheang Ciing Yoo
| 3 | Wayne Tang
| 0 |
| Michael Chan
| 3 | Pravin Patel
| 0 |
| Pravin Patel
| 2 | Jeff Szfransky
| 1 |
| Raymond Fung
| 3 | Wayne Tang
| 0 |
| Michael Chan
| 3 | Cheang Ciing Yoo
| 0 |
| Jeff Szfransky
| 3 | Wayne Tang
| 0 |
| Cheang Ciing Yoo
| 3 | Pravin Patel
| 0 |
| Raymond Fung
| 2 | Michael Chan
| 1 |
| Raymond Fung
| 2 | Cheang Ciing Yoo
| 1 |
| Jeff Szfransky
| 2 | Michael Chan
| 1 |
| Pravin Patel
| 2 | Wayne Tang
| 1 |
| Michael Chan
| 2 | Wayne Tang
| 1 |
| Raymond Fung
| 3 | Pravin Patel
| 0 |
| Cheang Ciing Yoo
| 2 | Jeff Szfransky
| 1 |
| Place | Player | P | W | L | FW | FL | FD | Q |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Raymond Fung
| 5 | 4 | 1 | 11 | 4 | +7 | Q |
| 2 | Michael Chan
| 5 | 3 | 2 | 10 | 5 | +5 | Q |
| 3 | Cheang Ciiang Yoo
| 5 | 3 | 2 | 9 | 6 | +3 | Q |
| 4 | Jeff Szafransky
| 5 | 3 | 2 | 9 | 6 | +3 | Q |
| 5 | Privan Patel
| 5 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 11 | -7 | |
| 6 | Wayne Tang
| 5 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 13 | -11 |
Group D
| Winner | Score | Runner Up | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nick Tong
| 2 | Jo Ong
| 1 |
| Jian Qiang Wang
| 2 | Paul Kimura
| 1 |
| Christopher Szarek
| 2 | Ruan Zhi Ming
| 1 |
| Jian Qiang Wang
| 3 | Ruan Zhi Ming
| 0 |
| Christopher Szarek
| 3 | Nick Tong
| 0 |
| Paul Kimura
| 3 | Jo Ong
| 0 |
| Paul Kimura
| 2 | Christopher Szarek
| 1 |
| Jian Qiang Wang
| 3 | Jo Ong
| 0 |
| Ruan Zhi Ming
| 2 | Nick Tong
| 1 |
| Paul Kimura
| 2 | Nick Tong
| 1 |
| Christopher Szarek
| 2 | Jian Qiang Wang
| 1 |
| Ruan Zhi Ming
| 3 | Jo Ong
| 0 |
| Paul Kimura
| 3 | Ruan Zhi Ming
| 0 |
| Christopher Szarek
| 3 | Jo Ong
| 0 |
| Jian Qiang Wang
| 3 | Nick Tong
| 0 |
| Place | Player | P | W | L | FW | FL | FD | Q |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jian Qiang Wang
| 5 | 4 | 1 | 12 | 3 | +9 | Q |
| 2 | Paul Kimura
| 5 | 4 | 1 | 11 | 4 | +7 | Q |
| 3 | Christopher Szarek
| 5 | 4 | 1 | 11 | 4 | +7 | Q |
| 4 | Ruan Zhi Ming
| 5 | 2 | 3 | 6 | 9 | -3 | Q |
| 5 | Nick Tong
| 5 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 11 | -7 | |
| 6 | Jo Ong
| 5 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 14 | -13 |
Knockout Phase
| Round One | Quarter Finals | Semi Finals | Final | ||||||||||
| Best of 5 frames | Best of 5 frames | Best of 7 frames | Best of 9 frames | ||||||||||
| Jack Kung
| 3 | ||||||||||||
| Ruan Zhi Ming
| 1 | ||||||||||||
| Jack Kung
| 3 | ||||||||||||
| Cheang Ciing Yoo
| 0 | ||||||||||||
| Henry Nogiec
| 2 | ||||||||||||
| Cheang Ciing Yoo
| 3 | ||||||||||||
| Jack Kung
| 1 | ||||||||||||
| Jian Qiang Wang
| 4 | ||||||||||||
| Michael Chan
| 1 | ||||||||||||
| Henry Wong
| 3 | ||||||||||||
| Henry Wong
| 0 | ||||||||||||
| Jian Qiang Wang
| 3 | ||||||||||||
| Jian Qiang Wang
| 3 | ||||||||||||
| Chris Sheerin
| 0 | ||||||||||||
| Jian Qiang Wang
| 2 | ||||||||||||
| George Lai
| 5 | ||||||||||||
| Raymond Fung
| 3 | ||||||||||||
| Sridhar Shrinivasan
| 0 | ||||||||||||
| Raymond Fung
| 3 | ||||||||||||
| Tom Kollins
| 2 | ||||||||||||
| Paul Kimura
| 0 | ||||||||||||
| Tom Kollins
| 3 | ||||||||||||
| George Lai
| 4 | ||||||||||||
| Raymond Fung
| 1 | ||||||||||||
| Ajeya Prabhakar
| 3 | ||||||||||||
| Christopher Szarek
| 0 | ||||||||||||
| George Lai
| 3 | ||||||||||||
| Ajeya Prabhakar
| 2 | ||||||||||||
| George Lai
| 3 | ||||||||||||
| Jeff Szafransky
| 1 | ||||||||||||
Roll of Honour
| Year | Winner | Score | Runner Up | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | Tom Kollins
| 4 | John Abruzzo
| 2 |
| 1992 | Tom Kollins
| 4 | John Lewis
| 3 |
| 1993 | David Yao
| 5 | Mike Massey
| 0 |
| 1994 | David Yao
| 5 | Tom Kollins
| 2 |
| 1995 | Tang Hoa
| 5 | Orwin Ham
| 1 |
| 1996 | Peter Ong
| 5 | Piya Potanen
| 0 |
| 1997 | George Lai
| 5 | Truman Wu
| 3 |
| 1998 | Tom Kollins
| 5 | Tom Karabotsos
| 4 |
| 1999 | Tom Kollins
| 5 | Murali Venkat
| 0 |
| 2000 | Ajeya Prabhakar
| 5 | Tom Kollins
| 3 |
| 2001 | Tom Kollins
| 5 | Ajeya Prabhakar
| 0 |
| 2004 | Kenny Kwok
| 4 | Raymond Fung
| 2 |
| 2005 | George Lai
| 4 | Kenny Kwok
| 2 |
| 2006 | Paul Kimura
| 5 | Romil Azemat
| 3 |
| 2007 | Jack Kung
| 5 | George Lai
| 3 |
| 2008 | George Lai
| 5 | Jian Qiang Wang
| 2 |
