ABP Sanctions The Championship Cloth Pro Classic

Oct 4, 2012

Chicago, Illinois- The Association of Billiard Professionals is pleased to announce the adding on of another rankings tournament for the ABP with the Championship Cloth Pro Classic. The tournament takes place October 16th-20th, 2012 in New Iberia, Louisiana at Emerald Billiards side by side with the Ozone Billiards US Amateur Open. The total added money of $15,000 will yield 2 ranking point events split into a $7500 added 9-Ball and $7500 added 10-Ball event with both events paying $5000 for 1st Place. The top 16 pros ranked by the ABP International Rankings will be seeded at the events after conclusion of the Scorpion Cues Johnny Archer Classic. Currently USA's Mike Dechaine of Maine leads the ABP Rankings with South Dakota's Shane Van Boneing at #2 and India's Raj Hundal at #3.
"We are ecstatic at being the title sponsor and supporting the men's pro tour with their new tour stop. The Championship Cloth Pro Classic will allow the best players in the Louisiana region to compete with the world's best, and on the best table conditions with Tour Edition 3030 cloth. We are going to help take pool to a higher level", said Fred Cohen, President of Championship LLC Brands. Both pro events will be played on Championship Cloth Tour Edition 3030.
The Championship Cloth Pro Classic will be a 1/4 points value event per each tournament as the ABP will assist in building it's prize purse up in the upcoming years. The tournament will be using full ABP Rules & Format in 9-Ball & 10-Ball with races to 9 and double elimination. To join as a pro, amateur, or to sponsor the ABP, e-mail abppropool@gmail.com . Follow and support ABP at http://www.facebook.com/ABPpros
"I'm really glad that we are able to help promoters now and build their tournaments. We have to adapt to the times, but we can't let pro pool just die. We need to have a full calendar of events on tour to keep the players playing. We need fans to keep watching, sponsors to keep advertising, and the sport to keep growing", said Mike Davis ABP Pro and Board Member. Davis is an 8 year veteran on tour and currently ranked #10 in the ABP International Pro Rankings.
"We are America's #1 cloth manufacturer, so we are motivated to help pool grow in the USA. That's why we are elevating our committment to the sport and coming on board as the main sponsor. The Championship Cloth Pro Classic is going to be a terrific pro event, with doubling chances for all the pros to make money with two tournaments", said Mike Serra, Vice-President of Championship Cloth.
The ABP will also be modifying its sanctioning guidelines to assist promoters and events to build their tournaments to higher levels. The goal would be to increase added prize money yearly for promoters with a starting base of $7000 added. The ABP desires to help promoters grow their events by giving them a base opportunity to grow each year with a system that requires growth but at the same time assists it.
The ABP Rankings are the official rankings of the only pro players association in the world led by the sport's leading professional players with an 11 man board and ABP Attorney & General Counsel Dennis Walsh. The ABP Rankings were developed and are maintained by ABP Associate Joel Pope. The rankings format is designed using elements of successful sports such as golf and tennis. Mr.Pope formerly held a senior executive position with Fortune 500 company Starwood Hotels. Starwood Hotels owns Sheraton, Westin, W Hotels and is 145,000 employees strong.
Entry is $230 per event and limited to 48 players . Late fee of $20 added after October 14th. Payment can be made with credit card over phone by calling Emerald Billiards in New Iberia, Louisiana 1 (337) 364-9922 as well as for tickets to watch and entries for the Ozone Billiards US Amateur Open Men, Women, Seniors divisions.
Championship Cloth is a division of D & R Industries, Inc. which began in 1963 in a small apartment in Chicago, Illinois. Through the years, D & RIndustries, Inc. went through many changes and expanded into a variety of recreation-oriented businesses, but really found its niche within the billiard industry. After distributing billiard fabrics for more than 25 years, it was clear to D & R that there was a need for affordable high quality billiard fabrics. Thus, a team consisting of engineers, textile experts and old time billiard people worked together to develop what is now known as the "Championship Line" of billiard fabrics. Championship's expert team of engineers and experts worked for over five years to develop the finest billiard cushion rubber in the industry. A decade later, Championship's cushion rubber can already be found on the tables of many of today's major billiard table manufacturers. More recently Championship acquired major billiard supplier MBS Group, which has substantially expanded Championship further.D & R has now been a proud staple of the billiard industry for almost 50 years providing the finest billiard fabrics, cushion rubber and component parts. Today Championship now sells more billiard fabric than all of its major competitors combined. Please visit www.champbilliards.com
The ABP is a united assembly of international professional billiard players. The ABP was formed to be the voice of players worldwide in order to assist in tournament and industry challenges. ABP directives include standardizing equipment, rules, ensuring the timely payment of prize money, assisting promoters and sponsors, and the overall protection and security of professional players. The ABP works to improve the sport of billiards and jointly works with associations, promoters, sponsors and players alike in the joint goal of growing the sport and providing security to all involved. Membership of the ABP includes players from Europe, Asia, and the United States. To join and support the ABP, e-mail abppropool@gmail.com . Follow and support ABP at http://www.facebook.com/ABPpros