Archer wins, Strickland falls in Western Canadian first round

Apr 16, 2003

Day one is complete at the IBC Western Canadian Open 9-ball Championships and the day ended with upsets.
In the early evening rounds, Johnny Archer played flawlessly to defeat local hotshot Dave 'Jr' Martin and ex Canadian snooker ace Cliff Thorburn won his first match. Thorburn has been attracting tremendous media attention in Calgary, where he hasn't been playing for many years. TV and radio are calling him every day.
The late evening round held the first major upset of the event as tournament favorite Earl Strickland lost his first match. Strickland spent most of his time in the chair watching Saskatoon shooter Fabian Louison make tough shot after tough shot. Louison got out of trouble with some awesome shots. The Saskatchewan native seemed to have the eyes of an eagle, picking himself out of trouble...and the balls rolled his way even when he missed. Strickland watched in horror as the 2-ball rolled into the side after Louison kicked himself out of a Strickland hook off the break. It was all over from there as Strickland took the early trip to the left side of the board.
Another late upset on Tuesday was Quebec City visitor Martin Daigle's win over West Coast shooter Simon Pickering.
Complete brackets are online and Diana Hoppe will arrive in Calgary today. Look for photo coverage from the event early this evening.