2023 World Cup of Pool (WCOP) 27June-2July, Spain (Winner $60K per team)
- Thread starter spartan
- Start date
Yeah, that seven ball in the side in the final rack was sensational!
But Moritz snookered Josh in rack 14 cos Josh gave him this position on the purple 5
LOL. Yes unseeded of their own making
Will be scary field when all those Filipino-based monsters come out of woodwork and show up at new Matchroom WNT ranking event Sharks International Open later this month 24-29.
Yes, the globalization of nine ball is happening before our very eyes and it's very exciting to behold.Will be scary field when all those Filipino-based monsters come out of woodwork and show up at new Matchroom WNT ranking event Sharks International Open later this month 24-29.
Some stats for the event are now available here: https://forums.azbilliards.com/thre...rld-cup-of-pool-9-ball-june-july-2023.555226/
DaWizard
Well-known member
Unbelieveable play. So high quality and almost never missing. Germany and especially the young guy Neuhausen deserves lots of praise too.
9-2 behind, 9-7... What if Phillipines didn't fluke the 8? For the match it wouldve been amazing. Overall it's highly deserved. Phillipines were the best of the best.
9-2 behind, 9-7... What if Phillipines didn't fluke the 8? For the match it wouldve been amazing. Overall it's highly deserved. Phillipines were the best of the best.
Really a first-rate event on all levels. To some extent, what we're watching is how well the lesser pool playing nations are beginning to play. Yes, the high-profile nations are still best, but the world is catching up and the WCOP is becoming a better and better event because of it. I think that the same thing has happened at the World Pool Masters. These fields have never been stronger, and the result is better pool on display.
Matchroom is producing the strongest fields ever seen in our sport, and there's every reason to believe that this will continue.
PS By the way, how great was that Master of Ceremonies named Gutierrez? Both his clothes and his energy really added to the event. Also worth noting is that Phil Yates has improved as a commentator, deferring the analysis to his commentary partner on most occasions and keeping his corny and occasionally abstruse use of language to a minimum.
Matchroom is producing the strongest fields ever seen in our sport, and there's every reason to believe that this will continue.
PS By the way, how great was that Master of Ceremonies named Gutierrez? Both his clothes and his energy really added to the event. Also worth noting is that Phil Yates has improved as a commentator, deferring the analysis to his commentary partner on most occasions and keeping his corny and occasionally abstruse use of language to a minimum.
While there are for sure some people (players) who got inspired by MR bringing events closer to their places - that's a big stretch, giving so much credit solely to MR.
The world is catching up? The world has never been behind
. This World Cup was great to follow, and last two days were especially entertaining. But there are so many good teams missing!
MR could have done so much better if only they realize that team play is the ultimate point of pool, which brings drama and excitement and takes a lot of skill and heart from the players. That said, proper way to go would have been resurrecting the Team World Championship, yet with a different touch maybe. Get preliminariesa run all over the world. Maybe allow several (say, up to three or two) teams from each country, if they desire so. And a team could consist of three partners, so we get strategy involved or at least players get some rest throughout the tournament.
Then you get the final stage. By the way, before there were some years when a European qualifier was held, and many minor countries (in regard with pool regalia) took their chance. This should have been developed more and globally.
Next step could very well be adding female players - I think, that better be a new event, even maybe with less "official" status and more of "invitational". Simply because there are not so many countries with really great female pool players (yet?). And this could also gain audience, and get gils/women involved. Something that cue sports have been lacking for decades due to the nature of the game and social traditions.
And it is a Team World Championship which should be the real gem, instead of overhyped Mosconi Cup. MC is a nice tournament that we are looking forward every December, but for many years we know it lost its shine which was there when Johan Ruysink sparked Team Europe and made the event competitive. Since then we were desperately asking to feature Team Philippines, Taipei or Team Asia as well, to bring new interest and so on. But MR are too tough to understand all these intricacies...
Mosconi Cup has been a mere show for a long time. The competition is artificial there (even though it does bring occasional moments of sporting purity). World Cup (scotch doubles or even threes) is much bigger than that, it is so much better. That's a pity we never gonna have it the way described above.
The world is catching up? The world has never been behind
. This World Cup was great to follow, and last two days were especially entertaining. But there are so many good teams missing!MR could have done so much better if only they realize that team play is the ultimate point of pool, which brings drama and excitement and takes a lot of skill and heart from the players. That said, proper way to go would have been resurrecting the Team World Championship, yet with a different touch maybe. Get preliminariesa run all over the world. Maybe allow several (say, up to three or two) teams from each country, if they desire so. And a team could consist of three partners, so we get strategy involved or at least players get some rest throughout the tournament.
Then you get the final stage. By the way, before there were some years when a European qualifier was held, and many minor countries (in regard with pool regalia) took their chance. This should have been developed more and globally.
Next step could very well be adding female players - I think, that better be a new event, even maybe with less "official" status and more of "invitational". Simply because there are not so many countries with really great female pool players (yet?). And this could also gain audience, and get gils/women involved. Something that cue sports have been lacking for decades due to the nature of the game and social traditions.
And it is a Team World Championship which should be the real gem, instead of overhyped Mosconi Cup. MC is a nice tournament that we are looking forward every December, but for many years we know it lost its shine which was there when Johan Ruysink sparked Team Europe and made the event competitive. Since then we were desperately asking to feature Team Philippines, Taipei or Team Asia as well, to bring new interest and so on. But MR are too tough to understand all these intricacies...
Mosconi Cup has been a mere show for a long time. The competition is artificial there (even though it does bring occasional moments of sporting purity). World Cup (scotch doubles or even threes) is much bigger than that, it is so much better. That's a pity we never gonna have it the way described above.
I agree with most of your post, but this isn't true. Go back to about 2010 and were any of the most elite male players from Poland, Vietnam, Bosnia, Russia, Albania, Singapore, or even Austria. Now, every single one of those countries has at least one player carrying a Fargo of 800+. Yes, the world was way behind, and there was always lots of dead money at the WCOP, but elite players are popping up in every corner of the globe now and the gap is closing rapidly.The world is catching up? The world has never been behind
You're right that Matchroom is undeserving of all the credit for the emergence of great play globally, but they have and are continuing to facilitate greater participation of foreign players in major competition and, through their rankings, are assuring elite players all over the world invitations to the top events.
Finally, the Mosconi is, more or less, an exhibition and has been for a while, but it's an electrifying show year in and year out and is, without question, the event that fans get the most excited.
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There are a hand full of Matchroom haters here no doubt.
I mean we had one bonehead saying he wasn't going to watch because he didn't like the colour of the carpet!
emperor chua, that was very fitting. he was the man of the moment. clutch.
aranas was solid too, and i hope this tournament win helps him getting over that hurdle of semifinal/final nerves he's been having previously in his career.
aranas was solid too, and i hope this tournament win helps him getting over that hurdle of semifinal/final nerves he's been having previously in his career.
Anyone got a photo of when they showed Shane creeping in the audience with sunglasses on? It looked so strange.
Yes, I agree 100%.
Maybe there were lots of top non-US pool players in the 1970s and 1980s but in the US we were unaware of it until Ortman and Reyes showed up. I think the US lost top spot in the 1990s, or at least that's what this says:... The world is catching up? The world has never been behind