Efren? Anyone else won a major at 52?

S

smashmouth

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I'm still in awe at what Efren was able to accomplish in Reno. He's now
won so many tourneys since turning 50 against absolutely world class competition, i.e. IPT, World 8 ball, Derby City, etc.....

Has anyone else in the history of cue sports been able to dominate world class fields in their 50's???
 
smashmouth said:
I'm still in awe at what Efren was able to accomplish in Reno. He's now
won so many tourneys since turning 50 against absolutely world class competition, i.e. IPT, World 8 ball, Derby City, etc.....

Has anyone else in the history of cue sports been able to dominate world class fields in their 50's???
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Mike LeBron snapped off the 1988 US Open nine ball championship at age 54.

Buddy Hall snapped off the 1998 US Open nine ball championship. I beleive he was 52 at the time.

Honorable mention goes to Joe Balsis, who reached the final of the PPPA World Straight Pool championships at age 59 in 1980, losing to a young rising star you've probably heard of named Mike Sigel.
 
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BTW, Efren just won the last leg of the Asian 9-Ball Tour in Jakarta. I heard
he did a lot of his "magical" shots in the finals...
 
How about a 52 yrs old man who just won a $500,000 . a 51 yr.old man who won the KOTH's $200,000.

and heres the topper a 52yr old man who won 3 major championships in just a month :eek: :eek: :eek:

Some guys @ age 52 are trying their sticks in Senior tour but Reyes still play w/17 year old kids like Wu..LOL
 
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sjm said:
Mike LeBron snapped off the 1988 US Open nine ball championship at age 54.

Buddy Hall snapped off the 1998 US Open nine ball championship. I beleive he was 52 at the time.

Honorable mention goes to Joe Balsis, who reached the final of the PPPA World Straight Pool championships at age 59 in 1980, losing to a young rising star you've probably heard of named Mike Sigel.
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Mike,Buddy, and Joe did win major tour. at 50's but did not repeat and not in a dominant and consistent fashion..that's what separates REYES from the rest of them.

Mike Sigel is just 54 and no longer considered a top player today-even though he supposedly retired.Earl is only 48 and hasn't won a darn thing in five years.

I have made a prediction: Since Reyes had just been through the most pressure-packed match in any pool tournament and won it.....I'm predicting that he will be winning most if not all the tournaments he will be playing in.He will have the psyche that everything from here is easier and lesser pressure.
 
Looking back the record book it shows Jimmy Caras won the US Open at the age of 57 and that puts him at the oldest age a major was ever won (BCA rulebook). At that event he also holds the record for "most balls", most games won and fewest innings (which is 'very' impressive) and his record has standed the test of time. This was back when Balsis, Lassiter, Crane, Ed Kelly, Ciscero Murphy, Ray Martin, Mizerak, Jack Breit, Cowboy, and the like were playing. Efren stands alone like few others will ever do when the "all around" comes into play, no one out there "sees" the game like effie does. Caras played for the food back then, like Efren I am sure did for a period in his life. We will see better shotmakers than Efren Reyes in our coming days, but not better players of shots.
 
I think @ this stage of Reyes life he is playing easy an attitude like "nothing to lose " ( but the good thing is he is winning...lol ) than when he is younger..... thats makes the pressure off!
 
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Island Drive said:
Looking back the record book it shows Jimmy Caras won the US Open at the age of 57 and that puts him at the oldest age a major was ever won (BCA rulebook). At that event he also holds the record for "most balls", most games won and fewest innings (which is 'very' impressive) and his record has standed the test of time. This was back when Balsis, Lassiter, Crane, Ed Kelly, Ciscero Murphy, Ray Martin, Mizerak, Jack Breit, Cowboy, and the like were playing. Efren stands alone like few others will ever do when the "all around" comes into play, no one out there "sees" the game like effie does. Caras played for the food back then, like Efren I am sure did for a period in his life. We will see better shotmakers than Efren Reyes in our coming days, but not better players of shots.
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I think pool was not so popular when Caras won @ the age of 57 now its internationally played( not only americans) players now are more proffesional :)
 
In billiards, Alfredo DeOro and Raymond Ceulemans surely won world titles well into their fifties. I leave the details to the three cushion geeks.
 
With respect to Alfredo de Oro, totally different era, ancient almost when you consider how things have changed.

I don't believe anyone has won a world championship past 50, 3C included although Ceulemans won tourney's in his 60's, not sure how strong the fields were. I think one or two of these tourneys may have been labelled as "world championships".

I believe the Reno open was the toughest pool tourney with the toughest field pool has seen in decades, perhaps maybe surpassed in cue sports by the World Snooker Championships.

I also agree that Efren is gonna be the far and away favourite in these IPT tourneys for quite a while, winning 2/3 already and playing with the decreased pressure only a fat bank account allows.

Additionally, withthe rumoured ammended rules to minimize B&R's and more matches per round, his chances are even better since his break is not quite there and since nobody can touch him over the long haul.
 
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Older guys

I won the World One Pocket Championship in 1995 and the first Senior tournament in 1996. I was 52 and 53.
Lassiter won several events in his 50's and maybe even in his 60's.
 
Raymond Ceulemans won his last UMB 3C World Championship at 64. Avereging 1.688 over the tournament and 2.2 in the final. A lot of the major players were there, but Raymond didn't play many of them, as they were knocked out by others. He did play Zanetti in the finals, no small potato.

gr. Dave

p.s. Efren rules.
 
I'm surprised no one has mentioned Irving Crane. His BCA Hall of Fame entry reads:

"IRVING CRANE was born in Livonia, New York. His love for the game started as a child, when he was given a toy billiard table. Although he played steadily as a teenager, he did not enter tournament play until the age of 23. He won his first world title in 1942. Since then, he has won almost two dozen major championships, including the world crown in 1946, 1955, 1966, 1968, 1970, 1972, plus the International Roundrobin championship in 1968.
Crane was the victor in the 1978 World Series of Billiards (a combination of 14.1 and 9-ball) against a strong field of outstanding competitors. His greatest triumph, however, was his victory in the 1966 U.S. Open, when he won the championship in a never-to-be-excelled record run of 150 and out."
 
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smashmouth said:
With respect to Alfredo de Oro, totally different era, ancient almost when you consider how things have changed.

I don't believe anyone has won a world championship past 50, 3C included although Ceulemans won tourney's in his 60's, not sure how strong the fields were. I think one or two of these tourneys may have been labelled as "world championships".

I believe the Reno open was the toughest pool tourney with the toughest field pool has seen in decades, perhaps maybe surpassed in cue sports by the World Snooker Championships.

I also agree that Efren is gonna be the far and away favourite in these IPT tourneys for quite a while, winning 2/3 already and playing with the decreased pressure only a fat bank account allows.

Additionally, withthe rumoured ammended rules to minimize B&R's and more matches per round, his chances are even better since his break is not quite there and since nobody can touch him over the long haul.
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Your right about the different era, but keep in mind there were 5,000 pool rooms years ago in NY city alone! There had to be great competitions.
 
Island Drive said:
Your right about the different era, but keep in mind there were 5,000 pool rooms years ago in NY city alone! There had to be great competitions.
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That 5000 or what ever number people like to throw around is a bit deceptive. Back then places like barber shops or a diner may have a table or two in the back room and a sign in the window saying "Billiards". These were not pool rooms in the sense of the word we think of today. Also many of those championships were contended like boxing where a champion may just defend his title against one player retaining his title. That is quite different to having to win a tournament each time from scratch.
 
macguy said:
That 5000 or what ever number people like to throw around is a bit deceptive. Back then places like barber shops or a diner may have a table or two in the back room and a sign in the window saying "Billiards". These were not pool rooms in the sense of the word we think of today.
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Funny you mention that. Even in the late 1970's, I noticed a sign in the window of a Philadelphia laundromat that said "billiards." Sure enough, it was a luadnromat with one pool table in the back. While I was a college student in Philadelphia, I always did my laundry there!
 
Island Drive said:
Looking back the record book it shows Jimmy Caras won the US Open at the age of 57 and that puts him at the oldest age a major was ever won (BCA rulebook). At that event he also holds the record for "most balls", most games won and fewest innings (which is 'very' impressive) and his record has standed the test of time. This was back when Balsis, Lassiter, Crane, Ed Kelly, Ciscero Murphy, Ray Martin, Mizerak, Jack Breit, Cowboy, and the like were playing. Efren stands alone like few others will ever do when the "all around" comes into play, no one out there "sees" the game like effie does. Caras played for the food back then, like Efren I am sure did for a period in his life. We will see better shotmakers than Efren Reyes in our coming days, but not better players of shots.
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Caras came back from an extended retirement to win. He had been doing exhibitions for Brunswick for years.
 
Oldest player I have ever heard of winning a major tournament was Onofrio Lauri. He won a big 9-Ball Championhip played in Weenie Beenie's poolroom in Alexandria, VA. I believe it was called Jack 'n Jill's. The year was around 1968 or 69. All the top 9-Ball players were there. Lauri was 69 years young at the time.

By the way, how good does Ceulemans still play at his age. He must be near 70.
 
jay helfert said:
Caras came back from an extended retirement to win. He had been doing exhibitions for Brunswick for years.
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He also if I remember right lost his first match and went through the losers side to win.
 
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