While the expo may be over Charlie Williams’s 14.1 winning streak seemingly cannot be stopped. From a late night entry into the challenge Charlie Williams knocked Germany’s Thorsten Hohmann out of the running with incredible play surpassing over one hundred players to earn his spot in the final eight. With wins over Corey Deuel in the first round, Mike Davis in the semi-finals and then a huge win over straight pool juggernaut John Schmidt to take the finals. The challenge in its first year was a great success thanks to our incredible sponsors Diamond Billiard Products, Bob Jewett, Pete Tonkin Custom Cues, Milliken Super Pro Cloth , Sterling Fury Gaming and the member of the AZBilliards 14.1 Forums. We also had the honor of being live streamed on the InsidePool Stream thanks to JR Calvert bringing 14.1 Straight Pool back into the limelight. Special editorial thanks also goes out to the amazing people at NYCGrind.com. This year’s event could not have been what it was however without the incredible support of all of the spectators who watched the event throughout the four days of action. When asked, Charlie Williams said that it added to his personal experience in the event having that many players and spectators watching.

The format was a simple one, take ball in hand and set up a break shot of your choosing. Shoot until you miss or foul and your score is counted. Do this five times and at the end of those five tries your five scores are tabulated to make one final score. The top eight players with the best scores would go to a single elimination tournament on Sunday to compete for the title. All matches in the tournament stage were races to 100 including the finals. The final score between Charlie Williams and John Schmidt was 100-32.

The top eight qualifying players with their preliminary scores to make the final tournament were :

1. John Schmidt – Final Score – 271
2. Bobby Chamberlain – Final Score – 209
3. Mike Davis – Final Score – 201
4. Charlie Williams – Final Score – 181
5. Dave Daya – Final Score – 178
6. Bob Maidoff – Final Score – 157
7. Corey Deuel – Final Score – 151
8. Steve Lipsky – Final Score – 132

Some amazing scores for the top eight players in the challenge considering the tough conditions they were playing under. The Diamond nine footers that were used in the challenge had some very tough pockets that were unforgiving. John Schmidt however seemed to have no problem during his challenge high run of a whopping 204. The only other player to have a run over 100 was Bobby Chamberlain with a 110. Other great runs included Steve Lipsky’s 85, as well as Dave Daya and Mike Davis who both had runs in the seventies. Eric Charlton also had a great run of 62 on these tough tables as well. First round action saw Charlie Williams take down Corey Deuel, John Schmidt edge by Dave Daya, Mike Davis sneak past Bobby Chamberlain, and Steve Lipsky with a very convincing win over Bob Maidoff. In the semi finals it was all Charlie Williams once again with his win over Mike Davis and John Schmidt ended the incredible run of Steve Lipsky. In the finals straight pool dynamo John Schmidt proved to be no match for the Korean Dragon as Charlie went on a rampage early on in the match and didn’t look back the whole way winning 100-35.

Other notable players involved in the challenge were Ralph Eckert, Tony Robles, Larry Nevel, Bobby Chamberlain who gained sponsorship status as the event went on, Eric “EASY-E” Charlton, and of course New York Straight Pool Icons Danny Baroudy and Steve Lipsky. Steve Lipsky was one of the finalists who made it to the top 8 with a final score of 132 in five innings. Lipsky’s new nickname “The Mission” was truly evident as he looked like a man possessed punishing break shots at ninety miles an hour with no fear. Lipsky was a beautiful juxtaposition between power and grace. Thunderous break shots amidst a sea of calm collected and methodical pattern play. Other stand out finalists include Bob Maidoff and Dave Daya two gentleman of the game from the old guard whose mannerisms and demeanor at the table harkens back to a time when Straight Pool truly was a discipline of champions.

What started out as a pipe dream between two friends during a practice game of Straight Pool quickly grew into the most talked about event at the Expo this year. With crowds reaching well over a hundred in numbers the buzz around the event was undeniable. From the first moment you walked down the expo center’s stairs and saw the two massive plasma displays thanking sponsors and displaying runs from the days prior you knew the event was poised to be great. Three people in particular who put in an incredible amount of work every day were Steve Kurtz whose name is quickly becoming synonymous with Straight Pool, his lovely wife Heather Kurtz whose logistical help and passion for the game was invaluable, and of course Straight Pool aficionado Bill Maropolous whose knowledge and experience truly made the event that much better with his presence. These three individuals worked tirelessly around the clock to ensure that the event was a success and to score players into the wee hours of the morning. There is even reports of them working from 8:00 am to 4:30 am the next morning.

From everyone involved in the challenge a heartfelt thank you goes out to all that showed their support for the event whether it be the multiple entries, cue raffles, or just stopping by to say hello. The event is slated to be even bigger next year with more tables and the addition of a new program called the 14.1 For Everyone Initiative being implemented by tournament director Charles Eames. This will involve a junior’s event involving players 16 and under being coached through their racks by professional players and exposing a new generation of players to the incredible game of 14.1 continuous straight pool. “We have some very big irons in the fire and we are quite hopeful for next year” was all that could be dragged out of Charles Eames when asked. He is keeping deceptively quiet about next year as he has what he is describing as “high hopes” for sponsorships. Once again though in the end it truly is Charlie Williams who deserves the kudos here for braving a field of over a hundred players to claim his rightful title as the first ever Super Billiards Expo 14.1 Challenge Champion. He is a true champion through his efforts both on and off the table and it was an honor to have a player of his stature in the cue sports community compete.

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