9-Ball
WITH THE 2014 World Cup of Pool set for the Mountbatten Centre, Portsmouth from 23rd to 28th September, promoters Matchroom Sport can announce the schedule of matches for this prestigious $250,000 event.
There are 16 first round matches in total with two sessions a day and three matches per session. Sessions are at 12 noon and 6.00pm until the weekend when the afternoon session takes place at 1.00pm, while the evenings continue at 6.00pm.
Defending champions the Philippines - Dennis Orcollo and Lee Vann Corteza - are in action on the opening night when they face the best of South America in their quest for a fourth World Cup title. 2012 champions Finland, represented by Mika Immonen and Petri Makkonen, are also in action on the Tuesday night when they square off against Korea.
Wednesday evening sees a star-studded line-up as 2014 runners-up Holland, England A and the USA all enter the fray. Holland are represented by reigning World Champion Niels Feijen and Nick Van den Berg while England A comprise 2013 Mosconi Cup winners Darren Appleton and Karl Boyes. They face Sweden and Spain, respectively.
Earl Strickland, partnered by Shane Van Boening, will be making his first competitive visit to the UK since 2006 and his appearance will be eagerly anticipated. The final first round match on Thursday evening will see the well-supported Indian duo of Raj Hundal and Amir Khan goes up against England B - Daryl Peach and Chris Melling.
Commented a Matchroom Sport spokesman, "With the best players in the world coming to Portsmouth, not surprisingly there are some cracking first round match-ups.
"With three action-packed matches per session, and tickets such good value, I'm sure the atmosphere will be electric and play a big part in the fortunes on the table.
"Home backing will definitely be a big factor for the two England teams but I know there will be fans travelling from across Europe to support their teams and create an unforgettable environment for the players."
All tickets are priced at £5 (afternoons) and £10 evenings and are available from the venue or www.seetickets.com
The Schedule (seed number in brackets)
23 Tuesday Afternoon - Greece (13) v Indonesia; Italy (16) v France; Austria (11) v Portugal
23 Tuesday evening - Japan (12) v Russia; Finland (8) v Korea; Philippines (1) v South America (TBA)
24 Wednesday Afternoon - Poland (9) v Australia; China (3) v European Qualifier; Chinese Taipei (6) v Qatar
24 Wednesday evening - Holland (2) v Sweden; USA (5) v Croatia; England A (4) v Spain
25 Thursday afternoon - Germany (7) v Malaysia; Canada (10) v TBC; Thailand (15) v Switzerland
25 Thursday evening - England B (14) v India; Round 2 Philippines / South America v Italy /France; Round 2 USA / Croatia v Japan / Russia
26 Friday afternoon - Round 2 Finland / Korea v Poland / Australia; Chinese Taipei / Qatar v Austria v Portugal; Holland / Sweden v Thailand / Switzerland
26 Friday evening - Round 2 Germany / Malaysia v Canada / TBA; China / European Qualifier v England B / India; England A /Spain v Greece / Indonesia
27 Saturday afternoon - Quarter Final 1; Quarter Final 2
27 Saturday evening - Quarter Final 3; Quarter Final 4
28 Sunday afternoon - Semi Final 1; Semi Final 2
28 Sunday evening - The Final
The World Cup of Pool will carry a $250,000 prize fund including $60,000 for the champions. The event will be produced by Matchroom Sport Television and televised live on Sky Sports and other stations around the world and then syndicated internationally as 31 x 1 hour programmes.
Diamond Billiards are the Official Table of the 2014 World Cup of Pool; the Official Cloth is supplied by Iwan Simonis and the Official Balls are Super Aramith. Predator is the Official Cue of the event.
Luke Riches, Matchroom Sport: luke.riches@matchroom.com
Notes: Matchroom Sport are one of the world's leading producers of televised sport and are responsible for over 1,000 hours of original programming across a range of sports. Based in the UK and chaired by charismatic founder Barry Hearn, the World Cup of Pool is one of a stable of pool events that include the World Pool Masters and the Mosconi Cup.