Hong Kong Amateur 9-Ball Championship Remains in Local Hands – Alison Chang

It wasn’t exactly a joyride for the Hong Kong Amateur 9-Ball Championship 2022, the event was full of twists and turns. First, pandemic issues meant that the venue was forced to be closed for 14 days, which had seriously affected the calendar. Later in the month, some players were identified as close-contacts, hence the schedule was changed again and again. In the end, the organizer managed to coordinate with all parties, and the whole tournament was successfully completed on time at SPIN Billiard Club on 2 October.

Inheriting the spirit of the “Kristins Cup” last year, DreamPro continued to focus on amateur tournaments this year. With the former sponsor JCI officially joined as a key member, stronger bond means that the number of participants surged from 64 people in 2021 to more than 160 people this year, breaking the record of entries for any pool individual-tournaments in Hong Kong.

3 satellite venues had joined the tour this year, Scratch, Breaks, and Upperdeck restaurants and bars, located in Hong Kong, Kowloon, and Lantau Island respectively, participated actively, and covering almost the entire territory of Hong Kong. On the final day, Bowl and Danish, the owners of Breaks and Upperdeck, also came to the main venue for the presentation ceremony. This event might be the first ever pool tournament in Hong Kong to have matches livestreamed on 4 different online platforms simultaneously, including FaceBook, InstaGram, WeChat, and YouTube. Special thanks are given to the SPIN Billiards and the the AbangeRs channels, making all tables possible in becoming a TV table.

Judgement day officially commenced at 11:00 am, and as round of top 16 completed, all players remaining are Chinese, meaning that the trophy will remain in the hands of a local player. In the afternoon, the 4 players that did not make it to the semi-finals joined in for a game of “Killer”, which added a lot of lively atmosphere to the serious games. Cheung Nin-Shang won the game and a pool cue sponsored by Black Morenu (BM) Cues, thus becoming the first contestant to win a prize.

Adrian Tse, Kinson Tang, Andy Leung, and Chen Tse-Hei were the Semi-finalists, who had defeated Arthur Lee, Cheung Nin-Shang, Louie Yu, and Philip Yau respectively, while the final was a headsup between the two “A”s. DynaSphere tournament balls were used, and with the help of Mr. Ronald Cheung being the referee, both players demonstrated the best of their skills. In the end, a big hand to Andy who came out to be the better on the day, winning the championship with a score of 9-5, and taking home a prize of HK$12,000. The prize was presented by Jenny Tan, the owner of Leaves, a Malaysian milk-tea brand.

Just like the previous year, each participant received a welcome pack, which includes a high-quality wipes and a Breeze billiard glove. In addition to the sponsorships by BM and Leaves, Cue Ball Concepts HK, a rising local billiards brand, is also giving out 2 elegant watches to the champion and the runner-up, while CPBA had prepared exquisite souvenirs to the referee and players. Everyone enjoyed the day!!