National Snooker Championship hosts announced
filed on Saturday, February 20, 2016. 1:03pm PT/USA
The United States Snooker Association (USSA) has announced the hosts for both the 2016 & 2017 United States National Snooker Championships, which have been awarded to 147 Snooker Club in Houston and the New York Athletic Club respectively.
With the past two Championships being hosted in New York City, the USSA Board of Directors felt this year that it was necessary to stage the event in a different location, and so the bid from the 147 Snooker Club was graciously accepted.
The 2016 United States National Snooker Championship will be staged at 147 Snooker Club over the Memorial Day weekend of May 27-30, and within the next few days the USSA will publish the Entry Document and players may then enter the Championship using the official entry form system on the SnookerUSA.com website.
The 147 Snooker Club, which is located in the west of the city at 3832 S. Dairy Ashford Road, opened its doors to the public earlier last year and has already played host to an event on this season's United States Snooker (USSA) Tour, and is also due to stage Event 13 from March 25-27 which should prove to be a very useful warm up for many players.
Mr. Mani Hassan, the proprietor of 147 Snooker Club, has hosted the United States National Snooker Championship before when it was played at his Houston Snooker Club back in May 2013, an event that was famously won by one of the top professional pool players, Corey Deuel.
The Championship will be played on the club's five Riley branded snooker tables imported from England, two of which are Aristocrat professional Championship standard, and all will be recovered in new Strachan 6811 Championship snooker cloth to insure the best possible playing conditions.
The club also specializes in American, Mediterranean and Pakistani cuisine, and so all players will be welcomed with a complimentary dinner prior to the start of the Championship.
The defending United States National Snooker Champion, Sargon Isaac, who won his second title at the Prince Snooker Club in Brooklyn, New York, last year
Photo © SnookerUSA.com
Last year, Sargon Isaac of California won his second title after defeating the three times former champion Ahmed Aly Elsayed in the final at the Prince Snooker Club in Brooklyn, New York, and he is expected to be back to defend his title where he will be the number one seed.
With such a generous and keen bid also submitted from the New York Athletic Club (NYAC), the USSA Board of Directors also decided upon the unprecedented step of awarding next year's Championship to this most prestigious establishment in the heart of Manhattan.
The NYAC has previously hosted the playoff finals of this Championship back in 2004 when the qualifying rounds were split between the Embassy Billiards Club in California, so it will be the first time that the whole of the event will be contested there.
Alan Morris, the Executive Director of the USSA, said: "On behalf of the Board of the USSA, I would like to thank both Mr. Hassan and Ms. Kristin Barbato, the co-chair of the Billiards Room at the NYAC, for their wonderful bids and securing their support for this prestigious Championship.
"We look forward to what I know will be a fantastic festival of snooker in Houston this year, and next year in Manhattan."
The Champion and runner-up will be automatically selected to represent the United States in this year's International Billiards & Snooker Federation (IBSF) World Snooker Championships in the fall.