Gardner woman headed to Las Vegas to compete in billiards world championship

She’s vacationed once in Las Vegas, and that was only for a weekend getaway years ago. But next month, Dierdre Clonan, will arrive in Nevada’s most famous city for the second time with a much different focus — not on the gambling tables, but on the pool tables.

Clonan, who lives in Gardner, and her billiards team will compete in the 2023 American Pool Players Association 9-Ball World Championships at the Westgate Resort and Casino, just a block from the world-famous Las Vegas Strip.

Along with six other members from “Frank’s Team,” Clonan and her teammates qualified for the World Championships by capturing the Central Mass. State Cup in competition held last month at the Steel Pub in Athol.

World's largest pool tournament

Billed as the world’s largest pool tournament, the APA World Championships include the 8-Ball Tournament from Aug. 3-8, followed by the 9-Ball Tournament Aug. 8-12.

“We’re all really excited about flying to Vegas and seeing how well we can do as a team,” said Clonan, who will begin the heated competition on Aug. 8 along with Frank’s Team players Josh Pratt from Templeton, team captain Frank Richard and Jaime McClure from Fitchburg, and Charles LeBlanc, Cora Coral and Todd Cochran from Leominster.

If Frank’s Team wins the 9-Ball World Championship, the seven players, whose home club is the Log Cabin in Fitchburg, will split the first-place prize money of $20,000.

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“I’ve played billiards off and on for years, but I’ve been consistently playing two days a week year round in matches for a couple of years now,” said Clonan, who works as a waitress and bartender at Oak Hill Country Club in Fitchburg and also as an administrative assistant in an area accounting firm.

“In addition to competing in the Worlds, it will be a fun time, a summer break from work and a good vacation too,” said Clonan, who added that she plans on taking time away from the pool tables for some sightseeing and perhaps a few visits to the Las Vegas casinos during her stay.

What it takes to be a winner at pool

Asked about the necessary skills to be a good pool player, Clonan, hoping to chalk up some wins, said, “A lot of it is having good hand-eye coordination. And playing pool is a lot like playing golf because it can be frustrating if you’re having an off night. The key is practice, practice and more practice.”

Of course, Frank’s Team is hoping to be “on” during the days and nights of the World Championships which will be held inside Westgate’s huge ballroom accommodating over 100 pool tables with teams packed inside from across the country.

Veteran pool player and valuable team member LeBlanc is thrilled with the chance to compete in Las Vegas. “I’ve waited about 25 years to get to the Worlds, so you can probably understand why I’m very excited,” he said.

LeBlanc offered his thoughts about successful 9-Ball strategy, saying, “The key is to try to leave your cue ball in the right spot, but that's easier said than done.”

Added McClure, who will be making his first visit to Las Vegas, “I think the key to success is to have fun and I know that’s our feeling as we get ready for the Worlds.”

The rules of the game

According to APA 9-Ball rules the game is played with a cue ball and nine object balls which are shot in numerical order. The shooter must strike the cue ball into the lowest numbered ball on the table first. Balls 1 through 8 are worth 1 point each when pocketed and the 9-Ball, when pocketed, is worth two points. The game is over when the 9-ball is legally pocketed. A player retains his or her turn at the table as long as the lowest numbered ball is struck first.

Pratt, one of the best pool players on Frank’s team and one who has run the 9-ball table for several victories in his career, said the worst luck is when a player inadvertently pockets the cue ball.

Pratt also praised the sportsmanship and general attitude of Clonan. “Dierdre is just always so happy and pleasant. She’s amazing the way she keeps us all upbeat."

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The American Poolplayers Association (APA) is the World’s largest amateur pool league with nearly 250,000 members throughout the U.S., Canada, Japan and Singapore.

Clonan and her teammates will register and begin practice sessions and competition from Aug. 8 through 11, hoping to stay in the tournament through the semifinals at 9 a.m. and the finals beginning at 2 p.m. on Aug. 12 in Westgate’s PoolDawg Championship Arena. An awards presentation will then follow for the teams who earn first and runner-up places.

The pool playing competition will be played on 3 ½ by 7 feet Diamond brand tables with Simonis 860 blue cloth. A modified single elimination format will allow every team the opportunity to play at least twice before being eliminated. All qualified teams who participate will receive $350 National Qualifier money.

The tournament format also includes a handicap system, called The Equalizer which utilizes a formula that measures a scoring ability by counting the number of turns it takes a player to win a game. The result is a handicap that determines the number of games a player must win to capture a match.

This article originally appeared on Gardner News: Gardner's Dierdre Clonan headed to Vegas for billiards championship