Patrick Stegmeier from the Art of Billiards Club in Vienna claimed victory at the second qualifying event for the upcoming Austrian National Billiards Championship, which will take place during the ÖSBV Finals on January 10–11 at the Austrian Snooker and Billiards Academy in Vienna.
The Viennese player, who had already secured a spot in the Nationals by winning the Austrian Billiards Matchplay earlier this year, entered the event as a fixed starter but managed to climb to second place in the overall ranking with this tournament win – an achievement that also brings valuable ranking points and significantly improves his seeding for the championship.
Patrick Stegmeier; © pjnolan
Behind him, Carl Walter Steiner (HSEBC) also made progress with his second-place finish, ending the season third overall, just ahead of Josef Elias Wimmer (SBCS). Christian Kasparek (HSEBC) took third place in the event, marking his first podium finish since celebrating his Billiards comeback earlier this autumn season.
Martin Schmidt had already secured the top spot in the annual standings before the qualifier began. The reigning National Champion will therefore enter the title defense as the number one seed.
Martin Schmidt; © andreaskronlachner
It is also encouraging to see that during this season several newcomers from clubs where Billiards had previously been less common have found their way to what is often considered the most universal of all cue-sport disciplines. Hopefully, this trend will continue in the coming season, as a solid background in Billiards can serve as a valuable source of experience for Snooker players as well.
» Results – Austrian National Championship Qualifier 2/2025
» Austrian Billiards League 2025 | Final Standings
Title photograph: Carl Walter Steiner, Patrick Stegmeier, Christian Kasparek; © ÖSBV