(Radio Iowa) – While many Iowans are excited about this week’s start of the college basketball tournaments, another tournament in a different sport will be held in Iowa starting today (Thursday). Daryn Hamilton of Fairfield is vice president of the W-P-B-A board of directors, that’s the Women’s Professional Billiard Association. Hamilton says the Fairfield Invitational is bringing 48 of the world’s most talented professional women billiard players to the Fairfield Arts & Convention Center.”They’re literally coming from around the globe,” Hamilton says. “Of the 48 players, maybe 30 of them are from here in the United States and different locations, but we have people coming from China. We have people coming from Europe, Bulgaria. We’ve got a gal coming from Germany.”

Spectators are expected from all over, too, as these women are among the best of the best and they’ll be competing simultaneously on six tables. “We have a couple of younger players,” Hamilton says. “One is a gal by the name of Savannah Easton. She’s 14 years old, she’s from Las Vegas, Nevada, and she’s ranked number 10 right now in the WPBA.” The youngest player in the tournament is a 12-year-old whose nickname is “Sure Shot” and Hamilton says the name fits as she doesn’t miss. This event is all about billiards and there will -not- be T-Vs set up so people can watch the basketball tournament. Still, there’s free wi-fi in the convention center, so Hamilton suspects there will be people watching hoops on their phones.

Kelly Fisher, from the UK, won the Fairfield tourney in 2021. (WPBA photo)

“I knew that I would be competing against them,” Hamilton says. “The very first time I put this on, I did it in August which was the same time that another really big event was going on here in the state of Iowa — the State Fair.” Think you’re pretty good at shooting pool? You can try and prove it at this event, as Hamilton says there will be a pro-am meet and greet. “You’ll be put on a team with three other people and one pro,” Hamilton says, “and you’ll be able to play in a scotch-format nine ball with that pro against another team with three amateurs and a pro.”

The tournament runs through Sunday and will feature some of the best women in the sport, including Kelly Fisher from England. Fisher, known as the “Duchess of Doom,” won the tournament the last time it was held in Fairfield in 2021.