Rob Krull, a relative unknown on the Joss Northeast 9-Ball Tour, gave up the hot seat to Tony Robles, but came back to beat him twice in a double elimination final to claim his first win on the Joss tour. The $1,500-added event, held on the weekend of April 10-11, drew 47 entrants to Raxx Pool Room and Grill in West Hempstead, NY.
From among the winners' side final four, Krull got into the hot seat match versus Robles with a 9-2 win over Brent Boemmels, co-director of the East Coast Pool Tour. Robles had sent Jorge Rodriguez west 9-4. In the first of what would turn out to be three matches together, Robles gained the hot seat with a 9-4 win over Krull.
Shaun Wilkie, who most recently finished tied for 13th at the Players' Championship in Valley Forge, was in the midst of a one-loss side campaign that would get him into the quarterfinals and waiting for Rodriguez. Wilkie had defeated Pete Bowman 9-5 and Joey Korsiak 9-7 to get there. Boemmel's first opponent in the west bracket was Eddie Abraham, who'd defeated Ed Vazquez 9-6 and Mhet Vergara 9-3. Wilkie and Boemmels advanced to the quarterfinals with identical 9-3 wins over Rodriguez and Abraham, respectively.
With a 9-3 win over Boemmels, Wilkie faced Krull in the semifinals. Krull got his second chance against Robles with a 9-5 win over Boemmels. In the opening set of the true double elimination final, Krull defeated Robles 9-6. Robles got one game closer in the second set, but Krull won it 9-7 to take home the first place prize.
In a concurrent, $500-added Second Chance Tournament, a new feature on the Joss tour, Mike Badsteubner defeated Oscar Bonilla 3-1 in the finals. Dave Ascolese finished in third place, with Megan Smith in fourth. A random drawing won Pat DiBuono a free entry and three paid room nights to the Turning Stone tournament (a $550 value). The tour stops at Golden Cue Billiards in Albany, NY on the weekend of April 17-18.
