Cassidy Mulligan, winner, Crystal McCormick, second, Justin Gilsanen, Ultimate Billiards
Ultimate Billiards, FL (Aug. 25, 2012) –Tropical Storm Isaac may have threatened South Florida last Saturday, but the gusting wind and rain wasn’t about to stop 30 players from creating a whirlwind 9-ball event at the Flamingo Billiards Tour Stop on Saturday at Ultimate Billiards in Ft. Pierce, Florida. As the whirlwind died down, Cassidy Mulligan won her first event on the Flamingo Billiards Tour. The competition was a modified double-elimination format, playing down to four on each side with the final eight redrawing into a single elimination bracket.
Chris Fields, Kim Richeson, Nicole Cuellar and Crystal McCormick were the first to reach the final board via the winners side. Newcomer Cheryl Perez, Susan Roberts, Christie Cloke and Cassidy Mulligan played through the one-loss side.
Mulligan started out with a close match over Janis Sessions and then lost a hill-hill match with Chris Fields. However, like TS Isaac, Mulligan grew stronger as the day wore on defeating Kelly Cavanaugh in another double hill match, and then taking out Jennifer page to make it to the redraw.
Mulligan then found herself in a revenge match going double hill again with Fields. With three balls left to win the match and make it to the semi-finals, Fields started to execute the perfect pattern to get on the eight and nine, but the cue ball unexpectedly caught the corner of the side pocket sending the cue ball in the wrong direction. Mulligan got revenge and Fields went home.
Cuellar blew past Susan Roberts to make it to the semi-finals, and McCormick swept over Perez. But Cuellar would settle for third, losing to McCormick, 7-5. In the other semi-final match Mulligan sent Cloke home, 7-2, leaving McCormick against Mulligan in the final match.
Neither player had won a FBT event before this night. McCormick won the lag but came up dry on the break. The first game got off to a slow start after a few missed shots, a cluster of balls and an exchange of safety play. Mulligan then failed to touch a rail giving ball in hand to McCormick who proceeded to run the rack. Cassidy broke next making the one in the side then missing the two. Crystal made the two and scratched. The players exchanged safeties and a kick shot by McCormick left Mulligan out. Score 1-1. McCormick broke next and made two balls but was forced to play safe. A few more safeties and missed shots, and Mulligan was up 2-1.
Just as it looked like Cassidy would increase her lead by another game, she missed the eight and Crystal tied the score, two-all. Crystal then scratched on the break. Cassidy played the second of three fouls. However, Crystal accurately measured her kick shot and hit the two but leaving Cassidy a shot. Cassidy ran the table but rattled the five, letting Crystal move ahead 3-2. Crystal took the next game as well, score 4-2.
In game seven, Mulligan played safe to get back in the match 4-3. However, McCormick took the next game to go 5-3. Mulligan broke next but didn’t make a ball. However, McCormick missed a back cut on the one and Mulligan ran out, score 5-4. Mulligan won the next game as well to tie the score 5-5 and now it’s a race to two.
Crystal made two balls on her next break. Heartbreakingly, just one ball away from reaching the hill the cue ball scratched in the side pocket. Cassidy got to the hill first and Crystal met here there after Cassidy missed a long cut on the nine. Crystal got to break in the deciding match game and attempted a bank on the one. It didn’t drop. Cassidy made the one and got shape down table on the two. However, she rattled the two trying to force shape on the three. Crystal then made a tough shot on the two to get on the three, but missed the three. Cassidy played a smart safety which would be the key shot of the match, leaving Crystal with an impossible kick shot on the three. With ball in hand Cassidy carefully ran the table but didn’t quite get on the eight as planned. With no hesitation, Cassidy made a decisive corner bank shot, drawing the cue ball back for perfect shape on the nine to win the match and her first Flamingo Billiards Tour event!
Our thanks to all the players who came out, thanks to the new players for coming to the event, many thanks to room owners Bill Mallen and Gary Gilsanen at Ultimate Billiards (www.ultimaterbilliards.com), for their continued support and for being great hosts, and to Boynton Billiards for their continued support of the FBT.
The Flamingo Billiards Tour is a WPBA-recognized Regional Tour, and is a stepping stone to the Women’s Professional Billiard Association for women who want to play professionally.
Results
($250 added, modified double elimination)
Cassidy Mulligan $400
Crystal McCormick $275
Christie Cloke $150
Chris Ann Fields $ 60
Cheryl Perez $ 60
Kim Richeson $ 60
Sue Roberts $ 60
The next stop is the 4th Annual “Cues for the Cure” breast cancer fundraiser, Oct. 6, 2012, at Amy’s Billiards in Stuart, Florida. For more information, visit http://www.flamingobilliardstour.com/.
