Sandeep Swain, Anthony Meglino and Justin Hall
Anthony Meglino and Justin Hall played a single set of a true double elimination final at Capone’s $2,000-added One Pocket Tournament this past weekend (Dec. 17-19). Hall won that first set, double hill, at which point, they opted out of a second set and split the top two prizes. As occupant of the hot seat at the time, Meglino became the official winner of the event that drew 29 entrants to Capone’s.
Meglino started out with 3-1 victories over Tim Parasian and Nathan Rose, before Mike Davis, Jr. put up a double hill fight that did eventually send Meglino to a winners’ side semifinal against Josh Roberts. Sam Swain, in the meantime, was awarded an opening round bye before surviving two straight double hill matches, versus Stephanie Mitchell and Bruce Choyce, to arrive at his winners’ side semifinal match against Kyle Bova, who had just sent Justin Hall to the loss side.
Meglino shut Josh Roberts out and advanced to the hot seat match. He was joined by Swain, who’d sent Bova to the loss side 3-1. Meglino chalked up his second straight shutout, downing Bova and claiming the hot seat with an aggregate game score of 15-4; winning (percentage-wise) well over three out of every four games he played (.789).
On the loss side, Bova picked up James Adams, who’d been shut out in a winners’ side quarterfinal by Roberts and then, downed Tim Parasian, double hill and John Ditoro 3-1. Roberts drew Hall, who’d followed his winners’ side quarterfinal loss to Bova with victories over Alec Saputo and Ed Porter, both 3-1.
The Bova/Hall quarterfinal rematch came about when Bova downed Adams 3-1 and Hall shut Roberts out 3-0. Hall won the rematch, chalking up his second shutout, and then, chalked up his third shutout in his semifinal match against Swain.
Hall came into the true double elimination final against Meglino with a better five-match, loss-side aggregate score (15-2) than Meglino had recorded in his five-match, winners’ side trip to the hot seat (15-4). Hall used that momentum to score more racks in the first set of the true double elimination than any of Meglino’s previous five opponents. Hall battled him to double hill before winning the match and then, by mutual agreement, split the top two prizes, which, no matter how it was sliced, likely made for an early Merry Christmas for the both of them.
Tournament director Carrie Vetrono thanked Rocco “Rocky” McElroy and Capone’s staff for its continuing support of the sport, as well as John Ditoro for his assistance, as well.
