The man known as ‘EasyE' here on AZ Billiards – Eric Charlton – didn't exactly take an easy route through the Great Southern Billiard Tour stop on the weekend of July 11-12. Charlton joined a field of 38 entrants for the $1,500-added amateur event, hosted by Guys and Dolls Billiards in Roanoke, VA, and while he finished it undefeated, he came within a rack of losing it twice to Bobby Chamberlain.
From among the winners' side final four, Charlton got into the hot seat match with a 7-3 win over Danny Mastermaker, as Chamberlain was defeating Tony Williams, 9-4. Charlton and Chamberlain battled to double hill before Charlton prevailed and Chamberlain moved over to the semifinals.
It was Brent Hensley and Brad Shearer waiting on the one-loss side for Williams and Mastermaker. Hensley picked up Williams after squeaking through a hill-hill match versus Bernie Kirby and advancing on a 7-7 tie against Chuck Cuneo (who had needed to reach 9 racks). Shearer dropped only three racks in wins over Phil Muller 7-2 and Stanley Smallwood 7-1 to meet Mastermaker. Shearer made it three in a row with a 7-7 tie advance over Mastermaker as Williams got by Hensley 7-2. Shearer made it four in a row with a 7-3 win over Williams in the quarterfinals and moved against Chamberlain in the semifinals.
A determined Chamberlain ended Shearer's string of one-loss side victories with a 9-4 win that earned him a second chance at Charlton. For the second time that day, the two battled to hill-hill, before Charlton closed it out 8-7, capturing the first place prize.
