Lipes takes CNY Tour Championship event

To win the Central New York (CNY) Tour's Ninth Annual Championship event, held on Saturday, August 6, at Cap's Cue Club in Syracuse, NY, Brian Lipes had to get by one of only two players in the event required to go eight games - Vic Conte, Jr. He did so twice, once in the battle for the hot seat and again, in the finals of the $2,000-added event that drew 16 of the 18 tour players, who had qualified by having participated in at least six of the tour's 11 events.

From among the winners' side final four, Lipes got into the hot seat match with a 7-5 victory over Mark Creamer. Conte, in the meantime, was sending Dwight Dixon west 8-6. In their first of two, Conte came within a game of making it a double hill match, but Lipes prevailed 7-6 and took the hot seat.

Over on the one-loss side, the only other player required to go eight games in the event, Willie Oney, got by John Cottter and Mike Donnelly, both 8-6, to pick up Dixon. Creamer drew J.B. Brotherton, who'd advanced past Jed Jecen 7-3, and just did get to the 5/6 matches with a double hill win over Mike Stanton. In identical 7-6 victories, it was Brotherton over Creamer and Dixon over Oney, advancing to the quarterfinals.

Dixon dispatched Brotherton to fourth place 7-3 and then ran into a determined Conte, who allowed him only a single rack in winning the semifinals. In what proved to be the only set needed in a true double elimination final, Lipes and Conte went double hill, before Lipes prevailed over the 2010/2011 CNY Tour's top-ranked player.

In order, Conte, Lipes and Oney finished at the top of the tour's Money List for the season, while Oney, Conte, and Donnelly finished first, second and third in the Points List; Lipes finished seventh.

Tour Director Gary Lloyd thanked his players, sponsors and host locations for their continuing support throughout this season and, looking forward to October, the season to come. He also thanked sponsors Dishaw Custom Cues, Cue Shark, Brian's One Day Cleaners, Pipe Works Plumbing, TotalPool.info, Custom Logo and AZBilliards.

If you'd like to be added to the CNY Tour's e-mail notification list, send "Please add me to the TNL" to LloydEnterprises@twcny.rr.com.