Jimmie Bullis, Steven Page, Shannon Daulton and Glenn Russell
Steven Page went west early and came back late. Sent over in the third round of the Great Southern Billiard Tour's stop on the weekend of Aug. 14-15, Page won nine in a row to take home the first place prize. He finished by winning two grueling double hill matches in the finals. The $1,500-added event drew 56 entrants to SpeakEazy Billiards, in Sanford, NC.
As Page was busy working from the one-loss side, Cary Dunn, who'd sent him there 9-3 in that third round, advanced to the winners' side final four, where he met up with Hope Gladden. Gladden sent him over for a re-match versus Page, and then squared off against Glenn Russell in the hot seat match. Russell had defeated Danna Hallett 9-7. Russell repeated that score versus Gladden to gain the hot seat, and watched as Page worked his way back.
With four matches behind him on the one-loss side, Page moved into the first of the money rounds and defeated Barry Mashburn 9-4. He then dropped Lay Thammajong into the tie for seventh place 9-7, which set him up for a re-match versus Dunn. Hallett picked up Chris Adams, who'd defeated James Blackburn 9-6 and David King 9-5. Page and Adams made Dunn and Hallett's trip to the one-loss side brief; Hallett defeating Adams 9-5 and Page avenging his earlier loss to Dunn by defeating him this time 9-7.
Page then defeated both Adams in the quarterfinal and Gladden in the semifinals 9-6 and moved into the true double elimination final against Russell. Three hours and two double hill matches later, Page had his first ever GSBT victory.
Tour director Shannon Daulton welcomed a new GSBT sponsor, Andy Gilbert Custom Cues, for whom he is now a player representative, and thanked the tour's main sponsor, Nick Varner Cues and Cases.
