Dear Players & Fans,

 

Congratulations to stop 9 winners, Dave Grau (Main Event, $1,000), Aaron Cameron (Second Chance Event, $300) & Bob Simmons & Phil Johnson , ($1,500 Joss Cue Raffle Winner)

 

Snookers Billiards Sports Bar & Grill (Providence R.I.) and Mike Zuglan"s Joss Northeast 9-Ball Tour are proud to present the 10th Annual New England Pool & Billiards Hall Of Fame Ray Desell Memorial 9-Ball Open. In addition to the actual tournament which will take place on Saturday March 2 & Sunday March 3, there will also be a Hall of Fame presentation ceremony on Friday evening March 1 at 6pm. All inductees will receive plaques in the New England Pool & Billiards Hall Of Fame located at, maintained by, and funded by Snookers. This is just one more way that our hosts Regina & Steve Goulding continue to show their devotion and generosity to our sport. Also, Tom McGonagle deserves much credit for his time and effort in gathering the information, pictures and supervising the inductee process. You will be able to view the entire weekend's events via a free live stream for the Hall Of Fame ceremony on Friday evening and a Pay Per View for the tournament on Saturday & Sunday. PPV prices are only $1.99 per day or $2.99 for the 2 day pass. The stream can be accessed on Snookers home site: www.snookersri.com

 

Snookers is also one of the best restaurants in the Providence area. Check them out at www.snookersri.com and thanks again to Steve & Regina for putting up the $3,000 added, and once again allowing us the use of their great room for our event. Trophies will be awarded to the top finishers in the main event. Also, Whether you come to play, or just watch, you will have the opportunity to win a gorgeous, custom, engraved Joss Cue, valued at $1,500, by participating in Snookers cue raffle. Anyone can participate  and you don't have to be present to win! The drawing will be just prior to the final match of the main event on Sunday. So come on down and play and win, watch for free, have some great food and drink, and take a chance at a $1,500 Joss Cue.  

 

This gorgeous raffle cue can be viewed here: https://josscues.com/joss-tour-2018-19-cue/

 

Snookers has arranged a special rate of $99 + Tax (based on availability) at the Holiday Inn Express just a few miles away in Warwick RI. 401-736-5000 mention Snookers. 

 

This event at Snookers will consist of a $2,500 added Saturday and Sunday Main Event (entry Fee $120 for pro level or $70 for non pro level) and a $500 added consolation event on Sunday ($20 Entry Fee) for those non pro players eliminated from the main event on Saturday 

 

For those of you coming to play, please arrive on Saturday March 2 Before 11:30 AM, and in proper dress please. Yes, jeans and sneakers are permitted in our billiard parlor events. But please, NO T-shirts, tanks, shorts or sweats. Complete tour info can be found on our site www.joss9balltour.com

 

Our season finale, the $25,000 Added Turning Stone Classic XXX II 9-Ball Open, is scheduled for August 22 – 25. I am currently accepting entries and strongly suggest that you pay your entry early to avoid being shut out. Entry fee for this great event is only $150 for Current tour members and only $200 for all others. As you can see, membership has its privileges! If you would like to enter, please contact Mike Zuglan at 518-356-7163 or see me at any of our Joss Northeast 9-Ball Tour regular season events before it is full. Currently I am just over 3/4 full!!!!

 

Lastly, I can't stress enough how important it is for all of you to please frequent your local billiard parlors and utilize the services of our most generous sponsors who are the backbone of our sport. These are the ones who keep our sport alive. So get out and play! 

 

Mike Zuglan

 

Dave Grau went undefeated at Eastridge Billiards in Rochester, NY on February 23rd – 24th for his first Joss NE 9-Ball Tour stop win in over ten years. No one can say he didn’t have to fight for it though. 

 

Grau’s Saturday wins were fairly routine, with the closest competitor (Joe Mayo) losing to Grau 9-6. Sunday, on the other hand, was a different story. Grau started his Sunday campaign with a hill-hill win over Jorge Teixeira and then followed that up with another hill-hill win, this time over Spencer Auigbelle for the hot-seat. 

 

Bucky Souvanthong put together an impressive five match winning streak on the one loss side, after losing a 9-6 match to Ron Casanzio on Saturday. Souvanthong ran out of gas on Sunday though, finishing in 4th place after a loss to Teixeira. Teixeira then dropped a 7-1 decision to Auigbelle in the semi-final match. 

 

The rematch between Grau and Auigbelle in the finals was just slightly more decisive with Grau winning the first (and only) set 9-7 for first place. 

 

Sunday’s second chance tournament saw Chris Braiman run through the right side of the board, scoring a 3-0 win over Dan Sharlow for the hot-seat. Aaron Cameron had lost to Braiman in his second match of the day, but navigated the one loss side and defeated Sharlow 3-1 in the semi-final match. Cameron would get his revenge and then some, in the final match. A 3-2 win in the first set of the finals was followed up by a 3-1 win in the second set to give Cameron first place. 

 

The Joss NE 9-Ball Tour will be back in action this weekend with the $2500 added 10th NE Pool & Billiard Hall of Fame 9-Ball Open at Snookers in Providence R.I. 

 

Nick Brucato, normally seen at the helm of the Western New York Tour, signed on to compete at the Gambler Pro Tour's sixth stop of the year – Santa's 8-Ball Sleigh Event, held on Saturday, December 19. He went undefeated through a field of 34, which was initially divided into two separate brackets of 11 A players and 23 B players. The $250-added event (added by the tour itself) was hosted by Diamond Billiards Bar & Grill in Rochester, NY.

 

Brucato advanced in the A bracket and in that bracket's final, faced Dave Johnson. Kirk Foley and Matt Fitzwater, in the meantime, squared off in the finals of the B bracket. Brucato sent Johnson to the loss side 5-2, and in the hot seat match, faced Foley, who'd defeated Fitzwater, double hill. Brucato claimed the hot seat 5-2 over Foley and waited on what turned out to be the return of Lynn Wechsler.

 

On the loss side, Wechsler, working on a five-match, loss-side streak that would take him to the finals, had been sent over by Dave Johnson. He defeatEd Martin Richardson 3-1, and in the first money round, Luis Recio, double hill. This earned him a rematch against Johnson, coming over from the winners' side semifinals. Fitzwater picked up Jeremiah Imburgia, who'd gotten by Aaron Cameron, double hill, and Colby Cramer 3-1 in that first money round. Wechsler wreaked his vengeance on Johnson, eliminating him, double hill, as Fitzwater ended Imburgia's day 3-1.

 

Wechsler then chalked up two straight double hill wins for a shot at Brucato in the hot seat. He defeated Fitzwater in the quarterfinals and Foley in the semifinals. Brucato, though, closed out his undefeated run with a 5-2 victory in the finals to claim the event title.

 

The next stop on the Gambler Pro Tour, scheduled for February 13, 2016, will be hosted by Bison Billiards in Buffalo, NY.