As he did back in May, on the Predator Tour, Lidio Ramirez successfully fought off a double hill, loss-side challenge to win an event. This time, at a $1,000-added event on the Tri-State Tour, on Sunday, October 30, which drew 27 entrants to Clifton Billiards in Clifton, NJ, he did it twice. 

 

 

Ramirez faced Victor Dabu twice in this event; once, in a winners’ side semifinal, and again, in the finals. He ran into Dabu first, after victories over Pascal Dufresne, Aurelio Romero and Nes Jovanovic. Tony Ignomirello, in the meantime, squared off against Bob Toomey in the other winners’ side semifinal. Ramirez defeated Dabu, double hill, and in the hot seat match, met up with Ignomirello, who’d sent Toomey to the loss side 6-3.

On the loss side, Dabu picked up Jovanovic, who, after his loss to Ramirez, had defeated Adam Kosmin 7-2 and Romero 7-1. Toomey drew Jaydev Zaveri, who’d gotten by Ryan Dayrit 7-5 and Eric Carrasco 6-3 to reach him.

 

 

Dabu downed Jovanovic 7-4, and in the quarterfinals, faced Zaveri, who’d ended Toomey’s day 6-4. Dabu defeated Zaveri 8-3 and then downed Ignomirello in the semifinals 8-6, for a second shot at Ramirez.

 

 

The match went back and forth, through multiple ties. Dabu took the lead, reaching the hill at 6-5, but Ramirez came back to win the next two and claim the event title. 

 

 

Tour representatives thanked the ownership and staff at Clifton Billiards, as well as sponsors Ozone Billiards, Sterling-Gaming, Kamui Tips, Ron Vitello, Phil Capelle, BlueBook Publishing, Human Kinetics, and Bloodworth Ball Cleaners. The next stop on the Tri-State Tour, scheduled for Sunday, November 6, will be hosted by Cue Bar in Bayside (Queens), NY.

Bob Toomey in the hot seat, and Steve Kaminow, coming at him from the loss side, opted out of a final match during a Sunday, April 24 stop on the Tri-State Tour. They chose to split the top two prizes of the $1,000-added event that had drawn 16 entrants to Rockaway Billiards in Rockaway, NJ.

 

Toomey and Adam Kosmin squared off in the hot seat battle. Toomey had sent Tony Ignomirello to the loss side 6-1 in one of the winners' side semifinals, as Kosmin downed Jerry Ritzer, double hill, in the other. Toomey sent Kosmin to the semifinals with a double hill win that proved to be his last match.

 

On the loss side, Steve Kaminow was working his way to the finals. He defeated Paul Madonia 7-5, and William Donofrio 7-2 to pick up Ritzer. Ignomirello drew Mark Mondello, who'd eliminatEd Martin Carducci 6-1, and Mickey Hadjipetros 6-3 to reach him.

 

Kaminow defeated Ritzer 7-3, advancing to the quarterfinals against Mondello, who'd defeated Ignomirello 6-2. Kaminow followed up with a 7-4 win over Mondello and moved into his final match; the semifinals versus Kosmin. He thwarted Kosmin's desire for a rematch against Toomey with a 7-5 win, which ended the night. Toomey and Kaminow opted out of the final, leaving the undefeated Toomey as the event's official winner.

 

Tour representatives thanked the ownership and staff at Rockaway Billiards, as well as sponsors John Bender of Bender Cues, Sterling-Gaming, Ozone Billiards, Qpod Cues, Kamui Tips, Phil Capelle, BlueBook Publishing, and Human Kinetics. The next stop on the Tri-State Tour, scheduled for Sunday, May 1, will be hosted by BQE Bar & Billiards in Jackson Heights, NY.

You have to wonder what a hot seat occupant is thinking when his finals opponent chalks up six racks at the outset of the final match. You also have to wonder what that challenger is thinking as the hot seat occupant proceeds to win nine of the next 10 games to win the match and the event. 

 

"Pool's a funny sort of game," would be an appropriate thought for both of them.

 

The hot seat occupant under consideration during the March 19 stop on the Tri-State Tour was Adam Kosmin. His challenger in both the hot seat match and finals was Grzegorz Kasica. Kosmin came back from his six-game deficit in the finals to defeat Kasica and win the $1,000-added event that drew 15 entrants to Clifton Billiards in Clifton, NJ.

 

Following wins over Max Watanabe (double hill), and Luis Jimenez 7- 4, Kosmin faced Sean Emmitt in a winners' side semifinal. Kasica squared off against Frankie Scanlon. Kosmin downed Emmitt 7-3, while Kasica defeated Scanlon 6-4. Kosmin claimed his first of two against Kasica 9-5 and waited for his hair-raising return.

 

On the loss side, Emmitt picked up Kevin Scalzitti, who'd gotten by Luis Jimenez (by forfeit) and defeated Max Watanabe 7-5 to reach him. Scanlon drew Mike Strassberg, who'd been defeated by Kasica in a winners' side quarterfinal, and won four straight to face him a second time. Strassberg had defeated Dennis Quinn 6-2, and Frank Sieczka, double hill to draw Scanlon.

 

Emmitt downed Scalzitti 7-4, and in the quarterfinals, faced Strassberg, who'd eliminated Scanlon 6-4. Strassberg survived a double hill fight versus Emmitt for a second shot against Kasica. Kasica, though, working on a major momentum shift, ended Strassberg's loss-side streak with a 6-2 semifinal win.

 

The opening paragraph scenario ensued, with Kasica chalking up the first six racks of what would be a 16-rack final. Kosmin answered Kasica's six with five of his own to pull within one at 6-5. Kasica chalked up his seventh, and what proved to be his final rack, before Kosmin came back with four more to win it.

 

Tour representatives thanked the management and staff at Clifton Billiards, as well as sponsors Ozone Billiards, Sterling-Gaming, Kamui Tips, Ron Vitello, Phil Capelle, BlueBook Publishing, Human Kinetics, and Bloodworth Ball Cleaners. The next stop on the Tri-State Tour, scheduled for Sunday, April 3, will be hosted by Steinway Billiards in Astoria (Queens), NY.