He's never really been out of the East Coast regional tour spotlight, since he first started showing up on AZBilliard payout lists 13 years ago. Larry Kressel was a regular on the Planet Pool, Great Southern Billiard,  Jacoby Custom Cues Carolina, and more recently on the Action Pool and Viking Cues' Q City 9-Ball Tours (among others), and even more recently, finished second in the Amateur event of the Super Billiards Expo last month. On the weekend of May 6-7, he chalked up his first win on the Action Pool Tour since 2013, coming from the loss side to meet and defeat hot seat occupant Alan Duty in the finals of an event that drew 32 entrants to Diamond Billiards in Midlothian, VA.

 

The challenges to his bid for the victory increased steadily through the opening rounds of play as he gave up 2, 3, and 7 racks to Jeff Fulcher, Frances Fernandez and Alvin Thomas, respectively, before facing Duty for the first time in a winners' side semifinal. Jimmy Harris and Alex Travino squared off in the other winners' side semifinal. The increasing number of racks being chalked up against him caught up with Kressel in his first match against Duty. They battled to double hill before Duty advanced to the hot seat match against Harris, who'd sent Travino to the loss side 9-6.

 

Kressel moved over and picked up Dave Hunt, who, in the midst of a five-match loss side streak, had survived a double hill match against Shane Buchanan and logged a 7-1 victory over Chris Trinidad to reach him. Travino drew Sonny Nassif, who was also in the midst of a five-match, loss-side winning streak, that had included wins over Christopher Wilburn (who would finish this tournament at the top of the tour rankings) and Scott Pulley, both 7-3.

 

Kressel and Nassif advanced to the quarterfinals; Kressel 7-4 over Hunt, and Nassif, double hill over Travino. Kressel gave up only a single rack in the subsequent quarterfinal match against Nassif, and then locked up in a double hill fight against Harris in the semifinals that eventually sent Kressel to the finals for a re-match versus Duty.

 

By the time it was over, Kressel's opponents had chalked up every single digit of racks against him, except 5 and 8 (in order; 2, 3, 7, 9, 4, 1 & 6). Duty managed six against him in the final match that ended 11-6 and gave Kressel his first 2017 APT win.

For the second time in a row, Brandon Shuff met Shaun Wilkie in the finals of an Action Pool Tour event and won. In March, Wilkie was sent to the loss side in the opening round of play and worked his way back through nine matches on the loss side to face Shuff in the finals. Shuff's victory ended a six-event winning streak for Wilkie on the tour (four at the end of last season, two at the beginning of this current tour season). On the weekend of April 4-5, at an event hosted by Breakers Sky Lounge in Herndon, VA, which drew 61 entrants, Shuff once again took the undefeated route to the event title. Wilkie took the easier (shorter) undefeated route, as well this time, until the two met in the hot seat match and the finals.

 

Each of their winning percentages went down since the earlier meeting; Shuff winning 67% of his 97 games this time out (down from 72% of games won in March), Wilkie winning (just shy of) 60% of his 114 (down from 70% in March). Wilkie gave up over twice as many racks to opponents per match in this latest event – 2.5 per match to 5.75 – while Shuff's opponents improved from 2.8 racks per match to 4.57. 

 

Shuff's trail went through Pooky Rasmeloungon, R.J. Carmona, Alex Travino, and Dominic Noe, before coming up against Paul Helms in one of the winners' side semifinals. Wilkie got by Troy Miller, Will Moon, Paul Oh and Matt Krah before facing Mike Davis in the other winners' side semifinal. Shuff downed Helms 9-3, while Wilkie made short 9-1 work of Davis. In their first of two, Shuff gained the hot seat over Wilkie 9-7.

 

Helms moved to the loss side and met up with Jimmy Varias, who was in the midst of an eight-match, loss-side winning streak (including a bye) that began when he'd been sent west in the opening round of play. Varias survived a double hill match against Tom Zippler and eliminated Matt Krah 7-3 to pick up Helms. Davis drew Carmona, who'd gotten by Steve Ball 7-5 and Noe 7-4.

 

Helms ended the Varias loss side streak, and Davis knocked Carmona out of action, both 7-4.

Davis then eliminated Helms 7-1 in the quarterfinals and got a second shot at Wilkie. Though he'd do a lot better than the earlier 7-1 match and force a 13th and deciding game, Davis fell a second time to Wilkie. Wilkie then fell a second time to Shuff, who completed his second straight, undefeated weekend on the Action Pool Tour 11-9.

 

Shuff, who missed the first two stops on the tour, has a long way to go to catch Wilkie in his perch at the top of the current APT rankings; a trip made even more difficult by Wilkie's runner up finish in the last two events. The tour's next stop (May 9-10 at Clubhouse Billiards in Lynchburg, VA) will mark the midway point of the 10-event schedule.

Going into the seventh stop on the Action Pool Tour (APT), Brian Deska and Shaun Wilkie were ranked at #1 and #2 on the tour. After Adam Kielar opened the tour season with a victory in the Virginia State 10-Ball Championships in January (with Wilkie as runner-up and Deska finishing third), Wilkie won stops # 2 and #3 on the tour. Deska took the top spot on the 4th, 5th and 6th stops on the tour. On the weekend of September 6-7, they met in the semifinals of an APT stop which drew 67 entrants to Breakers Sky Lounge in Herndon, VA. Wilkie, sent to the loss side in the third round of play, won eight on the loss side for the right to face Deska in the semifinals, and then, Jimmy Varias in the finals. Wilkie defeated Varias to claim his third APT title of the year.

 

Following an opening round bye, Wilkie had a fairly easy time of it against Andrew Park, defeating him 7-1 and moving on to meet Matt Krah. Wilkie and Krah battled to double hill before Krah prevailed and Wilkie began the long march back on the losers' side. Krah won three more, advancing to a winners' side semifinal against Deska. Varias and Tuan Chau met in the other. Deska sent Krah over 7-5 for an almost immediate re-match against Wilkie. Varias survived a double hill battle against Chau and sent him west for an actual immediate match against Wilkie. In the hot seat match, Varias survived a second double hill fight, this time against Deska, who, like Krah and Chau, moved west to meet up with Wilkie.

 

On the loss side, Wilkie was at work on his nine-match winning streak, in which he would give up, on average, less than two racks per match (races to six). In his fifth loss-side match, Guan Robinson managed three against him. Wilkie got right back to work, allowing Dan Madden to chalk up only a single rack against him, before meeting up with Chau, fresh off the winners' side semifinal. Krah, in the same boat, met up with Alex Travino, who'd defeated Trevor Dentz 6-4 and Rick Miller 6-3 to reach him.

 

Wilkie downed Chau 6-2, as Krah was busy shutting out Travino. Wilkie took the quarterfinal re-match against Krah 6-2  and then knocked off the tour's #1 ranked player (Deska) in a double hill semifinal match. Wilkie completed his loss side run with a 9-4 victory in the finals over Varias.

 

Jimmy Varias' second place finish moved him up among the tour's top 10 players. Deska's third place finish allowed him to retain his spot at the top of the tour rankings, though Wilkie's victory cut the point distance between them in half. 

Adam Kielar rode a match-by-match roller coaster through seven opponents during the 2nd Annual VA State 10-Ball Championships held on the weekend of January 11-12, and ended the ride with the event title. In a concurrently-run women's event, Tracie Majors faced five opponents and like Kielar finished undefeated to claim the event title. The dual events, held under the auspices of the Action Pool Tour and hosted by Diamond Billiards in Midlothian, VA, drew 80 entrants; 64 to the Open, and 16 to the women's tournament.

 

Kielar started his trip to the state championship winners' circle with a shutout over Alex Travino, and then as the winners' bracket narrowed, started to face increased competition. Paul Cogle chalked up three racks against him, Alan Duty got within two at 8-6 and in a winners' side final eight battle, Kenny Miller forced him into a double hill deciding game. He survived to face Shaun Wilkie, as Brian Deska squared off against Greg Taylor in the other winners' side semifinal. 

 

Fresh off his double hill struggle, Kielar gave up only a single rack to Wilkie and in the hot seat match, met Deska, who'd just survived his own double hill troubles against Taylor. Kielar gave up only three in the match against Deska, which left him in the hot seat, awaiting what turned out to be the return of Wilkie.

 

Wilkie had moved over to meet Reymart Lim, who'd defeated Eric Moore, double hill, and Chris Bruner 6-4. Taylor drew Kenny Miller, who, after his defeat at the hands of Kielar went on to drop Cody Phillips 6-2 and defeat Danny Mastermaker, double hill. Wilkie got by Lim 6-2, as Miller was busy chalking up his second straight double hill win; this time, against Taylor.

 

Wilkie gave up only two racks against Miller in the quarterfinals, and gave up only one to Brian Deska in the semifinals. Kielar, though, was not to be denied. He took the final match 10-4 to claim the VA State 10-Ball Championship title.

 

On the women's side, Tracie Majors charted a similar up and down course to the finals. She gave up two racks in an opening round match against Michele Jones, four against Jacki Duggan, and then had to fight a double hill deciding match against Tina Scott in a winners' side semifinal. In the hot seat match, Majors met Sheri Bruner, who'd sent Shanna Lewis to the loss side 8-2. She defeated Bruner 8-3 and sat in the hot seat, awaiting the only opponent who'd given her a double hill hard time, Tina Scott.

 

Scott had moved over to pick up Gwen Townsend, who'd gotten by Sarah Thomas 6-2 and Daisy Blancafor 6-4. Meanwhile, Shanna Lewis drew Cheryl Pritchard, who'd defeated Pauline Mattes and Jacki Duggan, both 6-4. Scott and Prtichard both survived double hill matches against Townsend and Pritchard to face each other in the quarterfinals, where Scott advanced 6-2 to meet Bruner in the semifinals.

 

Scott prevailed over Bruner in another double hill match to earn a re-match against Majors in the finals. Majors completed her undefeated run with a 10-5 win over Scott to claim the VA State Women's 10-Ball Championship.

 

These VA State 10-Ball Championships were the first event of the 2014 Action Pool Tour season, but the last official event to be overseen by Tour Director Ozzy Reynolds, who will move to Las Vegas in February to accept a position as a manager of Cue Sports International. He will continue to maintain administrative oversight of the Action Pool Tour, as Stephen Quan, long-time assistant, will handle tournament responsibilities going forward.

 

"I have 100% confidence that (Steve) will do a fantastic job," said Reynolds, "mainly because he's been doing everything anyway. We'd get it all set up and I'd go out and play, while he did everything else."

 

Reynolds is still a little stunned by this turn of events in his life.

 

"I'm excited for the opportunity," he said. "I never in a million years ever saw (a position like this with CSI) as an option, so I'm still pinching myself a little."

 

"I didn't realize that the tour would have the success that it's had, and would catapult my name into a position to even have this opportunity," he added. "The most rewarding part of the experience for me has been the wonderful people that I've met and interacted with over these past few years. It's one of the reasons that I wasn't upset about being eliminated early in this tournament (tied for 33rd), because it afforded me the opportunity to spend some quality time with the people I've been associated with. I anticipate maintaining relationships with many of these people."