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Seaver goes undefeated to take BAAT season opener

Kelly Cavanaugh and Jeannie Seaver

Jeannie Seaver dominated the season-opening stop of the Bay Area Amateur Tour on Saturday, February 11, winning, on average, four out of every five games she played and going (almost needless to say) undefeated to capture the event title. Seaver’s 46-game journey took her past 2011’s tour champion Kelly Cavanaugh twice. The $300-added event drew 18 entrants to a new venue for the BAAT Tour – Cue-Phoria, in Casselberry, FL.

Seaver and Cavanaugh met first among the winners’ side final four, as tour newcomer, Echo Pinkley, was squaring off against Jessica Barnes. Seaver gave up two of her (total tournament) nine racks in a 6-2 victory that sent Cavanaugh west, as Pinkley downed Barnes 5-4 (Barnes needing to reach six games). Seaver then gave up only a single rack in the match that sent Pinkley to the semifinals, and left her sitting in the hot seat.

Cavanaugh moved over and won three straight double hill matches that propelled her into a rematch against Seaver in the finals. First up was Lisa McElroy, who’d been sent over by Pinkley, and then won two straight double hill matches, against Cassidy Mulligan and Alice Parnell. Barnes, in the meantime, drew Michelle Parker, who’d gotten by Chris Fields 3-3 (Fields needing six), and Marci Whitaker, double hill, to reach her. Cavanaugh survived a double hill match versus McElroy (5-2), and in the quarterfinals, faced Barnes, who’d shut out Parker.

In a straight-up race to four, Cavanaugh left Barnes in fourth place with a double hill win, and moved on to face Pinkley. With Pinkley needing to win one less game (5-4), Cavanaugh left Pinkley in third place, double hill, to earn a second chance at Seaver. For nought, however, as Seaver gave up only two racks in the final for a 6-2 win that concluded her undefeated day.

Foster wins season-ending round robin tourney over BAAT tour champion Cavanaugh

Kelly Cavanaugh

It was more banquet than billiards. At an end-of season Bay Area Amateur Tour gathering on Saturday, December 10, which featured the banquet, a gift exchange, and prizes for the tour’s top 10 players, a round robin tournament with eight players was held. Won by Deanna Foster in a final battle against Kelly Cavanaugh, the tournament did not add ranking points toward the tour championship, which was won by Cavanaugh. In addition to the $75 second prize, Cavanaugh went home with a trophy as the tour champion, a $500 Tiger cue, and other cash and prizes.

The round robin 9-ball tournament drew only eight entrants, who were divided up into two groups – Foster, Mitchell, Terry Cockrell, and Tracey Mullen in one, and Cavanaugh, Tammy Gillis, Heather Pulford and Sabra MacArthur-Beahn in the other. Foster won all three of her matches to enter the finals. Each of the other members of the first group won a single match. Cavanaugh won all three of her matches among the second group, while MacArthur-Beahn won two of her matches to finish in third place, overall. Foster faced Cavanaugh in a final race-to-6 and defeated her 6-2 to take home the top tournament prize.

Cavanaugh finished the BAAT season as the tour’s champion, in spite of the fact that she failed to win any of the tour’s eight stops. Each of those eight stops, though, featured a different winner, which spread the ranking points out in a way that ultimately benefited Cavanaugh, who finished second once, third three times, and fourth twice. Second place in the rankings went to Chris Field, who also did not win any of the eight events, though she placed second twice, third once and fourth twice. 

MacArthur-Beahn, who finished third in the rankings, won the tour’s opening stop in January, placed second in September, and finished fourth in March.  Tour director Stephanie Mitchell, finishing fourth, won the tour stop in June and placed third twice (both participated in all eight of the tour’s stops). The other six winners (and their finishing rank) were Alice Parnell (8th), Leslee Davis-Blaikie (tie for 11th), Brenda Anderson (13th), Cassidy Mulligan (tie for 11th),  Jamie Toennies (6th), and Jessica Barnes (7th). 

According to MacArthur-Beahn, the 2012 BAAT Tour will commence in January and feature what she described as some ‘structural changes.’ The complete schedule for the 2012 tour is expected to be ready and posted here by Christmas.