Dustin Coe missed being the 2020 Viking Cues’ Q City 9-Ball Tour champion last year, by two games. At the Jan. 12, 2021 event in Chesnee, SC, Coe advanced to the hot seat match, and lost, double hill, to Benny Walters. In the semifinal that followed, against the eventual tour champion, Derek Formby, Coe was eliminated in what was a second straight double hill match for both of them. In his first recorded cash-payout finish since that event, this past weekend (April 30-May 1), Coe repeated half of the pattern; advancing to the hot seat and being sent to the semifinals, by Brandon Helton. Coe came back from this one, though, winning three straight double hill matches, double-dipping Helton in the two-set double elimination final to claim the title. The $250-added event drew a short field of 21 entrants to Sonny’s Billiards in Princeton, WV.
It was an event replete with double hill battles. Just under half (7) of the event’s final 15 matches went that route, including five straight from the 5th/6th matches to the two-set final. The first of the seven was fought between Helton and Robert Hamilton in one of the winners’ side semifinals. Helton sent Hamilton to the loss side with that double hill win and in the hot seat match, faced Coe, who’d defeated Joe Swim 7-3 in the other winners’ side semifinal. In a straight-up race to 6, Helton downed Coe 6-4 to claim the hot seat.
On the loss side, two competitors – Derek Bonds and Chris Woodrum – were in the midst of six-match, loss-side winning streaks that would take them as far as the quarterfinals (Bonds) and semifinals (Woodrum). Coming over from the winners’ side semifinal, Hamilton drew Bonds, who’d chalked up loss-side wins #4 and #5 against Mike Robertson 5-3 and Ron Frank 5-5 (Frank racing to 8). Swim picked up Woodrum, who’d chalked up his loss-side wins #3 and #4 versus Thomas Sansone and Dwain Barberie, both 6-2. For those keeping track, Barberie came into the 7/8 match, having chalked up one of the seven, final-15 double hill matches, downing Andrew Farley.
Bonds defeated Hamilton 5-4 (Hamilton racing to 7), as Woodrum eliminated Swim, double hill. Woodrum then stopped Bonds’ loss-side winning streak, double hill, in the quarterfinals.
The final three matches yielded the same double hill scores. Coe eliminated Woodrum in the semifinals (7-5; Woodrum racing to 6) and then double-dipped Helton in the finals (same score; Helton racing to 6).
Tour director Herman Parker thanked the ownership and staff at Sonny’s Billiards, as well as title sponsor Viking Cues, BarPoolTables.net, Dirty South Grind Apparel Co., Realty One Group Results, Diamond Brat, AZBilliards.com, Ridge Back Rails, and Federal Savings Bank Mortgage Division.
The Ron Park Memorial will return for its second year to West End Billiards in Gastonia, NC this coming weekend (May 7-8). The 2nd Annual Ron Park Memorial will be a $250-added, Scotch Doubles tournament.
Larry McGee and Chris Cricket, according to information available to us, went looking for their first regional tour victory at last weekend’s one-day tournament on the Viking Cues’ Q City 9-Ball Tour (Saturday, Jan. 22). McGee found it and Chris Cricket, who won seven matches on the loss side for the ‘finals’ chance to find it, finished as runner-up. The $500-added event drew 41 entrants to Overtime Billiards in Columbia, SC.
They met twice in this event. The first time was in the third round of play, when they battled to double hill before McGee prevailed, eventually advancing to a winners’ side semifinal against Larry David. Robbie Shelley and Eddie Wahdan faced off in the other one.
McGee downed David 6-1 and was joined in the hot seat match by Shelley, who’d sent Wahdan to the loss side 8-4. David, Wahdan and eventually, McGee would all face Cricket before it was over. McGee claimed the hot seat, double hill, over Shelley and waited for Cricket to complete his loss-side run.
Cricket was four matches into that run when he drew David in the first money round. Cricket had most recently eliminated Chris McCutcheon, double hill, and Anthony Rock 7-3. Wahdan picked up Marty Free, who’d defeated Joe Kelly 8-1 and Benny Walters 8-4 to reach him.
Wahdan and Free battled to double hill before Whadan prevailed. Cricket defeated David 7-3 to join Wahdan in the quarterfinals.
Cricket and Wahdan, in a straight-up race to 7 in those quarterfinals, battled to double hill, as well, with Cricket advancing to the semifinals, his seventh loss-side match. He won it over Shelley 7-5 to earn his shot against McGee in the finals. Early on Sunday morning, around 3 a.m., according to tour director Herman Parker, McGee completed the undefeated run to his first regional tour victory with a 6-3 win over Cricket in those finals.
Tour director Herman Parker thanked the ownership and staff at Overtime Billiards, as well as title sponsor Viking Cues, BarPoolTables.net, Dirty South Grind Apparel Co., Realty One Group Results, Diamond Brat, AZBilliards.com, and Federal Savings Bank Mortgage Division. The next stop on the Viking Cues’ Q City 9-Ball Tour, scheduled for this weekend (Jan. 29-30), will be a $500-added event, hosted by Sonny’s Billiards in Princeton, WV.
The $1,000-added Viking Cues’ Q City 9-Ball 2020 Bar Box Tour Championships, postponed until this past weekend (Jan. 9-10), drew 104 entrants to Break & Run Billiards in Chesnee, SC. Derek Formby came from the loss side to double dip hot seat occupant Benny Walters to claim the event title. Formby had met Walters in a winners’ side semifinal and won three on the loss side to meet and defeat him twice in a true double elimination final.
They’d met first in that winners’ side semifinal, as Dustin Coe and Greg Dix met in the other one. Walters and Formby battled to double hill, before Walters won the only match of three that he’d play against Formby and advanced to the hot seat match. Coe joined him after defeating Dix 6-6 (Dix racing to 8). Walters claimed the hot seat over Coe in his second straight double hill win.
On the loss side, Dix picked up tour veteran BJ Ussery, the highest handicap present at this tour championship, who’d defeated Kevin Ping 12-1 and Gary South 12-4. Formby drew Hunter White, another tour veteran, who’d eliminated Jimmy Bird 10-2 and Johnny Walker 10-4 to reach Formby.
With White racing to 10, it was Formby who advanced to the quarterfinals over him, 6-8. Formby was joined by Dix, who’d defeated Ussery 8-9 (Ussery racing to 12). At about midnight on Sunday night, Formby and Dix initiated what would turn out to be a double hill quarterfinal, which eventually advanced Formby into the semifinals against Dustin Coe.
Formby and Coe, in a straight up race to 6, also battled to double hill in those semifinals. Formby survived again to earn a shot at Walters in the hot seat.
In the opening set of the true double elimination final, Formby found himself engaged in his third straight double hill match and for the third straight time, he won. Now tied at one match apiece, Formby and Walters battled for the bar box tour championship. Formby pulled out in front in the second set and stayed there to win it 6-2.
Tour director Herman Parker thanked the ownership and staff at Break & Run Billiards, as well as title sponsor Viking Cues, Bar Pool Tables, JB Magic Templates, AZBilliards, Tickler Pool Ball Washing Machine, Skyline Construction, Federal Savings Bank Mortgage Division and Dirty South Grind Apparel Co.
The Viking Cues’ Q City 9-Ball Tour will be right back at it this weekend, Jan. 16-17. The tour will hold a $1,000-added tournament at Sonny’s Billiards & Bistro in Princeton, WV.
Alex Rose, Hunter Zayas, BJ Ussery and Josh Williamson
The hot seat and finals of the second-to-last stop on the 2020 Viking Cues’ Q City 9-Ball Tour featured two competitors adding cash to their respective best earnings year, ever. For 14-year-old Hunter Zayas, it was his first runner-up finish in seven starts on the 2020 tour, which had included a win on the tour’s annual Turkey Bowl last month. It’s his best earnings year ever, because it’s his only earnings year, ever. So far.
For winner, BJ Ussery, it was his fourth win on the 2020 tour and his 14th cash finish, across a variety of tournaments, overall. He’d won the VA State 10-Ball Championships back in February, and was runner-up in the MD State 10-Ball Championships and the 1st Annual Muecci Classic 9-Ball tournament last month. It was not only his best (recorded) earnings year, it was his second straight best earnings year. As he entered this past weekend’s (Dec. 12-13) tournament, he had already exceeded his 2019 ‘best ever at the time’ earnings by $60.
Next week was to have been the tour’s season finale with its annual Bar Table 9-Ball Championships, but some overlapping schedules led tour directors Herman and Angela Parker to change that schedule. The last stop on the 2020 tour will occur next weekend (Dec. 19-20), but it will not be the invitation-only Tour Championships. It will be an appearance at a new venue for the tour – Peyton’s Place in Knoxville, TN – hosting a $500-added event. The $1,000-added Tour Championships were moved ahead to the weekend of January 9-10, 2021 at their scheduled location, Break & Run Billiards in Chesnee, SC.
So, BJ and the Kid at the $500-added event that drew 44 entrants to yet another new location for the ever-expanding tour, Overtime Bar & Grill in Columbia, SC. . . .
They worked their way through the field to the two winners’ side semifinals. Ussery faced Benny Walters, as Zayas squared off against Justin Cromer. Ussery got into the hot seat match with an 11-3 win over Walters (racing to 5). Zayas had to survive a double hill challenge by Cromer, but did, eventually advance (6-5) to meet Ussery in the hot seat match. Ussery sent him over, as well, with an 11-2 win that proved to be Ussery’s title match.
On the loss side, Walters and Cromer got right back to winning again. Walters picked up Corey Morphew, who’d defeated Hank Powell 9-3 and Donnie Stewart 9-4 to reach him. Cromer drew Marty Free, who’d recently eliminated Matt Lucas and Larry David, both 8-3.
Walters sent Morphew home 5-3 and in the quarterfinals, faced Cromer, who’d eliminated Free 6-2. Cromer then ended Walters brief, loss-side trip 6-2 in those quarterfinals.
Zayas ended Cromer’s one-match-longer, loss-side trip with a 6-3 victory that finished the event. BJ and The Kid agreed to a split, took their photos with the room owners and home everyone went.
Tour directors Herman and Angela Parker thanked room owners Alex Rose and Josh Williamson, as well as their staff for hosting the event. They also thanked title sponsor Viking Cues, Bar Pool Tables, JB Magic Templates, AZBilliards, Tickler Pool Ball Washing Machine, Skyline Construction, Federal Savings Bank Mortgage Division and Dirty South Grind Apparel Co. As noted earlier, Peyton’s Place in Knoxville, TN will host the $500-added, last 2020 tour stop this coming weekend (Dec. 19-20).
