18 & under, Frank Spain III and 12 & Under D’Angelo Spain
Congratulations to our new 2020, Joss Junior 9-Ball Champions Frank Spain III in the 18 & under division and D’Angelo Spain in the 12 & under. Both players dominated their respective divisions to claim their titles. Also congratulations to our second place finishers, Amber Kolchew (18 & under) & Alena Hahn (12 & under). Both of these young ladies were very impressive players as well. Frank Spain III and his younger brother D’Aangelo both went undefeted to earn their championships. Our formats for both divisions this year were, round robin group play with the final four playing off in single elimination play to determine the champions. Once again Tim Berlin deserves much thanks for allowing us the use of his beautiful Sharp Shooters Billiards & Sposrt Pub in Amsterdam NY.
It was a fun day of pool watching these 32 talented youngsters compete with some as young as 8 years old. There were 18 in the 18 & under division and 14 in the 12 & under. Most were playing in their first tournament ever. Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves even though they were very serious in trying to win. Some even made a long weekend out of it by having a pizza, wings & pool (swimming) party at their motel! All players were treated to a table full of donated items to choose from, plus free raffles for the larger items. Many thanks go out to the many people and companies that generously donated products and their time to help. Our generous sponsors are, in no particular order: Sharp Shooters Billiards & Sports Pub (Tim & Julie Berlin), Joss Cues (Debbie, Dan & Stephen Janes), James Sinclair (Rhythm Custom Cues), CJ & Peggi Wilkinson (Baltimore City Cues), Don Kerns, Iwan Simonis (Ivan Lee), Aramith (Ivan Lee), Phil Capelle (Billiards Press), Mark Kulungian, Andrea Duvall (Utica Billiards On The Boulevard), Matt Tetreault, Steven W. Smith, Dave Dreidel, Bill Cote, Josh Burbul, Don Kennedy & Steve Lillis. And thank you to anyone I may have missed and everyone else involved. Hopefully we will be doing this for years to come. I am now accepting donations for our 2021 Joss Junior 9-Ball Championships. Product and monetary donations can be made by contacting Mike Zuglan at 518-356-7163.
(l to r): Clyde Matta, Dave Morganelli & Robert Piersa
Lineham wins second-tier 10-ball event
There were two distinctly different events at the 12th stop on the New England 9-Ball Series; its annual Winter Classic held on the weekend of January 26-27 and hosted by Snooker’s in Providence, RI. The main event was a $2,000-added 9-ball tournament that was traditionally handicapped with the use of FargoRates to determine the matches and drew 112 entrants. There was also a $500-added, non-handicapped 10-ball tournament with 21 entrants, which was billed as something of a Second Chance event, but offered $1,570 worth of cash prizes for the top four finishers.
Dave Morganelli went undefeated through the field of 112 to take the 9-ball event, downing Rob Piersa twice. RYan Lineham did likewise through the shorter-field 10-ball tournament, defeating Corey Avallone in the hot seat match and Lukas Fracasso-Verner in the final. It took Morganelli seven matches to claim the 9-ball title. Lineham grabbed the 10-ball title in five.
Morganelli was one of 12 competitors in the 9-ball tournament’s lower bracket that was awarded an opening round bye, after which he got by Justin Grant, Chuck Sampson, Mourad Idrais, and Phil Medeiros to arrive at a winners’ side semifinal match against Bob Lucas. Rob Piersa, in the meantime, without a bye in the upper bracket, defeated Rich Senna, Ryan Lineham (the eventual winner of the 10-ball event), Brian Chase and Bill Cote to arrive at his winners’ side semifinal matchup against Kevin Bauccio.
In a straight-up race to 5, Morganelli advanced to the hot seat match 5-3 over Lucas. Piersa joined him after downing Bauccio 7-4 (Bauccio racing to 6). Morganelli, with a FargoRate of 539, started the hot seat match with three on the wire in a race to 7 against Piersa, with his FargoRate of 651. They split the actual games 4-4, but with the handicap, Morganelli claimed the hot seat.
In straight-up races to 5 (Lucas/Blair) and 7 (Matta/Bauccio), Blair and Matta handed Lucas and Bauccio their second straight loss; Blair 5-3 over Lucas and Matta 7-5 over Bauccio. Matta took the subsequent quarterfinal match over Blair 7-3.
In a straight-up race to 6, Piersa (651) downed Matta (611) 6-1 in the semifinals to earn himself a second (and potentially, third) shot against Morganelli, waiting for him in the hot seat. Morganelli took the opening and only set necessary 5-2 to claim the NE 9-Ball Series Winter Classic title.
Lineham becomes second person on the weekend to eliminate Fracasso-Verner
[photo id=50706|align=right]
Lukas Fracasso-Verner, 17, has made something of a dangerous habit out of coming from the loss side to claim a number of event titles, including a 12-match, loss-side trip to win last year’s “Ginky” Memorial, and a seven-match, loss-side winning streak to win the NE 9-Ball Series’ Robert Dionne Memorial, two weeks ago. On the weekend of January 26-27, the habit got the best of him at the NE 9-Ball Series’ Winter Classic. He was sent to the loss side in the third round of the main event, and won only one match on the loss side, before being eliminated, out of the money. He rallied a bit in the 10-ball tournament, advancing to a winners’ side semifinal, and then, winning three on the loss side for a shot against Ryan Lineham in the hot seat. Lineham prevailed.
After an opening round bye, Lineham had defeated Kerry McAuliffe and Mike Hurley to arrive at his winners’ side semifinal match against Chad Bazinet. Fracasso-Verner, in the meantime, faced Chad Avallone. Lineham downed Bazinet 7-5, as Avallone was sending Fracasso-Verner to the loss side 7-4. Lineham claimed the hot seat 7-2 over waited on what turned out to be the return of Fracasso-Verner.
On the loss side, Fracasso-Verner shut out Jon Leandro and in the quarterfinals, faced Bazinet, who’d eliminated Francisco Cabral 5-1. Fracasso-Verner downed Bazinet in those quarterfinals 5-3, for a rematch against Avallone in the semifinals. A double hill fight ensued that eventually sent Fracasso-Verner to the finals.
They could have played a modified race to 5 in the finals, but Fracasso-Verner and Lineham opted to play it out to the normal race to 7. Fracasso-Verner survived the double hill, opening set of the true double elimination final 7-6, but Lineham grabbed the second set 7-5 to claim the 10-ball event title.
Tour director Marc Dionne thanked the ownership and staff at Snooker’s for their hospitality, as well as sponsors Predator Cues, USAPL New England, FargoRate, Bert Kinister, AZBilliards, Inside English, Professor Q-Ball’s National Pool and 3-Cushion News, Delta 13 Racks, MJS Construction, Bob Campbell, Bourgeois Farms and OTLVISE Billiard Mechanics of America. The next stop on the New England 9-Ball Series (#13), will be a $750-added event, scheduled for the weekend of February 16-17 and hosted by Straight Shooters Family Billiards in Fall River, MA.
Nicolas Charette, TJs manager Steve Claude and Jeremy Sossei
Mike Zuglan’s Joss NE 9-Ball Tour kicked off their 2018-1019 season at TJ’s Classic Billiards on September 22nd – 23rd for “The Maine Event XXII”, and this event came down to a Joss Tour veteran against a player in their first ever regular season Joss Tour stop.
The veteran player was Jeremy Sossei, winner of over sixteen Joss Tour titles, who has been winning tour stops for over 10 years. Sossei has been away from the game for most of this year, with a win at the NE 9-Ball Open XXX back in February as his only appearance on the AzBilliards money list. Sossei has been spending his time on a new business that he opened, but hopes to be getting out to regularly compete again very soon.
The newcomer was Quebec’s Nicolas Charette, who got his Joss Tour feet wet at the Turning Stone Classic XXIX, but was in Waterville Maine for his first regular tour stop. Charette credited his appearance on this weekend to his love for the game. “I just enjoy playing tournaments, competing, traveling, experiencing different conditions. But really, I love the game” he said.
The first meeting between Sossei and Charette went to the veteran 9-7 and he waited to see who he would play in the finals. Charette would face off against fellow countryman Tom Theriault in the semi-finals, but he would score a quick 7-3 win to earn another shot at Sossei in the finals.
Anyone expecting another close match between these two competitors was shocked to see the Canadian cueman score a decisive 9-2 win over Sossei in the first set of the finals. With the players now tied at one set each, a third set was played to determine a winner and Sossei pulled out a tight 7-5 win for Joss Tour Stop title #17.
Nine players came back on Sunday to compete in the second chance tournament where Dan Couture defeated Steve Reynolds two sets out of three for first place.
The Joss NE 9-Ball tour will be back in action on October 6th – 7th for the Hudson Valley Fall Classic at The Spot in Nanuet, New York.
Mike Zuglan, Josh Friedberg , Bucky Souvanthong and Snookers Owner Steve Goulding
Road partners Josh Friedberg and Holden Chin teamed up for first place finishes in the open and second chance event at the Joss NE 9-Ball Tour’s final regular season stop June 2nd – 3rd at Snookers Billiards in Providence, RI.
Friedberg survived hill-hill matches against Ben Savoie and Kerry McAuliffe in his first two matches and didn’t really have any non-stressful wins as his 9-5 win over Alex Morin on Sunday morning was his largest margin of victory. It was another close one for the hot-seat, where he defeated Bill Cote 9-7.
On the one loss side, Bucky Souvanthong was making up for his early loss to Joe Darigis. Souvanthong won nine straight matches, including a 7-2 victory over Darigis in the final four. Souvanthong then went on to defeat Cote 7-3 in the semi-final match.
The finals would go one set with Friedberg scoring a 9-6 win over Souvanthong for his first Joss Tour win.
After back to back hill-hill losses for Holden Chin in the main event, he was one of the fourteen players who came back on Sunday to compete in the second chance tournament. After an opening round win over Andrew Griffin, Chin dropped a hill-hill match to Jared Demalia. That would be the last time Chin would taste defeat in this event though, as he won five straight on the left side and then double dipped Francisco Cabral in the finals.
While it was Friedberg with the win in the main event, he gave all the credit to Chin. “When it comes to this game, Holden is the absolute greatest teacher. I would never ever have even come close to winning without his help.” he said. “ I think there were players there that were better than me. That had more skill and more experience than I did. (…) I just kept my head down and tried to remember all the things that Holden had taught me along the way.”
This event was the final regular season stop on the 2017 – 2018 season. Next up for the tour is the Turning Stone Classic XXX on August 23th – 26th at the Turning Stone Resort and Casino in Verona, NY.
l to r: Joe Dupuis, Steve Goulding (owner of Snooker’s) and Tim Perry
Last year at the 8th Annual New England Pool & Billiard Hall of Fame Open 9-Ball tournament, Joe Dupuis advanced to the hot seat, only to be double-dipped by Zion Zvi in the finals. This year, Dupuis opted for the loss-side route at the 9th annual event and achieved better results. Sent to the loss side by the man he’d later (much later) face in the finals, Tim Perry, Dupuis won seven on the loss side to earn the re-match, win both sets of the double elimination final and claim the title he’d last won in 2014. The $2,500-added event drew 48 entrants to its regular venue, Snooker’s in Providence, RI.
Dupuis and Perry met first in the third round of play. They locked up in a double hill fight, that eventually sent Dupuis to the loss side. Perry advanced to a winners’ side quarterfinal against Ivaylo Petrov, which he won 9-6, moving him into a winners’ side semifinal against the Joss NE Tour’s current #4-ranked player, Bruce Nagle. Kyle Pepin and Jason Michas, in the meantime, squared off in the other winners’ side semifinal.
Perry downed Nagle 9-4, and in the hot seat match, faced Michas, who’d sent Pepin west 9-5. Perry got into the hot seat 9-5 over Michas, and waited on Dupuis’ return.
On the loss side, Dupuis’ trip back to the finals began against the Joss NE 9-Ball Tour’s #1-ranked player, and all-around tough draw, Jeremy Sossei. Sossei had been awarded a bye in the event’s opening round, and dropped his first match to Mark Ransom. On the loss side, he’d gotten by Bill Cote and Chuck Sampson before running into Dupuis, who ended his weekend with a 7-5 win. Things didn’t get any easier, either. Mike Minichello put up a double hill fight against Dupuis in the next loss-side round. Dupuis eliminated him and moved into the first money round.
Dupuis then defeated Mike Demarco 7-3 and in another double hill battle, Frank Hernandez, to draw Nagle, coming off his defeat in a winners’ side semifinal. Pepin, in the meantime, picked up Petrov, who, after his defeat at the hands of Perry in the winners’ side quarterfinal, had downed Clyde Matta 7-1 and Francisco Cabral 7-5.
Pepin advanced to the quarterfinals 7-5 over Petrov and was joined by Dupuis, who’d defeated Nagle 7-2. Dupuis got by Pepin 7-5 and then denied Michas a second shot at Perry in the hot seat with a 7-4 win in the semifinals.
Dupuis took the opening set of the double elimination final against Perry 9-6. Racing to 7 in the second set, Dupuis and Perry battled to 6-6, forcing a deciding game. Dupuis won it to claim his second New England Pool & Billiard Hall of Fame title.
A $500-added Second Chance event that drew 11 entrants saw another competitor, Mike Minichello, come from deep on the loss side to double dip the hot seat occupant, Mike Pettit. Minichello won four on the loss side, and was denied an opportunity to face the opponent who’d sent him there, Mark Ransom, when Ransom was defeated in the quarterfinals by Kevin Bauccio. Minichello went on to defeat Bauccio in the quarterfinals, Ranulf Tamba in the semifinals, and Mike Pettit, twice, in the finals; 3-1, 3-2.
Joss NE 9-Ball Tour director Mike Zuglan thanked Steve Goulding and his Snooker's staff for their hospitality, as well as sponsors Joss Cues, Simonis, Aramith, PoolOnTheNet.com, Heidrich Custom Cues, AZBilliards, Billiards Press, and Turning Stone Resort and Casino. The next stop on the Joss Northeast 9-Ball Tour, scheduled for March 10-11, will be the $1,500-added Kevin Ketz Memorial ($500-added to Second Chance event), hosted by Trick Shot Billiards & Sports Club in Clifton Park, NY. Players are reminded that the following week’s event (March 17-18), originally scheduled to be hosted by King Smiley, will now be held at Hippo’s House of Billiards, in Yorkville, NY.
Mike Dechaine completed an undefeated run through the field of thirty two players to win the Joss NE 9-Ball Tour's Maine Event VII at TJ's Classic Billiards in Waterville, Maine.
Dechaine was tested for the hot-seat, as he defeated Nelson Oliviera 9-7.
On the one loss side, Tom D'Alfonso had put together a wining streak of five matches after early Saturday loss to Dechaine. D'Alfonso made it six in a row with a 9-5 win over Oliviera, sending Oliviera to the seats in third place.
D'Alfonso was looking for revenge against Dechaine in the finals, but it wasn't meant to be on this day. Dechaine cruised to a 9-2 win in the first match of the finals.
In Sunday's second chance tournament, it was Jeff LaFlamme coming back from a hot-seat loss to Bob Dennis and defeating Dennis 3-0 and 3-2 in the finals for first place.
Sunday also saw the raffle drawing for the $1500 Joss Custom Cue, which was won by tour regular Bill Cote.
The Joss NE 9-Ball Tour will be at Sharpshooters Billiards in Amsterdam, NY next weekend for another $1500/$500 added event.
Ty Speedwell took Danny Pavao to double hill twice, but Pavao came out on top both times to claim the May 19 stop on the J. Pechauer Ride the 9 Tour. The $1,000-added event drew 27 entrants to Bo's Billiards in Warwick, RI.
They met first among the winners' side final four, with Pavao sending Speedwell west in their first of two double hill matches. Bill Cote defeated Bill O'Mara double hill, as well, to meet Pavao in the hot seat match. Pavao claimed the hot seat from Cote 5-1 and waited on Speedwell's return.
Speedwell moved over and picked up Tim Perry, who'd defeated Ranulf Tamba in a double hill match, and Kerry McAuliffe 5-2. O'Mara drew Choneyi Tenzin, who'd gotten by Charles Matarazzo 8-2 (Matarazzo racing to 4), and Roarke Dickson 6-1. Speedwell embarked on his three-match march back to the finals with a 5-2 win over Perry, as Tenzin was busy shutting out O'Mara.
The tour veteran quarterfinal went double hill before Speedwell prevailed to face Bill Cote. Speedwell shut Cote out in the semifinals for a second chance against Pavao. Pavao and Speedwell locked up in their second double hill match, and Pavao prevailed again to claim the event title.
Angelo Innes scored his first ever Joss NE 9-Ball Tour victory over the weekend of April 14th and 15th at the NE 9-Ball Open XXV held at the Golden Cue in Albany, NY.
Innes took the direct route through the field of 44 other players and was sitting in the hot-seat undefeated after a close 9-7 win over Chance Chin in the winners side finals.
Chin then dropped a 9-5 match to Jeremy Sossei on the one loss side, and was forced to settle for third place.
Sossei had been sent to the left side on Saturday by tour director Mike Zuglan, and had battled back all day Sunday to earn his place in the finals against Innes. On paper, Sossei may have been the match favorite, and he did reach the hill first in the first set of the finals. Innes quickly joined Sossei on the hill at 8-8 and broke the rack for the case game. In what could have been a perfect Hollywood ending, Innes made a ball and saw a 1-9 carom line up for him. One shot later, Innes had earned his first Joss tour victory.
Innes took home $1000 for first, while Sossei pocketed $730 for second.
The second chance event on Sunday drew 22 players fighting it out for $940 in prize money.
Cote then came back strong and scored a 3-0 win over Bud Robideau to earn another shot at Rozonewski in the finals.
Cote kept his strong play going and defeated Rozonewski 3-0 in the first set of the finals, but fell short as Rozonewski won the final set 3-1.
Rozonewski earned $340 for first and Cote settled for $220 in second place prize money.
The Joss NE 9-Ball Tour will take the rest of April and May off and be back in action June 9th-10th at Snookers in Providence, RI. After that event, the tour will head to Verona New York for the Turning Stone Classic XIX. Mike Zuglan still urges all players to get their entries for the Turning Stone event as it is filling fast. Players can call Zuglan at 518-356-7163.
It’s been a familiar scene, the finals of the Rack ‘Em Up 9-Ball Tour coming down to a match between Nelson Oliviera and Rich Minichello. In May, Minichello double dipped Oliviera to win the season’s A Division Point standings, and in the first event of the 2011/2012 season, Minichello hung on in the finals to win a double hill battle. On Sunday, November 13, it was Oliviera, hanging on to win after giving up his first match in the opening set of a true double elimination final. The Open, A, B, C event drew 43 entrants to Westgate Billiards in Brockton, MA.
They met first among the winners’ side final eight, when Oliviera advanced to the final four winners with a 6-3 win to face Rick Gatta. Joining Oliviera and Gatta were Anthony Disegna and Kevin Bauccio. Oliviera got into the hot seat match with a 6-2, double hill win over Gatta, and was met by Bauccio, who’d defeated Disegna 4-1. Oliviera shut out Bauccio to get into the hot seat, where he waited for his familiar foe.
Disegna moved over and ran right into Minichello, who, after being sent west by Oliviera, defeated Pete Bowman and Bill Cote, both 6-2. Gatta drew D.J. Hopkins, who’d gotten by Dan Tankerly double hill and Choneyi Tenzin 5-3. Minichello and Hopkins advanced to the quarterfinals; Minichello with a 6-1 win over Disegna and Hopkins, double hill over Gatta. In a straight-up race to 4, Minichello defeated Hopkins and turned to face Bauccio in the semifinals.
Minichello made short work of Bauccio, defeating him 5-1, in a 5-4 race, and turned for a second crack (on this weekend) at Oliviera. He took the opening set 5-4 (Oliviera needing 6), but gave way in the second set 6-3.
Jason D’Angelo’s name was drawn in the first Break and Run contest and took home $28 for the one ball he sank. Mike Santoro followed and failed to sink a ball.
