One week after posting a report that speculated on the ‘return’ of BJ Ussery to the world of top level pool competition, Ussery dominated a field of 39 entrants at another stop on the Viking Cues’ Q City 9-Ball Tour (Aug. 18-19) and went undefeated to claim his first (reported) win in over six years. Though a strict closing time at the Gate City Billiards Club in Greensboro, NC prevented a final match against Zac Leonard, Ussery did go otherwise undefeated to claim the title.
Ussery and Leonard met first in the battle for the hot seat. Ussery had faced and defeated Jeff Little 11-2 in one winners’ side semifinal, as Leonard was sending Bradley Barker to the loss side 7-2 in the other one. Ussery claimed the hot seat 11-3 in what proved to be his last match of the weekend.
On the loss side, Little and Barker walked right into their second straight loss. Barker faced JR Poste, who’d defeated Wayne Church 6-3 and Lester Douglas 6-1 to reach him. Little picked up Bo Blakely, who’d eliminated Joe Woo and Michael Moore, both 6-4.
Blakely and Poste advanced to the quarterfinals with identical 6-3 wins over Little and Barker, respectively. By the same score, Blakely won the quarterfinal match against Poste that followed.
In the final match, the semifinals, Blakely and Leonard battled to double hill, before Leonard finished it at 7-5 to earn a second shot against Ussery in the hot seat. The venue enforced its strict closing time, and as the undefeated hot seat occupant, Ussery, having defeated Leonard in the hot seat match, was declared the event’s official winner.
Tour directors Herman and Angela Parker thanked the ownership and staff at Gate City Billiards Club, as well as title sponsor Viking Cues, Delta 13 Racks, AZ Billiards and Professor Q-Ball. The Viking Cues’ Q City 9-Ball Tour will return to Steakhorse Restaurant and Billiards for its next stop, a $1000-added event, scheduled for this weekend (Aug. 25-26). The added-money will increase to $1,500 if the event draws 80 entrants and to $2,000 with 100 entrants.
He took a week off from the winners’ circle. Don Lilly won two straight stops on the Viking Cues’ Q City 9-Ball Tour, going undefeated through one (January 28) and winning seven on the loss side to dethrone Mark Tademy in the next (February 4). Though he competed last week (February 10-11) he failed to cash in the tournament. He returned to compete on the February 17-18 stop on the tour, which drew 50 entrants to The Clubhouse in Lynchburg, VA. Apparently preferring the undefeated route, Lilly chalked up his third (almost) straight win on the tour.
Lilly faced separate opponents in the hot seat and finals of this one. He advanced to a winners’ side semifinal against Chris Bush, while Scott Roberts and Lance Davis squared off in the other one. Lilly sent Bush to the loss side 7-1, and in the hot seat match, faced Roberts, who’d defeated Davis 9-2. Lilly and Roberts battled to double hill, before Lilly closed it out 7-8 (Roberts racing to 9) and waited on the return of Collin Hall.
Sent to the loss side by Davis in a winners’ side quarterfinal, Hall opened his trek back to the finals against Randy Tate. He defeated both Tate and Bernie Kirby 7-5 to draw Bush. Davis picked up Michael Wyatt, who’d eliminated Chuck Cuneo, double hill, and Bo Blakely 5-4 (Blakely racing to 6).
Davis and Hall advanced to a rematch in the quarterfinals, Davis downing Wyatt 6-2, as Hall shut Bush out. Hall then gave up only a single rack to Davis, before facing Roberts in the semifinals and defeating him 7-6 (Roberts racing to 9). Lilly completed his undefeated run with a 7-1 victory in the finals over Hall.
Tour directors Herman and Angela Parker thanked the ownership and staff at the Clubhouse, as well as title sponsor Viking Cues, Delta 13 Racks, AZBilliards and Professor Q Ball. The next stop on the Viking Cues’ Q City 9-Ball Tour, scheduled for the weekend of February 24-25, will be hosted by Pal’s Bar & Grill in Piedmont, SC.
If your favorite dictionary doesn’t define ‘frustration’ with pictures of countless pool players who’ve endured long, loss-side journeys, only to be defeated, double hill, in a tournament final, it probably should. Jason Rogers qualified for this hypothetical photo gallery by losing his opening match and winning nine on the loss side to reach the finals of the January 27-28 stop on the Viking Cues’ Q City-9-Ball Tour, hosted by Corner Pockets in Fayetteville, NC. Rogers was defeated in that final match by Don Lilly, who, in so doing, completed an undefeated run through a field of 34, a little less than a quarter of which (8) were women.
One of those women, Lauren Kauffman, was responsible for sending Rogers to the loss side in the opening round of play. She would go on to earn free entry to a future tournament for being the top female finisher at the event. Rogers, in the meantime, began his loss-side trek, as Lilly advanced to a winners’ side semifinal against Bo Blakely. Walt Baldwin and Phillip Skibo squared off in the other one.
Lilly and Blakely battled to double hill before Lilly advanced to the hot seat match. He was joined by Baldwin, who’d sent Skibo to the loss side 8-7 (Skibo racing to 9). Lilly claimed the hot seat 6-4 over Baldwin and waited for what would turn out to be some anxious moments in his final match against Rogers.
On the loss side, Rogers and his opening round opponent, Kauffman, worked their way toward a meeting just outside the first money round. With four notches on his loss-side belt, Rogers downed a player known only as “Shaft” 8-4, while Kauffman defeated Blade Best, double hill. Both matches in the battle for 7th/8th place saw the winners shut out their opponents; Rogers’ re-match against Kauffman (8-0) and Mickey Hucks’ victory over Billie Spatafora (6-0).
Rogers drew Blakely, while Hucks picked up Skibo. Rogers and Hucks advanced to the quarterfinals; Rogers 8-2 over Blakely and Hucks 6-3 over Skibo. Rogers gave up only a single rack to Hucks and won the quarterfinal match. He gave up three to win the semifinal against Baldwin 8-3.
Rogers, with the higher handicap, was racing to 8 in the final, with Lilly racing to 6. They battled to double hill before Lilly finished it to complete his undefeated run.
Tour directors Herman and Angela Parker thanked the ownership and staff at Corner Pockets, along with title sponsor Viking Cues, Delta 13 Racks, AZBilliards and Professor Q Ball. The next stop on the Viking Cues’ Q City 9-Ball Tour, scheduled for the weekend of February 2-3, will be hosted by Gate City Billiards Club in Greensboro, NC.
He had to win two double hill matches out of his final three, but Taz Holliday did just that on the weekend of October 28-29 to complete an undefeated run and win the 2017 Viking Cues’ Q City 9-Ball Bar Box Tour Championship. The $1,000-added, invitational event drew 77 entrants, representing seven states (FL, GA, NC, SC, VA, TN, and WV) to Cue Time in Spartanburg, SC.
Holliday’s first double hill fight of his final three matches came in a winners’ side semifinal against the higher-handicapped Bobby McGrath. With McGrath racing to 11, Holliday got into the hot seat match with a 6-10 win over him. Jason Potts, playing in the other winners’ side semifinal, defeated Brent Hensley 7-4. With Potts racing to 7, Holliday claimed the hot seat 6-5 and waited for Potts to come back from the semifinals.
On the loss side, McGrath picked up Michael Chapman, who’d defeated Justin Duncan 7-5 and Scott Roberts 7-3 to reach him. Hensley drew Jerry Ray Harris, who’d eliminated Bo Blakely 6-2 and survived a double hill fight versus Chris Gentile (6-8, Gentile racing to 9). Chapman and Harris handed McGrath and Hensley their second straight loss; Chapman 7-9 over McGrath (racing to 11) and Harris 6-2 over Hensley.
Chapman dropped Harris off in the quarterfinals 7-2, but had his modest loss-side streak ended by Potts in the semifinals 7-5. Holliday completed his undefeated run with a re-match double hill win over Potts in the finals.
Tour directors Herman and Angela Parker thanked the ownership and staff at Cue Time for their hospitality, as well as title sponsor Viking Cues, Delta 13 Racks, AZBilliards and Professor Q Ball. The next stop on the Viking Cues’ Q City 9-Ball Tour will be the $1,000-added, 3rd Annual North Carolina State 8-Ball Championships. Scheduled for November 4-5, this annual event has been won by Mike Davis over the past two years, and will be hosted by Brown’s Billiards in Raleigh, NC.
In his four 'payout' appearances on the Viking Cues' Q City 9-Ball Tour this year, Scott Roberts has won twice and been runner-up and fifth, once each. He chalked up his second 2017 victory on the tour with an undefeated run on Saturday, June 10. The event drew 27 entrants to Corner Pockets in Fayetteville, NC.
Roberts advanced through the field to a winners' side semifinal match against Brian Pate. Chad Weachter, in the meantime, faced Anthony Mabe in the other winners' side semifinal. Roberts moved into the hot seat match with a double hill win over Pate (8-5, with Pate racing to 6). He was joined by Weachter, who downed Mabe 6-5 (Mabe racing to 7). Roberts gave up only one rack in claiming the hot seat over Weachter 8-1.
On the loss side, Mabe picked up Brian Bryant, who'd eliminated Tanya Parsley 9-2, and Bo Blakely 9-1 to reach him. Pate drew Jeremy Faassen, who'd gotten by Stevie McClinton and Ed Leggett, both 5-3. It was Pate and Mabe handing Faassen and Bryant their second loss and advancing to the quarterfinals; Pate, 6-3 over Faassen and Mabe, 7-4 over Bryant.
Mabe won the quarterfinal match over Pate 7-4, earning himself a re-match against Weachter in the semifinals. Mabe won that re-match 7-4 for a shot at Roberts in the finals. Roberts spoiled Mabe's come-from-the-loss-side bid 8-3 in the finals.
Tour director Herman Parker thanked the ownership and staff at Corner Pockets, as well as title sponsor Viking Cues, Delta 13 Racks, AZBilliards and Professor Q Ball. The next stop on the Viking Cues' Q City 9-Ball Tour, scheduled for June 17-18 will be hosted by a new venue for the tour, Billiards and Brews in Knoxville, TN.
Tyler Mayfield, whose last recorded tour win was his first on the Great Southern Billiard Tour, three years ago, chalked up his first win on the Viking Cues' Q City 9-Ball Tour on the weekend of May 20-21. On both occasions, he claimed the title by coming from the loss side to double dip the hot seat occupant. Three years ago, he won five on the loss side. In this most recent event, he won three to get himself into the finals against Bo Blakely. The event drew 49 entrants to the Gate City Billiard Club in Greensboro, NC.
Mayfield advanced to a winners' side semifinal against Travis Guerra. Blakely and Josh Padron (2016's Q City tour champion) squared off in the other one. Both matches went double hill, with Blakely and Guerra advancing to the hot seat match. In a straight-up race to 5, Blakely claimed the hot seat 5-3.
On the loss side, Mayfield began his trek back to the finals against James Blackburn, who'd defeated Cody Jones 9-2 and shut out Jeff Young to reach him. Padron drew a 'young gun,' 17-year-old Hunter White, who'd eliminated Jerry Varnado 8-4 and Josh Williams 8-3. White downed Padron 8-4, as Mayfield got by Blackburn 6-3.
Mayfield took the quarterfinal match against White 6-2, and then, locked up in a second double hill rematch fight against Guerra in the semifinals. Mayfield dropped the last ball in the 10th game to win it 6-4.
Mayfield took the first set of the double elimination final over Blakely 6-3. He completed his run with a 6-2 win in the second set to claim the event title.
Tour director Herman Parker thanked the ownership and staff at Gate City Billiards Club, as well as title sponsor Viking Cues, Delta 13 Racks, AZBilliards and Professor Q Ball. The next stop on the Viking Cues' Q City 9-Ball Tour, scheduled for May 27-28, will be hosted by Janet Atwell's Borderline Billiards in Bristol, TN.
They played against each other only once. Josh Williams was in the hot seat at the January 28 stop on the Viking Cues' Q City 9-Ball Tour, and Rocky Hawks came from the three wins on the loss side to meet him in the finals. Hawks took the double elimination opening set before they both decided to call it a 'one-loss draw' and split the top two prizes. The event drew 31 entrants to Gate City Billiards in Greensboro, NC.
They missed an earlier meeting, when Travis Duncan defeated Hawks in a double hill (4-6, Hawks racing to 7), winners' side semifinal, moving Duncan into the hot seat match against Williams, who'd just defeated Morgan Sutherland 5-3. Williams claimed the hot seat (and what proved to be his last win) 5-1 over Duncan.
On the loss side, Hawkes began his trip back to the finals with a 7-1 victory over Tim Nelson, who'd previously shut out Michael Fogelman and survived a double hill battle against Tyler Mayfield to reach him. Sutherland drew Bo Blakely, who'd gotten by Travis Guerra, double hill, and Randall Bowman 5-3. Sutherland eliminated Blakely 5-3 to join Hawks in the quarterfinals.
Hawks then defeated Sutherland 7-3 to earn his re-match against Duncan in the semifinals. Hawks balanced the earlier, double hill defeat, with a sound 7-2 win over Duncan that gave him a shot against Williams.
Hawks took the opening set of the double elimination final 7-4, and that, as they say, was all she wrote. They opted out of a second, deciding match, choosing to lower the potential winners' prize ($550) by $100 and raising the potential losers' prize ($350) by the same amount; they split the $900.
Tour director Herman Parker thanked the ownership of Gate City Billiards and staff for their hospitality as well as title sponsor Viking Cues, Delta 13 Racks, Ruthless Billiards, GoPlayPool.com, AZBilliards and Professor Q Ball. The next stop on the Viking Cues' Q City 9-Ball Tour, scheduled for the weekend of February 4-5, will be hosted by Randolph's in Hickory, NC.
