Alex Olinger went undefeated on a January 7-8 stop on the Great Southern Billiard Tour, downing Sam Monday twice, double hill, in the final two matches of the event. The $1,500-added event drew 46 entrants to The Club House Billiards in Lynchburg, VA.
Olinger and Monday met first in the battle for the hot seat, after Olinger had defeated Brad Black 10-2, and Monday had survived a double hill match against Billy Thorpe. Olinger hung on to win the first of their two, double hill battles and waited in the hot seat for him to return.
Black, in the meantime, moved to the loss side and picked up Larry Kressell, who’d been defeated in the event’s opening round by Olinger, and was in the midst of a nine-game winning streak that would carry him all the way to the semifinals. With five behind him, and four to go, Kressell defeated Chris Bruner 10-7 to reach Black. Thorpe drew D.J. Holloway, fresh off a commanding 9-1 victory over Collin Hall.
After a 10-4 victory over Black, Kressell faced Holloway, who’d defeated Thorpe 9-4, in the quarterfinals. In what proved to be the final victory of his nine-game, loss-side winning streak, Kressell defeated Holloway 10-5. Monday ended the streak with 10-6 win in the semifinals to earn a second chance against Olinger.
Again, Olinger and Monday battled back and forth to a final deciding game. And again, Olinger came out on top to secure the event title.
Tour Director Shannon Daulton thanked Chris England and The Club House staff, as well as sponsors Andy Gilbert Custom Cues, Nick Varner Cues and Cases, Mike Davis Exterminating, Tiger Products and Delta-13 racks.
Condolences are extended to GSBT’s co-tour director Marge Daulton, who was unable to attend this most recent event, due to attendance at funeral services for her aunt, Jane Carson, 57, who passed away after a long battle with cancer.
It was two Double-A battles between B.J. Ussery and Sam Monday on the Great Southern Billiard Tour’s August 13-14 stop in Raleigh, NC, and it was two victories for Ussery, as he completed an undefeated weekend. The $1,500-added event drew 58 entrants to Brown’s Billiards in Raleigh.
Ussery got into the hot seat match with a commanding 7-1 victory over Mike Fuller, as Monday was sending Norris Brady to the west bracket 11-6. In their first of two, battling for the hot seat, Ussery and Monday fought back and forth to double hill before Ussery prevailed, and waited in the hot seat for the re-match.
Fuller and Crawford got their re-match in the quarterfinals, after Fuller had downed Cook 11-4 and Crawford had squeaked by Brady 9-8. Crawford wreaked his vengeance on Fuller with a second squeaker, a 9-10 victory (Fuller going to 11). Crawford’s four-match winning streak came to an end in the semifinals, at the hands of Monday who, after an 11-8 victory, went on to his own re-match against Ussery.
In a straight-up race to 11, Ussery took the opening set of the true double elimination final against Monday 11-8 to complete his undefeated weekend. It was Ussery’s first win on the GSBT in his second 2011 appearance (he’d finished second in March at Speak Eazy Billiards in Sanford, NC). This most recent victory marked the 10th time since January that Ussery has finished either first or second on either the GSBT or the Jacoby Custom Cue Carolina Tour.
Though not included in site payouts registering dollar amounts, Chris Vollmar, Larry Faulk, Ronny Park, and Ray Floyd received free entries for their 9th place finish. Tour director Shannon Daulton thanked David Huffman and his staff at Brown’s Billiards, as well as sponsors Andy Gilbert Custom Cues, Nick Varner Cues and Cases, Mike Davis Exterminating, Tiger Products, and Delta-13 Racks.
