Collin Hall’s 2019 year at the tables is playing out the way his 2018 year did. On Saturday, July 20 at the Gate City Billiard Club in Greensboro, NC, Hall chalked up his second victory of the year* on the Viking Cues’ Q City 9-Ball Tour. At this point last year, July 21 to be exact, he’d chalked up only his first 2018 victory. He’s already won twice in 2019 and has until October 13-14 to break a two-per-year threshold he’s faced on three separate occasions; 2016, 2018 and now, 2019. He’s defeated six different opponents in those six final matches, including Danny Jones and Jeff Young in 2016, Brent Hensley and Wes Campbell in 2018.

 

Hall beat Scott Roberts at The Clubhouse in Lynchburg, VA in April of this year. This most recent event drew 35 entrants to the Gate City Billiards Club in Greensboro, NC. Hall took the hot seat match over BJ Ussery, and then watched, as Scott Johnson, in the midst of an eight-match loss-side winning streak, got way out in front against Ussery in the semifinal. Johnson, at the start, was getting five beads on the wire in a race to 12, so at 6-6, Johnson was on the hill. He missed three opportunities shooting at the 9-ball that would have sent him to the finals against Hall. Ussery took advantage and defeated him 12-6 for a second shot at Hall which didn’t happen. A room curfew led Hall and Ussery to negotiate a prize settlement in lieu of a final match and as the undefeated hot seat occupant, Hall claimed the title.

 

Their first clash in the hot seat match came after two double hill matchups in the winners’ side semifinals. Hall downed Cartelli 6-4. Ussery sent Shaun Apple to the left bracket 12-4. Hall entered the hot seat match with six on the wire in a race to 12 against Ussery and chalked up the six he needed to win 6-9, in what was, in essence, the event’s title match.

 

On the loss side, it was Shaun Apple who picked up Johnson, six matches into his loss-side streak, who’d just eliminated Bradley Barker and James Blackburn, both 7-5. Cartelli drew Joe Woo, who’d eliminated Gary Campbell 6-2 and Alex Valencia 6-4.

 

Johnson got into the quarterfinals with a 7-3 win over Apple. He was joined by Cartelli, who’d ended Woo’s day 5-2. Johnson won what would prove to be his last match of the day, defeating Cartelli 7-3 in those quarterfinals.

 

Johnson, who’s not appeared on a payout list (to our knowledge) since 2016, when he was runner-up to the tour’s most prolific player, JT Ringgold, entered the semifinals looking for a chance to compete in his second final in three years. And almost pulled it off. As noted above, he was in the driver’s seat, on the hill, poised (thanks to the room curfew) to chalk up a second runner-up victory against one of the tour’s best. He stumbled going into what amounted to be the ‘final turn,’ and Ussery closed the gap to win the game, match and what was essentially, the battle for the runner-up slot.

 

Tour directors Herman and Angela Parker thanked the ownership and staff at Gate City Billiards, as well as title sponsor Viking Cues, Bar Pool Tables, Delta 13 Racks, AZ Billiards and Professor Q-Ball. The next stop on the Viking Cues’ Q City 9-Ball Tour, scheduled for this weekend (July 27-28), will be hosted by The Clubhouse in Lynchburg, VA.

 

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.