Onyx Stinson and Dylon Driver began recording their exploits in the AZBilliard database this past weekend (Sat., April 6). Competing at a stop on the PremierBilliards.com’s Q City 9-Ball Tour, the two finished ‘officially’ as the event winner (Stinson) and runner-up (Driver). In possession of the hot seat at the time they negotiated a split of the top two prizes, Stinson laid claim to his first cash finish and his first regional tour win.
Stinson and Driver allowed their double-hill hot seat match, won by Stinson, to stand as the defining match of the tournament. The $500-added event drew 42 entrants to Action Billiards in Inman, SC.
Stinson’s trip to the hot seat went through Bruce Cheatham 5-2 and Trent Wood 5-3, before he shut out Scott Green and drew Tommy Tran in one of the winners’ side semifinals. Driver, in the meantime, headed in the same direction with victories over Michael Burke 5-2, Dylan Barton 5-3, and Matt Lucas 5-2 to draw Andy Chung in the other winners’ side semifinal.
Driver defeated Chung 5-3 and advanced to the hot seat match, joined by Stinson, who’d sent Tran off to the loss-side races by the same 5-3 score. Stinson and Driver played their double-hill hot seat match, which sent Driver off to the semifinals and, in effect, ended the day for Stinson.
On the loss side, Tran picked up a rematch versus tour veteran (winner) Billy Fowler, whom he’d defeated in the event’s second round. Fowler won four straight on the loss side, including a shutout over Richard Ferguson and a ‘leapfrog’ forfeit over Matt Lucas to face Tran a second time. Chung drew Brian Ervin, who’d also lost to Tran, double hill, in a winners’ side quarterfinal match and then eliminated Steven Ellis 5-3 and, double hill, Scott Green.
Tran defeated Fowler a second time 5-8 (Fowler racing to 10) and advanced to the quarterfinals, where he was met by Ervin, who’d extended his loss-side winning streak with a double-hill victory over Chung.
Ervin took the quarterfinal match 5-2 over Tran to face Driver in what proved to be the event’s final match, the semifinals. Driver shut Ervin out and entered negotiations with Stinson to divvy up the top two prizes, which also gave Stinson his first recorded payout on a regional tour and his first win on a regional, albeit one with a ‘no-final-played’ asterisk.
Tour director Herman Parker thanked Scott and Lisa Green, along with their Action Billiards staff for their hospitality, as well as title sponsor PremierBilliards.com, BarPoolTables.net (Randy Tate), TKO Custom Cues and Realty One Group results (Kirk Overcash), Dirty South Grind Apparel (Angela Harlan-Parker), Federal Savings Bank (Alex Narod), CHC Underground (Chris Clary) and AZBilliards.
The next stop on the PremierBilliards.com’s Q City 9-Ball Tour, scheduled for this coming weekend (April 13-14), will be a $500-added event, hosted by Breaktime Billiards in Winston-Salem, NC.
Burlington, NC’s Michael Robertson appears to be a player that you want to catch early before he gets any ‘wind in his sails.’ He’s cashed nine times on the Viking Cues’ Q City 9-Ball Tour spread out over six years and on the three occasions that he has claimed an event title, he’s gone undefeated. He won his first two last year, his best recorded earnings year, about two weeks apart in November and December and this past weekend (Dec. 17-18), chalked up his third, going (once again) undefeated to claim the tour’s 10th Annual Bar Box Championships. The $1,000-added event drew 58 entrants to Rock House in Gastonia, NC.
This most recent win was not without its challenges; a double hill battle for the hot seat and meeting an opponent who’d earned some momentum from a five-match, loss-side streak to meet him in the finals. Robertson advanced through the field to arrive at a winners’ side semifinal match against Stevie McClinton. Joshua Shultz, in the meantime, worked his way through the field to arrive at a winners’ side semifinal versus Dustin Barkley, who’d just defeated Robertson’s eventual finals opponent, Jon Jon Newman, in a winners’ side quarterfinal 6-3.
Robertson got into the hot seat match 7-5 over McClinton. Shultz downed Barkley 7-4 to join him. Shultz put up a double hill fight that almost derailed Robertson’s bid for a third undefeated tour victory, but Robertson held on to win.
Following his loss to Barkley, Newman opened his loss-side campaign with a shutout over Chris Clary, followed it with a double hill win over Jason Blackwell, and drew McClinton. Barkley picked up veteran Q City competitor Hank Powell, who’d defeated Chris Preacher and Brian Ervin, both 8-3, to reach him.
Newman advanced to the quarterfinals over McClinton 6-5 (McClinton racing to 7). Barkley earned a rematch against him with a double hill win over Powell. His momentum building, Newman defeated Barkley 6-4 in their quarterfinal rematch.
Newman gave up only a single rack to Shultz in the semifinals that followed and making a bid to prevent Robertson’s third tour win, advanced to the finals, needing to defeat him twice. Newman, racing to 6, got to within a game of forcing a deciding rack in the opening set, but Robertson edged out in front at the end to win the game, match and 10th Annual Bar Box Championships 7-4.
Tour director Herman Parker’s thanks were extended to 10 years’ worth of player names, locations and sponsors, beginning with title sponsor Viking Cues, the ownership and staff at Rock House, Breaktime Billiards of Winston-Salem, NC (and other venues, too numerous to mention), 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 Viking Cues’ Q City 9-Ball Tour’s schedule is a ‘work in progress’ going into the holiday weekend. In addition to its normal array of handicapped events, the tour will also add a series of Open events to its 2023 schedule, dates for which, according to Parker, should be available within the next week to 10 days, either on the tour’s Facebook page or the calendar here on AZBilliards.
Onyx Stinson and Dylon Driver began recording their exploits in the AZBilliard database this past weekend (Sat., April 6). Competing at a stop on the PremierBilliards.com’s Q City 9-Ball Tour, the two finished ‘officially’ as the event winner (Stinson) and runner-up (Driver). In possession of the hot seat at the time they negotiated a split of the top two prizes, Stinson laid claim to his first cash finish and his first regional tour win.