Unlike Kyle Pepin, already having recorded his best earnings year to date (with two months to go), and looking to chalk up his second 2019 event victory (he won a stop on the Joss Tour in March), Carlton Gagnon joined the 5th stop of the New England 9-Ball Series on Saturday, Oct. 26, looking for his second cash finish anywhere (he finished 9th at a NE 9-Ball Series stop in January). They met in the finals of the event and it was Gagnon who emerged with not only his second cash finish anywhere, but his first regional tour victory anywhere. The $500-added event drew 32 entrants to Legends Billiards in Lewiston, ME.
Working in the lower bracket, in straight-up races to 5, Gagnon got by Laura Krech 5-1, survived a double hill fight against Justin Myers, and downed Dan Small 5-1 to draw Mark Pulsifer in one of the winners’ side semifinals. Pepin, in the meantime, advanced as far as the winners’ side quarterfinal, before being defeated by Michael Leavitt 5-3 (Pepin racing to 7). Leavitt advanced to face Ross Webster in the other winners’ side semifinal.
Gagnon got into the hot seat match with a 5-3 victory over Pulsifer and was joined by Leavitt, who’d defeated Webster 5-2. Separated by 135 FargoRate points, Gagnon (441) and Leavitt (576) battled to double hill before Gagnon prevailed 4-7 (Leavitt racing to 8) to claim the hot seat.
On the loss side, Pepin opened his five-match campaign to the finals with a straight-up race to 5, double hill win over Derrick Burnham and then eliminated George Morgan 6-1 to draw Webster. Pulsifer drew a rematch versus Tyler Dunbar, whom he’d sent to the loss side in the opening round and who was in the midst of a six-match, loss-side streak that would take him as far as the quarterfinals. Dunbar, like Pepin, was looking for his second 2019 win, having previously won the NE 9-Ball Series’ Bangor Bash just over a month ago. Like Gagnon, Dunbar has recorded his first cash payout finishes in 2019.
Pepin and Dunbar handed Webster and Pulsifer their second straight loss; Pepin, 5-1 over Webster and Dunbar, 4-1 over Pulsifer. Pepin then spoiled Dunbar’s hope for a second NE 9-Ball Series victory with a 7-2 win in the quarterfinals.
Pepin leapfrogged over the semifinals, avoiding a rematch against Leavitt, who’d sent him to the loss side, when Levitt forfeited. With Pepin racing to 9 in the finals, Gagnon completed his undefeated run with a 4-1 victory in that final match.
Tour director Marc Dionne thanked the ownership and staff at Legends, as well as sponsors Predator Cues, BCAPL, USAPL New England, Fargo Rate, Bert Kinister, AZBilliards, Inside English, Professor Q-ball’s National Pool and 3-Cushion News, Delta 13 Racks, MJS Construction, Bob Campbell with Lease Fundings, Master Billiards and OTLVISE Billiard Mechanics of America. The next stop on the NE 9-Ball Series (#6), scheduled for Sunday, November 3, will be a $500-added event, hosted by Bo’s Billiards in Warwick, RI.
(l to r): TD Marc Dionne, Dave Morrison, Tom D’Alfonso, Mike Verducci and Jen Brown, daughter of Joe
Going into the finals, there had been three distinct phases to Tom D’Alfonso’s victory on the New England 9-Ball Series’ tour stop #15 – The Joe Brown Memorial – on Saturday, March 9. In his opening three matches, he won 90% of the games he played (29-4). During a three-match trip on the loss side, he chalked up 92% of the games he played (24-2). In one match, a winners’ side semifinal, double hill loss, he won only 61.5% of the games he played (5-8; D’Alfonso was racing to 9). He returned from that defeat to face Dave Morrison in a double elimination final and over 20 games, gave up only two racks (90%, exactly). The single loss left D’Alfonso with a deceptively low, although admittedly good 85% overall win percentage in games played. The $500-added event drew 49 entrants to Buster’s Billiards in Somersworth, NH.
After an opening round bye in the event’s upper bracket, D’Alfonso gave up a surprising (only in hindsight) three racks to Jeff Provencher in a 9-3 win. Over the next 21 games in two matches, he gave up only one, to Matt Gagne, first, and then, none at all to Fred White, which set D’Alfonso up to face Mike Verducci in a winners' side semifinal. Morrison, in the meantime, working in the lower bracket following a bye, had defeated Catherine Ong 5-3, Walter Kelly 4-4 (Kelly racing to 6) and shut out Carlton Gagnon, to face Jason Seavey in the other winners’ side semifinal.
In a straight-up race to 5, Morrison advanced to the hot seat match over Seavey 5-1. Verducci started his winners’ side semifinal match against D’Alfonso with four on the wire in a race to 9. He chalked up the five he needed and sent D’Alfonso to the loss side, double hill 5-8.
On the loss side, D’Alfonso picked up Fred White, who, in a straight-up race to 6, defeated Carlos Aguilar 6-3 and then, with three games on the wire in a race to 7, beat Ben LeBlanc 4-1. Seavey drew Fred Gillis, who’d eliminated Carlton Gagnon, double hill (4-3) and Walt Kelly 4-2.
In a straight-up race to 4, Seavey advanced to the quarterfinals 4-2 over Gillis. D’Alfonso, giving White four on the wire in a race to 8, shut him out to join Seavey in the quarterfinals. Also giving both Seavey and later, in the semifinals, Verducci, four on the wire in races to eight, D’Alfonso defeated them both 8-1.
Giving Morrison in the hot seat five on the wire in races to 9, D’Alfonso took the opening set of the true double elimination final 9-2. He didn’t give up a single rack in the second set and claimed the Joe Brown Memorial title.
Tour director Marc Dionne thanked the ownership and staff at Buster’s Billiards for their hospitality and support for the Joe Brown Memorial, as well as sponsors Predator Cues, USAPL New England, Fargo Rate, 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 (#16) will be the $1,000-added Players Championship, scheduled for this weekend (March 16-17) at Yale Billiards in Wallingford, CT.
The tournament never made it past the quarterfinals. Following the winners’ side semifinals of the September 5 stop on the New England 9-Ball Series, two competitors moved to the loss side and played one match each. When those two matches that determined the two-way tie for 5th place were over, it was 2 a.m. on Sunday, September 6. The four remaining competitors opted out of further play and made arrangements to split the top four cash prizes. As the undefeated occupant of the hot seat at the time, Tony Albair took the official event title. The $500-added, 8-ball event drew 69 entrants, who played on Legends Sports Bar in Auburn, ME’s 10 Diamond tables for as long as they could.
Albair came out of the event’s lower bracket and opened his campaign by shutting out three female opponents – Dorie Oakes, Patricia Stevens and Dorothy Gauvin. He defeated Tyler 3-2 and then sent a third woman, Noreen Moy, to the loss side 3-1 to face Barret Ridley in one of the winners’ side semifinals. Kyle Pepin, in the meantime, emerged from the upper bracket, defeating (after an opening round bye) Scott Bower 5-1, Gabriel Kirshnitz 5-2, Ross Webster 4-1, and Steve Smith 3-2 to face Jason Barnies in the other winners’ side semifinal.
Pepin and Albair advanced to the hot seat match with identical 3-2, double hill wins over Barnies and Ridley. With two on the wire at the start in a race to 4, Albair claimed the hot seat 2-2.
On the loss side, Barnies picked up Dillon Nickerson, who had picked up a forfeit win over Xavier Libby, and downed Steve Smith 3-1 to reach him. Ridley drew Noreen Moy, who, after being sent to the loss side with a shutout, chalked up two of her own, against Carlton Gagnon and Dave Morrison, to face Ridley.
In what proved to be the final matches of the event, Nickerson defeated Barnies 3-1, while Moy went out the way she’d come in, via shutout at the hands of Ridley. The decision was made to end the proceedings, granting Albair and Pepin 1st and 2nd place, respectively. Nickerson and Ridley split the 3rd and 4th place prizes.
Tour director Marc Dionne thanked the ownership and staff for their hospitality, as well as sponsors Predator Cues, USAPL New England, Fargo Rate, 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 (Stop #11) will be the $750-added annual Robert Dionne Memorial Tournament, scheduled for January 12-13, at Crow’s Nest in Plaistow, NH.
l to r: Jessie Murphy, Francisco Cabral, Ben Benson, Matt Eline, Ned McConnell, and Lida Mullendore
Francisco Cabral and Jessie Murphy, sitting in the hot seat, opted out of a second and final match against Ben Benson and Matt Meline during the Saturday, April 8 Partners Tournament, stop (#22) on the New England 9-Ball Series. The event drew 53 teams of two to Snookers in Providence, RI.
The two pairs of competitors met first in the hot seat match. Cabral/Murphy had defeated the team of Sal Midolo and Lance Liscotti, double hill, in one winners’ side semifinal, as the team of Benson/Eline was downing Rob Diehl and Austin Ross 5-3 in the other one. Cabral/Murphy grabbed the hot seat, and as it turned out, their final match, in a shutout over Benson/Eline.
Midoli/Liscotti got into the quarterfinals with a 6-3 win over Gormly/Psarros. They were joined by Mullendore/McConnell, who’d eliminated Diehl/Ross 5-3.
Mullendor/McConnell then shut out Midolo/Liscotti. In the subsequent, straight-up race to 5 in the semifinals, Benson and Eline earned a second shot at Cabral and Murphy with a 5-2 win over Mullendore/McConnell. The last two teams opted out of a final match, potentially two, and split the top two prizes. As occupants of the event’s hot seat, Cabral and Murphy claimed the official event title.
Tour director Marc Dionne thanked the ownership and staff at Snookers, as well as sponsors Ozone Billiards, Molinari, Bert Kinister, AZBilliards, Inside English, Professor Q-Ball’s National and 3-Cushion News, Delta 13 Racks, MJS Construction, Bob Campbell, Championship Cloth, and OTLVISE Billiard Mechanics of America. The next stop on the New England 9-Ball Series (#23), scheduled for Saturday, April 21, will be a $500-added event, hosted by Yale Billiards in Wallingford, CT.
(l to r): Carlton Gagnon, John Parsons & Nick Conner
By the time John Parsons and Nick Conner reached the finals of the March 24 stop on the New England 9-Ball series, they’d played a total of 56 games, and won 41 of them. Parsons (the C+ player) had been a little stingier than Conner (the A player), giving up only five racks in his 25 games. Conner went 21-10. It was to have been a true double elimination final, but when Conner took the opening set (chalking up more racks against Parsons in that single set than all of Parsons’ previous opponents combined), the two opted out of a final match and split the event’s top two prizes. The $500-added event drew 43 entrants to Legends Sports Bar & Grill in Auburn, ME.
The first of their two matches played out in the battle for the hot seat. Conner had defeated Samoth Sam (as an A+, racing to 5) 4-4. Parsons shut out his ‘C’ opponent, Carlton Gagnon, to join him. With Conner racing to 6 in the hot seat match, Parsons sent him to the semifinals 3-2, and waited on his return.
On the loss side, Sam drew an immediate re-match against Tyler Campbell, whom he’d defeated in a winners’ side quarterfinal, and then downed Josh Rupard 3-5 (Rupard racing to 6), and Steve Smith, double hill. Gagnon picked up Gary Columbie, who’d eliminated Roland Beaulieu 3-1, and Josh Edmonds, double hill.
Campbell defeated Sam 3-3 (Sam racing to 6), and was joined in the quarterfinals by Gagnon, who’d eliminated Columbie, double hill (3-3). By the same score, Gagnon defeated Campbell in those quarterfinals, and then had his short, loss-side streak ended by Conner, who shut him out for a second shot at Parsons in the hot seat.
Conner gave up only a single rack in the opening set of the true double elimination final. There wasn’t a second set. The event title and relevant cash was split between them.
Tour director Marc Dionne thanked the ownership and staff at Yale Billiards, as well as sponsors Ozone Billiards, Molinari, Bert Kinister, AZBilliards, Inside English, Professor Q-Ball’s National and 3-Cushion News, Delta 13 Racks, MJS Construction, Bob Campbell, Championship Cloth, and OTLVISE Billiard Mechanics of America. The next stop on the New England 9-Ball Series (#21), scheduled for Saturday, March 31, will be an ‘A and below’ event, hosted by Straight Shooters in Fall River, MA.
