As a pool player, Chad Pike is what you might call a journeyman, defined by Merriam-Webster as “an experienced, reliable worker, athlete or performer, especially as distinguished from one who is brilliant or colorful.”  Pike has been appearing on AZBilliards’ pool payout lists for about 13 years, though it wasn’t until January of 2016, that the indication of “2nd” appeared next to one of his numerous entries, dating back to 2004. That occasion was a stop on the Viking Cues’ Q City 9-Ball Tour. Three weeks later, on the same tour, “1st” appeared next to his name for the first time. On Saturday, September 30, Pike chalked up another win on the tour, with an undefeated run at a $500-added event that drew 15 entrants to Peninsula Billiards in Newport News, VA.

 

Pike had to get by Tyler Chappell twice to win this one. They met first in a winners’ side semifinal that Pike won 9-3, as Collin Hall downed Daniel Adams 7-3 in the other one. Pike claimed the hot seat over Hall 9-4 and waited for Chappell to complete the three-match, loss-side run that gave him a second shot at him.

 

On the loss side, Chappell picked up Scott Roberts, who’d shut out Jimmy Melson and defeated Graham Swinson 9-3 to reach him. Adams drew Jacob Cantu, who’d eliminated Paul Swinson (father to Graham) 7-5 and Luther Pickeral 7-2.

 

Chappell and Roberts locked up in a double hill fight, won by Chappell. He was joined in the quarterfinal match by Adams, who’d defeated Cantu 7-3. Chappell took that quarterfinal match 8-5 over Adams, and then, downed Hall 8-2 in the semifinals.

 

With a single rack on the wire at the outset in a race to 9, Chappell improved on his winners’ side semifinal performance, by a lot. He forced a deciding, 16th game, which Pike won to claim the event title.

 

Tour directors Herman and Angela Parker thanked the ownership and staff at Peninsula Billiards, 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 October 7-8, will be hosted by The Clubhouse in Lynchburg, VA.

 

In his first-ever appearance on the Action Pool Tour (APT), Zoren James Aranas from the Philippines went undefeated through a strong field of 48 entrants, beginning what proved to be a six-match march to the winners' circle with an opening round shutout, and finishing with victories over the APT's top-ranked player, Shaun Wilkie in the hot seat match, and Reymart Lim in the finals. The Aug. 5-6 event, Stop # 8 on the APT, was hosted by Q Master Billiards in Virginia Beach, VA.

 

In a concurrently-run Ladies event that drew 10 entrants, USA Atlantic Cup Challenge team member Sierra Reams avenged an opening round loss to Gwen Townsend to defeat her in the finals and capture the Ladies' title. Reams also competed in the Open event.

 

In the Open event, after shutting out Leo Taborn, Aranas defeated Chad Pike and Greg Sabins, both 9-2, to arrive at a winners' side semifinal with an aggregate score of 27-4. Aranas faced Bill Duggan. Wilkie, in the meantime, who'd played an extra preliminary round, had defeated Roy Taylor, Jim Bilderback, Nilbert Lim and Dwight Cherry to arrive at his winners' side semifinal with an aggregate score of 36-13, and faced Reymart Lim. Aranas sent Duggan to the loss side 9-4, and faced Wilkie, who'd sent Lim over 9-7. Aranas claimed the hot seat 9-6 over Wilkie and waited on what turned out to be Reymart Lim's return.

 

Lim moved over to pick up RJ Carmona, who'd been defeated by Duggan in a winners' side quarterfinal, and then, on the loss side, defeated Scott Haas 7-4 and  survived a double hill match against Eric Moore to reach him. Duggan, in the meantime, picked up Dwight Cherry, who'd  navigated his way through two straight double hill matches, against Dave Hunt and Brian Dietzenbach.

 

Carmona ended up on the wrong end of his second straight double hill fight, which advanced Lim to the quarterfinals against Duggan, who'd eliminated Cherry 7-4. Lim, picking up speed, downed Duggan in the quarterfinals 7-3, and then allowed Wilkie just a single rack in the semifinals. In a single race to 11, Aranas stopped Lim's run 11-7 to claim his first APT title.

 

In the Ladies event, Gwen Townsend's defeat of the eventual winner, Sierra Reams, 6-1 in the opening round, set her (Townsend) up for a winners' side semifinal against Barbara Yeager. Daisy Lim, who'd defeated Jackie Duggan 6-3 in her opening round, faced Soo Emmitt in the other winners' side semifinal.

 

Townsend shut Yeager out and in the hot seat match faced Lim, who'd defeated Emmitt 6-3. Townsend claimed the hot seat 6-4 over Lim, and waited on Reams.

 

On the loss side, Reams got by Melissa Mason and Jen Giampa, both 6-2 to draw Emmitt. Yeager drew Duggan, who'd picked up an opening round, loss-side bye and defeated Kitty Nguyen 6-2. Reams and Yeager advanced to the quarterfinals; Reams 6-1 over Emmitt, and Yeager 6-4 over Duggan. Reams survived a double hill quarterfinal against Yeager, and then, in the semifinals, defeated Daisy Lim 6-2.  Reams completed her run, avenging her opening round loss, with an 8-6 win over Townsend in the finals.

 

A 13-entrant, Second Chance Tournament saw Nilbert Lim go undefeated through the field, downing Kenny Daughtrey in the hot seat match 4-2 and Scott Haas in the finals 6-3.

 

Scott Roberts and J.T. Ringgold opted out of a second set in a double elimination final and with each sporting one loss, split the top two prizes on the Saturday, March 25 stop on the Viking Cues' Q City 9-Ball Tour. The $300-added event, which found itself with some unexpected attendance competition nearby, drew 15 entrants to a new venue for the tour, Peninsula Billiards in Newport News, VA. 

 

The winners' side final four in this event became the final four winners and only players to cash. Ringgold and Roberts played their first match battling for the hot seat. Ringgold had sent Chad Pike to the loss side, double hill, while Roberts sent Greg Sabins over 8-5. Ringgold claimed the hot seat 9-2 over Roberts and waited for him to get back.

 

On the loss side, Pike and Sabins picked up Tony Plumb and Bobby Glenn, respectively. Plumb had gotten by Tyran Williams 6-1 and Daniel Adams 6-5 (Adams racing to 7). Glenn had eliminated J.T. Ringgold's father, Terry 5-1, and Wayne Richards 5-3. Pike moved into the quarterfinals with an 8-1 victory over Plumb and was joined by Sabins, who'd defeated Glenn 8-3.

 

In a straight-up race to 8, Pike downed Sabins in those first-money-round quarterfinals, double hill. Roberts then defeated Pike 8-5 in the semifinals. Roberts then defeated Ringgold 8-5 in the opening set of the true double elimination final, before they chose to accept the match tie at 1-1 and not play a second set. As the hot seat occupant, Ringgold claimed the event title. 

 

Tour director Herman Parker thanked the ownership and staff at Peninsula Billiards, 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, a $250-added event, scheduled for this weekend (April 1-2), will be hosted by Mickey Milligan's in New Bern, NC. 

Chad Pike, owner of City Cues in Elizabeth City, NC, has been a regular competitor on the Q City 9-Ball for a few years now. He's been a competitor at the game for a lot longer than that, dating back to our (AZBilliards') first recognition of him for finishing 17th on a Falcon Cue 9-Ball Tour stop 12 years ago. He went on to make appearances on the Great Southern Billiard Tour, the Viking Tour, the Action Pool Tour, and a couple of noteworthy appearances at the annual US Open 9-Ball Championships. On the weekend of January 30-31, 2016, he added another victory on the Q City 9-Ball Tour to his resume, going undefeated through a field of 38, on-hand for the $500-added event, hosted by Mickey Milligan's in New Bern, NC  

 

Pike's path to the winners' circle went through Jorge Ramos twice; once in the hot seat match and later, in the finals. He'd sent J.T. Ringgold to the loss side 7-3 in a winners' side semifinal, as Ramos was busy sending Greg Smith over 6-7 (Smith racing to 8). Pike claimed the hot seat 7-4 over Ramos.

 

On the loss side, Ringgold picked up William Roberts, who'd shut out Shane Hardie and defeated Jack Whitfield 6-2 to reach him. Smith drew Wayne Miller, who'd gotten by Danny Farren 4-2, and Christy Norris (the previous week's winner), double hill. 

 

With Smith racing to 8, Miller advanced to the quarterfinals 4-4. Ringgold defeated Roberts 9-3 to join him. With Ringgold racing to 9, Miller took the quarterfinal match 4-3.

 

The 6-4 race in the semifinals led to a final game showdown against Miller that advancEd Ramos to a second shot against Pike in the hot seat. A second double hill game led to the completion of Pike's undefeated run, and another title feather to his cap.

It's the point where the thinking rubber meets the playing road. An undefeated competitor in the hot seat faces an opponent who's warded off elimination for a long time on the loss side of the bracket. The final match goes to double hill and in that last deciding game, the two face different kinds of stress that amount to the same thing; to have worked so hard and have it come to this – one game to decide, as if the rest of the tournament hadn't even happened. 

 

And so it went for Matt Fralin and Chad Pike as they squared off for the first time in the finals of the January 16 stop on the Q City 9-Ball Tour. Fralin in the hot seat, Pike at the end of a seven-match, loss-side winning streak. Scored tied at 6-6. Fralin hung on to win it and complete the undefeated run. The event drew 33 entrants to Breaktime Billiards in Cary, NC.

 

As Pike was toiling away on the loss side, Fralin advanced to a winners' side semifinal against Alex Johnson. Brian Pate, in the meantime, faced Bobby Glenn. Fralin sent Johnson over to the loss side 7-3, as Pate was downing Glenn 6-1. As Fralin and Pate squared off in the hot seat match, both were mindful of the fact that they'd gotten to that point with the help and sponsor support of their (Doug) Beasley Custom Cue. Fralin's Beasley Custom Cue defeated Pate's Beasley Custom Cue 7-4, and Fralin was in the hot seat.

 

Over on the loss side, Pike was working his way towards a meet-up with Glenn. He won his third and fourth loss-side matches against Zack Wilson, double hill, and Michael Robertson 7-3. Johnson drew Robert Ash, who'd defeated the man responsible for sending Pike to the loss side, Rashad Brooks, 4-3 and shut out J.T. Ringgold.

 

Pike and Ash advanced to the quarterfinals; Pike, 7-3 over Glenn, and Ash, 4-3 over Johnson. Pike then chalked up his third straight 7-3 win (over Ash), and let Brian Pate get one more on him in a 7-4 semifinal victory. 

 

So there they were; Fralin and Pike down to this. Last match, became last game, became last ball, became an undefeated run for Fralin and a Q City 9-Ball title.

 

Daniel Jones got by a slightly-higher-ranked Wayne Haire twice to go undefeated and win the 2015 Q City 9-Ball Tour Championships on the weekend of January 2-3. The $1,000-added event drew 63 entrants to Brown's Billiards in Raleigh, NC.

 

With Jones racing to 5, and Haire racing to 7, they met first in the hot seat match. Jones had sent Rick "Yo Yo" Roper to the loss side in a winners' side semifinal 5-4 (Roper racing to 7), as Haire was busy surviving a double hill match against Brad Shearer, 7-8, in the other semifinal. Jones claimed the hot seat 5-2 and waited on Haire's return. 

 

Over on the loss side, J.T. Ringgold was making a bid to claim the title. He'd been sent over by Roper in the opening round of play and was working on a nine-match, loss-side streak that would take him as far as the semifinals against Haire. Ringgold got by Michael Robertson 8-3 and Bryan Bryant 8-4 to draw Shearer. Roper picked up Scott Roberts, who'd defeated Alex Fulcher 7-5 and Chad Pike 7-3 to reach him.

 

Ringgold downed Shearer 8-4 to earn a quarterfinal rematch against Roper, who'd eliminated Roberts 7-5. Ringgold completed his loss-side winning streak with a surely satisfying 8-4 victory over Roper in those quarterfinals. 

 

Haire got his second shot at Jones in the hot seat with a 7-5 win over Ringgold in the semifinals. Though Haire would double the number of racks he chalked up against Jones in the hot seat match, Jones prevailed a second time, winning the only set necessary to claim the Tour Championship title 5-4.

Daniel "Papa John" Adams went undefeated through a field of 23, on-hand for the 28th stop on the Q City 9-Ball Tour, stopping a loss-side challenge by Scott Roberts in the finals. The Saturday, July 25, handicapped event, originally slated for Chandley's in Statesville, NC, was hosted by The Clubhouse in Lynchburg, TN.

 

Adams, a "7" handicap, entered the tournament in the middle of a pack of 64 players, who will, at season's end, qualify for the tour's championship event. His undefeated run notched him a few slots above Mike Davis. On his way to the tour win, he faced off in a winners' side semifinal against Jerry Varnado, who is  among the tour's top ten shooters. Darren Musser, in the meantime, met up with Brian Bryant. Adams advanced to the hot seat match 7-6 over Varnado and was joined by Musser, who'd sent Bryant to the loss side 8-7. Adams claimed the hot seat 7-2 and over Musser and waited for Roberts to complete his five-match, loss-side run.

 

After falling to Musser 8-5 in a winners' side quarterfinal, Roberts (coming into the tournament at #12 on the tour list) defeated Bill Miller and Bobby Glenn, both 8-3, to pick up Varnado. Bryant drew Wes Campbell, who'd gotten by Mike Allen 6-2 and Chad Pike 6-4. Roberts eliminated Varnado 8-5 and was joined in the quarterfinal match by Bryant, who'd defeated Campbell 9-5. 

 

Roberts took the quarterfinal match 8-3 over Bryant, earning himself a second shot at Musser in the semifinals. He took advantage of the opportunity and defeated Musser 8-3. "Papa John" ended Roberts' loss-side winning streak with a 7-2 victory in the finals and claimed the event title.

 

Stop #29 on the Q City 9-Ball Tour is scheduled for the weekend of August 1-2. The event will be hosted by Breakers Sky Lounge in Herndon, VA.

There are a lot of nerve-wracking scenarios in the sport of pool; sitting in the hot seat, waiting for an opponent, who'd like nothing better than to knock you out of that seat, for example, or being in the midst of a lengthy loss-side run, during which every match puts you face to face with elimination. Here's one: you've managed to get yourself into the hot seat for the first time on a tour. You've defeated a tour veteran to get there, and then, a loss-side challenger, other than your hot seat opponent, faces and defeats you in the opening set of a true double elimination final, and you step to the table for a second set with everything on the line.

 

JT Ringold faced just such a scenario during the April 5-6 stop on the Great Southern Billiard Tour, defeating tour veteran Sidney Champion to get into the hot seat, and then, in the second set of a true double elimination final, defeating loss-side challenger Greg Smith to claim his first GSBT title. The $1,000-added event drew 30 entrants to Mickey Milligan's in New Bern, NC.

 

To get into the hot seat match against Champion, Ringold had defeated Paul Swinson 6-1. Champion, in the meantime, had sent Ringold's eventual opponent in the finals, Smith, to the losers' bracket 9-6. Ringold downed Champion 6-5 to complete the first half of the 'nerve-wracking scenario' that would end with him in the winners' circle.

 

Swinson moved to the loss side and picked up Joshua Padron, who'd given up only two racks over his previous two matches, giving up one to Shane Foy and the other to Chris McSorley. Smith drew Josh Heeter, who'd gotten by Younger Chapman 7-2 and Chad Pike 7-4. 

 

Smith survived a double hill fight versus Heeter to advance to the quarterfinals, while Swinson gave Padron a taste of his own 'one-rack' medicine, advancing 5-1 to meet Smith. Smith then downed Swinson 9-4, and took out Champion in the semifinals 9-3. Presumably with a little momentum on his side, Smith took command of the opening set of the finals against Ringold, winning it 9-3. Ringold, though, with his eyes no doubt firmly focused on the prize, took solid command of the second set, winning it 6-3 to successfully negotiate the 'nerve-wracking scenario' and claim his first GSBT title.

 

Tour director Shannon Daulton thanked the ownership and staff at Mickey Milligan's for their hospitality, as well as sponsors Nick Varner Cues & Cases, Delta-13, Ozone Billiards, Tiger Products, Andy Gilbert Custom Cues, Lomax Cues, and Universe Clothing for their continuing support of the tour. The next stop on the GSBT, scheduled for April 12-13, will be hosted by Shore Thing Billiards in Myrtle Beach, SC.

 

Larry Kressel jumped up about eight slots in the Action Pool Tour rankings (from #15 to #7) with an undefeated, June 22-23 weekend on the tour. Kressel downed Dave Hunt twice in the event that drew 39 entrants to Q-Master Billiards in Virginia Beach, VA. 

 

Kressel squared off against Chris Futrell in one winners' side semifinal, as Hunt took on tour director Ozzy Reynolds in the other. Kressel sent Futrell packing, westbound 9-5, as Hunt defeated Reynolds 9-3. In their first of two, Kressel sent Hunt to the semifinals 9-7.

 

On the loss side, Reynolds picked up R.J. Carmona, who'd defeated Max Schlothauer 7-5 and Nilbert Lim 7-1. Futrell drew the tour's current ranking leader, Brett Stottlemyer, who'd gotten by Chad Pike 7-4 and Eric Moore 7-1. Reynolds and Stottlemyer went down in identical 7-3 losses to Carmona and Futrell, who moved on to face each other in the quarterfinals.

 

The final two, loss-side matches proved to be double hill struggles. Futrell won the first of these in the quarterfinals against Carmona. Futrell and Hunt, both looking for a second chance against Kressel, battled to double hill in the semifinals until Hunt prevailed and got the chance. Kressel took the final set 9-5 to claim the event title.

 

The victory left Stottlemyer atop the tour rankings, with Reynolds moving into second place, ahead of Dominic Noe, who finished in this event, tied for 17th place. Hunt's second place finish moved him up a slot or two in the rankings, from his former #6 position into third, behind Reynolds and Noe.  

Brandon Shuff and Chris Futrell faced each other three times in the Action Pool Tour stop on the weekend of June 9-10, and battled to double hill in all three matches. Shuff took two out of the three, including the second set of a true double elimination final to capture the event title. The event drew 58 entrants to Q-Master Billiards in Virginia Beach, VA.

The recipient of one of the six, first-round byes, Shuff gave up only four racks in his first two rounds of play, one against Daniel Choi and three versus Brian Deska, before running into Futrell the first time, among the final eight winners. Futrell gave up only five racks over three matches to get to that point, shutting out both Jackie Duggan and Anne Reynolds, before giving up the five in a match versus Dwight Cherry. In their first of three, Shuff advanced to the winners’ side final four to face Danny Mastermaker, while Futrell moved to the loss side and began a five-match winning streak back to the finals. In the other winners’ side semifinal, Chad Pike squared off against Rafael Reyes.

Shuff advanced to the hot seat match 8-6 over Mastermaker, and was joined by Reyes, who’d sent Pike west 8-2. Shuff sent Reyes to the semifinals 8-2, and waited in the hot seat for the return of Futrell.

Futrell moved to the loss side and immediately resumed his table domination, giving up only three racks in his first two matches, one against R.J Carmona and two versus Cary Dunn, which set him up to take on Pike. Mastermaker picked up Bill Duggan, who’d shut out Jesse Figueroa and battled Deska to double hill. Futrell and Mastermaker advanced to the quarterfinals with identical 6-2 victories over Pike and Duggan.

Futrell then chalked up two more 6-2 scores, over Mastermaker in the quarterfinals and Reyes in the semifinals, for a second shot at Shuff. In their second of two, it was Futrell prevailing in the opening set of a true double elimination final. In a reduced race to 6, Shuff came back to win the second set and secure the event title. In addition to Shuff’s $800, first-place prize, the victory gave him a free entry to October’s US Open 9-Ball Championships, valued at $500. The victory also kept him in the number one spot on the Action Pool Tour’s rankings.

In a concurrently-run Second Chance Tournament on Sunday, Tuan Chau went undefeated through a field of 16 entrants. Chau’s opening and closing matches were double hill battles, while in his three middle matches, he gave up only a single rack; to Nil Lim, in the hot seat match. Chau’s opponent in the finals, Paul Helms, had been sent west by Lim in the second round of play, and won five straight, including a 4-2 revenge match against Lim in the semifinals. Chau prevailed in the double hill finals to take the top, Second Chance prize.