As the J. Pechauer Northeast Women’s Tour rounded its final turn, headed for its season-finale home, its two top competitors were neck and neck. Approaching that last turn, going into Stop #7 on the tour, Kia Sidbury had a slight, five-point lead in the tour standings, just ahead of Nicole King, with Tour Director Linda Shea, 20 points behind King. Shea went undefeated through a short field of 15 entrants at Stop #7, held on December 13-14, at Eagle Billiards in Dickson City, PA, which allowed her to claim the $100-added (by Billy R. Bunn) event title and first place in the standings.

 

King, as runner-up, moved up a slot to the second position. Sidbury, who was sent to the loss side by Shea and eliminated by King on the loss side, slipped into third place. Karen Corr, who’s won three of the tour’s events, but did not compete in this event, remained in fourth place, just ahead of Judie Wilson in fifth place.

 

Following an opening round, 7-3 victory over Shelah Joner, Shea moved into what proved to be a double hill battle against Sidbury. Shea advanced to a winners’ side semifinal match against Elaine Wilson, as Melissa Jenkins and Sharon O’Hanlon squared off in the other one.

 

Shea downed Wilson 7-2 and was met in the hot seat match by Jenkins, who’d sent O’Hanlon to the loss side 7-4. Shea and Jenkins locked up in a double hill fight that eventually sent Jenkins to the semifinals.

 

On the loss side, Elaine Wilson met up with Anita Sowers, who’d been sent there by O’Hanlon and downed Denise Mangini, double hill, and Chari Slater 7-3 to reach her. O’Hanlon picked up King, who, following her defeat at the hands of Shea, had eliminated Sidbury 7-1 and Ada Lio 7-4.

 

Wilson got into the quarterfinal match with a 7-4 victory over Sowers and was met by King, who’d survived a double hill fight versus O’Hanlon. King ended Wilson’s weekend 7-4 and then got a shot at Shea in the hot seat with a strong 7-1 victory over Jenkins in the semifinals.

 

Both the event title and first place in the tour standings was at stake as Shea and King squared off in the finals. The winner would claim both. Shea completed her undefeated run through the field with a 7-4 win.

 

Shea thanked the ownership and staff at Eagle Billiards, as well as title sponsor J. Pechauer Custom Cues, Coins of the Realm, ‘live stream’ sponsor Britanya E. Rapp (angle aim Art), Turtle Rack, and Baltimore City Cues. The next stop on the JPNEWT will be the tour’s season finale, scheduled for December 1-2 at Triple Nines Bar & Billiards in Elkridge, MD. Look for another tight race as the tour’s top competitors race for the finish line.

Having given up only a total of three racks over four matches to sit in the hot seat, Karen Corr found herself engaged in a bit of a fight in the finals of the September 29-30 stop on the J. Pechauer Northeast Women’s Tour. Kia Sidbury had been one of Corr’s earlier victims, but came back through three matches on the loss side to challenge her in the finals. The match went double hill before Corr won that battle to claim the event title, her third straight on the tour. The $500-added (by Coins of the Realm) event drew 13 entrants to First Break Café in Sterling, VA.

 

With two stops left on the tour, the results on this weekend caused a shake-up among the tour’s top four players. Going into the event, tour director Linda Shea was at the top of the tour’s rankings, followed by Nicole King, Kia Sidbury and Karen Corr. Shea and King had competed in all five previous stops on the tour, Sidbury in four of the five. This was Corr’s third appearance. When it was over, Sidbury had become the tour’s top player, with King remaining in second place, Shea in third and Corr holding position in fourth place.

 

In a customary random draw, Corr drew Shea in the opening round, defeating her 7-1. Corr followed up with a 7-1 victory over Judie Wilson (#5 on the tour’s ranking list). This set Corr up in her first of two against Sidbury in one of the winners’ side semifinals. Nicole King, in the meantime, had her hands full with, first, Leslie Furr, whom she defeated 7-5. Bethany Sykes battled King to a deciding 13th game, before King finished it, advancing to the other winners’ side semifinal against Elaine Wilson.

 

Corr sent Sidbury to the loss side with her third straight 7-1 victory, as King sent Elaine Wilson over 7-5. Corr capped the winners’ side portion of her undefeated run with a shutout over King in the winners’ side final and sat in the hot seat, waiting on Sidbury.

 

On the loss side, Sidbury had run into Shea, who, following her opening round defeat at the hands of Corr had defeated Sharon O’Hanlon 7-3, and Bethany Sykes 7-5. Elaine Wilson picked up Judie Wilson (no relation), who, following her defeat at the hands of Corr had eliminated Chari Slater and Leslie Furr, both 7-4.

 

Sidbury downed Shea 7-5, and in the quarterfinals, met Elaine Wilson, who’d defeated Judie Wilson 7-4. Sidbury took the quarterfinal match over Elaine Wilson 7-3, and then, in her first of two double hill matches, downed King in the semifinals.

 

The last time Corr and Sidbury had matched up on the JPNEWT was in the semifinals of stop #5 in August. Corr had uncharacteristically been sent to the loss side in that event by Caroline Pao in the battle for the hot seat. Sidbury had won six on the loss side, including double hill wins over Nicole King, and in the quarterfinals, Linda Shea, to meet Corr in the semifinals. Corr downed Sidbury a second time to earn a second shot at Pao, whom she eventually defeated in the finals.

 

In the finals of this one, Sidbury chalked up double the number of racks that all of Corr’s previous opponents combined had managed, but it fell short by one. Corr finished it to chalk up her third straight JPNEWT title.

 

Tour director Linda Shea thanked the ownership and staff at Sterling Café, as well as title sponsor J. Pechauer Custom Cues, Coins of the Realm, ‘live stream’ sponsor Britanya E Rapp (angle aim Art), Turtle Rack, and Baltimore City Cues. The next stop on the JPNEWT, scheduled for October 13-14, will include an Amateur event on Sunday, and will be hosted by Eagle Billiards in Dickson City, PA.

 

While it’s still a little early to be talking about tour rankings, and who might or might not advance to be the J. Pechauer Northeast Women’s Tour champion at the conclusion of its season in November, the tour’s second stop, held on the weekend of April 28-29, did result in a bit of shuffling at the top of those rankings. Erica Testa, who entered Stop #2 in second place behind Kia Sidbury in the single-event rankings, came from the loss side to down Linda Shea in the finals. Testa moved ahead of Sidbury into first place. In the absence of Heather Platter, who was ranked second, Sidbury, who finished in the tie for 5th place, moved into the second spot. Shea’s runner-up finish moved her from 5th to 3rd, while Judie Wilson’s third-place finish kept her in the #4 spot in the rankings. The event drew 18 entrants to Markley Billiards in Norristown, PA.

 

After an opening round bye, Testa downed Chari Slater and Anita Sowers to draw Shea in one of the winners’ side semifinals. Wilson, in the meantime (also after a bye) defeated Suzanne Sellet and Melissa Jenkins to meet Sidbury in the other winners’ side semifinal. The four women in those two matches were four of the early-tour’s six best players (Heather Platter and Cheryl Sporleder did not compete in this event). Shea sent Testa to the loss side 7-4, as Wilson was working on a double hill win over Sidbury. Shea claimed the hot seat (her first of the early season) 7-1 over Wilson and waited on the return of Testa.

 

Over on the loss side, Testa drew a re-match against Slater, who’d defeated Tina Marinelli, Sharon O’Hanlon (double hill) and Melissa Jenkins 7-4 to earn that re-match. Sidbury picked up Nicole King, who’d originally been defeated by Shea, and gotten by Elaine Wilson 7-3 and Nicole Nester 7-2 on the loss side.

 

Advancement to the quarterfinals was hotly contested with both matches going double hill. When the double hill dust settled, King and Testa had advanced. Testa eliminated King 7-5 in those quarterfinals, and then, spoiled Judie Wilson’s bid for a re-match against Shea (and movement up the rankings ladder) with a 7-3 win in the semifinals.

 

It was an ‘extended race to 9’ final. Coming from the loss side, Testa had to beat Shea to seven racks, to extend the race to 9. She did so and added two more for a 9-6 win that gave her the event title and sole possession of first place in the tour rankings.

 

In addition to the Open event, on Sunday, the tour added its second Amateur event, open to players with skill levels at “4” or below. That event was won by Shelah Joner, who, in addition to $40 in cash, was awarded a paid entry into the next JPNEWT event. That event, scheduled for the weekend of May 19-20, will be hosted by First Break Café and Billiards in Sterling, VA.