Last month (June 15-16), Chris Bruner won seven on the loss side of the Action Pool Tour’s Brown’s Mechanical 9-Ball Open (Stop #6 on the tour) to chalk up his first 2019 win. In so doing, he climbed two rungs on the tour’s ranking ladder (from 5th to 3rd). At the Action Pool Tour’s Bar Box 10-Ball Open (Stop #7), which drew 32 entrants to Peninsula Billiards in Newport News, VA this past weekend (July 13-14), Bruner won his second straight APT event, coming back from a defeat in the hot seat to claim the event title in a final match against JT Ringgold. This time, and once again, in the absence of some of the tour’s top-ranked competitors at this event (Steve Fleming, RJ Carmona and Reymart Lim, among others), Bruner took three steps up the ranking ladder to become the APT’s top-ranked competitor.
Bruner came into this most recent event, having already surpassed his reported 2018 earnings at the tables. When it was over, and he’d claimed the event title, he’d turned 2019 into his best earnings year, to date. Just a little over halfway through the year, he’d surpassed his best earnings year, to date (2014) by a couple of hundred dollars. Though Ringgold has already earned over twice what Bruner has earned in 2018/2019 (so far), he is a little behind schedule in his quest to match his best earnings year to date, which was 2018. At this time last year, Ringgold had earned about 39% of the total he’d earn by the end of the year. With his 2018 earnings as a hypothetical target, he’s at 32% now, and having now appeared in three of the APT’s 2019 events, he’s moved himself up in the tour’s rankings from #17 to approximately 7th or 8th, depending on how the math played out for some of the players above him who competed in this event. He and Bruner have each chalked up a victory in 2019; this most recent victory for Bruner and a stop on the Viking Cues’ Q City 9-Ball Tour for Ringgold. The APT’s Bar Box 10-Ball Open drew 32 entrants to Peninsula Billiards in Newport News, VA.
Bruner’s path to the hot seat match went through Bethany Sykes 8-2, Bill Duggan in a double hill match and a shutout over Thomas Spivey to arrive at a winners’ side semifinal against Dave Hunt. Ringgold got by Donnie Huet 8-4, Johnny Syphanthavong 8-2, and Nilbert Lim 8-6 to pick up Mike Davis in his winners’ side semifinal. Bruner and Ringgold got into the hot seat match by chalking up identical 8-6 scores over Hunt and Davis. Somewhat predictably, the battle for the hot seat was decided by a single, 15th game in the match. Ringgold won that deciding game and waited in the hot seat for Bruner to come back from the semifinals.
Mike Davis showed up on the loss side and faced Christopher Wilburn, who’d lost an opening round, double hill match to Dave Hunt and set out on a five-match winning streak that almost, but not quite, earned him a rematch against Hunt. He’d most recently defeated Thomas Spivey and Scott Roberts, both 7-3, to draw Davis. Hunt, in the meantime, picked up Bill Duggan, who’d gone on from his early-round loss to Bruner, to win four on the loss side, including a 7-4 win over Coen Bell and a 7-3 victory over Nilbert Lim.
Hunt got by Duggan 7-2, while Davis and Wilburn locked up in a double hill fight that eventually sent Davis to the quarterfinals with Hunt. Davis took command of those quarterfinals quickly, downing Hunt 7-1 for a shot against Bruner in the semifinals.
It would prove to be Bruner’s second straight double hill match. The first had sent him to the semifinals. The second was the semifinals and the double hill win over Davis sent him on to a rematch against Ringgold in the hot seat. Bruner completed his second straight win on the APT with a 10-8 victory in the finals.
A Second Chance event drew eight entrants. Johnny Syphanthavong and Josh Harget battled twice in the hot seat and finals to win the top $115 first-place prize. Syphanthavong won them both, 6-2, 6-3.
Tour directors Kim Wylie and Tiger Baker thanked the ownership and staff at Peninsula Billiards, as well as sponsors CSI, Viking Cues, Predator Cues, Diamond Billiard Products, Ozone Billiards, Simonis Cloth, Aramith Balls, Kamui, Chix Cabinets, and George Hammerbacher (Advanced Pool Instructor). The next stop on the Action Pool Tour (#8), scheduled for the weekend of August 17-18, will be hosted by Champion Billiards Sports Bar in Frederick, MD.
Atwell comes back from semifinals to claim her 5th VA State 10-Ball title
In the seven-year history of the Virginia State 10-Ball Championships, there have been seven different winners in the event’s Open Division. The most recent winner at the 7th Annual event was RJ Carmona. In that same time frame, there have only been three women who have claimed the title – Tracie Majors (2014), Meredith Lynch (2017) and Janet Atwell, who won the inaugural event in 2013, and claimed the title in successive years, twice; 2015, 2016, 2018, and this past weekend, February 16-17, 2019. Both competitors at this year’s championships, held under the auspices of the Action Pool Tour and hosted by Diamond Billiards in Midlothian, VA, made it to their respective hot seat matches, and lost. They both came back to meet and defeat their hot seat opponent and claim the event title.
The Open division of the annual event drew 48 entrants, and only one former champion (Eric Moore, 2016). The Women’s Championship drew 15 entrants, including four-time and defending champion, Atwell. The Open event drew 9 of the top 10 finishers from the APT season opener in January, including that event’s winner (Reymart Lim).
Carmona opened his bid for the 2019 title with a shutout over Christopher Wilburn and then, battled to double hill against Del Sim before advancing. He downed Reymart Lim 8-6 and met up with Scott Roberts in a winners’ side semifinal. Carmona’s hot seat and finals opponent, Scott Haas, got by Danny Mastermaker, double hill, in the opening round and went on to defeat Shane Buchanan 8-5, before getting locked up in a second double hill battle against David Hairfield. Haas won that one to advance to a winners’ side semifinal against Brian Bryant.
Haas got into the hot seat match with an 8-4 win over Bryant. Carmona joined him after sending Roberts to the loss side 8-2. Haas claimed the hot seat 8-5 over Carmona and waited on his return.
On the loss side, Bryant picked up APT veteran/pro player Brandon Shuff, who’d lost a second- round match to Reymart Lim (double hill) and was in the midst of a seven-match, loss-side winning streak that would take him as far as the quarterfinals. He’d most recently eliminated Shorty Davis 7-3 and winner of the APT season opener, Reymart Lim 7-2. Scott Roberts drew Chris Bruner, who’d lost his second-round match to John Newton, and like Shuff, was on an extended loss-side streak (eight matches) that would take him to the seminfinals. He’d most recently defeated David Hairfield 7-5 and Danny Mastermaker 7-4.
Shuff and Bruner advanced to the quarterfinals with seven loss-side wins each, once Shuff had eliminated Bryant 7-5 and Bruner had defeated Roberts 7-3. Bruner broke the loss-side match tie with a 7-5 win over Shuff and with some momentum on his side, battled to double hill against Carmona in the semifinals. Carmona, though, finished it for a second shot at Haas in the hot seat.
Whatever happened in the Carmona/Haas finals, Reymart Lim was going to retain his top spot on the tour’s (two event) points-leader board, and RJ Carmona would hold on to his #2 spot. Haas, competing in his first 2019 APT stop, would enter the points-leader board at either #18, if he won, or #20, if he lost. Carmona completed his 2019 VA State 10-Ball Championship run with a 10-8 victory over Haas.
Atwell goes 3-1 to claim her fifth VA State 10-Ball Ladies title
It’s never easy, but short fields make for short runs to event titles. Janet Atwell played four matches and won three of them to claim her fifth VA State 10-Ball title. It was her first appearance on the APT in 2019 and her victory allowed her to enter the tour’s points-leader board at #83 (points are awarded based on a player’s finish and a formula related to the total number of entrants).
Atwell was awarded an opening round bye and then defeated Buffy Jolie 7-4 to arrive at a winners’ side semifinal against Marianne Merrill. Liz Taylor, in the meantime, got by Cheryl Pritchard 7-2 and Tina Castillo 7-4 to arrive at her winners’ side semifinal match against Linda Shea (tour director of the J. Pechauer Northeast Women’s Tour).
Atwell and Taylor advanced to the hot seat match with identical 7-4 victories over Merrill and Shea. Taylor claimed the hot seat in a double hill win.
On the loss side, Shea picked up Lisa Cossette, who’d defeated Kim McKenna and Nicole King, both 6-4, to reach her. Merrill drew Cheryl Sporleder, who’d defeated Dorothy Strater 6-1 and Bethany Sykes 6-4. Shea and Sporleder advanced to the quarterfinals, having given up only three racks between them in 15 games; Shea gave up two to Cossette and Sporleder gave up one to Merrill.
Shea gave up none at all to Sporleder in those quarterfinals, only to get locked up in what was most likely a predictable double hill fight between her and Atwell in the semifinals. Atwell prevailed and then in the finals rematch, downed Taylor 8-2 to claim the VA State 10-Ball Ladies title.
A Second Chance tournament drew 18 entrants. Greg Sabins and Robert Farmer worked their way through the field and battled in both the hot seat and finals. Farmer claimed the hot seat in a double hill fight, but Sabins came back from a shutout over Graham Swinson in the semifinals to shut Farmer out in the finals and claim the Second Chance top prize of $160. Farmer took home $100 as runner-up. Swinson finished third ($75), Cheryl Sporleder finished in fourth place ($50). Jamie Bess and Andrew Stephan each took home $30 for the 5th place tie.
Tour directors Kris Wylie and Tiger Baker thanked the ownership and staff at Diamond Billiards, as well as sponsors Diamond Billiard Products, Viking Cues, Predator, Tiger, Kamui Tips, Ozone Billiards, Simonis Cloth, and George Hammerbacher Advanced Pool Instructor. The next stop on the 2019 Action Pool Tour, scheduled for March 23-24, will be the East Coast Landscaping Bar Box Bash and will be hosted by Peninsula Billiards in Newport News, VA.
Harshit Kedia with Christopher Wilburn (NVAT Director)
SPRINGFIELD VA – The inaugural event for the Northern Virginia Amateur Tour (NVAT) is in the books. 56 players from the Mid-Atlantic region competed in BCA regulation, true double-elimination 10 Ball. The event completed in two days (January 19-20) as planned.
Sweet 16 results (Day 2) were as follows: 13th-16th Place: Alex Espinal (Fargo500), Larry Peterman (Fargo530), Richard Thompson (Fargo530), Eric Townsend (Fargo515); 9th-12 Place: Bob Landsman (Fargo530), Zach Sykes (Fargo450), Jamie Brogdon (Fargo585), RJ Davis (Fargo275); 7th-8th Place: James Hendershot (Fargo550, $60 prize), Robert Nijkamp (Fargo575, $60 prize); 5th-6th Place: Giulietta Dahl (Fargo335, $95 prize), Dennis Ryan (Fargo530, $95 prize); 4th Place: Tuan Chau (Fargo639, $160 prize); 3rd Place: Chris Funk (Fargo588, $270 prize); 2nd Place: Andrew Tu (Fargo575, $445 prize); 1st Place: Harshit Kedia (Fargo 503, $740 prize).
All players were welcomed and competed in “weighted” races based on Fargo rating. If a player was unknown to Fargo, s/he was given a starter rating by the tournament organizers based on available data (BCA average, TAP or APA handicap, or historic tournament results).
Fargo’s app (fargorate.com) was then used to create “hot” races that aided the lower-rated player in a matchup. No race exceeded 10-2. The majority of races were even to 5. As expected, the results brought into question a few player ratings. These cases will be evaluated closely and adjusted as necessary.
NVAT results are converted to points. Players on the tour are ranked according to performance only, with no current reward for participation. Scores are reported to Fargo.
The event continuously streamed a match from the featured table via Twitch, a platform new to billiard tournament directors. The broadcast experienced minimal interruption.
Prior to the first breaks, NOVA BCA’s Donnie Rogan was honored for his efforts in promoting billiards in Northern Virginia. The calcutta (player auction) produced $990 for 1st Place, $420 for 2nd Place, $170 for 3rd Place, and $70 for 4th Place.
The next event will be held March 23-24 from Hard Times Café at 6362 Springfield Plaza in Springfield VA. Players will compete in BCA regulation, true double-elimination 8 Ball.
NOVA BCA Representatives: Brian Cheung, Eric Townsend
Sponsors: Baltimore City Cues, S & T Billiards, Ransome Cue Repair, Inky Shirts, Phoenix Chimney, House of Vape, Printing Productions, Hard Times Café.
A new amateur billiards tour launches this weekend (January 19-20) from Hard Times Cafe in Springfield VA. The Northern Virginia Amateur Tour, or simply NVAT, was created by Christopher Wilburn and will broadcast on Twitch for international audiences.
Wilburn isn’t a newcomer to billiards. His play recently earned him sponsorships from Baltimore City Cues, Breakers (Herndon VA), and Rayman’s Pro Shop (Richmond VA). He has worked for the Action Pool Tour (Virginia Beach VA) and organized minis at Super Billiards Expo (a.k.a. Valley Forge or Rally in the Valley PA). In 2017, Wilburn founded the innovative Nova Action to stream head-to-head matches on Facebook between amateurs looking to advance a local top 10 list. In 2018, Wilburn’s promotional efforts were recognized by NOVA BCA with their crystal Founder’s Circle award (one of just five awarded over the last decade).
NVAT’s mission is to attract more amateur pool players to tournament play. The Northern Virginia area already enjoys a growing reputation as one of the epicenters for cue sports in the United States. This new series will build on that momentum. The tour also promotes camaraderie. To underscore this, a sportsmanship award will be named by player vote at each event, with the first going to NOVA BCA’s Donnie Rogan for his long-time support of pool in the Northern Virginia area.
“We’ve made some interesting decisions with NVAT, and we’ve done it with direct input from the players,” shared Wilburn. “For example, a Facebook poll revealed a majority interest in restricting entry to players rated 650 Fargo or lower. We even polled players for what game they wanted. 62% chose 10 Ball for the inaugural event.”
But Wilburn isn’t the only one backing the new concept. NOVA BCA Pool league co-founders Brian Cheung and Eric Townsend also see its potential. “I’m a big proponent off Twitch. It’s an exciting promotional avenue that pool has yet to explore,” said Cheung. Townsend added, “We’re excited to expose more Northern Virginia pool players to BCA regulation 8, 9, and 10 Ball through this tour.”
NVAT is set to hit five of the top pool venues in Northern Virginia and Maryland this year. Events will be modified double-elimination, with points awarded for results. An invite-only finale will feature the top 16 players by points. Each event will include a full calcutta and a free entry awarded via stream. The field could exceed 100 players, with 80 pre-registered at time of this publication. Players pay a one-time tour fee ($30 annual or $10 for one event) in addition to each $40 entry.
(l to r): Tiger Baker, Warren Kiamco, Mike Davis, Jr. & Kris Wylie
Sykes downs Sidbury in finals of Ladies event
The Action Pool Tour has a way of attracting top-notch talent from both the amateur and professional levels of the sport to their regularly-scheduled events throughout the year. Its no-handicap policy is attractive to players from the semi-professional to professional end of the spectrum. Its consequent tournament entrant list proves to be attractive to amateur players, looking to challenge themselves against the best, while, depending on the draw, not running into a constant stream of pros.
The 2018 list of winners on the APT includes Johnny Archer (May), Ruslan Chinakhov (February, with Warren Kiamco as runner-up), Zoren James Aranas (April, with Dennis Orcollo as runner-up), Shaun Wilkie (three times, with Karen Corr as runner-up in July) and Reymart Lim (twice). On the weekend of November 10-11, at the 2018 VA State 8-Ball Championships, hosted by Diamond Billiards in Midlothian, VA, Warren Kiamco added his name to the list of 2018 winners with an undefeated run through a field of 37 entrants, that included two victories over Mike Davis, Jr. As these more recognizable names battle it out for the top spots, Steve Fleming maintains his spot at the top of the APT rankings, while other players like Jason Trigo (#2), and Eric Moore (#8), all on the basis of repeated appearances on the tour, maintain their slots, as well.
A concurrently-run Ladies VA State 8-Ball Championships, impacted by a local VNEA league event on the same weekend (with a trip to Las Vegas on the line), saw only five entrants compete. Bethany Sykes earned the 2018 Ladies Championship title with a 7-4 victory over runner-up Kia Sidbury in the finals. Also competing were Gwen Townsend, Kim Whitman and Melissa Mason.
Kiamco and Davis met in both the hot seat and finals of Open event. Kiamco opened his campaign against Reymart Lim, sending him to the loss side 7-3, and then, downing Christopher Wilburn 7-1 and Eric Moore 7-3 to draw Cary Dunn in one of the winners’ side semifinals. Davis, in the meantime, worked his way through Sean Millican 7-1, Larry Kressel 7-2, and Elias Nassif 7-3 to pick up Jason Trigo in the other winners’ side semifinal.
Kiamco moved on to the hot seat match with a 7-1 victory over Dunn. Davis joined him after sending Trigo over 7-2. In their first of two, Kiamco and Davis battled to double hill before Davis prevailed to sit in the hot seat.
On the loss side, Trigo picked up Reymart Lim, who’d come all the way back from his earlier loss against Kiamco; five loss-side wins that included recent victories over Rodney McLamb 7-3 (in the first money round) and Eric Moore 6-2. Dunn drew Chris Bruner, who’d lost a winners’ side quarterfinal against Trigo and then defeated John Newton 6-2 and Elias Nassif 6-1 to reach Dunn.
Lim extended his loss-side streak to six with a 6-1 victory over Trigo. Bruner extended his loss-side streak to three with a 6-4 victory over Dunn. Lim ended Bruner’s streak with a 6-3 victory in the quarterfinals.
By the same 6-3 score, Davis ended Lim’s streak in the semimfinals for a second shot at Kiamco. In a race to 9, Davis chalked up as many racks as he had against Kiamco in the hot seat match. Kiamco added two to his hot seat number and took the 2018 VA State 8-Ball Championship title 9-6.
Tour directors Tiger Baker and Kris Wylie thanked the ownership and staff at Diamond Billiards for their hospitality, as well as sponsors Predator Cues, Viking Cues, Tiger, Simonis Cloth, Aramith Balls, Diamond Billiard Products, Ozone Billiards, Kamui Tips and George Hammerbacher (Advanced Pool Instructor). The Action Pool Tour will conclude its 2018 season with a $10,000 Top 64 Invitational Tournament, scheduled for the weekend of December 15-16 at Q Master Billiards in Virginia Beach, VA (NOTE: The date was changed from its original, Dec. 8-9).
Eric Moore, the 2016 VA State 10-Ball and 8-Ball Champion, finished the 2016 Action Pool Tour (APT) as its top player, capping that feat with an undefeated run at the Tour Championships last December. Until this past weekend (June 17-18), he'd appeared in only two APT stops this year, finishing 7th in March, and, in February, finishing 13th in defense of his VA State 10-Ball title, which was claimed by Dennis Orcollo. Moore also finished fourth in the inaugural Barry Behrman Memorial Spring Open. At this most recent 10-Ball event, the sixth stop on the APT, he went undefeated through a field of 48 at Q Master Billiards in Virginia Beach, VA.
In a concurrently-run Ladies event, Tina Malm worked her way, undefeated, through a short field of eight to claim that title. It was Malm's second win on this year's inaugural series of Ladies tournaments, having won the season opener in January. Malm also appeared in the Open event, finishing in the tie for 33rd. In a ranking system that rewards a combination of performance and participation, Judie Wilson, who's appeared in all six of the Ladies tournaments, remains atop the APT's list of female competitors.
Moore's run in the Open event began with back-to-back shutouts versus Tina Malm and Toby McGovern, before Chris Futrell, his eventual opponent in the finals, gave him a double-hill run for his money in the third round. Moore survived, advancing to defeat Shaun Wilkie (currently at #3 in the tour rankings) 7-3, which set him up in a winners' side semifinal against Mike Davis. Chuck Sampson, in the meantime, met up with Nilbert Lim in the other winners' side semifinal.
Moore survived his second double hill fight, downing Davis, and advanced to the hot seat match versus Sampson, who'd sent Lim to the loss side 7-3. Moore claimed his first hot seat since the Tour Championships and waited there for Futrell to finish his seven-match, loss-side winning streak.
Over on the loss side, it was Davis who ran into Futrell, four matches into his loss-side streak, which began with a 6-4 win over the APT's top-ranked player, Christopher Wilburn, and was followed by a shutout over Steve Freeman, and 6-3 wins over TJ Moore and Steve Fleming. Lim picked up Greg Sabins, who'd defeated Mat LeMire 6-2 and (significantly) eliminated Shaun Wilkie 6-3.
Futrell defeated Davis 6-3, while Sabins and Lim locked up in a double hill fight that eventually advanced Sabins. Futrell took the quarterfinal match that followed 6-4, and completed his loss-side run by giving up only a single rack to Sampson.
The 'finals' re-match was on. The result would do little to change the relative tour rankings of the two opponents (Moore, entering the tournament at #29 and Futrell a few spots above him at #23), but in keeping with their first, double hill meeting, the two played 15 of a possible 17 games. Moore completed his undefeated run 9-6 to claim the title.
Malm downs Duggan twice to claim Ladies title
Tina Malm's four-match, undefeated run in the Ladies event went through Jacki Duggan twice. They met first in the second round (which was the winners' side semifinal) and fought to double hill, before Malm prevailed. Cheryl Pritchard, in the meantime, having shut out Nicole King, faced Gwen Townsend in the other winners' side semifinal and defeated her 6-4. Malm claimed the hot seat with a 6-2 win over Pritchard and waited on Duggan's return.
On the loss side, Duggan picked up Nicole King, who'd just survived a double hill battle against Wilson. Townsend drew Meredith Lynch, who'd defeated Cabatit 6-4 to reach her. By identical 6-4 scores, Duggan and Townsend advanced to the quarterfinals over King and Lynch.
Over the next 15 games, encompassing the quarter and semifinals, Duggan gave up only three racks; two to Townsend in the quarterfinals, and one to Pritchard in the semifinals. Malm ended Duggan's short, three-match, loss-side run with an 8-3 win in the finals.
Larry Kressel (Photo courtesy of Action Pool Tour)
He's never really been out of the East Coast regional tour spotlight, since he first started showing up on AZBilliard payout lists 13 years ago. Larry Kressel was a regular on the Planet Pool, Great Southern Billiard, Jacoby Custom Cues Carolina, and more recently on the Action Pool and Viking Cues' Q City 9-Ball Tours (among others), and even more recently, finished second in the Amateur event of the Super Billiards Expo last month. On the weekend of May 6-7, he chalked up his first win on the Action Pool Tour since 2013, coming from the loss side to meet and defeat hot seat occupant Alan Duty in the finals of an event that drew 32 entrants to Diamond Billiards in Midlothian, VA.
The challenges to his bid for the victory increased steadily through the opening rounds of play as he gave up 2, 3, and 7 racks to Jeff Fulcher, Frances Fernandez and Alvin Thomas, respectively, before facing Duty for the first time in a winners' side semifinal. Jimmy Harris and Alex Travino squared off in the other winners' side semifinal. The increasing number of racks being chalked up against him caught up with Kressel in his first match against Duty. They battled to double hill before Duty advanced to the hot seat match against Harris, who'd sent Travino to the loss side 9-6.
Kressel moved over and picked up Dave Hunt, who, in the midst of a five-match loss side streak, had survived a double hill match against Shane Buchanan and logged a 7-1 victory over Chris Trinidad to reach him. Travino drew Sonny Nassif, who was also in the midst of a five-match, loss-side winning streak, that had included wins over Christopher Wilburn (who would finish this tournament at the top of the tour rankings) and Scott Pulley, both 7-3.
Kressel and Nassif advanced to the quarterfinals; Kressel 7-4 over Hunt, and Nassif, double hill over Travino. Kressel gave up only a single rack in the subsequent quarterfinal match against Nassif, and then locked up in a double hill fight against Harris in the semifinals that eventually sent Kressel to the finals for a re-match versus Duty.
By the time it was over, Kressel's opponents had chalked up every single digit of racks against him, except 5 and 8 (in order; 2, 3, 7, 9, 4, 1 & 6). Duty managed six against him in the final match that ended 11-6 and gave Kressel his first 2017 APT win.
Going into the final event of the 2017 Action Pool Tour season, there was no catching Eric Moore's top spot in the tour rankings. Ahead by nearly 2,000 points, with three victories on the year (in Feb., June, and Nov.), Moore would have been the tour champion even if his closest competitor in the rankings, Brandon Shuff, had competed and defeated him in the finals of the event. Punctuating his finish at the top of the tour rankings, Moore went undefeated through a field of 35, on-hand for APT's season finale, hosted by Q Master Billiards in Virginia Beach, VA, on the weekend of December 10-11.
While there was no drama surrounding who'd be the 2017 tour champion, the season finale did offer two competitors the opportunity to vie for the runner-up position, which would earn that player entry into all three divisions of the 2017 US Bar Table Championships in Las Vegas, as well as hotel accommodations (the winner, Moore, received the same bonus prize, in addition to plane fare). With Shuff not in attendance, that runner-up slot would (no matter where they finished) go to either Shaun Wilkie, who entered the tournament in third place, or Kenny Miller, who entered the tournament in fourth place. They were separated by only 19 points.
In effect, that question was answered when they met in the third round of play. After an opening round bye, Wilkie opened his campaign with a shutout over Thomas Williams. Miller, also awarded an opening round bye, opened with a double hill win (9-8) over Christopher Wilburn, who ended up 6th in the tour rankings. Wilkie advanced 9-5 over Miller, who moved west, won a single match (against Nicole Fleming) and was then eliminated by Steve Fleming, who'd end up 5th in the tour rankings.
Wilkie and Moore, now securely in the #1 and #2 positions on the tour, advanced to face each other in a winners' side semifinal. Reymart Lim, making only his third appearance on the 2017 tour, and cousin Nilbert Lim, making his second, squared off in the other semifinal. In their first of two, Moore downed Wilkie 9-7, as Reymart Lim defeated Nilbert Lim 9-6. Moore claimed the hot seat 9-6 over Reymart, assuring Reymart another (minimum) third place finish to match his effort back in May, when he finished behind Wilkie and Shuff.
On the loss side, Wilkie drew Greg Sabins, who'd defeated Steve Fleming, double hill (right after Fleming had eliminated Kenny Miller) and R.J. Carmona 7-3. Nilbert Lim picked up Pat Carosi, who'd gotten by Ray Reyna 7-5 and Christopher Wilburn 7-2 to reach him. Wilkie advanced to the quarterfinals 7-2 over Sabins, and was met by Carosi, who'd ended Nilbert Lim's weekend 7-5.
Wilkie made short work of Carosi, allowing him only a single rack in their quarterfinal match. Reymart Lim, looking to advance to his first final, put up a fight in the semifinals against Wilkie, but fell short 7-5.
And so it was, that the top two players on the 2017 Action Pool Tour, squared off in the finals of the tour's season finale. Moore laid further claim to his already secured top spot in the rankings with a commanding 11-4 victory over Wilkie.
Tour representatives thanked the ownership and staff at Q Master Billiards for their hospitality, as well as sponsors Predator, Ozone Billiards, AZBilliards and Hammerbacher Instruction.
On the weekend of October 8-9, Hungarian-born, California resident Vilmos Foldes appeared in his first Action Pool Tour (APT) stop at the First Break Cafe, in Sterling, VA – the 10th Annual Bob Stocks Memorial Tournament. He went undefeated through the field of 58, defeating the tour’s (at the time) #2-ranked player, Eric Moore, twice, to claim the event title. Foldes’ first victory on the tour doesn’t move him among the tour’s top-ranked players, because the ranking system is derived from accumulated points. Moore, on the other hand, who has appeared in six of the tour’s eight stops to date, earned enough points as this most recent event’s runner-up to move past the tour’s #1-ranked player, Brandon Shuff, who did not compete.
It was an impressive performance by Foldes, who arrived to compete in a winners’ side semifinal against Brian Deska, having given up only one rack in 29 games played. Foldes shut out his first three opponents, before giving up the single rack to Brian Dietzenbach in a winners’ side quarterfinal. Moore, in the meantime, arrived at his winners’ side semifinal matchup versus Bruce Choyce, having given up 10 racks in 38 games (4, 3, 2 and 1, though not in that order).
Deska, who, back in March, won nine on the loss side to meet and defeat Shuff and claim his first APT title of the year, and then, a month later, won his second APT title, was defeated by Foldes 7-2. Moore, meanwhile, downed Choyce 7-2 to meet Foldes in the hot seat match. Foldes claimed the hot seat 7-3 over Moore, and waited in the hot seat, with his 89% win total, for Moore to return.
On the loss side, Deska picked up Bobby Stovall, who’d fallen to Choyce in a winners’ side quarterfinal and then defeated Christopher Wilburn 6-2 and Kenny Miller 6-1. Choyce drew Dietzenbach, who, following his defeat at the hands of Foldes, shut out Pat Carosi and downed Brett Stottlemyer 6-1.
Almost predictably, two double hill battles ensued, for the right to advance to the quarterfinals. The winners’ side semifinalists (Deska and Choyce) were eliminated by the winners’ side quarterfinalists, Stovall and Dietzenbach. Dietzenbach then stopped Stovall’s run with a shutout in the quarterfinals.
Moore, though, stopped Dietzenbach’s four-match, loss-side streak, which had included two shutouts. Moore earned himself a second shot at Foldes with a 6-3 win over Dietzenbach in the semifinals.
Moore put up a fight in the finals that saw him chalk up as many racks, as all of Foldes’ previous opponents’ combined. Foldes claimed his first APT title with a 9-6 win.
With three events to go, including next month’s VA State 8-Ball Championships (Nov. 12-13 at Diamond Billiards in Midlothian, VA), and airfare to the US Bar Table Championships in Las Vegas at stake (both the top and second-ranked player receive entry to all three divisions of that event, and hotel accommodations), Moore is currently in the top-ranked driver’s seat, with Brandon Shuff right there beside him.
What a difference a year makes. Last year at this time, we were reporting on Shaun Wilkie‘s sixth straight win on the Action Pool Tour at the 2015 VA State Open 10-Ball Championships, in which he defeated Matt Krah in the finals to claim the title. A year later, two competitors who weren’t even involved in last year’s championship, emerged from the pack to battle twice for the 2016 title; Eric Moore and Brandon Shuff. And in what could only be termed a surprise ending, it was Moore who bested Shuff, twice, double hill, to claim the title. The 2016 VA State Open 10-Ball Championships drew 59 entrants to Diamond Billiards in Midlothian, VA. A concurrently-run Women’s event (separate story), drew 18, and saw Janet Atwell defend her title, with, for the second year in a row, Jacki Duggan as the runner-up.
In the Open event, four of the five matches that Brandon Shuff played on the winners’ side went double hill, including his first two versus Shane Wolford and Rich Glasscock. Shuff got by APT Tour Director Ozzy Reynolds 7-2, before engaging in his fourth and fifth double hill battles. He won the fourth over Bill Duggan before running into Moore in a winners’ side semifinal. Moore had some early trouble against Sean Sporleder in his opening round, but advanced 7-5 to defeat three straight opponents (Rick Senter, Nilbert Lim and Rick Scarleto) 7-2. He capped this with the double hill win that sent Shuff to the loss side. Chris Futrell and RJ Carmona, in the meantime, squared off in the other winners’ side semifinal, won by Futrell 7-3. Moore claimed the hot seat over Futrell 7-3 and waited on Shuff’s return.
On the loss side, Shuff walked right into his sixth double hill match; this one, against Reymart Lim, who’d defeated Christopher Wilburn and Adam Kielar, both 6-4, to reach him. Carmona picked up Scarleto, who, following his winners’ side defeat at the hands of Moore, had defeated Rafael Reyes 6-4 and eliminated last year’s champion, Shaun Wilkie, in a double hill match.
Shuff won his sixth double hill match (over Lim), as Scarleto eliminated Carmona 6-2. Perhaps in preparation for what was to come, Shuff bore down and took the quarterfinal match over Scarleto and the semifinal match against Futrell, both 6-3.
In the finals, Shuff and Moore locked up in what was Shuff’s seventh double hill match, out of eight played. Moore prevailed to claim the 2016 VA State 10-Ball Championships.
