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Thompson goes undefeated to capture 12th Annual Robert Dionne Memorial title

Tim Schroeder, Eric Lim and Jodie

Thanks, in part, to the absence of a number of B (and above) players who opted to compete in Turning Stone XXIX, scheduled on the same weekend, Jodie Thompson (C+) began the 12th Annual Robert Dionne Memorial Tournament by competing in the upper bracket, normally reserved for the B (and above) players. He was one of six C/C+ players among the 22 to compete in the upper bracket. None of the B or above competitors made it as far as the winners’ side semifinals, while on the loss side, only two B/B+ players made it to the money rounds. Thompson worked his way, undefeated, through the field of 43, on-hand for the $1,500-added Dionne Memorial, held under the auspices of the New England 9-Ball Series and hosted by Crow’s Nest in Plaistow, NH on the weekend of January 6-7.
 
Victories over one fellow C+ player, a B and a B+ player put Thompson into the winners’ side semifinal against another C+ player, Buddy Oldham. Tom Schroeder (C), in the meantime, squared off against D+ player, Richard Comeau. Thompson got into the hot seat match with a 5-2 win over Oldham. He was joined by Schroeder, who’d downed Comeau in a double hill match. Thompson claimed the hot seat 6-2 over Schroeder and waited on the return of what turned out to be the last B player, Eric Lim.
 
Having been sent to the loss side by Xavier Libby in a winners’ side quarterfinal, Lim was in the midst of a seven-match, loss-side winning streak that would take him as far as the finals. He’d defeated Tyler Campbell 6-1 to move into the money rounds, and then shut out Thomas Hood to draw Oldham. Comeau picked up Dan Martis, who’d defeated Ambriory Minyety 5-2 and Matt Eline 5-1 to reach him.
 
Lim advanced to the quarterfinals with a 6-1 victory over Oldham. He was joined by Comeau, who’d eliminated Martis 4-2 (Martis, as a C+, was racing to 6). As the last D+ representative in the event, Comeau put up a double hill fight, but it wasn’t enough. Lim advanced to the semifinals, where a 7-2 win over Schroeder gave him a shot at Thompson in the hot seat.
 
Lim had to win one extra game in the finals that followed (a 6-5 race) and he almost made it. They battled to 5-4, before Thompson closed out his undefeated run to win it 5-5 and claim the 12th Annual Robert Dionne Memorial title.
 
Tour director Marc Dionne thanked the ownership and staff at Crow’s Nest for their hospitality, along with sponsors Ozone Billiards, Molinari, Bert Kinister, AZBilliards, Inside English, Professor Q-ball’s National Pool and 3-Cushion News, Delta 13 Racks, MJS Construction, Bob Campbell, Championship Cloth, and OTLVISE Billiard Mechanics of America. The next stop (#12) on the New England 9-Ball Series, scheduled for January 13, will be a $500-added event, hosted by Legends Sports Bar in Auburn, ME.

Dechaine goes undefeated to win Robert Dionne Memorial

Paul Coorey, Francisco Cabral and Mike Dechaine

When a professional pool player appears in a handicapped tournament, he (or she), in any matchup, is often expected to win twice, and in some cases, three times as many games as his/her lower-handicapped opponents. The intent is to level the playing field, to give the lower-ranked opponent an opportunity to win the match by having to win significantly fewer games. In many cases, the professional handicap of having to win more games is not enough to offset the wide disparity in levels of skill.
 
On the weekend of Jan. 7-8, 42 players signed on to compete in the 11th Annual Robert Dionne Memorial Tournament, held under the auspices of the New England 9-Ball Series, to commemorate tour director Marc Dionne's father, who passed away in 2006. Among the 42 entrants at the $1,500-added event, hosted by The Crow's Nest in Plaistow, NH, was Mosconi Cup competitor, Mike Dechaine, who went undefeated through the field, and in his final 34 games, gave up only a single rack (total) to his last three opponents.
 
According to Dechaine, it wasn't all as easy as indicated by the aggregate score of his last three matches.
 
"I went hill-hill twice in the tournament," he said. "Francisco Cabral, who finished third, almost got me, and so did Tony Ruzzano (who finished in the tie for 9th place)."
 
"It wasn't too far from home," he said of his reasons for signing on, "and I just decided to participate."
 
To regular competitors on the New England 9-Ball Series, it must have been akin to joining a pick-up basketball game and seeing LeBron James show up to play on the opposing team, with predictable results. From Dechaine's perspective, the handicap system (akin, say, to forcing LeBron James To play one-handed) worked well; creating some predictable blowouts and the two double-hill matches.
 
"There might be some slight adjustments needed," he said of the system, "but I think it's pretty spot on."
 
By the time Dechaine had reached the winners' side semifinals (with his two, double-hill matches behind him), he was facing opponents with narrower margins of error. Facing Kerry McAuliffe, racing to 6, Dechaine had to win nine games. He did so, giving up the one rack he'd relinquish from that point on. He was joined in the hot seat match by C+ player, Paul Coorey, who'd defeated Dan Martis, double hill. In that hot seat match, Coorey had to win four, before Dechaine chalked up 12. Dechaine shut him out.
 
On the loss side, the two competitors who had earlier forced a deciding game in their matches against Dechaine – Cabral and Ruzzano – squared off in the matches that would determine the four-way tie for ninth place. Cabral defeated Ruzzano and then, Steve Sutton, both double hill, before picking up McAuliffe. Martis drew Charlie Matarazzo, who'd gotten by Jay Cunningham 5-3, and Rick Bergevin, double hill.
 
The lower-ranked players, Martis (C), and Cabral (A-), downed their higher-ranked opponents, Matarrazo (C+) and McAuliffe (A); Martis 4-2 over Matarazzo, and Cabral 6-3 over McAuliffe. Cabral gave up only a single rack to Martis in the ensuing quarterfinals, but had his loss-side streak ended by Coorey 5-6 in the semifinals (Cabral racing to 9).
 
Coorey got a second shot at Dechaine, but it was a repeat of the hot seat match. Dechaine shut him out a second time to claim the event title.
 
Tour director Marc Dionne thanked the ownership and staff of The Crow's Nest for their hospitality, as well as sponsors Ozone Billiards, Molinari, Bert Kinister, AzBilliards, Inside English, Professor Q-ball’s National Pool and 3 Cushion News, Delta 13 Racks, Bob Campbell, Championship Cloth, and OTLVISE Billiard Mechanics of America. The next stop on the New England 9-Ball Series, scheduled for Sunday, January 15, will be a $500-added event, hosted by Legends Sports Bar in Auburn, ME.

Dinh returns from semifinals to down Deocharran in Eastern States Amateur Championships

Quoc Dinh, Tim Strunk, Tim Perry and Troy Deocharran

A double hill hot seat match sent Quoc Dinh to the semifinals of the 3rd Annual Eastern States Amateur Championships, held on the weekend of August 13-14. Dinh returned to face and eventually defeat Troy Deocharran in the finals. The $1,000-added Amateur event, held under the auspices of the Predator Tour, The Ride the 9 Tour and the New England 9-Ball Series, drew 76 entrants to Snookers, in Providence, RI. A concurrently-run Open/Pro event, won by Jayson Shaw (separate story), drew 31 entrants to the same location.
 
Deocharran and Dinh had a relatively easy time in their respective winners' side semifinal matches; Deocharran sending John Francisco to the loss side 7-2, as Dinh was sending Tim Perry over, 7-3. Their first meeting was a double hill affair, eventually won by Deocharran, who sat in the hot seat awaiting Dinh's fateful return.
 
On the loss side, Francisco picked up Tim Strunk, who'd been sent to the loss side by Mike Demarco, and was in the midst of a six-match, loss-side run that would take him all the way to the semifinals. Wins #3 and #4 came against Dan Martis (7-4) and Roarke Dickson (double hill), which set Strunk up to face Francisco. Perry drew John Ortiz, who'd eliminated Richard Senna 7-4 and Dan Faraguna 7-3.
 
Strunk chalked up a second straight double hill win, advancing to the quarterfinals over Francisco. He was joined by Perry, who'd eliminated Ortiz 7-4. Strunk won his last match, defeating Perry 9-4 in those quarterfinals.
 
Dinh stopped Strunk's loss-side run 9-4 in the semifinals, for a second shot against Deocharran in the hot seat. Dinh used some semifinal momentum to defeat Deocharran in the finals 9-5.