Rick Scarlato Jr., Earl Strickland, RJ Carmona, Tony Long and Shaun Wilkie (Photo by Erwin Dionisio)
Maryland State events are quickly becoming the premiere event and the Maryland State 9 Ball Bar Table Championship March 17th – 18th was no exception. With another full field event of 128 players, $1000 added by McDermott cues, first place paying over $5900, and a stacked field with every big name you can possibly imagine, it’s no wonder there’s a buzz about the On the Hill Productions tournament. The home room of these tournaments, Bank Shot Bar and Grill in Laurel, MD, was brimming with green-clad players gunning for the top spot this St. Patrick’s Day weekend, everyone hoping for a bit of luck. Earl Strickland was more than lucky, winning the “pot o’ gold” and claiming his second MD State victory.
Strickland was the star of the show as usual, entertaining fans between matches with endless stories and replayed layouts. He was like a Shakespearean actor with a skull in his hands, retelling dramatic matches with famous opponents, waving and illustrating the drama to captivated listeners. On the table, Earl simply dominated, going undefeated with only one opponent getting to the hill before the finals (Adam Kielar).
Of crowd favorites, Earl was of course the largest, then Jason Kirkwood, a bar table champion whose reputation preceded him. The luck of the Irish was not with Kirkwood though, as he was brought down unexpectedly by Leeroy Taylor (7-6), and only won one more on the B-side before his run was ended by Eddie Abraham (7-6), leaving Kirkwood in the top 32 but out of the money. Leeroy went on to finish 9-12, surely leaving some green with envy as he wasn’t an anticipated challenger.
The spectators kept hope with their next favorite in line to win, Shaun Wilkie, a professional player who consistently places in the top of any field he enters. True to this expectation, Wilkie immediately downed Danny Basavich, otherwise known as Kid Delicious (7-4). Wilkie could not get past Strickland (7-4) later in the bracket, however, and went to the B-side Sunday to knock down Reymart Lim (7-5), before falling to Tony Long (7-2), taking 4th in this strong event.
By Sunday, only monsters remained. The green shirts had dissipated, leaving more of a quiet intensity to the play rather than festivity. Reymart finished 5th/6th after the mentioned loss to Wilkie, but not before taking down Zippler (7-5), Brett Stottlemeyer (7-3), and Pat McNally (7-5) among others. Kenny Ruttmann (Russian Kenny) went on a tear on the B-side which was ended by Paul Cogle Sunday, and Tom Zippler ended Cogle’s run a few rounds later. An exhausting tournament for those making it to this point, but all were in the money and were hungry for their shot.
Speaking of exhaustion, Tony Long may have had the longest (pun intended) journey to get to his 3rd place finish but on the way he ended more runs than a pulled hamstring. Long lost 2nd round to Joe Chester (7-4) and then won an incredible 9 matches in a row. Among those Long knocked out were Greg Sabins (7-1), Chris Wilburn (7-5), Adam Kielar (7-5), Joe Wright (7-4), and Steve Fleming (7-5), before RJ Carmona put a stop to Long in a hill-hill semifinal.
On the way there, Carmona RJ cleared the top of the A-side brackets, with no opponent getting to the hill until his hotseat match with Strickland. He downed Steve Fleming (7-4), Leeroy Taylor (7-5), Joey Mastermaker (7-1), Paul Oh (7-3), Stosh Sheldon (7-2), and in the first round, Kenny Ruttmann (7-5). His first matchup with Strickland did not go smoothly though. Carmona lost a quick 7-2 in the hotseat match before recovering on the B-side.
The Philippine native travelled from Virginia Beach with the Greg’s Not So Pro Shop crew to put up an impressive hill-hill set in the finals against the Hall of Fame legend, even though the true double-elimination format meant that RJ would’ve also had to win a second set to claim the title. The odds were against Carmona, facing a five-time US Open and two-time world champion, but it didn’t seem to phase him.
The final match got off to a funky start, with RJ scratching on the break, leaving a guaranteed 2-9 combination shot, but ball in hand on a 1-8 combo up table. In an effort to control the 1ball, Earl failed to pocket the 8-ball, and conceded the game. RJ then tacked on another game after a fluke scratch by Earl. Another scratch on the break swung things towards Strickland, who took that game and the next, making 3 balls on his break. Score 2-2, RJ broke dry, leading to a safety game and ultimately a miscue. Earl took that game and the next, taking the lead 4-2. The scratches were a large factor in this matchup at this point.
RJ answered next rack with a much-needed break and run, clearing the air of mistakes. He then also took advantage of a dry break by Earl, running that out. 4-4, RJ broke, made the 1-ball and got hooked getting to the 2. After a messy back and forth, RJ stroked a beautiful 7-ball to get to the 9, score 5-4 RJ. Earl then broke and ran to even things up, 5-5, then closed the next one after RJ accidentally hooked himself mid-rack.
Earl, now on the hill, tried to play safe off the 2-ball, but scratched. RJ seized the opportunity and ran out. Now hill-hill, RJ broke, made the one, and bumped the 2 into a difficult position against the side of the pocket behind a ball. Knowing he couldn’t afford a mistake, RJ decided to play safe by just rolling the cueball against the 2, executing beautifully. Earl somehow not only made a good hit but made the 2. From there, he ran down to the 8, where RJ threw in the towel (literally), conceding the match.
Earl Strickland now owns two Maryland State titles, with Klenti Kaci and Dennis Orcullo each owning one also. Strickland, a North Carolina native who currently resides in the Philadelphia area, is revered as one of the greatest pool players to have ever played. Congratulations go out to him and RJ Carmona for their thoroughly entertaining play.
On the Hill Productions would like to thank Bank Shot Bar and Grill, McDermott Cues, Simonis Cloth, Navigator Tips, Phillippi Custom Cues, Aramith Pool Balls, CBR TAP Leagues, and all the players and spectators that made this event successful. A special acknowledgement to Lights Out Billiards Apparel in addition to sponsoring, but also for donating 10% of their proceeds from this event to a fundraiser run by Greg’s Not So Pro Shop, benefitting a young child in the Philippines that needs a heart operation.
To watch the streamed matches from this event and more, find Ground Zero Scott (Adict2speed) on Youtube. Also follow On the Hill on Facebook, keeping your eye out for the next event at Champions Billiards Sports Bar in Frederick, the first big table event for the crew. These events fill up fast, so jump at any chance if you can!
Day three is underway at the Joss NE 9-Ball Tour's Turning Stone Classic XXIX, held at the Turning Stone Resort and Casino in Verona, NY.
The original field of 128 players has been cut in half, with sixteen undefeated players joined by 48 players on the left side of the board.
Jayson Shaw's hopes to win a record tying sixth Turning Stone Classic title still look good, as he remains undefeated after two days of play. Shaw will be challenged by Joss Tour regular Dennis Hatch on Saturday morning. Other marquee matches on the right side of the board include Mika Immonen vs Zion Zvi, Danny Hewitt vs Sean Morgan and Brandon Shuff vs Billy Thorpe.
Jayson Shaw (File photo courtesy of Dave Thomson – Medium Pool)
The Joss NE 9-Ball Tours Turning Stone Classic XXIX is ready to kick off at the Turning Stone Resort and Casino in Verona, NY.
While reigning champion Shane Van Boening is not in attendance (he is at the Joy Chinese 8-Ball Masters this week), the reigning runner up – Jayson Shaw – is in attendance and looking to win his 6th Turning Stone title. That win would tie him with Johnny Archer for the most Turning Stone titles by one player.
Dennis Orcollo and Jayson Shaw (Photo courtesy of Poolactiontv.com)
This weekend, Elizabeth City, NC was the place to be for this year’s US Open 9 Ball warm-up – the 3rd Annual Dismal Swamp 9-Ball Classic. Owners Jimmy, Ashley and Scott Cartwright – father & two sons – laid out the red carpet at Colonial Cues. With tournament sponsors Glover Law Firm, Biggs Cadillac, Jim Todd, Toyota of Elizabeth City, East Coast Landscaping, McDonald’s, David and Allison Cianciulli, Mike Burton with Joss Cues and the City of Elizabeth, the Cartwrights put together another great event.
On Friday night, everyone was treated to an exhibition by Venom Trickshots – the one and only Florian Kohler. This is definitely not your grandfather’s trick shot show! For those who haven’t seen him in action, he’s incredible! This was followed by the players auction and then most headed to bed – first round matches started the next day at 10 am!
First round action saw Alex Pagulayan over Karen Corr, Devin Poteet lost to Tommy Kennedy, Jayson Shaw beat Jeremy Jones and Sky Woodward defeated Shaun Wilkie. Tony Chohan was taken down by Jani Siekkinen while fellow Finn, Petri Makonnen, lost to Shane Van Boening.
Second round action was really brutal! Loree Jon Hasson lost to Billy Thorpe, James Aranas bowled over the always tough Alex, Brandon Shuff trimmed Earl Strickland, Dennis Orcollo defeated Danny Basavich, Jayson Shaw sent Tommy west, Sky won over Jani and Shane dispatched Max Eberle to the west side of the chart.
It wasn’t getting any easier! In the third round, James sent Billy to the one loss side while Dennis did the same to Brandon. Sky polished off Jayson while Shane dusted off Kevin West.
By now, there were four players left on the winners side of the chart – James Aranas vs. Dennis and Sky vs. Shane. Dennis and Sky emerged for the hot seat match while James and Shane headed over to the other side to duke it out with the remaining players.
The battle for the hot seat resulted in Dennis locking up his spot in the finals 9-5 and Sky going west to await the results of the Jayson-Shane match. Jayson moved on in a nailbiter – 8-7. Shane had to settle for a fourth place finish.
Looking to avenge his earlier defeat by Sky, Jayson was a man on a mission. He won 8-6, leaving Sky in third place.
This would be a one set finals – race to twelve. It looked to be a barnburner as both Dennis and Jayson were in dead punch. Marching to a mid-match lead, Jayson led 6-3 and then Dennis hit a gear. Racking up game after game, it was all Dennis as he tied it up, went ahead and reached the hill first – and then missed. Now it was Jayson’s turn! Winning game after game, he stole the title from a stunned Dennis. What. A. Match!!! Congratulations, Jayson! Great tournament, Dennis!
Thanks again to Jimmy, Ashley, Scott and their staff for another successful event as well as two Tournament Directors Eric Williamson and Preach Dant for keeping the show running smoothly.
PoolActionTV.com would like to thank our viewers and all behind the scenes who helped make this a great show. Without our sponsors – Steve Lomax of Lomax Custom Cues, Aramith, John Barton of JB Cases, Simonis, James Hanshew of Hanshew Custom Cues, Kamui, GoPlayPool.com, Mike Durbin of Durbin Custom Cues and Club Billiards of Wichita, KS – none of this would be possible. Thank you to all!!!
Our next stop is the Sidepocket Open 9-Ball Championship to be held October 28th-29th at Sidepocket Billiards and Darts in Shreveport, LA. Hope to see you there!!!
Jeremy Sossei, Julie Berlin (owner) and Martin Daigle
Jeremy Sossei recovered from a late Saturday loss, and avenged that loss on his way to winning stop #10 on the Joss NE 9-Ball Tour at Sharpshooters Billiards & Sports Pub in Amsterdam, NY on Feb 18th – 19th.
It was smooth sailing for Sossei early on Saturday, as he notched dominating wins over Willie Oney (9-1), Joe Hagen (9-1), and Danny Basavich (9-0). Bucky Souvanthong then derailed Sossei’s trek through the winner’s side with an equally dominating 9-3 win over Jeremy.
The late Saturday loss meant that Sossei would have a long day of pool on Sunday, if he hoped to add another Joss tour stop to his resume. Sossei resumed his winning ways on Sunday with wins over Mark Creamer, Steve Lillis, Nelson Oliveira and Jorge Teixeira.
Back on the right side of the board. Souvanthong had beaten Ron Casanzio, but then dropped the hot-seat match to Martin Daigle 9-6. That left Souvanthong facing Sossei in the semi-final match, where Sossei redeemed himself for the earlier loss and defeated Souvanthong 9-6.
As always, the Joss Tour final match is a true double elimination contest, and Sossei forced that second set with a 9-5 win over Daigle in the first set. The second set was Sossei at his best, as he crushed Daigle 9-0 for first place.
Sunday’s second chance tournament saw Bruce Nagle put on a show. Nagle’s 3-2 win over Josh Harding in the second round of the tournament was the only rack he lost over five matches. Nagle followed up the win over Harding with 3-0 wins over James Chemaly and then Norm Vernon for the hot-seat. After Vernon’s 3-0 loss to Jordan Turner on the one loss side, Nagle ended the day with another 3-0 win, this time over Turner for first place.
The Joss NE 9-Ball Tour is back in action this weekend at Snookers in Providence, RI for the N.E. Pool & Billiard Hall of Fame 9-Ball Open.
Jorge Rodriguez, Zion Zvi, Jimmy Rivera and Kang Lee
Zion Zvi, winner of last spring's 6th Annual George "Ginky" Sansouci Memorial Tournament, chalked up not only his first win, but his first paying finish since then, with an undefeated run at the 10th Annual Empire State Championships, held on the weekend of February 25-26. The $1,000-added Open/Pro, 10-Ball division of the championships drew 25 entrants to the event's traditional home, Raxx Billiards in West Hempstead, NY. A concurrently-run, $2,000-added, 9-Ball Amateur event drew 108 entrants and saw Duc Lam return from a defeat in the hot seat match to down Tony Kuo in the finals.
"I took a break over the past few years," said Zvi, who's sponsored by Molinari Cues and Steinway Billiards, "but I'm going to be more active this year.
"I'm coming back, one step at a time," he added.
Zvi and Jimmy Rivera battled twice in this one; once, in the hot seat match and again, in the finals. Zvi had sent Frankie Hernandez to the loss side 7-4, as Rivera was downing Lee Kang by the same score. Zvi took the hot seat by that same 7-4 score as well, and waited on Rivera's return.
Over on the loss side, Jorge Rodriguez, following victories over Jim Conn 7-2, and Eugene Ok 7-4, was laying in wait for Hernandez. Waiting for Kang was veteran player Danny Basavich (better known as Kid Delicious), who'd defeated Chris Derewonski 7-3, and Holden Chin 7-2.
Rodriguez downed Hernandez 7-5 as Kang was busy eliminating Kid Delicious 7-4. Rodriguez then defeated Kang in the quarterfinals 7-2. In the semifinals, Rivera ended Rodriguez' loss-side run 7-5.
Zvi, though, on something of a comeback trail that looks to be stepping up its pace in the weeks and months ahead, was too close to let this one slip away. He downed Rivera a second time, this time 7-2, to claim the title.
Lam comes back from hot seat defeat to down Kuo in Amateur finals
Duc Lam and Tony Kuo battled twice in the Amateur event, with the lower-handicapped Kuo getting '4 on the wire' (racing to 9) in the hot seat match, and '3 on the wire' (racing to 8, and then, to 10) in the finals. In the winners' side semifinals, Lam had sent the event's defending champion, Justin Muller, to the loss side 7-5, as Kuo was sending Ryan Dayrit over by the same score. Lam and Kuo played 10 games in the hot seat match, each winning five. Kuo's handicap advantage made it 9-5 for him, and he was in the hot seat.
Kuz ended Muller's hopes of defending his title 7-5, and in the quarterfinals, faced Dayrit, who'd downed Schreiber 8-5. Dayrit took the quarterfinals 9-5, and then had his short loss-side streak ended by Lam in the semifinals 10-5.
As noted, Kuo opened the finals with '3 on the wire,' racing initially to 8. Lam reached 8 first, with Kuo at 6, having won 3. Lam went on to win it 10-8 to claim the event title.
