Sullivan and Scalzitti split top prizes in upper-bracket event
Splitting the competitors into upper and lower brackets of this past weekend’s (May 4-5) stop on the Garden State Pool Tour yielded 17 (lower) and 15 (upper) entrants that could have been 32 in a single bracket. Vincent Chang went undefeated through the lower bracket, while Hunter Sullivan and Kevin Scalzitti split the top two prizes in the upper-bracket prize pool. The event was hosted by Shooter’s Family Billiards in Wayne, NJ.
Chang opened his undefeated run with two 6-4 victories, over Justin Chang and Brook Villa to draw Nick Mendoza in one of the winners’ side semifinals. Victoria Amparo, from the other end of the bracket, got by Mark Watt 4-5 (Watt racing to 7) and Vicki Moore 4-1 to face Joshua Droz in the other winners’ side semifinal.
Amparo and Druz fought to double-hill for advancement to the hot seat match. Amparo prevailed. Chang downed Mendoza 6-3 to join her and then, claimed the hot seat 7-2.
In the only opening-round match, designed to bring the winners’ side of the bracket down to 16, Rashid Muhammad fought and lost a double-hill battle versus Marc Lamberti. Muhammad moved over and played in the only match of the loss-side’s opening round against Orion Woodard, defeating him 5-2 and launching himself on a four-match winning streak that shut out Brook Villa and defeated Matthew Wrobel 4-3 (Wrobel racing to 6) to draw Joshua Druz.
Mendoza came over and squared off for a rematch against Marc Lamberti, who, after defeating Muhammad in the opening round, lost to Mendoza in the second round 3-6. He followed that on the loss side with two straight, double-hill wins, over Andrew Croft and Vicki Moore, ahead of defeating Mike Strassberg 5-1, to draw the rematch.
Druz downed Muhammad 5-2 and was joined in the quarterfinals by Mendoza who defeated Lamberti a second time, 5-1. Druz defeated Mendoza 4-4 in those quarterfinals (Mendoza racing to 6) and in a handicap reversal, was defeated 4-3 by Amparo in the semifinals (Amparo racing to 6).
Chang won what turned out to be the only set necessary in what might have been a true double-elimination final. He gave up only a single rack and claimed the event title 7-1.
Kevin Scalzitti and Hunter Sullivan
Sullivan defeats Scalzitti once and they opt out of a final rematch
They met first in a winners’ side semifinal; Hunter Sullivan, having defeated David Marchant 6-2 and Maurice Acuna 8-3 to get there, as Scalzitti sent Naldo Troncoso (6-2) and Pascal Dufresne (5-3) to the loss side to meet up with him. Bud Robideau, in the meantime, got by Fernando Ruiz 6-2 and Michelle Brotons 7-2 to arrive at the other winners’ side semifinal for a match against Jason Hugh Sam.
Sullivan shut Scalzitti out and was joined in the hot seat match by Robideau, who’d defeated Sam 7-3. Sullivan and Robideau battled to double hill before Sullivan pocketed the last 9-ball and claimed the hot seat.
On the loss side, Scalzitti picked up a rematch against Troncoso, who’d followed his loss with victories over Rachel Lang (3), Giovanna Napolitano (3) and David Marchant (4). Sam picked up Ronnie Xu, who’d lost his opening match to Napolitano and then defeated Eduardo Cordova (2), Pascal Dufresne (4), and Maurice Acuna (3).
Scalzitti downed Troncoso 6-4 and advanced to the quarterfinals. Xu and Sam battled to double hill, with Xu hanging on to advance to face Scalzitti. Scalzitti took the quarterfinal match 6-2 and then, defeated Robideau 6-3 in the semifinals.
Negotiations were initiated to split the top two prizes. Sullivan, as the undefeated occupant of the hot seat, became the event’s official winner.
Tour director Dave Fitzpatrick thanked Kris Kemp and her staff at Shooter’s Family Billiards for their hospitality, along with sponsors Outsville, In the Box Apparel, Billiard Engineering, JFlowers Cues & Cases, Off the Rail Apparel, Brutal Game Gear, John Bender Custom Cues, and World Beaters Apparel.
The next stop on the Garden State Pool Tour, scheduled for Sunday, June 30, will be a 510 and lower Fargo Rate stop, hosted by Whiskey Hideaway on Staten Island.
Lampaan and Halpin split top prizes in upper-bracket tournament
In an increasingly regular format for regional tours, the Garden State Pool Tour split its entrants to create separate, paying events at a stop in Wayne, NJ this past weekend (Sat., April 20). Mark Antonetti went undefeated to win the lower bracket event for Fargo Rates of 510 or lower, while Levien Lampaan and Jason Halpin split the top two prizes in the upper bracket for Fargo Rates between 511 and 660. The upper bracket drew 20 entrants and the lower bracket drew 19 at the event hosted by Shooter’s Family Billiards in Wayne, NJ.
Antonetti, in the lower bracket, faced three women in a row to reach the hot seat match. Two of those three matches went double hill. After a bye, he chalked up a double-hill win over Jennifer Pedutem, defeated Susan Durling 7-1 and in one of the winners’ side semifinals downed Allison Honeymar, double hill, to reach the hot seat match. Rick Rodriguez, in the meantime (also with a bye), downed Tracey Muller 7-2 and Bryan Arrao 5-1, before battling to double hill and winning the other semifinal against Mike Strassberg. Antonetti claimed the hot seat over Rodriguez 5-2.
Strassberg shuffled on over to the loss side, defeated Nicole Adams 5-2 and advanced to the quarterfinals. Honeymar came over and lost a double-hill battle against Yuchen “Laura” Zie, who joined Strassberg in the quarterfinal match. Zie eliminated Strassberg 4-1 in those quarterfinals.
Xie began the semifinals with two ‘beads on the wire’ in a race to 6 against Rick Rodriguez. She got three of the four she needed to win, but Rodriguez earned a second shot against Antonetti with a 6-3 win.
In their second, straight-up race to 5, Antonetti and Rodriguez mirrored their battle for the hot seat. Antonetti completed his undefeated run with another 5-2 win over Rodriguez.
Jason Halpin and Levie Lampaan
Lampaan and Halpin let their winners’ side semifinal match define the upper bracket result
The two competitors who negotiated a split of the upper bracket’s top two prizes faced each other once, in a winners’ side semifinal. Both Levie Lampaan and Jason Halpin met in that match, having survived a double-hill battle in earlier rounds.
Lampaan, awarded a bye, opened his campaign with that double-hill battle, versus Ryan Buczkowski. He survived it to meet and defeat Jimmy Kardias 7-2, before coming into the winners’ side semifinal. Halpin, without a bye, started out with a 7-1 victory over Mike Johnson before running into his double-hill battle, against Mark Halverson, who started their match with four ‘beads on the wire’ in a race to 8. Halpin prevailed 8-3, and then defeated Gregory Meehan 7-2 to draw Lampaan. Meanwhile, from the lower end of the bracket, Gary McDonnell (after a bye) downed Jason Nicholson 7-3 and George Latko, Jr. 6-4 to draw Naldo Troncoso in the other winners’ side semifinal.
Lampaan defeated Halpin in the final-that-might-have-been 6-2, as McDonnell sent Troncoso to the loss side 6-2. Lampaan and McDonnell (with two ‘beads on the wire’ in a race to 7) battled to double hill in the hot seat match, with Lampaan claiming it in rack #11.
On the loss side, Halpin advanced to the quarterfinal with a 7-1 victory over Jerry Cerchia, as Troncoso got by Jimmy Kardias 6-2. Halpin took the quarterfinal 7-3 over Troncoso and gave up just a single rack to McDonnell in the semifinals. Negotiations got underway to split the top two prizes and with Lampaan, undefeated in the hot seat, he became the event’s official winner.
Tournament director Dave Fitzpatrick thanked Kris Kemp “and her amazing staff” at Shooter’s Family Billiards for their hospitality, along with sponsors Outsville, In The Box Apparel, Billiard Engineering, JFlowers Cues & Cases, Kamui, Off the Rail apparel, Brutal Game Gear, John Bender Custom Cues, and World Beaters Apparel.
The Garden State Pool Tour will return to Shooter’s Family Billiards and engage in the same split-bracket format on the weekend of May 4-5.
By their design, split/separate brackets in a tournament are intended to keep the lower-ranked (Fargo-rated) players separated from their greater-skilled (higher Fargo-rated) brethren until late in the event process. This avoids circumstances that would force a mythical, low Fargo-rated ‘John Smith’ from paying an entry fee and then drawing Shane Van Boening in an opening round of play. Players in the separate brackets compete against similarly-rated players until the two brackets get closer to the end, at which point, our mythical ‘John Smith’ might be slated to play Shane Van Boening anyway, although at a point when ‘John’ has presumably played and won a series of matches that have at least allowed him to practice a little before doing so.
Chris Farrell started out in the lower bracket (525 & lower Fargo Rate) at this past weekend’s (Feb. 4-5) stop on the Garden State Pool Tour and thanks to the efforts of a fellow, lower-bracket competitor (Juan Taveras), faced a competitor from the upper bracket (526 to 675) only once, battling for the hot seat. Taveras lost his opening match in the lower bracket to Mike Strassberg and then proceeded to win eight on the loss side for the right to meet Farrell in the finals. Farrell went undefeated through the field, downing Taveras in the final. The $150-added event drew 37 entrants (17 upper bracket and 20 lower bracket) to Breaker Billiards in Clifton, NJ.
Farrell’s path went through Gil Costello, Bob Toomey and Brenda C. Martinez, arriving at a winners’ side semifinal against Brook Villa. Christian Taeza, in the meantime, working initially from the upper bracket, received an opening round bye before sending Jim Conn, Alfredo Altamarino and Frank Rodriguez to the loss side and picking up Bill Meima in the other winners’ side semifinal.
Farrell downed Villa, double hill, advancing to meet his only upper bracket opponent, Taeza, who joined him in the hot seat match after defeating Meima 6-3.
On the loss side, Meima drew an immediate rematch against Rodriguez, who’d moved to the loss side and defeated Jim Conn, double hill, and Levi Lampaan 4-4 (Lampaan racing to 6). Villa drew Taveras, who was five matches into his loss-side streak and had recently won his rematch against Strassberg 6-2 and downed Martinez, double hill.
Taveras chalked up loss-side win #6, defeating Villa 6-2 and was joined in the quarterfinals by Meima, who’d sent Rodriguez home 5-3. Taveras then gave up only a single rack to Meima in those quarterfinals.
Taveras also gave up just a single rack to his upper bracket opponent in the semifinals, Christian Taeza before advancing to meet Farrell in the finals. Farrell completed his undefeated run with an 8-6 win in that final match to claim the event title.
Tour director Dave Fitzpatrick, assisted by Jennifer Pedutem, thanked the ownership and staff at Breaker Billiards for their hospitality, along with sponsors Billiards Engineering, JFlowers Cues and Cases, IntheBX, Off the Rail Apparel, Kamui, John Bender Custom Cues and Outsville. The next stop on the Garden State Pool Tour, scheduled for the weekend of Feb. 25-26, will be hosted by Diamond Jim’s Billiards and Pub in Nanuet, NY.
In the season opener of the Garden State Pool Tour, a $220-added event that drew 53 entrants to Shooter’s Family Billiards in Wayne, NJ this past weekend (January 7-8), the hot seat and finals featured two competitors named ‘Juan’ (Pena and Tavaras). As noted, one of them won (Pena), but not before the other Juan (Tavaras) battled the winning Juan to a double hill final game. As it happened, the last four matches featured five competitors whose names began with the letter ‘J.’
The event was initially split between two separate brackets; one for Fargo-rated players from 526 to 650 and a lower bracket for players rated at 525 and below. As happens with such split brackets, players compete against others in their Fargo-rated ‘ballpark,’ so to speak. The two brackets come together near the end and in some cases (this one, as a matter of fact), the two finalists have won their individual brackets.
Juan Pena went through his upper bracket undefeated, past Aidan Downey, Dinko Busanich and Steve Persaud, to arrive at the finals of the upper bracket, against Jon Goncalves. This was the winners’ side semifinal of the overall tournament. In the lower bracket, Juan Tavaras got by Alejandro Azcarate, Shweta Zaveri (whose husband, Jaydev, was toiling away in the upper bracket) and Chris Weick to arrive at the other winners’ side semifinal (lower bracket final) against John Torp. And there they all were, five ‘J’s about to embark on the event’s last four matches; two Juans, a Jon and a John, and a Jaydev.
In spite of being down 0-5 (Goncalves on the hill), Pena rallied to defeat him double hill (6-5), as Tavaras sent Torp to the loss side 7-2. Pena took the first of two against Tavaras 7-4 to claim the hot seat.
On the loss side, Goncalves drew a rematch against Jaydev Zaveri, who’d defeated him in a winners’ side quarterfinal and gone on to win matches over Dennis Feliciano, double hill, and Rick Rodriguez 7-3. Torp drew a rematch as well, versus Kris Manuel, whom he’d defeated in an overall winners’ side quarterfinal and come back through Chris Cheung 6-4 and Chris Weick 7-3 (the ‘Chris’ undercard to the five ‘J’s?).
Jaydev Zaveri chalked up a successful rematch against Goncalves, shutting him out. Torp stayed alive, following his successful second match versus Manuel 4-5 (Manuel racing to 9).
J. Zaveri eliminated J. Torp in the quarterfinals 9-2. J. Tavaras earned his second shot at J. Pena with a 4-5 win over J. Zaveri in the semifinals (Zaveri racing to 7).
As had happened to him in the winners’ side semifinal versus Goncalves, Pena allowed his opponent in the finals (Tavaras) to get out in front early and reach the hill, ahead of him by four racks, Pena rallied a second time, rendering a second set unnecessary by dropping the 9-ball in the 13th game.
Tour director Dave Fitzpatrick thanked the ownership and staff at Shooter’s Family Billiards for their hospitality, as well as all of the 53 participating competitors. Thanks were also extended to tour sponsors, Billiard Engineering, In the Bx, Off the Rail Apparel, Kamui, JFlowers Cues and Cases, and John Bender Custom Cues.
The tour opened its 2023 season by moving to the Fargo Rate system, as well as employing the services of digitalpool.com for online brackets. Outsville 9-Ball racks were employed at the tables. The tour is setting up its pool Web site (www.gstptnj.com), as well as offering tour information on its Facebook group: Garden State Pool Tour (8 & 9 Ball). The Garden State Pool Tour and Shooter’s Family Billiards will host a charity event this coming weekend (Jan. 14-15), in which the proceeds will go to Warriors Run, LLC to assist veterans in need. The next regularly scheduled event (Jan. 28-29 for 675 and lower Fargo rates) will be hosted by Rockaway Billiards in Rockaway, NJ.
He won his first regional tour title a little shy of two months ago, at a stop on the Garden State Pool Tour in Clifton, NJ. This past weekend (Dec. 10-11), Julian Tierney won his second regional tour stop, coming from the loss side to claim the tour’s invitational Grand Amateur Championships, a $300-added event that drew 44 entrants to Players Billiards in Eatontown, NJ.
The event was initially broken up into four separate double-elimination brackets, out of which emerged 16 players, who advanced to another double elimination bracket that would determine the tour’s 2022 Grand Amateur Champion. Lysander Diaz, David Jusis, Jesse Duetcher and Levie Lampaan emerged as champions of the four original brackets. Tierney, a ‘B’ player, was sent to the loss side early in the final 16-player bracket and won five on the loss side before challenging and defeating A player, Levie Lampaan twice in the true double elimination final.
Lampaan had advanced through two opponents to arrive at a winners’ side semifinal against Jesse Duetcher (B). Marc Lamberti (C) challenged Lysander Diaz (D+) in the other one.
Lampaan advanced to the hot seat match 7-3 over Duetcher and was joined by Diaz, who’d sent Lamberti to the loss side 7-4. Lampaan claimed the hot seat 10-7 over Diaz and waited for Tierney to complete his loss-side run.
On the loss side, Tierney survived a double hill battle versus Rob Wetherhold and eliminated Kevin Scalzitti 7-2 to draw Duetcher. Lamberti picked up David Jusis, who’d eliminated Gustavo Ardon Perdomo 6-3 and Jimmy Cangialosi 7-3 to reach him.
Tierney got by Duetcher 7-3, as Lamberti was defeating Jusis 6-4. Tierney stopped Lamberti’s short loss-side visit 7-2 in the subsequent quarterfinals.
Tierney then made sure that Lysander Diaz’ visit to the loss side was equally short. He defeated 8-4 in the semifinals. Tierney had to win two sets in the double elimination final and took the opener, allowing Lampaan only a single rack. Lampaan rallied in the second set but not by enough. Tierney won the second set 7-4 to claim the Garden State Pool Tour’s Grand Amateur Championships.
Tour director Dave Fitzpatrick thanked the ownership and staff at Players’ Billiards and on the occasion of the Garden State Pool Tour’s final event of 2023, included thanks to all of the 2022 host locations; Breaker Billiards in Clifton, NJ, Black Diamond Billiards in Union, NJ, Clifton Billiards in Clifton, NJ, Diamond Jim’s Billiards & Pub in Nanuet, NY, Side Pocket Billiards in Howell, NJ and Shooter’s Family Billiards in Wayne, NJ.
Fitzpatrick also extended thanks to tour sponsors Billiards Engineering, John Bender Custom Cues, JFlowers Cues and Cases, Off the Rail Apparel, In the Bx and Kamui.
The 2023 Garden State Pool Tour will be switching from its current use of a ‘letter’ ranking system to the FargoRate system. The 2023 season will open on the weekend of January 7-8 with a 675-and-under FargoRate event, hosted by Shooter’s Family Billiards in Wayne, NJ.
Until this past July, it had been a long time since Tim Clark had earned a cash payout, let alone an event victory at a pool tournament; 2008, to be exact. He won a stop on the Garden State Pool Tour in July and this past weekend (Nov. 11-12), he did it again. He chalked up his second victory on the tour with a significant flourish, coming from the loss side to avenge the loss and double-dip the defending champion of the Garden State Pool Tour’s Amateur 9-Ball Championships, Hunter Sullivan. The 2022 $600-added championships drew 58 entrants to Rockaway Billiards in Rockaway, NJ.
Clark and Sullivan both emerged from the event’s upper (A-B) bracket and met for the first time in the (overall) winners’ side quarterfinals. Sullivan took the first (and last) of their three matches 7-5 and advanced to play Kevin Scalzitti in one of the winners’ side semifinals. Sabrina Sherman and Ben Zimmerman squared off in the other one.
Sullivan got into the hot seat match with a 6-5 win over Scalzitti (racing to 7). Sherman joined him after downing Zimmerman, double hill; 5-6 (Zimmerman racing to 7). Sullivan claimed the hot seat, his last win of the event, 8-6 over Sherman.
Clark opened his loss-side campaign with a 5-6 win over Dinko Busanich (Busanich racing to 8) and a 7-1 victory over Julian Tierney, which set him up to face Scalzitti. Zimmerman drew Jorge Capillo, who’d recently eliminated Nicole Adams, double hill, and Giancarlo Delgado 6-1.
From this point on through the first set of the double elimination finals, every match went double hill. Clark over Scalzitti, Zimmerman over Capillo. Clark over Zimmerman in the quarterfinals and Clark again, over Sherman in the semifinals.
If coming back on the loss side to face and defeat the opponent who’d sent you there comes with a certain ‘satisfaction’ badge, facing that opponent in the finals and defeating him twice has a badge marked ‘double satisfaction.’ Doing both of those things and winning your first major tournament has ‘satisfaction guaranteed’ written all over it. Clark and Sullivan battled to double hill in the opening set before Clark finished it.Clark took the second set 7-5 and claimed his first (recorded) event title.
Tour director Dave Fitzpatrick thanked the ownership and staff at Rockaway Billiards for their hospitality, as well as tour sponsors Billiards Engineering, JFlowers cues, John Bender Custom Cues, Pool-a-Holic, Off the Rail Apparel and IntheBx. The next event on the Garden State Pool Tour, scheduled for Dec. 10-11, will be the tour’s by-invitation-only Grand Amateur Championship, to be hosted by Players Billiards in Eatontown, NJ.
It’s something of a recent phenomenon, this mixing of possible games in a tournament. Not entirely new, but event organizers have been getting creative with the ways that they mix the games; from changes that dictate ‘x’ amount of 8-ball or 9-ball (or other) games in a single match to the format employed by the Garden State Pool Tour at its most recent event this past weekend (Oct. 15). At the $200-added Halloween Classic that drew 18 entrants to Breaker Billiards in Clifton, NJ, 8-ball was the designated game on the winners’ side of the bracket and 9-ball was the game on the loss side. Competitors not only had to absorb a first loss and continue play knowing that there was no longer any room for error, they had to move from what is generally considered to be an easier game (if there is such a thing) to a harder one.
Julian Tierney didn’t have to worry about that. He won all of his matches, going undefeatedplaying 8-ball. When it came time for the true double elimination finals against Mike Johnson, the game played in the opening set was 8-ball. Had it gone to a second set, they would have finished up playing 9-ball. Tierney took the opening set to claim his first (recorded) regional tour title.
Tierney followed an opening round bye with two straight shutouts, over Michelle Brotons and Jason Blanchard, to arrive at a winners’ side semifinal against Dinko Busanich. Johnson, also with a bye, locked into a 6-2 pattern that sent Tom Mac and Ron Lichtenberger to the loss side and set him up to face Sumit Bansal in the other winners’ side semifinal.
Tierney defeated Busanich 4-2, as Johnson kept his pattern going with a 6-2 victory over Bansal. Tierney broke the pattern, downing Johnson 6-3 to claim the hot seat.
On the loss side, Busanich drew Lysander Diaz, who, after losing an opening round match to Aurelio Romero, went on a four-match winning streak that had recently eliminated Lichtenberger and Frank Rodriguez, both double hill (5-6; Lichtenberger and Rodriguez racing to 7). Bansal drew Romero, who’d defeated Mikeal Kim 7-4 and Rob Rodriguez, double hill to reach him.
Romero won his fourth loss side match, downing Bansal 7-4, as Busanich eliminated Diaz, double hill. Busanich and Romero battled to double hill in the quarterfinals that followed before Busanich closed it out.
Busanich came into the semifinals with a Fargo-calculated 68.3% chance of winning the match against Mike Johnson; Busanich racing to 8, Johnson to 5. Johnson battled him to double hill and won it 5-4 for a second shot at Tierney, waiting for him in the hot seat.
Though Johnson’s Fargo-rated chances of winning the opening set of the true double elimination final against Tierney were even lower than his chances against Busanich (7.5% vs. 31.7%), Johnson battled Tierney to double hill in a straight-up race to 7. Tierney had the last word though and claimed title to the Garden State Pool Tour’s 2022 Halloween Classic.
Tour director Dave Fitzpatrick thanked the ownership and staff at Breaker Billiards, as well as sponsors Billiards Engineering, IntheBX, Kamui, Off the Rail, Jflowers Cues and Cases, John Bender Custom Cues and Pool-a-holic.
The next stop on the Garden State Pool Tour, scheduled for the weekend of Nov. 12-13 at Rockaway Billiards in NJ, will be the Annual Amateur New Jersey State Championships. The tour’s final event – The Grand Amateur Invitational Championship – will be held in December.
Mike Kain took full advantage of his pool handicap during a six-match, undefeated trip to the winners’ circle at a stop on the Garden State Pool Tour this past weekend (Sat., Oct. 8). He ended up playing against only one opponent in a straight-up race to 5, Pete Carrano, whom he defeated 5-2 in the opening round. Rated as a ‘5,’ Kain went on to defeat a ‘6,’ (two of them), a ‘7,’ and two ‘8’s, including a double hill battle against Jason Halpin in the finals. The $400-added event drew 36 entrants to Diamond Jim’s Billiards in Nanuet, NY.
Though the handicap worked in his favor (as handicaps are essentially meant to do), Kain did end up defeating higher-ranked opponents by relatively substantial margins. Following his victory over Carrano, he downed ‘6’-rated Chris Farrell 5-1, ‘7’-rated Emmanuel Areizaga 5-5 to meet up with his first ‘8’ handicap opponent – Roger Hanos – in one of the winners’ side semifinals. Robert Rodriguez, in the meantime, who didn’t face a higher handicap until he reached his winners’ side quarterfinal, downed Shonda Evens 6-3, Marc Antonetti 6-2 and Bud Robideau 5-6 (Robideau racing to 7) to face Halpin in the other winners’ side semifinal.
Kain advanced to the hot seat match with a 5-5 win over Hanos (racing to 8) and was met by Rodriguez, who’d survived a double hill battle versus Halpin. Playing with a single ‘bead on the wire’ in a race to 6, Kain claimed the hot seat 5-2 over Rodriguez.
On the loss side, Halpin drew Areizaga, who’d followed his winners’ side quarterfinal loss to Kain with victories over David Moore 7-3 and Ken Kerner 5-1. Hanos drew a rematch versus Kevin Scalzitti, who was working on a five-match, loss-side winning streak that Hanos had initiated in the third winners’ side round. He’d recently eliminated Donald Henriquez 8-2 and Bud Robideau 7-3 to earn the rematch.
In a straight-up race to 7, Scalzitti successfully navigated his way to redemption over Hanos, though not before Hanos had forced a 13th deciding game. Halpin downed Areizaga 7-2 to join Scalzitti in the quarterfinals.
Halpin stopped Scalzitti’s loss-side run 7-4 and then, finished Rodriguez’ day 8-2. Fittingly, Kain’s last match went double hill against Halpin. With four ‘beads on the wire’ to start in a race to 9, Kain chalked up the five he needed to claim his first (recorded) regional tour win.
Tour director Dave Fitzpatrick thanked Stephine Werner and her Diamond Jim’s Billiards and Pub staff for their hospitality, as well as sponsors John Bender Custom Cues, Billiards Engineering, Kamui, JFlowers Cues and Cases, IntheBx & Off the Rail. With only two events left in the tour season, the Garden State Pool Tour will hold its annual Halloween Classic this coming weekend (Oct. 15-16), to be hosted by Breaker Billiards in Clifton, NJ.
After five attempts on the Predator Tri-State Tour, dating back two years, when his first cash payout was recorded with us here at AZBilliards, Hunter Sullivan has broken through to claim an event title on the tour, albeit one with an * for being in the hot seat and opting out of a final match. Sullivan did record two regional tour victories last year, one on the Mac Attack Tour and the other at the Garden State Pool Tour’s Amateur Championships. Sullivan and Nick Torraca had played once already in the Saturday, Sept. 24 event, letting their battle for the hot seat stand as the defining match of the tournament. The $500-added, ABCD 10-ball event drew 33 entrants to Shooter’s Family Billiards in Wayne, NJ, where Sullivan began his quest for his first title two years ago.
Sullivan’s path went through Frank Rodriguez 6-2, Mikhail Kim 6-3 and then faced tour newcomer, Jason Halpin, in a winners’ side quarterfinal. Halpin put up a double hill fight, but it was Sullivan who advanced to a winners’ side semifinal against Don Henriquez. Torraca, in the meantime, got by Vijay Patel (5-1), KC Clayton (5-3) and Dave Fitzpatrick (5-3) to face Brook Villa in the other winners’ side semifinal.
Sullivan defeated Henriquez 6-3 and was joined in the hot seat match by Torraca, who’d sent Villa to the loss side 6-4. Sullivan claimed the hot seat 7-4 over Torraca in what would prove to be his last match.
Henriquez and Villa arrived on the loss side of the bracket and walked right into two double hill struggles. Only one of them made it out of that first loss-side match. Henriquez picked up Mikhail Kim, who’d defeated Jason Halpin and Anthony Nasta, both 6-3, to reach him. Villa drew Gustavo Ardon, who’d recently eliminated Dave Fitzpatrick 5-1 and Tom Crane 7-4.
It was Henriquez who made it out alive (so to speak), barely, downing Kim. Villa ended up on the wrong side of his double hill battle and it was Ardon who advanced to the quarterfinals.
Henriquez defeated Ardon in those quarterfinals 5-3 and in what proved to be the last match of the night, Torraca defeated Henriquez by the same score in the semifinals. The agreement was reached, the cash was split and as undefeated occupant of the hot seat at the time, Hunter had his first Predator Tri-State Tour title.
Tour representatives thanked the ownership and staff at Shooter’s Family Billiards for their hospitality, as well as title sponsor Predator Cues, Poison Cues, Arcos 2 Balls, Ozone Billiards, Sterling Billiards, Kamui, Hustlin’ USA Clothing, Bloodworth Ball Cleaner, Billiard Engineering, Joe Romer Trophies, Phil Cappelle Publications, Pool & Billiards and Billiards Digest. The Predator Tri-State tour will return to Shooter’s Family Billiards on Saturday, Nov. 5, for a 9-ball event.
Two years ago in the Garden State Pool Tour’s annual Fall Brawl, Ed Langley finished as runner-up to Kevin Scalzitti. This year, he checked in to compete in the 6th Annual Fall Brawl, held on Saturday, Sept. 10, and went undefeated to claim the title. The $200-added event drew 20 entrants to Players Billiards in Eatontown, NJ.
The event featured a combination of 8-ball and 9-ball matches, divided in favor of more 9-ball competition; eight racks of 9-ball and five racks of 8-ball in the races to 7 on the winners’ side of the bracket, six racks of 9-ball and three racks of 8-ball in the races to 5 on the loss side, 11 racks of 9-ball and six racks of 8-ball in the race to 9 finals. The finals in this year’s Fall Brawl proved to be the only match that began with 9-ball.
Langley faced Ed Woolley twice in this event; hot seat and finals. Langley got by Jorge Capillo 7-4, then battled Jaydev Zaveri to double hill before advancing to a winners’ side semifinal against Kyle Bubet. Woolley’s route to the hot seat match went through Kervin Santamaria and David Jusis, to whom he gave up one rack, each, to arrive at his winners’ side semifinal against Christian Taez.
Langley sent Bubet to the loss side 7-2 and was joined in the hot seat match by Woolley, who’d sent Taez over 7-3. In their first of two, Langley downed Woolley 7-3, evenly splitting their games of 8-ball and 9-ball, finishing with the latter and claiming the hot seat.
On the loss side, Taez drew Zaveri, who’d followed his loss to Langley with a 5-1 victory over Ben Zimmerman and a double hill win over 2020 champion, Kevin Scalzitti. Bubet picked up Justin Pelech, who’d lost to Zaveri in a second-round match and chalked up three on the loss side versus Jorge Capillo 5-2, David Jusis 5-0 and Alex Vangilov 5-1.
Pelech did his part to secure a quarterfinal rematch against Zaveri with a 5-2 win over Bubet, but Taez gave up only a single rack to Zaveri. Pelech made it six in a row in those quarterfinals, defeating Taez 5-2, but his streak came to an abrupt halt in the semifinals, when Woolley won five straight games of 8-ball to earn a second shot against Langley.
As it turned out, Langley and Woolley played 9-ball for all but the last game of the final race-to-9. It switched at the conclusion of the 11th game of 9-ball and Langley completed his undefeated run by winning the only 8-ball match and claiming the event title.
Tour director Dave Fitzpatrick thanked the ownership and staff at Players Billiards (“one of the most player-friendly rooms in the New Jersey area”) for their hospitality, along with sponsors IntheBx, Off the Rail, Billiards Engineering, John Bender Custom Cues, JFlowers Cues & Cases & Kamui. The next two Garden State Pool Tour events will be hosted at Clifton Billiards in Clifton, NJ, commencing with this weekend’s Sunday, Sept. 18 C-D Class 9-Ball event; 40-player maximum. On October 8-9, the tour will welcome a new host to the Garden State Pool Tour family – Diamond Jim’s in Nanuet, NY, who will host a 64-player A-D Class tournament.
