Matt Collins had gotten as close as third in his attempts to win a stop on the Great Southern Billiard Tour. Returning to the site of that third-place, April 2014 finish, Shore Thing Billiards in Myrtle Beach, SC, Collins took a short, loss-side route to the winners' circle; losing the hot seat match, and returning from the semifinals to double dip hot seat occupant, Wendell Thompkins, a veteran GSBT competitor with a few victory notches on his GSBT belt. The $600-added event drew 27 entrants to Shore Thing Billiards on the weekend of September 5-6.

 

Collins earned his spot in the hot seat match with a 6-4 win over Scott Crane. Thompkins had defeated B.J. Hucks 8-4 to join him. Thompkins claimed the hot seat 8-4, and waited on Collins' fateful return.

 

On the loss side, Hucks drew David Tootle, who'd defeated Phillip Britt 6-6 (Britt, racing to 9) and Tony DeGuzman 6-2, to reach him. Crane picked up Gatlin Askins, who'd eliminated Zach Baker 8-2 and Melody Duval 8-1. With Askins racing to 8, Crane defeated him 5-7, as Tootle downed Hucks 6-4.

 

Crane then came out on the right side of a double hill quarterfinal against Tootle. He came out on the wrong side of subsequent double hill semifinal versus Collins, who got a second shot at Thompkins in the hot seat. Collins locked up in his second straight double hill match and won it to force a second set. They came within a game of another double hill match, but with Thompkins racing to 8, Collins completed his first GSBT victory with a 6-6 win in the second set.

 

The next stop on the GSBT, a $1,000-added event (with 40 or more entrants; $1,500 with 60 or more), scheduled for the weekend of September 19-20, will be hosted by Michael's Billiards, in Fairfield, OH. Sign-ups and practice are scheduled for noon on Saturday, with match play commencing at 2 p.m.

 

As the February 7-8 stop on the Great Southern Billiard Tour wound down to its final 12 players (four on the winners' side, eight on the loss side), the lower handicaps were doing quite well against the more veteran competitors. Two players who only had to win four games to win a match advanced to the hot seat, and in the end, played in the finals, as well. While Jeff Batten defeated Brad Stone twice to capture his first GSBT title, it should be noted that Stone was the one who had to travel to the one-loss side and face Phillip Britt. Britt had to win nine games to win a match and was in the midst of an eight match, loss-side winning streak that Stone brought to an end. The $1,000-added event drew 45 entrants to Shore Thing Billiards in Myrtle Beach, SC.

 

As GSBT veterans like Britt, Greg Dix and Jeff Abernathy were working on the loss side, Batten and Stone advanced to the winners' side semifinals. Batten met and defeated David Tootle (racing to 6) 4-4, as Stone was busy sending Ray Floyd to the loss side 4-3. Batten claimed the hot seat, and waited on Stone's return, no doubt rooting for him in the semifinals versus Britt.

 

On the loss side, Tootle was the one who had the misfortune to draw Britt, who'd been defeated in the opening round, and had won six on the loss side already, including a 9-2 win over Paul Durgin and a decidedly tighter 9-6 win over Abernathy. Floyd drew Paul Bailey, who'd defeated Chris Gentile 7-4 and eliminated Dix in a double hill fight. Bailey and Britt advanced to the quarterfinals, handing Floyd and Tootle their second straight loss; Bailey 7-4 over Floyd and Britt 9-4 over Tootle.

 

Britt then completed his loss-side winning streak with a 9-3 win over Bailey in the quarterfinals. He chalked up six in the semifinals versus Stone, but by then, Stone had won the four games he needed for a second shot at Batten in the hot seat.  The final match was a straight-up race to four that went double hill before Batten prevailed to record his first GSBT victory.

 

Tour director Shannon Daulton, fresh off his win in the Banks division of the Derby City Classic, thanked the ownership and staff at Shore Thing Billiards for their continuing support. The next stop on the GSBT, scheduled for February 28-March 1, will be hosted by Legends Billiards in Inman, SC. 

Devin Poteet stopped a five-match, loss-side winning streak by Trey Frank to complete an undefeated run on the Great Southern Billiard Tour on the weekend of August 9-10. The $1,000-added event, which drew 41 entrants to Shore Thing Billiards in Myrtle Beach, SC, was Poteet's first win on the tour.

 

Frank was already at work on the loss side, when Guy Faulk, who'd sent him there, faced Jamie Lowery in a winners' side semifinal. Poteet met up with Junior Faircloth in the other. Lowery sent Faulk over 6-2, as Poteet advanced to the hot seat match 6-3 over Faircloth. Poteet defeated Lowery 6-3 and sat in the hot seat, awaiting Frank.

 

Frank, who'd defeated Adam Towery 5-4, and Ken Cagle 5-3, missed his chance at a re-match versus Faulk by drawing Faircloth.  Faulk drew Chandler DeGuzman, who'd gotten by Steve Girardi and David Tootle, giving up only rack to each of them. DeGuzman did another 4-1 number on Faulk, as Frank was defeating Cagle 5-3.

 

Frank downed DeGuzman in the quarterfinal 5-3 and then dropped Jamie Lowery into third place 5-4. Poteet ended Frank's loss side run with a first-set, 6-3 win in the finals.

Jason Martin went undefeated on the weekend of February 8-9 to win his first stop on the Great Southern Billiard Tour. He had to get by Darren "Gilligan" Blitch, looking for his second win on the tour, twice to complete the victory. The $1,000-added, 9-ball event drew 50 entrants to Shore Thing Billiards in Myrtle Beach, SC.

 

Martin and Blitch met first among the winners' side final eight, where a 6-6 win (Blitch racing to 8) movEd Martin into a winners' side semifinal against Guy Faulk, while Blitch moved to the losers' bracket. Joey Stevens and Ray Floyd met in the other semifinal. Martin downed Faulk, double hill, while Floyd defeated Stevens 5-3. Martin got into the hot seat with a 6-4 win over Floyd.

 

On the loss side, Blitch began his five-match march back to the finals with an 8-4 win over Matt Collins. He followed it with an 8-5 victory over Todd Kiser, which set him up to face Stevens. Faulk drew David Tootle, who'd gotten by B.J. Hucks 6-4 (Hucks racing to 9), and survived a double hill fight against Phillip "Ski Bo" Britt. 

 

Blitch downed Stevens 8-3, and in the quarterfinals, met up with Faulk, who'd eliminated Tootle 4-2. Blitch then dropped Faulk into fourth place 8-2, and survived a double hill match against Floyd to earn his second shot against Martin. For the second time, Martin defeated Blitch 6-6 to claim the event title.

 

Marge Cooper, filling in for the absent Shannon Daulton (in Vegas for WPBL duty), thanked Brent Hudgins and his staff at Shore Thing Billiards, along with sponsors Nick Varner Cues & Cases, Delta-13, Ozone Billiards, Tiger Products, Andy Gilbert Custom Cues, Lomax Cues, and Universe Clothing. The next stop on the GSBT, a $2,000-added double-event (8-ball & 9-ball), is scheduled for February 21-23 at Michael's Billiards in Fairfield, OH.

B.J. Hucks stopped a three-match, loss-side winning streak by David Tootle, defeating him in the second and deciding set of a true double elimination final to capture the November 9-10 stop on the Great Southern Billiard Tour. The $800-added event drew 29 entrants to Shore Thing Billiards in Myrtle Beach, SC.

 

Hucks and Tootle were both among the winners' side final four, but not against each other. Hucks defeated Phillip Britt 8-5, as Romey Malonzo sent Tootle west 6-5. Hucks got into the hot seat 8-2 over Malonzo, and waited on the return of Tootle.

 

Tootle began his loss-side march against Mike Slaughter, who'd defeated Greg Little 8-3 and Justin Martin 8-2, to reach him. Britt met up with Jim Grey, who'd gotten by Don Strickland 6-5 (Strickland racing to 7), and Hope Gillium 6-2. Tootle and Slaughter locked up in a double hill battle, eventually won by Tootle, while Britt was busy eliminating Grey 9-2.

 

With Britt racing to 9, Tootle took the quarterfinal match 6-6, and then downed Malonzo, double hill in the semifinals. He took the opening set of the true double elimination final 6-2. Hucks came back to win the second set 8-4 to claim the event title.