Raffled cues, online funding, organized by Christy Norris, raises $4,600 for Mabe family
Anthony Mabe, 28, a regular on the Viking Cues’ Q City 9-Ball Tour, died in a car accident on Saturday, May 29. Long-time friend and tour director Herman Parker began immediate arrangements for a benefit tournament, re-purposing an already-scheduled tour stop for this past weekend (June 5-6) at Gate City Billiards Club in Greensboro, NC. Mabe had begun appearing on the payout lists for the tour in 2015 and over the past six years, had cashed in 18 of the tour’s stops, including a default win (as occupant of the hot seat) that he shared with Graham Swinson and Corey Sykes in 2019 (his best earnings year). In his most recent effort, he finished in the tie for 5th place on the last weekend in February at Gate City Billiards Club.
With raffled cues and an online funding campaign, organized by Christy Norris, the Anthony Mabe benefit was able to raise $4,600 to help the Mabe family with the cost for services, which included a graveside service before the tournament began on Friday, June 4 at the West End Cemetery in West End, NC. The tournament drew 90 entrants to Gate City Billiards Club and was won by Zac Leonard, who, as occupant of the hot seat, split the top two prizes with Jimmy Bird.
In effect, Leonard and Bird settled the issue in the battle for the hot seat. They both defeated their winners’ side semifinal opponents 7-1; Leonard, over Brandon Butts and Bird, over Jesse Cortner. Leonard claimed the hot seat 7-2 in what proved to be his final match.
On the loss side, Butts and Cortner ran immediately into their second loss. Josh Shulz had defeated Reid Vance 7-1 and Jamie Bruce, double hill, before eliminating Cortner 7-2. Donnie Stewart had defeated Mike McPherson 6-3 and Robert Ash 6-2, before he shut out Butts.
Shultz then eliminated Stewart 7-2 in the quarterfinals, before he was eliminated by Bird 7-1 in the semifinals. Leonard and Bird agreed to the split, with Leonard as the official winner of the event.
Tour director Herman Parker thanked the ownership and staff at Gate City Billiards Club for their hospitality, as well as all those who attended and either in-person or online, contributed to the benefit of Anthony Mabe’s family. He also thanked title sponsor Viking Cues, BarPoolTables.net, Dirty South Grind Apparel Co., AZBilliards, Federal Savings Bank mortgage division and Diamond Brat.
The next stop on the Viking Cues’ Q City 9-Ball Tour, scheduled for this weekend, June 12-13, will be hosted Borderline Billiards in Bristol, TN.
Donnie Stewart made his first official appearance on the AZBilliards Money Leaderboard in 2018, when he recorded cash payout finishes in four stops on the Viking Cues’ Q City 9-Ball Tour; finishing 9th, 7th, 5th, and (his best, to that point) 3rd at a stop in Cary, NC. On Saturday, November 2, at a $500-added stop, hosted by Shore Thing Billiards in North Myrtle Beach, SC, Stewart went undefeated into the hot seat, gave up the opening set of a true double elimination final to Matt Collins, but came back to take the second set and claim his first ever event title.
Stewart had to get by Collins twice, actually. They met first in a winners’ side semifinal, as Mitchell Floyd and Deon Rheuark squared off in the other one. Stewart sent Collins to the loss side 6-3. Floyd joined him in the battle for the hot seat, after shutting Rheuark out. Stewart claimed the hot seat 6-2 and waited for Collins to finish his three-match, loss-side trip back to the finals.
On the loss side, Collins drew Travis Guerra, who’d defeated Alex Stone 6-4 and Keno Patel 6-2 to reach him. Rheuark drew Wendell Thompkins, who’d gotten by Sugar Small 7-3 and survived a double hill (7-6) battle versus Greg Dix.
Collins got into the quarterfinal match with a 6-4 win over Guerra. Thompkins joined him, after eliminating Rheuark 7-1. The last recorded time that Collins and Thompkins had faced each other in a pool match, it was in the same location, in the finals of a stop on the Great Southern Billiard Tour in 2015. Thompkins had defeated Collins in the hot seat match of that event, but Collins came back from a double hill win in the semifinals, chalked up a second double hill win in the opening set of the finals, and then took the second set to claim his first event title. Back at Shore Thing Billiards, just over four years later, Collins bested Thompkins again; this time, 6-4 to win the quarterfinal match.
Collins shut Mitchell Floyd out in the semifinals and strode into the double elimination finals with some momentum. He used it to chalk up a 6-2 win in the opening set. Stewart, though, came back in the second set to win it 6-2 and claim his first event title.
Tour directors Herman and Angela Parker thanked the ownership and staff at Shore Thing Billiards, as well as title sponsor Viking Cues, Bar Pool Tables, Delta 13 Racks, AZ Billiards and Professor Q-Ball. The next stop on the Viking Cues’ Q City 9-Ball Tour, scheduled for this weekend (Nov. 9-10), will be a $500-added event ($1,000-added with 64 or more entrants) hosted by Break ‘N Run Billiards in Chesnee, SC.
In its first visit to Shore Thing Billiards in Myrtle Beach, SC, the Viking Cues’ Q City 9-Ball Tour drew 54 entrants for a $500-added stop on the weekend of August 10-11. Billy Fowler worked his way through the field to claim the hot seat over former junior player Hunter White, but White came back from the semifinals to double dip Fowler in the finals and claim the event title.
Fowler had defeated Marty Free 8-2 to get into the hot seat match, as White was at work downing Zach Collins 8-4 to join him. Fowler claimed the hot seat over White 8-6 and waited on his return.
Vallario downed Free 6-6 (Free racing to 8) and was joined in the quarterfinals by Collins, who’d defeated Hall 6-5 (Hall racing to 7). Collins took the quarterfinal match over Vallario 6-2 to earn himself a rematch against White in the semifinals.
White, though, duplicated his effort against Collins in the winners’ side semifinal with an 8-4 win in the event semifinal. White and Fowler battled to double hill in the opening set of the true double elimination final. White took that opening set and then downed Fowler a second time 8-4 to claim the event title.
Tour directors Herman and Angela Parker thanked the ownership and staff at Shore Thing Billiards for their hospitality, as well as title sponsor Viking Cues, Bar Pool Tables, Delta 13 Racks, AZ Billiards and Professor Q-Ball. The next stop on the Viking Cues’ Q City 9-Ball Tour, scheduled for this weekend (August 17-18), will be hosted by Shotmaker’s in Garner, NC.
Were it not for the fact that the Viking Cues’ Q City 9-Ball Tour moves around a bit in its distinctly Southern geographic area, and derives at least a part of its ongoing success to that very mobility, tour directors Herman and Angela Parker might opt to hold all of their tour stops at the Steakhorse Restaurant and Billiards facility in Spartanburg, SC. Almost exactly a month ago (June 2-3), the room opened its doors for the first time, playing host to a stop on the tour. The venue, owned by a player with a tour stop victory on his resume (Dayne Miller), added $1,500 to that opening event, and drew 84 entrants. On the weekend of July 28-29, the tour re-visited the venue, which in the interim had opened walls to expand in size and brought in more tables. Once again, $1,500 was added to the event, which, this time, drew 90 entrants. In the end, Matt Bulfin and Derek Pierce opted out of a final match, and split the top two prizes. Bulfin, as the hot seat occupant at the time, was the event’s official winner.
Though he finished as runner-up to Chase Smith last September on the tour, Bulfin, until this weekend, had yet to chalk up a win on the tour, and, in fact, hadn’t won a stop anywhere (that was recorded) since he took home a title on Tommy Kennedy’s Southeast Open 9-Ball Tour, six years ago. His path to the winners’ circle at this most recent stop led him to a winners’ side semifinal match against Steven Ellis, while his eventual hot seat and finals opponent, Derek Pierce squared off against Dalton Messer.
Pierce and Messer battle to double hill before Pierce advanced to the hot seat 5-5 (Messer racing to 6). Bulfin joined him following a 9-4 victory over Ellis. Bulfin then played what proved to be his last match and claimed the hot seat 9-3.
By identical 6-3 scores, Coe and Messer moved to quarterfinals over Ellis and Ringgold. Messer then gave up only a single rack to Coe (6-1) and advanced to the semifinals against Pierce. With Messer racing to 6, Pierce got his second shot against Bulfin by downing Messer 5-4.
Bulfin and Pierce, as noted at the outset, opted out of a final match. Bulfin, in the hot seat, officially recorded his first tour victory.
Tour directors Herman and Angela Parker thanked Steakhorse Restaurant and Billiards’ owner Dayne Miller and his staff (profusely), in addition to title sponsor Viking Cues, Delta 13 Racks, AZBilliards and Professor Q Ball. In addition to the regular payouts for the event’s top 16 competitors, the tour awarded $50 to the event’s top junior Hunter White. The next stop on the Viking Cues’ Q City 9-Ball Tour, scheduled for this weekend – August 4-5 – will be hosted by Buck’s Billiards in Raleigh, NC.
JT Ringgold continues to solidify his position as the top winner on the Viking Cues’ Q City 9-Ball Tour. On the weekend of June 23-24, he added his 11th victory on the tour. His closest competitor in the category is James Blackburn, who, to date, has won five times on the tour. The $500-added weekend event drew 41 entrants to Speakeazy Billiards in Sanford, NC.
Ringgold came within a match of going undefeated. Barry Mashburn won five on the loss side for the right to meet him in the true double elimination finals and won the opening set. Ringgold took the second set to claim the title.
Mashburn was sent to the loss side in a winners’ side quarterfinal match against Jason Rogers, who advanced to meet David Brown in one of the winners’ side semifinals. Ringgold and Joshua Shultz squared off in the other one. Brown sent Rogers to the loss side 8-4, and in the hot seat match, faced Ringgold, who’d defeated Shultz 10-4. Ringgold claimed the hot seat 10-5 over Brown and waited on the return of Mashburn.
Mashburn opened his loss-side run by giving up only a single rack over his first two matches; one to Anthony Mabe and none at all versus Dylan Letchworth. This set Mashburn up to face Shultz. Rogers drew Stevie McClinton, who’d eliminated Don Lilly, 7-6 and Donnie Stewart 7-1 to reach him.
Mashburn jumped immediately into the quarterfinals, when Shultz forfeited (citing a prior commitment, Shultz had left on Saturday). Mashburn was joined in the quarterfinals by McClinton, who’d defeated Rogers 7-5.
Mashburn took the quarterfinal 9-4, and then, defeated Brown in the semifinals 9-5. Carrying the familiar ‘momentum sword,’ Mashburn took the opening set of the true double elimination final 9-4 (Ringgold racing to 10). Ringgold then demonstrated the skill and experience that had, to that point, earned him 10 Q City 9-Ball titles. He defeated Mashburn 10-5 in the second set to claim his 11th title.
Tour directors Herman and Angela Parker thanked Jim Bullis and his Speakeazy staff for their hospitality, as well as title sponsor Viking Cues, Delta 13 Racks, AZBilliards and Professor Q Ball. The next stop on the Viking Cues’ Q City 9-Ball Tour, scheduled for this weekend (June 30-July 1) will be a $200-added event, hosted by Pal’s Billiards in Piedmont, SC.
Shannon Fitch, probably best known as the competitor who thwarted Mike Davis’ hopes of defending his NC State 10-Ball Championship in 2016, was back at work on the Viking Cues’ Q City 9-Ball Tour on Saturday, May 26. He went undefeated through a field of 35 entrants to claim the event title. The event was hosted by Break Time Billiards in Cary, NC.
Fitch’s advancement through the field brought him to a winners’ side semifinal against Donnie Stewart. Teenager Peter Abatangelo, in the meantime, squared off against Q-City 9-Ball veteran JT Ringgold. Fitch got into the hot seat match with an 11-5 victory over Stewart, and was joined by Abatangelo, who’d sent Ringgold to the loss side 7-4. Fitch claimed his first of two over Abatangelo and sat in the hot seat to await his return.
On the loss side, Ringgold picked up Kelly Farrar, who’d defeated Graham Swinson and David Brown 6-4 to reach him. Stewart drew Scott Roberts, who’d gotten by Jeff Young 8-4 and Joey Tate 8-3. It was Stewart and Farrar who advanced to the quarterfinals; Farrar eliminating Ringgold 6-6, and Stewart eliminating Roberts 6-7.
Stewart took the quarterfinal match over Farrar 6-4, and had his loss-side run ended by Abatangelo 7-3 in the semifinals. Fitch, though, was not to be denied. He defeated Abatangelo a second time 11-4 to claim the event title.
Tour directors Herman and Angela Parker thanked the ownership and staff at Breaktime Billiards, as well as title sponsor Viking Cues, Viking Cues, Delta 13 Racks, AZBilliards and Professor Q Ball. The next stop on the Viking Cues’ Q City 9-Ball Tour, scheduled for this weekend (June 2-3), will be a $1,000-added event, hosted by The Steakhorse in Spartanburg, SC.
They’re the kind of matches that are fun to watch, whether they feature top-notch professionals or rank amateurs; the true double elimination final format that yields two, double hill matches between the last two opponents standing in a tournament. Such was the scene at the April 7-8 stop on the Viking Cues’ Q City 9-Ball Tour, when Michael Hancock and Josh Padron met up in the true double elimination final. Hancock was in the hot seat, while Padron, who’d lost his first match of the tournament (after a bye), had won nine on the loss side to meet him. Padron took the opening set for his 10th match win in a row, but Hancock battled in the second set to claim the title. The event drew 37 entrants to a new venue for the Viking Cues’ Q City 9- Ball Tour – Carolina Billiards in Garner, NC.
While the 2017 Tour Champion (Padron) was at work on the loss side, Hancock advanced to a winners’ side semifinal against Jonathan Williams. Perennial Q City 9-Ball competitor, J.T. Ringgold, in the meantime, met up with Donnie Stewart in the other winners’ side semifinal. Hancock got into the hot seat match with a 7-2 win over Williams and was joined by Ringgold, who’d sent Stewart west 10-4. Ringgold, racing to 10, had chalked up eight racks to Hancock’s ‘on the hill’ six, before Hancock won his seventh, and sent Ringgold to the semifinals.
On the loss side, Padron, who’d lost his opening match to Ricky Dickson, won his first four, then won two straight double hill matches, against Greg Pulliam and teenager, Peter Abatangelo, to draw Stewart in the first money round. Williams picked up Duane Wade, who’d eliminated Solomon Pope, double hill (5-6) and 12-and-under junior champion Joey Tate 5-3 (Tate racing to 6).
Padron ousted Stewart 7-4 and, in the quarterfinals, faced Wade, who’d defeated Williams 5-3. Padron chalked up his eighth straight win, double hill (7-4) over Wade in those quarterfinals, and then, completed his loss-side run with a double hill (7-9) victory over Ringgold in the semifinals.
Hancock and Padron were playing straight-up races to 7. Padron took the true double elimination opener, for his 10th win in a row, double hill. They fought back and forth to double hill in the second set, before Hancock sunk the deciding ball to claim the event title. In addition to his $600 payday, Hancock won free entry to the Beasley Open in June.
Tour directors Herman and Angela Parker thanked the ownership and staff at Carolina Billiards, as well as title sponsor Viking Cues, Delta 13 Racks, AZBilliards and Professor Q Ball. The next stop on the Viking Cues’ Q City 9-Ball Tour, scheduled for April 14-15, will be a $250-added event, hosted by Mickey Milligan’s in New Bern, NC.
