Michael Mathieu and Kevin Brule played three times to determine the winner of the February 17 stop (#16) on the New England 9-Ball Series. In each of the three matches, the winner gave up only a single rack. Mathieu won two of the three, including the critical second set of a true double elimination final to claim the event title. The $500-added event drew 47 entrants to Yale Billiards in Wallingford, CT.

 

They met first in the hot seat match. Mathieu had defeated fellow B player, Ryan Urso 6-2, as Brule was downing fellow C Player, Joann Cobbett, in a match that went double hill. Mathieu gave up the single rack to Brule in this first encounter and sat in the hot seat, waiting for rounds two and three.

 

On the loss side, Urso picked up Ali Raza, who’d defeated Mike Langley, double hill, and Ryan McQuade 6-2 to reach him. Cobbett drew Marc Murphy, who’d eliminated Ed Murray, double hill and Darryl Helm, 5-1. In a straight-up race to 6, Raza advanced to the quarterfinals over Urso 6-2. By the same score, Cobbett (racing to 6) downed Murphy (racing to 5) 6-2.

 

Raza then eliminated Cobbett 6-3 in those quarterfinals. Raza then had his loss-side streak ended by Brule in the semifinals, in a match that went double hill.

 

With Mathieu (B) racing to 6, and Brule (C+) racing to 5, Brule took the double elimination final’s opening set, giving up a single rack. Mathieu returned the favor in the second set, giving up a single rack in a 6-1 win that earned him the event title.

 

Tour director Marc Dionne thanked the ownership and staff at Yale Billiards, 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, MJS Construction, Bob Campbell, Championship Cloth, and OTLVISE Billiard Mechanics of America. The next stop on the New England 9-Ball Series (#17), scheduled for February 24, will be the $500-added Joe Brown Memorial Tournament, hosted by Buster’s Billiards in Somersworth, NH.

Matthew Rezendes returned from a double hill loss in the hot seat match of Stop # 9 on the New England 9-Ball Series to double dip Rick Gatta in the finals and claim the title. The $1,500-added event, held on Saturday, December 3, drew 34 entrants to Stix and Stones in Abington, MA. 

 

 

Rezendes advanced through the field to challenge Andrew Tankerly in one winners' side semifinal, while Gatta faced Al McGuane in the other. Rezendes sent Tankerly to the loss side 5-2, setting up his first battle against Gatta, who, in a straight-up race to 6, had defeated McGuane 6-4. Gatta, a B player, racing to 7, downed Rezendes (C+, racing to 5), double hill (7-4) and waited in the hot seat for his return from the semifinals.

 

 

On the loss side, Tankerly picked up the only D+ player left in the field, Ed Murray, who'd defeated Lida Mullendore 3-4 (Mullendore, a C+, racing to 6), and shut out another C+ player, Brian Greene. McGuane drew Mike Pettit, who'd eliminated Dan Silva 6-1, and Dennis Leveque, the last A- player left,  6-4 (Leveque racing to 7). Tankerly and Murray battled to double hill, before Tankerly won the deciding match to advance to the quarterfinals. McGuane joined him after a 5-4 victory over Pettit (Pettit racing to 6).

 

 

In those quarterfinals, Tankerly, racing to 4, gave up only a single rack to McGuane, racing to 7, and advanced to a re-match against Rezendes in the semifinals. Tankerly put up a double hill fight, but Rezendes won it, advancing to his own re-match against Gatta in the finals.

 

 

Rezendes took the opening set of the true double elimination final 5-3 (Gatta, the B player, racing to 7). Now, each with a single loss on their match record, they squared off for a second, deciding set. This one went double hill (5-6), allowing Rezendes to claim the event title.

 

 

Tour director Marc Dionne thanked the ownership and staff at Stix and Stones, 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, a partners 9-ball event, scheduled for Saturday, December 11, will be hosted by Crow's Nest in Plaistow, NH.

At the eighth stop on the New England 9-Ball Series, held on Saturday, Sept. 26, Bobby Hilton won three on the loss side and the opening set of a true double elimination final to force a single, deciding match against hot seat occupant, William Gibbs, Jr. Gibbs won that second set to claim title to the $500-added event which had drawn 26 entrants to Town Billiards in Hamden, CT.

 

 

The winners' side semifinals in this event pitted two C+ and two B+ players against each other to determine the hot seat opponents. The C+ players, Gibbs, Jr. and Frank O'Malley faced off, while Hilton and Paul Laverdiere, representing the B+ class, met in the other winners' side semifinal. Gibbs, Jr. won his straight-up race to 5, 5-2, while Laverdiere sent Hilton to the loss side in their race to 6, 6-1. Gibbs, Jr. started the hot seat match with three on the wire, and won it 5-5 over Laverdiere, who was racing to 8.

 

 

Hilton started his trip back to the finals against Dave Gavrish, who'd gotten by Robert Piersa 6-4 and Chris Gloersen, double hill (8-4) to reach him. O'Malley picked  up Ed Murray, the only D+ player still at work among the event's final 12, who'd eliminated Kajone Ky, double hill (3-6) and Chris Masterson 3-1.

 

 

Hilton defeated Gavrish 5-3, and in the quarterfinals, faced Murray, who'd ended O'Malley's day 3-4 (O'Malley racing to 6). Murray took a six-game advantage into those quarterfinals, and almost made it happen. He chalked up two of the three racks he needed against Hilton, but Hilton chalked up the nine he needed to win it.

 

 

The semifinal matchup between Hilton and Laverdiere was more competitive than their earlier match in the winners' side semifinal. In their straight-up race to 6, Hilton prevailed 6-4 for a shot at Gibbs, Jr. in the hot seat. 

 

 

With Gibbs, Jr. racing to 5, Hilton took the double elimination opener 8-3. Gibbs, though, rallied in the second set, giving up only two racks to Hilton, and claiming the event title.

 

 

Tour representatives thanked the ownership and staff at Town Billiards, 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. Stop # 9 on the New England 9-Ball Series, scheduled for December 3-4, will be a $1,500-added event, hosted by Stix and Stones in Abington, MA.