John Schmidt (Photo courtesy of Dave Thomson – Mediumpool.com)
Derby City Classic XXI, January 25 – February 2nd, 2019
LIVE from the Horseshoe Southern Indiana Casino, Elizabeth IN.
DIAMOND DCC ONE POCKET CHAMPIONSHIP
410 entrants are now reduced to 24.
One Pocket; Chess with Balls.
Just like chess, One-Pocket is about knowing the moves. It is, also, said that the “mover” will out-play the shotmaker. As shotmakers have the need to pocket balls, One-Pocket players, “Tie ‘em up, stick ‘em in the stack, leave ‘em stuck.”
This strategy, knowingly, exercises patience that, eventually, frustrates the fast and loose shooters into firing at will. Actually, as the trap has been set, it really is firing unwillingly.
If you are looking to reinforce the maxim “revenge is sweet,” just ask Skyler Woodward. With a 3 zip result, just like had been administered to him in Banks (twice), he eliminated Billy Thorpe from the One-Pocket division.
The result puts Skyler in position to threaten the Master of the Table, or All-Around Champion, $20,000 bonus prize money.
Not to worry, Billy is still deep in it, too.
The player with the most points accumulated from DCC’s 3 qualifying events, Banks, 1-Pocket, and 9-Ball, will earn the honor.
It’s way too early to tell, but, if Skyler, with his 3rd/4th finish in Banks, climbs to there or better in One Pocket, he will challenge Billy’s current dominance with his 120 point advantage for the Bank Pool title.
If you thought that must be the match of the day, think again.
Opening the action on the Accu-Stats TV table was young Filipino gun, James Aranas in contest with veteran John “MR 400” Schmidt.
What unfolded was a stunning come-from-behind performance.
They were tied 2-2. In the decider, Aranas took an intentional foul, -1. Not to be outdone, John took 5 intentional fouls!
Soon, James, having nabbed a few, was in the plus side with 3. John was still at -5.
For those of you in-the-know, John, “Mr 400,” has been vigorously involved playing 14.1. He’s intent on beating Willie Mosconi’s 60+ year record high-run of 526 balls.
With the added incentive of a sweet bonus from his sponsor, Easy Street Billiards, Schmidt set up his video camera and went to work. For around 2 weeks John shot century after century and, tho,’ he didn’t out-run Mosconi, he did beat his own recorded 403 record by 31 balls. John has now the highest run on camera with 434!
That 14.1 skillset came into play today. At -5, he needed to pocket 13 balls in the same hole to overthrow Aranas.
When his onslaught commenced, in around 3 innings, John completely reversed his position and had James on the ropes. Ahead at 5-3, one more turn at the table was all it took to secure the set.
John’s “cueball” was exemplary, both in defense and offense. His know-how, compounded with the will to win, has set the standard of the year’s championship.
“James played smarter than I thought he did,” John considered after his win. ”How come these young kids know so much about One-Pocket?”
By watching you John; watching you.
Lee Vann Corteza wasn’t so much out-moved by Shane Van Boening as he was out-shot. Referring to the aforementioned Shooter principal, Shane has always been the exception to the rule.
His confidence, compounded by experience, knows no bounds. He attacks balls that old school one-holers would consider suicidal. His touch and speed allowed the tight-cut pro pockets to accept balls that, if missed, would surely leave Vann Corteza victorious.
Instead, at 3-1, Van Boening moved forward. Lee was delivered to the buyback booth.
Francisco Bustamante’s 3-1 over Joshua Filler was, somewhat, expected but Bustey shouldn’t be too confident next year. Scroll down to see Filler’s 14.1 coverage.
Players are running more 8 balls and out’s this year than ever. Roberto Gomez, not exactly known as a one-holer from -2, ran 10. Then, another 8, 2-0. Jeremy Jones ran 8, 2-1. Then, they grind until the cold roll stopped Double J’s ball one quarter of a revolution from dropping in the hole. Gomez stole Jeremy’s shape, back-cut it straight in his hole, and it’s 3-1.
One Pocket matches will air on accu-stats.com at NOON. EDT.
DIAMOND DCC 9-BALL CHAMPIONSHIP
407 entrants; Another DCC attendance record broken!
Race to 9. 3 balls, minus those pocketed, must make the kitchen on the break.
Johnny Archer was in superlative form as he caught Canada’s John Morra napping. Down 6-0 is certainly a wake-up call but John was so deep in the hole that he couldn’t recover. Scrambling, he mustered a few but, the dominant Archer soon shot Morra beddy-bye. 9-3.
Jung-Lin Chang, still on a 10-Ball roll, thought he was on a bar-box. Alex, who’s 168 ball run just missed the 14.1 cut, was in better stroke and managed 7 games.
Much more to come.
THE DIAMOND STRAIGHT POOL CHALLENGE is streaming at billiardnet.tv!
The high-run contest is manned by 14.1 aficionados Dennis Walsh and Bill Maropulis. Bob Jewett, the event creator, continues to support and contribute to the event.
Our thanks to Rich Klein for his daily scoring updates.
it took only ’til the second day, for Scotsman Jayson Shaw’s 247, two year, DCC high-run reign to be overthrown by Chris Melling, an Englishman. 244 became the number to beat.
Fortunately, as the upset to took place on American soil, an international incident was averted.
As Wednesday was the closing day for the runs to be tabulated, by early afternoon Bill Maropulis considered, “Even although the standard of play has been exceptional this year. It will take something extraordinary for Chris’ run to be beaten.”
Along came Orcollo, a previous tournament winner. Bang, 260!
Meanwhile, newly crowned 2018 World 9-Ball Champion Joshua Filler entered the room. Being German, Josh is no stranger to Straight Pool. 14.1 is part of the pool education program. Bang, bang, bang, 285!
Now there are 5 runs over 200 in the final 8 who will been drawn for a single elimination play-off to determine the champion.
Interestingly, the 2 players honored this year had quite a history together.
Road players are always on the hunt for new talent to skulk around with in search of the cash.
Walden had observed Frost as a talented kid and was awed by his dedication to learn and his taste for adventure.
Away they went. Frost’s forte (still is) was One-Pocket. James excelled in 9-Ball.
Exercising rule number 1 of the road, neither exposed their true expertise. Until they lost. Then one would announce, “Try him some.”
That’s how it’s done.
Scott Frost is now a jubilant member of the the One Pocket Hall of Fame!
James Walden has the honorable mention of “Lifetime Pool in Action!”
One Pocket Hall of Famer Shannon Daulton emcee’d the evening’s festivities, while fellow members Nick VarnerJohn Brumback and Jeremy Jones entertained the one-hole fans with personal encounters with the honorees.
Accu-Stats thanks its Arena Sponsors: Diamond Billiards, Simonis Cloth, Cyclop Balls, Cuetec Cues, Lucasi Custom, MEZZ Cues, McDermott Cues, National Billiard Academy, and Samsara Cues.
Scott Gillespie (Photo courtesy of Supreme Pool Series)
Scott Gillespie returned to winning ways on the Supreme Pool Series with victory at the 2018 K8.com Classic last weekend.
The talented Scottish cueist won the season opening Jason Owen Open in May, but after early exits in the following two competitions on the SPS circuit, Gillespie has quickly reminded the English 8-Ball world why he is one of the best around.
Gillespie qualified unscathed for the knockouts after coming through an ultra tough section of the draw. In a blockbuster first round tie he got the better of Phil Harrison 11-6; the only other player to have triumphed on the series so far.
He then ousted 2016 IPA World Champion Gareth Hibbott via a deciding frame, 11-10, and saw off two-times former WEPF World Junior Champion Jordan Church, 11-7. Securing his berth in the Last 16, the World Cup of Pool selection defeated Northern Irish rising star Declan Brennan, 11-7.
The random draw for the KOs drew Gillespie and Brennan together again – it was the former who would repeat the prescription, but with a different dose of 11-8.
Enjoying his best run in the series so far, the dangerous Craig Waddingham was eliminated 11-7 in the Quarter-Finals, whilst fellow countryman and the winner of multiple titles in recent years, Mark Boyle, was comprehensively dispatched 11-3 in the Semis.
Gillespie's opponent in the final was England's Shaun Storry, who had produced a string of impressive results on route.
Just like his rival in the final, Storry had advanced through the long weekend undefeated – it would be the first time on the series this year that both finalists came from the winners' section. Among those who lost to Storry included Hibbott (11-9) in the Last 16 and pre-tournament favourite Mick Hill (11-7) in the Last 8, a result that Storry described as the biggest win of his life on Social Media.
Despite having been priced up as 40/1 before a ball was struck, Storry had already been a champion at the Players Pool and Snooker Lounge venue when he claimed the Players Amateur Challenge in the spring of 2017.
However, his memorable run and ambition of a second title there was denied by Gillespie, who won the final 11-7 to become the 2018 K8.com Classic Champion, taking the trophy and £5,000 home as rewards.
Elsewhere in the 128 player entry event, winner of the Strachan Cup and Supreme Masters over the summer, Harrison's bid for an unprecedented hat-trick was closed early. After his opening round loss to Gillespie, the former World Champion was unable to re-create the heroics he produced during August and succumbed via the earliest avenue on the losers' side when he lost to Lee Clough in a decider.
Finalist at events 1 and 2, Liam Dunster's stay in Newcastle-under-Lyme was also brought to a close by Clough in a deciding frame during the Losers' Round 3.
Reigning World Masters Champion Callum Singleton make his mark on the series by reaching the Last 4 before going out to Storry. In the previous round he pipped former back-to-back WEPF World Champion Tom Cousins, 11-10.
Ronan McCarthy and Marc Farnsworth, two of the sport's most consistent performers, both qualified for the single elimination portion again. They lost in the Last 16 to Singleton (11-7) and Hill (11-10), respectively.
Attention on the Supreme Pool Series now turns to the climax of the season; the record-breaking Home Leisure Direct Grand Finals. Taking place between the 30th November to the 2nd December, the event boasts a top prize of £51,000 – the largest amount in English 8-Ball tournament history.
2018 Supreme Pool Series – Event 4, the K8.com Classic
Amanda Pulley bounced back from a late Saturday loss to win her second AWBT tour stop of the season and jump to the top of the tour’s point list. Pulley was just one of the early favorites in the field of 53 players at Main Street Billiards in Mesa on July 7th – 8th.
Things were going well for Pulley early Saturday with wins over Tonya Kurtz and Ilyana Flores but her path took a detour late Saturday after a 7-5 loss to Pearl Ortiz. A 7-2 win over Kristi St Ange was enough to earn Pulley her place in Sunday’s matches.
Ortiz came back on Sunday morning for a lopsided 7-0 win on the winner’s side over Sara Sorg, who had a great weekend of matches. The other half of the bracket saw AWBT veteran Susan Williams scoring a 7-1 win over Pati Martinez, who also turned in an outstanding performance all weekend long. The hot-seat match saw Williams with a convincing 7-3 win over Ortiz.
On the one loss side, Pulley had wins over Tommy Holben, Martinez and Dawn Polotto before a rematch with Ortiz in the semi-finals. “I wasn’t thinking revenge,” said Pulley, “but I felt strong during the match and this (plus an energy drink) empowered me”. Pulley was definitely empowered as she eliminated Ortiz 7-3 to earn her spot in the finals against Williams.
The final race to 9 was a true back and forth battle. Williams took an early 2-0 lead, but Pulley quickly knotted things at 2-2. The players stayed close until Williams was able to pull ahead for a 7-4 lead and she got to the hill at 8-6 but wasn’t able to put Pulley away. Pulley clawed back to 8-8, leaving the ladies playing one game for the title. The pressure of the final game appeared to get to both players as they both had problems pocketing the final 9-ball. After a missed bank by Williams though, Pulley cut the final ball into the heart of the pocket for the win. “I just told myself that I know how to make this shot, and I wasn’t going to give Susan another chance at the table,” Pulley said.
Sunday saw 29 players come back for the second chance tournament where Gigi Callejas took first place and Heather Cortez finished in second. Ed Scott and Evans Bishop split the men’s event that was ran alongside the main event. The AWBT will take it’s annual trip to Tucson on August 18th – 19th for an event at Pockets Pool & Pub.
The players appear to like the new format for the Diamond Pool Tour, as a field of 54 players made their way to Pockets Pool and Pub in Tucson, Arizona for stop #2 on the tour. Even with that size of a field, it was still local Tucson players dominating the final stages of the event.
As is always the case, Saturday held it’s fair share of early upsets with Ruben Silva dropping matches to Brian McIntyre and Hugo Villanueva for a “two and out” finish. Another early round upset saw Derek Kawamura drop matches to Terri Adams and Carl Stewart for an early exit.
Saturday play on the winner’s side saw Tucson’s AJ Jones (sans headphones) scoring wins over Marcus Teufel, Brian Long and Ed Scott to remain undefeated. Jones would be joined by Kevin Nguyen, Max Maurer, and Tim Daniel as the final four undefeated players.
The final eight on the one loss side included a handful of lower rated players with Vincent Sbelgio, Steve Adams and Tony Whiting all guaranteed cash finishes. McIntyre and Ricky Teyechea finished one spot out of the money on Saturday night.
Winner’s side action on Sunday saw Jones and Daniel scoring lopsided wins over Nguyen and Maurer to find themselves in the hot-seat match. That match would be a real battle with Jones coming out on top of a hill-hill match.
The story on the one loss side was (Fargo 444 rated) Steve Adams. Adams had remained undefeated almost all day Saturday, finally dropping an 8-1 match to Kevin Nguyen in his final match on Saturday. Adams picked up on Sunday where he left off on Saturday, with wins over Tony Whiting, Ed Scott and Max Maurer. Adams next faced off against Nguyen again, and apparently Nguyen is the only one who knows Adams’ weakness as he defeated Adams 8-0 in the rematch. Adams was so happy with his 4th place finish that he promptly stepped up to become a tour sponsor with his business, Discount Mattress Barn in Tucson.
Nguyen then dropped the semi-final match to Tim Daniel 10-4, setting up a Daniel/Jones rematch in the finals. The players traded racks on the other’s breaks early in the match until AJ Jones finally won rack seven on his own break for a 4-3 lead. That was all the momentum that Jones needed, as he then ran out to a 7-3 lead. Jones would reach the hill first at 9-4 and finally win the match 10-5 for first place.
The Diamond Pool Tour will brave the cold at Freezer’s Ice House on June 9th – 10th for the third stop of the season.
There will be several high profile First Round clashes at the greatly anticipated Jason Owen Open, the opening event of the ground-breaking Supreme Pool Series.
Conducted live on Facebook and YouTube, the 128 player random draw predictably threw up some mouth-watering ties given the strength and depth of the series. As with all this year's tournaments, the format is initially Double Elimination qualifying, with the final 8 competing a straight Knock-Out. The Jason Owen Open, which runs between the 4th-6th May, boasts a total prize purse of over £18,000 with £5,000 going to the champion.
Amongst the picks of the round is Shane Thompson v Jayson Shaw. Thompson is an ever-improving, hardened and successful player on both the tournament and money match scenes, whilst global cuesports superstar Shaw – World Blackball Champion in 2010, will be returning to his small table roots.
Another superstar making a return to English Pool after a sustained absence is Darren Appleton, he has also been handed a very tough assignment with professional Clint I'Anson; one of the most consistent performers on the IPA circuit this decade.
Shaw and Appleton's fellow Mosconi Cup winners and World Champions too, Chris Melling and Karl Boyes are back on the smaller table, they will face Scott Ross and Stefan Risidi respectively.
Undoubtedly one of the pre-tournament favourites will be two-time WEPF World Champion Tom Cousins, who meets the experienced Paul Riley first up, whilst another ex-World Champion Phil Harrison drew one of the eight 'To Be Confirmed' names in the last section.
The Supreme Pool Series exhibits past and present World Champions from both sides of the rules divide – Current IPA World Champion Ben Davies is paired with Rich Wharton in Round One.
Jack Whelan, who won the IPA World Title in 2015, pits his wits against newly crowned Scottish Professional Champion Mark Boyle in yet another mouth-watering fixture. Reigning BI World Champion Liam Dunster tackles Andrew McKie.
The Jason Owen Open is the first of five events throughout the year at the Players Pool and Snooker Lounge in Stoke-on-Trent. The season ending Home Leisure Direct Grand Final will see the winner bank £40,000.
Scott Ward won 11 matches in a row to win the February 24-25 stop on the Viking Cues’ Q City 9-Ball Tour; his first on the tour. He won nine of those 11 matches after losing his opening match, and the last two in the double elimination finals against Kirk Hixon. The $200-added event drew 38 entrants to Pal’s Bar & Billiards in Piedmont, SC.
After he’d sent Ward to the loss side in the opening round, Jim Jennings eventually advanced to a winners’ side semifinal against David Shipman. Hixon, in the meantime, whose father, Brett, owns Pal’s Bar & Billiards, squared off against Ryan Hollinsworth in the other winners’ side semifinal. Shipman prevailed 6-4 over Jennings, sending him over to the loss side for an immediate re-match against Ward. Hixon Hollinsworth 6-7 (Hollinsworth racing to 9). Hixon laid claim the hot seat 6-2 over Shipman and waited for Ward to complete his loss-side run.
When Jennings ran into his re-match against Ward, Ward was six matches into his loss-side run, and had most recently eliminated teenager Landon Hollinsworth 8-3 and Don Lilly 8-6 (Lilly was looking for his fourth win on the tour since late January). Ryan Hollinsworth picked up David Lassiter, who’d defeated Scott Thorne and Chris Zayas, both 6-3, to reach him.
Jennings put up a double hill fight in his re-match against Ward, but Ward finished it to advance to the quarterfinals. Lassiter defeated Hollinsworth 6-1 and joined him. Ward and Lassiter battled to double hill, as well, and for the second time in a row, Ward came out on top.
Apparently dissatisfied with the double hill idea, Ward came out gunning in the semifinals against Shipman and shut him out. He carried that momentum into the finals and defeated Hixon twice (8-3, 8-4) to claim the event title.
Tour directors Herman and Angela Parker thanked the Hixons and their 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 will be the 4th Annual North Carolina State 9-Ball Championships. Scheduled for the weekend of March 3-4, the $500-added event ($1,000-added with a full field of 64), with its defending champion, Mike Davis expected to be in attendance, will be hosted by Brass Tap in Raleigh, NC.
As the two presidential candidates banter back and forth about their stamina (or lack, thereof), pool players have to be thinking that if that's a significant qualification, they should be up there trading thoughts with the candidates. The grind of a weekend tournament, or a single-day tournament that ends up racing the dawn are common on the pool circuit, and often, when it comes down to a final that could well be lit by natural daylight, the two opponents figure that the prize differential between the top two cash amounts is not significant enough to warrant playing that final game. So it was, on Saturday, September 24, when Justin Duncan and Greg Burke, after a full day, opted out of their final match on the Viking Cues' Q-City 9-Ball Tour. Having defeated Burke once, and sitting in the hot seat, Duncan claimed the official title, as 3 a.m. loomed on the event horizon. The $500-added event drew 39 entrants to Legends Billiards in Inman, SC.
They met first in a winners' side semifinal, when it was still Saturday. Aaron McClure, in the meantime, squared off against Kirk Hixon. Duncan downed Burke 5-3, and in the hot seat match faced McClure, who'd sent Hixon west 6-3. Duncan claimed the hot seat over McClure in a hard fought double hill battle, which proved to be his last.
On the loss side, Jim Jennings was doing his level best to get a shot against Duncan. An opening round bye was followed by a loss to Thomas Jones, at which point, Jennings went on a six-match, loss-side streak that would take him as far as the quarterfinals. Three matches in to that streak, he downEd Scott Ward 7-3, and then, wreaked his vengeance on Jones, defeating him 7-1, to draw Hixon. Burke drew Boyd Best, who'd won two straight double hill matches, against Steve Ellis and Romeo Malonzo, to reach him.
Jennings advanced to the quarterfinals with a 7-4 victory over Hixon. Burke joined him after allowing Best only a single rack in their matchup. Burke ended Jennings' streak in those quarterfinals, but not before Jennings forced a case game to decide it.
In what would prove to be the final match of the event, Burke downed McClure in the semifinals 7-2. Duncan and Burke opted out of the final, leaving the undefeated Duncan to claim the event title.
Tour director Herman Parker thanked Legends Billiards' co-owners Marty Opyd and April Bradley and their staff, as well as title sponsor Viking Cues, Delta-13 racks and Ruthless Billiards. The next stop on the Viking Cues' Q City 9-Ball Tour, scheduled for the weekend of October 1-2, will be hosted by Randolph's in Hickory, NC.
Scott Frost celebrates his birthday (Photo courtesy of Rick Schmitz)
The Diamond Pool Tour bought their first event to Main Street Billiards in Mesa, Az for their fourth event of the 2016 season with 47 players playing 8-ball on the 16 beautiful Diamond 7’ tables. This stop saw the return of Scott Frost to the winner’s circle, as he won his second event of the season.
The “A” player bracket came down to Frost and Bret Huth. Frost had wins over Navin Talreja, Art St. Germaine and Tim Daniel on his way to the hot-seat match, while Huth had wins over Jason Sweet, Mike Sandoval and Bobby Emmons. Huth was looking for his second “A” bracket hot-seat of the season, but Frost had other plans as he froze Huth out with a 7-1 victory. Huth would make quick work of Ben Sutherland on the one loss side 7-1, to earn his place in the final four.
The “B” player bracket saw 8-Ball specialist Ed Scott using his soft break to full advantage as he raced to the hot-seat match. His opponent would be the tour’s official photographer Rick Schmitz, who was showed his bar table prowess all weekend. Schmitz had problems dealing with Scott’s break though, and Scott took the hot-seat with a 7-0 win. On the one loss side, Schmitz would have his hands full with Karloz Chavez. Chavez had lost to Junior Flores late on Saturday, but won hill-hill matches over Brian Poore and Joey Barrera to qualify for Sunday play. Chavez eliminated Heather Cortez and Flores on Sunday, before sending Schmitz back behind the camera with a 7-2 win.
The final bracket saw Frost show that Scott’s soft break was not a problem, as he won the final hot-seat 7-3. On the one loss side, Chavez fought to hill-hill before losing to Huth in fourth place. Huth then won another close match, as he eliminated Scott in third 7-5. The rematch between Frost and Huth was a quick one, with Frost scoring a 7-2 win in one set for his second tournament win of the season.
The win moves Frost into 3rd place on the “A” player points list, just 20 points behind Huth and Mitch Ellerman. The “B” player points list sees Chavez in first place, with a 25 point lead over Schmitz. Joey Barrera (the top “B” player from last season) is waiting in the weeds in third place on the list, waiting for his opportunity to make a move on the players above him.
Tour organizers thanked Thor Skogan for bringing the tour to Main Street this season. He and his staff took great care of the players all weekend long, and the tour can’t wait to come back in the future. As usual, “Fast” Lenny Marshall kept the online stream going all weekend, and Rick Schmitz defended his title as the best pool photographer in the state, providing the tour with more great shots.
The Diamond Pool Tour will move back to the big tables at their next event, as they play 9’ 8-Ball at Kolbys Corner Pocket in Tempe, on August 6th-7th.
Following a series of third place finishes, earlier this year, including the Derby City Classic's 9-Ball Banks event, Alex Olinger must have figured it was time to move up. On the weekend of June 11-12, he joined 63 competitors in Wichita, KS for the Midwest 9-Ball Tour's $2,600-added, 12th Annual Bobby Wells Memorial, hosted by Side Pockets in Wichita. After winning five on the loss side, Olinger double dipped hot seat occupant, Marshal Roney, to claim the title.
In a concurrently-run, $400-added Ladies event that drew 11 entrants, Tama Collins went undefeated to claim that title. Collins had narrowly defeated Taelor Parish in the hot seat match, double hill. On the loss side, Paula Goulden downed Debra Jennings 7-5 in the quarterfinals to face Parish in the semifinals. Goulden defeated Parish 7-2, and then, in the finals, fell to Collins in a single set 7-4.
In the Open event, Olinger was sent to the loss side in a winners' side quarterfinal by Sean King. King advanced to meet Terry Young in a winners' side semifinal, as Roney faced Cody Myers. Roney survived a double hill battle versus Myers, and in the hot seat match, met King, who'd sent Young over 9-5. Roney claimed the hot seat 9-4 and waited for Olinger to complete his five-match march on the loss side.
It was Myers who had the misfortune of picking up Olinger, three matches in to his loss-side run. Olinger had eliminatEd Scott Brown 9-1 and David Matlock 9-6. Young drew Manny Perez, who'd defeated Jason Sisler and Ken Jennings, both 9-4, to reach him.
Olinger moved into the quarterfinals after defeating Myers 9-4. Perez joined him with a 9-6 win over Young. Olinger's 9-7 win over Perez in those quarterfinals gave him a second chance against King, and he took full advantage. He defeated King 9-5 and moved into a double elimination final against Roney.
Olinger took the opening set 9-4. He repeated that score in the second set to claim the 12th Annual Bobby Wells Memorial title.
28 players from around the Valley showed up for Sophia Morquecho's novel new 6Pocket tournament at Stingers Saturday, April 30. It was match play format with each player shooting seven alternating racks. Players rack their own, break wide open, and run the table until they miss. One point per ball and highest point total wins. It was also handicapped with lower rated players getting 5 extra points per rating level. Interestingly, the cross-level matches were much tighter with the spot than same-level matches with no spot.
Tournament highlights included Aaron Purdys near perfect 104. Aaron rattled his 15th ball in the first rack and then went on to run six perfect racks. Chuck Parrill had the second highest string with five perfect racks in a close match with Oscar Avila Sr. that he actually lost by one point. Joe Nicita and several other players strung 4 perfect racks. Eight rated Mike McGovern went straight to the hill undefeated. Ed Scott lost his second match to Aaron Purdy after starting his first two racks with a total of two points, but went on to win seven matches on the losers side and then win the first set in the finals. Ed and Mike called it quits at that point and decided to share the Arizona State 6Pocket title as co champions.
Payouts were:
1/2 Mike McGovern $355
1/2 Ed Scott $555 (w sides)
3 Aaron Purdy $240
4 Oscar Avila Jr $170 (great tournament by 6 rated player)
5/6 Pete Barrios $65
5/6 Matt Koskella $65
Many thanks to Mark Griffin and Dick Clark from the National 6Pocket organization who sponsored the event and Dale at Stingers Sports Bar who sponsored and hosted this new event.
