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Hughes wins first cash by winning Viking Cues’ Q City 9-Ball Tour Championship

November 23rd, 2022 | azhousepro | Uncategorized

Cameron Hollingsworth, Breaktime owner Sundeep “Sonny” Makhani and Larry Hughes.

Both finalists in the Viking Cues’ Q City 9-Ball’s 10th Tour Championships, held this past weekend (Nov. 19-20), had something to play for, beyond just the cash and whatever bragging rights they might claim later. Larry Hughes and Cameron Hollingsworth were both looking to record their first cash wins. Hollingsworth was also trying to take advantage of the fact that his older brother, the twice-defending champion of this event, Landon Hollingsworth, was in Puerto Rico. Ahead of the final match, each of them had recorded a single loss. Hughes took the last match to claim the title. Though the outcome could be attributed to any one of a number of factors, it would appear to be unlikely that it was due to which of them wanted it more. The $1,500-added event drew 56 entrants to Breaktime Billiards in Winston-Salem, NC.

Winning it was a breakthrough for Hughes. Coming from the loss side, winning seven and the opening set of the true double elimination, not to mention recording his first cash win was a breakthrough for Hollingsworth.

With Hollingsworth on the loss side, having lost a third round match to Billy Walker, Hughes advanced through the field to face Eric Stanton in one of the winners’ side semifinals. Clay Davis and Jason Blackwell squared off in the other one.

Davis defeated Blackwell 8-1, while Hughes was shutting Stanton out. Hughes grabbed the hot seat 6-2 and waited on the as-determined-as-he-was Hollingsworth to complete his loss-side run.

With two notches on that loss-side belt, Hollingsworth defeated Barry Mashburn 5-4 (Mashburn racing to 9) and Trent Talbert 5-4 (Talbert racing to 6), to pick up Stanton. Blackwell drew Josh Heeter, who’d defeated Jeff Howell and Thomas Sansone, both 9-3, to reach him.

Hollingsworth and Heeter advanced to the quarterfinals; Hollingsworth 5-2 over Stanton and Heeter 9-4 over Blackwell. Hollingsworth chalked up wins #6 and #7 with a double hill, quarterfinal win over Heeter and 5-1 victory over Davis in the semifinals.

With Davis racing to 6, Hollingsworth took the opening set of the true double elimination final 5-4. Hughes fought back in the second set to take a lead and stretch it to three games, winning it 6-3 to claim his first event title and the 10th Viking Cues’ Q City 9-Ball Tour Championship title.

Tour director Herman Parker thanked tour sponsor Sundeep Makhani and his Breaktime Billiards staff for their hospitality, as well as title sponsor Viking Cues, Breaktime Billiards (Winston-Salem, NC), BarPoolTables.net, Dirty South Grind Apparel Co., Realty One Group Results, Diamond Brat, AZBilliards.com, Ridge Back Rails, and Federal Savings Bank Mortgage Division.

The tour will be off for the Thanksgiving weekend and return to the felt on the weekend of Dec. 3-4. The event will be a $250-added event, hosted by Mickey Milligan’s in New Bern, NC.

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Powell, Marcus and Herrell split top three prizes on Viking Cues’ Q City 9-Ball Tour

April 19th, 2022 | azhousepro | Uncategorized

Hank Powell

A decision was made early, prior to the quarterfinals, by hot seat occupant Hank Powell, Orlando Marcus and Matt Harrell. In a mutual desire not to return to Breaktime Billiards in Winston-Salem, NC on Easter Sunday, the three negotiated a payout settlement that didn’t quite end the stop on the Viking Cues’ Q City 9-Ball Tour right away. It did, however, as planned, bring it to an end in the very early morning hours of Sunday, April 17, so that the remaining participants were able to spend that Easter Sunday with their families. The $500-added event drew 41 entrants to Breaktime Billiards. 

Powell and Marcus, who were to become the official winner and runner-up of the event, did meet in the hot seat match. Powell had defeated Matt Harrell 8-2 in one of the winners’ side semifinals, as Marcus had sent Daniel Shelton to the loss side 6-5 in the other one (Shelton racing to 7). In the match that was allowed to stand as the definitive match between them, Powell defeated Marcus 8-3.

When Harrell and Shelton arrived on the loss side of the bracket, they entered the first money round of the event, and what became the first two of three matches left. Harrell picked up Eric Stanton, who’d defeated Travis Guerra and 12-year-old Jas Makhani (son of the venue’s owner, Sundeep Makahni), both 6-2. Shelton drew junior competitor Joey Tate, who’d survived a double hill fight against Kelly Farrar (9-6) and eliminated Mark Bolton 9-4

Harrell defeated Stanton 7-2, advancing to the event’s final match. Shelton joined him after downing Tate 7-4. So, there they were, the four combatants, who had comprised the winners’ side final four, still standing, as the quarterfinals went to Marcus 7-5 over Shelton.

The ‘split’ arrangement had been made a while ago, so there was virtually no delay when the final ball in that quarterfinal dropped. Everybody went home for Easter Sunday.

Tour director Herman Parker thanked Sundeep Makahni and his Breaktime Billiards staff for their hospitality, as well as title sponsor Viking Cues, BarPoolTables.net, Dirty South Grind Apparel Co., Realty One Group Results, Diamond Brat, AZBilliards.com, Ridge Back Rails, and Federal Savings Bank Mortgage Division. The next stop on the Viking Cues’ Q City 9-Ball Tour, scheduled for this weekend, April 23-24, will be a $500-added event, hosted by Break & Run Billiards in Chesnee, SC.    

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