Nearly 2,000 entrants, with some event crossovers, compete in Amateur events
As of March 31, three weeks before the Super Billiards Expo opened its doors, the Diamond Open NineBall Professional Players Championship was designated as an Official Nineball World Ranking event, and while it did not literally draw its entrance field from everywhere, there was a very evident sense of international competition. The final 16 featured representation from the US (five) and 11 competitors from seven foreign countries – Austria, Germany (2), Russia, the UK (2), Canada (2), the Philippines and Hong Kong (2). The international ‘feel’ of the event was most evident in what was easily among (if not “the”) most anticipated matchup of the four-day event, between the UK’s Jayson Shaw and Russia’s Fedor Gorst. The matchup, which occurred in the single-elimination quarterfinals, lived up to its billing, as the two battled to double hill before Shaw advanced. More on this later, along with the final matchup between Shaw and Darren Appleton, which waited until the 17th of its potential 21 games before Shaw pulled away to win the next two and claim the title.
There were quite a few “wish I coulda been there” matches throughout the event’s four days, up to and including matches among the final 16, which were, for obvious reasons, witnessed by the SBE’s largest crowds in the Pro arena. Pre-single-elimination, there was the double hill battle between Shaw and Billy Thorpe, which moved Shaw into the final 16, the Fedor Gorst and Ralf Souquet (new school/old school) match that sent Gorst to the final 16, and Appleton’s two straight double hill matches; one win (Jeff Beckley) and one loss (Mhet Vergara), which sent “Dynamite” to the loss side, where a single win, over Bucky Souvanthong, sent him (Appleton) to the final 16. And, as always, any match featuring Earl Strickland as a competitor is always entertaining, whether because of exuberant antics or just plain rock-solid shooting.
The Shaw/Gorst match followed a Shaw “Sweet 16” victory over John Morra 11-6 and a Gorst win over Thorsten Hohmann 11-8. Gorst opened with two straight racks and kept that as a minimum lead until rack #17. By the 12th rack, Gorst was leading by four. Two straight racks that featured Shaw dropping a combination shot that dropped the 9-ball cut that lead in half. Gorst went three-up at 9-6, but Shaw came right back with a break and run that reduced it to two again.
Off a Gorst break, Shaw narrowed the lead to one until that 17th rack, when Shaw came within one. Shaw broke the 18th, but turned the table over briefly, before, with a second chance, he dropped a 3-9 combination that yielded the match’s first tie. Gorst dropped two balls on his break, but Shaw came through to get on the hill with his first lead of the match. Gorst, with a scratch-on-the-break assist from Shaw, made it interesting by winning the 20th, double hill rack.
Gorst broke dry in the deciding rack, but Shaw turned the table back over to Gorst, who promptly scratched shooting at the 2-ball. Shaw ran to the 8-ball and Gorst conceded the game and match.
Moving into the semifinals, Shaw drew Mario He, who’d earlier defeated Jonathan Pinegar 11-7 and Oscar Dominguez 11-9. Appleton’s path to the finals from the final 16 started out against Earl Strickland. He got by him 11-6 and then downed Joseph Spence 11-3. In the semifinals, Appleton drew Billy Thorpe, who’d recently eliminated Robbie Capito 11-9 and Souquet 11-8.
Shaw downed He 11-7, as Appleton was busy dispatching Thorpe 11-4. The all-UK battle was on.
In the early going of the finals, it appeared as though neither of them was going to win a rack off their own break. Appleton won the lag, broke dry and Shaw ran the table to take a 1-0 lead. Shaw broke, dropping two balls and scratching. Appleton set up a 1-9 combination to tie it up. They went back and forth like this, winning the other’s break to a single game lead for Shaw at 4-3.
Shaw broke the 8th rack, dropped one, and after giving the table back to Appleton briefly, won the rack, his first off his own break, to take the game’s first two-game lead. He made it a three-game lead (his first of two), before Appleton chalked up two in a row to make it 6-5. Shaw used a terrific jump shot at the 2-ball to maintain his run of rack #12. On Appleton’s break of rack #13, he dropped one ball, but almost immediately gave the table to Shaw, who missed hitting the 1-ball, completely. Shaw saw an obvious 1-9 combination awaiting Appleton’s arrival at the table, so, gentleman that he was, he picked up the cue ball and placed it in the position it needed to be for Appleton to make the combination. He did so without handling the cue ball Shaw had set for him.
Shaw dropped two balls on the break of rack #14 and used another terrific jump shot to jumpstart his third win off his own break and then, off Darren’s break, established his second three-rack lead at 9-6. Appleton fought right back, winning the next two and including his own terrific jump shot at the 1-ball that started his 8th game win.
Ahead by a single rack at 9-8, Shaw broke and ran the 18th (his fourth win off his own break) to reach the hill first. Darren broke the 19th rack, sinking one ball, but couldn’t see the 1-ball. He pushed (the one and only time that happened all match) and Shaw finished the game to claim the event title.
Amateur events draw 35 shy of 2,000 entrants
Not including the two junior events for ages 17/Under and 12/under, the total entrants for which were not recorded, the nine amateur events of the 2022 SBE drew a total of 1,965 entrants (with some crossover between events). This brought the total number of participating pool players to 2,101. The two Pro events (73 Open and 63 Women) thus represented just 6% of the total number of players who competed this year. Trying to detail 9 events, especially the 996-entrant Open Amateur would be unwieldy, so we offer some information about and congratulations to the 94% percent who were the largest participating contingent of pool players at the 2022 SBE.
Congratulations to stop 13 winners Bruce Nagle ($1,000 main event), Frank Sorriento ($330 second chance event) & David Dumas ($1,500 Joss Cue raffle winner)
Stop # 14 will be at Hippo's The House Of Billiards in Utica NY on April 8 & 9. This event was originally scheduled to be at Salt City Billiards, but do to the recent fire there it has been moved to Hippo's. We would all like to thank both Andrea Duvall at Hippo's and Frank Delconte at Salt City for keeping this event alive on our schedule.
Andrea has elevated Hippo's to the next level with a new web site www.hipposyorkville.com, a new Facebook page, delicious homemade food specials and now free Wi Fi. Hippos has 12, 9 foot Gabriel tables and 8, 7 footers, all covered in 860 Simonis (The Cloth Of Champions). She has made Hippo's a true family fun destination spot, and has even held many events and functions for our junior players! So come to Hippo's to show your support and be treated to yet another great 9-ball event. You may even win a $1,500 custom, engraved Joss Cue in Hippos cue raffle, Anyone can participate and you do not have to be present to win! We will draw the winner of the cue on Sunday just before the final match. The Joss raffle cue can be viewed here: https://josscues.com/joss-northeast-9-ball-tour-2016-17/
For more information about Hippo's and nearby motels, please contact them directly at 315-768-0218.
This event at Hippo's will consist of a $1500 added Saturday and Sunday Main Event (entry Fee $120 for pro level or $70 for non pro level) and a $500 added consolation event on Sunday ($20 Entry Fee) for those non pro players eliminated from the main event on Saturday.
For those of you coming to play, please arrive on Saturday April 8, BEFORE 11:30 AM, and in proper dress please. Yes, jeans and sneakers are permitted in our billiard parlor events. But please, NO T-SHIRTS, TANKS, SHORTS OR SWEATS. Complete tour info can be found on our site www.joss9balltour.com
Our season finale, the $25,000 Added Turning Stone Classic XXVIII 9-Ball Open, is scheduled for August 31 – September 3, 2017. I am currently accepting entries and strongly suggest that you pay your entry early to avoid being shut out. Entry fee for this prestigious WPA, BCA and Mosconi Cup ranking event is only $150 for Current tour members and only $200 for all others. As you can see, membership has its privileges! If you would like to enter, please contact Mike Zuglan at 518-356-7163 or see me at any of our Joss Northeast 9-Ball Tour regular season events before it is full. Currently we are already over 2/3 full!
Finally, I can't stress enough how important it is for all of you to please frequent your local billiard parlors and utilize the services and products of our most generous sponsors who are the backbone of our sport. These are the ones who keep our sport alive. So get out and play!
Adam Devoe (room owner), Bucky Souvanthong, Bruce Nagle and Mike Zuglan
Last week's quarterfinal match on the Joss Northeast Open 9-Ball Tour (stop #12) turned into this past week's finals (stop #13), as Bruce Nagle completed an undefeated run through a field of 39 entrants, defeating Bucky Souvanthong in the finals, to claim the title. The $1,500-added event ($500-added to Second Chance tournament), held on the weekend of March 18-19, was hosted by King Smiley Billiards in Fort Edward, NY.
Nagle and Souvanthong advanced through the bracket to the winners' side semifinals. Nagle made it out of them, Souvanthong did not. Nagle sent Nick Brucato to the loss side 9-2, as Steve Lillis downed Souvanthong, double hill. Nagle claimed the hot seat 9-5 over Lillis and waited for Souvanthong to complete a three-match, loss-side trip.
On the loss side, Souvanthong picked up Noah Wells, who, after being awarded a bye, was defeated by Brucato in the event's second round, and was in the midst of a five-match, loss-side winning streak that was about to end. Wells had most recently downed Fred Gokey and Dave LeBrun, both 9-5. Brucato drew a re-match against Brent Boemmels, whom he'd defeated on the winners' side, just after sending Wells over. Boemmels was in the midst of a four-match, loss-side winning streak, having recently defeated Ben Werblow, double hill, and Dave Fernandez 9-5.
Souvanthong and Boemmels advanced to the quarterfinals; Boemells successfully wreaking his vengeance on Brucato, in a tightly contested match, 9-7, and Souvanthong sending Wells home 9-4. Souvanthong then defeated Boemmels 9-6 and Lillis, in the semifinals, 9-5.
In the finals, Souvanthong chalked up more racks against Nagle than any of Nagle's previous opponents, but it wasn't enough. Nagle hung on to complete his undefeated run 9-6, and though he's chalked up two wins on Second Chance tournaments on this year's tour (2016-2017), according to our records, this was his first Joss Tour main event win.
In the $500-added Second Chance Tournament, which drew 20 entrants, Frank Sorriento, who was runner-up in the March 11-12 Second Chance Tournament, won five on the loss side, to challenge and eventually double-dip hot seat occupant Dave LeBrun. Sorriento had survived a double hill battle versus Mike Shoemaker in the 5/6 matches, and over the next four matches, including the double set final gave up only one rack; to Mike Verducci in the semifinals. He finished with two shutouts over LeBrun.
In addition to the prize winners in both events, David Dumas was the raffle winner of a $1,500 Joss Cue. Players are reminded that the site for the next stop on the tour (#14), scheduled for April 8-9, has been changed from Salt City Billiards in Syracuse to Hippo's House of Billiards in Utica. Salt City Billiards was destroyed in an early morning fire last month (Feb. 8). No one was injured in the blaze, and though owners are optimistic about rebuilding, no final decisions have been made.
Joss Tour director Mike Zuglan is continuing to remind players that entries for Turning Stone XXVIII, scheduled for Aug. 31- Sept 3 are filling up fast, with nearly three-quarters of the field already registered. Visit the Turning Stone Web site (http://www.turningstone.com), or contact Zuglan, for further information.
Ron Casanzio, Trick Shots Billiards owner Tim Berlin and Nelson Oliveira
After 15 years of competing on the Joss Northeast Open 9-Ball Tour, Nelson Oliveira had his two best (recorded) earnings years in 2015/2016. He chalked up a Joss Tour victory in 2015, and finished among the top five in six of the seven events in which he competed. In 2016, he chalked up two Joss Tour victories and finished among the top five in seven of nine events. On the weekend of March 11-12, at a $1,500-added stop (#12) on the Joss Tour (aka The Northeast 9-Ball Open XIX, and the 1st Annual Kevin Ketz Memorial), Oliveira claimed his first event title of the year, working his way through a field of 42 at Trick Shot Billiards Sports Bar & Club in Clifton Park, NY.
A $500-added Second Chance event drew 24 entrants, and saw Jeff Smolen take home the top prize. Frank Sorriento shut Smolen out in the first set of a true double elimination final. The second set went double hill, before Smolen closed it out to claim the Second Chance title.
Oliveira came within a match of going undefeated in the main event, and it was fellow Joss Tour veteran, Ron Casanzio, who challenged him in the hot seat match and finals for the title. It was a quartet of Joss Tour veterans who squared off against each other in the two winners' side semifinals. After four rounds of play, Oliveira came up against Dave Grau in one, as Casanzio met up with Bucky Souvanthong in the other. Oliveira sent Grau to the loss side 9-5, while Casanzio sent Souvanthong packing 9-6. Oliveira took the first of three against Casanzio 9-6 and waited in the hot seat for him to return from the semifinals.
Over on the loss side, Grau and Souvanthong ran into Spencer Auigbelle and Bruce Nagle, respectively. Auigbelle had survived a double hill battle against Tom Acciavatti, and eliminated John Babravich 9-4 to draw Grau. Nagle had gotten by Mark Creamer 9-3 and Steve Lillis 9-4 to draw Souvanthong. Auigbelle and Nagle handed Grau and Souvanthong their second straight loss; Auigbelle 9-5 over Grau and Nagle 9-4 over Souvanthong.
Auigbelle downed Nagle 9-4 in the quarterfinals, but had his four-match, loss-side winning streak ended by the man who'd defeated him earlier, Ron Casanzio. Casanzio took the semifinal match over Auigbelle 9-6 for a shot at Oliveira in the hot seat.
Casanzio took the opening set of the true double elimination final 9-7. Oliveira, though, rallied in the second set to take it 9-6 and claim his first 2016 title.
In addition to the prize winners in both events, Melissa Tour was the raffle winner of a $1,500 Joss Cue. The next stop on the Joss Tour (#13), a $1,500-added event ($500-added Second Chance), scheduled for this weekend (March 18-19), will be hosted by King Smiley Billiards in Fort Edward, NY. Players are reminded that the site for Stop #14 on the tour, scheduled for April 8-9, has been changed from Salt City Billiards in Syracuse to Hippo's House of Billiards in Utica. Salt City Billiards was destroyed in an early morning fire last month (Feb. 8). No one was injured in the blaze, and though owners are optimistic about rebuilding, no final decisions have been made.
Joss Tour director Mike Zuglan is continuing to remind players that entries for Turning Stone XXVIII, scheduled for Aug. 31- Sept 3 are filling up fast, with, as of this weekend, nearly three-quarters of the field already registered. Visit the Turning Stone Web site (http://www.turningstone.com), or contact Zuglan, for further information.
