Archive Page

Grossman and Ferguson are ‘official winners’ of Sunshine State Pro Am Open/Amateur events

Bobby Garza, Anthony Meglino & David Grossman

 

David Grossman, playing in an Open event, and Bill Ferguson, playing in an Amateur event,  were the ‘official’ winners of the Sunshine State Pro Am Tour’s latest double stop event on the weekend of August 4-5. Both of them split the top two prizes with their respective runner-ups – Anthony Garza in the Open event and Clint Nichols in the Amateur event. The $700-added events ($500 for the Open and $200 for the Amateur) drew 34 (Open) and 30 (Amateur) entrants to Park Avenue Billiards in Orange Park, FL.
 
Grossman, in the Open event, faced separate opponents in the hot seat and (unplayed) finals. He advanced to a winners’ side semifinal against Anthony Meglino and sent him to the loss side 7-3, from which he would return to challenge Grossman in a final that didn’t happen. Bobby Garza downed Billy Burke 7-5 in the other winners’ side semifinal and faced Grossman in the hot seat match. Grossman sent Garza off to the semifinals and sat in the hot seat, awaiting what turned out to be a split with Meglino.
 
On the loss side, Meglino opened his loss side trek against Mike Delawder, who’d defeated Marcus Murillo 7-3 and Scott Rohleder 7-4 to reach him. Burke picked up Tommy Kennedy, who’d gotten by Clint Nichols (who’d show up as runner-up in the Amateur event) 7-3 and James Sandaler 7-2. Meglino and Burke advanced to the quarterfinals; Meglino, double hill, over Delawder and Burke, 7-2 over Kennedy.
 
Meglino downed Burke 7-2 in the quarterfinals and completed his loss-side run with a double hill win over Garza in the semifinals. The split was arranged, and Grossman became the official event winner. The event's top junior player was awarded $40.
 
Bill Ferguson and Clint Nichols battled once for the Amateur title. In the hot seat match, as it turned out. Ferguson had downed Bobby Hicks, double hill, in one of the winners’ side semifinals, while Nichols was busy sending Chuck White to the loss side 7-5. In their one and only match, Ferguson defeated Nichols 7-4 and claimed the hot seat.
 
On the loss side, Hicks picked up Matthew Wilson, who’d gotten by Thomas White 5-1 and Bobby Garza, double hill. Chuck White drew Wes Hammam, who’d defeated Jack Smith 5-2 and James Sandaler 5-3 to reach him.
 
Hicks downed Wilson 5-2 and in the quarterfinals, matched up with Hammam, who’d sent White to the figurative showers 5-1. Hammam then downed Hicks, double hill in the quarterfinals, before he was eliminated by Nichols 5-2 in the semifinals. Nichols and Ferguson agreed on the split, leaving Ferguson as the official winner. The Amateur event awarded $40 to its top junior, Trenton White.
 
Tour directors Janene Phillips and Bobby Garza thanked the ownership and staff at Park Ave Billiards, as well as sponsors Cyclop, Kamui, Play the Game Clothing Co., Predator, Jacksonville Roofing and AZBilliards. The next stop on the Sunshine State Pro Am Tour, scheduled for September 1-2 will be another double event (9-Ball Amateur, 10-Ball Open), hosted by K & K Billiards in Miami.

Sossei comes from the loss side to win Predator Open; Thiele goes undefeated on Amateur side

The Predator Tour traveled to Connecticut on the weekend of March 22-23, drawing 33 entrants to a $500-added Amateur event, and a very short field of seven entrants to a $500-added Open tournament. Jeremy Sossei came from the loss side to defeat Tony Robles in the finals of the Open event, while Josh Thiele went undefeated to claim the Amateur title.
 
With a seven-entrant field, a first win by Sossei (over Bart Rivezzi, owner of the Corner Pocket Cafe, in Orange, CT, which hosted the event) put him among the winners' side final four. He was joined by Mike Dechaine (who'd defeated Kevin Guimond), Phil Davis (who got by Mike Jackson), and tournament director Tony Robles, who'd drawn a random bye. Dechaine hooked up with Sossei, as Robles faced Davis. Dechaine and Robles sent Sossei and Davis to the loss side by the same 7-3 score and faced each other for possession of the hot seat. Robles claimed it 7-5 and waited on what turned out to be the return of Sossei.
 
Over on the loss side, Guimond eliminated Rivezzi 7-4, to pick up Davis. Jackson picked up a loss-side bye to draw Sossei. Guimond defeated Davis 7-2, and in the quarterfinals, faced Sossei, who'd finished Jackson's day 7-3. Sossei got by Guimond 7-5 and then denied Dechaine a second shot at Robles with a 7-3 win in the semifinals. Sossei completed his loss-side run with an 11-5 finals win over Robles to claim the Open title.
 
Josh Thiele's victory in the Amateur event was almost overshadowed by a nine-match, loss-side winning streak by Brooke Meyer, who'd been defeated in the opening round of play and fought back to meet Thiele in the finals. Thiele met Jack Smith in one winners' side semifinal, while Joe Wilson Torres met up with Chickie Romero in the other one. Thiele survived a double hill match versus Smith, and in the hot seat match, faced Romero, who'd defeatEd Torres 7-4. Thiele claimed the hot seat with an 8-6 win and waited on Meyer.
 
Just a little shy of halfway through his loss-side winning streak (four down, five to go), Meyer defeated Dave Shlemperis 7-2, and then, Billy Santiago 7-6 to pick up Smith. Torres drew Mike Esposito, who'd survived two straight double hill matches, versus Barry Lawson, Jr., and Tony Ignomirello, to reach him. Meyer eliminated Smith 7-5, and in the quarterfinals, met Torres, who'd eliminated Esposito 7-3. 
 
Meyer defeated Torres 7-3 and then, almost had his loss-side winning streak ended, when Romero fought him to double hill in the semifinals. Meyer prevailed, though, living to fight a final match. Thiele completed his undefeated run with a 7-2 win over Meyer and claimed the Amateur title.

DaBreo keeps a streak going with an undefeated run on the Predator Tour

Raphael Dabreo closed out 2013 with an undefeated victory on the Tri-State Tour in late December. He opened proceedings in 2014 with an undefeated run through a field of 105, on-hand for the $750-added Amateur Predator Tour on the weekend of January 11-12. In so doing, he added a sixth tour win to a 'one-per-month' pace he'd initiated last August. The Amateur event, run concurrently with an Open event on January 12 (story) drew those 105 competitors to Steinway Billiards in Astoria (Queens), NY.
 
From among the winners' side final four, DaBreo sent Keith Adamik to the loss side 7-3. His hot seat and finals opponent, Bryan Toolsee, in the meantime, defeated Bryan Singh 7-5. In their first of two, DaBreo sent Toolsee to the semifinals 10-5. 
 
Moving to the loss side, Adamik picked up Jack Smith, who benefited from a forfeit by Eric Grasman and defeated Marco Dy 7-4. Singh drew Izac Horne, who'd gotten by Meshak Daniel 7-5 and Chickie Romero 7-4. Identical 7-5 victories over Smith and Singh, sent Adamik and Horne to the quarterfinals. Adamik prevailed in those quarterfinals 9-5, and was then defeated by Toolsee in the semifinals 8-2. DaBreo completed his undefeated run and claimed the Amateur event title with a 10-8 victory in the finals.

Mason returns from the loss-side to defeat Delimelkonoglu in Predator Amateur finals

In the Amateur event of the Predator Tour stop on the weekend of March 17-18, Ron Mason chalked up five wins on the loss-side, including  three double hill matches, to eventually wreak vengeance on the man in the hot seat, Kapriel Delimelkonoglu, who sent him there. The $500-added Amateur event, run concurrently with an Open/Pro event, drew 62 entrants to Steinway Billiards in Astoria, NY.

They met first among the winners’ side final eight, when Delimelkonoglu sent Mason west 7-3, and advanced among the final four winners to face Mike Fisher. Joining them were Daniel Dagotdot and Lidio Rasea. Delimelkonoglu got into the hot seat match with a 7-2 victory over Fisher and was joined by Dagotdot, who’d sent Rasea west 7-5. In a double hill hot seat match, Delimelkonoglu prevailed, and waited for Mason’s return.

Mason moved to the loss side and ran right into a double hill battle against Glenn Ramsey. Three of the four matches that decided the four-way tie for ninth place went double hill. Once past Ramsey, Mason picked up a forfeit victory over Ray Feliciano and drew Fisher, coming over from the winners’ side final four. Rasea, coming over as well, drew Jack Smith, who’d gotten by Yusuf Khan, double hill and Victor Nau 7-4. Mason advanced to the quarterfinals on the heels of a second double hill battle, this time against Fisher, and faced Rasea, who’d downed Smith 7-1.

Mason then dropped Rasea into fourth place with an 8-4 victory, turned his attention to a third double hill struggle, this time against Dagotdot in the semifinals. Mason prevailed again, 9-8, to earn a second shot against Delimelkonoglu. In the single, extended race-to-9 finals, Mason reached seven games first to force the extension and finished up ahead by five racks, 9-4, to secure the event title.

Thanks were extended to the ownership and staff of Steinway Billiards, as well as sponsors Predator Cues, The National Amateur Pool League, Delta-13 racks, Poison Cues, PoolOnTheNet.com, and NYCGrind.

Steve Knoll Takes The Predator Tour By Storm at Castle Billiards while Jeremy Sossei Takes the Last Open/Pro Stop of the Season

Steve Knoll, Michael Toohig and Rene Villalobos

The Predator Pro-Am Tour’s $1,000 added last stop of the regular 2011 season took place at Castle Billiards in East Rutherford, NJ on November 5-6.

“Castle”, as most players in the area call it, is known for their famous sizzling steak and friendly atmosphere, as well as catering to some of the best pool players in New Jersey.

Forty-five players from around the tri-state area came out to compete in the Amateur 9-ball Event, all looking to end the season on a positive note… and potentially raise their standing in the tour’s end of the year rankings.

Notable amateur players in this event included Noel Bensurto, Lionel Rivera, Gary Murgia, Jack Smith, Daniel Dagotdot, Ariel Rivera, Carl Yusef Khan, John Ortiz, Ed Culhane, and Steve Knoll of Sarasota, FL.

Several players played strong throughout the two-day tournament, but one player showed the most dominance overall. Florida player Steve Knoll is known as being a top amateur player, and proved to be too strong for the competition throughout this weekend.

Steve’s road through the winner’s bracket included wins over Guy Ignonicello 7-5, Christian Smith 7-6, Ed Culhane 7-2, Mike Hertz 8-7, Jack Smith 7-4, Rene Villalobos 10-8 to take the hot seat, and Michael Toohig 10-5 in the finals.

A number of other players also showed a lot of grit in this event, including Jack Smith, Rhio Anne Flores, Gary Murgia, and Rene Villalobos… who were all playing good enough to win, and left it all on the table during their late-event losses.

Michael Toohig was also playing with more swagger and more confidence that I have seen to date on tour. It was a pleasure to watch him dig deep, and come with several wins en route to his strong second place finish.

Amateur Division Final Results:

1st: Steve Knoll – $850
2nd: Michael Toohig – $550
3rd: Rene Villalobos – $400
4th: Gary Murgia – $300
5th/6th: Rhio Ann Flores, Jack Smith – $200
7th/8th: Kapriel Delimelkonoglu, Mike Hertz – $125
9th-12th: Phil Davis, Christian Cabera, Mike Harrington, Tony Ignomirello – $85
 
The Open/Pro 10-Ball Division featured pro division points leader and Tour Owner Tony Robles and Jeremy Sossei, as well as several up-and-coming players.

New York player Raphael Dabreo, who was ranked #3 in the B+ Class standings prior to this event, was impressive in making a statement with a solid 3rd place finish… but one player was head and shoulders above the rest.

Connecticut pro Jeremy “The Giant Killer” Sossei played superb all day en route to an undefeated win. Jeremy defeated Brian Tierney 8-2, Joe Landi 8-4, Tony Robles 8-1, Raphael DaBreo 8-6 for the hot seat, and Tony Robles 9-8 in the finals.

Both Amateur and Open/Pro tour players will be looking forward to the Predator Tour’s 2011 Finale, which will take place at Raxx Pool Room, Bar & Grill on December 10-11. http://www.raxxpoolroom.com/

Pro Division Final Results:

1st: Jeremy Sossei – $550
2nd: Tony Robles – $350
3rd: Raphael DaBreo – $200

Robbie Saez wins in Glens Falls

Robb Saez with Mika Immonen

On one of the most beautiful weekends of fall, Mike Zuglan brought his Joss Northeast Tour into Glens Falls, NY for a $1500 added tournament at Adirondack Billiards. Host Joe Stanislowsky and Bob Talbot added the money and 41 players showed. Competition was great and the great fans got to see some great pool.

 
In front of packed house on both days play was exciting and surprising on both days. Players like Jim Rempe, Santos Sambajon and Edgar Acaba were knocked out early in some great matches. Going through the first day unscathed were Mike Davis, Robb Saez, Mike Zuglan and Canadian Ray Cruz. On the one loss side we had Chuck Altomare vs Ryan McCreesh, Jack Smith vs Lee French.
 
Mike Davis came out firing and beat Saez in their first match and then beat Ray Cruz to go to the hot seat. Cruz had just beat Zuglan 9-3 and was playing great when he and Davis went to the hill. Both players in the hill match missed key shots and when Cruz tried to cut a seven ball the length of the table he jawed it and Davis won. Robbie Saez went through the one loss side Beating McCreesh on the hill, then Mike Zuglan and Ray Cruz. In the finals Mr. Saez was not to be denied. Winning both sets he took home the beautiful trophy and the cash.
 
Thanks to Adirondack Billiards and their staff. We look forward to returning again next year for another great event.