About a month short of two years ago (February 25-26, 2017), pro player Jeffrey DeLuna from the Phillipines signed on to a 65-entrant stop on the Viking Cues’ Q City 9-Ball Tour, being held at Janet Atwell’s room, Borderline Billiards in Bristol, TN. As a professional, DeLuna had to win 13 games per match before most of his opponents chalked up eight or nine. Not surprisingly, DeLuna went undefeated through the field, but not before he was challenged twice by Brandon Kidwell, who called then and continues to call Borderline Billiards his home room. The hot seat match was something of a blowout. With Kidwell racing to 8, he managed to chalk up only three against the seasoned pro’s 13. The finals were a different story. Though DeLuna went on to defeat Kidwell a second time, it was not before Kidwell had brought him to the double-hill brink of defeat at 12-7. Had he won the match, in the double elimination format of the final, Kidwell would have had to do it again; a point rendered moot when DeLuna broke the double-hill tie and claimed the event title.

 

On the weekend of January 26-27, Kidwell, with two victories on the tour in his past (both prior to his meetup with DeLuna), returned to the ‘scene of the crime’, as it were, came back from a hot seat loss and defeated Scott Roberts twice to claim his first Q City 9-Ball title in a little over two years. The event drew 50 entrants to Borderline Billiards, which, thanks to Atwell, filled in an empty slot on the tour schedule just four days before it began.

 

Kidwell (still racing to 8, throughout) advanced through the field to arrive at a winners’ side semifinal match against 17-year-old Hunter White. Scott Roberts, in the meantime, squared off against Brandon Stiltner. Kidwell downed White 8-2 and was joined in the hot seat match by Roberts, who’d survived a double hill battle (8-5) against Stiltner. Roberts took possession of the hot seat 8-4 and waited on Kidwell’s return from the semifinals.

 

Over on the loss side, Stiltner ran into Brian James, who’d defeated Richard Kearsey 6-2 and June Bug (aka James Miracle) 6-3 to reach him. White picked up Mike Clevinger, who’d most recently shut out Trevor Stanley and defeated Steve Guy 6-4. James advanced 6-2 over Stiltner. White joined him in the quarterfinals after shutting Clevinger out 9-0.

 

James Took the quarterfinal match over White 6-3 and then locked up in a double hill battle with Kidwell in the semifinals. Kidwell dropped the 9-ball in the deciding match and turned his attention to a rematch against Roberts in a double elimination final.

 

In a straight-up race to 8, the first set ended with the same score as the hot seat match, although it was Kidwell who chalked up the 8 and Roberts with the 4. Roberts came back in the second set, but not by nearly enough. Kidwell claimed the title with a second-set 8-5 win.

 

Tour directors Herman and Angela Parker thanked Janet Atwell and her staff at Borderline Billiards, not only for hosting the event, but for agreeing to do so, four days ahead of the scheduled start. They also thanked title sponsor Viking Cues, Bar Pool Tables, Delta 13 Racks, AZ Billiards and Professor Q-Ball. The next stop on the Viking Cues’ Q City 9-Ball Tour, scheduled for this weekend (Feb. 2-3), will be a $500-added event, hosted by Speak Eazy Billiards in Sanford, NC.

Brothers Randy (older) and Jeff Jordan came within a match of facing each other during the June 6-7 stop on the Great Southern Billiard Tour. Jeff went on to win the $1,000-added event that drew 48 entrants to The Rail in Athens, GA, coming from the loss side to down James Miracle in the finals.

 

The Jordan brothers were two of the four opponents in the two winners' side semifinals, but did not play against each other. Randy faced Miracle, while Jeff squared off against Chris Cox. Jeff went on to defeat Cox 8-5, and met up with Miracle, who'd sent Jeff's brother to the loss side 5-6 (Randy racing to 9). Miracle captured the hot seat 5-3 over Jeff.

 

Randy moved west and ran into Steve Cox (no relation to Chris), who'd defeated Matt Bulfin 6-1 and Angelo Rodriguez 6-5. The other Cox (Chris) picked up Jesse Middlebrooks, who'd gotten by Chris DeLee 8-5 and Shane Looney 8-4. A Cox versus Cox quarterfinal was avoided when Middlebrooks downed Chris 8-3. Steve advanced to meet Middlebrooks with a 6-7 victory over Jordan (racing to 9).

 

With Middlebrooks racing to 8, Steve Cox took the quarterfinal match 6-6, only to be eliminated by Jeff Jordan 8-4 in the semifinals. Jordan took a commanding lead in the first set of the true double elimination final against Miracle, and gave up only a single rack to force a second set. Jordan took that second set 8-4 to claim the event title. 

 

Tour director Shannon Daulton thanked Joe Kirkland and his staff at The Rail for their hospitality, as well as sponsors Nick Varner Cues and Cases, Andy Gilbert Custom Cues, Lomax Custom Cues, Tiger Products, Ozone Billiards, Delta-13 and AZBilliards. The next stop on the GSBT, scheduled for June 12-13, will be hosted by Shore Thing Billiards, in Myrtle Beach, SC.

On the weekend of May 17-18, Joe Blackburn, 69, became the oldest player to ever win a stop on the Great Southern Billiard Tour. He came from the loss side to do it, defeating Corey Morphew in the finals. The $1,000-added event drew 39 entrants to Borderline Billiards in Bristol, TN.

 

Blackburn and Morphew met first in a winners' side semifinal, as Corey Sykes met up with Jerry Vernado in the other. The two Coreys advanced to the hot seat match; Sykes 9-5 over Vernado and Morphew surviving a double hill battle. Morphew then defeated Sykes 9-6 and waited on Blackburn.

 

On the loss side, Blackburn picked up Jay Miller, who'd defeated Daniel Autry 4-3 and Scott Howard 4-4; Howard racing to 7. Vernado drew Brian Bagwell, who'd eliminated Borderline Billiards owner Janet Atwell and James Miracle, both 7-4. Once Blackburn had eliminated Miller 7-2 and Vernado had downed Bagwell 6-3, they faced each other in the quarterfinals.

 

Blackburn and Vernado locked up in a hill-hill quarterfinal that eventually advanced Blackburn to face Sykes in the semifinals. Another hill-hill victory, over Sykes, gave Blackburn a second shot against Morphew.

 

Morphew failed to chalk up a single rack in the opening set of a true double elimination final. He rallied in the second set, but racing to 9, fell a game short of forcing a deciding game against Blackburn, who completed his loss-side run with a second win (7-7) to claim the event title.

 

 Tour director Shannon Daulton thanked Janet Atwell and her staff at Borderline Billiards, as well as sponsors Nick Varner Cues & Cases, Delta-13, Ozone Billiards, Tiger Products, Andy Gilbert Custom Cues, Lomax Cues, and Universe Clothing. The next stop on the GSBT, scheduled for the weekend of June 21-22, will be hosted by Legends Billiards in Inman, SC.