(l to r): Mike Zingale, Nick Applebee, Steven Richmond, Miguel Batista, and Tony Crosby
In the summer of 2017, Stephen Richmond competed in two events at which he finished as runner-up; to Donny Mills in a June stop on the Sunshine State Pro Am Tour, and to Tommy Kennedy in an August stop on the J. Pechauer Southeast Open 9-Ball Tour. In both events, Richmond got into the hot seat, only to be defeated in the finals. On the weekend of February 3-4, competing in the Florida Pool Tour’s $5,000-added, 2018 Florida State Amateur 9-Ball Championships, that drew 122 entrants to Zingale’s Billiards Room & Sports Bar in Tallahassee, FL, Richmond opted for a different route. He advanced to the hot seat match, but was defeated by Miguel Batista. He returned from the semifinals to defeat Batista, and claim the event title; his first, according to our available records, since he won a stop on the Pure X Cues All American Tour in April of 2013.
Richmond and Batista got into their first of two matches, battling for the hot seat, following identical 7-5 victories in the winners’ side semifinals; Richmond, over Denny Singletary, and Batista, over Steve Foster. They then proceeded to battle each other to a 7-5 finish that sent Richmond to the semifinals.
On the loss side, Singletary and Foster ran immediately into their second straight losses. Singletary went down in a double hill fight against Nick Applebee, who’d previously defeated Wesley White 5-1 and Matt Bulfin, also double hill. Foster was defeated 5-1 by Mike Delawder, who’d eliminated Jason Wells 5-3 and Rod Rentz 5-1 to reach him.
In what was described by tour officials as an “intense hill/hill (quarterfinal) match,” Applebee and Delawder fought back and forth for the right to meet Richmond in the semifinals. Applebee prevailed, only to be downed by an apparently determined Richmond 5-1.
In an extended race-to-9 final, Richmond and Batista came within a game of yet another double hill match. Richmond, though, pulled out in front to win it 9-7 and claim the event title.
A Second Chance event drew a full field of 64 entrants. It was won by Jeff Jordan.
Tour representatives thanked Mike Zingale and his staff for their hospitality at their brand new location (1147 Apalachee Parkway), as well as sponsors Simonis, Aramith, Stroke-It-Wear, Crosby’s Billiards and Darts, and XL Press Co. The next stop on the Florida Pool Tour, the 2018 Florida State Open 10-Ball Championship, scheduled for March 3-4, will once again be hosted by Zingale’s.
Shannon Daulton, Kenny Wilson, Clint Nichols and Michael Zingale
Mike Zingale of Zingale's Billiards in Tallahassee , FL made a phone call, and invited Shannon Daulton and his Great Southern Billiard Tour down for a visit. They went, on the weekend of December 5-6, and ran a $1,200-added tournament that drew 32 entrants and saw Kenny Wilson come back from a loss in the hot seat match and double dip Clint Nichols in the finals to claim the event title.
Their first clash followed a 7-4 victory by Wilson over Denny Singletary, and a 6-5 win by Nichols, over Nick Applebee in the winners' side semifinals. Nichols then took the first of three over Wilson, decisively, 6-1, and sat in the hot seat, waiting for the next two.
Singletary and Applebee moved over to the loss side and were immediately defeated a second time. Applebee fell, 7-2, to Chris Gentile, who'd recently defeated Jason Wells 7-2 and Jesse Middlebrooks 7-6 (Middlebrooks racing to 8). Singletary ran into Randy Jordan, who'd been defeated by Wilson in the second round, and was in the midst of a six-match, loss-side winning streak that would take him as far as the semifinals. Jordan chalked up loss-side wins #3 and #4 against Lee Sanders 9-4 and Derek Fowler 9-5.
Gentile downed Applebee 7-2, as Jordan was eliminating Singletary 9-5. Jordan took the quarterfinal match that followed 9-6, to earn a second shot against Wilson. Wilson ended Jordan's loss-side streak, defeating him a second time, 7-7 (same as the first time, Jordan racing to 9), and earning his own second (and third) shot against Nichols in the hot seat.
Five years ago, Wilson had chalked up his first win on the GSBT, by advancing to the hot seat, and holding off a loss-side challenge by Brian White, who entered the finals on the heels of a nine-match, loss-side winning streak. On this most recent weekend, Wilson chalked up his second tour victory with a 7-4 win in the opening set of the true double elimination final and a double hill win in the second set.
Tour director Shannon Daulton was quite pleased with his tour's first visit to Zingale's, which also hosts Tommy Kennedy's Southeast Open 9-Ball Tour, and Tony Crosby's Florida Pool Tour.
"It was a real pleasure to work with Mike (Zingale)," said Daulton. "It's such a player-friendly room (with) an elevated bar for viewing and separate areas for league and tournament play; just a hell of a layout.
"The entire staff at Zingale's was on-point the whole weekend," he added, "and I'll bet Mike served as many drinks as his staff did."
The GSBT will return to Shore Thing Billiards in Myrtle Beach, SC, this coming weekend (December 12-13) and will conclude its 2015 season with a Christmas tournament, scheduled for December 19-20, at Legends Billiards, in Inman, SC.
Park Avenue Billiards, Orange Park, Fl was the latest location to host the Poison Tour event, May 19th-20th 2012. The event drew a low but very strong 26 man field.
Local Matt Deweese would prove to be just too much for everybody on this occasion, making his way to the final with strong wins over Matt Wilson 7-6, Cal McGann 7-4, Jason Wells 7-0, Dave Pencar 7-1 and then a 7-0 white wash over Don (Iron Mike) Griffin to take the hotseat.
The one loss side would see Cal McGann looking strong after taking a 2nd round loss to Matt Deweese, McGann would go on to defeat Luke Collins 5-1, Dave Ross 5-1, Mike Delawder 5-1, Bobby Garza 5-4 Dave Pencar 5-1 and then Jason Bowen 5-0 to set up a semi final match with Don Griffin. With a place in the final at stake both players were making the most of their chances taking the match all the way with Don Griffin eventually coming out a 5-4 winner.
The final would see Griffin get his chance at revenge but Deweese had nothing else in mind but taking home the 1st place prize and the beautiful Glass Poison Tour Trophy. This match would prove to be a much tighter affair with both players trading racks early on, Deweese would however eventually end up taking it down with a strong 7-5 win. Congrats to Matt Deweese for taking his first Poison tour title.
The 10-ball event drew 21 players with another home town player Dave Grossman proving to be too strong, as he made his way to the hotseat match with strong wins over Ramel Brown 7-4, Warren Sandifer 7-6, Don (Iron Mike) Griffin 7-3, Tom Mittnight 7-6 and then a strong 7-3 win over Tony Crosby to capture the hotseat.
On the one loss side Stoney Stone was looking very dangerous after taking a 7-3 loss to Tony Crosby, Stone would go on to defeat Ramel Brown 6-5, Jason Bowen 6-4, Matt Deweese 6-3, Tom Mittnight and then Tony Crosby 6-4. Grossman was not feeling great after a couple of hours hanging around and with the time approaching 1am both Players agreed to do a split. Grossman however would be the undefeated player on the day.
We would like to say a big thank you to Park Avenue Billiards and our title sponsors Poison Cues. We also have just announced a one day $1000 added amateur event only, at Stoker’s Billiards Palm Harbor Fl, 16th June. Check out our new site at www.poisonpooltour.com for more info.
