He’d cashed in only three Q City 9-Ball Tour events before this past weekend (Jan. 14-15) and finished as runner-up to BJ Ussery in one of them, three years ago. Kirk Overcash, who in addition to competing, helps sponsor the tour through TKO Custom Cues and Realty One Group, ended that drought this past weekend with an undefeated run on a $500-added tour event, which drew 47 entrants to Breaktime Billiards in Winston-Salem, NC.
He and Tim Nelson, also looking for his first win on the tour, battled twice to claim it. Both won double hill matches in the winners’ side semifinals for advancement to the hot seat match; Overcash defeated tour veteran Hank Powell 5-7 (Powell racing to 8), as Nelson was getting by Joey Palazzolo 6-4 (Palazzolo racing to 5). Overcash claimed his first hot seat with a 5-1 victory over Nelson.
On the loss side, Powell picked up Clint Clark, who was working on a six-match loss side streak that was about to come to an end and had recently eliminated Chris Clary 8-3 and, in the first money round, Jamie Bowen, double hill 8-5 (Bowen racing to 6). Palazollo drew Runal Bhatt, who’d lost his opening match to Clary and was working on an eight-match, loss-side winning streak that would take him as far as the quarterfinals. He’d recently shut out Travis Shelton and downed Jeff Underwood in the first money round 7-2.
Clark’s loss-side run came to an end with a defeat at the hands of Powell 8-6. Bhatt advanced one more step, downing Palazzolo 7-3. Powell then stopped Bhat 8-3 in the quarterfinals.
With Powell racing to 8, Nelson earned his second shot at Overcash with a 6-5 win in the semifinals. Nelson, racing to 6, made their second match a little more competitive, but in the finals, Overcash defeated him a second time, 5-4 to claim his first event title.
Tour director Herman Parker thanked the ownership and staff at Breaktime for their hospitality, as well as title sponsor PremierBilliards.com, along with title sponsor PremierBilliards.com, Breaktime Billiards (Winston-Salem, NC), BarPoolTables.net, Dirty South Grind Apparel Co., Realty One Group Results, Diamond Brat, AZBilliards.com, Federal Savings Bank Mortgage Division and TKO Custom Cues. The next stop on the Q City 9-Ball Tour, scheduled for this weekend (Jan. 20-21), will be hosted by Borderline Billiards in Bristol, TN.
It was playwright David Mamet who made the observation that “old age and treachery will always beat youth and exuberance.” It’s hard to designate the two matches of the double elimination final on the Viking Cues’ Q City 9-Ball Tour this past weekend (Dec. 3) as a victory of ‘old age’ and ‘treachery’ over ‘youth’ and ‘exuberance,’ because while it’s true that the winner, Mac Harrell, is older than the runner-up, Graham Swinson, Harrell could not reasonably be considered to be in the realm of ‘old age’ or to have applied ‘treachery’ in double-dipping Swinson in the two matches that they played against each other. Hard to argue with Swinson’s youthful exuberance though.
Swinson is 22 now, but he and Harrell have known each other for a number of years, dating back to a time when Swinson was attending Riverside High School in Williamstown, North Carolina and Mac Harrell was his math teacher. Q City 9-Ball Tour Director, Herman Parker, recalled that the two have played against each other over the past few years or so, but never, to his recollection, in the finals of an event before. They have both won stops on the tour, almost exactly a year apart, at the same location; Harrell four months ago and Swinson, a year and four months ago. The meeting led to some boisterous commentary on both sides in the $250-added event that drew 18 entrants to Mickey Milligan’s in New Bern, NC.
“The teacher taught the student a lesson,” said Parker, “and the teacher had to beat the student twice in the (straight-up race to 8), double-elimination final.”
“There was definitely some good-natured trash talk going on,” he added with a laugh.
Swinson caught Harrell at the tail end of what has been his best (recorded) earnings year since he started showing up on payout lists back in 2008, when Swinson was in grammar school. Swinson, on the other hand, with his runner-up finish in this event, came within about $60 of matching his best recorded earnings year – 2021.
They both advanced through the field to a winners’ side semifinal. Swinson faced Delton Howard, while Harrell squared off against Jeff Underwood.
Swinson advanced to the hot seat match 8-5 over Howard, but Harrell got shuttled off to the loss side by Underwood 7-6 (Harrell racing to 8). With Underwood racing to 7, Swinson claimed the hot seat, double hill, 8-6 and waited for ‘teach’ to return, which he did.
On the loss side, Harrell picked up Jerry Canon, who’d defeated Ron Ford and Jacob Stein, both 6-1, to reach him. Howard drew Michael Yamuni, who’d recently won two straight double hill battles versus Jack Whitfield and Chris Gehrki.
With Howard racing to 8, Yamuni defeated him 5-3. Harrell, in the meantime, advanced to the quarterfinals 8-2 over Cannon and followed that up with another 8-2 victory over Yamuni in those quarterfinals.
Jeff Underwood managed to get one more rack against Harrell than either of his (Harrell’s) last two opponents, but still fell short in the semifinals. Harrell won 8-3 and entered the ‘double-elimination final’ classroom, prepared to teach.
He gave up only a single rack to his former student in the opening set, winning it 8-1. The student rallied in the second set and came within a game of forcing a double-hill final match. Harrell stayed ahead of him though and took the second set 8-6 to claim the event title, his second on the tour, to date.
Tour director Herman Parker thanked the ownership and staff at Mickey Milligan’s 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 next stop on the Viking Cues’ Q City 9-Ball Tour, scheduled for this weekend, Dec. 10-11, will be hosted by the Gate City Billiards Club in Greensboro, NC.
Jeff Underwood has won two out of the three events in which he has competed on the 2021 Viking Cues’ Q City 9-Ball Tour. They are the only known instances of him finishing in a position to collect some cash. The two victories have both come as a result of him finishing an event as the undefeated occupant of the hot seat and negotiating a settlement of the top two cash payouts with his potential finals competitor. The first time he did this, last month (March), he split the top two prizes with Hank Powell. This past weekend, Saturday, April 18, he split the top two prizes with Glen Spikes. The $200-added event drew 27 entrants to Mickey Milligan’s in New Bern, NC.
Underwood and Spikes advanced through the field to meet first in the hot seat match. Underwood faced Jorge Ramos in one of the winners’ side semifinals, while Spikes faced Sheign Krafczik in the other one. Underwood downed Ramos 6-3, as Spikes was busy sending Krafczik to the loss side 5-3. In effect, they both let their hot seat encounter stand as the deciding match; Underwood won it 6-3.
On the loss side, Krafczik and Ramos ran straight into their second loss. Krafczik met up with Justin Knuckles, who’d lost to Underwood in a winners’ side quarterfinal, defeated Jack Whitfield, double hill and then, shut out Justin Outlaw. Ramos picked up Greg Smith, who’d recently eliminated DJ Brads 8-3 and Delton Howard 8-6.
Knuckles defeated Krafczik 5-3, while Smith and Ramos battled to double hill. Smith prevailed and moved into the quarterfinals against Knuckles. Knuckles and Smith got into a double hill fight, as well, with Knuckles eventually advancing to what proved to be the last match of the evening, the semifinals against Spikes.
Spikes won the semifinals over Knuckles 5-2. He and Underwood negotiated their split, leaving Underwood, as the hot seat occupant, the recipient of the official event title.
Tour director Herman Parker thanked Gerry Shepherd and his Mickey Milligan’s staff for their hospitality, as well as title sponsor Viking Cues, BarPoolTables.net, Dirty South Grind Apparel Co., AZBilliards, Federal Savings Bank mortgage division and Diamond Brat. The next stop on the Viking Cues’ Q City 9-Ball Tour, scheduled for this coming weekend, April 24-25, will be hosted by Buck’s Billiards in Raleigh, NC.
Jeff Underwood is something of a newcomer to the AZB Money Leaderboard, having cashed in only two (recorded) events so far; one, this past January when he tied for 7th/8th on the Viking Cues’ Q City 9-Ball Tour and on the same tour this past weekend (March 20-21), when, as the occupant of the hot seat, he became the official winner of the $500-added event that drew 38 entrants to Randolph’s Billiards in Hickory, NC. Underwood and Hank Powell (who’d won the January event in which Underwood had competed) played one set of a true double elimination final. Powell won it, giving them each a single loss, when they opted out of a final match and split the top two cash prizes.
Underwood and Powell had recently had their handicaps raised and seemed to prove that they’d earned that upgrade by both making it to the winners’ side semifinals. Underwood faced Bruce Campbell, as Powell squared off against Jonathan Ailstock. Underwood advanced to the hot seat match with a 6-3 victory over Campbell. Powell, though, moved to the loss side, courtesy of Ailstock, who, with Powell racing to 8, defeated him 6-6. Ailstock ended up on the wrong side of his second straight double hill match, as Underwood claimed the hot seat 6-5.
Powell began his three-match journey back to the finals against Chuck Ritchie, who’d defeated Gary South 7-3 and Scott Howard, double hill, to reach him. Campbell drew Andy Bowden, who’d recently eliminated Jeff Abernathy and Jason Rogers, both 5-6 (Abernathy racing to 9 and Rogers to 8).
In the first money round and what proved to be Saturday night’s final matches, Bowden downed Campbell 5-1. He would be joined in the quarterfinals by Powell, who’d sent Ritchie home (late on Saturday night) 8-2.
On Sunday, the final four returned and commenced with the quarterfinals. Powell began the day the same way he’d ended Saturday, with an 8-2 win, this time, over Bowden. It set up a semifinal rematch between Powell and Ailstock, both looking for a second shot at the somewhat ‘new kid on the block,’ Underwood, waiting in the hot seat.
Powell prevailed 8-4 over Ailstock and launched into the opening set of the true double elimination final. He won that set by the same score as he’d defeated Ailstock 8-4, at which point, he and Underwood began negotiating their split of the top two prizes.
Tour director Herman Parker thanked the ownership and staff at Randolph’s Billiards, as well as title sponsor Viking Cues, BarPoolTables.net, AZBilliards, Federal Savings Bank Mortgage Division and Dirty South Grind Apparel Co. The next stop on the Viking Cues’ Q City 9-Ball Tour, scheduled for this weekend, March 27-28, will be a $500-added event, hosted by Break & Run Billiards in Chesnee, SC.
