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Hall claims second 2019 Viking Cues’ Q City 9-Ball title

Collin Hall

 

Collin Hall’s 2019 year at the tables is playing out the way his 2018 year did. On Saturday, July 20 at the Gate City Billiard Club in Greensboro, NC, Hall chalked up his second victory of the year* on the Viking Cues’ Q City 9-Ball Tour. At this point last year, July 21 to be exact, he’d chalked up only his first 2018 victory. He’s already won twice in 2019 and has until October 13-14 to break a two-per-year threshold he’s faced on three separate occasions; 2016, 2018 and now, 2019. He’s defeated six different opponents in those six final matches, including Danny Jones and Jeff Young in 2016, Brent Hensley and Wes Campbell in 2018.
 
Hall beat Scott Roberts at The Clubhouse in Lynchburg, VA in April of this year. This most recent event drew 35 entrants to the Gate City Billiards Club in Greensboro, NC. Hall took the hot seat match over BJ Ussery, and then watched, as Scott Johnson, in the midst of an eight-match loss-side winning streak, got way out in front against Ussery in the semifinal. Johnson, at the start, was getting five beads on the wire in a race to 12, so at 6-6, Johnson was on the hill. He missed three opportunities shooting at the 9-ball that would have sent him to the finals against Hall. Ussery took advantage and defeated him 12-6 for a second shot at Hall which didn’t happen. A room curfew led Hall and Ussery to negotiate a prize settlement in lieu of a final match and as the undefeated hot seat occupant, Hall claimed the title.
 
Their first clash in the hot seat match came after two double hill matchups in the winners’ side semifinals. Hall downed Cartelli 6-4. Ussery sent Shaun Apple to the left bracket 12-4. Hall entered the hot seat match with six on the wire in a race to 12 against Ussery and chalked up the six he needed to win 6-9, in what was, in essence, the event’s title match.
 
On the loss side, it was Shaun Apple who picked up Johnson, six matches into his loss-side streak, who’d just eliminated Bradley Barker and James Blackburn, both 7-5. Cartelli drew Joe Woo, who’d eliminated Gary Campbell 6-2 and Alex Valencia 6-4.
 
Johnson got into the quarterfinals with a 7-3 win over Apple. He was joined by Cartelli, who’d ended Woo’s day 5-2. Johnson won what would prove to be his last match of the day, defeating Cartelli 7-3 in those quarterfinals.
 
Johnson, who’s not appeared on a payout list (to our knowledge) since 2016, when he was runner-up to the tour’s most prolific player, JT Ringgold, entered the semifinals looking for a chance to compete in his second final in three years. And almost pulled it off. As noted above, he was in the driver’s seat, on the hill, poised (thanks to the room curfew) to chalk up a second runner-up victory against one of the tour’s best. He stumbled going into what amounted to be the ‘final turn,’ and Ussery closed the gap to win the game, match and what was essentially, the battle for the runner-up slot.
 
Tour directors Herman and Angela Parker thanked the ownership and staff at Gate City Billiards, as well as 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 (July 27-28), will be hosted by The Clubhouse in Lynchburg, VA.
 

Fitch goes undefeated to take Viking Cues’ Q-City 9-Ball title

Shannon Fitch

Shannon Fitch, probably best known as the competitor who thwarted Mike Davis’ hopes of defending his NC State 10-Ball Championship in 2016, was back at work on the Viking Cues’ Q City 9-Ball Tour on Saturday, May 26. He went undefeated through a field of 35 entrants to claim the event title. The event was hosted by Break Time Billiards in Cary, NC.
 
Fitch’s advancement through the field brought him to a winners’ side semifinal against Donnie Stewart. Teenager Peter Abatangelo, in the meantime, squared off against Q-City 9-Ball veteran JT Ringgold. Fitch got into the hot seat match with an 11-5 victory over Stewart, and was joined by Abatangelo, who’d sent Ringgold to the loss side 7-4. Fitch claimed his first of two over Abatangelo and sat in the hot seat to await his return.
 
On the loss side, Ringgold picked up Kelly Farrar, who’d defeated Graham Swinson and David Brown 6-4 to reach him. Stewart drew Scott Roberts, who’d gotten by Jeff Young 8-4 and Joey Tate 8-3. It was Stewart and Farrar who advanced to the quarterfinals; Farrar eliminating Ringgold 6-6, and Stewart eliminating Roberts 6-7.
 
Stewart took the quarterfinal match over Farrar 6-4, and had his loss-side run ended by Abatangelo 7-3 in the semifinals. Fitch, though, was not to be denied. He defeated Abatangelo a second time 11-4 to claim the event title.
 
Tour directors Herman and Angela Parker thanked the ownership and staff at Breaktime Billiards, as well as title sponsor Viking Cues, Viking Cues, Delta 13 Racks, AZBilliards and Professor Q Ball. The next stop on the Viking Cues’ Q City 9-Ball Tour, scheduled for this weekend (June 2-3), will be a $1,000-added event, hosted by The Steakhorse in Spartanburg, SC.

Brattain comes from the loss side to win his first Viking Cues’ Q City 9-Ball stop

Jason Brattain

A week ago (March 24-25), Jason Brattain won five matches on the loss side of a Viking Cues’ Q City 9-Ball stop and then, the opening set of a true double elimination final against another Jason (Rogers). Rogers rallied in the second set to claim the event title. Perhaps believing that more time on the loss side would result in a different outcome, Brattain won seven matches on the loss side during the March 31-April 1 stop on the tour and won both sets of a double elimination final against Mike Bumgarner to claim his first Q City 9-Ball title. The event drew 25 entrants to Randolph’s Billiards in Hickory, NC.
 
With Brattain already at work on the loss side, having lost to Oscar Espinoza in the event’s second round, Bumgarner advanced to a winners’ side semifinal against Randall Bowman, which he won 7-3. He was joined in the hot seat match by Collin Hall, who’d defeated Steve Hughes in the other winners’ side semifinal 6-2. Bumgarner punctuated his winners’ side exploits with a shutout over Hall and waited for Brattain to meet him in the finals.
 
With two notches on his loss-side belt, Brattain downed Tyson Key 6-4, and then Daniel Gambill 6-6 (Gambill racing to 9), to enter the event’s first money round against Bowman. Hughes drew Jerry Hilton, who’d defeated Espinoza 7-3 (spoiling any thoughts Brattain may have been entertaining of a re-match) and Jeff Young 7-2.
 
Brattain gave up only a single rack to Bowman and advanced to the quarterfinals. Hughes, in the meantime, downed Hilton 7-3 to join him. Brattain then downEd Hughes 6-3 in those quarterfinals.
 
In a straight-up race to 6, Brattain and Hall battled to double hill, before Brattain completed his loss side trip and turned to face Bumgarner in the true double elimination finals. Brattain took the opening set 6-4, and though Bumgarner battled in the second set to force a 12th deciding game (Bumgarner racing to 7), Brattain dropped the final ball and claimed the event title.
 
Tour directors Herman and Angela Parker thanked the ownership and staff at Randolph’s Billiards, as well as title sponsor Viking Cues, Delta 13 Racks, AZBilliards and Professor Q Ball. The next stop on the Viking Cues’ Q City 9-Ball Tour, scheduled for April 7-8, will be hosted by a new venue on the tour, Carolina Billiards in Garner, NC.
 

Guerra wins second set of true-double final over Capps to win Viking Cues’ Q City 9-Ball stop

Travis Guerra

Travis Guerra's been poking at the winners' circle on the Viking Cues' Q City 9-Ball Tour all year long. He was runner-up at a stop in January (to Greg Taylor), and a couple of weeks later, finished fifth in the 2016 Tour Championships. He made it as far as the semifinals, twice; once in April and once in May. He broke through to chalk up his first event victory of the year at a stop on July 1-2, which drew 30 entrants to Randolph's Billiards in Hickory, NC. It was his first win on the tour since he'd gone undefeated in an 8-ball event, two years ago. This time around, though he made it to the hot seat, Brian Capps gave him a run for his money in the double elimination finals, taking the first set.
 
They'd missed battling for the hot seat by a match. Guerra advanced to that hot seat match with a 6-4 win over Matt Lucas in one winners' side semifinal. Justin Clark, in the meantime, racing to 6, downed Capps (racing to 10) 6-1 in the other winners' side semifinal. In a straight up race to 6, Guerra claimed the hot seat over Clark and waited on the return of Capps.
 
On the loss side, Capps picked up Trey Frank, who'd just eliminated Tim Monk and Jeff Young, both 7-2. Lucas drew Clint Clark (no relation to Justin), who, racing to 10, had shut out Joe Sims, and given up only a single rack to Steve Reece.
 
With Clark and Capps both racing to 10, they both advanced to the quarterfinals; Clark 10-4 over Lucas, and Capps 10-3 over Frank. In what was arguably the best match of the weekend (two top-tier players racing to 10) Capps and Clint Clark battled back and forth to double hill, before Capps prevailed to take on his second Clark in a row (Justin) in the semifinals.
 
Justin put up a bit of fight in those semifinals and came within a game of forcing a deciding game against Capps, but Capps closed it out at 10-4, for a shot at Guerra in the hot seat. With a dose of momentum on his side, Capps gave up only a single rack to Guerra in the opening set of the true double elimination final. Fortunes reversed in the second set, as they often do when it's nearing 2 a.m. on a Sunday morning after two days of pool shooting, and Guerra got out in front in the second set and stayed there, winning it 6-3 to claim the event title.
 
Tour director Herman Parker thanked the ownership and staff at Randolph Billiards, as well as title sponsor Viking Cues, Delta 13 Racks, AZBilliards and Professor Q Ball. The next stop on the Viking Cues' Q City 9-Ball Tour, scheduled for July 8-9, will be hosted by Mickey Milligan's in New Bern, NC.

Mayfield comes from the loss side to win stop on Viking Cues’ Q City 9-Ball Tour

Tyler Mayfield, whose last recorded tour win was his first on the Great Southern Billiard Tour, three years ago, chalked up his first win on the Viking Cues' Q City 9-Ball Tour on the weekend of May 20-21. On both occasions, he claimed the title by coming from the loss side to double dip the hot seat occupant. Three years ago, he won five on the loss side. In this most recent event, he won three to get himself into the finals against Bo Blakely. The event drew 49 entrants to the Gate City Billiard Club in Greensboro, NC.
 
Mayfield advanced to a winners' side semifinal against Travis Guerra. Blakely and Josh Padron (2016's Q City tour champion) squared off in the other one. Both matches went double hill, with Blakely and Guerra advancing to the hot seat match. In a straight-up race to 5, Blakely claimed the hot seat 5-3.
 
On the loss side, Mayfield began his trek back to the finals against James Blackburn, who'd defeated Cody Jones 9-2 and shut out Jeff Young to reach him. Padron drew a 'young gun,' 17-year-old Hunter White, who'd eliminated Jerry Varnado 8-4 and Josh Williams 8-3. White downed Padron 8-4, as Mayfield got by Blackburn 6-3.
 
Mayfield took the quarterfinal match against White 6-2, and then, locked up in a second double hill rematch fight against Guerra in the semifinals. Mayfield dropped the last ball in the 10th game to win it 6-4.
 
Mayfield took the first set of the double elimination final over Blakely 6-3. He completed his run with a 6-2 win in the second set to claim the event title.
 
Tour director Herman Parker thanked the ownership and staff at Gate City Billiards Club, as well as title sponsor Viking Cues, Delta 13 Racks, AZBilliards and Professor Q Ball. The next stop on the Viking Cues' Q City 9-Ball Tour, scheduled for May 27-28, will be hosted by Janet Atwell's Borderline Billiards in Bristol, TN. 
 

Pope, Young and Nielsen split top three prizes on the Viking Cues’ Q City 9-Ball Tour

As is often the case, tournaments that end up chasing dawn, lead to an agreed-upon split in the event's top prizes. The last matches, scheduled long after everybody but the players and tour administrators have gone home, are generally only of interest to the players involved, who are more often than not, bone tired and unlikely to be at a performance level commensurate with their skills. Splits among an event's finalists are common. Three-way splits, avoiding both the semifinals and finals (sometimes double elimination finals) are rare, but, as in the case of the Viking Cues' Q City 9-Ball Tour stop on Saturday, March 18 (moving into Sunday morning), they happen.
 
In this case, it allowed one veteran member of the tour, Solomon Pope, to become the official winner and take home some cash for the first time since joining the tour a few years ago. By the same token, the decision to split the top three prizes denied Jeff Young the opportunity to chalk up his second win on the tour in a little over a week (he won the March 11-12 stop). When the decision was made, Young, having been defeated by Pope in the hot seat match, was scheduled for a re-match against Denmark's Peter Nielsen, whom he'd defeated in a double hill winners' side semifinal (4-8, with Nielsen racing to 9). It's anyone's guess how the next two, potentially three matches (double elimination final) would have turned out, but as with all prize splits at the end of a tournament, the players were content with not finding out. The event drew 38 entrants to Breaktime Billiards in Cary, NC.
 
As Young was locked up in the double hill fight that sent Nielsen to the loss side, Pope was working against Christy Norris in the other winners' side semifinal. He defeated her 7-5, and then downed Young in the hot seat match 7-1.
 
Lurking on the loss side as all this was going on, was pro-player Mike Davis, Jr., who was racing to 13 against all of his opponents. He got by Bryan Pate 13-4 in the 9/12 matches, but was denied entrance to the money rounds by Alan Shaw, who, like Pope, was a veteran member of the tour looking to cash for the first time.  Shaw, who'd defeated Jason Rogers previously 5-2, made it to the money rounds with a 5-7 win over Davis, and drew Nielsen. Norris picked up Chris Gentile, who'd defeated Mike Mullins 8-4 and Mike Rowe 8-1 to reach her.
 
Gentile downed Norris 8-2, as Nielsen sent Shaw home 9-2 (with his first cash winnings of $50). For those who were still around, the final match of the evening – the quarterfinals – saw Nielsen and Gentile lock up in a double hill fight, eventually won by Nielsen 9-7. And it was over, with Pope, sitting in the hot seat, as the official undefeated winner and Young and Nielsen in a single-loss tie.
 
Tour director Herman Parker thanked the ownership and staff at Breaktime Billiards, as well as title sponsor Viking Cues, Delta 13 Racks, AZBilliards and Professor Q Ball. The next stop on the Viking Cues' Q City 9-Ball Tour, scheduled for this weekend (March 25-26), will be hosted by a new venue for the tour, Peninsula Billiards featuring bar box tables in Newport News, VA.

Young wins his first Viking Cues’ Q City 9-Ball Tournament

Until the weekend of March 11-12, Jeff Young had cashed in only three Viking Cues' Q City 9-Ball events; two in 2016, including a runner-up finish in November, in which he took the opening set of a true double elimination final, only to be defeated in the second set. He finished in the tie for 7th place last month (February) in Hickory, NC. On the March 11-12 weekend, he brought his game to Corner Pockets in Fayetteville, NC and went undefeated through a field of 44 entrants to claim his first major title. 
 
Young had to get by Ron Canterbury twice to claim that title. They met first in the hot seat match, after Young had sent Stevie McClinton to the loss side 5-2 in one winners' side semifinal, and Canterbury had survived a double hill battle versus Chris Baumann in the other. Young, for the first time, found himself as the proverbial 'last man standing' after defeating Canterbury 5-3 in the hot seat match.
 
On the loss side, McClinton picked up Andy Bowden, who'd defeated Doug Flynn 5-2, and Kimberly Young (Jeff's wife), double hill, to reach him. Baumann drew Daniel Adams, who'd eliminated Justin Clark and Wayne Miller, both 7-3.
 
McClinton got right back to winning work with a 7-2 win over Bowden, but Baumann fell to Adams 7-4. Adams and McClinton locked up in a double hill quarterfinal that eventually sent Adams to the semifinals against Canterbury.
 
In those semifinals, Adams ended up on the wrong side of his second straight double hill match, which sent Canterbury back for a re-match against Young in the hot seat. With Canterbury racing to 6, Young completed his first win, undefeated, at 5-4. 
 
Tour director Herman Parker thanked the ownership and staff at Corner Pockets, as well as title sponsor Viking Cues, Delta 13 Racks, AZBilliards and Professor Q Ball. The next stop on the Viking Cues' Q City 9-Ball Tour, scheduled for this weekend (March 18-19), will be hosted by Breaktime Billiards in Cary, NC. 

Walsh and Gambill split top money on Viking Cues’ Q City 9-Ball Tour

Chris Walsh and Daniel Gambill played two matches during the Saturday, February 4 stop on the Viking Cues' Q City 9-Ball Tour. Walsh took the first one to claim the hot seat and Gambill won the second in the first set of a true double elimination final. They opted out of a second set and split the top two prizes, leaving Walsh as the official winner. The event drew 45 entrants to Randolph's Billiards in Hickory, NC.
 
The first match followed a 9-3 victory by Gambill over Dustin Barkley, and a 7-2 win by Walsh over Rick Roper in the two winners' side semifinals. Walsh claimed the hot seat and his last match victory 7-3 over Gambill.
 
Barkley and Roper moved to the loss side and met up with Tim Monk and Brandon Canipe, respectively. Monk had downed Rocky Hawk 7-3 and Brian Capps 7-6 (Capps racing to 10) to draw Barkley. Canipe eliminated Jake Medlin 6-1 and Jeff Young 6-2 to draw Roper.
 
Barkley and Roper advanced to the quarterfinals; Barkley 6-1 over Monk, and Roper 7-5 over Canipe. Barkley gave up only a single rack to Roper in the quarterfinals that followed, and then had his short, loss-side streak ended 9-3 in a re-match against Gambill in the semifinals.
 
As noted at the outset, Gambill took the opening set of the finals 9-5 over Walsh. They left it at that, allowing to Walsh to claim the official event title, while the two split the first two cash prizes.
 
Tour director Herman Parker thanked the ownership and staff at Randolph's Billiards, as well as title sponsor Viking Cues, Delta 13 Racks, GoPlayPool.com, AZBilliards and Professor Q Ball. Parker also noted that through a combination of cash donations (approximately $800) and goods and services ($500) by local businesses, the tour was able to raise money to help long-time tour member and supporter, Josh Newman, in support of medical expenses for his mother, who was recently diagnosed with lung cancer.
 
The next stop on the Viking Cues' Q City 9-Ball Tour, scheduled for the weekend of February 11-12, will be a guaranteed $500-added event ($1,000-added with a full field of 48), hosted by Mister Cues II in Atlanta, GA. 

Hall takes two out of three versus Young to win Viking Cues’ Q City 9-Ball stop

Collin Hall has already pocketed more winnings this year than he has in three previously recorded years playing on a combination of the Great Southern Billiard Tour and the Viking Cues' Q City 9-Ball Tour. He won a stop on the Q City 9-Ball Tour last August, and on Saturday, November 19, he chalked up his second, taking two out of three versus Jeff Young to secure the title. The event drew 39 entrants to The Clubhouse in Lynchburg, VA. 
 
 
They met first in the hot seat match. Hall had sent Scott Roberts to the loss side in a double hill, winners' side semifinal, as Young was busy defeating Matt Booth in a second double hill, winners' side semifinal. Hall claimed the hot seat 6-2 and waited for the return of Young.
 
 
On the loss side, Booth and Roberts got right back to work. Booth drew Jody Musselman, who'd defeated Bernie Kirby 7-2, and J.P. Ringgold 7-4 to reach him. Roberts picked up Jonathan Ailstock, who'd eliminated Mike Hancock and Ronald Meeks, both 7-1. Booth downed Musselman, double hill, and in the quarterfinals faced Roberts who'd dispatched Ailstock 8-4.
 
 
Booth took the quarterfinal match over Roberts 6-4, earning himself a re-match against Young in the semifinals. Young, though, looking for his own re-match redemption, ended Booth's two-match, loss-side run in those semifinals 4-3 (Booth racing to 6).
 
 
Young and Hall won the same number of games (4) in the opening set of the true double elimination final, but with Hall racing to six, Young took the set victory to force a second round. Hall broke their 1-1 match tie with a 6-2 win in the second set to claim the event title.
 
 
Tour director Herman Parker thanked the ownership and staff at The Clubhouse, as well as title sponsor Viking Cues, Delta 13 Racks, Ruthless Billiards, GoPlayPool.com, AZBilliards and Professor Q Ball. The next stop on the Viking Cues' Q City 9-Ball Tour, scheduled over the Thanksgiving Day weekend (November 26-27), will be a $500-added event, hosted by Cue Time in Spartanburg, SC.

Musselman goes undefeated to win his second 2016 Viking Cues’ Q City 9-Ball title

Jody Musselman has stepped up his participation in tournament pool this year. According to records here at AZBilliards, he's only cashed in a total of seven events since 2009. Five of those events were on the Viking Cues' Q City 9-Ball Tour this year. Prior to his first win on the tour this year, in October, he'd reportedly won only one other tournament event; a stop on the Viking Tour in 2009. On Saturday, Nov. 12, he added a second victory on the Viking Cues' Q City 9-Ball Tour to his resume, going undefeated through a field of 30, hosted by Corner Pockets in Fayetteville, NC.
 
 
Musselman had to get by J.T. Ringgold twice in this event; once in the event's second round, and again, after Ringgold had chalked up seven on the loss side, in the finals. With Ringgold at work on the loss side, Musselman advanced to a winners' side semifinal against Walt Baldwin. Jason Blackwell, in the meantime, squared off against Jeff Young in the other winners' side semifinal.
 
 
With Baldwin racing to 8, Musselman advanced to the hot seat match 7-6. Blackwell joined him after sending Young to the loss side 5-1. Musselman claimed the hot seat 7-3 and waited for Ringgold to wrap up his loss-side run.
 
 
On that loss side, after winning his first two, Ringgold downed Scott Roberts 9-5, and Tanya Parsley 9-2 to draw Baldwin. Young picked up Earl Davis, who'd gotten by Mike Ivey 5-1, and Donnie Bradshaw, double hill, to reach him.
 
 
Ringgold chalked up loss-side win #5 over Baldwin, while Young eliminated Davis 4-2. Ringgold then gave up only one rack over the next two matches to earn his second shot against Musselman. He gave up only one to Young in the quarterfinals and none at all to Blackwell in the semifinals.
 
 
Musselman, though, stymied Ringgold's 56-11 run over his last five loss-side matches in the finals. Racing to 7, Musselman allowed Ringgold only three to claim his second Viking Cues' Q City 9-Ball title.
 
 
Tour director Herman Parker thanked the ownership and staff at Corner Pockets, as well as title sponsor Viking Cues, Delta 13 Racks, Ruthless Billiards, GoPlayPool.com, AZBilliards and Professor Q Ball. The next stop on the Viking Cues' Q City 9-Ball Tour, scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 19, will be hosted by The Clubhouse in Lynchburg, VA.