Hunter White hadn’t won a stop on the PremierBilliards.com Q City 9-Ball Tour since the last weekend in February, 2021. It was the weekend that North Carolina’s governor, Roy Cooper, signed an executive order restoring indoor service to bars and increased seating capacity for indoor sporting events,after the height of the pandemic had passed. White continued to compete that year, cashing in nine events and in the end, making it his best earnings year since he recorded his first here at AZBilliards in 2014. His reported winnings in 2022, paled in comparison with only five cash finishes.
This past weekend (Sat., Jan. 28), White left little doubt that his head was ‘back in the game’ by opening his 2023 campaign with an undefeated run to the hot seat at a stop on the tour, winning, on average, four out of every five games he played (45-10; 82%). He and Jeff Abernathy, looking for his first victory on the tour since 2019, split the top two prizes when they opted out of playing a final match. The $500-added event drew 39 entrants to Randolph Billiards in Hickory, NC.
After an opening round bye, all 10 of the racks chalked up against White were recorded in his first three matches (3, 5, 2), which brought him to a winners’ side semifinal match against Matt Lumston, who’d just sent Abernathy to the loss side. Ian Watson and Marcus Pendley squared off in the other winners’ side semifinal.
White shut Lumston out. Watson joined him in the hot seat match after dispatching Pendley to the ‘west,’ 5-6 (Pendley racing to 8). White claimed the hot seat with his second shutout in a row.
On the loss side, Abernathy defeated Tim Williams 9-2 and Jason Blackwell 9-4, advancing to the first money round to face Pendley. Lumston drew Thomas Sansone, who’d defeated Joe Frasier 7-2 and Jerry Hilton 7-3, to reach him.
Abernathy and Sansone handed Pendley and Lumston their second straight loss; Abernathy downing Pendley 9-6, as Sansone eliminated Lumston 7-4. Abernathy then defeated Sansone 9-4 in the quarterfinals.
In what proved to be the final match of the event, Abernathy gave up only a single rack to Ian Watson and won their semifinal match. The split-cash accommodation, which had been reached prior to the semifinal match, left White, occupant of the hot seat, as the official winner of the event and Abernathy as its runner-up.
Tour director Herman Parker thanked the ownership and staff at Randolph Billiards for their hospitality, as well as 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 (Feb. 4-5), will be a $500-added event, hosted by Action Billiards in Inman, SC.
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.
Blade Best and Taz Holliday split the top two prizes on the Viking Cues' Q City 9-Ball Tour stop on the weekend of July 29-30. As the undefeated player, Best chalked up the official title win of the event that drew 39 entrants to Borderline Billiards in Bristol, TN.
Best advanced through the 64-player bracket to face Scott Howard in one of the winners' side semifinals, as Bill Eisenhard faced Brandon Kidwell in the other one. Kidwell had just sent Holliday to the loss side. Best sent Howard over 6-6 (Howard racing to 8), as Eisenhard was at work defeating Kidwell 7-3. Best claimed the hot seat over Eisenhard 6-5 (Eisenhard racing to 7) in what proved to be his last match.
On the loss side, Holliday opened his trip to the finals with a double hill win over renowned trick shot artist Chris Woodrum, and followed it with a shutout over Terry Lawson. This set Holliday up against Howard, coming over from his defeat in the winners' side semifinal. Kidwell picked up Jerry Varnado, who'd defeated Jerry Hilton 8-6 and Matt Shaw, double hill, to reach him.
Holliday won a double hill battle against Howard to advance to the quarterfinals. Varnado spoiled a Holliday/Kidwell re-match with an 8-1 victory over Kidwell to join Holliday.
Holliday eliminated Varnado 6-3 and then fought his third loss-side double hill match against Eisenhard in the semifinals, winning it for a shot against Best in the hot seat. They opted out of that final match, granting Best the official title.
Tour director Herman Parker thanked Janet Atwell and her staff at Borderline 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 Aug. 5-6, will be hosted by Legends Billiards in Inman, SC.
