Josh Roberts (Photo courtesy of Chris Lue, Next Action Media)
James Davis, Jr., “Junior”, of Austin, Texas, went undefeated in a 128-player field, to win the Space City Open VII, open 9-ball title, becoming the second player to win it twice. Josh “The Beast” Roberts not only defended his one pocket title, but finished second in banks, and thirty-third in the 9-ball, earning himself the “All-Around” title, and a hefty $1,500 bonus. First-time competitor, Evan Lunda of Detroit, Michigan, cleaned up in the 32-player, 9-ball banks division, going hill-hill with only a single opponent. In the 32-player, ladies 9-ball, Ming “The Empress” Ng redeemed herself in the second set of the true, double elimination final, securing her second title, and becoming the first, two-time winner in this division. Nine junior players, including eight young men, and one young lady, traveled from across Texas to compete in their very own division. Lazaro “Little Laz” Martinez, III, of San Antonio, Texas, went undefeated in this category, earning the first win in this division debut.
This year’s $7,500 added, Space City Open VII, was held December 6th-9th, 2018, and implemented a number of positive changes, including a $1,500 All-Around bonus, and a seventeen-and-under, juniors 9-ball division. In its seventh year, the “derby-like” event, now hosting five divisions over four days, was also held at a brand new venue. Big Tyme Billiards in Spring, Texas, stepped up to host, generously adding $4,000 to the purse, providing twenty Diamond bar tables and six nine foot tables, on which to compete. Twenty-six, brand new, Cyclop “Zeus” ball sets, and Accu-Racks by Outsville, were provided by Space City. The bar tables were a popular change from the eight foot tables used in previous years (for the open 9-ball division), and the format changes for one pocket and banks were also a huge hit. These divisions were still held on nine foot tables, but in a single elimination format as opposed to double, and the consensus was clear. Players loved the expediency, along with the added pressure and intensity of the “one-and-done” arrangement. For the first time, all divisions filled, with players on stand-by.
The open 9-ball division presented a monstrous, challenging field, played on the great equalizer; the bar table. On the road to victory, James Davis, Jr. defeated Matt Williams, Charlie Bryant, 9-8, Evan Lunda, 9-8, and Shelby Green, 9-5, to reach the winners’ side final eight. Espinosa logged wins over Angelina Dean, 9-1, Marshal Ward, 9-2, Eric Aicinena, 9-4, and Victor Rojas, 9-7, while Danny Smith defeated Mike Landry, 9-2, Colton Berzins, 9-1, John Morra, 9-5, and Mike Alonzo, 9-8. Jamie Baraks made quick work of Beto Cavazos, 9-3, Rick Moreno, 9-3, David Thomas, 9-7, and Shane McMinn, 9-4. Houston’s Andy Jethwa passed Grady Cooper, 9-1, Mark Galicia, 9-5, Sylver Ochoa, 9-8, and Corey Flud, 9-6. Richie Richeson ousted Alan Myers, Jerry Miller, 9-8, David Chow, and Billy “Big Tyme” Sharp, 9-4, while Alex Calderone overcame Chase Wheeler, 9-2, Ricki Casper, 9-6, Aaron Springs, 9-7, and Germany’s Can Salim, 9-8. On the one loss side and in the money, Kenneth Price upset Chris Robinson, 7-5, and bested Flud, 7-7, while Morra topped Curt Sheldon, 7-3, and Shelby Green, 7-2. Bryant subdued Angel Mentzel, but fell to Sharp by the same score, 7-2. Galicia upended Aicinena, 7-4, but fell to Salim, 7-2, while Moreno won an impressive five matches, ousting Springs, 7-3, and Rojas, 7-4. Following a second round loss to Morra, Ernesto Bayaua made a phenomenal comeback, securing five matches, including wins over Derek Fontenot, 7-3, and Poon, 7-0. Jesus Atencio, on a similar mission, marked up five on the one loss side, among the ruins, Reginal Samples, 7-1, and Alonzo, 7-5. Jimmy Krone racked up five victories on the one loss side, but was stopped by Ochoa, 7-4. Ochoa was taken out by McMinn, 7-6, wrapping up top sixteen action. Back on the east side, Espinosa throttled Perez, 9-1, Baraks triumphed over Smith, 9-7, while Davis, Jr. snuck by Jethwa, 9-7, and Calderone inched by Richeson, 9-8. Espinosa squeaked by Baraks, 9-8, and Davis Jr. served it up cold to Calderone, 9-4. The hot seat match-up marked an Austin-area shoot-out, and a short-lived set for Espinosa, who sustained his first blow from Davis, Jr., 9-5. On the west side, Morra took a stand, ending Price, 7-3, and Perez, 7-2, while Salim took out heavy hitters Sharp, 7-3, and Smith, 7-2. Bayaua recorded his seventh win on the one loss side, ending Moreno, 7-1, and Jethwa, 7-3. Ochoa finished off Atencio, 7-3, but fell to Richeson, 7-5. Salim went on to defeat Morra, 7-5, and Calderone, 7-3, while Bayaua buried Richeson and Baraks, 7-3. Bayaua registered his ninth win, but no more. Winning the case game against Bayaua, Salim secured his sixth win, and slid into third place. Espinosa was ready for Salim, but got off to a slow start. At a 6-3 deficit, Espinosa came back to win, 7-6, earning himself a second shot at Junior, and the title. Once again, Espinosa found himself in troubled waters, as Davis was in perfect rhythm with the table, and couldn’t be denied. Davis Jr. surged to a 9-3 win, and his second 9-ball title since the inception of Space City.
In the one pocket division, Josh Roberts took no prisoners, eliminating Charlie Bryant, Jamie Baraks, and Chris Robinson, 4-3, while Alex Calderone defeated Greg Trent, Jim McCary, and Sylver Ochoa, 4-2. Local favorite, Richie Richeson, defeated Marc Garza and Manny Perez, by the same score, 4-1, and John Morra, 4-1. Ernesto Bayaua rounded out the final four, booking wins over Bobby Roland, Aaron Springs, 4-3, and Evan Lunda. In the final four round, Roberts shut-out Calderone, 4-0, and Richeson slid past Bayaua, 4-3. For the first time, Richeson found himself at the end of the board, facing the defending champion. The pressure was on, as both players were in close running for the All-Around bonus. In the final, numerous games came down to the case ball. The fans were treated to an offensive juggernaut; a display of maneuvers and banks, not soon forgotten, but even the creativity of the venerable Richeson, was not enough. With an accounting of two, eight-and-out runs, Roberts was up 3-2, with one ball remaining in game six. Following an unforced error by Richeson, Roberts took it home, along with his second, Space City Open one pocket title.
Evan Lunda was in charge of the banks. The Detroit product eliminated Jim Walker, 4-0, Danny Smith, 4-3, and Jose Barbosa, 4-1. His upcoming challenger, Shane McMinn, took out Mike Alonzo, Gail Eaton and James Davis, Jr. by the same score, 4-2. Josh Roberts overwhelmed Marc Garza, 4-1, Kent Berthelot, 4-0, and John Morra, 4-1, while Richie Richeson completed the final four, with wins over Bret Harlan, 4-0, Jamie Baraks, 4-2, and Justin Hall, 4-3. Lunda ended McMinn, 4-2, and Roberts robbed Richeson, 4-1. Lunda and Roberts found themselves in their first, banks final, vying for new milestones; Lunda, aiming for his first title, and Roberts, going for first-time champion of two different divisions. Lunda’s casual style showcased epic moves, and wowed spectators as he banked his way to victory. He shut out Roberts in the final of the single elimination schedule, 4-0, to win his first Space City Open title.
On Sunday morning, thirty-two women started battling it out in the ladies 9-ball division. The 2013 ladies 9-ball division champion, Ming “The Empress” Ng, began her trek with wins over Terri Resendez, 7-2, two-time ladies 9-ball champion, Gail “Virginia Slim” Eaton, 7-6, and Kim “Texas Heat” Pierce, 7-1, as Robyn Petrosino plowed through Ruth Paine, 7-0, Brittany Kromer, 7-3, and Teresa “Princess of Pool” Garland, 7-1. Yvonne “Casher” Asher made her way to the cash, defeating Karen Reilly, Tam “MZ Tam” Trinh, 7-3, and Jillian Nickerson, 7-6, while Ricky “The Ghost” Casper, drifted past Matty Sword, 7-1, Sara Bork, 7-3, and Hopey “Hurricane” Lawrence, 7-2. Ng went on to shut out Petrosino, 7-0, and Casper stopped Asher, 7-4. In the hot seat match, Ng emerged victorious over Casper, 7-4. On the one loss side and in the final eight, Pierce and Eaton shut out Garland and Nickerson, respectively, 5-0. Pierce derailed Asher, and Eaton eliminated Petrosino, moving into the final four. Eaton went on to eliminate Pierce, 5-0, and Casper, 5-4, to meet Ng in the finals. Ng, going for her second title, and Eaton, searching for her third, battled to the bitter end. In the first set, Ng simply couldn’t get it together, and Eaton was on fire, taking the first set, 7-1. Following a five minute break, the second set got underway. This time, Ng took her turn, beating Eaton 5-3, to win her second, Space City Open title.
Nine players, seventeen and under, competed in the inaugural, juniors 9-ball division. Lazaro Martinez, III, aka “Little Laz”, outplayed April Gonzales, 5-2, and Alex Fonseca bested Jonathan Cortez, 5-1. Jacob Gonzales beat John Benavides, but fell to Kyle Yi, while Gabriel Martinez passed Nathan Garay, 5-1. Martinez, III logged a third win against Fonseca, 5-2, and G. Martinez ousted Yi, for a brother versus brother, hot seat match-up. G. Martinez denied his brother, and awaited his final opponent. On the one loss side, and in the final six, Fonseca eliminated Garay, and Yi overcame Benavides. Yi eliminated Fonseca, but fell to Martinez, III. Once again, “Little Laz” faced off with brother, Gabriel, in the final. The final told a different story, as Little Laz overwhelmed Gabriel, 5-2, 5-3, to win his first Space City Open title.
Space City Open VII goes down in the record books as the most successful one to date. “I have no words for the outpouring of support from the Texas pool community. Even with the last minute venue and format changes, the event over-filled. Billy Sharp and Deborah Sharp of Big Tyme Billiards came through for all of us” commented Kim Newsome, Space City Open Founder and Director. Space City Open extends a heartfelt “thank you” to everyone involved in the production of this event; John Newsome and Johnny Gonzales of Eagle Plumbing who sponsored the $1,500, All-Around bonus; staff members Kim Newsome, John Newsome, Erica Hanlon, and Chuck Adams who managed every facet of the event; Ceferina Ramirez and Ruth Paine for their contributions; Mike Fabacher with Southern Streaming who provided a free, four-day live stream; Chris Lue of Next Action Media, whose photographs captured the essence of the event; sponsors Roger Schuett with the APA of North Harris County, Mike McDonald of VaporKnightsUSA.com, Poison by Predator Cues, Cyclop Pool Balls, Chris Renfro with Outsville Billiards, Charlie and Heather Bryant of Brutal Game Gear, and David Taylor and Teresa Garland with Houston Best of Billiards; vendors Jerry Olivier Cue Repair, Joe Salazar Connoisseur of Custom Cues, Arthur Politte with Qxtender.com, Darrold Stiehl with Champions Cues, and Brutal Game Gear.
Finally, Space City would like to extend its deepest gratitude to the players who support this event, year in and year out. Without the players, none of this would be possible.
Space City Open is one of the biggest billiard events in Texas, and is held annually, the first week in December. For more information, visit www.SpaceCityOpen.com.
The ViperKidz 14th Annual Colorado State Juniors 9-Ball Championships was held this past Saturday, December 8th, 2018 at Felt Billiards located at 101 W Floyd Ave, Englewood, CO.
The youth event was open to any junior between the ages of 7-19 and was handicapped by three different age groups.
Wyoming’s own Tyler Blowers (15) won 4-1 against Colorado’s own Owen Crispin (17) for the hot-seat match. Little Issac Garcia stole the show playing way-over-his-own-handicap beating this year’s 8-ball champion Aaron Krapes 3-1 and newcomer Andon Buck 3-0 in the quarter finals.
Issac had a chance to make it the finals but ended up losing 5-1 to Owen to finish 3rd place in the championships. Owen being determined to keep the title here in Colorado made it to the finals and would have had to beat Ty twice to win the championships but in the end, it was Ty who won the final match 5-1 to win the championships…
All the kids were awarded points for each event they participated in this year’s events and at the end it was Ty Blowers won two of the three titles and was awarded a special prize that will be given at the first event scheduled for 2019.
We are super excited about next year’s schedule as it will include some additional bar table events.
Congratulations Tyler!
Top finishers:
Champion Ty Blowers – Jacoby custom cue, Plaque, multiple gift bags
Runner-Up Champion: Owen Crispin – Plaque, Collectibles Package and gift bag
3rd Place finisher: Issac Garcia – Plaque and gift bag
4th Place finisher: Andon Buck – Plaque and gift bag
5th & 6th Place finishers: Aaron Krapes and Jerry Miller – Gift bags
7th-8th Place finishers: Amanda Campbell (Highest finishing female award and special gift bag) and Anthony Poitra – Gift bags
9th -12th Place finishers: Doug Moore, James Ballinger, Nick Macomber and Brandon Krapes – Gift bags
Tournament director and creator of these prestigious junior’s events is WPBA touring professional Melissa Little Aka “The Viper”. She created her “Viper Juniors Program” back in 2004 and continues to support kids playing pool.
She is also the creator of other great juniors’ programs like her Viper Kids Boot Camps, junior pool leagues, Kids open clinics and her popular after school program. For more information, photos, results, leader boards and future events please visit www.melissalittle.com
A special “Thank-You” to the events sponsors;
Jacoby Custom Cues out of Nekoosa, WI,
Felt Billiards in Englewood, CO,
Bigge Construction Inc. in Englewood, CO
Gift bag sponsors Pro Player Mark Haddad and www.studio54denver.com
The ViperKidz Colorado Juniors 8-Ball Invitational Championships was held this past Saturday, October 27, 2018 at Felt Billiards located at 101 W Floyd Ave, Englewood, CO.
The youth event was open to any junior between the ages of 7-19 and was handicapped by three different age groups.
Colorado’s Jin Powell (8) beat Wyoming’s Tyler Blowers (14) for the hot seat 2-1 and then Tyler beat Jerry Miller for 3rd and came back to double dip Jin in the finals to win the championship.
The next ViperKidz event is the 13th Annual Colorado State Junior 9-Ball Championships and is scheduled for Saturday, December 8th, 2018 at the same location Felt Billiards.
All the kids are awarded points for each event they participate in and at the end of the year one person will receive an extra special prize for winning the all-around title and crowned the best junior player in the state.
Congratulations Tyler!
Top finishers:
Champion Ty Blowers – Jacoby custom cue, Plaque, multiple gift bags
Runner-Up Champion: Jin Powell – Plaque, Collectibles Package and gift bag
3rd Place finisher: Jerry Miller – Plaque and gift bag
4th Place finisher & Highest Finishing Female Award: Amanda Campbell – (2) Plaques, Special gift bag and multiple gift bags.
5th & 6th Place finishers: Owen Crispin and Aaron Krapes
7th-8th Place finishers: Romey Grier and Michael Herera
9th -11th Place finishers: Issac Garcia, Aidin Sellers and Ryan Kojetin
Tournament director and creator of these prestigious junior’s events is WPBA touring professional Melissa Little Aka “The Viper”. She created her “Viper Juniors Program” back in 2004 and continues to support kids playing pool.
She is also the creator of other great programs like her Viper Kids Boot Camps, junior pool leagues, Kids open clinics and her popular after school program.
A special “Thank-You” to the events sponsors;
Jacoby Custom Cues out of Nekoosa, WI,
Felt Billiards in Englewood, CO,
Bigge Construction Inc. in Englewood, CO
Gift bag sponsors Pro Player Mark Haddad and www.studio54denver.com
Colorado’s popular juniors event kicked off with its 13th Annual Colorado State Juniors 9-Ball Championships this past Saturday, October 28th, 2017 which was held at Felt Billiards located at 101 W Floyd Ave, Englewood, CO.
The youth event was open to any junior between the ages of 8-19 and was handicapped by three different age groups.
14-year-old Jerry Miller of Evans, Colorado successfully won this year’s title by defeating Pueblo’s 14-year-old Nico Rodriquez winning two straight matches 4-0 & 4-1 in the finals to win this year’s championships.
Earlier in the year Nico won the 8-Ball Championship and Jerry won the 10-Ball event so there was no big surprise that these two were in finals of the end of the year’s State Championships.
Other Top finishers:
Champion Jerry Miller – Jacoby custom cue, trophy, multiple gift bags
Runner-Up Champion: Nico Rodriquez – Trophy, huge Teddy Bear and gift bag
3rd Place finisher: James Ballinger – Trophy and gift bag
4th Place finisher & Highest Finishing Female Award: Amanda Campbell – (2) Trophies, Stuffed bear and multiple gift bags.
5th & 6th Place finishers: Issac and Hunter
7th-8th Place finishers: Jin and Mackenzie
9th -12th Place finishers: Nick H, Michael H, Noah and Soren
Tournament director and creator of these prestigious junior’s events is WPBA touring professional Melissa Little Aka “The Viper”. She created her “Viper Juniors Program” back in 2004 and continues to support kids playing pool.
She is also the creator of other great programs like her Viper Kids Boot Camps, junior pool leagues, Kids open clinics and her popular after school program.
Mark your calendars as Melissa will be hosting three additional juniors events throughout the 2018 year.
A special “Thank-You” to the events sponsors;
Jacoby Custom Cues out of Nekoosa, WI,
Felt Billiards in Englewood, CO,
Bigge Construction Inc. in Englewood, CO
Gift bag sponsors Pro Player Mark Haddad and Studio 54 Denver.
The 2nd Annual Colorado Junior State 8-Ball Championships was held April 18, 2015 at Rack ‘Em Billiards in Aurora. This special event drew 18 juniors from all Colorado and Wyoming.
Among the 18 & Under division, 16-year-old Kyle Chewning came through the b-side to double-dip Hunter Stoops in the finals. 11-year-old Jerry Miller also came from the one-loss side to defeat Tanner Stoops in a two-set finals.
Kudos to the Stoops brothers Hunter and Tanner for their runner-up finishes, playing side by side in the finals, and congrats to all the players who participated! Some were first time tournament players.
Drake Spencer was the lucky winner of the donated Poison Arsenic 2nd Gen Cherry & Black Cue courtesy of Poison by Predator Group. This cue is retail valued at $399. The same cue will also be drawn at the next Colorado Junior State event.
All participants received goody bags with sponsored stickers and items from Simonis, Aramith, PoolDawg.com, and Poison/Predator. Special Thanks to Rudy Kaluza and Pam Webb for volunteering their time to help the event run smoothly.
Don’t miss the first ever Colorado Junior State 10-Ball Championships on June 13-14 at Mile High Billiards in Arvada!
18 & Under Division
1st Place
Kyle Chewning, age 16
Parker, CO
Trophy, Certificate, Cash, Paid Entry to 2015 BEF Jr Nationals
2nd Place
Hunter Stoops, age 15
Thornton, CO
Trophy
3rd Place
Drake Spencer, age 16
Cheyenne, WY
Winner of Poison Cue
14 & Under Division
1st Place
Jerry Miller, age 11
La Salle, CO
Trophy, Certificate, Cash, Paid Entry to 2015 BEF Jr Nationals
2nd Place
Tanner Stoops, age 13
Thornton, CO
Trophy
3rd Place
Aaron Krapes, age 11
Golden, CO
For more information on sponsoring, hosting, or participating in a Junior State Championship, visit billiardeducation.org or call (303) 926-1039. Complete list of nationwide junior events listed here: http://billiardeducation.org/events/
Fort Collins Colorado – Match-Ups Pool Hall hosted this years 9th Annual Colorado State Junior 9-Ball Champions. The one-day event had participates from all over Colorado’s Front Range that also included families travelling as far as Kansas and California to participates in this years juniors event.
The handicapped 9-ball tournament was packed-full of exciting matches as each of the participants was anxious to win the title and the Jacoby Custom cue grand prize. Colorado’s own 10-year-old Jerry Miller lost a tough match on the winner’s side and marched his way-winning notable matches against Kyleigh Weston (CO) and Dylan Harmon (KS) to make it to the finals.
Being a true double elimination tournament, little Jerry would have had to win twice against hot-seat match winner Nathan Diederich from CA. Jerry quickly won the first match with a score of 3-1. The second set, had the crowd on the edge of their seats as the close match closed with determined Nathan winning the final match 7-5 and becoming this years state champ!
14-year-old Nathan Diederrich, from Victorville, CA, has proven he is already among some of the best young upcoming pool players in U.S. as he also finished 4th in this years BEF Junior Nationals 14-under division.
Between the semi-finals and the finals, pros Mark Haddad from Colorado and Ohio’s Danny “The Shredder” Smith donated their time to perform a trick shot show, challenge matches and played a mini-grudge match to entertain the kids.
A special thanks to Match-Ups pool hall owners Nicole and Mike Hellmer for hosting this years event, Danny and Mark for encouraging and taking out time for the kids, Dr. Dave Alciatore for stopping by to watch and donated DVD’s to the kids, WPBA touring pro Melissa Little for donating $700 worth of future private lessons, baking cupcakes, organizing and running this fantastic event, Jacoby Custom Cues for donating every year’s grand prize, Qzetta.com for all the gift bag donations and an extra special thanks to ALL of the kids who participated in this years event!!
