Next tour stop to benefit tour veteran, Anthony Mabe, who passed away this past weekend
In the midst of his best earnings year to date at the tables, former junior competitor, Shane Wolford, added a victory on the Viking Cues’ Q City 9-Ball Tour to his resume this past weekend (May 29-30). He recorded that win at the site where he recorded his first cash payout, four years ago. Wolford joined the AZBilliards database in April, 2017, when he finished 4th at a stop on the tour, hosted by The Clubhouse in Lynchburg, VA. He’s cashed in six events so far this year, including a victory at the Maryland State Bar Table 9-Ball Championships in April and went undefeated at the $1,000-added event that drew 66 entrants to The Clubhouse.
Wolford and Jody Musselman would battle twice for the title, in the usual-suspect places, hot seat and finals. Wolford advanced through the field to face Josh Shultz in one of the winners’ side semifinals, as Musselman faced Anthony Johnson in the other one.
Wolford downed Shultz 10-4 to get into the hot seat match. Musselman joined him after dispatching Johnson to the loss side 6-1. Wolford claimed the hot seat 10-3 over Musselman and waited on his return.
On the loss side, Shultz ran into Chris Bruner, a mid-Atlantic pool veteran, who’d lost his opening match, double hill, to Scott Roberts and embarked on a nine-match, loss-side winning streak, destined to take him as far as the quarterfinals. He chalked up wins #7 & #8 against The Clubhouse owner Chris England (10-1) and Daniel Guill (10-3). Johnson drew Cameron Lawhorne, who’d recently defeated Brian Crist 7-1 and Chris Funk 7-5 to reach him.
Lawhorne defeated Johnson 7-3 and was joined in the quarterfinals by Bruner, who’d dispatched Shultz 10-4. Bruner and Lawhorne battled to double hill for the right to advance. It was Lawhorne who did so, ending Bruner’s loss-side streak.
Lawhorne followed Bruner to the figurative ‘showers,’ when Musselman defeated him 6-5 in the semifinals (Lawhorne racing to 7). Wolford completed his undefeated run with a 10-3 victory in the finals.
Tour director Herman Parker thanked Chris England and his Clubhouse 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 (June 5-6) will be an unexpected benefit for the family of Anthony Mabe, who passed away from injuries related to an automobile accident, which occurred in the early morning hours of Sunday, May 30. A long-time member of the Viking Cues’ Q City 9-Ball Tour and close friend of tour director Herman Parker, the tour stop, which will be hosted by Gate City Billiards Club in Greensboro, NC, will raise funds to help defer the cost of funeral arrangements, at a date to be determined.
As has been the case recently, as the Viking Cues’ Q City 9-Ball Tour has worked its way around disrupted scheduling due to the pandemic and normal pool tour changes in plans, individual stops over the past few months have brought new venues and new faces to the tour. The final tour stop of the 2020 season, on the weekend of Dec. 19-20, was no exception, as the tour settled into Knoxville, TN at a new location called Peyton’s Place.
Thanks, in part, to a recent schedule change that put the tour’s annual Tour Championship on hold until the weekend of Jan. 9-10, 2021, and delayed the last regular tour stop by a week, the $500-added event at Peyton’s Place drew a good crowd of 51 entrants. Mike Willard, a newcomer to the tour, went undefeated through six matches to claim his first tour title. Willard had to get by 15-year-old Cole Lewis twice to claim that title.
They met, first, in the hot seat match. Willard had downed Ricky Chitwood 5-5 (Chitwood racing to 7) in his winners side semifinal, while the youngster, Lewis, was busy defeating tour veteran Jody Musselman 5-1 in his winners’ side semifinal. In their first of two, Willard claimed the hot seat over Lewis 5-3.
On the loss side, Musselman picked up Jason Zampich, who’d defeated Brady Brazell 6-5 (Brazell racing to 7) and assured himself a payout by defeating Peyton Place owner Bobby Jack Connor in the first money round. Chitwood drew a rematch against Reid Vance, whom he’d defeated in the third round and who was on a five-match, loss-side winning streak that would take him as far as the quarterfinals. Vance had most recently picked up a forfeit victory over Mike Kirby (one of a few, brought on by a local 10 p.m. curfew on Saturday night, from which some players did not return on Sunday) and eliminated David Givens 7-4.
Two double hill matches were fought for advancement to the quarterfinals. Vance downed Chitwood 7-6 and Musselman eliminated Zampich 6-5. Vance’s bid came to an end in those quarterfinals, as Musselman defeated him 6-4.
The semifinal was a rematch between Musselman and Lewis. Lewis had given up only a single rack in their winners’ side semifinal match. He was even stingier in the semifinals, shutting Musselman out to earn a second shot at Willard in the hot seat.
Willard then did unto Lewis as Lewis had done unto Musselman; giving up one rack less to Lewis than he had allowed him in their hot seat match. Willard claimed the title with a 5-2 win in the finals.
Tour directors Herman and Angela Parker had a lot to look back upon as they considered what was easily the most challenging year of their eight years bringing the Viking Cues’ Q City 9-Ball to the Southeast.
“We ran 50 events a year,” Herman noted. “In this environment, we ran 41 events and that’s still pretty solid.”
Looking back, not just on this truncated season, but on eight years of running the tour, the Parkers have accomplished a lot. Herman’s first articulated thought about those eight years featured a note of wry humor.
“I feel 15 years older,” he said.
“I feel great about it,” he added. “For me, it’s a great milestone. Being in business for yourself takes a whole lot of dedication, self-discipline and hard work.”
He credits Tony Robles for being the role model that inspired his work with the Viking Cues’ Q City 9-Ball Tour.
“He always worked very hard,” said Parker of Robles. “He’s a class act. He was always motivated, worked very hard and always did things the right way.”
The Parkers also noted the cooperation and assistance of all of the tour’s venues, including this past weekend’s owner, Bobby Jack Connor and his Peyton’s Place staff. They also thanked title sponsor Viking Cues, Bar Pool Tables, JB Magic Templates, AZBilliards, Tickler Pool Ball Washing Machine, Skyline Construction, Federal Savings Bank Mortgage Division and Dirty South Grind Apparel Co.
The Viking Cues’ Q City 9-Ball Tour will open its 2021 season with the annual Tour Championship. The $1,000-added event will be hosted by Break & Run Billiards in Chesnee, SC.
If and when the Viking Cues’ Q City 9-Ball Tour holds its annual Tour Championship in September, it will once again honor one of its tour members with a Sportsmanship Award. The award will go to a player chosen by members of the tour. This year and in the years to come, that award will bear the name and honor the memory of Brian James of Rosedale, West Virginia, a long-time member of the tour, who passed away on June 3, following a prolonged battle with pancreatic cancer. James, a close friend of tour directors Herman and Angela Parker, had fulfilled a long-time dream earlier this year, when he competed at the annual Derby City Classic in January, finishing in a four-way tie for 5th place in the 9-Ball Mini Tournament. James was to have competed on the Q City 9-Ball Tour this past April, but the tour was halted due to the pandemic well ahead of his scheduled participation. By the time the tour was able to get back to the work of pool competition, James was no longer able to compete.
On the weekend of January 11-12 at Borderline Billiards in Bristol, TN (where James enjoyed playing the most), the tour held a fundraising tournament, attended by James, to help defray the costs of his ongoing health care. Through the raffling of cues, balls and an assortment of other products from keychains to clothing, the event raised $3,300. Six months later, this past weekend (June 13-14), the tour went back to Borderline Billiards and drew 74 entrants to a celebration of life tournament. BJ Ussery and Sammy Manley ended up splitting the top two prizes of the commemorative event that drew 74 entrants.
“Brian’s daughters, Nina and Jesse, came to the tournament,” said Herman Parker, “and had a very emotional meeting with the players, thanking everybody.”
“He was the most genuine person,” said Parker of his friend. “There was just never any drama with him, which is why the Sportsmanship Award will be named in his honor. He was a good family man and always courteous when it came to the game. He was one of those guys; a 100% gentleman.”
And, as he most assuredly would have wanted, the tournament began.
The winner and runner-up at this event never competed. Though Ussery would go undefeated to the hot seat, Sammy Manley, who defeated Jeff Abernathy in the opening round of play, but lost to Scott Roberts in the second round, won nine matches on the loss side for the right to face Ussery in the final match that didn’t happen.
Ussery advanced to a winners’ side semifinal against junior player Landon Hollingsworth. Jordan Gray, in the meantime, squared off against Daniel “Papa John” Adams in the other one.
Ussery earned his spot in the hot seat match with a 12-3 win over Hollingsworth (racing to 6). Gray downed Adams 6-4. In what would prove to be his final victory, Ussery claimed the hot seat 12-3; like Hollingsworth, Gray was racing to 6.
With four wins of his nine on the loss side behind him, Manley defeated Travis Guerra 5-1 and Jody Musselman 5-4 (Musselman racing to 6) to draw “Papa John” coming over from his loss in the winners’ side semifinal. Hollingsworth drew Hank Powell, who’d defeated Josh Miller 7-1 and Dalton Messer 7-4 to reach him.
Manley downed “Papa John” 5-2 and was joined in the quarterfinals by Powell, who eliminated Hollingsworth 7-3. Manley then sent Powell to the figurative showers 5-3 in those quarterfinals.
In his 9th victory on the loss side and 10th, overall, Manley defeated Jordan Gray 5-2 in the semifinals. He and Ussery agreed to split the event’s top two cash prizes and the 1st Annual Brian James Memorial Tournament at Borderline Billiards in Bristol, TN was in the books. According to the Parkers, future events in James’ name will be held around the time of his passing each year.
The Parkers thanked Janet Atwell and her Borderline Billiards staff, as well as title sponsor Viking Cues, Bar Pool Tables, Delta 13 Racks, AZBilliards, Tickler Pool Ball Washing Machine, Skyline Construction, 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 (June 20-21), will be hosted by Randolph’s Billiards in Hickory, NC and feature two separate events. On Saturday, June 20th, the tour will mount its normal handicap event, which will, dependent on the number of entrants, conclude on Saturday night. On Sunday, June 21, the tour will hold an Open event (no handicaps), featuring races to 6.
Each, having chalked up a victory against the other, Mike Hancock and Jody Musselman opted out of a final deciding match and split the top two prizes on the December 17-18, last 2016 stop on the Viking Cues' Q City 9-Ball Tour. The event drew 41 entrants to Borderline Billiards in Bristol, TN.
They met first in a winners' side semifinal. With Musselman racing to 7, Hancock advanced to the hot seat match 6-5. He was met by Jonathan "Hennessee from Tennessee" Pinegar, who'd sent Alex Boles to the loss side 12-1. Hancock claimed the hot seat over Pinegar 6-4, and waited on Musselman's return.
Musselman began his three-match trek back to the finals again Jonathan Ailstock, who'd defeated Mike Robertson 6-3, and Zach Hampton 6-6 (Hampton racing to 9) to reach him. Boles drew James Parks, who'd gotten by Kevin Albaba and Brandon Helton, both 5-2.
Musselman eliminated Ailstock 7-4, and was met in the quarterfinals by Parks, who'd defeated Boles, double hill (5-3). Musselman then eliminated Parks 7-2 in those quarterfinals, and went on to defeat Pinegar 7-7 in the semifinals (Pinegar racing to 12).
Though they'd come within a game of double hill in their winners' side semifinal match, Musselman took control of the opening set in their true double elimination final, winning it 7-2. They opted out of a second, deciding match, leaving hot seat occupant Hancock as the official winner, and splitting the top two prizes.
Tour director Herman Parker thanked Janet Atwell and her staff at Borderline Billiards, as well as title sponsor Viking Cues, Delta 13 Racks, Ruthless Billiards, GoPlayPool.com, AZBilliards and Professor Q Ball. Parker also extended best holiday wishes to all participants, sponsors, and room owners for their support in 2016.
The 2017 Viking Cues' Q City 9-Ball Tour will commence with the 2016 Tour Championships, scheduled for January 7-8. The $1,000-added event is an invitation-only tournament among the tour's top 80 players in 2016, and will be hosted by Brass Tap in Raleigh, NC.
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.
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.
Jody Musselman survived a double hill opening set of the finals versus Scott Howard, who'd won five on the loss side for the right to meet him, and chalked up an undefeated win on the Viking Cues' Q City 9-Ball Tour on the weekend of October 22-23. The event drew 39 entrants to Borderline Billiards in Bristol, TN.
With his eventual finals opponent already at work on the loss side, Musselman advanced to a winners' side semifinal against Blade Best (who'd just sent Howard to the loss side). In the other winners' side semifinal, 15-year-old Dakota Harris, one of a few junior players who competed in the event, squared off against Mike Gann. Musselman sent Best to the loss side 6-1, and in the hot seat match, faced the teenager, Harris, who'd defeated Gann 6-6 (Gann racing to 8). Musselman sent Harris to the semifinals 6-4 and sat in the hot seat, waiting on Howard.
On the loss side, Howard opened his five-match, loss-side run with wins against Matt Shaw 7-1, and Dustin Coe 7-3 to draw Gann. Best drew another of the junior competitors, Eric Roberts (13), who was in the midst of his own six-match, loss-side run that would take him as far as the first money round, battling for advancement to the quarterfinals. He won his fifth and sixth loss- side matches against Steve Dye, double hill, and Rick Roper 5-4 (Roper racing to 7).
Best ended Roberts' run 5-2 and advanced to the quarterfinals against Howard, who'd eliminated Gann 7-5. Howard then downed both Best in the quarterfinals and Harris in the semifinals by a 7-3 score.
Howard would need to defeat Musselman twice in the true double elimination finals, and, racing to 7, win an extra rack to claim each set. The two battled to double hill (6-6) in the opening set, before Musselman completed his undefeated run and claimed the event title.
Tour director Herman Parker thanked Janet Atwell and her Borderline Billiards' staff, as well as title sponsor Viking Cues, Delta-13 racks and Ruthless Billiards. The next stop on the Viking Cues' Q City 9-Ball Tour, scheduled for the weekend of October 29-30, will be hosted by Brass Tap in Raleigh, NC. An 8-ball event, the tournament will be a qualifier for the NC State 8-Ball Championships, scheduled for November 5-6 at Breaktime Billiards in Cary, NC.
Dustin Coe, sitting in the hot seat during the June 4-5 event on the Q City 9-Ball Tour, might well have assumed that to win the title, he'd have to beat his hot seat opponent, Jonathan Ailstock, a second time. As it turned out, he faced a friend of Ailstock's, Mike Hancock, who'd won seven on the loss side, and won the opening set of the true double elimination final. Coe took the second set and won the event that had drawn 56 entrants to Borderline Billiards in Bristol, TN.
Coe and Ailstock squared off in the hot seat match, once Coe had sent Darren Musser to the loss side 5-5 (Musser racing to 7), and Ailstock had shut out Cole Parsons. Coe chalked up a second 5-5 win (Ailstock, as well, racing to 7), and sat in the hot seat, waiting on Hancock.
Hancock survived a double hill match against Musser, and in the quarterfinals, faced Parsons, who'd defeated Roberts 5-4 (Roberts racing to 7). Over the next three matches, Hancock gave up a total of four racks; two in winning the quarterfinal match against Parsons, none in the semifinal matchup against his friend, Jonathan Ailstock, and two, in the opening set of the true double elimination final versus Coe.
Coe reversed his fortunes in the second set. He allowEd Hancock only a single rack and claimed the event title with a 5-1 win.
Although Borderline Billiards' owner, Janet Atwell, was in Virginia, competing in the National Pool Tour's 10-Ball Women's Invitational Tour, director Herman Parker thanked her and her staff, as well as sponsors Viking Cues and Delta-13 Racks. The next stop on the Q City 9-Ball Tour, scheduled for June 11-12, will be hosted by Brass Tap Billiards in Raleigh, NC.
In a field that featured a high percentage of younger players (18 and under), one of whom (Peter Abantangelo; age 14) reached the semifinals, David Strum went undefeated during a Q City 9-Ball Tour stop on the weekend of April 23-24. The event drew 43 entrants to Brown's Billiards in Raleigh, NC.
Strum had to get by 18-year-old Cole Parsons twice to claim the title (Cole's brother, Ethan, age 11, was in the field, as well). They met first in the hot seat. Strum sent Daniel Jones to the loss side 7-2, while Parsons was working on a 5-1 victory over Solomon Pope. Strum claimed the hot seat over Parsons 7-2 and waited on his return.
On the loss side, Abantangelo, sent to the loss side in his opening match against Pope, was at work on his eight-match, loss-side streak that would take him as far as the semifinals. He chalked up wins #5 and #6 against Randy Hodges 5-3 and AJ Hertzog, double hill to draw Jones. Pope picked up Jody Musselman, who'd eliminated Daniel Adams 7-2 and Jordan Grubb 7-5.
Abantangelo earned his way to a quarterfinal re-match against Pope with a 5-2 victory over Jones. Pope eliminated Mussleman 7-1. Abantangelo wreaked his vengeance on Pope 7-5, but had his loss-side streak ended in a youth semifinal against Parsons. Parsons prevailed 5-2 for a second shot against Strum.
Strum repeated his hot seat performance. He completed his undefeated run with a second 7-2 victory over Parsons to claim the event title.
Tour director Herman Parker thanked the ownership and staff at Brown's Billiards, as well as sponsors Viking Cues, Delta 13 racks, AZBilliards, Professor Q Ball, and Bet Somethin Apparel. The next stop on the Q City 9-Ball Tour, scheduled for April 30-May 1, will be hosted by The Clubhouse in Lynchburg, VA.
Zach Leonard got by Collin Hall twice to win the March 5-6 stop on the Q City 9-Ball Tour; once in a winners' side semifinal and again, in the finals. The event drew 58 entrants to Chandley's Chalk & Cue in Statesville, NC.
Their first of two, a 7-4 win for Leonard, put him into the hot seat match against Jonathan Ailstock, who'd defeated Jody Musselman 6-4. Leonard claimed the hot seat 7-2 over Ailstock and waited on Hall's return.
Musselman and Hall advanced to the quarterfinals; Musselman 7-5 over Baker, and Hall 6-8 over Lewis (Lewis racing to 10). With Musselman racing to 7, Hall survived a double hill quarterfinal match that sent him up against Ailstock in the semifinals.
Hall completed his loss-side run with a 6-4 victory over Ailstock and earned himself a second shot against Leonard. They fought to double hill just before dawn on Sunday morning, before Leonard prevailed to chalk up the event title.
