Crowning achievements for (l to r) Kyoko Sone & Brittany Bryant with Janet Atwell
It began on Thursday, May 30 with a preliminary tournament made up of 30 lower-ranked players from the Women’s Professional Billiards Association (WPBA) and ended on Sunday night, June 2 with the crowning of defending champion Brittany Bryant, who had to come from the loss side (five matches) to meet Kyoko Sone in the finals of the WPBA’s Signature Tour Stop, the Blue-Emu Southern Open. The $10,000-added event drew a total of 62 entrants, including Janet Atwell to her venue, Borderline Billiards in Bristol, TN.
The event was not exactly a proverbial ‘walk in the park’ for the WPBA’s #4-ranked player. Bryant won the event, having won less than 60% of the games she played in it (70-49; 58.8%). The seven opponents she faced in races-to-8 chalked up an average of five racks against her. She got by Kelly Cavanaugh, Jessica Barnes and Mary Rakin by an aggregate score of 24-7, but against her other four race-to-8 opponents (LoreeJon Hasson, Allison Fisher, Melissa Little & Jennifer Baretta) she chalked up an aggregate of 32-26, or 55%. Not surprising necessarily, given the upgrade in the competition over those four matches. And then, of course, there was the third-round, 4-8 loss to Gail Eaton, which really did a job on the ‘numbers.’ Without that loss, Bryant would have finished with an overall game-winning average of just over 60% (62.8), rather than less.
“I go to every event to win it,” said Bryant, “but I didn’t go with any expectations this year. “There were actually a few more players who were higher up (in rankings) than there were last year when I won it.”
The ‘First Stage’ double elimination bracket yielded 16 players who advanced to the Final Stage; eight from the winners’ side and eight from the loss side of that bracket. Among those who emerged from that bracket was runner-up Kyoko Sone, who lost her opening round match, double hill to Mary Rakin. Rakin advanced to defeat Kelly Isaac 7-5 and become one of the eight winners’ side competitors to advance to the Final Stage. Sone moved to the loss side, where she defeated Toni Esteves and Janet Ritcey, both 7-2, to become one of the eight loss-side competitors to advance to the final stage.
Moving into the Final Stage, beginning on Friday, May 31, the 16 arrivals from the preliminary bracket faced 16 players more or less in the middle of the WPBA rankings (approximately #17-#32). The winners in this opening round of Final Stage play advanced to meet the WPBA’s top 16 players, who had been awarded opening round byes.
Of the WPBA’s top 16 players who waited until Friday evening to begin competing, only three failed to advance on the winners’ side past their opening match; Jessica Barnes (WPBA-ranked #16) was defeated 8-2 by Kyoko Sone, Gerda Gregerson (#8) lost to Mary Rakin 8-6 and Emily Duddy (#10) joined them on the loss side following an 8-3 defeat at the hands of Naomi Williams. Among the more notable matches in this round of play, and the only one to go double hill was the battle between Allison Fisher and Russian teenager Kristina Tkach, who, a week earlier, had been the only female to compete in the Open/Pro event of the 9th Annual George “Ginky” Sansouci Memorial in New York City (she finished in the tie for 5th place). She was defeated by Fisher here and went on to win two loss-side matches before being eliminated by Line Kjorsvik.
A final round on Friday night brought the field down to the winners’ side quarterfinals. Kyoko Sone had sent Line Kjorsvik to the loss side and on Saturday night, faced Mary Rakin, who, after her victory over Gregerson, had sent hostess and WPBA-ranked #9 Janet Atwell over. Brittany Bryant, who’d defeated Loree Jon Hasson was to meet up with Gail Eaton, who’d gotten by Melissa Little. Fisher followed up her win over Tkach with a victory over Jia Li and on Saturday night, faced Naomi Williams, who had just survived a double hill battle against Helena Thornfeldt. The last of the winners’ side quarterfinals pitted Jennifer Baretta against Monica Webb.
These matches elicited the winners’ side semifinals, which began immediately afterwards. Sone, who’d downed Rakin 8-5 met Eaton, who’d sent Bryant to the loss side 8-4, as Fisher, who’d defeated Williams 8-3 met Baretta, who’d gotten by Webb 8-5.
“I have to give Gail so much credit,” said Bryant of her only loss in the tournament. “I have never seen her play that well. I was down 7-1, took a break, composed myself and got it to 7-4.”
“I wasn’t disappointed,” she added. “I didn’t play poorly and Gail took control when she needed to.”
Sone advanced to the hot seat match 8-3 over Eaton. Fisher and Baretta, almost predictably, fought to double hill before Baretta prevailed to join Sone in the hot seat match. Sone downed Baretta 8-4 to claim the hot seat and waited on what turned out to be Bryant’s fateful return.
Meanwhile, back at the loss-side ranch, Bryant and Melissa Little were laying in wait for Fisher and Eaton, respectively. Bryant had defeated Jessica Barnes 8-2 and Mary Rakin 8-3 to draw Fisher. Little had won four loss-side matches, including a double hill win over Naomi Williams and an 8-4 victory over Kjorsvik to draw Eaton. Little made it five in a row with an 8-5 win over Eaton and advanced to the quarterfinals. Bryant joined her after surviving a double hill fight against Fisher.
“I expected to go back and forth with Allison,” she said. “It was actually the first time I had ever beaten her. I ended up breaking and running at double hill to win it.”
Bryant followed her double hill win over Fisher with a double hill win over Little in the quarterfinals and for the second time, she finished with a break and run. In the semifinals, Jennifer Baretta came within a game of giving Bryant a third straight, double hill challenge, but Bryant edged out in front at the end to win it 8-6.
“I was up 6-2 in that match and she came back (to almost tie it),” Bryant said. “And then, there was a big game swinger, when she could have tied it at 6-6, but I won to go up 7-5. She won a game and I won the next game to win the match.”
The finals between defending champion Bryant and Sone came within a game of going double hill, as well, but for the second time in a row, Bryant edged out in front at the end to win it 10-8 and claim the 2019 Blu-Emu Southern Open.
“We didn’t make a lot of mistakes,” said Bryant of the final match. “She broke and ran the opening game and we had a few safety battles. I was up 6-2 and she started to make a comeback.”
As with the semifinal match against Baretta, Sone had the opportunity to tie things up at 6-6.
“She missed a key 8-ball to tie it up (at 6-6),” she said, “so it was 7-5 and I won the next three.”
WPBA representatives thanked Janet Atwell and her Borderline Billiards staff for hosting the event, as well as sponsors Simonis Cloth, Aramith, Diamond Billiard Products and Outsville.com. The next WPBA event, scheduled for August 8-11, will be a $10,000-added Signature Event, to be held in Fairfield, IL. Further details will be available soon. Bryant said that she plans to be in attendance.
The first champions of the 40th BCAPL National Championships were crowedThursday as the 9-ball singles divisions at “The Greatest Pool Tournament in the World” came to a close.
Jacque Smith of Amarillo, Texas, was the champion of the Women’s 9-Ball Singles Gold Division. Smith, who has been playing pool for 13 years, posted wins over Jan Burton, Bev Inman and Janna Nelson, before losing to Julie Cooper, who went on to captured the division’s hot seat. Smith double-dipped Cooper, of Cincinnati, Ohio, in the finals to capture the title. Cooper got second place in the event and Robin Verner, of Henderson, Nev., placed third in the event, which had 58 players.
In the Women’s 9-Ball Singles Platinum Division, seasoned women’s professional Vivian Villarreal, of San Antonio, Tex., went undefeated through a small but talented field of 26 players. Villarreal beat Jing Liu, Jessica Frideres, Taylor Hansen, and Ricki Casper, before send Tina Larsen to the B-side of the bracket in the hot seat match in a hill-hill match. Larsen, of Valparaiso, Ind., was determined to have another chance to play Villarreal, and beat Ricki Casper, of Houston, Tex., who took third in the event, in another exciting hill-hill match. The finals saw another hill-hill finish, with Villarreal sneaking past Larsen again.
Tenadore “Ten” Lee, of Glendale, Ariz., had a much longer route in a 226-man field to win the Mixed 9-Ball Singles Gold Division. Lee fought through the crowd, beating Paul Mekeel, Brian Wallace, Andy Benefiel, Floyd Smith, before being sent to the loser’s side of the bracket by Tommy Campbell. Then Lee beat Sang Oh, John Fazakas, and found revenge against Campbell, leaving Campbell to take third place, while Lee moved on to the finals against Hermie Dy of Toronto, Ont. Lee double-dipped Dy with scores of 5-2 and 5-2 to win the division and earn the title.
In the Mixed 9-Ball Singles Platinum Division, Carlos Barbosa, of Edmonton, Alberta, Can. faced a field of 89 players. Barbosa beat Gary Andrews Jr., Eric Vargas, Tracy Sanders, Chris Stanfield, Russ Cearley and Justin Martin, of Nakina, N.C. to earn the hot seat position. Martin, who is just 17 years old, beat Cearley, of Springfield, Ore., to earn a rematch in the finals against Barbosa. But again, Barbosa beat the talented teen in a score of 6-4 in the finals to win the division. Cearley placed third.
Professional players Rodney Morris and Sky Woodward presented the BCAPL player champions with their trophies.
The 40th BCAPL National Championships started July 20 at The Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino and resume through July 30. The event features more than 5,000 amateur players representing 47 states, nine Canadian provinces and 11 countries, competing in approximately 40 divisions, on 300 Diamond pool tables. The annual tournament also includes about 50 exhibitors.
The Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino is the official host venue. Other sponsors include Viking, Kamui, Omega Billiards, Cyclop, Diamond, Simonis, and Predator.
In the photo you see where Sky Woodward presented Jacque Smith, of Amarillo, Tex. with her trophy after Smith won the Women’s 9-Ball Singles Gold Division at the 40thBCAPL National Championships. Other winners in the 9-Ball singles divisions included Vivian Villarreal, Tenadore Lee and Carlos Barbosa.
For more information, photos, or to set up interviews, contact Mary Coffman, CSI Marketing Manager at 509-308-9814 (cell); or by email atmaryc@playcsipool.com.
CSI is the parent company of the BCA Pool League and the USA Pool League. CSI also produces independent events like the US Bar Table Championships, US Open 10-Ball Championship, US Open 8-Ball Championship, and much more. For more information, visit www.playcsipool.com or call CSI at p702-719-POOL.
Cathy McDaniel sat in the hot seat during Stop #2 on the Midwest Ladies Regional Tour, held on the weekend of March 19-20, as Julie Cooper worked her way through the loss side for an eventual matchup in the finals. McDaniel prevailed in that final match to complete an undefeated run through a field of 16 that had gathered for the $500-added event, hosted by Michael’s Billiards in Fairfield, OH.
McDaniel got into the hot seat match with a 7-5 victory over Amee Schmidt in a winners’ side semifinal, as Charlotte Ashley was defeating Erin Glenn 7-3 to join her. McDaniel claimed the hot seat 7-4 over Ashley and waited on Cooper.
It was Glenn who drew Cooper on the loss side; Cooper, having eliminated Christy Dickerson 6-1 and Connie O’Heron 6-4 to reach her. Schmidt picked up Deborah Cervantes, who’d defeated Kathy Quass 6-1 and Angela Mears, double hill.
Cooper’s loss-side run continued with a 6-2 victory over Glenn. Schmidt downed Cervantes 6-4 to join Cooper in the quarterfinals. Cooper then eliminated Schmidt 6-4, and earned her spot in the finals with a 6-2 victory over Ashley in the semifinals.
Cooper’s run ended in those finals. McDaniel completed her undefeated run with a 7-4 finals victory to claim the title.
Tour representatives thanked the ownership and staff of Michael’s Billiards, as well as sponsors McDermott Cues, Poison by Predator, Simonis Cloth, Ozone Billiards and Inside English. The next stop on the Midwest Ladies Regional Tour, scheduled for April 9-10, will be hosted by Snookers’ Pool & Pub in Livonia, MI.
If you’ve never been to Michael’s Billiards, then you’re missing a real treat. Michael has a fondness for neon, the old-school, and smooth jazz, and that shows in the amazingly dynamic and bright decor throughout this historic pool hall. And the icing on the cake is the well-cared-for 9-foot Diamond tables.
The field was smaller than usual, with only 12 shooters, but the competition was just as strong as we’ve come to expect from the Midwest Ladies’ Regional Tour. Starting out strong, Angela Williams beat Connie O’Heron 7-6, Monica Hill beat Tabitha Carmack 7-1, Adina Pelletier beat Stephanie Goens 7-6 and Christy Dickerson defeated Charlotte Alford 7-5. Second round winners included Julie Skripac-Cooper over Williams (7-5), Hill over Debbie Cervantes (7-5), Amee Schmidt over Pelletier (7-6) and Dickerson over Lupe Harpster (7-2).
O’Heron and Williams rocked the b-side. Williams defeated Alford (6-4); Goens (6-4), and Hill (6-2) who had lost her quarter-finals match to Skripac-Cooper (7-1). O’Heron showed her dedication and skill, beating out Harpster (6-4), Carmack (6-4), and Schmidt (6-4), who was defeated in the quarter-finals by Dickerson (7-1). Schmidt and Hill finished 5th.
O’Heron and Williams met again in the semi-finals of the B-side. The stakes were high; both women fighting for points and prestige. A great match ensued, with table play, strong form, and wicked defense. Williams started strong, leading the match 5-2 early on. But O’Heron is a real pro, and she pulled out 3 in a row to tie it on the hill. A fierce safety game proved to be a nail-biter for all those watching, and Williams skillfully—and surprisingly—locked O’Heron up tight. O’Heron three-fouled on the two-ball, and Williams took the win! O’Heron finished 4th.
On the winner’s side, Dickerson and Skripac-Cooper played for the chair. Both women proving why they were there, shooting clean, straight and strong, but in the end, Dickerson’s superior technique came out on top 7-4.
After being defeated in the semi-finals, Skripac-Cooper came on strong in her match against Williams. Williams, determined to win the second set against the local gal, played hard, pulling out some amazing shots, and keeping pace with her opponent to the end. The final game saw both ladies struggling, not surprising for the time of night, but it was Williams who made the last error, and Skripac-Cooper finished the set, 6-5. Williams finished 3rd.
Once again, Dickerson annihilated in the finals. The smooth-stroking, exceptionally consistent shooter just hit everything right. Skripac-Cooper stole a game mid-match, but there wasn’t much else she could do against the powerhouse from Indy. Dickerson finished her back-to-back win 7-1 over Skripac-Cooper, for ANOTHER undefeated victory!
MLRT Stop #8 will take place on November 14, 2015 at Billiard Club of Louisville, KY.
MLRT will hold a WPBA Masters qualifier on December 5, 2015 at Michael’s in Fairfield. Adina and Marc Pelletier have sponsored the event, so the winner will get paid entry into the WPBA Masters, to be held February 3-7, 2016 at Soaring Eagle Casino & Resort. Additionally, Michael’s will add $1000 (based on 32 players)!
For more info, see their website at www.midwestladiestour.com and/or contact the tour directors at director@midwestladiestour.com.
Sixteen women competed in the Midwest Ladies’ Regional Tour Stop #4 at 8 Ball Sports Bar & Billiards in Columbus, Ohio.
The first round competitors put up the best fight against the two young stars of MLRT Stop #5: Midwest favorite 23-year-old Liz Lovely, who beat Julie Skripac-Cooper 7-6, and newcomer 21-year-old “Young Gun” Rae Norgaard, who beat Curtisha Alford 7-6. However, these two young women delivered astonishing knock-out punches in the second and third rounds: Lovely defeated Rosanna Jarvis Ramirez (7-1) and Trish Vermule (7-0), and Norgaard won against Julie Hunter (7-3) and Connie O’Heron (7-3).
Spectators and fellow players alike were in awe of the ferocity and focus delivered by Lovely, as she smooth-stroked her way to a victory over Norgaard in the semi-finals (7-3). Young Gun begrudgingly took her seat in the B-side chair and awaited her chance to get back to Lovely.
Meanwhile on the B-side, Columbus native and local legend Shannon Dunn (who struggled in the first round against Hunter, tore through the competition. The quarter finals saw Dunn victorious over Vermule (6-5) and O’Heron won against Hunter (6-4). Dunn then defeated O’Heron in a wicked B-side semi-final round (6-4); O’Heron finished 4th.
Not hitting a great stride, but proving great competition, the first players out were Curtisha Alford, Adina Pelletier, Tabitha Carmack, and Chelsea Richert. Ramirez, Angela Williams, Monica Hill, and Cooper finished 9th. Angela Mears and Debbie Cervantes went out in 7th place.
In the finals of the B-side Norgaard and Dunn met again. Young Gun was ready this time, and came out of the gate swinging! The battle was fast and furious, each player running balls, hitting straight as they went tit-for-tat with a mid-match score of 4-3. However, a fatal error on Dunn’s part gave the lead to Norgaard 5-3, who broke and ran the last rack. Dunn finished 3rd.
Fresh off her victory, and determined to redeem her earlier defeat, Norgaard was in dead-stroke, pulling out a 9-ball break and two break-n-runs, defeating Lovely in the first set 7-2!
Lovely wasted no time, took no breaks before approaching the table to flip for the next set. You could see the sheer focus from the seasoned player, known across the Midwest for her stunning juniors record and major achievements since moving up to semi-professional play. Norgaard missed a total of 3 shots in the second set against Lovely, and that was all it took. Lovely returned the favor, defeating Norgaard 6-2 for the win!
MLRT Stop #6 will take place on September 12, 2015 at Plush Pockets in Warren, MI. For more info, see their website at www.midwestladiestour.com and/or contact the tour directors at director@midwestladiestour.com.
