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Cole returns NWPA Stop #1 favor, defeating Jones to claim Stop #2

Liz Cole (Courtesy of Sandro Menzel)

It was the same finalists, with a reverse result. For the second time on the 2017 Northwest Women's Pool Association (NWPA) Tour, Liz Cole and Kim Jones battled it out for a title. On Stop #1 in February, Jones downed Cole in the finals. On the weekend of April 29-30, at Stop #2, the $750-added Martha Hartsell Memorial Tournament, that drew 36 entrants to The Cue Ball in Salem, OR, Cole bested Jones in the final to complete an undefeated run. Selected matches were streamed live throughout the weekend by Rail2Rail Productions. 
 
In addition to the repeat performance in the finals, the event featured the return of Canadian Jana Montour, a former regular on the tour, who took about three years off from competitive pool to pursue further education. A mother of five, ranging in age from nine to 26, Montour decided that she needed time away from being a housewife, and traveled down from Canada to sign on to the NWPA's second tour stop in Salem, OR. In spite of the years off, she took fourth in the event, and said she was looking forward to getting back into the sport on a more regular basis.
 
Following victories over Alicia Kvaanika, Patricia Tipton, and Marian Poole (with an aggregate score of 21-9), Montour squared off against Jones (28-13 at that point) in a winners' side semifinal. In the meantime, Cole (21-8), squared off against Stephanie Hefner (21-10). Those four would finish first through fourth at the end. Cole and Hefner locked up in a double hill fight that eventually sent Cole to the hot seat match. She was joined by Jones, who'd defeated Montour 7-4. Cole took the first of her two against Jones 7-4.
 
On the loss side, Montour picked up Cindy Doty, who'd downed Rebecca Sivter and Natasha Hook 6-4 to reach her. Hefner drew Suzanne Smith, who'd defeated Fran Johnson 6-2, and Valerie Franiel 6-4. Hefner got by Smith 6-2, and, in the quarterfinals, faced Montour, who'd eliminated Doty 6-2.
 
Hefner ended Montour's return to the tables 6-4 in those quarterfinals, before being herself eliminated by Jones, double hill in the semifinals. Though Jones would come within a single shot at the 9-ball from forcing a deciding game, Cole completed her undefeated run with a 9-7 victory over Jones in the final.
 

Suzanne Smith defends her title – Washington State 9 Ball Championships

Cindy Sliva and Suzanne Smith (Photo courtesy of Sandro Menzel)

On March February 27-28th – the NWPA’s first tour stop of the 2016 season, the Washington State 9 Ball Championships, was hosted by Malarkey’s Pool & Brew in Tacoma, WA.  The tournament was ran on 9 9-foot Gold Crowns with Rail2Rail Productions providing a free live stream all weekend. The NWPA tour standings and 2016 schedule are available at www.nwpatour.com and is sanctioned by the newly formed North American Pool Tour. New tour sponsors include mzTam.com, who donated 5 goody bags to the NWPA player rewards program, and Dave Jones, who will be donating a custom cue towards increasing player payouts. Get in touch with your favorite NWPA ladies to learn more about purchasing raffle tickets as details are finalized.
 
Twenty-three ladies came out to compete Saturday morning. There was one new player to the tour, Miranda Sellman from Oregon originally, but now residing in Gig Harbor, WA. The tournament was ran on 9 9-foot Brunswick Gold Crowns. The format was a race to 7, alternating break, 9 ball, with a race to 6 on the B side. The main event was $500 added and a second chance tournament was held on Sunday for players who did not make it into the money rounds.
 
Sunday morning, eight players remained. A side match ups included Cindy Sliva vs. Kira North and Julie Suzanne Smith vs. Tricia Heintz. Cindy and Suzanne both advanced through their morning matches, 7-0 and 7-4. Cindy and Suzanne then squared off in the hot seat match. Suzanne advanced by the score 7-5 to earn her spot in the final. B side match ups included Kimberly Kirk vs. Clara Silvas and Deby Welfringer vs. Jeanne Christensen. Kimberly and Deby advanced through their first round of play 6-4 and 6-2, earning a shot at Tricia and Kira. Kimberly and Deby both continued on the B side, defeating their opponents 6-3 and 6-2. Kimberly then squared off against Deby. Kimberly advanced by the narrowest of margins (6-5) to play Cindy in the semifinals. Both players battled, taking that match to the hill as well, where Cindy ended up winning the final rack to earn a rematch against Suzanne.
 
Suzanne Smith path to final: Melissa D. (3), Andy R. (2), Jeanne C. (3), Tricia H. (4), Cindy S (5)
Cindy Sliva path to final: Bye, Adrianne B. (1), Kimberly K. (3), Kira N. (0), loss to Suzanne S. (7-5), Kimberly K. (5)
 
The final was one race to 9, alternating break. During the early racks, both players tried to find their groove, exchanging racks, with Suzanne then taking a two game lead at 4-2. Suzanne then turned it up a notch and closed out each of the following racks, to make it 7-2 with a break and run. Cindy answered with a break and run of her own to make it 7-3. Suzanne responded breaking and running her second rack of the finals to reach the hill. At 8-3, Suzanne faltered, made some critical errors, including a miss on what could have been her winning 9 ball. At 8-7, Cindy appeared to be running out to tie the set at 8-8, when she got funny on the 7 ball. She pocketed the 7, but left herself long on the 8, which she missed. Suzanne was able to close out the rack and win the event with the final score of 9-7. Congratulations to Suzanne for winning the event and to Cindy for a great event as well.
 
Great tournament ladies!  The NWPA’s next event is the 5th Annual Martha Hartsell Memorial and will be hosted at The Cue Ball in Salem, OR on April 23-24, 2016.  
 
Six ladies returned on Sunday for the $100 added Second Chance tournament. With the low turnout, there was no entry fee and players got lots of table time, playing a round robin, best of 5 games against each of the other players. Patricia and Anna ended up tied for first with 17 wins, however Patricia took top prize, since she had defeated Anna earlier 3-2. Newcomer Miranda Sellman wasn’t far behind in 3rd place with 15 wins. Nice job ladies!
 
Second Chance Results
1st Patricia Tipton $50
2nd Anna Busley $30
3rd Miranda Sellman $20
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Jing Liu wins 5th Annual Martha Hartsell Memorial

Ford, Jing Liu, Liz Cole and Jim Lebold – Owner The Cue Ball

On April 25-26, 2015, the NWPA’s second tour stop of 2015 was hosted by The Cue Ball in Salem, OR.  The Cue Ball has supported our tour from the very beginning and we would like to thank Jim Lebold for all that he does for women’s pool. Martha Hartsell was a fierce competitor whose life was cut short by cancer in 2010. Many of the women on tour were good friends with Martha and in her honor, continue to play the game that she loved, making lifelong friends and rivals along the way.  
 
The NWPA would like to thank our sponsor Ozone Billiards and Volturi Custom Cases for their support of the 2015 season. Please check out their websites and show them your appreciation at www.ozonebilliards.com/www.volturicuecases.com. The NWPA tour standings and 2015 schedule are available at www.nwpatour.wordpress.com. The NWPA is sanctioned by the WPBA. All skill levels are welcome to play and players can accrue points towards their semiprofessional status while gaining experience playing some of the top women players in the northwest.
 
Twenty-eight ladies came out to compete Saturday morning. The tournament was run on 22 9-foot Brunswick Anniversary tables with Rail2Rail Productions providing a free live stream all weekend. The format was a race to 7, alternating break, 9 ball, with a race to 6 on the B side. There were several first round byes, but play sped right along. Tour players spent the remainder of their Saturday at Jake’s Bar, just down the road for ribeyes and  bartable action, an annual tradition for this event.
 
Sunday morning, only eight players remained. A side match ups included Jing Liu vs. Carissa Biggs and Liz Cole vs. Suwanna Matarazzo. Jing and Suwanna both advanced through their morning matches,  and then squared off for the hot seat.  2014 Tour Champion, Jing, defeated Suwanna 7-2 to earn her spot in the final while the other players duked it out to see who would join her. B side match ups included Rebecca Slyter vs. Melyssa Chasteen and Dara Koch vs. Suzanne Smith. Melyssa and Suzanne both advanced through their morning matches by the score of 6-3 and 6-2.  Fresh off her first loss, Liz rallied back to dominate 6-0, while Melyssa narrowly advanced over Carissa 6-5. Liz then squared off against Melyssa (her first loss had also been to Liz). Liz maintained a lead throughout the match and advanced by the score 6-4. Liz then played Suwanna again. After allowing her first match up slip away after being up 6-2, Liz was not to be denied. She defeated Suwanna 6-4 to earn a spot in the final. 2014 #1 and #2 showed would square off in their first finals of the 2015 season.
 
Jing Liu path to the final: Adrianne B (6), Tamre R (4), Kim T (2), Carissa B (5), Suwanna (2)
 
Liz Cole path to the final: Julianna G (3), Suzanne S (6), Melyssa C (6), loss to Suwanna (6), Suzanne (0), Melyssa (4), Suwanna (4)
 
The final was one race to 9, alternating break. Throughout the entire final, both players shot with confidence and made minimal errors. Exchanging racks, until 7-7, it seemed like there were all the makings of a hill-hill final. However, Jing had other plans. She closed out the final two racks to defeat Liz 9-7, winning her first event of the season.
 
With Jing’s win, she moved up to third in overall standings (she missed the first stop), while Liz moved up to 2nd, and Suzanne maintained her position at top of the standings. Great tournament ladies!  The NWPA’s next event is at Ballad Town Billiards in Forest Grove, OR on May 16-17.  
 

Suzanne Smith wins Washington State 9 Ball Championships

Kira North, Ford and Suzanne Smith (Photo courtesy of Sandro Menzel)

On March 21-22, 2015- the NWPA’s first tour stop of the 2015 season, the Washington State 9 Ball Championships, was hosted by Malarkey’s Pool & Brew in Tacoma, WA.  The tournament was ran on 9 9-foot Gold Crowns with Rail2Rail Productions providing a free live stream all weekend. The NWPA tour standings and 2015 schedule are available at www.nwpatour.com and is sanctioned by the WPBA. All skill levels are welcome to play and players can accrue points towards their semiprofessional status while gaining experience playing some of the top women players in the northwest. The main event was $750 added, while a Second Chance tournament was available to ladies not making it to the second day. We would like to thank our sponsors Ozone Billiards for donating magic racks for the entire season and Volturi Cue Cases for donating three $500 vouchers for custom cases. Raffle tickets can be purchased for the vouchers through Suzanne Smith (suzos78@gmail.com), and are $10 each. Only 50 tickets will be sold for each voucher, winners will be announced at the conclusion of each voucher’s ticket sales.
 
Thirty ladies came out to compete Saturday morning. There were several new players to the tour including including Cindy Salcedo (Bozeman, MT), Claire Binci (Corvalis, OR), Brittany Marshall (Spanaway, WA), Andrea Dexter (Renton, WA), and Dara Koch (Portland, OR). The tournament was ran on 9 9-foot Brunswick Gold Crowns. The format was a race to 7, alternating break, 9 ball, with a race to 6 on the B side. There were several first round byes, but play sped right along, without any major upsets going through the early rounds.
 
Sunday morning, only eight players remained. A side match ups included Cindy Sliva vs. Liz Cole and Julie Valdez vs. Kira North. Cindy and Kira both advanced through their morning matches, 7-2 and 7-5. Cindy and Kira then squared off in the hot seat match. Kira advanced by the score 7-5 to earn her spot in the final. B side match ups included Carissa Biggs vs. Kirsten Fery and Suwanna Matarazzo vs. Suzanne Smith. Carissa and Suzanne advanced through their first round of play 6-1 and 6-4, earning a shot at Liz and Julie. Liz and Suzanne both advanced through the next round by the same score: 6-3. Liz then squared off against Suzanne. Liz led throughout the entire match; however, it was Suzanne who would sink the final 9 ball in their hill-hill match up. Suzanne then played Cindy and defeated her as well, 6-4.
 
Kira North path to final: Mary O (F), Kathy S (3), Kim T (5), Julie V (5), Cindy S (5)
 
Suzanne Smith path to final: Patricia T (0), loss to Natalie S (6), Elaine E (2), Tamre R (4), Rebecca S (2), Suwanna M (4), Julie V (3), Liz C (5), Cindy S (4)
 
The final was one race to 9, alternating break. During the early racks, both players tried to find their groove. At 3-2 Suzanne, Kira was at the table with a 2 ball out. Unfortunately, Kira missed the 9 and scratched giving Suzanne the 4-2 lead. From that point, Suzanne continued to shoot with confidence, increasing her lead to 5-2 in the next rack, then allowing Kira her final rack of the set to make the score 5-3. Suzanne took advantage of opportunities afforded by her opponent, running out three of the final four racks from the 4, 5 and 2. Congratulations to Suzanne, this was her first tour stop in win since 2009, and to Kira for making her second final appearance in only three events played.
 
Great tournament ladies!  The NWPA’s next event is the 4th Annual Martha Hartsell Memorial and will be hosted at The Cue Ball in Salem, OR on April 25-26.  
 
Eight ladies returned on Sunday for the $100 added Second Chance tournament. With a $10 entry, half the field made some money in the true double elimination tournament, race to 3 on the A side and race to 2 on the B side.  Kim Toops ended up winning top prize, defeating Dara Koch in the finals. Good work ladies, nice shooting.
 
Second Chance Results
1st $70 Kim Toops
2nd $50 Dara Koch
3rd $35 Anna Busley
4th $25 Rebecca Slyter
 
 
 
 
 
 

Jing Liu Goes Undefeated in NWPA Season Opener

On March 22-23, 2014, the NWPA’s first tour stop of 2014 was hosted by Malarkey’s Pool & Brew in Tacoma, WA.  The tournament was ran on 9 9-foot Gold Crowns with Rail2Rail Productions providing a free live stream all weekend. The NWPA tour standings and 2014 schedule are available at www.nwpatour.wordpress.com and is sanctioned by the WPBA. All skill levels are welcome to play and players can accrue points towards their semiprofessional status while gaining experience playing some of the top women players in the northwest. 
 
Twenty-eight ladies came out to compete Saturday morning. There were several new players to the tour including Kathie MacDonald (Victoria BC), Anna Busley (WA), Kristen Cambas (OR), and Lindsay Hays (WA). Ladies returning after a minimum of one year (or more) not playing on the tour included Western BCA Grandmasters Linda Carter, Carissa Biggs, and 2014 US Bar Table 10 Ball Champion Cindy Sliva.  Liz Cole also returned for the inaugural event, climbing to 24th in the WPBA rankings after her performance at the WPBA Masters in Mt. Pleasant, MI Feb 6-9, 2014. The format was 9-ball, alternating break, race to 7on the A side  and a race to 6 on the B side. There were several first round byes, but play sped right along, without any major upsets going through the early rounds.
 
Sunday morning, only eight players remained. A side match ups included Kathie MacDonald vs. Jing Liu and Liz Cole vs. Cindy Sliva. Jing and Cindy both advanced through their morning matches, by the same score of 7-4. Jing and Cindy then squared off in the hot seat match. Jing advanced by the score 7-6 to earn her spot in the final. B side match ups included Carissa Biggs vs. Anna Busley and Natalie Seal vs. Suzanne Smith. Anna and Natalie advanced through their first round of play 6-3 and 6-2, only to come up short in their next rounds, Anna and Natalie both fell to their opponents Liz and Kathie by the same score, 6-2. Kathie then squared off against Liz. Kathie seemed to have the edge in their match and advanced by the score 6-4. Kathie then played Cindy and defeated her as well, 6-4.
 
The final was one race to 9, alternating break. Throughout the entire final, Jing shot with confidence and precision, affording her opponent few and fewer opportunities as the match proceeded. Jing maintained and expanded her lead steadily throughout the match, allowing her opponent only four racks of the 13 games played. Jing was the 2013 NWPA Rookie of the Year and demonstrated how hard work and perseverance in the off season can contribute to growth as a player. Congratulations to Jing for her win and to Kathie MacDonald for such a strong debut performance. 
 
Great tournament ladies!  The NWPA’s next event is the 3rd Annual Martha Hartsell Memorial and will be hosted at The Cue Ball in Salem, OR on April 19-20.  
 
Seven ladies returned on Sunday for the $100 added Second Chance tournament. With a $10 entry, nearly all players received at least their entry fee back in the true double elimination tournament, race to 3 on the A side and race to 2 on the B side.  Rebecca Slyter ended up winning top prize, defeating Linda Carter 2-1 in the second set of the finals. Linda won the first set 3-2. Good work ladies, nice shooting.
 
 

Carissa Biggs Wins 4th Annual Martha Hartsell Memorial

On April 19-20, 2014, the NWPA’s second tour stop of 2014 was hosted by The Cue Ball in Salem, OR.  The Cue Ball has supported our tour from the very beginning and we would like to thank Jim Lebold for all that he does for women’s pool. Martha Hartsell was a fierce competitor whose life was cut short by cancer in 2010. Many of the women on tour were good friends with Martha and in her honor, continue to play the game that she loved, making lifelong friends and rivals along the way.  
 
The NWPA would like to thank our sponsor Ozone Billiards for their support for the 2014 season. Please check out their website and show them your appreciation at www.ozonebilliards.com. The NWPA tour standings and 2014 schedule are available at www.nwpatour.wordpress.com and is sanctioned by the WPBA. All skill levels are welcome to play and players can accrue points towards their semiprofessional status while gaining experience playing some of the top women players in the northwest.
 
Twenty-five ladies came out to compete Saturday morning, and with very few of the region’s top players in attendance (only four of the top twelve from the season opener), it really was an event where anyone could win. There were several new players to the tour including Patricia Tipton, Cassandra Bryant, Dyamelle Castilleja, and Sherri Denke. The tournament was run on 22 9-foot Brunswick Anniversary tables with Rail2Rail Productions providing a free live stream all weekend. The format was a race to 7, alternating break, 9 ball, with a race to 6 on the B side. There were several first round byes, but play sped right along. Tour players spent the remainder of their Saturday at Jake’s Bar, just down the road for ribeyes and  bartable action, an annual tradition for this event.
 
Sunday morning, only eight players remained. A side match ups included Rebecca Slyter vs. Kathy Stanley and Kim Toops vs. Suwanna Matarazzo. Rebecca and Kim both advanced through their morning matches, by the same score of 7-2, solidifying their top tour finishes to date by squaring off for the hot seat. The birthday girl, Kim, continued her stellar play in the hot seat match, defeating Rebecca 7-2 to earn her first final appearance in tour history. B side match ups included Carissa Biggs vs. tour veteran Julie Valdez and Jing Liu vs. Sheila Clark. Carissa and Jing both advanced through their morning matches by the score of 6-2 and 6-5.  Momentum stayed with Carissa and Jing as they marched through their next round as well, by the same score of 6-2. Carissa then squared off against Jing. Carissa maintained a lead throughout the match and advanced by the score 6-3. Carissa then played Rebecca, who had been sitting for some time and defeated her handily, not allowing a single rack win (6-0).
 
Kim Toops path to the final: Sarah M (2), Jing L (3), Julie V (4), Suwanna M (2), Rebecca S (2)
 
Carissa Biggs path to the final: Bye, Sheila C (1), loss to Suwanna (3), Dyamelle C (2), Julie V (2), Kathy S (2), Jing L (3), Rebecca S (0)
 
The final was one race to 9, alternating break. Throughout the entire final, Kim shot with the confidence she had possessed all weekend, capitalizing on Carissa’s mistakes as the match proceeded. Kim expanded her lead steadily throughout the match, allowing her opponent only three racks by the time she reached the hill. But Carissa Biggs had not an ounce of give up. She battled through each of the following games with such resolve; you could just sense a hill-hill match was in the making. Carissa did it; she fought hard and tied up the match at 8-8, one game for all the cheese.
 
The Final Game- Kim broke and pocketed the 7 in the side pocket. She made a cut on the 1 ball leaving herself a 2-9 carom for the win. She missed the carom, but ended up banking the 2 ball in the opposite corner. She then pocketed the 3 ball and left herself a draw cut shot on the 4 to get back up table for the 5 ball. She missed the 4 ball entirely, but kicked it towards the opposite corner, where it rattled. Carissa was hooked by the 8 ball, so she attempted to jump. Unfortunately, Carissa couldn’t clear the 8 ball, but she did end up pocketing the 4. With ball in hand and only four balls on the table, it looked like Kim would spoil Carissa’s come back. Kim pocketed the 5 and 6, but then rattled the 8 ball. Carissa stepped to the table and pocketed the 8, but left herself shooting a cut on the 9 to the side pocket. With her cue ball just barely off the side rail, she ended up overcutting the 9 leaving a fairly manageable cut for Kim. Kim then missed that 9 ball too, but left Carissa a bank shot. Carissa attempted the bank, but hit both points, and went to the center of the table, leaving Kim a back cut on the 9. Kim beared down on the ball, measured her line, and fired. The ball rattled and sat right in front of the pocket, with the cue ball about 4 inches from it in a straight line to the pocket. Kim’s disappointment was clear as she slapped her knee, knowing the opportunity to win was no longer hers. Carissa stepped to the table with bridge in hand and made the final 9 ball for the win. Both ladies shook hands as conclusion to the event. Later on, Carissa spoke to the memory of Martha “Winning this event here at The Cue Ball sponsored by Jim Lebold in memory of Martha Hartsell is very special to me. Martha was a great competitor and sportswoman whose life was cut way too short. Don't take one moment for granted!” 
 
With Carissa’s win, she moved up to second in overall standings, while Kim moved up to 3rd. Great tournament ladies!  The NWPA’s next event is at Ballad Town Billiards in Forest Grove, OR on May 3-4. 

Kim Jones wins NWPA Tour Stop #2- Martha Hartsell Memorial

T.D. Ford, Jana Montour, Kim Jones and Jim Lebold owner of The Cue Ball

On April 28-29, 2012, The Cue Ball in Salem, OR hosted the 2nd Annual Martha Hartsell Memorial for the NWPA’s second tour stop of the season.  The tournament was held on twenty-two 9 foot Brunswick Centennial and Anniversary tables. Rail2Rail Productions hosted a free live stream all weekend.  We would love to thank our title sponsor Mueller for continuing their support of the NWPA. Please check out their website at www.mueller.com.  Billiards 911 sponsored the Trivia Challenge on the live stream, donating a prize package of a cue maintenance bundle including Undo the Blue, shaft smoother and burnisher, Prickster Tip Tool, Shaft Magic with Cue Cloth, and a talcum powder pouch. Congratulations to the winner, James Doyle of Roswell, GA.

The event drew 33 players, most of them tour regulars. However, several new and returning players entered including Julie Stallings (Junction City, OR), Angela Higgins (Portland, OR), Jennifer Windell (Oregon City, OR), Andrena Browne (Springfield, OR), Laura Hardie (Portland, OR), Tina Tillett (Coos Bay, OR), and Kim Allen (Oregon City, OR.) Remaining funds from the Johnny Archer/Nick Varner raffle in early April resulted in an additional $250 added to the main event payout, to bring the total to $1000 added.  Player rewards included autographed photos of Johnny/Nick, coffee from local Portland company Coava Coffee Roasters (www.coavacoffee.com), QClip donation , and instructional video Point The Way by well-known road player/guru Timothy Miller (The Monk).  We would love to thank all parties that made donations to the NWPA.  In addition to the player raffle, scratch tickets were awarded for 9 ball breaks and break & runs.

With 33 players, the tournament format was a race to 7 on the A side and a race to 6 on the B side. Saturday was action packed and only eight players returned on Sunday in the main event.  On the A side, it was Jana Montour vs. Kris Robbins and Liz Cole vs. Shelby Locati and on the B side it was Eve Stockstill vs. Sheila Clark and Kim Jones vs. Suzanne Smith.  Jana and Liz both advanced through their morning matches, 7-6 and 7-3, to force a repeat of our first stop’s hotseat (and final) match which had a similar result, Jana advancing by a score of 7-5.  On the B side, Eve and Kim both defeated their opponents by similar score of 6-4.  During Sunday’s second round, Kris and Kim defeated Eve and Shelby by identical 6-2 scores.  Kim just seemed to pick up speed from there, going on to defeat Kris (6-0).  Kim then defeated Liz, in a hill-hill nail biter where a scratch on the break by Liz, resulted in Kim taking a 1-9 combo for the win.

THE FINAL- Jana Montour vs. Kim Jones was one race to 9, alternating break.
Path to the final- Jana M: Elaine E (0), Talya M (4), Kim J (3), Kris R (6), Liz C (5)
Path to the final- Kim J: Julie S (6), Angela H (3), loss to Jana (3), Tamre R (2), Suzanne S (4), Shelby L (2), Kris R (0), Liz C (5)

Jana won the lag, but right from the beginning did not appear comfortable at the table. She was somewhat inconsistent with her position play and shot making, which appeared to associated with indecision in her pattern play.  Kim took advantage of every opportunity with superb run out patterns and safeties, jumping out to a 7-0 lead before an accidental hook left Kim attempting a jump over the 8 ball resulting in a bad hit. Jana ran the 7, 8, 9 to win her first rack. Kim bounced right back with the next rack to reach the hill first.  With her back against the wall, Jana fought through the next two racks to make the score 8-3 before a safety on the 2 ball resulted in an opportunity for Kim to pocket an off angle 2-9 carom to win her first event of 2012. 

Congratulations ladies!  Our next event will be June 16-17 at Malarkey’s Pool & Brew in Tacoma, WA.

Main Event Payouts
1st 600 Kim Jones
2nd 400 Jana Montour
3rd 275 Liz Cole
4th 200 Kris Robbins
5/6th 125 Eve Stockstill/Shelby Locati
7/8th 95 Sheila Clark/Suzanne Smith

Seven players returned for the $175 added Second Chance Event.  The tournament ended up being a Race to three on both sides, the final being one race to four.  Sandy Badger defeated Debbie Cicchiti in the final

Second Chance Payouts
1st 80 Sandy Badger
2nd 60 Debbie Cicchiti
3rd 40 Talya Makus
4th 25 Alisha Rogers
5/6th 15 Tina Tillett/Tamre Rogers
7th 10 Eileen Stephens

Jones comes back from loss-side to down Montour in NWPA Martha Hartsell Memorial finals

They met first in the winners’ side quarterfinals, when Jana Montour sent Kim Jones west. Montour moved on to occupy the hot seat, but Jones returned from the loss side, after winning five straight to defeat Montour in the finals of the Martha Hartsell Memorial Tournament, the second stop on the 2012 Northwest Women’s Pool Association tour. The $1,000-added event drew 33 entrants to The Cue Ball in Salem, OR.

They had each won two, when they met among the winners’ side final eight; Montour, having defeated Elaine Eberly and Tayla Makus, as Jones got by Angela Higgins and Mary Hopkin. Montour took the first of their two 7-3, and moved into the winners’ side semifinals against Kris Robbins. Liz Cole, in the meantime, squared off against Shelby Locati. Montour survived a double hill battle against Robbins, while downed Locati 7-3. Montour got into the hot seat with a 7-5 victory over Cole, and waited for what turned out to be the return of Jones.

Jones moved over and chalked up wins against Tamre Rogers 6-2 and Suzanne Smith 6-4, to draw Locati. Robbins drew Eve Stockstill, who’d defeated Sandy Badger double hill and Sheila Clark 6-4. Jones downed Locati 6-2, and was joined in the quarterfinals by Robbins, who’d ended Stockstill’s day 6-2. Jones shut Robbins out, and turned to face Cole. A 7-5 victory in the semifinals gave Jones the second chance against Montour that she’d been battling for.

She took full advantage. She allowed Montour only three racks in those finals and took home the top prize.

According to NWPA and WPBA President Tamre Rogers, next weekend’s WPBA West Coast Regional Tour Championships, scheduled for May 5-6 at Parlor Billiards and Spirits, in Bellevue, WA, will feature 13 members of the NWPA, including Jones and Montour.