Larry McGee and Chris Cricket, according to information available to us, went looking for their first regional tour victory at last weekend’s one-day tournament on the Viking Cues’ Q City 9-Ball Tour (Saturday, Jan. 22). McGee found it and Chris Cricket, who won seven matches on the loss side for the ‘finals’ chance to find it, finished as runner-up. The $500-added event drew 41 entrants to Overtime Billiards in Columbia, SC.
They met twice in this event. The first time was in the third round of play, when they battled to double hill before McGee prevailed, eventually advancing to a winners’ side semifinal against Larry David. Robbie Shelley and Eddie Wahdan faced off in the other one.
McGee downed David 6-1 and was joined in the hot seat match by Shelley, who’d sent Wahdan to the loss side 8-4. David, Wahdan and eventually, McGee would all face Cricket before it was over. McGee claimed the hot seat, double hill, over Shelley and waited for Cricket to complete his loss-side run.
Cricket was four matches into that run when he drew David in the first money round. Cricket had most recently eliminated Chris McCutcheon, double hill, and Anthony Rock 7-3. Wahdan picked up Marty Free, who’d defeated Joe Kelly 8-1 and Benny Walters 8-4 to reach him.
Wahdan and Free battled to double hill before Whadan prevailed. Cricket defeated David 7-3 to join Wahdan in the quarterfinals.
Cricket and Wahdan, in a straight-up race to 7 in those quarterfinals, battled to double hill, as well, with Cricket advancing to the semifinals, his seventh loss-side match. He won it over Shelley 7-5 to earn his shot against McGee in the finals. Early on Sunday morning, around 3 a.m., according to tour director Herman Parker, McGee completed the undefeated run to his first regional tour victory with a 6-3 win over Cricket in those finals.
Tour director Herman Parker thanked the ownership and staff at Overtime Billiards, as well as title sponsor Viking Cues, BarPoolTables.net, Dirty South Grind Apparel Co., Realty One Group Results, Diamond Brat, AZBilliards.com, and Federal Savings Bank Mortgage Division. The next stop on the Viking Cues’ Q City 9-Ball Tour, scheduled for this weekend (Jan. 29-30), will be a $500-added event, hosted by Sonny’s Billiards in Princeton, WV.
In its first visit to Shore Thing Billiards in Myrtle Beach, SC, the Viking Cues’ Q City 9-Ball Tour drew 54 entrants for a $500-added stop on the weekend of August 10-11. Billy Fowler worked his way through the field to claim the hot seat over former junior player Hunter White, but White came back from the semifinals to double dip Fowler in the finals and claim the event title.
Fowler had defeated Marty Free 8-2 to get into the hot seat match, as White was at work downing Zach Collins 8-4 to join him. Fowler claimed the hot seat over White 8-6 and waited on his return.
Vallario downed Free 6-6 (Free racing to 8) and was joined in the quarterfinals by Collins, who’d defeated Hall 6-5 (Hall racing to 7). Collins took the quarterfinal match over Vallario 6-2 to earn himself a rematch against White in the semifinals.
White, though, duplicated his effort against Collins in the winners’ side semifinal with an 8-4 win in the event semifinal. White and Fowler battled to double hill in the opening set of the true double elimination final. White took that opening set and then downed Fowler a second time 8-4 to claim the event title.
Tour directors Herman and Angela Parker thanked the ownership and staff at Shore Thing Billiards for their hospitality, as well as title sponsor Viking Cues, Bar Pool Tables, Delta 13 Racks, AZ Billiards and Professor Q-Ball. The next stop on the Viking Cues’ Q City 9-Ball Tour, scheduled for this weekend (August 17-18), will be hosted by Shotmaker’s in Garner, NC.
Shannon Daulton, Thomas Jones, Tracie Majors, & Marty Opyd, owner of Legends Billiards
Thomas Jones had himself quite a weekend. Looking for his first win on the Great Southern Billiard Tour on the weekend of March 1-2, he found his goal almost immediately frustrated by one Chris Zayas, who fought him to double hill and then prevailed. Jones moved to the loss side and began a nine-match winning streak that would carry him all the way back to the finals, where he'd win two more against hot seat occupant, Tracie Majors. The $1,000-added event drew 62 entrants to Legends Billiards (formerly Raisin' Cain's) in Inman, SC.
Zayas would move on past Jones and eventually found himself in a winners' side final four match against Steve Walton. Majors, in the meantime, squared off against Marty Free. Walton hung on to win 5-4 over Zayas and met up with Majors, who sent Free to the loss side 5-3. Majors moved into the hot seat with a 5-2 win over Walton.
Jones, in the meantime, had chalked up four, shut out Chandler DeGusman and eliminated Josh Newman 5-5 (Newman racing to 10). This set him against Free, coming off the winners' side semifinal. Zayas picked up Wendell Thompkins, who'd gotten by Gage Edwards 9-4 and Dayne Miller 9-1. Jones chalked up another 5-5 win; this time, over Free (also racing to 10), and was denied a re-match against Zayas, when Thompkins defeated him 9-5.
Jones battled Thompkins to double hill in the quarterfinals before prevailing to take on Walton in the semifinals. He brought the semifinals to double hill, as well, finally advancing for a double-elimination shot against Majors in the hot seat. Jones chalked up identical 5-2 wins in both sets to claim his first GSBT title.
Tour director Shannon Daulton thanked Legends' new owners, Marty Opyd and April Bradley, who were hosting their first-ever tournament. He also thanked sponsors Nick Varner Cues & Cases, Delta-13, Ozone Billiards, Tiger Products, Andy Gilbert Custom Cues, Lomax Cues, and Universe Clothing for their continuing support of the tour. The next stop on the Great Southern Billiard Tour is scheduled for March 9-10 at Shore Thing Billiards in Myrtle Beach, SC.
Larry McGee and Chris Cricket, according to information available to us, went looking for their first regional tour victory at last weekend’s one-day tournament on the Viking Cues’ Q City 9-Ball Tour (Saturday, Jan. 22). McGee found it and Chris Cricket, who won seven matches on the loss side for the ‘finals’ chance to find it, finished as runner-up. The $500-added event drew 41 entrants to Overtime Billiards in Columbia, SC.
