Northwest Women’s Pool Association traveled to it’s fourth stop at Phil’s Bar & Grill in Salem, OR this weekend. Stop #4 was sponsored by Phil’s, Savage Billiards Apparel & ICA Training System.
Formerly Jake’s, a frequent post-tourney hangout for past NWPA stops, the venue has seen a significant remodel geared towards pool players.
28 NWPA players competed at 10 ball on ten 7 ft diamond tables all with Littman Lights.
On the B side finals day Liz Cole defeated up-and-comer Kiana Early 6-2 and Robin Adams ended Donna Kingsburys great showing with a 6-3 win.
Over on the A side, Maryanne McConnell sent Nicole Donisi to the Bside with a 6-3 win and Molina Ortíz defeated Kathie MacDonald with the same score of 6-3.
Liz Cole was victorious over Kathie MacDonald with a 6-3 win while Nicole Donisi scrapped a win out over Robin Adams 6-4.
Meanwhile Molina Ortìz earned the point with a 6-4 win over Maryann McConnell on the A side.
On a roll, Liz Cole had a decisive win over Nicole Donisi 6-1 to face Maryann.
After a good battle, Liz proved she was ready for a rematch with Molina with a 6-4 win.
Reigning tour stop finalist Molina Ortíz met many time NWPA champ Liz Cole in the finals for a single race to 9.
Liz played steady all match with an ebb and flow of safeties and run-out pplay including great jump shots. She took the lead early with 5-3 and pulled away to 7-3 in the 11th rack.
Molina mounted a comeback, bringing the score back to 8-6 but in the end Liz prevailed with an early 10 for the 9-6 win.
TD Chris Rogers, Maryann McConnell, Liz Cole, Molina Ortíz, room manager Tammy Culbertson and room owner Vic Albertson.
The 2022 Northwest Women’s Pool Association (NWPA) tour headed to Kennewick, Washington for Stop #2 at Player’s Sports Bar & Grill.
35 players traveled to eastern Washington to compete in this venue’s first Tour Stop. The game was alternate break 10-ball on 7 footers with a race of 6/6. Player turnout ranged from Oregon, Washington, Idaho and even drew British Columbians despite the distance. The tour continues to grow as we counted a few more new players at this stop.
Player’s Sports Bar & Grill proved to be an excellent venue. Room owner Vic Albertson graciously added $1,000 to the tour pot while manager Tammy and staff were very accommodating with setup and service. The players competed on 10 beautiful 7 ft diamonds with freshly cleaned Predator Arcos ballsets. John Scudder Diamond Table Sales was the tour’s livestream equipment sponsor.
Molina Ortíz picked up her second NWPA win in a thrilling final against fellow Portlander and multi-time tour champion Liz Cole. Ortíz came out strong on Day One. She went through the A side undefeated with a 6-1 win over Jeanne Christiansen, 6-0 against tour veteran Suzanne Smith and 6-1 over Andy Camping.
Liz Cole also made it through the first day unscathed. She started by winning 6-1 against Tammy Woollet, secured a tight 6-5 match against Regene Lane and ended with a strong 6-0 win over Celia Curry.
Vancouver WA’s Nicole Donisi stayed on the A side with 6-2 wins over both Joyce Robinson and Julie Fraser. Wapato’s Selena Polk proved stiffer competition with some impressive shotmaking, but Donisi moved on with a 6-5 win.
No stranger to tour stop wins, Tacoma’s Cindy Sliva made it to finals day with decisive 6-2 wins over both Elaine Eberly and Sheila Clark. Jessie Blayden of Puyallup, WA put up some resistance but Sliva prevailed 6-5 to join the others for Day 2.
Over on the B Side, Maryann McConnell of B.C. lost her first match to Idaho’s Sheila Clark. She was not deterred though, as she defeated Elaine Eberly 6-1, Donna Totten 6-1, Julie Fraser 6-1 and Celia Curry 6-3 to secure her Day 2 slot. Her fellow Canadian Kathie MacDonald had a similar path, losing 6-3 to Andy Camping in the first round but grinding out wins to make it through. She defeated Melinda Hoffman 6-3, Tammy Culberston 6-4, Regene Lane 6-5 and Selena Polk 6-1.
Andy Camping was knocked to the B side with a 6-1 loss to Ortíz but was able to defeat Sheila Clark 6-5 and move on. Jessie Blayden was downed 6-4 earlier by Cindy Sliva, but ground out a 6-4 win over Suzanne Smith to stay afloat into finals day.
Spectators at Players’ filtered in on Day 2 as the opening matches got started with Ortíz vs Donisi, Cole vs Sliva, Camping vs MacDonald and McConnell vs Blayden.
On the A side, Donisi and Ortíz started by exchanging racks. Ortíz attempted to gain the upper hand with safety play but Donisi hung on, kicking her way out and providing opportunities to secure herself another rack. However, Donisi wasn’t able to capitalize on further opportunities, giving away a few key racks. Ortíz’s composure and experience provided her a strong 6-2 win. Cole and Sliva met on the winners side as well and battled out a close match. Both players uncharacteristically hung a few game balls but it was Cole who prevailed with a 6-2 win.
Blayden had a gritty showing but was not able to stop seasoned player McConnell from a 6-2 win. Camping had beaten strong players the whole event but was eliminated by Kathie MacDonald, who worked her way to a 6-2 win, playing steady the whole way. Camping and Blayden finished 7-8th in the money.
Ortíz met Liz Cole next and was well warmed up on the stream table. Cole was not able to match Ortíz’s racks though she played well, and fell 6-3 to give Ortíz the hot seat. On the B side, Sliva lost to MacDonald in an excellent match with few mistakes. Playing strong the whole time, only one misstep by Sliva cost her two racks that made the difference. Donisi and McConnell matched up next and fought through several messy racks. However, McConnell had been picking up steam the whole tournament and found her groove. Donisi was eliminated in a 6-2 loss and finished 5/6th along with Sliva.
McConnell and MacDonald faced off next, but a few early 10s gave McConnell the advantage she needed to win 6-2 and leave MacDonald with 4th.
McConnell finally found resistance as Cole played an excellent match, leaving her few opportunities. Though she had won at their last WPBA meeting, this time it was Cole who handed her a 6-2 loss. McConnell finished 3rd and Cole moved on for a rematch with Ortíz.
A good crowd had gathered by now and the finalists provided an intense hill-hill battle for the audience. Both players exchanged racks early and were playing excellently. After a close match the whole way, one of Cole’s safeties went awry and Ortíz was able to gain a rack to make it 7-5. Cole was not done however and when Ortíz challenged her with the leave of a difficult cut shot table length down the rail, she nailed it. They exchanged a few more racks, bringing it to 8-8. The finals match was just one race to 9 and Ortíz broke the last rack well, running out the table for the win in an exciting match.
Robin Adams won the 2nd chance tournament, which had $200 additional added by the venue.
A big thank you to Player’s Sports Bar & Grill.
The next stop will be at Sam’s Billiards in Portland, OR on September 17th-18th. Watch a replay of the final on our youtube channel: “Northwest Women’s Pool Association.” Bracket & tour schedule can be found on our website at playnwpa.com.
Chia Hua Chen defeated Allison Fisher in a shootout for the second time this week to mark her return to international competition by winning the Predator Canada Open.
Fisher had to come through the one loss side to reach single elimination after her first match of the tournament had ended in defeat to Chen, who didn’t lose during the event.
‘Amber’ Chen had won the first set of the final 4-2, but a 4-0 second set in Fisher’s favor forced the match to shootout. Fisher missed her first of four attempts but when Chen missed her last, Fisher had a chance to take it to sudden death. However, the Duchess of Doom was unable to prolong the match any further and when she missed at 3-2 down, the title was Chen’s.
“I cannot believe it,” said Chen through her partner, Robbie Capito. “This is my first international tournament after the pandemic, so I didn’t expect much coming into the tournament, so I am very happy with the win.”
Fisher took a 2-0 lead in the final but a poorly executed safety attempt on the 6 allowed Chen to fight back to 2-2. The Taiwanese star earned ball in hand when a great safety on the 7 left Fisher unable to make a connection in the fifth game. She scratched the cue ball breaking in the sixth but a brilliant bank, the length of the table, gave her a 4-2 set win.
Fisher responded with the first game of the second set and made a 7/10 combo for 2-0. The Duchess of Doom was first to take a chance after a safety battle in the third and after a thin cut to make the 9 left perfect position for the 10, Fisher was one game away from a shootout, and she wrapped a 4-0 set with a great runout.
The shootout format allows each player four innings, after which sudden death comes into play if the score is tied after the first four shots each.
Chen was first to shoot and despite having been consigned to her seat for much of the second set, found the center of the pocket. Fisher hit her first effort too thin, and Chen went 2-0 ahead in the shootout with her next shot.
Fisher could barely afford to miss again and produced a great pressure shot straight into the heart of the pocket to make it 2-1. Chen kept control with her third successful shot, meaning Fisher had to make her next; she did.
Chen had her fourth shot for the title but clipped the jaw to keep Fisher alive. The Brit had one shot to force sudden death, but she too missed. Chen had to check with referee John Leyman to confirm; Fisher’s miss meant that Chen was the Predator Canada Open champion, taking home $18,000.
In her semi-final, Chen had been forced to a shootout by the battling Australian, Bean Hung. Chen had won the first set 4-0 but her opponent didn’t give up and took the second set from hill-hill. However, the Australian struggled in the shootout, which Chen won 3-0.
Fisher had taken the longest route possible to the final, having lost her opening match – a shootout defeat to Chen. She bounced back through the one loss side with wins against Stephanie Mitchell and Maryann McConnell to reach the last 16, where close friend and three-time Pro Billiard Series winner Kelly Fisher was waiting.
Allison put in a strong performance to win by shootout, and then defeated Kyoko Sone in the last eight. Bulgaria’s Kristina Zlateva was Fisher’s semi-final opponent and the experienced Brit completed a 4-0, 4-2 win without wasting much time.
The Predator Canada Open, the latest stop on the Women’s Pro Billiard Series, is down to the final 16 in Alberta, Canada.
The first stage of the tournament is now complete and the brackets have been redrawn for the single elimination stage, which begins 10am local time Friday.
Kelly Fisher’s quest to make it four in four on the Predator Pro Billiard Series remains strong. After winning 4-0, 4-0 against Mary Avina on Wednesday the Brit followed it up with a 4-2, 4-1 score against impressive young Bulgarian Kristina Zlateva. She’ll now face her fellow Brit and namesake Allison Fisher in the last 16.
That is because Allison came through the one loss side of the draw but made it through with two wins on Thursday. Fisher found herself on the one loss side after a shootout defeat yesterday but hit the practice table and defeated Stephanie Mitchell and Maryann McConnell to qualify.
Fisher said: “I feel very relieved to qualify for the last 16 because my first match yesterday was a real struggle and I lost in a shootout. I practiced last night and got comfortable with the table. I felt much more settled today.”
Canada’s Brittany Bryant stayed undefeated with a 4-2, 4-0 win against Naomi Williams. Bryant has been enjoying have a Pro Billiard Series tournament in her home country and will face Bean Hung in the next round.
Other last 16 matches include Eylul Kibaroglu vs Caroline Pao, Sara Rocha vs Amalia Matas and Maite Ropero Garcia vs Kristina Zlateva. Action begins at 10am with the feature table live on Billiard TV, Kozoom and the World Billiard TV YouTube channel.
Savannah Easton, the 12 year-old from Las Vegas, exited the tournament with a shootout defeat to Kyoko Soni. Easton had moved to the one loss side of the brackets on Wednesday night but put in an impressive 4-2, 4-3 win over Toni Sakamoto to stay alive before her tournament was ended by Soni. Easton plays the final of the CSI Western Canadian Championships Junior 8-Ball tomorrow.
About two months ago, Kelly and Allison Fisher squared off in the finals of the WPBA’s Northern Lights Classic, which was the first time they’d met in an event final in six years, when Allison downed Kelly twice in the 2016 finals of the 19th Annual International Women’s Tournament of Champions at the Taj Mahal in Atlantic City. It didn’t take anywhere near that long between final meetups this time around, because following their finals match in the Northern Classic (won by Kelly), they squared off again this past weekend (June 23-26) at the 5th Annual Ashton Twins Classic. Allison was the event’s defending champion, having defeated Jennifer Baretta in the finals of the event the last time it was held in 2020. Kelly claimed the title this time, coming from the loss side to do it at the event which drew 63 entrants to The Hidden Spot in Calgary, Alberta.
With the Northern Lights Classic and the Super Billiards Expo, the WPBA competitors had been getting back into the stroke of things, to include renewing acquaintances and enjoying the companionship that had marked their days pre-COVID. The Ashton Twins Classic continued that process as the cream of the WPBA crop gathered. Kelly was the event’s #1 seed, with Brittany Bryant as #2. Allison was #3 with Caroline Pao #4 and Janet Atwell #5. Rounding out the top 10 seeds were Ashley Burrows, Emily Duddy, LoreeJon Brown, Kim Newsome and Teruko Cuccelelli.
Kelly’s path to the hot seat match was relatively undramatic; in races to 8, downing Katherine Robertson (2), Eleanor Callado (2), Kelly Cavanaugh (3) and Maria Teresa Ropero Garcia (1), she drew Pao in one of the winners’ side semifinals. Allison, in the meantime, got by Jana Montour (2), Sandra Badger (1), Stephanie Mitchell (1) and Kyoko Sone (6) to arrive at her winners’ side semifinal versus Bryant.
The event’s top four seeds went at it in their respective winners’ side semifinals. Allison sent Bryant to the loss side 8-3, while Kelly was sending Pao over 8-2. Allison grabbed the hot seat 8-4 and waited for Kelly to get back from the semifinals.
On the loss side, Bryant picked up Eleanor Callado, who’d been defeated by Kelly Fisher in the second winners’ side round and was working on a six-match, loss-side winning streak that had recently eliminated Susan Mello 8-4 and Ashley Burrows in a double hill battle. Pao drew Sone, who, after losing her winners’ side quarterfinal to Allison Fisher, had defeated Maryann McConnell 8-1 and Tamami Okuda 8-2.
Sone, who was seeded just outside the top 10 (#11), downed the #4 seed, Pao 8-6, while Bryant was eliminating Callado 8-1. Bryant stopped Sone’s loss-side run at three matches with a subsequent 8-5 win in the quarterfinals.
And there they were, the event’s top three seeds as the last three standing on Sunday afternoon. Kelly Fisher defeated Bryant 8-4 for a second shot at Allison, waiting for her in the hot seat.
The final was a single race to 10. Allison had chalked up twice as many racks as Kelly to claim the hot seat. Kelly chalked up twice as many as Allison in the finals, 10-5, to claim the 5th Annual Ashton Twins Classic.
The Ashton twins, Beverly and Joanne, who finished 49th and 25th, respectively (Beverly allowing Joanne to advance when they were scheduled to meet in the first loss-side round), along with the WPBA thanked the ownership and staff of The Hidden Spot for their hospitality, along with sponsors Simonis, Esports, Diamond Billiards Products, RAD and ATC.
