It was a weekend of pool sprints and marathons; two race-to-three, single elimination tournaments, one race-to-four Second Chance tournament and a main, $3,500-added, 10-ball event that drew the largest crowd. It was the 6th Annual Richard Sweet Memorial Tournament, held, on the weekend of June 25-28, under the auspices of the Tiger Southeast Open 9-Ball Tour. The event, hosted by the Sweet family's Mr. Cues II in Atlanta, GA, drew 225 competitors to the four events; 59 signed on to Friday night's 9-Ball Tournament, 46 were in attendance at Thursday night's 8-ball event, 47 checked in to the 'last hurrah 'second chance tournament on Sunday, while 73 went at it in the marquee 10-ball competition.

 

Richie Richeson, a 22-year-plus veteran of the sport, who, in 1993, shared 17th place at the US Open 9-Ball Championships with the likes of Allen Hopkins and Mike Massey, claimed the 10-ball title. Richeson survived a double elimination finals matchup against Evan Lunda, who'd come from deep on the loss side to challenge him and win the opening set of the finals. 

 

Advancing to a winners' side semifinal, Richeson faced Cliff Joyner, who also finished in that tie for 17th place at the US Open in 1993. Jason Stemen, in the meantime, squared off against Todd Noble. Richeson sent Joyner to the west bracket 7-3, as Stemen was busy surviving a double hill battle over Noble. Richeson claimed the hot heat 7-5 over Stemen and waited on Lunda.

 

On the loss side, Joyner ran into George Spires, recent 7-5 winner over both Horace Godwin and Brandon Davenport. It was Noble who picked up Lunda, 7-4 winner over both Ellis Brown and Kim Heath. Joyner gave up only a single rack to Spires, as Lunda gave up three to Noble.

 

Lunda eliminated Joyner 7-2 in the quarterfinals, and then spoiled Stemen's shot at a re-match against Richeson by defeating him in the semifinals 7-3. Lunda took the opening set of the double elimination finals in a hard-fought double hill battle, but Richeson pulled ahead in the second set to claim the title 7-4.

 

In the Thursday night, race-to-three, 8-ball, single elimination event, Tim Orange downed Mike Clay 3-2 in the finals to claim the $500 first prize. Clay took home the only other ($250) prize available. On Friday night, Tim Heath downed Mike Davis 3-1 in the finals of the single-elimination, race-to-three 9-ball event. Like Orange and Clay, Heath and Davis claimed the $500 and $250 prizes at stake.

 

The weekend concluded with a double-elimination, race-to-four 9-ball event that saw Randy Jordan go undefeated through the field of 47 entrants. Jordan claimed the hot seat over Mike Clay and waited for him to come back. On the loss side, Tim Heath eliminated Ryan Hollingsworth 4-2 in the quarterfinals, only to be shut out by Clay in the semifinals. Jordan completed his undefeated run 4-2 over Clay to claim the Second Chance title.

 

Tour director, Tommy Kennedy, last year's runner-up (to Shawn Putnam) and 9th-place finisher in that 1993 US Open thanked the Sweet family – Ricky, Susan and Mandy – and their staff at Mr. Cues II, as well as title sponsor Tiger Products, J. Pechauer Custom Cues, Simonis, Mueller Recreational Products, Viking Cues, Cue Stix International, Nick Varner Cues, Aramis, Chris Nitti Cues, Andy Gilbert Custom Cues and Paul Frankel with Professor Cue Ball magazine. 

Neither of the last two players standing on the November 2-3 stop on the Great Southern Billiard Tour had ever been in a GSBT final before. Neither, for that matter, had the third-place finisher, Dana Aft, one of six women who signed on to play, whose advance to the semifinals was her best ever. Frank Davis and Jason Lyons faced each other twice, in the hot seat match and finals, with Davis prevailing both times to go undefeated and claim the event title. Aft, who was sent to the loss side by Davis in the opening round of play, won eight on the loss side before falling to Lyons in the semifinals. The $1,000-added event drew 48 entrants to Johnny Archer's room, The Marietta Billiard Club in Marietta, GA.

 

Davis and Lyons advanced among the winners' side final four to take on Jeff Jordan and Shane Wade, respectively. Davis, racing to 5, defeated Jordan (racing to 7) 5-5, as Lyons sent Wade west in a straight-up, race-to-six, double hill match. Davis then downed Lyons for the first time 5-3 and sat in the hot seat, awaiting his return.

 

Aft, in the meantime, as a "4" (players race to their rank) was working her way through the loss-side field, and with three notches on her belt, defeated Tim Orange (a 10), and Wesley Mathis (a 5), both 4-3. This set her up to face Jordan coming over from the winners' side semifinal. Wade picked up Anthony Green, who'd gotten by Lindsey Middlebrook and Mike Clay, both 7-3, although his victory over Middlebrook was double hill.

 

Aft eliminated Jordan 4-3, and in the quarterfinals, faced Wade, who'd ended Green's day, double hill. Aft completed her winning streak with a 4-3 win over Wade, and though she would battle to double hill in the semifinals against Lyons, it was Lyons who prevailed. 

 

Lyons, with the higher handicap (6), had one more game to win than Davis, and though he'd reach the hill first, Davis caught him to win his fifth and claim the event title.

 

Tour representatives thanked the ownership and staff at The Marietta Billiard Club, as well as sponsors Nick Varner Cues and Cases, Delta 13 Racks, Andy Gilbert Custom Cues, Tiger Products, Ozone Billiards and Lomax Custom Cues. The next stop on the GSBT is scheduled for November 9-10 at Shore Thing Billiards in Myrtle Beach, SC.