The G Cue Billiard Store Diamond Pool Tour made its only trip to Tucson this season, with a stop at Pockets on July 15th – 16th. Once again, two new champions were crowned at these events, with El Paso’s Ramon Rodriguez winning the amateur event, and Tucson’s Chris Paradowski winning a marathon final match to capture the open division crown.
Things got underway on Saturday, with 25 players competing in the amateur division. By the luck of the draw, Tucson’s Mike Hamman drew his wife Tracie in the first round of play. Mike won that match going away, but it would be far from the last time fans in attendance would hear from the fairer of the Hammans. Mike Hamman’s trek through the winner’s side included a hill-hill nail biter over Tommy Dilorenzo and wins over Chris Campbell and John Alteri.
Hamman’s opponent for the hot-seat was Ramon Rodriguez. This was Rodriguez’s first DCT tour stop, and he had to play at the top of the Fargo scale, meaning he was giving weight to almost every opponent all weekend long. Rodriguez’s run through the right side of the board consisted of wins over James Bentley, Dakota Conroy, Joe Guerra and Johnny Dearmore.
It appeared that Rodriguez saved his best for last, as he sent Hamman to the one loss side by a convincing 9-3 margin.
On the one loss side, Mike Hamman found a familiar opponent in the form of wife Tracie. After the first round loss to Mike, Tracie put together a 6 match winning streak to challenge Mike in the semi-finals. Unfortunately for Tracie, the rematch with Mike was similar to their first match, with Mike winning 9-1.
The semi-final wasn’t the only rematch with a similar outcome, as Rodriguez scored another 9-3 win over Mike Hamman in the first and only round of the finals.
Sunday’s open division drew a field made up of 16 top players. Stop 1 winner, Gus Briseno, found himself in unfamiliar territory after a first round hill-hill loss to Bret Huth, but he would be back again.
Huth dropped his next match to AJ Jones, who then went on to challenge Chris Paradowski for the hot-seat. That match was fairly lopsided, with Paradowski scoring a 10-3 win.
Meanwhile, Briseno was putting on a 9-ball clinic on the one loss side of the board. Briseno notched wins over Ben Hrabina, Tonee Allin, Tim Christopher and Ruben Silva, by a combined score of 44-9. Briseno then took advantage of a forfeit by Rudy Alameda and then continued his winning ways with an 11-3 win over Jones in the semi-finals.
The finals saw Briseno facing Paradowski in an 11-9 race. The late hour meant nothing to these players as they battled to hill-hill in the first set before Briseno pocketed the final 9-ball. That meant a second set would have to be played to determine the final winner. Again, the match went to hill-hill, but this time it was Paradowski pocketing the final 9-ball and earning the tournament win.
The G Cue Billiard Store Diamond Pool Tour will travel to Las Vegas next month for a stop at Griff’s on August 5th – 6th.
The G Cue Billiard Store Diamond Pool Tour is proudly sponsored by…
The G Cue Billiard Store Diamond Pool Tour held their second stop of the season at Skip & Jan’s in Gilbert on June 17th – 18th, where they once again crowned a new winner in the amateur division, and a returning champion in the open division.
The amateur division kicked off on Saturday with 36 players and a new group of favorites at the top of the list. With tour stop one winner Max Maurer over the 625 Fargo limit, early favorites in this event included Rick Armbrust (619), Lee Brown (619), Ken Laney (618) and Mike Hamman (616). As a testament to the handicapped format of the event, only Armbrust would finish in the money.
Saturday play whittled the field down to the final eight players in the money, with Bob Mizer set to face Scott Vogelsburg (looking for his second big win in as many weeks) and Rick Armbrust set to face Nick Cipiti. The one loss side came down to Steve Stowers vs Wes Sowers and Randy Reid vs Jesse Johnson.
As play began on Sunday, Vogelsberg beat Mizer 8-2 in an even 8-8 race, and Armbrust beat Cipiti 9-6 in a 9-8 race.
On the left side of the board, Steve Stowers eliminated Wes Sowers 8-5 in an 8-7 race, while Randy Reid upset Jesse Johnson 6-2 in a 6-8 race. Stowers would then eliminate Mizer in a hill-hill match 8-6, and Cipiti bounced back from his earlier loss to send Reid to the seats with an 8-2 scoreline. Cipiti would soon be joining Reid in the seats, as Stowers scored a hill-hill win to eliminate Cipiti in 4th place. Due to the Father’s Day holiday, Vogelsberg forfeited his semi-final match against Stowers and the race to 9 final match was underway.
The final match came down to hill-hill, before Armbrust dropped the final 9-ball for the 9-8 win and first place.
On one side of the winner’s bracket, Foldes was on a tear. He defeated Carl Stewart, Ben Hrabina and Brian Long by a combined score of 30-2. On the other side of the winner’s bracket, it was Bobby Emmons making noise. Emmons defeated Tracie Hamman, Eric Young and then Mitch Ellerman in a hill-hill match.
Ellerman took the trip to the one loss side, where he then dropped a hill-hill match to Eric Young to finish in 4th place.
Back on the winner’s side, Emmons was playing like he didn’t have a care in the world and sent Foldes to the one loss side 7-3 (in a 7-10 match).
Foldes was ready for round two with Emmons though, as he then eliminated Young in a hill-hill 10-4 match.
Just to prove that the first time was no fluke, Emmons defeated Foldes in the first set of the finals by the same 7-3 scoreline.
The tour will next head out to Tucson on the 15th and 16th of July for two events on the 9’ tables at Pockets.
The G Cue Billiard Store Diamond Pool Tour is proudly sponsored by…
The first stop on the 2017 G Cue Billiard Diamond Pool Tour introduced a new player to the tour’s winners circle, and welcomed a long time member back.
The new season introduced a new format to the tour stops, which are now divided into a Fargo 625 and below “amateur” event starting on Saturday, and an “open” event for anyone that starts on Sunday. The amateur event drew a field of 45 players to Bullshooters on May 27th, ranging from two players rated 401, all the way to a 621 rated player. With higher rated players giving up one game for every 25 points difference in ratings, the top players struggled in early matches against the lower rated players. Eight of thirteen first round matches were won by the lower rated player.
Sunday play saw Maurer beat Duarte 8-2, and Pelton beat Johnson 8-6. Maurer then went on to take the hot-seat with a 7-3 win over Pelton.
On the one loss side, Hillen eliminated Hamman and then went on to send Duarte back home in 5th place. The other half of the one loss side saw Ampongan defeat Avila 8-3, but then drop his next match to Johnson 8-7. Hillen then ended Johnson’s tourney in 4th place with a 4-3 scoreline. Hillen then joined Johnson in the seats, after Pelton handed him an 8-2 loss.
The finals were a rematch of the hot-seat match, but this one was pretty lopsided as Maurer ran away with a 7-0 win for first place.
As the field narrowed, the winner’s side came down to one top player and three amateurs with Gus Briseno joining Jeremy Vicente, Fernando Prats and Nick Kline as the only undefeated players. Where other players had struggled with giving up games to the weaker players, Briseno had no problems at all, as he went on to take the hot seat after a 9-0 win over Vicente and a 9-1 win over Prats.
The one loss side came down to Prats and Pete Lhotka. Lhotka had found himself on the one loss side after one match, but put together an impressive winning streak that included wins over Joey Barrera, Chad Barber, Chris Adams, Martin Romero (revenge for his earlier loss), Vicente and Kline. Lhotka looked to be adding Prats to his list of victims when the late hour and back to back matches appeared to get the better of him. Lhotka faded and lost the match to Prats 5-6.
The rematch offered Prats another shot at Briseno, and while he bettered his earlier score against Briseno, it was still to no avail. Briseno came out on fire and took an 8-0 lead before dropping two games to Prats. Briseno then regathered himself and put the match away 9-2 for first place.
The G Cue Diamond Pool Tour will hold their second stop of the season at Skip & Jan’s in Gilbert, Az on June 17th – 18th.
The Diamond Pool Tour wrapped up their 2016 with a four-day season finale at Casino Del Sol Resort and Casino in Tucson on November 17th – 20th.
Day one of the event was about tour prizes and the “Big Dog” 9-Ball event. Casino Del Sol provided a great dinner for all of the players in attendance as Mitch Ellerman and Oscar Avila Sr. were presented with their tour point list prizes from tour sponsors Volturi Cases and Hanshew Custom Cues. Both players will also receive custom cues from tour sponsor QB Custom Cues. The drawing was also held for the pool table from tour sponsor Diamond Billiard Products. Players had earned entries in the drawing by playing in each event during the season. Proving that maybe he should be buying lottery tickets, Tucson’s Mike Hamman won the table drawing for the second straight year. Congrats to Mike, and good luck finding room for those tables.
Thursday night also saw eight players toss $100 into the ring to compete in a single elimination 10-ball mini tourney. Proving they had no fears about stepping up against the big boys, last year’s top junior Nick Kline and up and coming young gun Sam Lenschow both competed in this event. While neither won a match, it would be far from the last that the players would see of Lenschow at this event. The tourney came down to New Mexico’s Brian Begay and Gus Briseno. Briseno held an 8-6 lead in the final match, but Begay came back to score a 9-8 win for first place. Begay earned $800 for first, while Briseno settled for $400.
The main event kicked off early Friday evening with 48 players all playing at least one match across both “A” and “B” divisions.
Nineteen players made up the “A” bracket with the biggest Friday upset Mitch Ellerman’s early trip to the one loss side, courtesy of Brian Begay.
The “B” bracket saw twenty-nine players in action. The biggest surprise on day one wasn’t a result, as much as a score as JR Ascension scored a dominating 9-2 win over Junior Flores.
Saturday play saw each bracket whittled down to eight players each. The “A” bracket saw Scott Frost, Gus Briseno and Bret Huth joined by Tucson’s Kevin Peterson on the right side of the board. The one loss side was a dogfight all day, with Ellerman scoring wins over George Teyechea and Tom Dilorenzo to keep his tournament hopes alive. Begay bounced back from a 9-2 beatdown from Frost to eliminate Tonee Allin and qualify for the final day. Ellerman and Begay were joined by Mickey Provencio and Steve Peterman on the one loss side.
The “B” bracket saw Casino Del Sol’s own Paul Feltman Jr. cruise through the winner's side to stay undefeated. Feltman was joined on the winner’s side by Oscar Avila Sr., Todd Rowitz and Al Terpstra. The one loss side saw Sam Lenschow put on a show. Lenschow eked by Kent Bybee 9-8, but then defeated Mike Howerton 9-5 and Eric Beeler 9-6. Lenschow would be joined by JR Ascension, Adam Kroll and Steve Stowers.
Sunday play saw tournament favorite Scott Frost shown to the one loss side, courtesy of Brian Begay, 9-6. Peterson sent Bret Huth to the left side of the board by the same 9-6 score. Briseno would then go on to take the “A” bracket hot-seat with a 9-4 win over Peterson. Ellerman would be unstoppable on the left side with wins over Provencio, Frost, Huth and Peterson.
The “B” bracket hot-seat was taken by Feltman Jr. with wins over Avila and Rowitz. Lenschow would keep knocking down players on the left side of the board with wins over Terpstra and Stowers. He would finally fall to Todd Rowitz 9-5 and settle for a very impressive 5th place finish.
When the brackets came together, the “A” players did their jobs with Briseno sending Feltman to the left side 9-6, and Ellerman eliminating Rowitz 9-3. With the finish line in sight, Ellerman then sent Feltman Jr. back to his office with a 9-1 scoreline.
The final match would only go one set, with Briseno displaying his “A” game and grinding out a hill-hill win over Ellerman in the first set.
With the second season in the books, plans are underway for season three with changes already being planned. Stay tuned in early 2017 for announcements regarding those changes.
The Diamond Pool Tour returned to Tucson for their third stop of the season where 46 players played 10-ball on the 9’ tables at Pockets Pool & Pub on June 18th – 19th. This stop crowned its third different winner in as many stops, as “The Rocket” Rodney Morris ended his “2016 Arizona Tour” with a dominating tournament win.
The “A” player bracket only drew 13 players with Rodney Morris and George Teyechea the last two left standing on the right side of the board. Teyechea obviously picked up some pointers while hosting Rodney Morris all week, as he displayed his “A” game all day Saturday. Teyechea had wins over Bret Huth, Mike Hamman and Mitch Ellerman on Saturday, while Morris beat Eric Young, Gus Briseno and Brian Reich.
Sunday play in the “A” bracket saw Morris send Teyechea to the one loss side, and Ellerman get his revenge by defeating Briseno, Young and Teyechea.
The “B” bracket had 33 players and was dominated by Joe Guerra and Tonee Allin. Both players remained undefeated all day Saturday, never allowing an opponent to the hill against them. While Guerra and Allin were undefeated, special note has to be made about the play of two six rated players in the event. Chuck Bower won three matches on the winner’s side and was one win away from making it to Sunday undefeated. With Sunday being Father’s Day, Bower opted to bow out of his Sunday match to spend time with his family instead. Another six rated player, Jeff Lenschow, claimed he only played in the event for something to do while his son Sam played. The elder Lenschow would win two matches on the right side before being eliminated two spots out of the money. Both players showed a lot of heart and class all day on Saturday.
The “B” bracket saw Allin defeat Guerra on the winner’s side 7-3, while Jack Murray took advantage of the forfeit from Bower and then defeated Rick Schmitz 7-4. Guerra would bounce back from his loss to Allin and defeat Murray hill-hill to make the final four players.
When the brackets came together, it was Morris defeating Allin 7-1 and Ellerman handing Guerra a loss by the same 7-1 score. Allin fared better against Ellerman than he did against Morris, but still lost the match 7-3. The finals only went one set with Morris scoring a 7-2 win to cap off a week that included a win over Scott Frost in Bullshooter’s first Battle of the Bullpen and then an undefeated victory on the Diamond Tour.
After three events, Mitch Ellerman holds a slim lead over Gus Briseno on the “A” player points list, while Tonee Allin holds a dominating lead over Karloz Chavez on the “B” player points list. With Allin’s impending raise at the July 3rd ratings committee meeting, Chavez will ascend to the top spot of the list with Guerra close on his heels.
Tour organizers thanked Curtis and his amazing staff at Pockets for dealing with pool players all weekend, as well as Rick Schmitz for the great photos and “Fast” Lenny Marshall for another tireless weekend of streaming pool.
The Diamond Pool Tour will be back in action on July 16th – 17th for their first stop at Main Street Billiards in Mesa, Arizona. Sixteen beautiful 7’ Diamond pool tables at Main Street should bring out a great field of players for this BCA 8-Ball warm up event.
Pockets Pool & Pub in Tucson, Arizona was the site of the Diamond Pool Tour’s first “B” player hot-seat winner back in May. The September 10-ball event at Pockets was the site of the tour’s first “B” player forcing an “A” player to a second set in the finals. It was also one rack away from a second “B” player in the hot-seat.
The event, held on September 19th – 20th, drew a field of 45 players with 16 “A” players and 29 “B” players.
The “A” bracket saw Bernie Pettipiece grinding out one close win after another. Pettipiece started out with a 7-4 win over Gus Briseno and the matches just got tighter after that. Pettipiece’s last three matches – Nick De Leon, Bret Huth and Brian Reich – were won by a total margin of four games. Another player who stepped up in the “A” bracket at this event was Tres Kane. Kane had wins over Rudy Alameda and Jerry Stuckart, before dropping a hill-hill match to Reich. Kane would bounce right back with one loss side wins over Alameda, Bret Huth and Reich to earn his spot on the final bracket.
Tournament staff were warned ahead of time that the “B” players in Tucson played very strong. Those were not empty warnings. Tucson’s Ronnie Kidd III and Rick Galloway cruised through the winner’s side with only Kidd allowing one opponent more than four games against either of them. Kidd would take the hot-seat with a 7-2 win over Galloway, but Galloway would also qualify for the final bracket after a 7-2 win over Tonee Allin (Tuley).
The field of players boasted four female competitors, with Bernie Store quickly distancing herself from the others. Store’s 9th place finish earned her the Greenmail.com Top Lady Bonus of $100.
The two brackets came together on Sunday with Ronnie Kidd III taking Pettipiece to hill-hill in a tough match. Kidd stayed with Pettipiece til the end, before Pettipiece won the case game. On the one loss side, Rick Galloway showed that he had no fear of any of the “A” players as he dispatched Kane in 4th place 7-5. Galloway would ride the momentum from that win to a hill-hill win over Kidd in the semi-finals.
The final match was an intriguing one with both players more known for their one pocket games than their rotation games. As the match went on, both players were noticeably tired and opted for safeties instead of run-outs when faced with decisions at the table. Galloway would score a hill-hill win over Pettipiece in the first set of the finals, but Pettipiece would take control late in the second match and score a 7-4 win for his first Diamond Pool Tour win.
The Neil’s Garage Cabinets Second Chance Tournament on Sunday came down to two Tucson players as Mike Hamman defeated Aaron Purdy 3-1 for the hot-seat and 3-1 again in the finals.
Presenting Sponsor, Casino Del Sol Resort, provided vouchers for a two-for-one buffet to all players at the event.
With his fifth place finish, Brian Reich moves within 10 points of Bobby Emmons on the “A” player points list. Joey Barrera remains on top of the “B” players points list, but he can certainly hear the sounds of Nick Kline and Oscar Avila gaining ground on him. Nick Kline is having no such problems on the Junior Points List, as he is far in front of the rest of the competition.
Tour organizers thanked Curtis and his great staff for putting up with us for the weekend. Lenny Marshall put together another great stream and was assisted by “The Voice of the Diamond Pool Tour” George Teyechea on commentary. Rick Schmitz was also in attendance and provided the tour and players with more great pictures.
Due to delays in Skip & Jan’s reopening, the tour has postponed the stop that was scheduled for Skip & Jan’s until November. The Bullshooters stop that was scheduled for November has been moved up to October and will take place on Oct 3rd and 4th. The event will be 9-ball on the 9 foot tables.
Spike Aiardo battled a very tough George Bell to win the Diamond Pool Tour’s fourth stop at Pockets Pool & Pub in Tucson, Az on May 2nd – 3rd.
The field of 57 players was split with 20 “A” players and 37 “B” players, playing 8-Ball on the 9’ tables. With points leaders Scott Frost and Bobby Emmons not in attendance, the “A” bracket was wide open for a new player to make a name for themselves. That player would be Spike Aiardo who cruised through the bracket without a loss. Aiardo survived a close call in his first match, when he beat Las Vegas’ Bob Herchik 7-6, but it was smooth sailing after that as Aiardo took down Rudy Alameda 7-0, Brian Reich 7-2, and New Mexico’s Mickey Provencio 7-2 for the “A” bracket hot-seat.
The “B” bracket was led by “Hollywood” George Bell, in his first ever Diamond Pool Tour stop. Bell had a tough draw all day, with notable wins over Eric Lervold, Mike Hamman and Jesse Johnson to his credit. Bell took the “B” bracket hot-seat with a hill-hill win over Mike Bevins. That was was Bell’s third hill-hill win of the weekend.
The Greenmail top lady bonus went to Heather Cortez this month. She pocketed $100 for her 13th place finish in the “B” bracket. This was the third consecutive tournament where Cortez won at least a piece of the top lady bonus.
Once again, there was no Greenmail bounty awarded, since previous winner Joven Bustamante couldn’t make it from the Philippines to play in the event.
The “A” and “B” brackets came together on Sunday with Aiardo facing Bell on the winners side, and Andy Kachur taking on Todd Rowitz on the one loss side. Kachur eliminated Rowitz in a 7-1 match that saw both players struggle with the shot clock that was implemented due to the late hour. On the winner’s side, Bell stunned Aiardo 7-4 to become the first “B” player to win an overall hot-seat on the tour.
Aiardo righted his ship after the loss and eliminated Kachur 7-3, for another shot at Bell in the finals. Award would make the most of that rematch, defeating Bell 7-2 and 7-1 for his first (but certainly not last) Diamond Pool Tour win.
The Neil’s Garage Cabinets Second Chance tournament on Sunday found a field of eight players competing for just over $400 in prize money. The event was won by Lee Brown, who held off Ronnie Kidd in the second set of the double elimination finals.
Presenting sponsor, Casino Del Sol Resort, again took care of all of the tour players, presenting each player with a voucher for $60 credit at the Casino’s amphitheater. Players at the June stop will also receive one of these vouchers.
The tournament win catapulted Aiardo to second place on the “A” player points list, while Bell’s second place finish moved him into a tie for 6th place on the “B” player points list. Scott Frost and Nick Kline still lead the “A” and “B” lists respectively.
Tour organizers expressed their thanks to Curtis and Lenny, as well as their amazing staff, for sticking with the long hours involved with this event. Lenny Marshall, once again, provided great streaming coverage. George Teyechea, the voice of the Diamond Pool Tour, provided fans with informative streaming commentary all weekend long. As always, Rick Schmitz took another batch of amazing pictures for the tour.
The Diamond Pool Tour will return to Stingers Sports Bar in Glendale, Az on June 6th – 7th for 8-ball on the 7’ Diamond Smart Tables.
Vilmos Foldes added the second stop of the Diamond Pool Tour (presented by Casino Del Sol Resort) to his resume with an absolute clinic on top level big table 9-ball at Bullshooters on March 14th – 15th.
With the field of 93 players split between “A” and “B” players, Foldes found himself in a bracket with 25 other “A” players. Foldes started out with tough wins over Ben Sutherland, George Teyechea and Bret Huth, before Bobby Emmons sent him to the left side of the board with a 9-7 scoreline. Emmons would go on to compete for the “A bracket” hot-seat, where he lost to Brian Reich in a tough 9-6 match.
The “B Bracket” was filled with 67 players, with a number of surprise results. Players, who might not have been known for their big table games, showed the fans that they can run out with the best of them, no matter what size the table is. Oscar Avila, Brian McGee and Timber Bridgewater all turned in terrific performances, which surprised a number of opponents along the way.
Avila would face off against Tucson’s Rick Schmitz (who was working double duty as tour photographer and competitor) for the “B Bracket” hot-seat. Avila would win with a hard earned 9-7 scoreline.
The Junior players were well represented at this event with ten players taking advantage of the tour’s “free entry for juniors” policy. Current junior points leader Nick Kline was once again the top junior finisher, with notable wins over Trevor Long and Chris Carpenter before falling to Paul Feltman Sr.
The Greenmail top lady bonus money was split between former Junior standout Heather Cortez and Tina Hess.
The Greenmail bounty on last month’s winner Scott Frost, was collected by Ben Sutherland, who ended Frost’s tournament in 17th place.
When the “A” and “B” brackets finally met on Sunday, Reich scored a 9-4 win over Avila, to take the event hot-seat.
Foldes started Sunday play with a very tough 7-6 win over Tres Kane, which must have forced the Hungarian champion to find his “A game”, as he defined the word “domination” for the rest of the day.
Next up for Foldes was Bret Huth, with that match going to Foldes 7-0. A rematch with Bobby Emmons would end with Foldes scoring a 7-1 win. Tucson’s Mike Hamman was the next victim of a 7-1 scoreline and Foldes has turned in a 21-2 record over three straight alternating break matches. Foldes stretched that record to 28-2 with a 7-0 win over Avila in the semifinal match.
The final match would go two sets with Foldes continuing to show the fans in attendance what top level 9-ball looks like. Reich was able to notch two games in the first set, but ultimately fell 9-2. Foldes would see the finish line in the second set and he pushed on for a convincing 7-0 victory and a combined 44-4 record over his last seven matches.
The Neil’s Garage Cabinets second chance tournament on Sunday drew 20 players, with last month’s runner up Steve Blackburn going undefeated for first place. Blackburn scored back to back wins over Paul Feltman Jr, first for the hot-seat and then in the finals, for the win.
With his 5th place finish combined with second place in February, Bobby Emmons has taken a 40 point lead on the “A” player points list. Oscar Avila’s 3rd place finish in this event helped him take a slim 20 point lead over Guyle Fielder on the “B” player points list.
The next event on the Diamond Pool Tour is 9-ball on the 7 foot Diamond Smart Tables at Stingers in Phoenix on April 11th – 12th.
Event organizers expressed their thanks to Mike & Julie Bates, as well as all of the great staff at Bullshooters, for hosting this crowd of players. Thanks also go out to Rick Schmitz for another batch of excellent photos and a great 5th place performance.
The Desert Classic Tour closed out their 2014 season at Bullshooters in Phoenix on December 6th and 7th, and Mitch Ellerman took the opportunity to remind the Arizona pool player community that he is still the man to beat on the Desert Classic Tour.
Chuck Evans looked to be on his way to another strong finish until he ran into Ritonya on the winners side. The loss to Ritonya was followed by by a loss to Will Sexton and Evans finished out of the money.
A welcome guest on the tour for this event was WPBA veteran Sarah Rousey. Rousey admitted that she was out of stroke and took a “two and out” finish after losing to Sexton and Ray Robles.
Sunday play got underway with six players left in the running. Ellerman and Ritonya were the final two on the winners side, with Tim Daniel, Dennis Orender, Brian Reich and Rudy Alameda all hoping they could still win the event from the one loss side.
Daniel ended Orender’s tournament with an 8-5 scoreline, and Reich sent Alameda back to Tucson in 5th place with an identical 8-5 score.
The match for 3rd and 4th place came down to a notable finish that said quite a bit about Brian Reich. Reich and Tim Daniel were tied at hill-hill and Reich had a tough shot on the 5 ball. With the fans staring at the 5-ball to see if Reich would make a good hit, Reich tapped the cue ball with his cue. Reich presented a surprised Daniel with ball-in-hand and Daniel gladly ran out the rack for the win. While someone who doesn’t know Reich might have been surprised by him calling the foul on himself, anyone who knows him would have expected nothing less.
Back on the winners side, Ellerman was running out at will and turned in a 10-3 trouncing of Ritonya for the hot-seat.
It took some time for Ritonya to recover from the loss to Ellerman and he came out slow in the semi-final against Daniel. Ritonya would come back to make it a hill-hill match, but Daniel would win the case game to win the match 8-7 and earn the right to take his shot at Ellerman in the finals.
Unfortunately for Daniel, he discovered just how hard it is to beat a motivated Mitch Ellerman as Ellerman cruised to a 10-1 win in the first and only set of the finals.
Tournament director Dennis Orender expressed his thanks to Mike and Julie Bates, as well as all of the staff at Bullshooters for hosting another great tournament.
While this event signaled the end of the 2014 season, plans are already underway with lots of changes for the upcoming 2015 season. In addition to the new junior program announced in these pages last month, many more announcements regarding format changes and sponsorship can be found in this month’s paper on page 8.
On October 5, the Desert Classic Tour rolled into Stingers Sports Bar for a bar table 10 ball event. 24 players arrived on Saturday morning to play in the final B/C event of the year. Many notable regulars were on hand including previous BC winners Rick Armbrust, Mike Hamman, and Jude Espinosa. The tour also welcomed some new players in Ken Cottrell, Joe Avila, Jimmy Brewer and Nick Cipiti.
As the tourney quickly moved through on Saturday, it was decided that a one-day
event was possible. Many of the players agreed with finishing it out late Saturday evening. As the sun set and evening approached, two players began to separate themselves from the rest of the field. Nick Cipiti was mowing down players in the top half of the bracket by scoring wins over Joe Avila, Reid McKinley, and Paul Feltman. After a bye in the first round, these victories would place Nick in the hot seat match on Saturday night.
While Nick was clipping off players in the top of the bracket, a well known Flagstaff player, Junior Jiron, was finishing off the bottom half of the bracket. He too, would receive a bye in the first round and proceed to rattle off wins over Adam Kroll, Chris Miller and Rick Armbrust. His wins would pit him against Nick in the hot seat match.
Meanwhile, over on the B side of the bracket, previous winner Mike Hamman was making quick work of his opponents. After losing his first match of the tourney to
Rick Armbrust, he would roll through Jerry Hartnett, Jude Espinosa, Joe Masi and Sara Miller. This would setup a rematch with Rick Armbrust. Unfortunately for Mike, Rick played as solid as he has all year on the tour and walked away with the victory. Mike would settle for a 5/6 finish.
As the B side progressed, Nick made quick work of Junior in the hot seat match. Nick would cruise to an easy 7-3 victory and await the winner of Rick and Junior. As easily as he lost the hot seat match , Junior would rebound and score a dominant 7-2 victory over Rick, leaving him with a 3rd place finish.
During the finals, both players would make some uncharacteristic mistakes. At 4-4 in the straight race to 7, it was obvious we were in for a close finish. Nick would take the lead at 5-4, only to see Junior win the next two games and reach the hill at 6-5. Nick would quickly tie the match at 6-6. After a scratch on the break in the case game, Junior was faced with a tough out, despite having ball in hand. After 12 games, the players were tied at 6 games a piece. Junior would attempt a 1-10 bank combo only to come up a little short. Faced with a tough out of his own, Nick studied the table and attempted a 1-10 cross side combo bank of his own. Nick would nail the shot to take home the win!
Thank you to Dale and the staff at Stingers for hosting another successful tourney. The DCT would like to thank the 2013 sponsors (On Q Cases, Black Heart Billiard Tips, AzBilliards.com, Billiard and Dart News, Rixx Images, AzPoolscene.com, Jeff Pranke Leather Wraps), and room owners (Pockets, Bullshooters, Kolbys, Skip and Jan’s, Stingers, River City) who continue to support the DCT. The next tour stop is November 2-3, at Bullshooters. This will be the final regular season event before the finale in December. Please visit DesertClassicTour.com for details.
