- AZBILLIARDS.COM

Begay, Avila take top honors in open tourneys at 2016 Southwest Regionals

September 6th, 2016 | azhousepro | Uncategorized

Brian Begay

Brian Begay of Shiprock, N.M. won the Mixed Gold Division and Joe Avila of Avondale, Ariz. finished first in the Mixed Silver Division at the 2016 Southwest Regional 8-Ball Tournament at We-Ko-Pa Resort & Conference near Scottsdale, Ariz. on Friday.

The Gold Division had 54 players, with Fargo ratings spanning from 519 to 697 and the Silver Division also had 54 players, with Fargo ratings ranging from 367 to 510. The races were handicapped with the lower-rated player receiving game spots based on the difference between the player’s Fargo ratings.

Begay’s path to the finals against Michael Allen of Salt Lake City, Utah, included wins over Tres Kane III, 6-4; Pete Barnes, 6-2; James Main, 6-2; Tim Daniel, 6-4; Ricardo Ritchie, 6-3 and Allen, 6-1.

Allen had a long string of wins before buckling to Begay. He beat Bill Truitt, 5-2; Tenadore Lee, 5-2; Wayne Cagle, 5-4; Bryan Wilson, 5-1; and Navin Talreja, 5-4, before losing to Begay. In the loser’s bracket, Allen beat LeRoy Banks, 5-1, giving him the opportunity to play Begay again in the finals.

Allen jumped out of the gate determined not to let Begay get the best of him, and beat Begay to force a second set in the true double-elimination formant.

But Begay was able to ward Allen off for the second set, beating the Salt Lake City-basEd Allen by a score of 6-3 in the finals to win the division, earning $1,000 and a plaque.

[photo id=45235|align=left]In the Silver division, Joe Avila started his day with a forfeit and then went undefeated to the finals, with wins over Lee Schnieders, 5-0; Mike Sauer, 5-4; Bryson Hunter Sr., 5-4; Anthony Laudadio, 5-4; and Todd Rodgers, 5-2, to take the hot seat.

Adam Payan, who would meet Avila in the finals, beat Guy Martinez Sr., 5-4; John Hardy, 5-0; and Willie Horton, 5-2, before falling to Todd Rodgers. Then Payan moved through the loser’s side of the bracket, with wins over Vince Villalva, 5-1 and Anthony Laudadio, 5-1, before getting revenge against Rodgers, 5-1.

But Payan couldn’t stop Avila’s winning streak and lost in the finals by a score of 5-2. Avila collected $800 for the win.

The women’s divisions, scotch doubles divisions, and the team divisions are still underway.

The 2016 Southwest Regional tournament is sponsored by CueSports International, Diamond Billiard Products Inc., Cyclop, and Simonis.

The 2016 Southwest Regional Tournament is produced by CueSports International, the parent company of the BCAPL and USAPL. CSI also produces independent events, such as the US Open 10-Ball Championship, the US Open 8-Ball Championship and much more. For more information, visit www.playcsipool.com or call 702-719-POOL.

RESULTS:

Gold Division

1. Brian Begay, Shiprock, N.M. $1,000

2. Michael Allen, Salt Lake City, Utah $700

3. Leroy Banks, Mesa, AZ $450

4. Carlos Avalos, La Mesa, Calif. $300

5. Navin Talreja, Chandler, AZ $200

6. Ricardo Ritchie, Avondale, AZ $200

7. Bryan Wilson, Prescott Valley, AZ $125

8. Drew McCoy, Austin, TX $125

9. Oscar Avila, Sr., Phoenix, AZ $100

10. Fernando Prats, Tempe, AZ $100

11. Tim Daniel, Mesa, AZ $100

12. Luke Wilkom, Mesa, AZ $100

13. Jeremy Gibbs, Phoenix, AZ $75

14. Larry Randle, Prescott Valley, AZ $75

15. Bill Vander Weyst, Gilbert, AZ $75

16. Pete Lhotka, Dewey, AZ $75

Silver Division

1. Joe Avila, Avondale, AZ $800

2. Adam Payan, Glendale, AZ $575

3. Todd Rodgers, San Tan Valley, AZ $375

4. Anthony Laudadio, Austin, TX $250

5. Vince Villalva, Austin, TX $150

6. Chuck Bower Jr., Gilbert, AZ $150

7. Michael Chapa, Beeville, TX $100

8. Brian Almond, San Gabriel, CA $100

9. Bryson Hunter Sr., Peach Springs, AZ $85

10. Arnel Ferry, Glendale, CA $85

11. Jesse Perez, Gilbert, AZ $85

12. James Diaz, Phoeniz, AZ $85

13. Garnet Snow, Maricopa, AZ $75

14. Jose Torres, W. Hollywood, CA $75

15. Spencer Brinkley, Mesa, AZ $75

16. Lynda Niichel, Queen Creek, AZ $75

Scott Frost Notches Second Diamond Pool Tour Stop

July 21st, 2016 | azhousepro | Uncategorized

Scott Frost celebrates his birthday (Photo courtesy of Rick Schmitz)

The Diamond Pool Tour bought their first event to Main Street Billiards in Mesa, Az for their fourth event of the 2016 season with 47 players playing 8-ball on the 16 beautiful Diamond 7’ tables. This stop saw the return of Scott Frost to the winner’s circle, as he won his second event of the season.

The “A” player bracket came down to Frost and Bret Huth. Frost had wins over Navin Talreja, Art St. Germaine and Tim Daniel on his way to the hot-seat match, while Huth had wins over Jason Sweet, Mike Sandoval and Bobby Emmons. Huth was looking for his second “A” bracket hot-seat of the season, but Frost had other plans as he froze Huth out with a 7-1 victory. Huth would make quick work of Ben Sutherland on the one loss side 7-1, to earn his place in the final four.

The “B” player bracket saw 8-Ball specialist Ed Scott using his soft break to full advantage as he raced to the hot-seat match. His opponent would be the tour’s official photographer Rick Schmitz, who was showed his bar table prowess all weekend. Schmitz had problems dealing with Scott’s break though, and Scott took the hot-seat with a 7-0 win. On the one loss side, Schmitz would have his hands full with Karloz Chavez. Chavez had lost to Junior Flores late on Saturday, but won hill-hill matches over Brian Poore and Joey Barrera to qualify for Sunday play. Chavez eliminated Heather Cortez and Flores on Sunday, before sending Schmitz back behind the camera with a 7-2 win.

The final bracket saw Frost show that Scott’s soft break was not a problem, as he won the final hot-seat 7-3. On the one loss side, Chavez fought to hill-hill before losing to Huth in fourth place. Huth then won another close match, as he eliminated Scott in third 7-5. The rematch between Frost and Huth was a quick one, with Frost scoring a 7-2 win in one set for his second tournament win of the season.

The win moves Frost into 3rd place on the “A” player points list, just 20 points behind Huth and Mitch Ellerman. The “B” player points list sees Chavez in first place, with a 25 point lead over Schmitz. Joey Barrera (the top “B” player from last season) is waiting in the weeds in third place on the list, waiting for his opportunity to make a move on the players above him.

Tour organizers thanked Thor Skogan for bringing the tour to Main Street this season. He and his staff took great care of the players all weekend long, and the tour can’t wait to come back in the future. As usual, “Fast” Lenny Marshall kept the online stream going all weekend, and Rick Schmitz defended his title as the best pool photographer in the state, providing the tour with more great shots.

The Diamond Pool Tour will move back to the big tables at their next event, as they play 9’ 8-Ball at Kolbys Corner Pocket in Tempe, on August 6th-7th.

The Diamond Pool Tour is proudly sponsored by:

Diamond Billiard Products – http://diamondbilliards.com/

Casino Del Sol Resort – http://www.casinodelsolresort.com/

Neil’s Garage Cabinets – http://www.neilsgaragecabinets.com/

Greenmail Internet Marketing – http://www.greenmailinc.com/

QB Custom Cues – http://qbcustomcues.com/

Volturi Custom Cases – http://volturicases.com/

Cue Sport International – http://www.playcsipool.com/

Aramith Billiard Balls – http://www.saluc.com/

Simonis Cloth – http://www.simoniscloth.com/

Kamui Tips & Chalk – http://www.kamuitips.com/

Hanshaw Custom Cues – http://www.hanshewcustomcues.com/

G-Cue Billiards – http://www.gcuebilliardstore.com/

Billiards Press – http://www.billiardspress.com/

Cheqio – http://us.cheqio.com/

Frost Wins Diamond Pool Tour Season Opener

May 1st, 2016 | azhousepro | Uncategorized

Scott Frost (File photo courtesy of Rick Schmitz)

The Diamond Pool Tour kicked off their 2016 season the same way they kicked off their 2015 season, with Scott Frost topping a huge field of “A” and “B” players. The season opener this season was 9-ball on the freshly reclothed 9’ tables at Bull Shooters in Phoenix. Not only did noted table mechanic (and legendary player) Ernesto Dominguez redo the vast majority of the tables at Bull Shooters before the event, but he also stuck around to compete in the event.

A record tying field of 94 players was split between 36 “A” players, and 58 “B” players. Frost started his trek to win the “A” bracket with wins over Emilio Maestas, Eric Young and Navin Talreja. A 9-3 win over top Arizona talent Chuck Evans, was followed up by a nail biting 9-8 win over Dominguez. Frost then cruised to the “A” bracket hot-seat with a 9-5 win over Mitch Ellerman. Ellerman would then defeat Paul Grande 9-3 on the one loss side.

The “B” bracket saw Tucson’s Tonee Allin display top level play all weekend, as he defeated Chris Carpenter, Chan Phan, Joe Guerra, Evan Brinkmann, Manny Luevano and then Oscar Avila Sr. for the hot-seat. On the one loss side. it was Karloz Chavez bouncing back from a 2nd round loss to win nine straight matches, including a 9-4 victory over Avila.

When the two brackets came together, Frost made quick work of Allin 9-2, to take the overall hot-seat. On the one loss side, Ellerman made even quicker work of Chavez, with a 9-0 win. Ellerman then sent Allin back to Tucson with a 9-5 loss, and got ready to take on Frost again in the finals. The finals saw Ellerman hand Frost his first loss with a 9-7 scoreline in the first set of the finals. Ellerman looked to be on his way to the double-dip in the second set, as he led the match early 3-1. A couple untimely mistakes by Ellerman were all that it took though, as Frost came back and won the second set 9-5.

Tour organizers expressed their thanks to Mike and Julie Bates at Bull Shooters, for hosting another great event, Rick Schmitz for the great photos, and “Fast” Lenny Marshall for two days of non-stop streaming coverage of the event.

The tour’s next stop is scheduled for May 14th at Stingers Sports Bar in Phoenix. The event will be bar table 9-ball.