Mike Zuglan's Joss Northeast 9-Ball Tour opened it season in North Providence, RI. The Joss tour's primary Sponsor's Joss Cues Ltd, Webb Custom Cues, Capone Cues, Giuseppe" Custom Cases and Simonis Cloth joined with Rhode Island Billiards and their sponsors to add $5000 to the purse. 92 Players from six countries and all over the USA showed to vie for the over $16000 purse. Players like Zuglan, San Souci, Bustamonte, Saez, Corr, Kelly, Martinez, LeBron, Sambajon, Acaba and many more went at it right from the start. With great matches running all through the day and into the late night we saw some great shot making and a few upsets along the way. Mike Lebron came right out of the gate defeating Francisco Bustamonte, the "Giant Killer" Rick Matarazzo, knocked off Frankie Hernandez and every one else he met this day to go undefeated into Sunday. Local Rhode Island guys Steve Tavernier and Joe Tucker also went unscathed. Young Nick Schulman from New York City, played incredible pool beating Mike LeBron and all that he met this day. Filling out the winners side we had Joe Korsiak, Rafael Martinez and Ramil Gallego. On the one loss side of the chart we had, Garrahan vs Vidal, Davis vs D'Alfonso, Acaba vs Sambajon and Oliviera vs Bustamonte.
With 16 players and a full house of spectators Sunday you could feel the energy in the air. Hill hill matches were the order of the day with some surprises along the way. Playing outstanding 9-ball was Jarrod Clowery of Providence. First Jarrod beat up on the hot Matarazzo and barley lost to Martinez. Bustamonte was Clowery's next match and what a match it was. This young gun stayed with Django all the was and when he caught up to him on the hill you could hear a pin drop. In a game of safe play and a few shots that let us know the nerves were affecting both players, it was Clowery up setting the world champion and the crowd went nuts, Jarrod then lost to Ramil Gallego to claim a strong third and a great tournament. But this day belonged to Rafael Martinez and his play was flawless until the finals. After losing 9-4 to Gallego in the first match of the finals he came back in the second stronger than ever and won the tournament going away 9-5.
Stay tuned to Mike Zuglan's Joss Tour this season. With the greatest players in the world playing for an enormous amount of cash, you know that this is the place for 9-ball at it's best. We are at the Drexeline Billiard Club in Drexel Hill, Pa for this weekend and a $2500 added purse with the normal $100 entry fee.
Enough cannot be said about the hospitality extended by the Costanzo family. This tournament was the New England 9- Ball Championship and a memorial to Tony Costanzo. Anthony Costanzo, his Mom Phyllis and their staff were incredible and everyone had a great time. Next year is The Rhode Island Billiard Club's twentieth anniversary and Anthony promises something very special for the Joss tour.
