Archive Page

Matt Wilson downs Cuetec DFW 9-Ball Tour’s top-ranked Herring twice to claim event title

April 27th, 2022 | azhousepro | Uncategorized

Daniel Herring, Paul Villanueva and Matt Wilson

He shot up from the ‘cellar’ of the Cuetec DFW 9-Ball Tour’s standings, where he’d landed after the first tour stop back in January. He then finished in the tie for 5th/6th twice, in February and March; his highest (recorded) finish in any event, anywhere. This past weekend (April 23-24), Matt Wilson made a quantum leap, closer to the top of the tour standings, reaching the hot seat for the first (known) time and then, downing the tour’s current standings leader, Daniel Herring, twice in a true double elimination final. The $1,750-added event drew 93 entrants to Rusty’s Billiards in Fort Worth, TX.

In all three of his matches against Herring, Wilson started out with six ‘beads on the wire’ in races to 10. Even with that six-rack head start, FargoRate calculated his chances of victory at 35.8%. It’s likely that before very long, Wilson will be looking in the rearview at his current FargoRate of 517.

His FargoRate advantage came into play in almost every match Wilson played. He faced only one opponent with a lower rate, tour director Monica Anderson (454), giving her one ‘bead on the wire’ in a race to six and sending her to the loss side 6-3. He advanced through the field to face Paul Villanueva (606) in one of the winners’ side semifinals. Herring (689), in the meantime, was handing out racks to his opponents all day long. The closest FargoRate he faced was in his winners’ side quarterfinal against Robbie Cleland, to whom he gave a single rack in a race to 7. That match went double hill and advanced Herring to a winners’ side semifinal match against Jimmy Davis.

Wilson downed Villanueva 6-5 (Villanueva racing to 8) as Herring sent Davis to the loss side 8-1. In their first of three, Herring allowed Wilson only two of the four he needed, claiming the hot seat 10-2.

On the loss side, Villanueva picked up Cleland, who, after his double hill defeat at the hands of Herring, downed Roman Bayda 7-5 and Clint Palaci 7-1. Davis drew Jessie Moore, who’d lost his opening match to Steven Thorne and then won eight on the loss side, including recent victories over Nico Arriola and TJ Thetford, both 7-4.

Moore made it nine in a loss-side row, downing Davis 7-1. In a straight-up race to 7, Villanueva joined him in the quarterfinals after handing Cleland his second straight loss 7-5. In another straight-up race to 7, Villanueva stopped Moore’s loss side streak 7-4 in the quarterfinals, before having his two-match, loss-side run stopped by Wilson, who allowed him two less racks in the event semifinals than he’d given up in their winners’ side semifinal. 

Herring was looking for his third straight tour victory, having won stops #2 & #3 in February and March. Given his 64.2% chance of winning just a single match, even if he hadn’t known that specifically, one would assume that going into the finals, his confidence level would have been high. But so, apparently, was Wilson’s. Both of the true double elimination sets in the final went exactly the same way. With six on the wire, racing to 10, Wilson won each set, having given up only two racks to Herring, claiming the title 4-2, 4-2.

Tour representatives thanked the ownership and staff at Rusty’s Billiards, as well as title sponsor Cuetec and the Fort Worth Billiards Superstore. The next stop on the Cuetec DFW 9-Ball Tour, scheduled for May 21-22, will be a $1,750-added event, hosted by Snookered in Frisco, TX. 

Go to discussion...

Larson goes undefeated to claim second stop on the DFW Tour

May 21st, 2019 | azhousepro | Uncategorized

(l to r): Tim Larson, Walter Huenerfuerst & Angelo Innes

On the heels of his best recorded earnings year, to date (2018), Tim Larson opened his 2019 campaign with an undefeated run on the DFW 9-Ball Tour on the weekend of May 18-19. According to records here at AZBilliards, it is Larson’s first win on a regional tour since he first started cashing in tournaments about 10 years ago. A regular at the 8-ball and 9-ball BarBox Championship events in Reno, NV (5th in 9-ball in 2014), Larson finished in the money three times on the 2018 DFW 9-Ball Tour; 4th once and 7th twice. The $1,500-added event drew 62 entrants to Rusty Billiards in Fort Worth, TX.
 
Larson had to get by Walter Huenerfuerst twice in this one. Like Larson, Huenerfuerst was looking to chalk up his first major regional win, and as it turned out, his runner-up finish was his best showing, to date, in any tournament, dating back to his participation in events on the Omega Tour. It proved to be Huenerfuerst’s first cash win since 2016.
 
They met first in the hot seat match. Larson worked his way through four opponents, allowing each of them an average of two racks per match, to arrive at a winners’ side semifinal against John Carlo Tuazon. Huenerfuerst, in the meantime, had a somewhat tougher route through his first four opponents, allowing each of them an average of five racks per match; to include his survival of a double hill match against TJ Davis in the third round. Huenerfuerst arrived at a winners’ side semifinal against Peter Villatorro.
 
Larson downed Tuazon 9-2, as Huenerfuerst sent Villatoro to the loss side 8-3. Larson claimed the hot seat 9-6 over Huenerfuerst and waited on his return.
 
On the loss side, Villatoro drew Donnie Gregory, who’d defeated TJ Davis 7-6 (Davis racing to 8) and Paul Guernsey, double hill (7-7) to reach him. Tuazon picked up Angelo Innes, who after a defeat at the hands of Davis, had gotten by Paul Villanueva 8-3 and Hector Guerrero 8-5.
 
It was Donnie Gregory advancing to the quarterfinals after a 7-5 victory over Villatoro. He was joined by Innes, who eliminated Tuazon 8-2. Innes was able to advance one more step, downing Gregory 8-3 in those quarterfinals, before having his loss-side streak stopped at four by Huenerfuerst, double hill, in the semifinals.
 
Larson completed his undefeated run with a second victory, 9-3, over Huenerfuerst in the finals.
 
Tour representatives thanked the ownership and staff at Rusty Billiards for their hospitality, as well as sponsor Predator Cues. The next stop on the DFW 9-Ball Tour, scheduled for June 22-23, will be hosted by Click’s Billiards in Arlington, TX.