Kimberly Kirk-Lengel has been playing on the Northwest Women's Pool Association (NWPA) tour for nearly 15 years now, and on the weekend of May 14-15, she chalked up her third overall tour victory and her second within the past year. She's been working her way up the 'finish' ladder since the 2016 tour began, back in February. She was third on the first stop, second on the second, and now, has added a victory which puts her at the top of the NWPA rankings list, 165 points ahead of Suzanne Smith, and 325 points ahead of the woman she defeated in the finals of the most recent stop, Liz Cole. The $500-added event drew a short field of 16 entrants to Ballad Town Billiards in Forest Grove, OR.
After being awarded an opening round bye, Kirk defeated Teri Klyzek 7-5, and Kirsten Fery 7-4,which set her up in a winners' side semifinal against Rebecca Slyter. Liz Cole, in the meantime, got by Elaine Eberly 7-3, and Ricci Jeanbart 7-2 to draw Stephanie Hefner in the other winners' side semifinal. Kirk sent Slyter to the loss side 7-3, as Cole was sending Hefner over by the same score. Cole claimed the hot seat over Kirk 7-3, as well.
On the loss side, Hefner picked up Patrician Tipton, who'd eliminated Helen Wragg 6-4 and Elaine Eberly, double hill. Slyter drew Melyssa Chasteen, who, following a defeat at the hands of Hefner, downed Fran Johnson 6-1 and Teri Klyzek 6-2.
Hefner advanced to the quarterfinals 6-2 over Tipton, and was joined by Chasteen, who took a forfeit win over Slyter. Chasteen and Hefner locked up in a double hill, quarterfinal re-match that eventually sent Chasteen to the semifinals versus Kirk. A 7-4 win in those semifinals sent Kirk back for a second shot at Cole.
Kirk took full advantage of the second opportunity. She and Cole battled to double hill before Kirk sunk the final 9-ball to claim the event title.
Liz Cole came back from a defeat in a winners' side semifinal to meet and defeat hot seat occupant, Kimberly Kirk, during the second stop on the 2016 Northwest Women's Pool Association Tour. The $500-added event drew 27 entrants to The Cue Bar in Salem, OR.
Cole, following victories over Linda Smith, Claire Binci and Rebecca Slyter, faced Mary Coffman in one winners' side semifinal, while Suzanne Smith, winner of the first tour stop in February, met up with Kirk in the other. In a double hill match, Coffman sent Cole to the loss side, as Kirk downed Smith 7-3. Kirk and Coffman locked up in another double hill battle,which eventually sent Coffman to a semifinal re-match against Cole.
On the loss side, Cole and Smith, Kirsten Fery and Patricia Tipton, respectively. A four-match, loss-side run, including victories over Melyssa Chasteen (6-5) and Stephanie Hefner (6-4), set Fery up to face Cole. Tipton, who'd been defeated in the event's opening round by Claire Binci, was on a six-match, loss-side run of her own that saw opponents chalk up an average of only two racks against her. She eliminated Elaine Eberly 6-3 and Rebecca Slyter 6-2 to draw Smith.
Tipton took it a step further with a 6-4 win over Smith, as Cole was eliminating Fery 6-4. Cole took the quarterfinal match that followed, 6-2 over Tipton, to earn a re-match against Coffman in the semifinals.
A 6-4, successful re-match victory by Cole over Coffman gave Cole a shot at Kirk in the hot seat. Cole completed her comeback from the loss side with a 7-3 win over Kirk and claimed the event title.
Ford, Jing Liu, Liz Cole and Jim Lebold – Owner The Cue Ball
On April 25-26, 2015, the NWPA’s second tour stop of 2015 was hosted by The Cue Ball in Salem, OR. The Cue Ball has supported our tour from the very beginning and we would like to thank Jim Lebold for all that he does for women’s pool. Martha Hartsell was a fierce competitor whose life was cut short by cancer in 2010. Many of the women on tour were good friends with Martha and in her honor, continue to play the game that she loved, making lifelong friends and rivals along the way.
The NWPA would like to thank our sponsor Ozone Billiards and Volturi Custom Cases for their support of the 2015 season. Please check out their websites and show them your appreciation at www.ozonebilliards.com/www.volturicuecases.com. The NWPA tour standings and 2015 schedule are available at www.nwpatour.wordpress.com. The NWPA is sanctioned by the WPBA. All skill levels are welcome to play and players can accrue points towards their semiprofessional status while gaining experience playing some of the top women players in the northwest.
Twenty-eight ladies came out to compete Saturday morning. The tournament was run on 22 9-foot Brunswick Anniversary tables with Rail2Rail Productions providing a free live stream all weekend. The format was a race to 7, alternating break, 9 ball, with a race to 6 on the B side. There were several first round byes, but play sped right along. Tour players spent the remainder of their Saturday at Jake’s Bar, just down the road for ribeyes and bartable action, an annual tradition for this event.
Sunday morning, only eight players remained. A side match ups included Jing Liu vs. Carissa Biggs and Liz Cole vs. Suwanna Matarazzo. Jing and Suwanna both advanced through their morning matches, and then squared off for the hot seat. 2014 Tour Champion, Jing, defeated Suwanna 7-2 to earn her spot in the final while the other players duked it out to see who would join her. B side match ups included Rebecca Slyter vs. Melyssa Chasteen and Dara Koch vs. Suzanne Smith. Melyssa and Suzanne both advanced through their morning matches by the score of 6-3 and 6-2. Fresh off her first loss, Liz rallied back to dominate 6-0, while Melyssa narrowly advanced over Carissa 6-5. Liz then squared off against Melyssa (her first loss had also been to Liz). Liz maintained a lead throughout the match and advanced by the score 6-4. Liz then played Suwanna again. After allowing her first match up slip away after being up 6-2, Liz was not to be denied. She defeated Suwanna 6-4 to earn a spot in the final. 2014 #1 and #2 showed would square off in their first finals of the 2015 season.
Jing Liu path to the final: Adrianne B (6), Tamre R (4), Kim T (2), Carissa B (5), Suwanna (2)
Liz Cole path to the final: Julianna G (3), Suzanne S (6), Melyssa C (6), loss to Suwanna (6), Suzanne (0), Melyssa (4), Suwanna (4)
The final was one race to 9, alternating break. Throughout the entire final, both players shot with confidence and made minimal errors. Exchanging racks, until 7-7, it seemed like there were all the makings of a hill-hill final. However, Jing had other plans. She closed out the final two racks to defeat Liz 9-7, winning her first event of the season.
With Jing’s win, she moved up to third in overall standings (she missed the first stop), while Liz moved up to 2nd, and Suzanne maintained her position at top of the standings. Great tournament ladies! The NWPA’s next event is at Ballad Town Billiards in Forest Grove, OR on May 16-17.
Kira North, Ford and Suzanne Smith (Photo courtesy of Sandro Menzel)
On March 21-22, 2015- the NWPA’s first tour stop of the 2015 season, the Washington State 9 Ball Championships, was hosted by Malarkey’s Pool & Brew in Tacoma, WA. The tournament was ran on 9 9-foot Gold Crowns with Rail2Rail Productions providing a free live stream all weekend. The NWPA tour standings and 2015 schedule are available at www.nwpatour.com and is sanctioned by the WPBA. All skill levels are welcome to play and players can accrue points towards their semiprofessional status while gaining experience playing some of the top women players in the northwest. The main event was $750 added, while a Second Chance tournament was available to ladies not making it to the second day. We would like to thank our sponsors Ozone Billiards for donating magic racks for the entire season and Volturi Cue Cases for donating three $500 vouchers for custom cases. Raffle tickets can be purchased for the vouchers through Suzanne Smith (suzos78@gmail.com), and are $10 each. Only 50 tickets will be sold for each voucher, winners will be announced at the conclusion of each voucher’s ticket sales.
Thirty ladies came out to compete Saturday morning. There were several new players to the tour including including Cindy Salcedo (Bozeman, MT), Claire Binci (Corvalis, OR), Brittany Marshall (Spanaway, WA), Andrea Dexter (Renton, WA), and Dara Koch (Portland, OR). The tournament was ran on 9 9-foot Brunswick Gold Crowns. The format was a race to 7, alternating break, 9 ball, with a race to 6 on the B side. There were several first round byes, but play sped right along, without any major upsets going through the early rounds.
Sunday morning, only eight players remained. A side match ups included Cindy Sliva vs. Liz Cole and Julie Valdez vs. Kira North. Cindy and Kira both advanced through their morning matches, 7-2 and 7-5. Cindy and Kira then squared off in the hot seat match. Kira advanced by the score 7-5 to earn her spot in the final. B side match ups included Carissa Biggs vs. Kirsten Fery and Suwanna Matarazzo vs. Suzanne Smith. Carissa and Suzanne advanced through their first round of play 6-1 and 6-4, earning a shot at Liz and Julie. Liz and Suzanne both advanced through the next round by the same score: 6-3. Liz then squared off against Suzanne. Liz led throughout the entire match; however, it was Suzanne who would sink the final 9 ball in their hill-hill match up. Suzanne then played Cindy and defeated her as well, 6-4.
Kira North path to final: Mary O (F), Kathy S (3), Kim T (5), Julie V (5), Cindy S (5)
Suzanne Smith path to final: Patricia T (0), loss to Natalie S (6), Elaine E (2), Tamre R (4), Rebecca S (2), Suwanna M (4), Julie V (3), Liz C (5), Cindy S (4)
The final was one race to 9, alternating break. During the early racks, both players tried to find their groove. At 3-2 Suzanne, Kira was at the table with a 2 ball out. Unfortunately, Kira missed the 9 and scratched giving Suzanne the 4-2 lead. From that point, Suzanne continued to shoot with confidence, increasing her lead to 5-2 in the next rack, then allowing Kira her final rack of the set to make the score 5-3. Suzanne took advantage of opportunities afforded by her opponent, running out three of the final four racks from the 4, 5 and 2. Congratulations to Suzanne, this was her first tour stop in win since 2009, and to Kira for making her second final appearance in only three events played.
Great tournament ladies! The NWPA’s next event is the 4th Annual Martha Hartsell Memorial and will be hosted at The Cue Ball in Salem, OR on April 25-26.
Eight ladies returned on Sunday for the $100 added Second Chance tournament. With a $10 entry, half the field made some money in the true double elimination tournament, race to 3 on the A side and race to 2 on the B side. Kim Toops ended up winning top prize, defeating Dara Koch in the finals. Good work ladies, nice shooting.
Steve Legault-owner of Black Diamond, Sheila Clark, Mary Coffman and Ford-Tournament Director
On September 13-14, 2014, the NWPA’s sixth tour stop of 2014 was hosted by The Black Diamond in Spokane, Washington. Not only did the Black Diamond add $500 to the tournament, but staff provided excellent service to all players and spectators for the entire weekend. The Black Diamond is the premier location for great pool, food, and entertainment in the Spokane area. They host many Open tournaments throughout the year and the NWPA would like to thank them for their continued support. In addition, The NWPA would like to thank our sponsors Ozone Billiards and Volturi for their support for the 2014 season. Please check out their websites and show them your appreciation at www.ozonebilliards.com and www.volturicases.com. Two drawings were completed at this stop, Cassie Bryant was drawn for the Ozone case donation, while Shari Ross was drawn for the $500 voucher for a Volturi custom case. Congratulations ladies! If you are interested in getting in on the final raffle drawings for the year, please contact your favorite ladies of the NWPA for tickets. Ozone raffle tickets are 2 for $5, 5 for $10 while the final Volturi voucher tickets are $10 each.
The NWPA is sanctioned by the WPBA. Tour standings and 2014 schedule are available at www.nwpatour.wordpress.com. All skill levels are welcome to play and players can accrue points towards their semiprofessional status while gaining experience playing some of the top women players in the northwest.
Twenty-one ladies came out to compete Saturday morning. The tournament was run on 8 9-foot Brunswick Gold Crowns with Rail2Rail Productions providing a free live stream all weekend. In addition to the live stream, this event was the first, of hopefully many to come, where live scoring of all matches was available via Score Saloon, www.scoresaloon.com. The format was a race to 7, alternating break, 9 ball, with a race to 6 on the B side. There were several first round byes, but play sped right along.
Sunday morning, only eight players remained. A side match ups included Suzanne Smith vs. Sheila Clark and Mary Coffman vs. Kimberly Kirk. Sheila and Mary both advanced through their morning matches, by the scores of 7-6 and 7-4, advancing them to the hot seat match. Table speed got the best of Sheila during this match and Mary capitalized on mistakes to advance to the finals by the score of 7-1. B side match ups included Amber Foster vs. Alicia Kvasnicka and Rebecca Slyter vs. Jing Liu. Alicia and Jing both advanced through their morning matches by the scores of 6-5 and 6-3, respectively. Fired up from their morning losses Suzanne and Kimberly rallied back through their next round, defeating Jing and Alicia by the score of 6-3 and 6-0. Suzanne then squared off against Kimberly in a hill-hill match up, that had Kimberly make a clutch out to advance 6-5. Kimberly then played Sheila to see who would play Mary in the finals. Sheila took down that match by the score of 6-4, earning herself a rematch.
Mary Coffman path to the final: Fran J (2), Jenny L (), Kim T (4), Kimberly K (4), Sheila C (1)
Sheila Clark path to the final: Bye, Jing L (5), Alicia K (6), Suzanne S (6), loss to Mary C (1), Kimberly K (4)
The final was one race to 9, alternating break. During the first eight racks, both players struggled with the table speed, creating more difficult patterns to work through. Tied at 4-4, Sheila settled in and found her groove, while Mary struggled to find the confidence she had during the hot seat match. In rack 9, a miss on the 4 ball, by Mary, led to a strong run out by Sheila to take her first lead of the match. Sheila proceeded to shoot with minimal errors, closing out each of the remaining racks to win the set 9-4 This was Sheila’s first tour stop win on the NWPA. Congratulations to both ladies for an excellent tournament.
With Jing’s finish, she maintained her position on top in overall standings, guaranteeing her first WPBA Regional Tour Championship appearance. Suzanne also stayed at 3rd, while Sheila jumped up to 4th place in overall standings. Going into the final tournament of the season, the tour champion and guaranteed spots at the WPBA Regional Tour Championships will still be up for grabs. The NWPA’s year-end event is at The Parlor in Bellevue, WA on November 1-2.
On August 9-10, 2014, the NWPA’s fifth tour stop of 2014 was hosted by The Parlor in Bellevue, Washington. The Parlor added $500 to the event and a Volturi custom case voucher raffle added another $350 to the prize fund ($250 to the main event and $100 to the Second Chance.) Some tickets remain on the raffle, so if you are interested please contact Suzanne Smith (suzos78@gmail.com).
The NWPA would like to thank our sponsor Ozone Billiards and Volturi for their support for the 2014 season. Please check out their websites and show them your appreciation at www.ozonebilliards.com and www.volturicases.com. The NWPA tour standings and 2014 schedule are available at www.nwpatour.wordpress.com and is sanctioned by the WPBA. All skill levels are welcome to play and players can accrue points towards their semiprofessional status while gaining experience playing some of the top women players in the northwest.
Thirty ladies came out to compete Saturday morning. Only one new player joined in for the fun, Kirsten Fery out of Portland, OR. The tournament was run on 11 9-foot Brunswick Gold Crowns with Rail2Rail Productions providing a free live stream all weekend. The format was a race to 7, alternating break, 9 ball, with a race to 6 on the B side. There were only two first round byes, but play moved along. As usual play finished early Saturday evening, many of the ladies were given complimentary comedy club tickets to The Parlor Live. Thanks to Parlor GM, Dave Lauer, for taking care of us!
Sunday morning, eleven players remained. A side match ups included Jing Liu vs. Liz Cole (NWPA #1 and #2) and Shari Ross vs. Kim Benson. Liz and Kim both advanced through their morning matches, by the scores of 7-3 and 7-1, advancing them to the hot seat match. Liz and Kim battled it out for the hot seat, with Kim edging out Liz by the score of 7-4. On the B side, due to the early finish on Saturday, there were 3 matchups that needed to play before the money rounds. These matches include Rebecca Slyter vs. Sheila Clark, Stacy Eilts vs. Elizabeth Jensen, and Natalie Seal vs. Kim Toops. Rebecca, Elizabeth, and Natalie advanced into the money matches with the scores 6-4, 6-3, and 6-5 respectively. Following that round, the 7/8 matches were played, with Rebecca playing Suzanne Smith and Natalie playing Elizabeth. Suzanne and Elizabeth advanced by the scores of 6-1 and 6-3. Fired up from their morning losses Shari and Jing matched up next against Elizabeth and Suzanne. While Shari advanced by the score of 6-3, Jing went hill-hill against Suzanne. In the final game, Suzanne broke dry and Jing attempted to play a safety on the 1. Suzanne proceeded to run out the rack to advance by the slimmest of margins, 6-5. Shari then squared off against Suzanne. Suzanne picked up some steam and won that match 6-2. Suzanne then played Liz (fresh off the hot seat loss), and Suzanne continued with her strong shooting and defeated Liz 6-1 to earn her first final appearance of the 2014 season.
Kim Benson path to the final: Teri K (2), Patricia T (2), Suzanne S (2), Shari R (3), Liz C (4)
Suzanne Smith path to the final: Cassandra B (6), Melissa D (4), loss to Kim B (2), Jenny L (0), Rebecca S (1), Jing L (5), Shari R (2), Liz C (1)
The final was one race to 9, alternating break. Throughout the entire final, Kim’s stellar shot making and Suzanne’s missed safety opportunities would be the theme. Suzanne ended up down 5-2 before she would take her break. Kim expanded her lead steadily throughout the match, making fewer mistakes and maintaining her confidence throughout the set. Kim defeated Suzanne 9-4 to claim her second tour stop win on the NWPA, skyrocketing her to 3rd place in overall standings. Jing and Liz maintained their #1 and #2 spots, while Suzanne moved up to 4th with her finish. Should make for an exciting last two stops. Congratulations all the ladies for an excellent tournament.
The NWPA’s next event is back in Spokane WA at The Black Diamond on September 13-14, 2014.
On June 21-22, 2014, the NWPA’s fourth tour stop of 2014 was hosted by The Black Diamond in Spokane, Washington. The Black Diamond added $500 to the event and a Kwikfire Cue Raffle (donated by Suzanne Smith) added another $350 to the prize fund ($250 to the main event and $100 to the Second Chance.)
The NWPA would like to thank our sponsor Ozone Billiards and Volturi for their support for the 2014 season. Please check out their websites and show them your appreciation at www.ozonebilliards.com and www.volturicases.com. The NWPA tour standings and 2014 schedule are available at www.nwpatour.wordpress.com and is sanctioned by the WPBA. All skill levels are welcome to play and players can accrue points towards their semiprofessional status while gaining experience playing some of the top women players in the northwest.
Twenty-seven ladies came out to compete Saturday morning. New players to the tour included Kim Benson (HI), Christy Morgan (ID), and Cheryl Rosean (MT) . The tournament was run on 8 9-foot Brunswick Gold Crowns with Rail2Rail Productions providing a free live stream all weekend. The format was a race to 7, alternating break, 9 ball, with a race to 6 on the B side. There were several first round byes, but play sped right along.
Sunday morning, only eight players remained. A side match ups included Suzanne Smith vs. Liz Cole and Jing Liu vs. Kim Benson. Suzanne and Jing both advanced through their morning matches, by the scores of 7-5 and 7-3, advancing them to the hot seat match. Jing and Suzanne battled it out in a hill-hill match up where a failed safe by Jing looked to be all the opportunity Suzanne would need to advance to her first final of the 2014 season. Suzanne missed an open shot on the 7 ball to leave Jing tough. Jing proceeded to pocket each of the last balls, culminating with an amazing 9 ball shot to advance to the finals and solidify her position on top of the tour’s overall standings. B side match ups included Amber Foster vs. Patricia Tipton and Carissa Biggs vs. Mary Olson. Amber and Mary both advanced through their morning matches by the same score of 6-5. Fired up from their morning losses Liz and Kim rallied back through their next round, by the score of 6-4 and 6-2. Liz then squared off against Kim. Kim maintained a lead throughout the match and advanced by the score 6-4. Kim then played Suzanne, and Kim looked to be well on her way when a stumble on her final 8 ball allowed Suzanne back to the table with a fairly easy 2 ball out. Suzanne pocketed the 8 ball and scratched, giving Kim ball in hand to win the set 6-4.
Jing Liu path to the final: Rebecca S (6), Kim T (1), Patricia T (4), Kim B (3), Suzanne S (6)
Kim Benson path to the final: Dyamelle C (3), Natalie S (6), Elizabeth J (3), loss to Jing L (3), Mary O (2), Liz C (4), Suzanne S (4)
The final was one race to 9, alternating break. Throughout the entire final, Kim shot with such amazing confidence and precision, ultimately only missing four balls throughout the set, capitalizing on Jing’s mistakes as the match proceeded. Kim expanded her lead steadily throughout the match, allowing her opponent very few opportunities to find a rhythm. Kim defeated Jing 9-0 in just over an hour match to claim her first tour stop win on the NWPA. Congratulations to both ladies for an excellent tournament.
With Jing’s finish, she maintained her position on top in overall standings. Suzanne jumped up 7 spots with her 3rd place finish, and Liz maintained 2nd place in overall standings coming in 4th place. Great tournament ladies! The NWPA’s next event is at The Parlor in Bellevue, WA on August 9-10.
Eleven ladies returned on Sunday for the $200 added Second Chance tournament. There was no entry fee with the extra money and the true double elimination tournament was a race to 3 on the A side and race to 2 on the B side. Rebecca Slyter ended up winning top prize, defeating Mary Coffman two sets in the final. Good work ladies, nice shooting.
Liz Cole's victory at the third stop on the Northwest Women's Pool Association Tour jumped her up six slots on the 2014 tour rankings, into second place. Jing Liu, who entered the tournament at the top of the rankings, maintained that position by chalking up 30 ranking points, in the tie for 17th place. Kim Toops, entering in the #3 slot, also finished in that tie, and dropped to fourth, when Cole moved ahead of her. Cole, winner of three stops on the NWPA Tour in 2013, picked up her first in 2014 at the May 3-4, $500-added event that drew 29 entrants to Ballad Town Billiards in Forest Grove, OR.
Cole's path to the finals made two initial stops on the winners' side of the bracket, with victories over Gretchen Sziebert, a shutout, and Stacy Eilts 6-2, before running into Mary Olson, who defeated her 6-4. The victory moved Olson into a winners' side semifinal against Kira North. Fran Johnson and Sheila Clark squared off in the other. North survived a double hill fight against Olson, as Clark downed Johnson 6-3. North claimed the hot seat 6-4 over Clark and waited on Cole.
Cole eliminated Johnson 6-1, earning herself a rematch in the quarterfinals against Olson, who'd defeated Matarazzo 6-3. Cole had the last say in a double hill contest, and then, defeated Clark 6-3 in the semifinals. In a single race-to-9 final, Cole defeated North 9-4 to claim the event title.
On April 19-20, 2014, the NWPA’s second tour stop of 2014 was hosted by The Cue Ball in Salem, OR. The Cue Ball has supported our tour from the very beginning and we would like to thank Jim Lebold for all that he does for women’s pool. Martha Hartsell was a fierce competitor whose life was cut short by cancer in 2010. Many of the women on tour were good friends with Martha and in her honor, continue to play the game that she loved, making lifelong friends and rivals along the way.
The NWPA would like to thank our sponsor Ozone Billiards for their support for the 2014 season. Please check out their website and show them your appreciation at www.ozonebilliards.com. The NWPA tour standings and 2014 schedule are available at www.nwpatour.wordpress.com and is sanctioned by the WPBA. All skill levels are welcome to play and players can accrue points towards their semiprofessional status while gaining experience playing some of the top women players in the northwest.
Twenty-five ladies came out to compete Saturday morning, and with very few of the region’s top players in attendance (only four of the top twelve from the season opener), it really was an event where anyone could win. There were several new players to the tour including Patricia Tipton, Cassandra Bryant, Dyamelle Castilleja, and Sherri Denke. The tournament was run on 22 9-foot Brunswick Anniversary tables with Rail2Rail Productions providing a free live stream all weekend. The format was a race to 7, alternating break, 9 ball, with a race to 6 on the B side. There were several first round byes, but play sped right along. Tour players spent the remainder of their Saturday at Jake’s Bar, just down the road for ribeyes and bartable action, an annual tradition for this event.
Sunday morning, only eight players remained. A side match ups included Rebecca Slyter vs. Kathy Stanley and Kim Toops vs. Suwanna Matarazzo. Rebecca and Kim both advanced through their morning matches, by the same score of 7-2, solidifying their top tour finishes to date by squaring off for the hot seat. The birthday girl, Kim, continued her stellar play in the hot seat match, defeating Rebecca 7-2 to earn her first final appearance in tour history. B side match ups included Carissa Biggs vs. tour veteran Julie Valdez and Jing Liu vs. Sheila Clark. Carissa and Jing both advanced through their morning matches by the score of 6-2 and 6-5. Momentum stayed with Carissa and Jing as they marched through their next round as well, by the same score of 6-2. Carissa then squared off against Jing. Carissa maintained a lead throughout the match and advanced by the score 6-3. Carissa then played Rebecca, who had been sitting for some time and defeated her handily, not allowing a single rack win (6-0).
Kim Toops path to the final: Sarah M (2), Jing L (3), Julie V (4), Suwanna M (2), Rebecca S (2)
Carissa Biggs path to the final: Bye, Sheila C (1), loss to Suwanna (3), Dyamelle C (2), Julie V (2), Kathy S (2), Jing L (3), Rebecca S (0)
The final was one race to 9, alternating break. Throughout the entire final, Kim shot with the confidence she had possessed all weekend, capitalizing on Carissa’s mistakes as the match proceeded. Kim expanded her lead steadily throughout the match, allowing her opponent only three racks by the time she reached the hill. But Carissa Biggs had not an ounce of give up. She battled through each of the following games with such resolve; you could just sense a hill-hill match was in the making. Carissa did it; she fought hard and tied up the match at 8-8, one game for all the cheese.
The Final Game- Kim broke and pocketed the 7 in the side pocket. She made a cut on the 1 ball leaving herself a 2-9 carom for the win. She missed the carom, but ended up banking the 2 ball in the opposite corner. She then pocketed the 3 ball and left herself a draw cut shot on the 4 to get back up table for the 5 ball. She missed the 4 ball entirely, but kicked it towards the opposite corner, where it rattled. Carissa was hooked by the 8 ball, so she attempted to jump. Unfortunately, Carissa couldn’t clear the 8 ball, but she did end up pocketing the 4. With ball in hand and only four balls on the table, it looked like Kim would spoil Carissa’s come back. Kim pocketed the 5 and 6, but then rattled the 8 ball. Carissa stepped to the table and pocketed the 8, but left herself shooting a cut on the 9 to the side pocket. With her cue ball just barely off the side rail, she ended up overcutting the 9 leaving a fairly manageable cut for Kim. Kim then missed that 9 ball too, but left Carissa a bank shot. Carissa attempted the bank, but hit both points, and went to the center of the table, leaving Kim a back cut on the 9. Kim beared down on the ball, measured her line, and fired. The ball rattled and sat right in front of the pocket, with the cue ball about 4 inches from it in a straight line to the pocket. Kim’s disappointment was clear as she slapped her knee, knowing the opportunity to win was no longer hers. Carissa stepped to the table with bridge in hand and made the final 9 ball for the win. Both ladies shook hands as conclusion to the event. Later on, Carissa spoke to the memory of Martha “Winning this event here at The Cue Ball sponsored by Jim Lebold in memory of Martha Hartsell is very special to me. Martha was a great competitor and sportswoman whose life was cut way too short. Don't take one moment for granted!”
With Carissa’s win, she moved up to second in overall standings, while Kim moved up to 3rd. Great tournament ladies! The NWPA’s next event is at Ballad Town Billiards in Forest Grove, OR on May 3-4.
