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Mike Davis, Jr. wins 5th NC State 9-Ball Championship on PremierBilliards TOP Tour

Mike Davis

After the 1st NC State 9-Ball Championships were won by Larry Nevel in 2013, Mike Davis, Jr. won the next three between 2014 and 2016 He skipped three years in which Shannon Fitch (’17), Reymart Lim (’18) and Keith Bennett (’19) won, before returning to the annual event in 2020, downing Justin Martin in the finals. BJ Ussery claimed the title in 2021 and Jesus Atencio won it last year. Mike Davis, Jr. chalked up his fifth NC State 9-Ball Championship title this past weekend (Feb. 25-26), going undefeated and downing Brian White twice; hot seat and finals. The $1,000-added event, held under the auspices of the PremierBilliards.com TOP (The Open Players) Tour, drew 38 entrants to Breaktime Billiards in Winston-Salem, NC.

A previously-scheduled Ladies event did not occur when it drew only 5 women, including a pair of junior competitors, Hayleigh Marion and Skylar Hess. The women were offered the opportunity at a reduced entry to compete in the Open event and did so, comporting themselves quite well actually.

“Even when they lost,” said tour director, Herman Parker, “the fact that they’d won a few, collectively, against some strong (male) competition was pretty significant.”

Skylar Hess, a regular on the Junior International Championship circuit (JIC), defeated Jason Blackwell before losing to Barry Mashburn and Kirk Overcash. Hayleigh Marion won two on the winners’ side and one on the loss side before being knocked out by Q City 9-Ball veteran and multiple event winner, Reid Vance. Christy Norris, who plays on the tour regularly in mixed-gender events, came within of match of advancing to the first money round, before she forfeited a match against her significant other, Barry Mashburn (who promptly loss in the subsequent round, which led to some gentle ‘ribbing’ after the fact).

“I was super-impressed with the womens’ play this past weekend,” said Parker.

Davis and Brian White met first in the hot seat match after Davis had defeated Clint Clark 7-3 in one of the winners’ side semifinals and White had downed Don Lilly 7-1 in the other one. Davis claimed the hot seat 7-4 and waited on White’s return.

On the loss side, Davis actually had two “White”s to watch, because Hunter White was working his way through the bracket on the loss side as well. Hunter had eliminated Mark Bolton 7-3 and in the first money round, Barry Mashburn 7-4 to draw Lilly. Clark picked up Josh Padron, who’d recently defeated Kelly Farrar 7-3 and to enter that first money round too, survived a double hill battle versus Scott Howard to reach him.

Hunter White defeated Lily 7-3 and in the quarterfinals, met up with Clint Clark, who’d eliminated Padron 7-4. Hunter White then downed Clark 7-2 in those quarterfinals, leaving Davis (waiting in the hot seat) in the position of wondering which “White” to watch as the two of them squared off in the semifinals.

One “White” won as the other went down. Brian defeated Hunter 7-3 for a second crack at Davis in the finals. Davis and Brian White mirrored their hot seat match score, which gave Davis his fifth NC State 9-Ball Championship title.

Tour director Herman Parker thanked the ownership and staff at Breaktime Billiards for their hospitality (and sponsorship of the tour), as well as title sponsor PremierBilliards.com, BarPoolTables.net, Dirty South Grind Apparel Co., Realty One Group Results, Diamond Brat, AZBilliards.com, Federal Savings Bank Mortgage Division and TKO Custom Cues. 

The next stop on the PremierBilliards.com TOP Tour, scheduled for the weekend of March 18-19 will be the 2023 West Virginia State 9-Ball Open, to be hosted by The League Room in Parkersburg, WV. The next stop on the PremierBilliards.com Q City 9-Ball Tour, scheduled for this coming weekend (March 4-5), will be hosted by West End Billiards in Gastonia, NC.

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Elder Pendley brother, Marcus, chalks up first win on Viking Cues’ Q City 9-Ball Tour

Marcus Pendley

They’ve been away from the tables for a while now, brothers Marcus and Adam Pendley, but they’re back and appearing together at stops on the Viking Cues’ Q City 9-Ball Tour with some regularity. Younger brother, Adam (31) split the top two prizes at an event earlier this summer and last month, finished as runner-up to Jesus Atencio at the Rock House in Gastonia, NC. Marcus (33) finished in the tie for 7th at that stop. This past weekend, Saturday, Nov. 5, at Janet Atwell’s room, Borderline Billiards, Adam Pendley finished in the four-way tie for 9th place, while his older brother, Marcus went undefeated though a field of 29 entrants to claim his first title on the Viking Cue’ Q City 9-Ball Tour.

Marcus battled separate opponents in the hot seat and finals of the event. He and Jeff Abernathy, working from opposite ends of the bracket, advanced through the field to meet Brady Brazzell and Thomas Sansone in the two winners’ side semifinals. Marcus had previously faced and defeated Matt Lumston in the second round of play and would meet him again in the finals.

Marcus defeated Brady Brazzell 7-2, as Abernathy was working on a 9-1 victory over Sansone. Marcus claimed the hot seat in a double hill battle versus Abernathy and waited for Lumston to complete the seven-match, loss-side run that would put him into the final match.

On the loss side, Lumston, who had won his opening match versus junior competitor Hayleigh Marion and then lost a double hill match against Marcus Pendley in the second round, advanced through the loss-side and immediately after defeating junior competitor Tristan Jenny 8-1 and Reid Vance 8-4, drew Brazzell. Sansone picked up Ray Beegle, who’d recently eliminated Steve Dye, double hill, and Rudy Hess 5-2. Hess had previously survived a double hill battle against Adam Pendley in the 9th/12th place matches.

As it turned out, Brazzell and Sansone walked right into their second straight loss. Lumston and Beegle advanced to the first money round with Lumston shutting Brazell out and Beegle winning a double hill match versus Sansone.

Lumston then eliminated both Beegle in the quarterfinals and Jeff Abernathy in the semifinals by the same 8-3 score. He would also come within a game of making the final a double hill match, but Pendley, on the brink of his first tour win, got out in front near the end and claimed the event title 7-5.

Tour director Herman Parker thanked Janet Atwell and her Borderline Billiards staff for their hospitality, as well as title sponsor Viking Cues, Breaktime Billiards (Winston-Salem, NC), BarPoolTables.net, Dirty South Grind Apparel Co., Realty One Group Results, Diamond Brat, AZBilliards.com, Ridge Back Rails, and Federal Savings Bank Mortgage Division. The next stop on the Viking Cues’ Q City 9-Ball Tour, scheduled for this weekend (Nov. 12-13) will be a $500-added event, hosted The Clubhouse in Lynchburg, VA.

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Lumston goes undefeated on Viking Cues’ Q City 9-Ball Tour to win his first event

Matt Lumston

To the best of our knowledge, Matt Lumston’s undefeated victory on the Viking Cues’ Q City 9-Ball Tour this past weekend (Aug. 27-28) was his first tour victory anywhere. It will, as he enters the AZBilliards database, be the last time that will be said of his ongoing career at the tables. Runner-up Josh Miller entered the database for the first time two and half years ago, when he finished 9th at Q City 9-Ball stop in Spartansburg, SC and later that year (July), finished 4th at a tour stop in Bristol, TN at Janet Atwell’s Borderline Billiards. Borderline Billiards hosted this most recent, $250-added stop, which drew 27 entrants.

This was not some one-off ‘luck of the day kind of thing,’ where an unknown works his way through a mediocre field or, by bracket draw, manages to bypass competition against much stronger opponents. Lumston and Miller both had to contend with Cory Morphew, who’s in the middle of his best earnings year to date, in a career that dates back (as far as we know) to 2011. He finished 1st, 2nd and 3rd on the Q City 9-Ball Tour, this year alone. Lumston took him down 7-3 in the first round and Miller fought him to double hill before leaving him in the 3rd place dust. Lumston also defeated one of the country’s top-ranked junior competitors, Landon Hollingsworth (#2 in the 2022 season rankings of the Junior International Championships’ 18U and ProAm divisions). Were it not for Cory Morphew’s work in the event quarterfinals, Miller would have had to face him in the semifinals.

Lumston met up with Hollingsworth in one of this event’s winners’ side semifinals, while Miller squared off against Reid Vance (yet another Q City 9-Ball veteran with a win on this tour in 2020). Lumston sent Hollingsworth to the loss side 7-5 and was joined in the hot seat match Miller, who’d battled to double hill before sending Vance over to the loss-side 5th/6th matches. Lumston took command and claimed his first hot seat 7-2 over Miller.

In a pair of loss-side, tour-veteran battles, Hollingsworth drew room owner, Janet Atwell, while Vance picked up Morphew. Atwell had recently eliminated Donnie Lester 7-1 and Scott Howard 7-4 to reach Hollingsworth. Morphew, working on a seven-match, loss side winning streak, had chalked up wins #4 and #5 against Ricky Bingham 9-4 and James Brown 9-3.

Morphew and Hollingsworth advanced to the first money round, the quarterfinals; Morphew 9-4 over Vance and Hollingsworth 9-1 over Atwell. Morphew and Hollingsworth battled to double hill in those quarterfinals before Morphew finished his seventh and what proved to be his last match win of the day (as the Saturday was becoming an early Sunday).

A second double-hill battle was waged for a ticket to the finals. Josh Miller began the semifinals with four ‘beads on the wire’ in a race to 9. He chalked up the five he needed before Morphew was able to record the nine he needed and advanced for a second shot against Lumston, waiting for him in the hot seat.

The final match was threatening to beat dawn on Sunday morning. Lumston, though, got out in front and claimed his first event title, 7-3 over Miller and beat dawn to the finish line at around 4 a.m.

Tour director Herman Parker thanked Janet Atwell and her Borderline Billiards staff for their hospitality, along with title sponsor Viking Cues, Breaktime Billiards (Winston-Salem, NC), BarPoolTables.net, Dirty South Grind Apparel Co., Realty One Group Results, Diamond Brat, AZBilliards.com, Ridge Back Rails, and Federal Savings Bank Mortgage Division. The Viking Cues’ Q City 9-Ball Tour will bring a $500-added event to Breaktime Billiards in Winston-Salem, NC on this Labor Day weekend (Sept. 3-4).

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Kent and Lawhorne split top prizes on Viking Cues’ Q City 9-Ball Tour

Earl Kent

The first time Earl Kent recorded a payout finish on the Viking Cues’ Q City 9-Ball Tour, nine days before Christmas in 2019, he and BJ Ussery negotiated a split of the event’s top two prizes. As occupant of the hot seat at the time, Ussery claimed the event title. This past weekend, May 14, at the same location, The Clubhouse in Lynchburg, VA, Kent, once again, split the top two prizes with his potential opponent in the finals. This time, however, Kent was in the hot seat and became the official winner, chalking up only his second recorded cash payout and his first tour win, albeit with the missed-final asterisk. The $500-added event drew 43 entrants to The Clubhouse.

He and Cameron Lawhorne worked their way through the field to arrive at Kent’s winners’ side semifinal against Chris Woodrum and Lawhorne’s against Brian Glisson. Kent got into the hot seat match 5-3 over Woodrum, as Lawhorne prevailed in a double hill match against Glisson (8-4; Glisson racing to 5). Battling for the hot seat became the defining match of the event with the two of them battling to a 12th deciding game and Kent finally winning it.

On the loss side, as matches dwindled down to the first money round (5th/6th), there was a junior competitor in the mix. Her name as Precilia Kinsley and is likely recognizable to anyone who’s been following the exploits of the Junior International Championships, now in their second season of events. After four events on the 2022 JIC so far, Kinsley is ranked 6th among 19 junior ladies in the 18 & Under division and finished 3rd at the JIC’s last stop in Phoenix, AZ a week ago. Like other junior competitors in the JIC, Kinsley has been encouraged to extend her ‘reach’ into regional tour events and according to Q City 9-Ball tour director, Herman Parker, she’s proved to be a formidable opponent.

“It was the first time she played with us,” said Parker, “and she won her first two matches; against another junior competitor and then, one of our regulars, Reid Vance, in a double hill match.”

She was sent to the loss side by the eventual winner, Earl Kent and eliminated by another Q City 9-Ball veteran, Scott Roberts, who ended up finishing third. Roberts advanced to down James Marvin, double hill, and Collin Hall 8-4 to draw Woodrum coming over from his winners’ side semifinal match. Glisson, arriving from the other winners’ side semifinal, picked up Thomas Sansone, who’d eliminated Clubhouse owner, Chris England 6-1 and Robert Cuneo 6-4.

In the first money round, Sansone and Roberts handed Glisson and Woodrum their second straight loss; Sansone advancing to the quarterfinals, double hill, as Roberts was busy eliminating Woodrum 8-2 to join him. Roberts and Sansone then battled to double hill in those quarterfinals, before Roberts advanced for a shot at Lawhorne in the semifinals.

In what would prove to be the event’s final match, Lawhorne defeated Roberts 8-6. The deal to split the top two prizes was made, with Kent taking the official event title, his first. 

Tour director Herman Parker thanked Chris England and his Clubhouse staff for their hospitality along with title sponsor Viking Cues, BarPoolTables.net, Dirty South Grind Apparel Co., Realty One Group Results, Diamond Brat, AZBilliards.com, Ridge Back Rails, and Federal Savings Bank Mortgage Division. The next stop on the Viking Cues’ Q City 9-Ball Tour, scheduled for this weekend, May 21-22, will be hosted Still Cluckin’ in Providence, NC. 

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Messer and Piercy split top prizes on Viking Cues’ Q City 9-Ball Tour

The two competitors who squared off in the finals of the Saturday, April 23 stop on the Viking Cues’ Q City 9-Ball Tour – Dalton Messer and Kelly Piercy – have never (to our knowledge) cashed on any other tour. Messer chalked up his first and until this weekend, only win on the tour in the week between Christmas and New Year’s, 2018. Piercy’s tour efforts came close to a victory in 2020, when he won nine on the loss side and in the finals, challenged junior competitor Landon Hollingsworth, who completed an undefeated run to claim that title. Though Messer downed Piercy in the hot seat on Saturday, the two of them opted out of a final match and split the top two prizes, leaving Messer, in the hot seat, as the official winner. The $500-added event drew 26 entrants to Break & Run Billiards in Chesnee, SC.

Their first and only meetup followed Messer and Piercy’s advance through the field, arriving at winner’s side semifinal matches versus Thomas Sansone (for Messer) and Reid Vance (for Piercy). Messer downed Sanson 6-3, as Piercy sent Vance to the loss side 6-5 (Vance racing to 8). Messer claimed the hot seat 6-4 in what proved to be the title-claiming match.

Vance and Sansone arrived on the loss side of the double-elimination bracket, looking to advance just one match to compete in the event’s first money round. They didn’t make it. Stevie McClinton, who’d recently eliminated Kirk Hixon 7-5 and Billy Fowler 7-6 (Fowler racing to 10), added Sansone to that list, downing him 7-4 to advance to the quarterfinals. Vance drew Runal Bhat, who’d just defeated Jose Irizarry 7-3 and Casey Looper, double hill, and then defeated Vance 7-4 to join McClinton in the quarterfinals.

McClinton and Bhat almost made it to double hill in those quarterfinals, but McClinton edged out in front at the end, winning 7-5 for a shot at Piercy in the semifinals. Piercy put a stop to McClinton 6-2 in those semifinals, before negotiating the financial split with Messer and calling it a night. 

Tour director Herman Parker thanked the ownership and staff at Break & Run Billiards, as well as title sponsor Viking Cues, BarPoolTables.net, Dirty South Grind Apparel Co., Realty One Group Results, Diamond Brat, AZBilliards.com, Ridge Back Rails, and Federal Savings Bank Mortgage Division. The next stop on the Viking Cues’ Q City 9-Ball Tour, scheduled for this weekend (April 30-May 1), will be a $500-added event, hosted by Sonny’s Billiards in Princeton, WV.

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Roberts and Morphew split top prizes on Viking Cues’ Q City 9-Ball Tour

Scott Roberts

Scott Roberts and Cory Morphew haven’t exactly been dormant since the pandemic landed two years ago, though Roberts, in particular, saw his climb up the earnings ladder in the last decade drop a few steps right after he’d chalked up his best recorded earnings year in 2019. For his part, Morphew’s climb up the same ladder has been something of an up-and-down affair, in something of a reverse order. Prior to this past weekend, his best recorded earnings year was his first in 2011. His finish at this past weekend’s stop on the Viking Cues’ Q City 9-Ball Tour (Feb. 19-20) put him $15 over his 2011 figure, and it’s only February.

They split the top two prizes. Roberts went undefeated, downing Morphew in the hot seat match and when Morphew returned from the semifinals, they opted out of a final match at the event that drew 33 entrants to Borderline Billiards in Bristol, TN.

Roberts faced Scott Howard in one of the winners’ side semifinal matches, as Morphew squared off against Chris Cowan. Morphew got into the hot seat match without giving up a rack. Roberts joined him after an 8-4 win over Howard. The hot seat match went double hill before Roberts prevailed to essentially claim the title. 

On the loss side, Eric Roberts (no relation to Scott) and Adam Pendley were both on a seven-match winning streak that would bring them together in the quarterfinals. Cowan drew Roberts, who, at the time, was five matches into his loss-side run that had recently included the elimination of Reid Vance 9-3 and Gary South 9-4. It was Howard who picked up Pendley, six matches into his loss-side run, with recent wins over 14-year-old Niko Konkel 9-1 and in a rematch from the winners’ side, double hill over 12-year-old Jas Makhani. 

Roberts and Pendley advanced to the quarterfinals; Pendley, with his seventh loss-side win, 9-6 over Howard and Roberts with his sixth, 9-3 over Cowan. Roberts then chalked up his seventh loss-side win, downing Pendley 9-6 in those quarterfinals.

The semifinals were a rematch. Morphew had downed Roberts on the winners’ side of the bracket 9-4 and chalked up a second one against him 9-1 for the right to face Scott Roberts a second time. It didn’t happen. They opted out and split the top two prizes, with Roberts, as the undefeated occupant of the hot seat laid claim to the event title.

Tour director Herman Parker thanked Janet Atwell and her Borderline Billiards staff for their hospitality, as well as title sponsor Viking Cues, BarPoolTables.net, Dirty South Grind Apparel Co., Realty One Group Results, Diamond Brat, AZBilliards.com, and Federal Savings Bank Mortgage Division. The next stop on the Viking Cues’ Q City 9-Ball Tour, scheduled for this weekend (Feb. 26-27), will be a $500-added event, hosted by the Rock House Grill & Billiards in Gastonia, NC.

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Manley takes two out of three vs. Lawhorne to claim 1st Viking Cues’ Q City 9-Ball title

Tour will honor Ronnie Park at a Memorial event in Gastonia, NC this weekend (May 8-9)

Sammy Manley has cashed in seven events on the Viking Cues’ Q City 9-Ball Tour; twice in 2018, four times last year and once, this past weekend (May 1), when he came back from a loss in the opening set of a true double elimination final and defeated Cameron Lawhorne in the second set to claim the title. His progress in 2020 saw him steadily increasing his efficiency, as he finished from 5th to 2nd place in his four cash finishes, though not strictly in order – 5th in May, 4th in June, 3rd in August and a second-place split with BJ Ussery at the 1st Brian James Memorial in June. The $500-added event at which Manley claimed his first event title drew 30 entrants to Break & Run Billiards in Chesnee, SC.

He and Lawhorne met first in a winners’ side semifinal, as Trey Frank and Reid Vance squared off in the other one. Manley took the first of his three versus Lawhorne 6-4 and advanced to the hot seat match. Frank downed Vance 7-5 to join him. In his second appearance in a hot seat match (he’d appeared and lost to Matt Shaw in August and finished third), he gave up only a single rack to Frank and claimed the seat for the first time.

On the loss side, Vance ran into Jonathan Ailstock, who’d defeated Casey Looper 7-4 and Steven Ellis, double hill, to reach him. Lawhorne drew Tommy Scruggs, who’d recently eliminated Trent Talbert, double hill, and Junior Gabriel 5-2.

Vance downed Ailstock 5-2 and in the quarterfinals, faced Lawhorne, who’d dispatched Scruggs 7-1. Lawhorne then defeated Vance 7-4 in those quarterfinals.

In his final hurdle to the rematch against Manley, Lawhorne defeated Frank 7-3 in the semifinals. With 15 cash appearances on the tour since 2018, including two victories, the first of which was a come-from-the-loss-side win that earned him his first event win, anywhere, Lawhorne came into the finals with tour history and momentum.

He took advantage of both, fought Manley to double hill in the opening set and won 7-5 (Manley racing to 6). Manley fought back in the second set and pulled ahead by two (6-4) at the end to claim his first event title

Tour director Herman Parker thanked the ownership and staff at Break & Run Billiards for their hospitality, as well as title sponsor Viking Cues, BarPoolTables.net, Dirty South Grind Apparel Co., AZBilliards, Federal Savings Bank mortgage division and Diamond Brat.

The next stop on the Viking Cues’ Q City 9-Ball Tour, scheduled for this coming weekend, May 8-9, will be a Memorial Tournament in honor of Ronnie Park. The $500-added event will be hosted by Break & Run Billiards in Chesnee, SC.

Lackey & Ussery split top prizes on the Viking Cues’ Q City 9-Ball Tour

Dustin Lackey

The first time the Viking Cues’ Q City 9-Ball Tour paid a visit to Sonny’s Billiards in Princeton, WV, back in October, 2020, one of the venue’s local players, Wayne Hubbard, broke through to win his first (recorded) cash payout and event title, anywhere. And defeated tour veteran Hank Powell, twice, in the finals, to do it. Hubbard returned to the ‘scene of the crime’ last weekend (March 13-14) in search of his second win. For the second time, he made it to the winners’ side semifinals before being sent to the loss side, but this time, he didn’t return. The man who sent him over, Dustin Lackey, advanced to claim the hot seat, which became his last win when he and BJ Ussery later opted out of a final match and split the top two prizes. The $1,000-added event drew 34 entrants to Sonny’s Billiards.

Lackey’s advance to the hot seat match, 7-3 over Hubbard, led to a battle between him (Lackey) and Dwain Barberie, who’d survived a double hill match versus Scott Largen. Lackey claimed the hot seat 7-3 over Barberie and waited on negotiations for the split with BJ Ussery.

Ussery, in the meantime, was at work on an 88% winning-average in the seven matches he’d end up playing on the loss side. He’d been awarded an opening round bye and defeated Joey Supphin 12-1, before running into Mark Williams, who sent him to the loss side 5-4. From that point on, Ussery gave up only 14 racks in the next 98 games. He gave up one of those to Tim Crigler and another to Ricky Bingham just before drawing Hubbard, coming over from the winners’ side semifinal. Largen picked up Reid Vance, who’d recently eliminated Mark Williams 7-3 and Mike Clevinger, double hill.

Ussery gave up another rack eliminating Hubbard 12-1, as (with deliberate alliteration) Vance advanced to the quarterfinals over Largen 7-4. Vance put up what, under the circumstances, would have to be considered a ‘fight’ in the quarterfinals, but fell to Ussery 12-4.

Ussery repeated that score in the semifinals. He’d given up 11 racks total through his first seven matches, and gave up eight in his last two. The last one, in his 7-4 semifinal victory over Dwain Barberie, sent them both home. His top-prizes-split negotiations with Lackey, waiting for him in the hot seat, sent everybody home.

Tour director Herman Parker thanked Jason Paitsel, Jonathan Brockman and their Sonny’s Billiards’ staff for their hospitality, as well as title sponsor Viking Cues, BarPoolTables.net, AZBilliards, Federal Savings Bank Mortgage Division and Dirty South Grind Apparel Co. The next stop on the Viking Cues’ Q City 9-Ball Tour, scheduled for this weekend, March 20-21, will be a $500-added ($1,000 with 48+) event, hosted by Randolph’s Billiards in Hickory, NC.

Powell downs Lackey twice and goes undefeated on Viking Cues’ Q City 9-Ball Tour

Hank Powell

In his final three matches in the January 30 stop on the Viking Cues’ Q City 9-Ball Tour, Hank Powell won all but seven of the 28 games in those matches, which, with a little of that ‘factoring’ that we all used to do in high school, means that in the end, when it counted, he was winning (on average) three out of every four games he played. He finished undefeated to chalk up his first tour win since a tour stop on the 4th of July last year; a win he shared with junior player Landon Hollingsworth. The $1,000-added event in the final weekend of January this year, drew 46 entrants to Sonny’s Billiards in Princeton, WV.

As the event came up to its final 14 matches, Powell found himself facing off against another junior player, Cole Lewis, in one of the winners’ side semifinals. Dustin Lackey and Michael Howell squared off in the other one.

By identical 7-3 scores, Lackey downed Howell and Powell defeated Lewis. Powell then claimed the hot seat 7-2 over Lackey and waited on what turned out to be the return of Lewis.

On the loss side, both of the opponents that Lewis and Howell drew had just won two straight double hill matches to reach them; first, in advancing to the money round in the 9/12 matches and then, in the first money round itself (7/8). Scott Howard had downed Travis Guerra (7-5; Guerra racing to 6) and Jeff Underwood (7-4; Underwood racing to 5) to reach Lewis. Reid Vance had eliminated Adam Ratcliff 7-4 and Keith Young 7-5 to draw Howell.

Vance chalked up a third straight double hill win (7-4) against Howell. Lewis, in the meantime, eliminated Howard 6-2 to join Vance in the quarterfinals. Lewis repeated his previous score in sending Vance to the proverbial showers.

Lackey and Lewis squared off in the finals, with Lackey downing the junior player 7-3 and earing himself a second shot at Powell in the hot seat. The two duplicated the score of their earlier hot seat match, with Powell winning 7-2 a second time to claim the event title.

The Parkers thanked the ownership and staff at Sonny’s Billiards, as well as title sponsor Viking Cues, Bar Pool Tables, JB Magic Templates, AZBilliards, Tickler Pool Ball Washing Machine, Skyline Construction, Federal Savings Bank Mortgage Division and Dirty South Grind Apparel Co. The next stop on the Viking Cues’ Q City 9-Ball Tour, scheduled for this weekend, Feb. 6-7, will be hosted by West End Billiards in Gastonia, NC.

Willard goes undefeated to win his first Viking Cues’ Q City 9-Ball Tour event

Mike Willard

As has been the case recently, as the Viking Cues’ Q City 9-Ball Tour has worked its way around disrupted scheduling due to the pandemic and normal pool tour changes in plans, individual stops over the past few months have brought new venues and new faces to the tour. The final tour stop of the 2020 season, on the weekend of Dec. 19-20, was no exception, as the tour settled into Knoxville, TN at a new location called Peyton’s Place. 

Thanks, in part, to a recent schedule change that put the tour’s annual Tour Championship on hold until the weekend of Jan. 9-10, 2021, and delayed the last regular tour stop by a week, the $500-added event at Peyton’s Place drew a good crowd of 51 entrants. Mike Willard, a newcomer to the tour, went undefeated through six matches to claim his first tour title. Willard had to get by 15-year-old Cole Lewis twice to claim that title.

They met, first, in the hot seat match. Willard had downed Ricky Chitwood 5-5 (Chitwood racing to 7) in his winners side semifinal, while the youngster, Lewis, was busy defeating tour veteran Jody Musselman 5-1 in his winners’ side semifinal. In their first of two, Willard claimed the hot seat over Lewis 5-3.

On the loss side, Musselman picked up Jason Zampich, who’d defeated Brady Brazell 6-5 (Brazell racing to 7) and assured himself a payout by defeating Peyton Place owner Bobby Jack Connor in the first money round. Chitwood drew a rematch against Reid Vance, whom he’d defeated in the third round and who was on a five-match, loss-side winning streak that would take him as far as the quarterfinals. Vance had most recently picked up a forfeit victory over Mike Kirby (one of a few, brought on by a local 10 p.m. curfew on Saturday night, from which some players did not return on Sunday) and eliminated David Givens 7-4.

Two double hill matches were fought for advancement to the quarterfinals. Vance downed Chitwood 7-6 and Musselman eliminated Zampich 6-5. Vance’s bid came to an end in those quarterfinals, as Musselman defeated him 6-4. 

The semifinal was a rematch between Musselman and Lewis. Lewis had given up only a single rack in their winners’ side semifinal match. He was even stingier in the semifinals, shutting Musselman out to earn a second shot at Willard in the hot seat.

Willard then did unto Lewis as Lewis had done unto Musselman; giving up one rack less to Lewis than he had allowed him in their hot seat match. Willard claimed the title with a 5-2 win in the finals.

Tour directors Herman and Angela Parker had a lot to look back upon as they considered what was easily the most challenging year of their eight years bringing the Viking Cues’ Q City 9-Ball to the Southeast.

“We ran 50 events a year,” Herman noted. “In this environment, we ran 41 events and that’s still pretty solid.”

Looking back, not just on this truncated season, but on eight years of running the tour, the Parkers have accomplished a lot. Herman’s first articulated thought about those eight years featured a note of wry humor. 

“I feel 15 years older,” he said.

“I feel great about it,” he added. “For me, it’s a great milestone. Being in business for yourself takes a whole lot of dedication, self-discipline and hard work.”

He credits Tony Robles for being the role model that inspired his work with the Viking Cues’ Q City 9-Ball Tour.

“He always worked very hard,” said Parker of Robles. “He’s a class act. He was always motivated, worked very hard and always did things the right way.”

The Parkers also noted the cooperation and assistance of all of the tour’s venues, including this past weekend’s owner, Bobby Jack Connor and his Peyton’s Place staff. They also thanked title sponsor Viking Cues, Bar Pool Tables, JB Magic Templates, AZBilliards, Tickler Pool Ball Washing Machine, Skyline Construction, Federal Savings Bank Mortgage Division and Dirty South Grind Apparel Co.

The Viking Cues’ Q City 9-Ball Tour will open its 2021 season with the annual Tour Championship. The $1,000-added event will be hosted by Break & Run Billiards in Chesnee, SC.