Francisco Cabral, Richard Barrett and Richardson Fuertes
After a three-month hiatus, the New England 9-Ball Series returned to mount its annual Summer Sizzler at Snookers in Providence, RI this past weekend, August 13-14. Though Francisco Cabral, working at the outset, from an upper bracket (higher ranked competitors), would end up winning seven on the loss side for the chance to face Richard Barrette in the final, the two opted out of playing that final, splitting the top two prizes and allowing Barrette, as the hot seat occupant, to become the event’s official winner. The $1,000-added event drew 39 entrants to Snookers.
Working from the lower bracket, Barrette got by Albert Michaud, William Aley, Jeffrey Sheehan and Robert Lucas to meet up with Joey Arruda in one of the winners’ side semifinals. In the upper bracket, Richardson Fuertes advanced through Jim Prather, Van Sy, and Beau Powers (who’d previously sent Cabral to the loss side in the third round) to arrive at a winners’ side semifinal against Jimmy Nou.
Barrette defeated Arruda 5-1, as Fuertes downed Nou 5-3. In a straight-up race to 6, the ensuing hot seat match went double hill before Barrette claimed the hot seat.
On the loss side, it was Nou who picked up Cabral, four matches into his loss-side winning streak that had included a shutout win over Fred Soulliere and a re-match win over Beau Powers 5-2. Arruda drew Robert Lucas, who’d defeated William Kuhn 5-3 and Jake Rickel, double hill, to meet him.
Cabral and Nou battled to double hill before Cabral advanced to the quarterfinals against Lucas, who’d eliminated Arruda 4-2. Cabral shut Lucas out 8-0 and then spoiled Fuertes’ bid for a rematch against Barrette by defeating him in the semifinals 6-1.
Though their respective Fargo ratings were 120 points apart (Cabral, 657 and Barrette, 537), the odds-on-winning (64.1% to 35.9%) were not too heavily in Cabral’s favor, although he would have had to win twice to claim the Summer Sizzler title. The two opted out of a final and split the top two prizes.
Tour director Marc Dionne thanked the ownership and staff at Snooker’s for their hospitality, along with sponsors BCAPL, USAPL New England, Fargo Rate, AZBilliards, Professor Q-ball’s National Pool and 3-Cushion News, MJS Construction, Master Billiards, OTLVISE, Outsville, Salotto and Just The Tip Cue Repair and Custom Accessories. The next stop on the New England 9-Ball Series (#7), scheduled for the weekend of October 8-10, will be the Joe Brown Memorial, to be hosted by Buster’s Billiards in Somersworth, NH.
Kyle King, Chad Bazinet, and Billy ‘The Kid’ Lanna
Billy “The Kid” Lanna and Chad Bazinet have been battling on New England and New York area pool tables for two decades. The Kid’s got a year on Bazinet, having shown up on the payout lists of three stops on the Joss Northeast 9-Ball Tour for the first time in 1999, a year before Bazinet made his first appearance in the AZBilliards database for finishing 17th at a Joss stop in October, 2000. They both showed up at the New England 9-Ball Series’ annual Summer Sizzler this past weekend (Stop #16, August 7-8), sporting Fargo Rates exactly one digit apart; The Kid, with 660 & Bazinet at 661. The Kid got shuffled off to the loss side in a winners’ side quarterfinal match, won five after that and then downed Bazinet twice in the true double elimination finals to claim the event title. The $2,000-added event drew 59 entrants to Snooker’s in Providence, RI.
They both came out of the event’s upper bracket, which at this particular event, featured Fargo rates from 664 down to 551. Bazinet, after an opening round bye, downed Ryan Stevens, Clyde Matta and Jim Prather to arrive at a winners’ side semifinal match versus Ray McNamara, with a Fargo rate one point above him at 662. Kyle King (474), coming out of the lower bracket, which featured a 200-point range of Fargo rates from 346 to 546, was also awarded an opening round bye, after which he defeated Ed Murray, Neal Katz and Mario Barriere to arrive at his winners’ side semifinal match against Jackie Loving.
Bazinet defeated McNamara 6-3, as King downed Loving 6-2. King began the hot seat match with ‘five beads on the wire’ in a race to 9 against Bazinet. He added one, before Bazinet reached nine to claim the hot seat.
On the loss side, “The Kid” was working his way back from a winners’ side quarterfinal loss (6-1) at the hands of Ray McNamara. He got by Clyde Matta 6-4 and survived a double hill battle versus Dev Bhattacharya to draw a rematch against McNamara. Loving drew a rematch, as well, versus Richard Barrette, who, after she’d sent him to the loss side, defeated Richard Bonarrigo, double hill and James Stonkus 5-2.
“The Kid” chalked up his second straight double hill win, over McNamara, and advanced to the quarterfinals. Barrette joined him after successfully wreaking his vengeance on Loving 9-2 (Loving racing to 4). “The Kid” gave up just one rack to Barrette to claim that quarterfinal match.
As had happened in the battle for the hot seat, Kyle King started the semifinal match with ‘five beads on the wire’ in a race to 9 versus “The Kid.” King added two racks, but “The Kid” chalked up his nine to earn himself a shot, and needfully, two against Bazinet, waiting for him in the hot seat.
“The Kid” took the race-to-6 opening set of the true double elimination final 6-2. Not so fast, said Bazinet in the second set. They battled to double hill in that second set, but “The Kid” completed his run to the winners’ circle and claimed the event title.
Tour director Marc Dionne thanked the ownership and staff at Snooker’s, as well as sponsors Predator, Poison, Arcos II, BCAPL, USAPL New England, Fargo Rate, AZBilliards, Professor Q-ball’s National Pool and 3-Cushion News, MJS Construction, Master Billiards, OTLVISE, Outsville, Salotto and Just The Tip Cue Repair and Custom Accessories. The next stop on the New England 9-Ball Series (#17), scheduled for Sept. 25-26, will be a $750-added event, hosted by American Pool & Billiards in Portland, ME.
