A pair of ‘Steves’ battled it out for the 2017 Viking Cues’ Q City 9-Ball Tour Championships on the weekend of December 16-17. Steve Reece and Steve Hughes played three matches to determine the winner. Reece took two out of three of them, including the all-important second set of a true double elimination final to claim the championship title. The $1,500-added Tour Championships drew 74 entrants to Randolph’s Billiards in Hickory, NC.
The first of the three ‘Steve’ battles was the hot seat match. Reece had sent Rick Roper to the loss side, double hill in one winners’ side semifinal, as Hughes sent Chris Walsh over 7-6 (Walsh racing to 8). Reece claimed the hot seat 5-4 (Hughes racing to 7) and waited for him to get back from the semifinals.
On the loss side, Walsh picked up Jeff Abernathy, who’d defeated Scott Roberts 10-6 and Daniel Gambill 10-8 (double hill) to reach him. Roper drew Bernie Kirby, who’d been defeated by one of the ‘Steves’ (Hughes) and was in the midst of an 8-match, loss-side winning streak that would take him all the way to the semifinals. He’d eliminated Dalton Messer 6-3 and Mackie Lowery, double hill (6-6) to face Roper.
Walsh downed Abernathy 8-8 (Abernathy racing to 10), as Kirby chalked up win #7, 6-1 over Roper. Kirby’s last win came in the quarterfinals that followed. He eliminated Walsh 6-5 (Walsh racing to 8) to earn his re-match against Hughes.
Hughes defeated Kirby a second time, shutting him out to earn his own re-match against Reece. Hughes took the opening set of the true double elimination final 7-1. Reece rallied in the second set to win it 5-4 and claim the Tour Championship title.
Tour directors Herman and Angela Parker thanked the ownership and staff at Randolph’s Billiards, as well as title sponsor Viking Cues, Delta 13 Racks, AZBilliards and Professor Q Ball. The next stop on the Viking Cues’ Q City 9-Ball Tour will be the 2018 season opener, scheduled for the weekend of January 6-7, 2018, and to be hosted by Mickey Milligan’s in New Bern, NC.
As the Viking Cues’ Q City 9-Ball Tour geared up for its first of two tour championships this coming weekend, the competitor who finished 7th in this past January’s tour championship, Blade Best, traveled to Bristol, TN on the weekend of October 21-22 to compete on the tour, and went undefeated to claim the title. The event drew 33 entrants to Borderline Billiards in Bristol, TN.
Best, who faced separate opponents in the hot seat match and finals, got into the hot seat match following a 6-3 win over Brandon Stiltner in one of the two winners’ side semifinals. Randall Bowman, in the meantime, defeated Best’s eventual finals opponent, Doug Shulz 7-5. Best claimed the hot seat 6-4 and waited for Shulz to complete his three-match, loss-side trip to the finals.
Shulz and Adams advanced to the quarterfinals; Shulz, double hill over Bingham and Adams, 8-4 over Stiltner. Shulz took the next two matches by the same 8-2 score, over Adams in the quarterfinals, and Bowman in the semifinals. Best, though, ended Shulz’ run with a 6-5, single-set victory in the double elimination finals (Shulz racing to 8) to claim the event title.
Tour directors Herman and Angela Parker thanked Janet Atwell and her staff at Borderline Billiards, as well as title sponsor Viking Cues, Delta 13 Racks, AZBilliards and Professor Q Ball. The next stop on the Viking Cues’ Q City 9-Ball Tour will be the first of two Tour Championships, the first, this weekend (October 28-29), will be a $1,000-added event on the bar tables of Cue Time in Spartanburg, SC. The event will be by invitation to the tour’s top 100 competitors. The full-table tour championship dates will be announced at a later date.
Chris Walsh and Daniel Gambill played two matches during the Saturday, February 4 stop on the Viking Cues' Q City 9-Ball Tour. Walsh took the first one to claim the hot seat and Gambill won the second in the first set of a true double elimination final. They opted out of a second set and split the top two prizes, leaving Walsh as the official winner. The event drew 45 entrants to Randolph's Billiards in Hickory, NC.
The first match followed a 9-3 victory by Gambill over Dustin Barkley, and a 7-2 win by Walsh over Rick Roper in the two winners' side semifinals. Walsh claimed the hot seat and his last match victory 7-3 over Gambill.
Barkley and Roper moved to the loss side and met up with Tim Monk and Brandon Canipe, respectively. Monk had downed Rocky Hawk 7-3 and Brian Capps 7-6 (Capps racing to 10) to draw Barkley. Canipe eliminated Jake Medlin 6-1 and Jeff Young 6-2 to draw Roper.
Barkley and Roper advanced to the quarterfinals; Barkley 6-1 over Monk, and Roper 7-5 over Canipe. Barkley gave up only a single rack to Roper in the quarterfinals that followed, and then had his short, loss-side streak ended 9-3 in a re-match against Gambill in the semifinals.
As noted at the outset, Gambill took the opening set of the finals 9-5 over Walsh. They left it at that, allowing to Walsh to claim the official event title, while the two split the first two cash prizes.
Tour director Herman Parker thanked the ownership and staff at Randolph's Billiards, as well as title sponsor Viking Cues, Delta 13 Racks, GoPlayPool.com, AZBilliards and Professor Q Ball. Parker also noted that through a combination of cash donations (approximately $800) and goods and services ($500) by local businesses, the tour was able to raise money to help long-time tour member and supporter, Josh Newman, in support of medical expenses for his mother, who was recently diagnosed with lung cancer.
The next stop on the Viking Cues' Q City 9-Ball Tour, scheduled for the weekend of February 11-12, will be a guaranteed $500-added event ($1,000-added with a full field of 48), hosted by Mister Cues II in Atlanta, GA.
Jody Musselman survived a double hill opening set of the finals versus Scott Howard, who'd won five on the loss side for the right to meet him, and chalked up an undefeated win on the Viking Cues' Q City 9-Ball Tour on the weekend of October 22-23. The event drew 39 entrants to Borderline Billiards in Bristol, TN.
With his eventual finals opponent already at work on the loss side, Musselman advanced to a winners' side semifinal against Blade Best (who'd just sent Howard to the loss side). In the other winners' side semifinal, 15-year-old Dakota Harris, one of a few junior players who competed in the event, squared off against Mike Gann. Musselman sent Best to the loss side 6-1, and in the hot seat match, faced the teenager, Harris, who'd defeated Gann 6-6 (Gann racing to 8). Musselman sent Harris to the semifinals 6-4 and sat in the hot seat, waiting on Howard.
On the loss side, Howard opened his five-match, loss-side run with wins against Matt Shaw 7-1, and Dustin Coe 7-3 to draw Gann. Best drew another of the junior competitors, Eric Roberts (13), who was in the midst of his own six-match, loss-side run that would take him as far as the first money round, battling for advancement to the quarterfinals. He won his fifth and sixth loss- side matches against Steve Dye, double hill, and Rick Roper 5-4 (Roper racing to 7).
Best ended Roberts' run 5-2 and advanced to the quarterfinals against Howard, who'd eliminated Gann 7-5. Howard then downed both Best in the quarterfinals and Harris in the semifinals by a 7-3 score.
Howard would need to defeat Musselman twice in the true double elimination finals, and, racing to 7, win an extra rack to claim each set. The two battled to double hill (6-6) in the opening set, before Musselman completed his undefeated run and claimed the event title.
Tour director Herman Parker thanked Janet Atwell and her Borderline Billiards' staff, as well as title sponsor Viking Cues, Delta-13 racks and Ruthless Billiards. The next stop on the Viking Cues' Q City 9-Ball Tour, scheduled for the weekend of October 29-30, will be hosted by Brass Tap in Raleigh, NC. An 8-ball event, the tournament will be a qualifier for the NC State 8-Ball Championships, scheduled for November 5-6 at Breaktime Billiards in Cary, NC.
Sixteen-year-old Hunter White went undefeated on the Viking Cues' Q City 9-Ball Tour stop on the weekend of October 1-2, to become the first player to win three stops in a single tour season. As a result, his handicap is likely to edge upward to '9' in the weeks ahead. The event drew 33 entrants to Randolph's Billiards in Hickory, NC.
White's victory was chalked up without benefit of a final match. Having defeated Brian Capps in the hot seat match, the two finalists opted out of the final, leaving the undefeated White as the official winner.
White and Capps got into what proved to be their last match, battling for the hot seat, on the heels of two double hill wins in the winners' side semifinals. White downed Steve Hughes 8-6 (Hughes racing to 7), as Capps sent Scott Howard to the loss side 10-6 (Howard, as well, racing to 7). With Capps racing to 10, White claimed the hot seat, and in effect, the event title, with an 8-7 win.
On the loss side, Hughes picked up Aaron McClure, who'd defeated Jeff Abernathy, double hill, and Robert Moreno 6-3. Howard drew Rick Roper, who'd shut out Robert Ash and eliminated Paul Canterbury 7-4.
Roper squeaked by Howard, double hill, and in the quarterfinals, facEd Hughes, who'd downed McClure 7-4. Hughes won the 'first money round' quarterfinals 7-5, and then had his short, two-match, loss-side run ended by Capps in the semifinals 10-3.
White and Capps then opted out of a final match. White, as the undefeated hot seat occupant, claimed the official event title.
Tour director Herman Parker thanked the ownership and staff of Randolph's Billiards, as well as title sponsor Viking Cues, Delta-13 racks and Ruthless Billiards. The next stop on the Viking Cues' Q City 9-Ball Tour, scheduled for the weekend of October 8-9, will be hosted by Diamond Billiards in Midlothian, VA.
Jonathan Ailstock ended 2015 with a third place finish in the Action Pool Tour's Season Finale, behind the tour's #1 and #2-ranked players, Brandon Shuff and Shaun Wilkie. He fell to Wilkie in the hot seat match, and then, Shuff (who went on to win the event) in the semifinals. Ailstock started 2016 on an equally positive note, going undefeated to take first place in the February 6 stop on the Q City 9-Ball Tour. The event drew 55 entrants to Chandley's Chalk and Cue in Statesville, NC.
There were a couple of 'wild cards' in the race; professional Jeffrey Ignacio, who, while a majority of the players raced to anywhere from 6 to 9, had to reach 13 to win a match, and Jeff Abernathy, who had to reach 11 in his matches. They both advanced to the winners' side semifinals. Ignacio faced Ailstock (racing to 6), while Abernathy squared off against 17-year-old Justin Martin (racing to 9). Ailstock sent Ignacio to the loss side 6-7, while Abernathy downEd Martin 11-5. Ailstock claimed the hot seat 6-8 over Abernathy and waited on his return, which didn't happen until about 3 a.m. on Sunday morning.
On the loss side, Ignacio picked up Rick Roper, who'd gotten by Scott Lewis 7-5 (Lewis racing to 10), and Ron Frank 7-6 (Frank racing to 9). Martin drew Mike Hancock, who'd defeated Mike Robertson 6-3 and Jody Musselman, double hill. Roper ended Ignacio's day 6-6, while Martin survived a double hill match against Hancock (9-5).
Martin then defeated Roper 9-3 in the quarterfinals. Abernathy ended Martin's run 11-4 to earn a second shot against Ailstock in the hot seat. With Abernathy racing to 11, and needing to defeat Ailstock twice, Ailstock completed his undefeated run with a 6-7 victory in the only set necessary.
The next stop on the Q City 9-Ball Tour will be the 2nd Annual North Carolina 9-Ball State Championships, scheduled for February 13-14. The $1,000-added event will be hosted by Brass Tap & Billiards in Raleigh, NC.
Travis Geurra got by Derek Leonard twice to complete an undefeated run on the Q City 9-Ball Tour during the weekend of November 28-29. The 8-ball event drew an unexpected crowd of 52 entrants to Chandley's Chalk & Cue in Statesville, NC.
Guerra and Leonard met first in the hot seat match. Guerra had defeated Rick Roper 5-3, as Leonard downed Matt Lucas 10-3 in the two winners' side semifinals. Guerra and Leonard battled to double hill (Leonard, 9 – Guerra, 4) before Guerra prevailed to sit in the hot seat.
Ailstock defeated Roper 6-4 to earn a quarterfinal rematch against Lucas, who'd eliminated Lowery 4-3 (Lowery racing to 8). Ailstock won the rematch 6-3, but was shut out by Leonard in the semifinals. With Leonard racing to 10, Guerra completed his undefeated run with a 5-6 win over Leonard in what proved to be the only set necessary.
The next stop on the Q City 9-Ball Tour, scheduled for the weekend of December 5-6, will be hosted by Randolph Billiards in Hickory, NC.
Daniel Gambill got sent to the loss side in the early going of the December 6 stop on the Q City 9-Ball Tour. He moved over, won five straight and then double dipped hot seat occupant, Mackie Lowery to secure the event title. The event drew a short field of 12 entrants to Randolph Billiards in Hickory, NC.
Once Joey Fox had sent Gambill to the loss side 7-5, he moved on to a winners' side semifinal versus Jody Musselman. Lowery, in the meantime, faced Rick Roper. Mussleman downed Fox 7-3, and in the battle for the hot seat, faced Lowery, who'd sent Roper to the loss side 8-4. Lowery claimed the hot seat 8-5 and waited on the return of Gambill.
Gambill's loss-side journey to the finals began with a 9-4 victory over Wayne Church and was followed by a double hill win over John Ailstock. This set Gambill up to face Roper, while Fox squared off against Zach Hampton, who'd defeated Brent Stembridge 9-4 and Randy Canipe 8-4, to reach him.
A Gambill/Fox re-match was avoided when Gambill defeated Roper 9-5 and Hampton, having been sent to the loss side by Fox in a shutout, returned the favor and shut Fox out 9-0 to advance to the quarterfinals. Gambill took the quarterfinal match 9-5 over Hampton and then defeated Musselman 9-4 in the semifinals.
Gambill allowed Lowery only one rack over 19 games in the double elimination finals. He shut Lowery out 9-0 in the opening set, and allowed the single rack in the second set to claim the event title.
Clint Clark came back from a defeat in a winners' side semifinal to win three on the loss side and then double dip hot seat occupant Rick Roper in the finals of the October 17-18 stop on the Q City 9-Ball Tour. The event drew 56 entrants to Chandley's in Statesville, NC.
Clark began his loss-side campaign, after a 6-3 victory by Taz Holiday in one of the winners' side semifinals. Roper defeated Brent Kyles 7-6 to meet Holiday in the hot seat match. Roper claimed the hot seat 7-3 over Holiday and waited on Clark's return.
Clark's first opponent on the loss side was Zac Leonard, who'd gotten by Mike Chapman 7-3 and Colin Hall 7-2 to reach him. Kyles drew Joey Fox, who'd eliminated Jerry Varnado and Bryan Pate, both 7-2. Clark and Kyles advanced to the quarterfinals; Clark 9-3 over Leonard and Kyles, 8-6 over Fox.
Clark then chalked up two straight 9-4 wins, ousting Kyles in the quarterfinals, and then, in a rematch, Holiday in the semifinals. He took the double elimination opening set 9-3 over Roper, and though Roper would force a deciding game in the second set, Clark prevailed 9-6 to claim the event title.
