The Joss NE 9-Ball Tour kicked off the second half of it’s 2022/2023 season with a field of 51 players competing at the Northeast 9-Ball Open XXXIV at Sharpshooters Billiards and Sports Pub in Amsterdam, NY on February 18th – 19th.
The field included four of the top five players on the tour’s points list, with only 4th place Nate Marshall missing. Even with that firepower in the event, it was Canada’s Nick Charette who advanced through the field undefeated to score his first career Joss NE 9-Ball Tour title.
Charette made it clear that he meant business this weekend with his first three match wins (Brian Namulik, Aro Majumder and Ed Culhane) coming with a combined score of 27-3. He was tested in his next two, but still scored comfortable wins over Jordan Turner and #3 on the points list, Bucky Souvanthong.
Charette really made a statement on Sunday with a 9-0 whitewash over Dan Sharlow for the hot-seat.
On the one loss side, Ron Casanzio was showing everyone why he is the #1 player on the points list this season. After dropping a hill-hill match against Geoff Montgomery on Saturday, Casanzio strung together nine straight wins on the left side of the board to earn his shot at Charette in the finals.
While on paper, most would have considered Casanzio a big favorite, simply based on his experience in Joss Tour finals, Charette was not to be denied as the cruised to a 9-6 win in the first and only set of the finals.
Sunday’s second chance tournament saw Rohit Aggarwal hold off a charge from Joe Wysocki to win the second set of the finals 3-1 for first place. Wysocki lost to Mike Renshaw in the final four on the winners side, but won four straight, including a 3-2 decision against Aggarwal in the first set of the finals. It wasn’t enough though, with Aggarwal following up his hot-seat win over Renshaw with a second set in against Wysocki and first place.
Congratulations to stop #10 winners, Nick Charette (Main Event $1,100) & Rohit Aggarwal (Second Chance $320)
First let me say Congratulations to Snookers Sports Billiards Bar & Grill new owners Paul Troxell and his wife Erin! Steve and Regina Goulding have decided it was time to retire after opening and running Snookers for 30+ years! Now it is Paul and Erin’s turn. Don’t expect anything to change though as Paul has been at the helm managing Snookers for many years now. Please join me in wishing them the best of luck in their new business venture!!
Snookers Sports Billiards Bar & Grill (Providence R.I.) and Mike Zuglan‘s Joss Northeast 9-Ball Tour are proud to present the 13th Annual New England Pool & Billiards Hall Of Fame 9-Ball Open. In addition to the actual tournament which will take place on Saturday March 4 & Sunday March 5, there will also be a Hall of Fame presentation ceremony on Friday evening March 3 at 6pm. All inductees will receive plaques in the New England Pool & Billiards Hall Of Fame located at, maintained by, and funded by Snookers. You will be able to view the entire weekend’s events via a free live stream for the Hall Of Fame ceremony on Friday evening and the main event on Saturday & Sunday. The stream can be accessed on Snookers home site: www.snookersri.com
Snookers is also one of the best restaurants in the Providence area. Check them out at www.snookersri.com and thanks to Paul and Erin Troxell for putting up the $3,000 added, and once again allowing us the use of this great room for our event. Trophies will be awarded to the top finishers in the main event. Also, Whether you come to play, or just watch, you will have the opportunity to win a gorgeous custom engraved Joss Cue, valued at $1,900, by participating in Snookers cue raffle. Anyone can participate and you don’t have to be present to win! The drawing will be just prior to the final match of the main event on Sunday. So come on down and play and win, watch for free, have some great food and drink, and take a chance at a $1,900 Joss Cue.
Snookers has arranged a special rate of $169 + Tax at the Providence Marriot (just across the street), 1 Orms St, Providence RI 02904, 401-272-2400 – mention Snookers.
This event at Snookers will consist of a $2,500 added Saturday and Sunday Main Event (entry Fee $120 for pro level or $70 for non pro level) and a $500 added second chance event on Sunday ($20 Entry Fee) for those non pro players eliminated from the main event on Saturday
For those of you coming to play, please arrive on Saturday March 4, Before 11:00 AM, and in proper dress please. Yes, jeans and sneakers are permitted in our billiard parlor events. But please, NO T-shirts, tanks, shorts or sweats. Complete tour info can be found on our site www.joss9balltour.com
Be aware that I reserve the right to alter the format of any of our events to accommodate large fields, shortage of 9 footers or by direction of the host room owner!
SCHEDULE UPDATE: I have added stop # 16.5 at Amazin Billiards in Malden MA (near Boston) on May 20 & 21!! This will be the “Massachusetts State 9-Ball Championships” and will be $1,500 Added to the main event plus $500 Added to the second chance event. More info at joss9balltour.com or at amazinbilliards.com
Please send all replies and inquiries to mzjosstour@aol.com or call Mike Zuglan at 518-356-7163. This gmail address is only used for announcements.
Please remember to spread the word to frequent your local billiard parlors and utilize the world class products of our most generous sponsors. They are the backbone of our sport and deserve our support!!
Thanks, and I hope to see you all at Snookers
Mike Zuglan
The Joss Northeast 9-Ball Tour Is Proudly Sponsored By;
Nate Marshall, Diamond Billiards Owner Fran Imburgia and Bucky Souvanthong
Bucky Souvanthong returned to the Joss NE 9-Ball Tour’s winners circle with an undefeated run through a field of thirty five players at Diamond Billiards in Rochester, New York on November 5th – 6th.
Souvanthong’s path on Saturday included wins Frank Wolak, Nabil Lazouzi and Sean Zeng. Souvanthong had three matches again on Sunday, with two of them against Nate Marshall. The first match against Marshall was a 9-6 win for the hot-seat, and after Marshall eliminated Ron Casanzio in the semi-final match 7-4, the second match against Marshall was a 9-5 win in the final match.
In the second chance tournament on Sunday, Rohit Aggarwal won two out of three matches against Tito Ortiz, once in the hot-seat match and two more times in the finals where they split two 3-1 matches.
The Joss NE 9-Ball Tour will be at Snookers in Providence, RI for the 34th Ocean State 9-Ball Championship.
Congratulations to Stop # 8 winners, Bucky Souvanthong ($1,000 main event), Rohit Aggarwal ($300 second chance) & $1,900 Joss Cue raffle winner Krystal Sauer
Stop # 9 of my Joss Northeast 9-Ball Tour’s 26th season will be at the beautiful Snookers Sports Billiards Bar & Grill in Providence RI on November 12 & 13 for the very prestigious, $4,500/$500 Added, 34th Ocean State 9-Ball Championship. This will once again be the first of three events this season at Snookers and our most generous hosts Regina & Steve Goulding deserve a multitude of thanks for all they do for pool in the Northeast! In case you didn’t already know, Snookers was TWICE voted “The Best Billiard Parlor In The USA”. Snookers also is one of the best restaurants in the Providence area, always with an air of fun in the atmosphere. These people really know their business! There will be a free live stream at www.snookersri.com
As always, for the Ocean State 9-Ball Championships, beautiful trophies will be awarded to the top 2 finishers and the winner’s name will be placed on a banner and hung forever at Snookers. Whether you come to play, or just watch, you will have the opportunity to win a gorgeous, custom, engraved, Joss Cue valued at $1,900, by participating in the Snookers cue raffle. Anyone can participate and you Do Not have to be present to win! The drawing will be just prior to the final match on Sunday Nov. 6. So come on down and play and win, watch some great pool action for free, have some great food and drink, and take a chance at winning a $1,900 Joss Cue. A great time will be had by all!!
This event will be $4,500 Added to the main event with an entry fee of $125 (plus any applicable tour fees) for All players. There will also be a $500 second chance event ($20 entry fee) on Sunday for those non pro level players eliminated from the main event on Saturday. Please remember that our main event format is races to 9 on the winners side and races to 7 on the one loss side.
If you are coming to play, please arrive on Saturday Nov. 12, BEFORE 11:00 AM, and in proper dress please. Yes, jeans and sneakers are permitted in our billiard parlor events. But please, NO T-SHIRTS, NO TANKS, NO SHORTS OR SWEATS. Complete tour info including our schedule, results, current point standings and other pertinent tour info can be found on our site www.joss9balltour.com
If you are in need of a motel, Snookers has arranged a special rate of $149+tax at the Providence Marriott Downtown (just across the street). Please mention this event to get this rate. 401-272-2400
WoodSpring Suites is also nearby. call for rates at 401-519-9691
Our next event after Snookers will be our $25,000 Added Turning Stone Classic XXXVI 9-Ball Open on January 5-8, 2023 which is full at 128 paid players. If you would like to be added to our waiting list, please contact me at 518-356-7163. This promises to be yet another great event with some of the games best players competing for the title. Spectator admission is always free at Turning Stone which is arguably one of the best arenas in the world for an event such as ours. Don’t miss it! FYI, the tentative date for our next Turning Stone event is . I will let you all know when it is official but will not take any entries until the January 2023 event and not before.
Please remember to spread the word to frequent your local billiard parlors and utilize the world class products of our most generous sponsors. They are the backbone of our sport and deserve our support now more than ever!!
Bucky Souvanthong, Brickhouse Billiards Owner Brian Holmes and Len Gianfrate
At the first stop on the Joss NE 9-Ball Tour back on October 2nd and 3rd, Ron Casanzio came through the one loss side to steal first place from Bucky Souvanthong. On the second stop of the season, at Brick House Billiards in Syracuse, Casanzio was no where in sight and no one could stop Souvanthong.
Souvanthong was one of the few players to miss an opening round bye in the field of 38 players, and he kicked things off with a 9-5 win over Tim Davis. He followed that up with another 9-5 win over Ray Ortiz, and he pretty much cruised from there. A 9-0 win over Mike Houppert and a 9-4 win over Nick Coppola finished off Saturday play for Souvanthong.
Sunday dawned with Souvanthong facing Jamie Garrett on one side of the brackets, and Len Gianfrate taking on Nick Brucato on the other. Gianfrate won a tight 9-7 match over Brucato and Souvanthong scored a much more comfortable 9-4 win over Garrett. Souvanthong then went on and took the hot-seat with a 9-3 win over Gianfrate.
On the one loss side, Rohit Aggarwal was a “man on a mission”. He had dropped his first round match to Tim Feathers hill-hill, but fought back with five straight wins on the left side of the board, three of those wins being hill-hill affairs. Aggarwal came back on Sunday for a forfeit win over Bryan McDaniel and then another hill-hill win, this time over Brucato. Aggarwal then defeated Garrett 7-4 to earn his shot against Gianfrate in the semi-finals.
Any momentum that Aggarwal had gained with his run of nine straight match wins was stifled immediately, with Gianfrate ending Aggarwal’s run with a 7-0 whitewash.
The final match, a rematch between Souvanthong and Gianfrate, looked a lot like their first meeting with Souvanthong winning it by a comfortable 9-4 margin.
Sundays second chance tournament saw Aaron Greenwood take the hot-seat with wins over Jason Reese, Doug Wells, Nick Coppola and Nate Marshall. Marshall earned a hill-hill win over Coppola in the semi-finals to earn another shot at Greenwood in the finals. Marshall handed Greenwood his first loss of the day in the first set of the finals with a 3-1 scoreline, but Greenwood bounced back to take the second set 3-2, for first place.
The Joss NE 9-Ball Tour is back in action this weekend with another $1500/$500 added event at Utica Billiards on the Boulevard in Utica, NY.
Bucky Souvanthong, East Ridge Billiards Owner Chris Braiman, and Ron Casanzio
The Joss NE 9-Ball Tour kicked off their 2021/2022 schedule with another $2000 added weekend at East Ridge Billiards in Rochester, NY where Ron Casanzio proved again why he is a danger to win any Joss Tour stop that he plays in.
After a first round bye, Casanzio found himself on the wrong side of a 9-7 match against Luis Recio. That left him facing a long uphill battle, and he took that battle on. Casanzio started his westward quest through the brackets with another close one, a hill-hill win over Rohit Aggarwal. From there, Casanzio went on a tear. He finished the day on Saturday with wins over Alex Alvarado, Hendrik Drost and Robert Czupryniak by a combined score of 21-7. That left him in the cash and due to come back on Sunday.
Casanzio picked things up on Sunday where he left off, with wins over Deo Alpojora, Chris Braiman and Aaron Greenwood to land him in the semi-final match.
Back on the winners side, Bucky Souvanthong was playing his usual top speed. Souvanthong came into Sunday as one of the final four undefeated players and ran over Chris Braiman (9-2) and Dave Driedel (9-3) to take the hot-seat.
Casanzio made quick work of Dreidel in the semi-finals 7-2, to earn his shot at Souvanthong in the double elimination final match.
The first set of the finals was a competitive 9-6 win for Casanzio, but Souvanthong looked to have things under control in the second set. Souvanthong was on the hill at 6-4 when a routine 9-ball missed the pocket to give Casanzio a second chance. That was all that Casanzio needed as he won three straight racks for the hill-hill win and another Joss NE 9-Ball Tour Stop win on his resume.
Sunday’s second chance event saw sixteen players competing for over $800 in prize money. Bruce Carroll went undefeated with wins over Rohit Aggarwal for the hot-seat and again in the finals.
The Joss NE 9-Ball Tour will be back in action this weekend at Brickhouse Billiards in N. Syracuse, NY.
Salt City Billiards in Syracuse NY was our host for stop #4 of the Joss Northeast 9-Ball Tour's current 20th season with Danny Hewitt taking top honors in the main event. Hewitt's road to the finals was a relatively easy trip with wins over Dave Johnson 9-1, Rohit Aggarwal 9-2, former NYS Champ Alan Kiehle 9-6, Joe Darigis 9-4, Spencer Auigbelle 9-6 and Hendrik Drost 9-3 for the hot seat. His opponent in the finals, Martin Daigle, had a much tougher task at hand. Having lost a hard fought hill-hill 1st round match to Bucky Souvanthong, things were not looking good. But, that loss seemed to trigger a winning attitude as Daigle proceeded to knock off opponents one by one to the tune of 9 wins in a row for him to reach the finals verses Hewitt. Daigle's victories included wins over Lance Kellogg 9-2, Bruce Carroll 9-1, Dwight Dixon 9-3, Dave Grau 9-3, Joe Darigis 9-4, Ed Saur 9-7, Bruce Nagle 9-8, Spencer Auigbelle 9-3 and Hendrik Drost 9-4.
In the true double elimination format it appeared that Daigle had not lost any steam, winning the first set of the all Canadian finals over Hewitt 9-6. The set was somewhat close early on but hewitt was always slightly behind and seemed to have a little trouble getting his game in gear. The second set however was much different as Hewitt simply dominated Daigle to the tune of 9-2. Hewitt collected $1,000 while Daigle settled for second money of $700 and Drost earned $550 for a great 3rd place finish.
Our $20 entry fee Sunday second chance tourney saw Dave Mills come back from an early loss for the win. That event saw Jason Hall defeat Jerome Rockwell for the hot seat. Mills then beat Rockwell and went on to defeat Hall two sets in the final by scores of 3-2 & 3-2. Mills collected $280 for first, Hall $180 for second and Rockwell $120 for third.
The lucky winner of our $1,500 custom engraved Joss Cue raffle was a local player, Charles Maitland.
We are fast approaching our mid season championship "Turning Stone Classic XXVII 9-Ball Open" on January 5-8, 2017. If you would like to compete in this world class event, I suggest you contact Mike Zuglan immediately to avoid being left out. The event is limited to the first 128 paid entries and Always fills months ahead. If just coming to watch, spectator admission is Free once again. Mike Zuglan can be reached at 518-356-7163.
Main Event results:
1st – Danny Hewitt – $1,000
2nd – Martin Daigle – $700
3rd – Hendrik Drost – $550
4th – Spencer Auigbelle – $400
5/6 – Bruce Nagle & Aaron Greenwood – $300 each
7/8 – Ed Saur & Marco Kam – $200 each
9/12 – Bucky Souvanthong, Joe Darigis, Ron Casanzio & Mark Creamer – $100 each
Second Chance results:
1st – Dave Mills – $280
2nd – Jason Hall – $180
3rd – Jerome Rockwell – $120
4th – Nate Marshall – $80
5/6 – Lance Kellogg & Russ Randall – $40 each
The picture includes Frank Delconte, owner, Martin Daigle 2nd place Dan Hewitt 1st Jennifer Delconte, owners wife
Front Meane Daigle Nichole Delconte (daughters)
