DJ Brads isn’t the first competitor to bring home his first recorded cash payout with a win on a regional tour event and isn’t likely to be the last. But losing his first match at last weekend’s (Sat., March 5) Viking Cues’ Q City 9-Ball Tour stop and then wending his way through eight loss-side wins to double dip hot seat occupant, Greg Taylor, certainly caught the attention of those present who watched it happen. To include the attention of tour director, Herman Parker, who’ll likely be adjusting Brads’ handicap rating for future events. The $500-added event drew 24 entrants to the Clubhouse in Lynchburg, VA.
Brads lost that first-round match of his to Justin Knuckles and would successfully win their rematch in the semifinals later. Knuckles advanced through three more opponents to face Scott Largen in one of the winners’ side semifinals. Taylor and Rodney Strickland squared off in the other one.
Knuckles moved on to the hot seat match 6-2 over Largen. Taylor joined him after sending Strickland to the loss side 8-2. In a double hill battle, Taylor claimed the hot seat (8-5), sending Knuckles off to his semifinal rematch.
Three wins into his loss-side streak, Brads downed Wes Campbell 5-1 and shut out Ethan Carson to draw Strickland. Largen picked up Cameron Lawhorne, who’d recently eliminated James Marvin 8-3 and Earl Kent, double hill. Brads moved into the quarterfinals 5-1 over Strickland and was joined by Largen, who’d defeated Lawhorne 6-4.
Brads’ win #7 in those quarterfinals sent Largen home 5-4 (Largen racing to 6). This handed Brads his opportunity for redemption (or revenge, dependent on how you look at it) against Knuckles in the semifinals. He’d given up six and chalked up three racks in their first meeting. This time around, he tallied five racks, gave up only one and moved on for a shot against Taylor in the hot seat.
With Taylor racing to 8, Brads completed his trip to the winners’ circle with a 5-2 victory in the opening set of a true double elimination final and won the second set 5-3 to claim the title.
Tour director Herman Parker thanked the ownership and staff at the Clubhouse, as well as title sponsor Viking Cues, BarPoolTables.net, Break Time Billiards of Winston-Salem, NC, 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 (March 12-13) will be a $500-added event, hosted by Still Cluckin’ in Providence, NC.
Daniel Adams, known far and wide as Papa John, came to Princeton, WV last weekend (Sat., Jan. 29, six hours of Sun., Jan. 30) and in a pair of battles versus junior competitor (until July) Cole Lewis, claimed the title to a stop on the Viking Cues’ Q City 9-Ball Tour. The $500-added event drew 43 entrants to Sonny’s Billiards in Princeton.
Adams and Lewis advanced through the field, headed for the hot seat and arrived at the winners’ side semifinals. Papa John faced Scott Largen while Lewis squared off against Sean McGrady.
Adams sent Largen to the loss side 6-3, as Lewis was busy doing likewise to McGrady 8-3. Adams claimed the hot seat 6-6 (Lewis racing to 8) and waited on his return.
On the loss side, Largen picked up Corey Morphew, who’d just completed two, wildly divergent matches to reach him. After surviving a double hill battle versus Ricky Bingham (9-5), Morphew shut Derek Bonds out 9-0. McGrady drew Mike Clevinger, who’d eliminated Hank Powell 7-6 (Powell racing to 8) and Robert McCoy, double hill.
Morphew and Clevinger kept Largen and McGrady’s visit to the loss side short, very short. Morphew downed Largen 9-2, as Clevinger eliminated McGrady 7-4. Both competitors in the quarterfinals that followed had been sent to the loss side by the same man, Keith Young, who’d defeated Clevinger in the 2nd round (first match for Clevinger) and Morphew in the third round. Young eliminated the possibility of a rematch against either of them by losing to Robert McCoy in the 9/12 matches.
Clevinger was ahead in the loss-side match wins (7-5) when the quarterfinals began. Morphew ended Clevinger’s loss-side winning streak 9-5 and then had his own streak of six loss-side wins stopped by Lewis 8-5 in the semifinals.
As dawn was working its way toward the eastern horizon, Papa John and junior competitor Cole Lewis locked up in a double hill fight that concluded, according to tour director Herman Parker, at around 6 a.m. on Sunday morning. Adams won his six racks in the only set of the true double elimination final necessary before Lewis had chalked up his eight. Adams claimed his first Viking Cues’ Q City 9-Ball Tour title since he’d come from deep on the loss side to win an event at The Clubhouse in Lynchburg, VA almost five years ago (April, 2017).
Tour director Herman Parker thanked the ownership and staff at Sonny’s Billiards 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. 5-6) will be the $1,500-added, 1st Annual Winter Classic, to be hosted by Break Time Billiards and Sports Bar in Winston-Salem. In addition to a $1,000-added Open event, there will be a $500-added Ladies event.
It is the first in a series of seasonal Open events that Parker is adding to the tour’s 2022 schedule. Parker will duplicate the seasonal Open events at dates (to be determined) in the spring, summer and fall.
“We’ve been doing only three or four Open events per year,” said Parker, “but we’re looking to expand that to between 12-15 per year.”
“In addition to the seasonal classics,” he added, “they’ll include events like the Ron Park Memorial, the West Virginia state and North Carolina State championships.”
Stay tuned for further information as it becomes available regarding the upcoming Open events on the tour.
Billy Walker came back from a defeat in a winners’ side semifinal match against Brian Bryant to win the opening set of a true double elimination final against him. Bryant, though, rallied in the second set to claim the Viking Cues’ Q City 9-Ball title, at a stop held on Saturday, April 29. The event drew 21 entrants to The Clubhouse in Lynchburg, VA.
In their first of three matches, Bryant downed Walker 9-3 (Walker racing to 7). Scott Largen, in the meantime, defeated Lee O’Neal 7-2 in the other winners’ side semifinal. Bryant and Largen battled to double hill in the hot seat match, before Bryant won it and waited on Walker’s return.
On the loss side, Walker ran into Chris Woodrum, who’d defeated co-tour director Angela Parker 6-5 and the previous week’s Q City 9-Ball Tour winner, Cameron Lawhorne 6-1. O’Neal drew Kelly Farrar, who’d eliminated Brian Glisson 6-3 and Greg Taylor 6-4.
Walker got into the quarterfinals with a 7-2 win over Woodrum. He was joined by O’Neal, who’d survived a double hill fight versus Farrar. Walker then defeated O’Neal 7-3, and spoiled Largen’s hopes for a re-match against Bryant with a 7-2 win in the semifinals.
Walker took the opening set of the true double elimination final 7-4. Bryant won the second set 9-4 to claim the event title.
Tour directors Herman and Angela Parker thanked the ownership and staff at The Clubhouse, 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, scheduled for May 5-6, will be hosted by Borderline Billiards in Bristol, TN.
Mike Hancock had the good fortune to run into a forfeit victory in the finals of the February 20-21 stop on the Q City 9-Ball Tour. His potential opponent, Brian Bryant, had been defeated in the second round of play, and won nine straight matches on the loss side for the right to meet Hancock, but a family situation forced Bryant to leave and forfeit the final match. The event drew 48 entrants to Clubhouse Billiards in Lynchburg, VA.
With Bryant, long at work on the loss side, Hancock advanced to a winners' side semifinal match against Collin Hall. Matt Fiple, in the meantime, met up with Zach Hampton. Hancock defeated Hall 6-5, and in the hot seat match, faced Fiple, who'd sent Hampton to the west bracket 7-4. Hancock claimed the hot seat 6-4 over Fiple, in what would prove to be his last match.
Over on the loss side, Bryant was mowing 'em down, one by one. With four notches on his loss-side belt, he defeated Chuckie Brown 9-4 and Scott Largen 9-5 to draw Hall. Hampton picked up Danny Mastermaker, who'd downed his brother, Joey, 10-5 and defeated Beuford Lusk 10-4.
Bryant moved on to the quarterfinals with a 9-4 win over Hall. He was joined by Hampton, who'd ended Mastermaker's weekend 9-7. Bryant eliminated Hampton 9-6, and won what proved to be his last match 9-4, over Matt Fiple in the semifinals. His subsequent forfeit left the event title in Hancock's hands.
DJ Brads isn’t the first competitor to bring home his first recorded cash payout with a win on a regional tour event and isn’t likely to be the last. But losing his first match at last weekend’s (Sat., March 5) Viking Cues’ Q City 9-Ball Tour stop and then wending his way through eight loss-side wins to double dip hot seat occupant, Greg Taylor, certainly caught the attention of those present who watched it happen. To include the attention of tour director, Herman Parker, who’ll likely be adjusting Brads’ handicap rating for future events. The $500-added event drew 24 entrants to the Clubhouse in Lynchburg, VA.
