Linda Haywood-Shea, Caroline Pao, Briana Miller and Kia Burwell
In a J. Pechauer Northeast Women’s Tour (JPNEWT) stop in Pennsylvania, affected by a variety of factors, including other events, gas/lodging prices and distance, Kia Burwell chalked up her first 2022 tour win this past weekend (Oct. 8-9), downing both the tour-rankings leader, Briana Miller and the top American competitor on the WPBA rankings list, Caroline Pao in the process. She also won five of her seven total matches on the loss side to be in the event finals. While the $750-added event drew a short field of 12 entrants to Eagle Billiards in Dickson City, PA, it was not without its impactful matches among the tour’s top competitors; six of the tour’s top 10 were on-hand to jockey for tour-ranking position in the 8th of 10 stops on the 2022 tour.
Following a first-round bye, Burwell (#2) lost her opening match to Carol V. Clark (#6 on the tour) 7-5. Clark advanced to a winners’ side semifinal against Miller (#1). Pao (#4), in the meantime, followed an opening round bye with a 7-3 win over tour director Linda Shea (#3) to pick up Rachel Walters in the other winners’ side semifinal.
Miller shut Clark out and in the hot seat match, faced Pao, who’d defeated Walters 7-3. Miller claimed the hot seat 7-3 over Pao and waited for Burwell to complete her loss-side run.
Two matches into her loss-side run, with victories over Shelah Joner 7-4 and Melissa Jenkins 7-2, Burwell drew Walters. Clark picked up Shea, who’d defeated Linda Cheung, double hill and Ashley Benoit 7-4 to reach her.
Burwell did her part to bring about a rematch against Clark in the quarterfinals, downing Walters 7-4, but Shea spoiled the ‘party’ by eliminating Clark 7-2. In a quite familiar scene, Shea and Burwell battled in those quarterfinals, Burwell coming out on top 7-3.
Either way, the semifinals were going to yield a finals opponent for Miller that would not be enviable; Pao or Burwell. As it turned out, Burwell had to win two straight double hill battles to complete her run.
No problem. She battled Pao to the hill before advancing to the extended-race-to-9 finals. There, she chalked up seven racks first to extend the race to 9 games and then, with Miller nipping at her double-hill heels, she finished up to claim the event title.
Co-Tour Directors Linda Shea and Briana Miller thanked the ownership and staff at Eagle Billiards for their hospitality, as well as title sponsor J. Pechauer Custom Cues and stream commentator George Hammerbacher (Advanced Pool Instructor, Baltimore, MD). The next stop on the JPNEWT, scheduled for the weekend of November 5-6, will be hosted by On Cue Sports Bar & Grill in Front Royal, VA.
She won the March season opener at Triple Nines in Elkridge, MD. She won the second stop on the 2022 J.Pechauer Northeast Women’s Tour (JPNEWT) in Norristown, PA. The third stop in Sterling, VA had to be cancelled. Brianna Miller did not compete in Stop #4 and tour director Linda Shea won it to move ahead of her in the tour’s point standings by a slim 25 points. Miller regained her point standings lead this past weekend (Saturday, June 11) with her third victory on the tour, now having won all three of the tour’s events in which she has competed. Shea slipped down to third in the standings, finishing in 4th place this past weekend with a loss to Kia Burwell, who finished as runner-up to Miller and stepped into 2nd place in the standings. With competing events in the area paying homage to a pair of recently deceased members of the mid-Atlantic pool community, Stop #5 on the JPNEWT drew only 10 entrants to Triple Nines in Elkridge, MD.
Miller and Burwell met twice in this event; once in a winners’ side semifinal and again, in the finals. Miller, after being awarded an opening round bye, had defeated Kelly Wyatt 7-5 to draw Burwell, who’d gotten by Kathy Friend 7-5. In the meantime, Ellie Kaufman had defeated Kim Martin 7-2 to draw tour director Linda Shea in the other winners’ side semifinal.
Miller sent Burwell to the loss side 7-2, while Kaufman was doing likewise to Shea 7-4. Miller snagged the hot seat with a 7-2 victory over Kaufman.
On the loss side, Burwell picked up Shelah Joner, who’d lost her opening round match to Kelly Wyatt, downed Melissa Mason 7-2 and survived a double hill match against Kim Martin. Shea drew Friend, who’d defeated Judy Wilson 7-3 to reach her.
Burwell and Shea, winner and runner-up on the previous tour stop, advanced to the quarterfinals, defeating Joner and Friend, respectively, both 7-3. Burwell then dropped Shea into 4th place 7-5 and earned her rematch against Miller with a 7-3 victory over Kaufman in the semifinals.
By the look of things at the present time, the final match of the JPNEWT’s Stop #5 could be a harbinger of things to come. Their meetup in the finals moved them into 1st and 2nd place in the tour standings and seems likely to be repeated in the months ahead. Miller claimed the event title this time out, downing Burwell in the finals 7-5.
Tour director Linda Shea thanked the ownership and staff at Triple Nines for their hospitality, as well as title sponsor J. Pechauer Custom Cues and George Hammerbacher (Advanced Pool Instructor, Baltimore, MD). The next stop on the JPNEWT (#6), scheduled for the weekend of July 16-17, will be hosted by Champion Billiards Sports Bar in Frederick, MD.
