Whitman comes from the loss side to capture Women's title
Jundel Mazon of the Philippines has been among the top 10 finishers in 10 events this year, including a stop on the Q City 9-Ball Tour (2nd), the NC State 8-Ball Championships (3rd), the Gotham City Classic (7th), the US Open 9-Ball Championships, the 4th Annual Steinway Classic, the Houston Open and 42nd Annual Texas Open (all 9th), but he has only won twice, both times on the Action Pool Tour. In September, he defeated Brandon Shuff in the finals to take the APT's seventh tour stop. On the weekend of November 14-15, he defeated Shuff a second time in the finals to take the tour's ninth stop and become the second player to win the VA State 8-Ball Championships, which drew 36 entrants to Diamond Billiards in Midlothian, VA.
In a concurrently-run Women's event, Kim Whitman won three on the loss side to meet and defeat Barbara Yeager in the finals to become the second VA State 8-Ball Women's champion. The Women's event drew nine entrants.
Mazon's path through the 36-entrant field avoided a confrontation versus the event's defending champion, Mike Davis, who was sent to the loss side by Danny Green in the third round, and eliminated by Nilbert Lim in the matches that determined the tie for seventh. Following a bye and a second round shutout over Luther Pickerall, Mazon did have to face the APT's top-ranked player, Shaun Wilkie (runner-up to Davis in 2013) in a match that went double hill, before advancing Mazon to a match versus Green. He defeated Green to face Larry Kressel in a winners' side semifinal. Shuff, in the meantime (third in 2013), faced Reymart Lim.
Mazon downed Kressel 7-5, as Shuff was sending Lim over 7-3. In their first of two, Mazon defeated Shuff 7-2 and sat in the hot seat, waiting for him to get back.
On the loss side, Kressel picked up Nilbert Lim, who'd just eliminated Cary Dunn and Davis, both 6-4. Reymart Lim ran into Danny Green, who'd defeated Brian Dietzenbach and Shannon Fitch, also both 6-4. Lim battled to double hill before being ousted by Green, who, in the quarterfinals, met Kressel, who'd shut Lim out. Green and Kressel battled to double hill before Green advanced for a shot against Shuff in the semifinals.
Shuff took the semifinal match versus Green 6-2 and got a second shot at Mazon in the hot seat. To no avail, as Mazon took the extended, single race 9-2 to capture the VA State 8-Ball Championships title.
In the Women's event, unattended by the 2013 winner and runner-up (Cheryl Pritchard and Jackie Rivera) Kim Whitman and Barbara Yeager battled twice for the title; once in a winners' side semifinal and again, in the finals, in two very different kinds of matches. The small field dictated that a single match put both of them into the winners' side semifinals; Whitman had defeated Sierra Reams 6-4 and Yeager had shut out Soo Emmett. Sheri Bruner and Jacki Duggan, in the meantime, squared off in the other winners' side semifinal.
Duggan advanced to the hot seat match with a 6-2 victory over Bruner, and was met by Yeager, who'd shut Whitman out. Yeager claimed the hot seat 6-3 over Duggan and waited for what turned out to be the fateful, and quite different second match against Whitman.
On the loss side, Bruner picked up Reams, who'd defeated Emmett 5-2. Whitman drew Nicole Fleming, who'd eliminated Tina Scott 5-3. Bruner and Whitman advanced to quarterfinals; Bruner 5-2 over Reams and Whitman 5-3 over Fleming. Whitman gave up only a single rack to Bruner in the quarterfinals, and completely shut out Duggan in the semifinals. In sharp contrast to their meeting in the hot seat match, Yeager and Whitman fought to double hill before Whitman prevailed to take the Women's title.
Illness precluded her participation in the 2014 VA State 10-Ball Championships to defend the title she'd won in the inaugural event in 2013, but Janet Atwell returned this year, and went undefeated through a field of 22 to reclaim the title, won last year by Tracie Majors. The event was hosted by Diamond Billiards in Midlothian, VA on the weekend of February 7-8.
Victories over Cheryl Sporleder, Nicole Fleming and Dawn Buchanan put Atwell in a winners' side semifinal versus Meredith Lynch. Jacki Duggan, in the meantime, following victories over Pauline Mattes and Tracey Collins, faced Falon Newton. Lynch and Newton both put up double hill fights, but Atwell and Duggan prevailed to square off for the first time in the hot seat match. Atwell shut Duggan out and waited in the hot seat for her return.
On the loss side, Lynch drew Tina Scott, who'd gotten by Lai Li, double hill, and Sheri Bruner 5-2. Newton picked up Kim Whitman, who'd eliminated Sporleder, double hill and Buchanan 5-3. Whitman and Scott handed Lynch and Newton their second loss, both 5-3, and met in the quarterfinals, where Scott prevailed 5-2.
Duggan defeated Scott 5-2 in the semifinals, and like her male counterpart in these VA State 10-Ball Championships (Matt Krah; see separate story), entered the finals with the sting of a hot seat shutout fresh in her memory. Atwell gave up only a single rack to Duggan in the finals to claim her second VA State 10-Ball title.
Adam Kielar rode a match-by-match roller coaster through seven opponents during the 2nd Annual VA State 10-Ball Championships held on the weekend of January 11-12, and ended the ride with the event title. In a concurrently-run women's event, Tracie Majors faced five opponents and like Kielar finished undefeated to claim the event title. The dual events, held under the auspices of the Action Pool Tour and hosted by Diamond Billiards in Midlothian, VA, drew 80 entrants; 64 to the Open, and 16 to the women's tournament.
Kielar started his trip to the state championship winners' circle with a shutout over Alex Travino, and then as the winners' bracket narrowed, started to face increased competition. Paul Cogle chalked up three racks against him, Alan Duty got within two at 8-6 and in a winners' side final eight battle, Kenny Miller forced him into a double hill deciding game. He survived to face Shaun Wilkie, as Brian Deska squared off against Greg Taylor in the other winners' side semifinal.
Fresh off his double hill struggle, Kielar gave up only a single rack to Wilkie and in the hot seat match, met Deska, who'd just survived his own double hill troubles against Taylor. Kielar gave up only three in the match against Deska, which left him in the hot seat, awaiting what turned out to be the return of Wilkie.
Wilkie had moved over to meet Reymart Lim, who'd defeated Eric Moore, double hill, and Chris Bruner 6-4. Taylor drew Kenny Miller, who, after his defeat at the hands of Kielar went on to drop Cody Phillips 6-2 and defeat Danny Mastermaker, double hill. Wilkie got by Lim 6-2, as Miller was busy chalking up his second straight double hill win; this time, against Taylor.
Wilkie gave up only two racks against Miller in the quarterfinals, and gave up only one to Brian Deska in the semifinals. Kielar, though, was not to be denied. He took the final match 10-4 to claim the VA State 10-Ball Championship title.
On the women's side, Tracie Majors charted a similar up and down course to the finals. She gave up two racks in an opening round match against Michele Jones, four against Jacki Duggan, and then had to fight a double hill deciding match against Tina Scott in a winners' side semifinal. In the hot seat match, Majors met Sheri Bruner, who'd sent Shanna Lewis to the loss side 8-2. She defeated Bruner 8-3 and sat in the hot seat, awaiting the only opponent who'd given her a double hill hard time, Tina Scott.
Scott had moved over to pick up Gwen Townsend, who'd gotten by Sarah Thomas 6-2 and Daisy Blancafor 6-4. Meanwhile, Shanna Lewis drew Cheryl Pritchard, who'd defeated Pauline Mattes and Jacki Duggan, both 6-4. Scott and Prtichard both survived double hill matches against Townsend and Pritchard to face each other in the quarterfinals, where Scott advanced 6-2 to meet Bruner in the semifinals.
Scott prevailed over Bruner in another double hill match to earn a re-match against Majors in the finals. Majors completed her undefeated run with a 10-5 win over Scott to claim the VA State Women's 10-Ball Championship.
These VA State 10-Ball Championships were the first event of the 2014 Action Pool Tour season, but the last official event to be overseen by Tour Director Ozzy Reynolds, who will move to Las Vegas in February to accept a position as a manager of Cue Sports International. He will continue to maintain administrative oversight of the Action Pool Tour, as Stephen Quan, long-time assistant, will handle tournament responsibilities going forward.
"I have 100% confidence that (Steve) will do a fantastic job," said Reynolds, "mainly because he's been doing everything anyway. We'd get it all set up and I'd go out and play, while he did everything else."
Reynolds is still a little stunned by this turn of events in his life.
"I'm excited for the opportunity," he said. "I never in a million years ever saw (a position like this with CSI) as an option, so I'm still pinching myself a little."
"I didn't realize that the tour would have the success that it's had, and would catapult my name into a position to even have this opportunity," he added. "The most rewarding part of the experience for me has been the wonderful people that I've met and interacted with over these past few years. It's one of the reasons that I wasn't upset about being eliminated early in this tournament (tied for 33rd), because it afforded me the opportunity to spend some quality time with the people I've been associated with. I anticipate maintaining relationships with many of these people."
