9-year-old Donnie Proctor wins very short-field juniors event and ‘gifts’ his Mom with a cue
It’s generally known as serendipity, “the occurrence and development of events by chance in a happy or beneficial way.” Young Donnie Proctor (9) came to Big Tyme Billiards in Spring, TX this past weekend (April 20-21) to compete in a juniors tournament, held under the auspices of the DL Billiards Tour. What he most likely did not expect (in other words, by chance) was that he would defeat every other competitor in the event, which drew four entrants. He would also likely not have expected that he would play a total of 16 games over three matches and give up just a single rack. He might have showed up hoping he might do well, but it’s unlikely that he’d have walked in with an “I’m going to win this” chip on his shoulder. As noted, though, he went undefeated and did win.
But the serendipity was not over. His Mom (Trisha Proctor) was present and it would flow in her direction.
“Trisha Proctor was telling me that she really wanted that purple McDermott Cue (that was being raffled),” wrote Tour director D’Andrea Leassear in her post-event e-mail to us. “I told her to try winning it with a raffle ticket.”
As it turned out, the recent winner of the juniors event, her son Donnie Proctor bought his mom a raffle ticket with his 1st place winnings.
“Then,” wrote Leassear, “I asked his brother, Preston, to pull the winning ticket.”
“He pulled his Mom’s ticket!!” she added. “How amazing is that!?”
Serendipitously amazing.
Quick recap of the juniors event which started the whole serendipitous ball rolling. “They played their hearts out,” noted Leassear. Donnie Proctor gave up his single rack in his opening match against Mike “Ozzy” Osborn, which put him immediately into the hot seat match. David Deanda joined him, after he’d defeated Ian Castellanos 5-1. Proctor shut Deanda out to claim the seat.
It was on the loss side of this bracket that the action really started to heat up. There were only two matches, but both of them went double hill (4-3). Castellanos downing Osborn in the quarterfinal and Deanda in the semifinal for a shot at Proctor. Proctor shut Castellanos out in the finals to claim the title, win the cash and gift his Mom with a raffle ticket that won her a McDermott Cue, drawn from its ‘jar’ by her other son, Preston.
Billy Sharp
The Assassins stop a ‘final’ attack from Deadly Alliance to win 12-team Scotch Doubles
There should have been an award for Name Creativity. For the most part, Scotch Doubles pool tournaments are characterized by teams that identify themselves only by player names (Smith/Jones or Davis/Clark, for example). Only one of the 12 teams that competed in DL Billiards’ Scotch Doubles event over the weekend chose to do that. After an opening-round bye, Chuck Adams and Will Felder lost their first two matches; the first, to the eventual winners, The Assassins and the second, to runners-up, Deadly Alliance. It’s possible that Adams and Felder will be considering a team name to compete in their next Scotch Doubles Tournament.
Our vote for Best Name Award would go to the Phenollical Balls team of Sonny Bosshamer and Allen Potter. For those unaware (and we can only guess at how many times Bosshamer and Potter were asked about it), phenolic resin is the ‘gold standard’ material for high-quality billiards balls due to its durability, consistency, resilience and low coefficient of friction.” You can find out why by reading – https://hardtimesbilliards.com/what-are-billiard-balls-made-of/.
Second prize might go to the winner of the juniors event (Donnie Proctor) and his Dad (Donald) for their ‘hope springs eternal’ team name of The Mosconians.
The Assassins (Billy Sharp/Brent Foster) won five straight to claim the DL Billiards Scotch Doubles title. They were challenged in the finals by the Deadly Alliance team of James and David Costello, which had lost its opening match and won six on the loss side to punch their ticket for the finals.
The Assassins met their toughest competitors (score comparisons, which do not always translate into ‘toughest’) in the opening round, when the VENETURK team of Pedro Oviol and Eylul Kibaroglu chalked up six racks against them in a race to 9. The Assassins advanced to meet and defeat the Adams/Welder team 9-3 and in a winners’ side semifinal, Old and Crippled (Nick Schipon/Tommy Tokoph) 9-6.
From the other end of the bracket, the R & R team of Ricky Barker & Rudy Sanchez team started out with a double-hill match versus the Deadly Alliance, winning it to send Deadly Alliance on the six-match, loss-side winning streak. R & R advanced to defeat the Down to Clown team of Verda Jones and Lonny White 8-2 and in the other winners’ side semifinal, The Screwston (we didn’t ask) team of Mario Alaniz and Isiah Casarez 9-7. The Assassins claimed the hot seat over R & R 9-1.
On the loss side, Deadly Alliance eliminated, in order, IDK 7-5, the Adams/Felder team 6-5 (Adams/Felder racing to 7), Phenollical Balls 5-1 and the Screwston 7-2 to face Old and Crippled in the quarterfinals. Deadly Alliance won that in a double-hill fight and downed R & R for their shot at The Assassins. The Assassins completed their undefeated run with a 9-2 win in the finals.
Tour director D’Andrea Leassear thanked the ownership and staff at Big Tyme Billiards for their hospitality, as well as McDermott Cues Official Fan Page (“for the beautiful cues”), Jason Brodman and Dennis Leassear. The next stop (#5) on the DL Billiards Tour, scheduled for the weekend of May 11-12, will be a split-bracket, 8-ball event, hosted by Bogie’s West Billiards in Houston, TX.
Last week, players made their way to the $8,000 added Space City Open X. Held at Big Tyme Billiards in Spring, TX – a suburb of Houston – owners Billy Sharp, Jim Henry, Mark Avery and Matthew McFarren and their staff laid out the red carpet for both players and fans.
The tournament kicked off on Thursday night with the $1,000 added 9 Ball Banks event. This single elimination race to four event saw a full field of 32 players post their $100 entry fees. After the players auction, meeting & draw, the action began.
After being scarce on the tournament trail since the birth of his daughter two years ago, Robb Saez made up for lost time as he rocketed through the bracket taking down Alan Poisel 4-1, JC Torres 4-0, Mark Nanashee 4-2 and Ernesto Bayaua 4-0. In the bottom portion of the chart, Alex Calderon squeaked by Jeff Sullivan 4-3 and then dusted off Leon Contreras 4-1 and Raed Shabib 4-0 before running into Roberto Gomez. The match was a good one but Alex prevailed 4-2.
That win put Calderon into the finals against the red hot Saez. Alex went down 4-1 – guess baby needed a new pair of shoes! Congratulations, Robb! Good job, Alex!
Starting on Friday night was the main event – the $3,500 added Open 9 Ball. Drawing a full field of 128 players, this double elimination event had a $75 entry fee and was played on seven foot tables. Races were to 9/7 with winner breaks.
Bogies was getting their money’s worth with their house pro and defending champ, Roberto Gomez, as he marched through the field. He was never seriously threatened as he defeated Timothy Lapointe 4-0, Richard Hughes 9-4, John Weeks 9-2, Javier Alienes 9-4, Ernesto Bayaua 9-1 and Blaine Barcus 9-3 to arrive at the hot seat match.
Another man slicing through the field was Oklahoma’s John Gabriel. He started with wins over Pedro Oviolo 9-2 and Calvin Chappell 9-3 before a tough one with young gun Lazaro Martinez. John barely survived that one 9-8 and then coasted past Cesar Arechiga 9-0. Next were Joey Torres and Ryan Robinson – they went down 9-6 and 9-3 and John also arrived at the hot seat match.
The hot seat match was all Roberto as he spanked John 9-3 and locked up his seat in the finals. John headed west to play Bayaua who had eliminated Saez 7-4. Robb finished in fourth place. Then, it was John who beat Ernesto by the same score – 7-4. He finished in third place.
Knowing he had to defeat Roberto twice to take the title, John put up a tough fight but when it was all over, Gomez had gotten his revenge for John knocking him out of the one pocket event and defended his title! He won the match 9-6. Congratulations, Roberto! Good event, John!
Lazaro Martinez III
Sunday was the start for both the $500 added Ladies 9 Ball and the $500 added Junior 9 Ball events. The players auction, meeting and draw for the juniors was first followed by the same for the ladies.
Twenty three boys and girls paid a $35 entry fee to play in the double elimination event played on the seven foot Diamonds. They raced to 7/5 with winner breaks.
Former BEF Junior National champ and defending champion Lazaro Martinez defeated Carlos Jinez 7-5, Mary Grigsby 7-1, Vania Davila 7-0 and Kailye Stevens 7-2 to arrive at the hot seat match.
Kyle Yi was the victor over Oscar Ruiz 7-2, Hunter Jackson 7-0, Tyler Miller 7-0 and Larissa Almendarez 7-5 to claim the other seat in the hot seat match.
Kyle then defeated Lazaro 7-3 to go on to the finals. Lazaro headed to the one loss side to face Carlos Jinez who had beaten Kailye Stevens 5-3. Kailye finished in fourth place.
Looking to get back into the finals, Lazaro made short work of Carlos 5-1 leaving him in third place.
Needing to defeat Kyle twice to both defend and claim the title, Lazaro won the first set 7-4. The final set was a battle but it was Lazaro that took the title 5-3. Congratulations, Lazaro! Good event, Kyle!
Thirty two ladies filled the field posting their $45 entry fees. They also raced to 7/5 with winner breaks on the seven footers.
April Larson made her trek to the hot seat by defeating Vivian Christopher and Bridget Parker by the same score – 7-1. She then beat Crystal Cisneros 7-4, the always tough Ming Ng 7-3 and awaited her opponent in the hot seat match.
The hot seat match began and both players fought hard but in the end, Ricki had edged out April 7-6! April headed west.
Waiting for her was Ming. She had just beaten Robyn – she finished in fourth place. The match began to see who’d be in the final match. April came out on top 5-3 leaving Ming in third place.
Due to the late hour, the ladies decided to split the honors. Congratulations to both players!
The $1,000 added One Pocket event also started on Friday night. Having a full field of 32 who paid $100 to enter, the format was again single elimination with races to four. Following the players auction, meeting & draw, the matches began.
Still on fire from his runner-up finish in the banks event, Alex Calderon tore through the top half of the bracket skunking both Sonny Bosshamer and Raed Shabib but had rougher matches against Ernesto Bayaua and Marvin Diaz. He won both matches 4-2 and landed in the finals.
Quietly making his way through the bottom portion of the bracket was Oklahoma’s John Gabriel. He won his first match over Joey Barnes 4-2 and continued with wins over Ryan Baselman and Ryan Robinson – both 4-1. Down went Superman as John defeated Roberto Gomez 4-2 to get to the finals.
The final match started late and went long into the early morning hours and at the end, it was John taking top honors 4-2. Great tournament, John! Good showing, Alex!
John Gabriel
Congratulations to this year’s champions and to Roberto Gomez for taking down the $1,500 All Around Bonus!
PoolActionTV.com would again like to thank owners Billy Sharp, Jim Henry, Mark Avery and Matthew McFarren and their staff as well the event sponsors. They are Outsville, Diamond Billiard Products, Brutal Game Gear, Poison by Predator, Jerry Olivier Custom Cues, Simonis, Aramith, Predator, Immediate Smiles Dentures & Dentistry of Spring, TX, Alamo Billiards of Houston, TX, and Fort Worth Billliards Superstore of Fort Worth, TX.
We’d also like to thank Tournament Director Teresa Garland and her assistant, Jason Hill, for juggling all the various events.
PoolActionTV.com would also like to thank our fans and sponsors. Our sponsors include JB Cases, Hanshew Jump Cues, Diamond Billiard Products, Durbin Custom Cues, Savage Billiard Apparel, Immediate Smiles Dentures & Dentistry of Spring, TX, Action Palace of Dayton, OH and Fort Worth Billiards Superstore of Fort Worth, TX.
Our next event is the 35th Annual Music City Open Nine Ball Championships at JOB Billiard Club in Madison, TN – a suburb of Nashville. Dates are January 11th-15th – hope to see you there!
And, here’s wishing everyone happy holidays and a healthy and prosperous new year!
Manny Chau, Joey Torres, Aaron Springs and Ernsto Bayaua
Joey Bourgeois, Jr., of Baytown, Texas, tore through a field of 75 amateur division players, while Houston’s Ernesto Bayaua blazed through the 64-player, open division, in the epic Poison Lone Star Billiards Tour 10th Anniversary Event, held on July 7th-8th, at Bogies Billiards and Sports Bar in Houston, Texas. In the amateur division final, Bourgeois, Jr. beat out number two ranked, Steve Lenz, to claim his first-ever win on the Poison Lone Star Tour, while Bayaua bested number two ranked, Joey Torres, to maintain his number one spot in the open division rankings. Both players went undefeated!
The sixth stop on the Poison Lone Star Billiards Tour was the “10th Anniversary 10-Ball Event” which marked ten years of Tour tournaments in the Lone Star State. The Tour gave away cash and products totaling $1,500 to its loyal constituents, while new players at this event were entered into a cash drawing. The Tour provided lunch for all the players, including twenty-nine, Gulf Coast Tour ladies. Thanks to host room, Bogies Billiards, title sponsor, Poison by Predator Cues PoisonBilliards.com, and sponsors Cyclop Pool Balls Facebook@CyclopPoolBalls, APA of North Harris County Facebook@APANorthHarrisCounty, OutsvilleBilliards.com, www.VaporKnightsUSA.com, and Southern Streaming, this event amassed 85 Poison Lone Star players, and a $12,330 payout.
In the amateur division, Joey Bourgeois, Jr. made his way to the final four on the winners’ side with victories over Jose De LaCruz, Joel Acevedo, 5-4, Jance “L.J.” Johnson, 5-1, and Dallas’ Clint Palaci, 5-3, while Steve Lenz made his bid, securing wins over Jamie Cantrel, John Braud, David Williams, 5-3, Chris Young, 5-3, and Aaron Springs, 5-2. Resident player, Chuck Adams, denied Sonny Bosshamer, C.J. Escalera, Adam Cooper, 5-4, Bob Guzik, 5-4, and Chad Reece, 5-4, while Randy Nickerson ousted Todd Hinson, Bob DeTuncq, 5-4, Jack Cavalier, 5-0, Dale Briones, 5-3, and recent event winner, Michael Pickering, 5-1. On the west side, following a first round loss to Dallas’ Shane Hvamstad, Cesar Arechiga racked up seven wins to reach the final sixteen on the one loss side. Bosshamer benched Beaumont’s Carl Honey, 4-0, but fell short to Chris Young, 4-3. Hinson also took a first round hit, but came back to win six matches, positioning himself in the final sixteen, while Bret Harlan reached the final twenty-four, and in the money, but was denied by Marshal Ward, 4-2. Tony Scott squeezed into the first money round, but fell to Hvamstad, 4-3, while Laredo’s David Leal won five, including a win over Guzik, 4-3. Newcomer, Brandon Stewart, booked four wins on the one loss side, including a victory over Briones, 4-3, while Josh Pruiett paved his way to the final twenty-four, but lost to Kevin Frauenberger, 4-1. While the final eight took shape on the west side, on the east side, Nickerson made quick work of Adams, 5-1, while Bourgeois, Jr. powered through Lenz, 5-1. Back on the one loss side, Arechiga bested Young, 4-2, and Reece, 4-3, while Hinson took care of Ward, 4-3, and Pickering, 4-0. Leal slid by Hvamstad and Springs by the same score, 4-3, while Stewart defeated Frauenberger, 4-1, but was ousted by Palaci, 4-1. Hinson overwhelmed Arechiga, 4-0, and Palaci moved past Leal, 4-3. In the hot seat match, Bourgeois, Jr. took down Nickerson, 5-2, securing his first-ever, hot seat win. Seeking redemption, Adams eliminated Palaci, 4-3, and Lenz ended Hinson’s run, 4-2. Lenz overcame Adams, 4-1, and Nickerson, 4-2, to reach a final reckoning with Bourgeois, Jr. Once again, Lenz proved no match for Bourgeois, Jr., who cruised to his first Poison Lone Star Billiards Tour victory, 5-1.
In the open 9-ball division, Ernesto Bayaua was on role, dominating Kelly Kilgore, 6-2, Justin Pena, 6-0, Adam Cooper, 6-0, and Steve Lenz, 6-3, while Manny Chau cut through Mike Wilson, Chase Rudder, 6-0, Chuck Adams, 6-2, and Cesar Arechiga, 6-0. Aaron Springs stopped David Ramos, Sonny Bosshamer, 6-2, Seth Gonzales, 6-2, and upset Alex Calderone, 6-5. Joey Torres , Joey Bourgeois, Jr., 6-2, Carl Honey, 6-3, and Joel Acevedo, 6-3. As the winners’ side final four took shape, the one loss side was winding down. Kevin Frauenberger took out Hvamstad, 5-2, but fell to Calderone, 5-1, while Bob Guzik ended Sonny Bosshamer, 5-3, and Acevedo, 5-2. Chase Rudder ousted Tommy Tokoph, 5-4, but was upset by Steve Lenz, 5-0. Pena edged out Bobby Perez, but fell to Arechiga, 5-3. It was down to the final eight. On the east side, Bayaua bested Chau, 6-4, and Torres tore down Springs, 6-2. The hot seat pitted two, successful Houston players, witnessing Bayaua handily win the hot seat, 6-2. On the west side, Calderone ejected Guzik, 5-0, but lost to Chau, 5-1, while Arechiga slid by Lenz, 5-4, only to be ousted by Springs. While Springs upset Chau, 5-4, Torres took him out, earning himself another shot at Bayaua. In the final match, Torres came on strong, but Bayaua was on point, pulling ahead to win his fourth open division title this year, 6-4.
The Tour would like to thank Monique Ferguson and John Newsome who assisted with running the boards, and recognize Jimmy Weeks of Lufkin, Texas, and Mike Pawloski of Willis, Texas, for being top contributors to the player auctions. Finally, the Tour would like to congratulate all of the free giveaway recipients. Mike Wilson of Corpus Christie won the Poison AR3-2 playing cue, Laredo’s Gerardo Alvarez took home a Poison VX jump cue, and Houston’s Rudy Sanchez won the Poison break/jump cue. Tommy Tokoph and Todd Hinson won Cyclop Pool Ball Sets (Zeus), and Doug Gray, C.J. Escalera, Roy Alonzo, and Richard Stuart snagged Outsville Accu-Racks. Carl Honey collected $50 in Brutal Game Gear, and Thomas Madison took home the Superbowl gear.
The next event will be 9-ball on 9’ tables, to be held August 4th-5th, 2018, at Skinny Bob’s Billiards, located at 300 Hester’s Crossing, in Round Rock, Texas. This same weekend, there will be a Women’s Gulf Coast Tour 9-Ball Event, two days, on open bar tables, beginning Saturday, August 4th, at 11:00am. The women’s event is non-smoking. For more information, visit www.GulfCoastWomensTour.com.
For more information, or sponsorship opportunities, please visit www.LoneStarBilliardsTour.com.
Brian Rosenbaum, Ernesto Bayaua, Joey Torres and Robert Crane
Ernesto Bayaua went undefeated to capture the 39-player, open 8-ball division, while Sonny Bosshamer ran through a 47-player field, to secure the amateur 8-ball division, at the first stop on the 2018 Poison Lone Star Billiards Tour. Bayaua overwhelmed Brian Rosenbaum in the final, 3-0, while Bosshamer denied Lufkin’s Chad Reece in both sets of the true double elimination final, 3-2, 3-2.
Lake Jackson, Freeport, Stafford, Lufkin, Victoria, and San Antonio, were just a handful of cities represented by players competing in the Poison Lone Star Billiards Tour 8-ball event, held on January 13th-14th, 2018, at Bogies Billiards and Sports Bar in Houston, Texas. The Tour would like to acknowledge and thank all the new players who attended their first Tour event, some hailing from Houston’s North Harris County APA and Houston Best of Billiards leagues. Props go out to Ruth Paine, Alamo City 8-Ball Association operator, who was the lone, female competitor in the event. Many thanks to Mike Fabacher who provided the free, two-day live stream, and Michael Presley for his assistance in the booth. Once again, Tour title sponsor Poison by Predator Cues PoisonBilliards.com, and sponsors Cyclop Pool Balls facebook@CyclopPoolBalls, Ozone Billiards OzoneBilliards.com, APA of North Harris County facebook@APANorthHarrisCounty, OutsvilleBilliards.com, and VaporKnightsUSA.com, facilitated another successful event that paid out over $4,500 in prize money, to the top twelve finishers in each division.
In the open division, former Poison Lone Star Tour Champion and APA National Champion, Ernesto Bayaua, ran through Jake Jurgens, 3-1, Sonny Bosshamer, 3-1, and Kevin Frauenberger, 3-1, while Canada’s Robert Crane bested Lance Johnson, Steve Williams, 3-2, and Joey Torres, 3-1. Former Tour Champion, Brian Rosenbaum, overcame “Mikey Boy” Martinez, 3-1, Sylver Ochoa, 3-1, and Mark Cardenas, 3-1, while Doug Gray ousted Brian Humphrey, 3-2, Dave Ramirez, 3-1, Michael Presley, 3-0, and Chris Thompson, 3-2. On the west side, in the final twelve and in the money, Frauenberger slid by Curt Sheldon, 3-2, and Torres eliminated Ochoa, 3-2, while Cardenas cancelled Williams, 3-0, and Bosshamer terminated Thompson. On the winners’ side, Rosenbaum stopped Gray, 3-2, while Bayaua closed out Crane, 3-0. In the hot seat match, Bayaua made quick work of Rosenbaum, 3-0. On the flip side, Torres was on a tear, eliminating Frauenberger, 3-2, and Gray, 3-0, while Bosshamer overcame Cardenas, but fell to Crane. In turn, Torres eliminated Crane, but lost the next round to Rosenbaum, 3-1. With that win, Rosenbaum earned a rematch with Bayaua. In the finals, Bayaua won the flip and never looked back, running three racks against Rosenbaum, and going undefeated to win his first event of 2018.
In the amateur division, newcomer Shane Aguinaga of Freeport, Texas, made his way to the winners’ side final four, booking wins over Shelby Green, Chuck Adams, 3-2, Eboo Alali, 3-2, and Bill Fain, 3-1, while Sonny Bosshamer sliced through Brandon Anderson, 3-0, Brian Humphrey, 3-0, Robert Crane, 3-0, and Mark Cardenas, 3-1. Lufkin’s Chad Reece took charge, logging wins over Chris Gutierrez, Michael Presley, 3-0, Steve Siarski, 3-1, and Eric Hsu, 3-2, while Tony Scott took down John Frye, 3-0, Jake Jurgens, Lance Johnson, 3-0, and Will Felder, 3-1. On the west side, in the final twelve and in the money, Hsu fell to Frauenberger, 3-1, and Felder foiled Alali, 3-1, while Fain bested Williams, 3-1, and Siarski ousted Cardenas, 3-2. Winners’ side final four action witnessed Bosshamer defeat Aguinaga, 3-2, and Reece derail Scott, 3-1. Reece went on to end Bosshamer’s run, 3-1, winning his first hot-seat match, on Tour. Staying alive on the one loss side, Felder dusted off Frauenberger, 3-2, and Aguinaga, 3-0, while Fain ended Siarski, 3-1, only to fall short against Scott, 3-2. Felder slipped by Scott, and into the final four, but was denied by Bosshamer, 3-1. Once again, Bosshamer met up with Reece, in a battle to the bitter end. Reece faltered the first set, 3-2, sending the finals into overtime. In the second set, Bosshamer edged out Reece, 3-2, to win his first event of 2018.
Serving pool players, pool rooms, and sponsors, since 2009, the Poison Lone Star Billiards Tour celebrates its 10th Anniversary this year as the longest-running billiards tour in the south. A special 10th Anniversary Event will be held for players who compete in at least two events between now, and July 7th, 2018. Players are strongly encouraged to meet the eligibility requirements, in order to gain entrance into this event. The next tour stop will be open and amateur 9-ball, held on February 10th-11th, at Bogies West, 9638 Jones Road, Houston, Texas. For more information, including access to the free live stream, visit www.LoneStarBilliardsTour.com.
Will Felder took down the Poison Lone Star Billiard Tour’s amateur 9-ball division, winning his first amateur title since 2013, while Manny Chau secured his third open division win this year. Felder faced off with Brian Rosenbaum, losing the first set of the true, double elimination final, 5-4. Following a first round loss, Rosenbaum came back to win an astounding eight matches to meet Felder in the finals. In the second set, Felder overcame Rosenbaum, ending his streak, and clenching the division, 5-4. In the open 9-ball division, Manny Chau took a third round hit, and won eight in a row to meet hot seat winner, Chase Rudder, in the finals. Chau overcome Rudder in both sets, by the same score, 7-2.
On Saturday, August 26th, 2017, Hurricane Harvey’s torrential downpours inundated the Houston area. Due to the potential for flooding, this Poison Lone Star Billiards Tour event was concluded in one day, instead of its customary two days, to ensure players would not have to brave flood waters on Sunday. Bogies West in Houston, Texas, hosted another first-rate event, along with tour title sponsor Poison by Predator Cues PoisonBilliards.com, and sponsors Cyclop Pool Balls facebook@CyclopPoolBalls, Ozone Billiards OzoneBilliards.com, APA of North Harris County facebook@APANorthHarrisCounty, OutsvilleBilliards.com, and Realtor Jimmy Jenkins.
As the winds kicked up on Saturday, the amateur and open 9-ball divisions kicked-off. In the amateur 9-ball division, Felder fended off Brian Humphrey, Pablo Trinidad, 5-1, and newcomer Foots Ferguson, 5-1, while Lake Jackson’s Jason Galetka ousted Randy King, C.J. Escalera, 5-1, and Chuck Adams, 5-4. Sonny Bosshamer bested James Costello, Jerry Cook, 5-4, and David Chow, while J.C. Torres sought to defend his title, blazing through Shelby Green, Viet Do, 5-3, and Alan Myers, 5-3. As the final four on the winners’ side took shape, the one loss side was full steam ahead. Brian Rosenbaum took a first round hit, and came back to win eight matches, securing wins over Cook, 5-1, Alan Martin, 5-0, and Ferguson, 5-0. Myers eliminated James Costello, 5-2, Green overcame Chow, and Rivera eliminated Adams, rounding out the final four players on the one loss side. On the winners’ side, Torres made quick work of Bosshamer, 5-1, while Felder slid by Galetka, 5-4. On the west side, Rosenbaum booked his third 5-0 victory over Rivera, then ended Bosshamer, 5-4. Myers defeated Green, 5-3, but fell to Galetka, 5-4. East side action witnessed Felder secure the hot seat over Torres, 5-3. Rosenbaum made his way to the finish line, eliminating Galetka and Torres, by the same score, 5-4. Felder prepared for what he knew was going to be a tough battle. Rosenbaum added an eighth notch to his tournament belt, besting Felder in the first set, 5-4. A resilient Felder stepped back up to the plate, and came with it, ending Rosenbaum’s run, 5-4. Congratulations to Will Felder on another long-awaited title!
In the open 9-ball division, Chase Rudder was on his way, logging wins over Will Felder, 7-2, and J.C. Torres, 7-0, while Waco’s Doug Young overwhelmed Jason Galetka, 7-2, and Foots Ferguson, 7-1. Brian Rosenbaum defeated Brian Humphrey and David Chow by the same score, 7-5, while Ernesto Bayaua hit Erik Renteria, 7-2, Manny Chau, and Alan Myers, 7-4, finalizing the final four on the winners’ side. Following a second round blow at the hands of Bayaua, Chau came back to win a total of eight matches, including wins over Viet Do, 7-1, and J.C. Torres, 7-1. After a first round upset at the hands of J.C. Torres, Richie Richeson came back to win three in a row, eliminating Shelby Green, 7-6, Humphrey, 7-2, and Ferguson, 7-3. Felder made a run, taking out Marcus Flores, 7-6, and Alan Myers, 7-6, while Tom Rehm powered through Erik Renteria, C.J. Escalera, 7-4, and David Chow. Down to the final eight, on the winners’ side, it was Rudder over Young, 7-3, and Bayaua over Rosenbaum, 7-4. Rudder went on to defeat Bayaua for the hot seat, 7-2. On the one loss side, Chau rolled over Richeson, 7-0, and Rosenbaum, 7-1. Felder ended Rehm, 7-6, but fell to Young, 7-5. Chau overcame Young, and Bayaua, 7-0, to meet Rudder in the finals. Needless to say, Chau was on fire, blasting through Rudder the first set, 7-2. In the second set, Chau soared to the finish line, 7-2. Congratulations to Manny Chau on his win, and third open division title of 2017.
The tour would like to recognize its 2017 sponsors and venues: Poison by Predator Cues, Cyclop Pool Balls, Ozone Billiards, APA of North Harris County, Outsville Billiards, and Realtor Jimmy Jenkins. This year, the tour welcomes back Texas venues Bogies Billiards and Sports Bar (Houston), Bogies West (Houston), Skinny Bob’s Billiards (Round Rock), and brand new venues, Fat Racks Sports Bar and Billiards (San Antonio), and CK Billiards (Dallas).
Without the nearly 300 players who attend Poison Lone Star Tour events, annually, production of this tour would not be possible. The tour would like to thank each and every player for their participation, whether it’s one event, or every event year round. It is because of your patronage, that the Poison Lone Star Billiards Tour celebrates its 9th birthday this year, serving players across Texas and in surrounding states. The tour welcomes everyone back for the next event, to be held on September 30th-October 1st, at Bogies Billiards, 3040 FM 1960 E., in Houston, Texas. The full 2017 schedule is published at www.LoneStarBilliardsTour.com. The Poison Lone Star Billiards Tour encourages everyone who loves to play pool and compete in a friendly atmosphere, to attend an event. “Like” us on Facebook @LoneStarTour and “Follow” us on Twitter @LoneStarTour09.
Round Rock’s Justin Espinosa clenched his third, consecutive amateur 9-ball division title on the Poison Lone Star Billiards Tour, defeating Hiro Nakahara in the second set of the true, double elimination final, 5-0. Espinosa now joins an elite list of fellow tour players whose game has drastically improved on tour, and have graduated to the tour’s prominent “Open Division Player List”. In the open 9-ball division, an undefeated Manny Chau racked up his second win of the year, overcoming Chase Rudder in the final set, 7-2.
On June 10th-11th, 2017, Bogies Billiards and Sports Bar in Houston, Texas, along with tour title sponsor Poison by Predator Cues PoisonBilliards.com, and sponsors Cyclop Pool Balls facebook@CyclopPoolBalls, Ozone Billiards OzoneBilliards.com, APA of North Harris County facebook@APANorthHarrisCounty, OutsvilleBilliards.com, and Jimmy Jenkins Realty , facilitated another successful event for Poison Lone Star Billiards Tour players. The tour would like to thank room owners David and Shannon Richardson, and their entire staff, for hosting another first-rate event.
In the 41-player, amateur 9-ball division, Justin Espinosa made his way to the final four winners’ side with wins over Tom Rehm, 5-1, Cody Smoke, 5-1, Robbie Salinas, 5-0, and Steve Williams, 5-2, while Jeff Chauncey ousted Will Felder, 5-3, Bill Fuller, 5-2, and Bob “Pittsburgh Flash” Guzik. Doug Gray ousted Gerald Holland, 5-4, Sonny Bosshamer, 5-2, and Robert Cooper, 5-0, while Hiro Nakahara overcame Dave DeVaney, Johnny Cope, 5-0, Robyn Haak, 5-0, and Jim McCary, 5-4. After losing his second round match to Bosshamer, 5-3, Pete Charles came back to win eight matches on the one loss side, including wins over Kevin Johnson, 5-4, Holland, 5-3, Joe Fagan, 5-3, Salinas, 5-0, and Robert Cooper. Bill Fuller terminated Vic Sorto, 5-0, and Richard Hernandez, 5-3, before falling to Jim McCary, 5-3. In similar fashion, Felder sent home Brian Rosenbaum, 5-1, newcomer Red Hutch, 5-0, and Chris Ramoz, 5-3, only to be stopped short by Guzik, 5-3. Bosshamer made his play, ending DeVaney, Chris Rocha, 5-0, and Steve Williams, rounding out the final four on the one loss side. Winners’ side action witnessed Gray fall to Nakahara, 5-1, and Espinosa surge past Chauncey, 5-3. Espinosa was on a roll, and went on to secure the hot seat over Nakahara, 5-1. Back on the west side, it was Guzik over Bosshamer, 5-3, and Charles over McCary, 5-1. Following his seventh win, Charles slid by Guzik, 5-4, but fell to Nakahara, 5-3. This turn of events pitted a rematch for Nakahara, whose only hope to win this event, was to beat Espinosa two sets. Hungry for his first tour win, Nakahara overwhelmed Espinosa the first set, 5-1. Espinosa collected himself, bearing down and winning the second set, 5-0. Congratulations to Justin Espinosa on his third, amateur division title.
In the 39-player, open 9-ball division, Manny Chau began his trek with wins over Kevin Johnson, 7-6, Robyn Haak, 7-2, and Brian Rosenbaum, 7-2, while Waco’s Doug Young bested Robbie Salinas, 7-2, Hiro Nakahara, 7-2, and Jim McCary, 7-5. Chase Rudder defeated Paul Alderete, 7-3, Bill Fuller, 7-1, Justin Espinosa, 7-2, and Joey Torres, 7-3, while Sonny Bosshamer took care of Adam Gomez, 7-3, Jamie Polk, 7-5, and Richard Hernandez. Following a 7-2 upset at the hands of Hernandez, Ernesto Bayaua took charge, eliminating Chris Ramoz, 7-1, Tom Rehm, and Jim McCary, 7-4. Other one loss side action witnessed Espinosa take out Cody Smoke, 7-2, David Chow, 7-0, and Brian Rosenbaum, 7-1. Nakahara was on the comeback trail, blazing through Mike Robles, 7-2, Will Felder, and Hernandez. Guzik made his bid for the final four on the one loss side, logging wins over Fuller, 7-6, Haak, and Richie Richeson, 7-3, until he was halted by Torres, 7-2. Back on the east side, Rudder overcame Bosshamer, 7-5, and Chau made quick work of Young, 7-2. Thirsty for his second tour victory of the year and anxious to regain his number one ranking, Chau overcame Rudder for the hot seat, 7-5. Back on the west side, Espinosa took out Bayaua, 7-0, and Bosshamer, 7-0. Torres tamed Nakahara, 7-6, but fell to Young, 7-6. Young went on to defeat Espinosa, 7-5, only to be put out of commission by Rudder, 7-2. It was a hot seat rematch for the two, heavy hitters. Rudder, vying for his first title of the season, faced off with Chau, who was anxious to repossess his place in the rankings. Chau was focused, and his determination bled through to the table. Rudder was controlled and concise, but couldn’t keep up. Chau closed out the first set, 7-2, taking home his second victory, and enough points to regain his throne in the open division rankings.
Hopey Carter from Shreveport, LA, won the Poison Cue Raffle, taking home a VX Stroke Playing Cue, valued at $239.
Serving pool players, pool rooms, and sponsors since 2009, the Poison Lone Star Billiards Tour celebrates its 10th Anniversary in 2018 as the longest-running billiards tour in the south. A special 10th Anniversary Event will be held for players who compete in at least two events between now, and January 1st, 2018. The tour strongly encourages all players to meet the eligibility requirements, in order to gain entrance into this one-of-a-kind tournament. The next tour stop will be held on July 7th-8th, 2017, at Fat Racks Billiards in San Antonio, Texas. This event will feature one, open 9-ball division, open to all players (limited to 64), with the option to pre-pay, online. For more information, please visit www.LoneStarBilliardsTour.com.
Shane “Doomsday” McMinn captured his first-ever Space City Open 9-ball title, plowing through an 87-player field, besting Alex Calderone in the second set of the true double elimination final, 7-2. Justin Hall went unscathed in the 32-player one pocket division, ousting the famed Josh Roberts in the final set, 4-2, taking home his second Space City Open one pocket title. Jeremy “Double J” Jones went undefeated in the 9-ball banks division, taking down Manny Chau in the final set, 3-1, earning himself a third 9-ball banks title. Wrapping up four long days of match play, the ladies 9-ball concluded on Sunday afternoon, with hot seat winner Natalie Rocha defeating Ricki Casper in the second set, 5-0, capturing her very first Space City Open 9-ball title.
The 4-day, 4-division, $6,000 added Space City Open V (SCO) was held at Bogies Billiards and Sports Bar in Houston, Texas, December 1st-4th, 2016. In its fifth year, SCO continues to increase in talent and value, and professional players from across the U.S. flew in to take advantage of this annual event. This year’s line-up featured an all-star cast of phenomenal talent going head to head in a test of wills and stamina. New on the scene, Arizona’s Scott Frost and South Carolina’s Josh Roberts, along with resident players Jeremy “Double J” Jones (TX), Justin Hall (FL), Shane “Doomsday” McMinn (TN), Alex Calderone (FL), Sylver Ochoa (TX), Robb Saez (TN ), Manny Chau (Peru), Richie Richeson (MI), and many others, entertained a packed house and hundreds of at-home viewers who tuned in to the live stream provided by PoolActionTV.com.
In the 87-player 9-ball field, McMinn took an early hit from Jeremy Jones in the fourth round, 9-4, but came back swinging. While McMinn made his way through the one-loss side, Alex Calderone was doing some damage of his own, taking down Ed Ambros, Tony Barrington, 9-8, and Josh Roberts, 9-6, to reach the winners’ side final four. Jeremy “Double J” Jones ousted Jason Klatt, Blaine Barcus, 9-1, McMinn, 9-4, and Justin Espinosa, 9-8, to reach Calderone. Manny Chau had an impressive run, defeating Scott Frost in the first round, 9-4, Jason Chance, 9-4, Ruben Bautista, 9-5, Ernesto Bayaua, 9-8, and Sylver Ochoa, 9-5. Playing out to meet Chau, Tommy Tokoph took down Lee Clark, 9-1, Bill Blanda, Kenneth Price, and Bob Eaton, 9-6. On the one-loss side, upsets included Jacob Watson with a stunning victory over Justin Hall, 7-4, and Bob “The Pittsburgh Kid” Guzik, eliminating Bautista, 7-6. Finding himself in unfamiliar territory, Frost secured five consecutive matches on the one-loss side, with wins over Klatt, 7-0, Sergio Rivas, 7-2, Blanda, 7-6, and Barrington, 7-3. Frost fell to Jethwa, 7-3, while McMinn took out Robb Saez, 7-6. Bayaua defeated Watson, and Joey Torres took out Kenneth Price, by the same score, 7-4. As the final eight took shape on the one-loss side, the winners’ side final four was on fire, with Calderone defeating Jones, 9-6, and Chau sliding by Tokoph, 9-8. Back on the west side, Roberts ousted Bayaua, 7-2, and Torres eliminated Espinosa, 7-6, while Ochoa overcame Jethwa, 7-5, and McMinn bested Eaton, 7-0. Roberts went on to win sets against Torres, 7-5, and Tokoph, 7-2, while McMinn took down Ochoa, 7-0, and Jones, 7-4. The hot seat match witnessed an undefeated Calderone make quick work of Chau, 9-4. McMinn dusted off Roberts, 7-6, then Chau, 7-1, for a shot at the title. Both Calderone and McMinn were hungry for their first Space City Open win, leading up to a battle for the finish line. The first set commenced, and it appeared to be anyone’s ball game. McMinn settled in, and pulled ahead to win the first set, 9-7. In overtime, there was little Calderone could do from the sidelines, as McMinn had the break down cold, coasting to a 7-2 win over Calderone, and securing his first-ever, SCO 9-ball title.
Former Mosconi Cup Player and Southern Classic all-around Champion, Justin Hall, went through the 32-player one pocket division like a hot knife through butter. Hall blazed through Sonny Bosshamer, 4-2, Jeremy Jones, 4-3, Marvin Diaz, 4-1, and Sylver Ochoa, 4-1, while Josh Roberts took out Scott Frost, 4-0, Aaron Springs, 4-0, Jason Chance, 4-1, and Richie Richeson, 4-0. On the one-loss side, Jones won an incredible five consecutive matches, besting Adam Cooper, 3-0, James Davis, Jr., Tommy Tokoph, 3-0, Chance, 3-1, and Ochoa, 3-2. Following a third round loss to Hall, 4-1, Diaz came back to defeat Jeff Sparks, 3-0, Sergio Rivas, and Richie Richeson, 3-2, to meet Jones. Back on the east side, after a long, drawn-out battle, Hall secured the hot seat, 4-3. Back on the one-loss side, in a surprising upset, Diaz defeated Jones, 3-0, to meet Roberts. Fresh off a hot seat loss, Roberts did what any champion would do, and that’s fight back. He made quick work of Diaz, 3-0, earning himself a rematch with Hall. In the final set, Hall was bit more subdued, but determined to not to let this one slip away. Once again, a seasoned Hall overcame Roberts in the first set, 4-2, going undefeated to win his second SCO one pocket title, becoming the only player to win two titles in this division.
Kicking off Space City Open V was the 20-player, 9-ball banks division, witnessing former Mosconi Cup MVP and former U.S. Open Champion, Jeremy Jones, capture his third Space City Open banks title. It was a long row to hoe for Jones, as he took down a list of worthy competitors, including Chris Thompson, Jason Chance, 3-0, Anthony Shea, 3-0, and Denis Strickland, 3-2. Also making his way through the field, Manny Chau defeated Viet Do, 3-1, Gail Eaton, 3-0, and Norman Small, 3-0, to face Jones for the hot seat. On the one-loss side, after suffering a first round loss to Do, James Davis, Jr. came back to win six consecutive matches, eliminating Scott Frost, Jim McCarry, Richie Richeson, Aaron Springs, 3-0, and Strickland, 3-0. Sergio Rivas was dealt a first round loss by Strickland, and also came back to win sex consecutive matches, booking wins over C.J. Escalera, Do, 3-2, Shea, 3-1, Thompson, 3-0, and Small, 3-1. On the east side, Jones took the hot seat wheel, defeating Chau, 3-0. Back on the west side, Davis ended Rivas, 3-0, but fell to Chau, 3-0. The rematch between Jones and Chau ended all-too quickly for Chau, as Jones pulled ahead, winning the first set, 3-1. Jones crushed it, losing a total of three games throughout the 9-ball banks event, defending his 2015 title, while securing his third SCO banks title.
Wrapping up the event, 20 women battled it out on Sunday for over $2,200 in cash, in the ladies 9-ball division. Natalie Rocha came out firing, ousting Brandi Humber, 7-1, Gail Roles, 7-3, and Marie Clark, 7-3, while Ming Ng defeated Monica DeTuncq, 7-0, and Kim Pierce, 7-6. Ricki Casper made her way to the winners’ side final four with wins over Gail Eaton, 7-6, and Alicia Huff, 7-1, while Teresa Garland bested Lois Morgado, 7-3, and Nicole King, 7-6. Ng fell to Rocha, 7-3, and Casper defeated Garland, 7-4. Rocha went on to secure the hot seat, over Casper, 7-4. On the one-loss side, Eaton dusted off Clark, 5-1, and Garland, 5-2, while Roles ousted DeTuncq, 5-4, only to be eliminated by Ng. Eaton ended Ng, 5-4, but fell to Casper, 5-4. Casper earned herself a rematch with Rocha, and she intended to use it for all it was worth. As the first set commenced, the players fought relentlessly, each vying for their first Space City Open title. Rocha and Casper traded game for game, until Casper inched ahead to win the first set, 7-6. The second set was a different story, as Rocha came out of the gate running, and never slowed down. Rocha closed out the final set, 5-0, winning her first Space City Open 9-ball title.
The Space City Open extends a heartfelt “thank you” to the venue, staff, sponsors, supporters, and vendors for this event; Bogies Billiards and Sports Bar, along with owners David and Shannon Richardson, the entire Bogies’ staff, assistant tournament director, John Newsome, Mike Fabacher, Ray Hansen and Justin Schwarz with PoolActionTV.com, Simplified Electronics, APA of North Harris County, Vapor Knights, Ozone Billiards, Outsville Billiards who supplied Accu-Racks for this event, Crazy Erica, and RE Visual Concepts. Special supporters included Marc McClure, Jeff Kay, David Taylor, Willie Duran, and Floyd Smith, and this year’s vendors, Ron Geyer and Jerry Olivier (cues) with the Custom Cue Connection, Joe Salazar Connoisseur of Custom Cues, and Darrold Stiehl of Champions Cues.
Space City Open VI will take place November 30th-December 3rd, 2017. For more information, visit SpaceCityOpen.com and Facebook @SpaceCityOpen.
Johnny Griffin was the big story at the Poison Lone Star Billiards Tour Fall 9-Ball Event, going undefeated in the 48-player, amateur 9-ball division, besting John McDowell in the final, 7-4. Filipino Champion, Edward “Ed” Acaba, captured his 38-player open 9-ball division, defeating Houston’s Blaine Barcus in overtime, 7-6. Congratulations to both players, who captured their first Poison Lone Star Tour event titles!
On September 10th-11th, 2016, Bogies Billiards West, along with tour title sponsor Poison by Predator Cues www.poisonbilliards.com, and sponsors Delta-13 Rack www.delta-13.com, Ozone Billiards www.ozonebilliards.com, APA of North Harris County www.facebook.com/apanorthharriscounty, and Cyclop Billiard Balls www.facebook.com/CyclopPoolBalls, facilitated another successful Poison Lone Star Tour event, procuring a generous $1,000 added to the prize fund, with 86 players in attendance.
In the amateur 9-ball division, Brazoria, Texas, APA franchise owner Johnny Griffin came out firing with wins over Bodie Scott, Chris Young, Jack Cavalier, and Tony Benestante, 7-3. Also on his way to the final four winners’ side, local Filipino player, Rudy Pascal, took down Chris Lord, Josh White, Rafael Garcia, and Brock Temel, 7-1. Sonny Bosshamer made quick work of Steve Williams, 7-4, Bob DeTuncq, 7-3, and Victor Belmares, 7-5, while Marvin Diaz ousted David Chow, 7-4, Teddy Hernandez, 7-4, and Gerardo Alvarez, 7-3. On the one loss side, after losing his first match to Williams, 7-3, John McDowell won four consecutive matches, eliminating Young, Hernandez, Tony Scott, and Alberto DeLeon. Pete Charles was also on the come-back trail, ousting Will Felder and Chris Rogers, while John Murphy took down Rafael Garcia and Chuck Adams, only to succumb to J.C. Torres, 5-3. Cavalier made a run for the money, taking down Jacob Watson, 5-3, and Pablo Trinidad, 5-4. McDowell went on to eliminate Temel and Charles by the same score, 5-4, while Charles ended Benestante. It was Torres over Alvarez, 5-3, and Belmares over Cavalier, 5-4. As the one-loss side, final four took shape, on the east side, Bosshamer bested Diaz, 7-5, and Griffin dusted off Pascal, 7-2. For his seventh, consecutive victory on the one-loss side, McDowell bested Diaz, 5-3, while Torres upset Pascal, 5-1. The hot seat witnessEd Griffin edge-out Bosshamer, 7-6, while McDowell logged his eighth, consecutive match win against Torres, 5-4. McDowell overcame Bosshamer, 5-2, for a record-breaking 9 consecutive match wins, to meet Griffin in the final. Griffin stopped McDowell just short of the goal line, ending his run in the first and final match, 7-4. Congratulations to Johnny Griffin on capturing his first-ever, Poison Lone Star Tour event!
In the open 9-ball division, world renowned Filipino player, Ed Acaba made his way through the winners’ side defeating Will Felder, 9-8, Doug Young, 9-1, and Amar Kang, 9-6, while Denis Strickland bested Sonny Bosshamer, Jack Cavalier, and Brock Temel, 9-7. Ernesto Bayaua, determined to win his third event of the year, took out Pete Charles, 9-4, Bodie Scott, 9-1, Jacob Watson, 9-7, and Aldo Rosso, 9-3, while Danny Lee overcame Josh White, Chuck Adams, 9-1, and Blaine Barcus, 9-8. On the one-loss side, Young bested Barcus, and Kang eliminated Johnny Griffin, 9-4. Barcus went on to defeat Strickland, 7-6, while Lee upset Kang, 7-5. Back on the east side, hot seat action witnessed Acaba and Bayau, battling it out to the bitter end. An impeccable safety on the one ball, by Acaba, resulted in ball-in-hand, and the demise of Bayaua, 9-8. On the on-loss side, Barcus demolished Lee, 7-1, and followed up with Bayaua, 7-2. After 5 consecutive match wins, Barcus had earned himself a shot at the title. Acaba and Barcus teed off in the finals. The first set was tight and grueling, and play was nearly flawless. Towards the end, Barcus pulled ahead to win, 9-6. In overtime, although Barcus was the first to reach the hill, Acaba emerged victorious, 7-6. Congratulations to Ed Acaba on capturing his first-ever, Poison Lone Star Tour event!
The Poison Lone Star Billiards Tour would like to thank, and welcome all the new players who attended this event. The next PLST stop will be the finale event, on October 8th-9th, 2016, held at Bogies Billiards and Sports Bar, located at 3040 FM 1960 E., Ste. 101, Houston, Texas 77073. The Poison Lone Star Tour encourages everyone who loves to play pool and compete in a friendly atmosphere, to attend an event. For more information, visit LoneStarBilliardsTour.com. “Like” us on Facebook @LoneStarTour and “Follow” us on Twitter @LoneStarTour09.
Tour newcomer Peter Charles was the big story at the first official Poison Lone Star Billiards Tour Spring 9-Ball Event, held on February 27-28, 2016, at Bogies Billiards West. This event drew a staggering 73 entries in the amateur 9-ball division, and 53 in the open 9-ball division. After losing in the fourth round to J.C. Torres, 7-6, Pete Charles went on to decimate the amateur division, besting Anthony Gepayo in the finals, 7-3, 5-1, to capture his first amateur 9-ball division title. Former tour champion, Andy Jethwa, went undefeated in the open 9-ball division, overcoming Blaine Barcus in the final match, 9-8, adding yet another title to his Poison Lone Star Tour resume.
Bogies Billiards West, along with tour sponsors www.OzoneBilliards.com, Delta-13 Rack www.Delta-13.com, and the APA of North Harris County www.facebook.com/apanorthharriscounty, aided the tour in facilitating another successful event, with a 126 player turnout, and providing an additional $1,500 for the prize fund.
On the winners’ side of the amateur 9-ball division, newcomer Eduardo Hernandez made his bid for the final four with wins over Fernando Lopez, Chuck Adams, 7-6, Michael Pickering, and Tyler Partin, 7-3, while Dickinson’s Josh White ousted Charlie Jenkins, 7-2, Matt Peters, 7-0, Masahiro “Hiro” Nakahara, 7-6, and Viet Do, 7-3. Anthony Gepayo took down J.J. Manley, Barry Titus, 7-6, David Massie, 7-0, Jacob Watson, 7-2, and Will Felder, 7-6, while J.C. Torres logged wins over Marty Walker, Daniel Wise, 7-2, Lester Foy, Pete Charles, 7-6, and David Leal, 7-3. White shut down Hernandez, 7-6, and Torres fell to Gepayo, 7-3. While the winners’ side was playing out, the one loss side was heating up. After losing his first match to Kevin Nguyen, Bobby Perez won 6 consecutive matches, including wins over Chris Collette, 5-2, and Jesse Langston, 5-3. Notching his belt once more with a victory over Jacob Watson , Perez advanced to the final 12, along with Pete Charles who defeated Joshua Pangilinan, 5-2, Abel Lara who ousted Michael Pickering by the same score, and Nakahara who ended Nguyen’s run, 5-3. It was Perez over Partin, Charles defeating Do, 5-3, Lara ousting Felder, 5-4, and Nakahara over Leal, 5-4, to round out the final four survivors on the one loss side. Back on the east side, White and Gepayo teed off for the hot seat. Gepayo proved too much for White, sending him west, 7-2. On the one loss side, Charles eliminated Perez, 5-2, while Felder ended Nakahara, 5-3. Charles went on to shut out Torres, 5-0, and Felder fell to Hernandez, 5-4. Charles was on a role and on his way to the finals as he made quick work of Hernandez and White, by the same score, 5-2. After two days of grueling play, Gepayo and Charles faced off in Sunday’s finals. Charles maintained his consistent play, and although Gepayo put up a good fight, he succumbed to Charles two sets, 7-3, 5-1.
In the open 9-ball division, resident player and former tour champion Andy Jethwa began his quest for the hot seat, defeating Jesse Langston, J.C. Torres, 9-3, and Phillip Tieu, 9-4. Bobby Perez played his way out, with wins over Charlie Jenkins, Blaine Barcus, Chuck Adams, 9-4, and Chase Wheeler, 9-2. Chase Rudder made an impressive run for the final four on the winners’ side, besting Rick Johnson, Greg Deyo, and Jacob Cantu, 9-1, while Sonny Bosshamer overcame Gerardo Alvarez, 9-5, J.J. Manle y, 9-4, and Anthony Gepayo, 9-3. Jethwa made quick work of Perez, and Rudder sent Bosshamer west, by the same score, 9-2. True to form, Jethwa defeated Rudder for the hot seat, 9-3. On the one loss side, Tieu won 4 straight matches, including victories over Aldo Rosso, 7-5, Michael Pickering, 7-4, and Tom Welch, 7-1. Nguyen took down 6 consecutive matches, eliminating David Leal, 7-6, Jesse Langston, 7-1, and Anthony Gepayo, 7-5. Nakahara was blazing his own trail on the west side, with wins over Steve Williams, 7-4, J.C. Torres, 7-3, and Mike Wheeler, 7-8. Perhaps the biggest comeback on the one loss side came from Barcus, who won an impressive 5 consecutive matches to meet Nakahara in the final four on the one loss side. Tieu eliminated Nguyen, 7-5, but fell to Perez, 7-2, while Barcus took down Nakahara, and Bosshamer, 7-5. Barcus went on to defeat Perez and Rudder, by the same score, 7-2, amassing 9 consecutive match wins to meet Jethwa in the finals. The first set was a real crowd-pleaser, as Jethwa and Barcus took it to the hill. Jethwa’s intense focus and determination served him well, as he secured the final game, and became the first open 9-ball title holder on the new Poison Lone Star Billiards Tour.
The Poison Lone Star Billiards Tour would like to thank all the players throughout Texas who attended this event. Tyler, Laredo, Dickinson, Austin, and many other cities were well represented! Congratulations to all the raffle winners who took home Poison by Predator products, and many thanks to the wonderful, attentive staff at Bogies West.
The next PLSBT event will be held at Ariana’s, located at 13802 Homestead Rd., Houston, Texas, on May 14-15, 2016. The Poison Lone Star Billiards Tour encourages everyone who loves to play pool and compete in a friendly atmosphere, to attend an event.
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After a 47-year retirement from pool, 72 year-old Houstonian Jeff Sparks captured his first tournament win since 1972. Sparks went undefeated in the Lone Star Billiard Tour’s 52-player amateur 9-ball division, overcoming Deer Park’s Bobby Pacheco in the final set, 7-6, becoming the oldest player to ever win the amateur division. Pacheco also fought his way through the elite, 44-player open 9-ball division, defeating John McDowell in the finals, 9-3. This was Pacheco’s second, consecutive win on tour, with an amateur division win in July, and now this month’s open division. Congratulations to Bobby Pacheco who will advance to “open” player status in 2016! Kevin Nguyen and Chase Rudder were crowned the 2015 Lone Star Tour Champions, amateur and open divisions, respectively, for their year-end, number one rankings. These players will join the multitude of title-holders in the Lone Star Tour archives, documenting division and tour champions since 2009.
On October 10th-11th, 2015, Bogies Billiards and Sports Bar, along with tour sponsors Poison by Predator Cues www.poisonbilliards.com, Delta-13 Rack www.delta-13.com, Ozone Billiards www.ozonebilliards.com, and the APA of North Harris County www.facebook.com/apanorthharriscounty, facilitated another successful Lone Star Billiards Tour event in addition to a women’s Gulf Coast Tour side-by-side 9-ball event, for players all across Texas and surrounding states, with a generous $1,500 added which drew 96 players and paid out over $9,000 in prize money.
In the amateur 9-ball division, all eyes were on Jeff Sparks, the super-senior pool veteran who came out of retirement to compete in the grueling, 2-day event; the ultimate test in player resolve and stamina. Sparks went undefeated, archiving wins over Will Felder, 7-3, Jack Cavalier, 7-2, Gabriel Romo, 7-5, and Kenneth Price, 7-3. The number one ranked amateur player and strong contender for the 2015 Lone Star Tour Champion title, Kevin Nguyen, kept his eye on the prize, logging wins over Logan Tunnell, 7-1, Tom Welch, 7-6, Chuck Adams, 7-6, Jesse Langston, 7-3, and Bobby Pacheco, 7-3. On the one loss side, after a first round loss to Jonathan Poon, 7-2, Mike White won an impressive five consecutive matches, with victories over Chance Allison, 5-3, Charlie Jenkins, 5-1, Ron Wrobleski, 5-2, Jack Cavalier, 5-2, and Bob Eaton, 5-0, before falling to Langston, 5-4. Welch also blazed through the one loss side, eliminating Keith Keithley, 5-0, Greg Trent, 5-3, Jonathan Poon, 7-0, and Curt Bovenzi, 5-4, before falling to David Chow, 5-1. Lassek ousted Erick Renteria, 5-2, while Romo eliminated Chuck Adams, 5-3. Langston and Lassek overcame Chow and Romo, respectively, by the same score, 5-2. In the next round, Langston found himself on the receiving end, losing to Price, 5-1, as did Lassek, who succumbed to Pacheco, 5-1. The one loss side was down to its final, two players, as Sparks and Nguyen geared up on the west side for a hot seat showdown. In the end, it was age over youth, as Sparks secured the hot seat over Nguyen, 7-4. Pacheco took care of business on the east side, as he finished off Price, 5-1, and dealt payback to Nguyen, 5-4. In the true, double elimination format, Pacheco would have to beat Sparks two sets; the first race to 7, and the second race to 5. Unfortunately for Pacheco, that didn’t happen. Sparks narrowly escaped Pacheco in the first set, 7-6.
Open 9-ball division action witnessed Pacheco defeat Gabriel Romo, 9-4, Will Felder, 9-0, Steve Williams, 9-1, and Erik Renteria, 9-4. Ernesto Bayaua made a strong bid for the hot seat as well with wins over Chuck Adams, 9-1, Lester Foy, 9-4, John Newsome, 9-6, and John McDowell, 9-6. Following a second round loss to tour newcomer, John Lassek, 9-5, Chase Rudder came back to win four consecutive matches until he was eliminated by John Newsome, 7-6. After suffering a 9-3 loss to McDowell in the third round, Lassek went on to eliminate Charlie Jenkins, 7-4, Sonny Bosshamer, 7-5, Steve Williams, 7-4, and Cesar Arechiga, 7-5, until he was ousted once again by McDowell, 7-4. Following a tough battle with Rudder, Newsome overcame Kenneth Price, 7-1, but was eliminated by Erik Renteria, 7-3. While McDowell and Renteria teed off on the one loss side, it was a battle to the finish for Bayaua and Pacheco. Pacheco slid past Bayaua for the hot seat victory, 9-8, while McDowell made quick work of Renteria, 7-2. McDowell went on to eliminate Bayaua, 7-6, setting the stage for a first-time match-up between McDowell and Pacheco. The finalists appeared fresh and full of energy as play commenced. Throughout the set, Pacheco’s ever-increasing momentum overwhelmed McDowell, who found it difficult to gain the least bit of ground. Pacheco captured the first set of the true, double elimination final, 9-3.
New at this event were “live” online brackets, making it possible for players to follow tournament progress on their mobile devices. “The Lone Star Billiards Tour looks forward to implementing new programs for 2016 aimed at increased visibility and value for our venues, sponsors, and players. Online brackets will be accessible through LoneStarBilliardsTour.com, however, we will still use paper charts on-site for our not-so-tech-savvy players and fans” says LSBT founder and tour director, Kimberly Newsome.
The Lone Star Tour would like to acknowledge, and thank, its 2015 venues, sponsors, and supporters: Bogies Billiards and Sports Bar, Bogies West, Skinny Bob’s Billiards, Ariana’s, Poison by Predator Cues, Delta-13 Rack, APA of North Harris County, Ozone Billiards, Derrell Montgomery, Chuck Adams, John Newsome, Roger Allen Cue Repair, James Hanshew Cue Repair, Walter Kelley Cue Repair, and Bobby Garcia at RE Visual Concepts who captured some spectacular action shots during the finale. Special thanks to Teresa Garland and Ricki Casper for assisting with the online brackets and raffle ticket distribution for the Poison “players only” free raffle. Congratulations to Lone Star Player John Lassek who took home a brand new Poison Jump Cue, just for participating in the event!
The next event big event on the Texas tournament calendar will be the Space City Open IV, December 3rd-6th, 2015, held at Bogies Billiards and Sports Bar, 3040 FM 1960 E., Ste. 101, Houston, Texas, 77073. For more information, visit www.Facebook.com/SpaceCityOpen or email SpaceCityEvent@gmail.com. Space City live streaming will be featured at www.SpaceCityOpen.com.
The Lone Star Billiards Tour would like to thank all of the players who participated this year, and encourage everyone who loves to play pool and compete in a friendly atmosphere, to attend a Lone Star Billiards Tour Event. For the most up-to-date information, visit www.LoneStarBilliardsTour.com. Please “Like” us at www.Facebook.com/LoneStarTour and “Follow” us at www.Twitter.com/LoneStarTour09.
