In something of an end-of-the-year dash to an imagined finish line, Ross Webster had already made 2019 his best earnings year to date, when he came back from a hot seat loss to double dip Troy Fortin in the finals of a November 30-December 1 stop on the New England 9-Ball Series. Webster’s only (recorded) cash finishes in 2019 began in September when he finished in the tie for 9th place at the New England 9-Ball Series’ Tour Championships. Two weeks later, he finished in 3rd place at the Joss Northeast 9-Ball Tour’s Maine Event XXIII, behind Jeremy Sossei and Joe Dupuis (Webster has won three Joss Tour Second Chance events since 2017). Separated by two weeks in October, he finished in the tie for 5th place at two more stops on the New England 9-Ball Series. According to our records, his win this past weekend marked his first major regional tour victory. The $1,000-added event drew 52 entrants to Legends Billiards in Auburn. ME.

 

After an opening round bye, Webster downed Jason Richard, Scott Martel and Dana Oulette to arrive at a winners’ side semifinal match against Tyler Campbell. Fortin, in the meantime, working in the lower bracket, defeated Gerry Gross, Bradley Nichols, Bob Lussier and Eli Davenport to reach his winners’ side semifinal matchup versus Jozy Vienneau.

 

Webster gave up just a single rack in a 7-1 victory over Campbell that put him in the hot seat match. Fortin joined him after surviving a double hill fight against Vienneau (7-4). Fortin locked up in a second straight double hill fight, battling for the hot seat and won it.

 

On the loss side, Campbell picked up Keith Trafton, who’d lost an opening round match to Stan Rupard and embarked on an eight-match, loss-side winning streak that would take him as far as the quarterfinals. He’d picked up loss-side wins #6 & #7 against Oulette (5-0) and Samoth Sam (5-2) to arrive at the battle for 5th/6th against Campbell. Vienneau drew Eli Davenport, who’d been sent to the loss side by Fortin and defeated Jason Seavey, double hill and Nathan Johnson 5-2 to reach Vienneau.

 

Trafton eliminated Campbell 5-2 and in the quarterfinals, faced Davenport, who’d defeated Vienneau 6-2. Davenport ended Trafton’s loss-side streak, double hill in those quarterfinals (4-5). Webster, in turn, ended Davenport’s four-match, loss-side streak with an 8-2 win in the semifinals.

 

With the wind at his back (so to speak), Webster sailed into the finals and claimed the opening set over Fortin without giving up a rack. Fortin was able to muster three of the four racks he needed to win the second rack and force a 12th, deciding game. Webster closed it to claim the event title.

 

Tour director Marc Dionne thanked the ownership and staff at Legends, as well as sponsors Predator, BCAPL, USAPL New England, Fargo Rate, Bert Kinister, AZBilliards, Inside English, Professor Q-ball’s National Pool and 3-Cushion News, Delta 13 Racks, MJS Construction, Bob Campbell with Lease Fundings, Master Billiards and OTLVISE Billiard Mechanics of America. The next stop on the New England 9-Ball Series, scheduled for Sunday, December 15, will be a Partners 9-Ball Tournament, hosted by Crow’s Nest in Plaistow, NH.

Not only did Jane Imm advance to the hot seat in her first pool tournament, she took two out of three against a much higher-ranked opponent to seal the deal and claim her first event title. The occasion was the $3,000-added New England 9-Ball Series’ Bangor Bash (Stop #8), held on the weekend of December 1-2 at Rack City in Bangor, ME. Jane worked her way through a field of 81 entrants, winning six in a row (including back-to-back double hill wins) to get into the hot seat, losing the opening set of a true double elimination final and fighting back to take the second set and win it all.

 

Assisting her in the moral support department were her father, Samoth Sam, a long-time ‘A’ player on the tour, who finished in the tie for 9th place, and her brother Sam, who competed, but finished out of the money. Standing in her way, towards the end, was Greg Murray, boasting a FargoRate 200 points above hers (550-350), giving Jane six ‘on the wire’ in what proved to be their three races to 9. He almost got there in their hot seat battle and allowed her only a single rack in their first of two in the double elimination final.

 

Coming out of the lower bracket in the early stages of the tournament, Jane, after an opening round bye, defeated Amandas Soucy and Macdonald, Mark Pulsifer and Fred Gillis to arrive at a winners’ side semifinal against Jason Richards. Murray, in the meantime, having defeated Mike Gagne, Ron Ricard, Kyle Pepin, Stan Rupard, and Jeff Furness, squared off against Ben Harvey in the other winners’ side semifinal.

 

Murray, in a straight-up race to 7, got into the hot seat match 7-5 over Harvey. Imm joined him after a double hill (3-7) win over Richards. In her second straight double hill fight, Imm claimed the hot seat 3-8 over Murray and waited for him to get back from the semifinals.

 

On the loss side, Harvey picked up Michael Verducci, who’d been sent to the loss side by Jane Imm’s Dad, Samoth Sam and won six in a row, including most recent victories over Steve Smith 7-4 and Jeff Furness 7-2. Richards drew a re-match against Claude Poitras, who, after being sent to the loss side by Richards, downed four in a row, including Fred Gillis 4-2 and Jenn Brown 5-1.

 

Verducci advanced to the quarterfinals with an 8-2 win over Harvey, and was joined by Poitras, who’d eliminated Richards 4-4 (Richards racing to 6). Pointras’ FargoRate was 169 points lower than Verducci’s (420-589), which gave Poitras five ‘on the wire’ in a race to 8. Poitras, as it turned out, didn’t need any of them. He shut out Verducci out in the quarterfinals 3-0, and turned for a shot against Murray in the semifinals.

 

Poitras only got four ‘on the wire’ in the semifinal race to 8. He chalked up two more, but fell to Murray 8-2, setting up the finals re-match.

 

With six ‘on the wire’ in a race to 9, Imm chalked up only one more, before Murray won the opening set 9-1. In the second set, Murray got to six racks before Imm collected her first event title with a 3-6 win.

 

Tour director Marc Dionne thanked the owner Corey Hanson and his Rack City staff for their hospitality, as well as sponsors Predator Cues, USAPL New England, Fargo Rate, Bert Kinister, AZBilliards, Inside English, Professor Q-ball’s National Pool and 3-Cushion News, Delta 13 Racks, MJS Construction, Bob Campbell, Bourgeois Farms and OTLVISE Billiard Mechanics of America. The next stop on the New England 9-Ball Series (Stop #9), scheduled for Sunday, December 9, will be a Partners Tournament (Maximum Fargo Rate of 1200), hosted by Crow’s Nest in Plaistow, NH.

 

Call it the pitter-patter of little feet; well, smaller anyway. Sitting in the hot seat on the June 24 stop on the Lucasi Hybrid New England 9-Ball Tour, Stan Rupard watched as Terry McDermott completed a five-match, loss-side winning streak to face him in the finals. With a D+ handicap, she had gotten by an A player (Choneyi Tenzin), a C player (Eli Davenport), an Open player (Nick Conner), a B+ player (Josh Rupard), and another A player (Dan Simoneau) to reach him. Rupard, though, held McDermott to a single rack of the three she needed for a first victory in the true double elimination finals and completed his undefeated day. The event drew 22 entrants to Legends Billiards in Portsmouth, NH.

From among the winners’ side final four, Rupard began his three-match march to the event title by sending his son, Josh to the loss side 6-3. In the hot seat match that followed, he faced Dan Simoneau, who’d sent Conner west 6-6. Rupard got into the hot seat with a 6-4 victory over Simoneau and watched as those ‘little feet’ made their way in his direction.

McDermott, who’d been sent west by Josh Rupard from among the winners’ side final eight, began her return voyage to the finals with the victory over Tenzin 3-5. She followed it with the win over Davenport 4-3, which put Conner in her path. Josh Rupard met up with Sina Brown, who’d survived two straight double hill matches against Joe Meuse and Will McDonald to reach him. McDermott ended Conner’s day in a double hill win and in the quarterfinals, got a re-match against Josh Rupard, who’d shut out Brown.

McDermott wreaked her vengeance and came out on top in the quarterfinal match against Josh Rupard, 3-1, and then, in the semifinals, with Simoneau racing to 10, she completed her loss-side streak with a 3-8 victory. She’d vanquished the son, but Dad, Stan Rupard, allowed her only a single rack in an 8-1 victory that secured the event title.

Ernest Porell fell victim to a low handicap in a battle among the winners’ side final four and missed a chance to face Corey Tapley for the hot seat. He chalked up three on the loss side and faced him in a true double elimination final, winning the opening set. Tapley, though, came back to win the second set and won the Sunday, May 6 stop on the Lucasi Hybrid New England 9-Ball Tour, which had drawn 21 entrants to Buster’s Billiards in Somersworth, NH.

As Tapley was busy sending Steve Therrien west 6-2 in the winners’ side semifinals, Porell was wrapped up in a handicap battle versus Sina Brown, who needed to win only three games to his eight. Brown got the three necessary, advancing to the hot seat match. Tapley, needing eight games, as well, defeated Brown, double hill (8-2) and sat in the hot seat, waiting for Porell.

Porell moved over to pick up Dan Simoneau, who’d defeated Stan Rupard 7-5 and Laddie Mills, double hill, to reach him. Therrien drew Terry McDermott, who, with a handicap advantage, had gotten by Gary Columbie and Gil Stadig in two, identical 3-5, double hill victories.  Porell advanced to the quarterfinals 6-2 over Simoneau, while McDermott chalked up his third straight double hill win – 3-7 over Therrien – and joined him.

The quarterfinal proved to be McDermott’s fourth straight (and last) double hill battle. Porell prevailed 8-2 and turned to his re-match against Brown in the semifinals. He allowed Brown only a single rack in those semifinals for a chance against Tapley.

In the straight-up, race-to-7, double elimination final, Porell took the opening set 7-3. They battled to double hill in the second set, before Tapley prevailed to claim the event title.

As it turned out, the second time was a little easier than the first. Brandon Gagane met up with Bob Dennis twice during the April 15th stop on the Lucasi Hybrid New England 9-Ball Tour. Though Gagane prevailed both times, Dennis battled him to double hill in their first meeting, and came within a rack of double hill in their finals matchup. The event drew 18 entrants to Sneaky Pete’s Billiards in Windham, ME.

As Gagane was busy sending Dennis west double hill from among the winners’ side final four, fellow Brandon (Cole) was doing the same to Nick Conner 5-6 (Conner going to 8). Gagane then downed Cole 4-4 (Cole going to 6) and sat in the hot seat awaiting Dennis’ return.

Dennis began his loss-side, three-match march to the finals with a 6-2 victory over John Morrison, who’d defeated Stan Rupard 4-4 (Rupard going to 6) and Chad Avalone, double hill, to reach him. Conner drew Gary Columbie, who’d gotten by John Washington 5-2 and Fred Dechaine, double hill. Dennis dropped Morrison 6-2, as Columbie survived a double hill contest against Conner. 

Dennis then defeated Columbie 6-3 in the quarterfinals, and took Brandon Cole out, double hill in the semifinals. With Dennis going to 6 again, Gagane kept him a rack short of a second straight double hill match against him with a 4-4 win that secured the event title.

Dan Simoneau, winner of two stops on the 2011 Lucasi New England 9-Ball Series, went undefeated to pick up  his first 2012 tour win on Sunday, March 4. The $255-added event drew 19 entrants to Buster’s Billiards in Somersworth, NH.

Simoneau had to get by Garry Columbie twice to capture the event title. He did it first among the winners’ side final four with a 7-2 victory. Gil Stadig, in the meantime, defeated Steve Therrian 4-2. Simoneau moved into the hot seat with a 7-4 victory over Stadig, and awaited Columbie’s return.

First up for Columbie on the loss side was Fred White, who’d survived two straight double hill matches, against Mike Nacolloro and Roger Morrison, to reach him. Therrian drew Will McDonald, who’d gotten by Derrick Lapenne 4-4 (Lapenne going to 6) and Stan Rupard, double hill. White didn’t survive his third straight double hill match, and it was Columbie moving into the quarterfinals. He was joined by Therrian, who’d eliminated McDonald 7-2.

Columbie and Therrian locked up in a double hill battle in those quarterfinals that eventually advanced Columbie to the semifinals against Stadig. Columbie chalked up his third straight on the loss side with a 5-3 victory over Stadig, which gave him a second crack at Simoneau. Simoneau, though, proved to be stronger the second time around. He gave up two less racks in the finals than he’d given up in his first match against Columbie among the winners’ side final four, completing his undefeated day with a 7-2 victory that secured the event title.