Chris Fields, no stranger to the felt since she first started recording payouts on Florida’s Flamingo and Bay Area Amateur tours 12 years ago, chalked up her first win in just over two years when she came from the loss side to meet and defeat Ming Ng in the finals of a stop on the Texas-based (as is Fields) On The Ball Ladies Tour this past weekend (March 12-13). Her last (recorded) win came on the DFW 9-Ball Tour’s Women’s Finale in October, 2020, when, through six matches, she chalked up an aggregate score of 36-6. At this recent event, Fields had that many racks, plus one, scored against her in her second round of play, which sent her to the loss side for more; more ‘for’ than ‘against’ as it turned out on that side of the bracket. The $2,000-added event drew 34 entrants to Betsy’s Billiards in Austin, TX.
Fields got by her opening match okay, shutting out Leigh Constant, but ran into Kim Sanders in the second round, who fought her to double hill, before she (Sanders) prevailed, launching Fields into a seven-match, loss-side winning streak that eventually led her back to hot seat occupant Ming Ng.
Ng, part of a hot-seat-match pair of what might be aptly described as ‘heavy hitters’ on the Texas Ladies Pool scene, had opened her bid for the title with a double hill win over Angie Payne and went on to defeat Cheyenne Valdez and Natalie Rocha before facing Kim Pierce in one of the winners’ side semifinals. The other member of the ‘heavy hitters’ pair was Jennifer Kraber, who’d gotten by Margaret Fox, Nicole McDaniel, and shut out Michelle Cortez in a winners’ side quarterfinal to face Michelle Yim in the other winners’ side semifinal.
Kraber downed Yim 7-2 and in the hot seat match, faced Ng, who’d sent Pierce to the loss side 7-5. Ng sent Kraber off to what would prove to be a fateful matchup in the semifinals, claiming the hot seat 7-4.
On the loss side, Yim drew Kim Sanders, who, following her loss to Pierce had defeated Angie Payne and Natalie Rocha, both 7-5. Pierce picked up Fields, four matches into her loss-side streak, which had recently eliminated Carmel Luttrell and Stephanie Reyes, both 7-1.
Fields advanced to the quarterfinals 7-5 over Pierce and was met by Yim, who’d survived a double hill fight versus Sanders, and was thus able to avoid a rematch against Fields. Fields eliminated Yim 7-4 in those quarterfinals and then, Kraber in the semifinals 7-3.
It was a true double elimination final, forcing Fields to win twice to claim the title. A predictable double hill battle characterized the opening set, won by Fields. Fields chalked up the second set 7-4 and claimed the event title.
A $100-added Best of the Rest event drew 10 entrants. Angie Payne took home the top prize, with Zoe Lozano as runner-up.
Tour representatives thanked the ownership and staff at Betsy’s Billiards, as well as title sponsor On the Ball Co., which also provided streaming services for the event. The next stop (#3) of the On the Ball Ladies Tour, scheduled for the weekend of May 14-15, will be a $2,000-added event, hosted by Skinny Bob’s Billiards in Round Rock, TX.
Gail Eaton came out firing at the Gulf Coast Women’s Regional Tour Texas Open Warm-Up ladies’ 9-ball event held at Skinny Bob’s Billiards in Round Rock, Texas. Eaton fought her way through a talented field of 29 women, overcoming local favorite Jennifer Kraber in the first and final set, 5-2, to capture her second, consecutive, Gulf Coast Tour tournament title.
On August 28th, 2016, Skinny Bob’s Billiards www.skinnybobs.com, along with tour sponsors Delta-13 Rack www.delta-13.com, APA of North Harris County www.facebook.com/apanorthharriscounty, Cyclop Billiard Balls, and host hotel Candlewood Suites in Round Rock www.CandlewoodSuites.com facilitated another successful event for the ladies, who competed for over $1,000 in prize money, in a one-day competition.
It was the sixth stop on this year’s WPBA sanctioned Gulf Coast Tour and the players came out in full force, including hometown talent Tam Trinh, Jennifer Kraber, Kim Sanders, Veronica “Pistol Perez” Perez, and Kim “Texas Heat” Pierce, along with San Antonio’s Gail Eaton, Lufkin’s Toni Esteves, numerous Houston contingents, and the newest and youngest member of the tour, 13-year old Ariana Lynch of San Antonio. The road to the winners’ side final four saw Eaton defeat Toni Esteves, Loretta Lindgren, 5-1, and Veronica Perez, 5-0. Mercedes Vasquez also made an impressive run for the final four winners’ side, ousting Tangela Hunt, Teresa Garland, and Liz Yorek, 5-4. Tam Trinh defeated Terri Resendes, 5-0, and Kim Pierce, 5-4, while Ricki Casper ousted Diana Cardona, 5-0, and Kimberly Brown, 5-1. Eaton went on to defeat Vasquez, 5-3, and Casper overcame Trinh, 5-2. On the one-loss side, Nicole McDaniel eliminated Teresa Garland, 4-1, Tiffany Mundie ended Veronica Perez, 4-2, and Kim Pierce halted a three-match-run by Brandi Humber. And then, there was Kraber. Struggling after a second round loss to Garland, 5-1, Kraber won three consecutive matches to meet Pierce. Down to the final eight players in the event, on the top of the one-loss side, it was Mundie over McDaniel, 4-2, while down below Kraber struck another blow, eliminating Pierce, 4-2. Trinh made quick work of Mundie, 4-1, and Kraber took down Vasquez, her fifth victim, 4-1. Back on the east side, Eaton narrowly escaped Casper for the hot seat win, 5-4. Kraber went on to defeat Trinh, 4-1, and Casper, 4-2, which marked an astounding seven, consecutive match wins, to meet Eaton in the final. The former WPBA Pro came out firing against the Austin contender, ending her impressive run in the first set, 5-2.
In an effort to better accommodate the large number of players competing in the Texas Open Warm Up 9-Ball Event at Skinny Bob’s, beginning in 2017, the Gulf Coast event will be staged at “Skinny Bob's II”, a smoke-free pool room, adjoining the main room, which houses eight new Diamond bar tables. “This event has presented some challenges over the years, and I’m confident that utilizing this additional space will provide a smoother tournament experience for all of the players,” says Tour Director, Kim Newsome.
WPBA Vice President and 2016 BCA Hall of Fame inductee, Belinda Calhoun, attended the event, in advance of participating in the 43rd Annual Texas Open. The Gulf Coast Tour would like to congratulate this decorated, professional player on her upcoming Hall of Fame induction, and thank her for close to 30 years of service in the industry. It is because of the efforts of self-less volunteers like Mrs. Calhoun, that the industry continues to move in the right direction. On that note, the Gulf Coast Tour welcomes its newest player members, Ariana Lynch, Kimberly Brown, Stephanie Reyes, Monica DeTuncq, Cindy Tillman, Jennifer Kraber, and Nicole McDaniel.
The Gulf Coast Tour will host a $1,000 added 9-ball event and 2017 WPBA Masters Qualifier on November 12th-13th at Fat Racks Billiards and Sports Lounge in San Antonio, Texas. For more information visit www.gulfcoastwomenstour.com or contact Kim Newsome at 713.825.1411.
First time host Slick Willie’s, Austin, Texas has joined the OB Cues Ladies Tour as a new host site and they had their inaugural event September 13-14 weekend. The pool room has 34 tables and more than enough space to handle the astounding 67 players that came out for the fun and good times.
In an effort to inject new faces to the tour, we ran a campaign to waive annual membership dues to APA players Skill Level 2 and 3. We wanted to sell them on the experience and 23 new tour members came for the experience and 6 players were SL 2/3. Welcome to all the new members and thank you for joining our OB Cues Ladies Tour family. Here’s a little glimpse of the calm before the storm.
Before we get to the tournament details we would like to extend special thanks to our title sponsor–OB Cues. We are honored that your continued support and interest in the tour keeps us alive and kicking. OB Cues offers a plethora of shafts, playing cues, jump cues, break cues, and everything is made in the USA. Be sure to check them out at www.obcues.com
So now–let the games begin!
Marquee players in attendance were Jennifer Kraber (Austin), Tara Williams (Ft. Worth), Nicole Keeney (Colorado), Heather Pulford (formerly Austin, now San Francisco area) and Orietta Strickland (Dallas). As the day winded down, 16 players were still in the Main Event and needed to continue their winning ways on Sunday. Winner side matches included Giselle Miller (Austin, TX) vs. Stephanie Reyes (both of Austin, TX); Michelle Cortez (Austin, TX) vs. Liz Mitchell (Katy, TX); Nicole Kenney (Denver, CO) vs. Natalie Mans (Katy, TX); and Heather Pulford (San Francisco, CA) vs. Jennifer Kraber (Austin, TX). B-side matches included: Helen Hayes (San Antonio, TX) vs. Shannyn Brumbaugh (Austin, TX); Sara Bork (Katy, TX) vs. Tara Williams (Ft. Worth, TX); Robyn Petrosino (Houston, TX) vs. Kim Pierce (Austin, TX); Emma Davis (Austin, TX) vs. Shayla Neris (Austin, TX). With a strong contingent of local representation, fans and supporters were hoping for a local player to climb through the top ranks. As Sunday matches continued with strong shooting and awesome match play by all, 2 players remain undefeated out of 67 players. Local Austinite Michelle Cortez tried her best to secure the hot seat but Nicole Kenney was stronger than ever and was sitting pretty waiting for an opponent in the finals. Nicole beat Michelle with a score of 7-5.
Fighting tooth and nail and strong to the finish it would be Tara Williams to match up against Nicole in the finals. But it was not without a few scares as Tara, behind in her match with Heather Pulford 2-6, made an unfortunate miss on a long straight-in 9-ball by Heather which changed the whole momentum of the match. Tara feeling very lucky and happy to get back into the match as she came back and won 7-6. Next up for her though was another tough challenge from another champion and current point’s leader Jennifer Kraber. The Kraber/Williams match was rather topsy turvy as both players were struggling throughout the duration of their match. Lo and behold–the score was hill-hill and Jennifer was at the table with the break. Jennifer was set on a break and run but as she pocketed the 9-ball in the upper corner pocket, the cue ball came off the rail and scratched in the opposite corner giving the match win to Tara.
Next up for Tara was yet another Austin opponent Michelle Cortez. Never let it be said that Austin doesn’t groom strong players because there were plenty of local ladies whose games are sometimes too tough to handle. After the close matches that Tara previously played, she was well in stroke and defeated Michelle 7-2. Congratulations to Michelle for attaining one of her highest finishes ever playing on the tour!
The finals match was all it was expected to be. Both ladies very strong and skilled players and both familiar with handling the pressure–so no trouble there. In a true double elimination format, Tara would need to defeat Nicole twice to take the prize and at first it looked like she was on her way. Tara took the 1st set 7-6 and was gunning to win the second set until an unfortunate error occurred wherein she hooked herself on an 8-ball to miss the second hill-hill match. Nicole finished out the game and the match with a score of 7-5 and the $750 1st place prize money. Congratulations Nicole on your awesome win!
This year, Bad Boys Billiard Productions moved the BCAPL Texas 8-Ball State Championships to the Mayborn Center in Temple, Texas. Action was hot and heavy in 13 different tournaments from April 1st through 7th, 2014.
Action got started on Tuesday morning, April 1st with 40 Mixed Scotch Doubles teams chasing their dreams of being Texas State Champions and the $800 prize check that would accompany that honor. The teams of Beatty & Hyde and Bailey & Jones raced to the hot seat match playing a match every two hours until their showdown against each other at 8 PM. Both teams eager to guarantee themselves a spot in the finals played a very close match that saw Bailey & Jones prevail in a 4-3 win. Beatty & Hyde would now have to travel to the left side of the board to win a match to earn a chance for revenge in the finals. They were not the only team looking to exact a little payback for an earlier loss. The team of Franklin & Hess suffered a very close loss in their first match of the tournament to Beatty & Hyde and marched through the one loss side of the bracket with 8 straight wins to earn that shot at payback with Beatty & Hyde. In another tightly contested match, Franklin & Hess prevailed with a 4-2 victory and a shot at Bailey & Jones in the finals. The four combatants would have to wait until 2 PM Sunday afternoon as they also were competing in the Singles and Team tournaments. Due to the fact that Bailey & Jones were undefeated, they would have to be beaten twice in the finals and that is just what Franklin & Hess set out to do with a hill-hill victory in the first set, forcing the second and deciding set. Both teams regrouped and played another tightly contested set with Bailey & Jones coming through with the 4-3 victory and title of 2014 BCAPL Texas State Scotch Doubles Champions!
Wednesday morning the Men’s Open Singles and Men’s B Singles got underway with 202 players doing battle on the 80 Diamond tables. The Men’s Open Singles is a race to 5 with Advanced players having to win one more game if playing an Open player. After 14 hours of play, the list of undefeated players had gone from 110 players down to one, Advanced player, Cesar Garcia Jr., by result of a 6-1 victory over Frank Ferrer Jr. in the hot seat match. Frank would now have to win a match on the one loss side to earn a rematch with Garcia. That he did with a 5-0 win over Leonel Torres who finished 3rd. Ferrer would now have to beat Garcia twice to win the title and that Is exactly what he did with matching 5-2 wins Ferrer Jr. collected $1,520 plus the winner’s trophy for his performance.
In the Men’s B division, 92 players arrived with cues in tow to do battle. Roy Shumacher raced through the event undefeated, beating Adrian Womack Jr., who after losing his very first match of the tournament 4-2 to Victor Dabu, went on a tear winning eleven straight matches to make to the finals. Adrian came up one game short of the 4-3 final match score and had to settle for a second place finish and $290 in prize money for his hard work. Schumacher received the first place trophy and $460 for his stellar play.
Wednesday afternoon also saw the women come in to start their Open divisions with 29 in the Open and 16 in the B division. Good friends and teammates, Melinda Bailey and Tracie Voelkering battled their ways through a tough field to meet in the hot seat match that was won by Bailey by a 4-2 score. Tracie then went to the one loss side and defeated Angela Garza in a very close 4-3 match to earn a second shot at Melinda in the finals. Garza had to settle for a 3rd place finish. The finals would only last one set as Melinda Bailey continued her smart stellar play and defeat Voelkering 4-1 to win her very first Texas State Women’s open Singles Championship, the trophy and a $550 first prize. Couple with her win in the Scotch Doubles, made this a very nice week for Melinda!
In the Women’s B division, Stephanie Reyes went through the field undefeated and beat Cindy Vansickle 4-1 in the finals to win the trophy and $150 first prize.
Thursday morning got the Men’s Senior division underway with 74 experienced players playing a race to 5 to see who the champion would be. That man would be Kenny Ellis. Ellis marched his way through the field and claimed the hot seat with a 5-2 win over Pete Stoval sending him to the one loss side where he would meet Ismael Ramirez. Ramirez prevailed this time and would get a shot at Ellis in the finals. Ramirez won the first set with a 5-3 win sending the finals to a second and deciding set. Ellis regrouped though and left no doubt who the champion would be with a convincing 5-1 victory. Along with the BCAPL Texas State Senior Singles trophy, Ellis was rewarded with $1,100 for his stellar play.
Friday saw the teams roll in to do battle. Ninety three Mixed Open teams and 23 Women’s Open teams began their quest to be Texas State Champions! In the Mixed Open division, The Hitmen raced through the field undefeated and handled the Top Dawgs in the finals 13-5 to win the title and the $4,780 first place money. In the Women’s Open teams Boom Shaka Laka also went undefeated and beat the Elementals in the finals 11-8 to take the title and the $1,000 first place prize money.
Along with all the main events, there were also five Second Chance tournaments. In the Men’s Open Second chance, Chris Romero bested the 52 player field. In the Men’s B Second chance, Darren Charles double dipped Matt Jarolik in the finals to best the 35 player field. In the Women’s Open Singles, Celeste Espinosa came out on top of the seven player field. Team Second Chance winners were Chosen Few and Caught Strokin.
Along with all these tournaments, Bad Boys Billiard Productions did their best to insure the players got their green fees worth of playing pool and ran 98 mini tournaments during the event. We would like to take this opportunity to thank the Mayborn Center and their friendly and helpful staff for making this such an enjoyable venue to hold this prestigious event. We also want to thank each player who came to participate and support this great sport we all love. We look forward to an even bigger and better event next year!
