J.R. Poste won two straight double hill matches to get into the hot seat of a Q City 9-Ball Tour stop on the weekend of July 30-31. Poste and B.J. Hucks ended up splitting the event's top two prizes, while, undefeated, Poste claimed the event title that drew 39 entrants to Breaktime Billiards in Wilmington, NC.
Poste's first double hill win of the final two came in a winners' side semifinal match against J.T. Ringgold, as Joe Blanton was busy defeating Andy Bowden in the other semifinal. Poste claimed the hot seat, double hill, over Blanton in what proved to be his last match.
Ringgold moved to the loss side, where he picked up Taz Holiday, who'd defeated Frank Owens (runner-up on the tour's last stop, July 23) 5-4, and Mickey Hucks (no relation to B.J.) 5-3. Bowden drew B.J., who'd gotten by Ed Leggett and Brandy Hodges, both 7-3.
Hucks, racing to 7, gave up only a single rack to Bowden, advancing to the quarterfinals. He was joined by Ringgold, who'd eliminated Holiday 9-4. With Ringgold racing to 9, Hucks survived a double hill fight, winning it 7-7, and advancing to take on Blanton in the semifinals.
Hucks chalked up his last of the night, 7-2, over Blanton. He and Poste then opted out of the final, declared Poste the official winner, and split the top two prizes.
Tour director Herman Parker thanked the ownership and staff at Breaktime Billiards, as well as title sponsor Viking Cues, and Delta-13 racks. The next stop on the Q City 9-Ball Tour, scheduled for August 6-7, will be hosted by Brown's Billiards in Raleigh, NC.
After joining Mike Dechaine, Carlo Biado and Rodney Morris in the tie for 13th place at the 40th Annual US Open 9-Ball Championships in Norfolk, Virginia, Jeffrey Ignacio traveled to Raleigh, North Carolina to compete on the Q City 9-Ball Tour. He joined 25 other competitors in the event, hosted by Brown's Billiards in Raleigh, and went undefeated to claim the title.
Playing as a 'pro' in the handicapped event, Ignacio had to win 13 games, every time he played; two more than he had to play in any of the eight matches he played at the Open. Ignacio lost his opening match, and then won six on the loss side, including victories over Earl Strickland, Shaun Wilkie, Mika Immonen and Jundel Mazon, before Ruslan Chinahov eliminated him from further play.
The handicapped advantage of some of Ignacio's adversaries in Raleigh almost cost him. He was forced to win a deciding game in his winners' side semifinal match against Buddy Fisher, racing to 6; final score 13-5. David Smith, in the meantime, sent Joe Cosky to the loss side 5-4 (Cosky racing to 7). Ignacio was forced into his second straight double hill match against Smith, battling for the hot seat. He prevailed 13-4, and waited on what turned out to be the return of Steve Page.
Page, who'd been sent to the loss side in an early round by Brad Shearer, won seven on the loss side to face Ignacio in the finals. In loss-side victories #3 and #4, Page defeated Taz Holiday 10-4, and shut out Jeff K, to draw Fisher. Cosky picked up David Brown, who'd defeated Thomas Michael and Brad Shearer, both 8-3.
Brown and Page advanced to the quarterfinals; Page 10-5 over Fisher, and Brown 8-4 over Cosky. Page then eliminated Brown 10-5, and chalked up his second shutout, this one over Smith in the semifinal. Ignacio, though, completed his undefeated run with a 13-7 win in the finals over Page, to claim the event title.
The next stop on the Q City 9-Ball Tour, scheduled for the weekend of November 7-8, at Chambley's Chalk & Cue in Statesboro, NC, will be the $1,000-added NC State 8-Ball Championships. It will be the first time that the tour has featured an 8-ball event. According to tour director Herman Parker, it's a feature that players on the tour have been requesting, and will likely not be the last.
Clint Clark came back from a defeat in a winners' side semifinal to win three on the loss side and then double dip hot seat occupant Rick Roper in the finals of the October 17-18 stop on the Q City 9-Ball Tour. The event drew 56 entrants to Chandley's in Statesville, NC.
Clark began his loss-side campaign, after a 6-3 victory by Taz Holiday in one of the winners' side semifinals. Roper defeated Brent Kyles 7-6 to meet Holiday in the hot seat match. Roper claimed the hot seat 7-3 over Holiday and waited on Clark's return.
Clark's first opponent on the loss side was Zac Leonard, who'd gotten by Mike Chapman 7-3 and Colin Hall 7-2 to reach him. Kyles drew Joey Fox, who'd eliminated Jerry Varnado and Bryan Pate, both 7-2. Clark and Kyles advanced to the quarterfinals; Clark 9-3 over Leonard and Kyles, 8-6 over Fox.
Clark then chalked up two straight 9-4 wins, ousting Kyles in the quarterfinals, and then, in a rematch, Holiday in the semifinals. He took the double elimination opening set 9-3 over Roper, and though Roper would force a deciding game in the second set, Clark prevailed 9-6 to claim the event title.
