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Carmona goes undefeated to capture first regional tour title on Viking Cues’ Q City 9-Ball Tour

Perhaps it was the change of 'scenery.' R.J. Carmona's been showing up on our payout lists for about eight years now, primarily as a competitor on the Action Pool Tour (APT). Our records indicate that since 2009, he's cashed on 22 occasions, averaging a finish in 9th place. That number was skewed a little as the result of his appearances at the US Open 9-Ball Championships last year and in 2013, at which he finished 33rd and 49th, respectively. Without those two large numbers, his average finish was 6th place, and included two runner-up finishes on the APT.
 
On the weekend of May 6-7, Carmona changed the competitive, though not necessarily for him, geographic scenery a little bit. While his 'home' tour (APT) was holding a stop in Midlothian, VA, Carmona traveled to Virginia Beach, VA (about two southeast hours away) to compete in a stop on the Viking Cues' Q City 9-Ball Tour. In so doing, he chalked up his first tour win, going undefeated through a field of 34 at a $500-added event, hosted by Q Master Billiards in Virginia Beach.
 
Carmona faced two different opponents in his final two matches, both of whom battled him to double hill. He'd sent Nilbert Lim (another APT veteran) to the loss side 10-6 in one winners' side semifinal, while Thomas Williams defeated Chris Gentile 5-6 (Gentile racing to 8) in the other one. With Williams racing to 5, Carmona claimed the hot seat, double hill (10-4), and waited on what turned out to be the return of Greg Sabins, who was in the midst of chalking up a nine match, loss-side winning streak. 
 
It was Gentile who ran into Sabins on the loss side. At the time, Sabins was six matches into his loss-side run which included recent wins over Jared Vogel 8-3 and Junior Avery 8-4. Nilbert Lim picked up Reymart Lim (no relation, though both are APT vets), who'd picked up a forfeit win over Floyd Watson and defeated Barry Henderson 10-2 to reach him.
 
Sabins got by Gentile 8-5, as Nilbert downed Reymart 8-8 (Reymart racing to 10). Nilbert Lim put up a double hill fight in the quarterfinals that followed, but Sabins prevailed 8-7, met and defeated Williams 8-3 in the semifinals, and moved into a double elimination final against Carmona.
 
Carmona had been here before, literally and figuratively. In February 2012, at Q Master Billiards, he was sitting in the hot seat facing a challenge from a loss-side competitor he hadn't faced on the winners' side. His opponent at the time, Michael Fuller, had missed his son's birthday to compete in the APT event, so when he (Fuller) returned from a short, loss-side run, he was. . well, motivated, and took the two necessary sets in the double elimination final to claim the title and dedicate the victory to his son.
To the best of anyone's knowledge, Sabins was not motivated by anything other than a desire to complete a nine-match, loss-side struggle to get to the finals. Though Sabins would put up a double hill fight, Carmona disappointed him, taking the title 10-7 in a single set. In addition to the prize money, the victory also qualified Carmona for entry into the North Carolina State 10-Ball Championships in July. 
 
Tour director Herman Parker was effusive in his praise regarding his tour's first visit to Q Master Billiards, thanking its ownership and staff, as well as title sponsor Viking Cues, Delta 13 Racks, AZBilliards and Professor Q Ball. The next stop on the Viking Cues' Q City 9-Ball Tour, scheduled for May 13-14, will be a $500-added event ($1,000-added with over 48 entrants), hosted by Mr. Cues II in Atlanta, GA.

Moore chalks up fourth APT win to maintain season-ending top tour ranking

Eric Moore and Shaun Wilkie

Going into the final event of the 2017 Action Pool Tour season, there was no catching Eric Moore's top spot in the tour rankings. Ahead by nearly 2,000 points, with three victories on the year (in Feb., June, and Nov.), Moore would have been the tour champion even if his closest competitor in the rankings, Brandon Shuff, had competed and defeated him in the finals of the event. Punctuating his finish at the top of the tour rankings, Moore went undefeated through a field of 35, on-hand for APT's season finale, hosted by Q Master Billiards in Virginia Beach, VA, on the weekend of December 10-11.
 
 
While there was no drama surrounding who'd be the 2017 tour champion, the season finale did offer two competitors the opportunity to vie for the runner-up position, which would earn that player entry into all three divisions of the 2017 US Bar Table Championships in Las Vegas, as well as hotel accommodations (the winner, Moore, received the same bonus prize, in addition to plane fare). With Shuff not in attendance, that runner-up slot would (no matter where they finished) go to either Shaun Wilkie, who entered the tournament in third place, or Kenny Miller, who entered the tournament in fourth place. They were separated by only 19 points.
 
 
In effect, that question was answered when they met in the third round of play. After an opening round bye, Wilkie opened his campaign with a shutout over Thomas Williams. Miller, also awarded an opening round bye, opened with a double hill win (9-8) over Christopher Wilburn, who ended up 6th in the tour rankings. Wilkie advanced 9-5 over Miller, who moved west, won a single match (against Nicole Fleming) and was then eliminated by Steve Fleming, who'd end up 5th in the tour rankings.
 
 
Wilkie and Moore, now securely in the #1 and #2 positions on the tour, advanced to face each other in a winners' side semifinal. Reymart Lim, making only his third appearance on the 2017 tour, and cousin Nilbert Lim, making his second, squared off in the other semifinal. In their first of two, Moore downed Wilkie 9-7, as Reymart Lim defeated Nilbert Lim 9-6. Moore claimed the hot seat 9-6 over Reymart, assuring Reymart another (minimum) third place finish to match his effort back in May, when he finished behind Wilkie and Shuff. 
 
 
On the loss side, Wilkie drew Greg Sabins, who'd defeated Steve Fleming, double hill (right after Fleming had eliminated Kenny Miller) and R.J. Carmona 7-3. Nilbert Lim picked up Pat Carosi, who'd gotten by Ray Reyna 7-5 and Christopher Wilburn 7-2 to reach him. Wilkie advanced to the quarterfinals 7-2 over Sabins, and was met by Carosi, who'd ended Nilbert Lim's weekend 7-5.
 
 
Wilkie made short work of Carosi, allowing him only a single rack in their quarterfinal match. Reymart Lim, looking to advance to his first final, put up a fight in the semifinals against Wilkie, but fell short 7-5.
 
 
And so it was, that the top two players on the 2017 Action Pool Tour, squared off in the finals of the tour's season finale. Moore laid further claim to his already secured top spot in the rankings with a commanding 11-4 victory over Wilkie. 
 
 
Tour representatives thanked the ownership and staff at Q Master Billiards for their hospitality, as well as sponsors Predator, Ozone Billiards, AZBilliards and Hammerbacher Instruction.

Daughtry takes two out of three versus Owens to win Q City 9-Ball stop

Overall, Kenny Daughtrey won 17 of the 11 games he played against Frank Owens during the July 23 stop on the Q City 9-Ball Tour. Five of the 17 came in a double hill, 5-5 loss (Daughtrey racing to 6) in the opening set of the true double elimination final. Dead even on games at that point, Daughtrey lost, one game shy of his handicapped goal, forcing a second set. As he'd done before, Daughtrey kept Owen one game 'off the hill' in that second set, and claimed the title. The event drew 20 entrants to Brian's Billiards in Roanoke Rapids, NC.
 
Daughtrey won three out of his final four matches 6-3. He sent Chad Weachter to the loss side by that score to get into the hot seat match. Owens, in the meantime, was busy surviving a double hill fight against Randy Hodges. Daughtrey claimed the hot seat 6-3 and sent Owens to the semifinals.
 
On the loss side, Daughtrey's father, Ken, Sr., was on site, rooting for his namesake, and competing in the tournament, with at least one eye on a potential father/son final. Thomas Williams, in the midst of a five-game, loss-side winning streak that would take him to the semifinals, ended that potential party 5-1, and then defeated Justin Blackman by the same score to draw Weachter, who'd sent him to the loss side in the first place. Hodges picked up the tail end of another father/son saga – Terry Ringgold – who'd defeated his son, J.T., 4-5 (J.T. racing to 9) and then eliminated Junior Avery, double hill. 
 
Hodges thwarted the elder Ringgold's plans with a 5-2 victory, as Williams was chalking up his fourth loss-side win 5-3 over Weachter. Williams' final victory was a shutout over Hodges in the quarterfinals.
 
In the semifinals, fired-up-with-a-shutout-win Williams faced itching-for-another-shot-at-Daughtrey Owens. Owens took the straight-up, race to 5, semifinal match 5-2, and got his shot. In the opening set, he battled to double hill and won it. In the second set, Daughtrey opted for a repeat of the hot seat win and won the set 6-3 to claim the event title.
 
Tour director Herman Parker thanked the ownership and staff at Brian's Billiards, as well as title sponsor Viking Cues, and Delta-13 Racks. The next stop on the Q City 9-Ball Tour, scheduled for the weekend of July 30-31, will be hosted by Breaktime Billiards in Wilmington, NC.