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Ussery chalks up his second 2019 Q City 9-Ball title

BJ Ussery

In six appearances on the 2019 Q City 9-Ball Tour (in which he has cashed), BJ Ussery has only been outside of the top three finishers once. On Saturday, April 20, he added a second victory to that list, going undefeated through a field of 21 entrants, on hand to compete at Randolph’s Billiards in Hickory, NC. It was a wild-weather Easter weekend in the foothills of the mountains on the western border of North Carolina, with a combination of cold rain and snow. That, combined with an APA event in Charlotte, about an hour south of Hickory, had an impact on entrant numbers, but it didn’t dampen Ussery’s march to the finish line, in which, over six matches, he gave up a total of only nine racks and recorded three shutouts.
 
Ussery advanced to a winners’ side semifinal versus Kirk Overcash, as Terry Easter (appropriately enough) squared off against Tim Gill. Ussery gave up one of his nine racks in that match, downing Overcash 11-1. Easter, in the meantime, sent Gill to the loss side, double hill (5-5). Ussery went on to record one of his shutouts, against Easter, to claim the hot seat.
 
On the loss side, Overcash picked up Jeff Abernathy, who’d defeated Gary South 9-4 and Brian Overman 9-5 to reach him. Gill drew Hank Powell, who’d recently shutout Daniel Adams and eliminated Clint Clark 7-2 to reach him.
 
Overcash downed Abernathy 5-6 (Abernathy racing to 9), and in the quarterfinals, faced Gill, who’d defeated Powell 6-3. Overcash then sent Gill home, double hill (5-5).
 
Overcash earned himself a re-match against Ussery in the finals with a 5-3 victory over Easter in the semifinals. Unfortunately, for Overcash, second verse was the same as the first. Ussery shut him out a second time to claim the event title.
 
Tour directors Herman and Angela Parker thanked the ownership and staff at Randolph’s Billiards, as well as title sponsor Viking Cues, Bar Pool Tables, Delta 13 Racks, AZ Billiards and Professor Q-Ball. The next stop on the Viking Cues’ Q City 9-Ball Tour, scheduled for this weekend (April 27-28), will be hosted by The Clubhouse in Lynchburg, VA.
 

Martin takes two of three versus Fitch to win record-breaking stop on Q City 9-Ball Tour

Justin Martin

In what Tour Director Herman Parker said was the best-attended event in the history of the Q City 9-Ball Tour, 17-year-old Justin Martin survived a double elimination challenge by Shannon Fitch to claim the title. The event, held over the July 4th weekend, broke a previous entrant record of 67 by drawing 69 entrants to Chandley's Chalk & Cue in Statesville, NC.
 
While his father (Jason) was at work on the loss side, Justin Martin was busy advancing to a winners' side semifinal versus Rocky Hawkes. Fitch and Chris Walsh squared off in the other winners' side semifinal. Martin downed Hawkes 9-5, as Fitch sent Walsh over 11-5. Martin claimed the hot seat 9-2 over Fitch and while likely keeping an eye on his Dad's progress, waited on Fitch's return.
 
Jason Martin got out of the 9/12 battles with a 5-0 shutout over Travis Duncan, but was defeated 6-1 in the 7/8 contests by Christy Norris, who'd defeated Mike McDonald 6-4 to reach him. Norris advanced to pick up Walsh. Hawkes drew Tim Gill, who'd benefited from a forfeit by Jeff Abernathy and then survived a double hill battle against Clay Davis.
 
Gill and Walsh moved on to the quarterfinals; Gill, 6-4 over Hawkes and Walsh, 7-5 over Norris. Walsh downed Gill 7-3 in those quarterfinals, but then had his loss-side streak ended 11-4 by Fitch in the semifinals.
 
Fitch dominated the opening set of the true double elimination final 11-2 to force a second set. Martin, though, caught a gear in the second set, and though not quite as dominant a performance as Fitch's in the opening set, he did win it 9-6 to claim the event title.
 
Tour director Herman Parker thanked Mike Chandley and his staff for their hospitality, as well as title sponsor Viking Cues, Delta-13 racks and GoPlayPool.com. The next stop on the Q City 9-Ball Tour, scheduled for July 9-10, will be hosted by Diamond Billiards in Midlothian, VA.