Leading the top half of the bracket was Adam Kielar with wins over Antonio G.9-7, James Conn 9-3, Lee Holt 9-8 and TJ Moore 9-5. Leading the bottom half of the bracket was Darren Appleton with wins over Mike Couvetter 9-5, Ed Culhane 9-4, Dennis Spears 9-5, and Matt Krah 9-9.
Playing for the hot Seat was Adam Kielar vs Darren Appleton this was a great match that went hill hill but it was Appleton coming away with the win 9-8 and sending Kielar to the one lost side, Waiting for Kielar on the one lost side was Krah this was a good match that had Adam Keilar pulling away half way through the match to a 9-5 win and a rematch with Darren Appleton.
In the finals it was Adam Kielar VS Darren Appleton this event is a true double elimination so Kielar would have to win 2 set in order to win the event. It only took Appleton one sett as he won easily 9-5 to capture 2014 NJ State 10 Ball Championships.
I would like to thank all the players that came out to play I also would like to thank the following sponsors Mezz Cues, Gamblin Clothing Kumi Chalk, Allen Hopkins Super Billiards Expo, John Barton JB Cases, Jab Cues & Thing, Billiard Life USA, Inside Pool Magazine, and Mike Ricciardella
To the best of his recollection, the last time Tony Robles met up with Mike Dechaine was over two years ago in Valley Forge. Dechaine had gotten the best of him 11-8 back then and when Dechaine took him down in the hot seat match of the January 12 stop on the Predator Tour, somewhere in that generally professional demeanor that doesn't over-dramatize a single defeat, there had to have been a quiet voice in the mental background, saying "Here we go again." Robles came back from the semifinals to down Dechaine in the finals of the $750-added Open Predator event that had drawn 26 entrants to Steinway Billiards in Astoria (Queens), NY.
"I had a chance to beat him at 10-2 in those finals," said Robles, "but he slipped in a couple of games on me."
By the time Robles moved among the winners' side final four, he'd already played what he would consider to be his "best match of the tournament" – a 7-3 win over Wang Can – which came at a point when he was nowhere near as tired as he was going to be at the end, and made "fewer errors." He moved on from that win to defeat Travis McKinney 7-2, as Dechaine was busy defeating Bogie Uzdejczyk 7-1. Dechaine took command of the hot seat match, giving up only two racks and waiting in the hot seat for Robles' return.
On the loss side, Zion Zvi was working on a six-match, loss-side winning streak, which had begun when he'd been defeated by Hunter Lombardo 7-1 in the event's opening round. Victories over Eddie Culhane 7-4 and a commanding 7-1 win over Earl "The Pearl" Strickland, set Zvi up to face McKinney. Uzdejczyk ran into Frankie Hernandez, who'd gotten by Kevin Guimond 7-2 and spoiled Wang Can's hopes of a re-match against Robles, by defeating him 7-4.
Hernandez took care of Uzdejczyk 7-3 and in the quarterfinals, met up with Zvi, who'd dropped McKinney 7-2. Zvi took that quarterfinal match against Hernandez 7-3, but had his loss-side run terminated by Robles in a double hill semifinal.
Robles left little room for doubt in the finals, taking command early, and staying out in front. He won it, ahead by six, at 11-5 to claim the event title. Beyond his tempered joy of winning this event on his own tour, Robles was elated by the overall turnout for the two weekend events (Open and Amateur) that had drawn a total of 131 players to Steinway Billiards.
"Not to say that I'm not happy about winning the event," he said. "I am, but I'm happier about the turnout, which is more important to me than winning a tournament and watching your sport die."
Two years ago, Oscar Bonilla was chalking up Northeast wins all over the place. He won a Predator Tour stop, a couple of Sandcastle Billiards weekly Gauntlet events, and two second chance tournaments on the Joss Tour. He finished first, second or third in nine of the 11 events in which he cashed that year. Last year, he finished fourth in a Predator event and that was about it. This year, until the weekend of November 30-December 1, nothing, and then, he signed on to a short-field Open Predator event, and ran the table, defeating Jayson Shaw in the finals. The $500-added event drew 11 entrants.
In the concurrently-run, $500-added Amateur event that drew 32 entrants, Basdeo Sookhai took the title. He'd been defeated in the battle for the hot seat, and came back from the semifinals to take down Billy Santiago.
In the short-field (16-player bracket) Open event, Bonilla got into a winners' side semifinal matchup with Tour Director Tony Robles, as Shaw squared off against Travis McKinney in the other one. Bonilla hung on to win his double hill match against Robles, while McKinney downed Shaw 7-4. Bonilla took the hot seat match 7-4, and waited on what turned out to be Shaw's return.
Shaw moved over and picked up Chris Derewonski, who, not satisfied with a second place finish on the Tri-State Tour the day before, had been sent to the loss side by Robles, and defeated Raphael Dabreo 7-5 and Liam Monk 7-1. Robles drew Mhet Vergara, who'd gotten by Scott Murphy and Chad Bowling, both 7-3.
Shaw dropped Derewonski into the tie for fifth place 7-3, and by the same score, Robles ended Vergara's day. Shaw then finished Robles bid, with a 7-3 win in the quarterfinals, and went on to a re-match against McKinney. Another 7-3 win, and Shaw got a shot at Bonilla. Bonilla, though, gave up only a single rack completing his undefeated run through the short field.
In the Amateur event, Sookhai and Santiago met first in the hot seat match, once Sookhai had sent Gail Robles west 7-5 and Santiago had survived a double hill battle against Darren Defilips. It was Santiago in double hill, survival mode in the hot seat match, moving Santiago to the semifinals.
On the loss side, Stuart Warnock was at work on a four-match run to the semifinals. He'd been sent over by Defilips and defeated Chad Bowling 7-4 and Keith Adamik, double hill, to pick up Robles. Defilips drew Scott Murphy, who'd defeated Meshak Daniel 7-4 and Eric Grasman 7-6.
Warnock and Defilips advanced to the quarterfinals; Warnock, 8-5 over Robles and Defilips, double hill over Murphy.
Warnock's loss-side winning streak ended with a double hill win over Defilips in those quarterfinals. Sookhai defeated him in the semifinals 7-2, and then went on to defeat Santiago 9-7 to claim the event title.
Mhet Vergara, Travis McKinney, Dan Cintron and Phil Davis
Dan Cintron took down Phil Davis twice to capture the July 14 Open event on the Predator Tour's ninth stop of the season. The $500-added event drew a short field of 13 entrants to Amsterdam Billiards in Manhattan.
As Cintron was busy advancing to the hot seat match with a 7-4 victory over tour director Tony Robles, Davis was at work shutting out Mhet Vergara. In their first meeting, Cintron prevailed 7-5 and sat in the hot seat, awaiting their second.
Robles moved west to pick up Travis McKinney, who'd defeated Tim Perry and Keith Adamik, both 7-4. Vergara drew Chris Derewonski, who'd gotten by Jerry Tarantola 7-3, and survived a double hill fight against Sean Morgan. McKinney eliminated Robles 7-4, and in the quarterfinals, met up with Vergara, who'd defeated Derewonski 7-3.
McKinney gave up only a single rack to Vergara in the quarterfinals, but was then eliminated by Davis 7-5 in the semifinals. Davis's second chance against Cintron elicited the same result; a 7-5 win for Cintron that gave him the event title.
Krah advanced to the hot seat match with victories over Anthony Cassaro 7-3, Ed Culhane 7-3, and Dennis Spears 7-5. Wong moved up to meet him, defeating Wali Muhammad 7-3, Travis McKinney 7-5, and Frankie Hernandez 7-2.
Wong pulled away late to win the hot seat battle 7-5, sending Krah to the semifinals. Waiting for Krah was Frankie Hernandez, who'd just dropped Dennis Spears into fourth place. Krah defeated Hernandez 6-2 for a second chance against Wong, but the two decided against a final match, splitting the top prizes.
Tour director Joe Burgos thanked all participating players, the owners and staff at Sandcastle Billiards, as well as sponsors Mezz Cues, Kamui Chalk, Gamblin' Clothing, Allen Hopkins Super Billiards Expo, Jab Cues & Thing, Billiard Life USA, Inside Pool Magaine, and Mike Ricciardella (RE/Max Pros)
