DJ Brads isn’t the first competitor to bring home his first recorded cash payout with a win on a regional tour event and isn’t likely to be the last. But losing his first match at last weekend’s (Sat., March 5) Viking Cues’ Q City 9-Ball Tour stop and then wending his way through eight loss-side wins to double dip hot seat occupant, Greg Taylor, certainly caught the attention of those present who watched it happen. To include the attention of tour director, Herman Parker, who’ll likely be adjusting Brads’ handicap rating for future events. The $500-added event drew 24 entrants to the Clubhouse in Lynchburg, VA.
Brads lost that first-round match of his to Justin Knuckles and would successfully win their rematch in the semifinals later. Knuckles advanced through three more opponents to face Scott Largen in one of the winners’ side semifinals. Taylor and Rodney Strickland squared off in the other one.
Knuckles moved on to the hot seat match 6-2 over Largen. Taylor joined him after sending Strickland to the loss side 8-2. In a double hill battle, Taylor claimed the hot seat (8-5), sending Knuckles off to his semifinal rematch.
Three wins into his loss-side streak, Brads downed Wes Campbell 5-1 and shut out Ethan Carson to draw Strickland. Largen picked up Cameron Lawhorne, who’d recently eliminated James Marvin 8-3 and Earl Kent, double hill. Brads moved into the quarterfinals 5-1 over Strickland and was joined by Largen, who’d defeated Lawhorne 6-4.
Brads’ win #7 in those quarterfinals sent Largen home 5-4 (Largen racing to 6). This handed Brads his opportunity for redemption (or revenge, dependent on how you look at it) against Knuckles in the semifinals. He’d given up six and chalked up three racks in their first meeting. This time around, he tallied five racks, gave up only one and moved on for a shot against Taylor in the hot seat.
With Taylor racing to 8, Brads completed his trip to the winners’ circle with a 5-2 victory in the opening set of a true double elimination final and won the second set 5-3 to claim the title.
Tour director Herman Parker thanked the ownership and staff at the Clubhouse, as well as title sponsor Viking Cues, BarPoolTables.net, Break Time Billiards of Winston-Salem, NC, Dirty South Grind Apparel Co., Realty One Group Results, Diamond Brat, AZBilliards.com, Ridge Back Rails, and Federal Savings Bank Mortgage Division. The next stop on the Viking Cues’ Q City 9-Ball Tour, scheduled for this weekend (March 12-13) will be a $500-added event, hosted by Still Cluckin’ in Providence, NC.
Collin Hall’s 2019 year at the tables is playing out the way his 2018 year did. On Saturday, July 20 at the Gate City Billiard Club in Greensboro, NC, Hall chalked up his second victory of the year* on the Viking Cues’ Q City 9-Ball Tour. At this point last year, July 21 to be exact, he’d chalked up only his first 2018 victory. He’s already won twice in 2019 and has until October 13-14 to break a two-per-year threshold he’s faced on three separate occasions; 2016, 2018 and now, 2019. He’s defeated six different opponents in those six final matches, including Danny Jones and Jeff Young in 2016, Brent Hensley and Wes Campbell in 2018.
Hall beat Scott Roberts at The Clubhouse in Lynchburg, VA in April of this year. This most recent event drew 35 entrants to the Gate City Billiards Club in Greensboro, NC. Hall took the hot seat match over BJ Ussery, and then watched, as Scott Johnson, in the midst of an eight-match loss-side winning streak, got way out in front against Ussery in the semifinal. Johnson, at the start, was getting five beads on the wire in a race to 12, so at 6-6, Johnson was on the hill. He missed three opportunities shooting at the 9-ball that would have sent him to the finals against Hall. Ussery took advantage and defeated him 12-6 for a second shot at Hall which didn’t happen. A room curfew led Hall and Ussery to negotiate a prize settlement in lieu of a final match and as the undefeated hot seat occupant, Hall claimed the title.
Their first clash in the hot seat match came after two double hill matchups in the winners’ side semifinals. Hall downed Cartelli 6-4. Ussery sent Shaun Apple to the left bracket 12-4. Hall entered the hot seat match with six on the wire in a race to 12 against Ussery and chalked up the six he needed to win 6-9, in what was, in essence, the event’s title match.
On the loss side, it was Shaun Apple who picked up Johnson, six matches into his loss-side streak, who’d just eliminated Bradley Barker and James Blackburn, both 7-5. Cartelli drew Joe Woo, who’d eliminated Gary Campbell 6-2 and Alex Valencia 6-4.
Johnson got into the quarterfinals with a 7-3 win over Apple. He was joined by Cartelli, who’d ended Woo’s day 5-2. Johnson won what would prove to be his last match of the day, defeating Cartelli 7-3 in those quarterfinals.
Johnson, who’s not appeared on a payout list (to our knowledge) since 2016, when he was runner-up to the tour’s most prolific player, JT Ringgold, entered the semifinals looking for a chance to compete in his second final in three years. And almost pulled it off. As noted above, he was in the driver’s seat, on the hill, poised (thanks to the room curfew) to chalk up a second runner-up victory against one of the tour’s best. He stumbled going into what amounted to be the ‘final turn,’ and Ussery closed the gap to win the game, match and what was essentially, the battle for the runner-up slot.
Tour directors Herman and Angela Parker thanked the ownership and staff at Gate City 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 (July 27-28), will be hosted by The Clubhouse in Lynchburg, VA.
Over the past three years, Collin Hall has been ‘bringin’ home the bacon’ with moderate regularity on the Viking Cues’ Q City 9-Ball Tour. He won his first tour event in 2015, and two more the following year. He was runner-up in two events in 2017, and after finishing as runner-up to Don Lilly this past February, he chalked up his first 2018 tour win with an undefeated effort on Saturday, July 21. The event drew 28 entrants to The Clubhouse in Lynchurg, VA.
Hall advanced to a winners’ side semifinal against Lee O’Neal, as his eventual hot seat and finals’ opponent, Wes Campbell faced Billy Walker in the other winners’ side semifinal. Hall and Campbell advanced to the hot seat match with identical 6-4 scores over O’Neal and Walker. Hall claimed the hot seat by the same score over Campbell.
On the loss side, O’Neal picked up Dustin Coe, who’d defeated Matt Ward 6-1 and Chris England, double hill, to reach him. Walker drew Shane Wolford, who’d eliminated Don Lilly and Bernie Kirby, both 8-5 (the match against Kirby, racing to 6, was double hill).
Wolford advanced to the quarterfinal with a shutout over Walker. Coe joined him following his 6-1 victory over O’Neal. Wolford gave up only two racks to Coe and advanced (8-2) to meet Campbell in the semifinals.
The semifinals went double hill, which, with Campbell racing to 6 and Wolford racing to 8, was tied at 5-7 and won by Campbell 6-7. In the finals, Campbell and Hall were playing a straight-up race to 6, and as he had done in the hot seat match, Hall prevailed 6-4 to claim the event title.
Tour directors Herman and Angela Parker thanked the ownership and staff at The Clubhouse for their hospitality, 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 this weekend – July 28-29 – will be a $1,000-added ($1,500 with 80 entrants) event, hosted by The Steakhorse in Spartanburg, SC.
Following an event victory in February, Jonathan Ailstock turned in a second undefeated performance on the Q City 9-Ball Tour on Saturday, May 28. The event, presented by Viking Cues, drew 31 entrants to Friendly Cue Billiards in Lynchburg, VA.
In his final three games, Ailstock had to defeat two higher ranked opponents, JT Ringgold and Brian Bryant, to complete his run. He ended up defeating Bryant twice. They met first in the hot seat, after Ailstock had sent Ringgold to the loss side 6-7 (Ringgold racing to 9), and Bryant had sent Wes Campbell over 9-3. Ailstock chalked up a second 6-7 win over an opponent racing to 9 (Bryant) and claimed the hot seat.
On the loss side, Ringgold drew Trey Frank, who'd gotten by Travis Shelton 7-3 and Scott Roberts 7-1. Campbell drew Ed Leggett, who, after a defeat at the hands of Ailstock in the opening round, went on a seven-match, loss-side streak that took him eventually to the semifinals. He downed Josh Williams and Todd Brady 5-2 before facing Campbell.
Leggett and Frank handed Campbell and Ringgold their second straight losses; Leggett, 5-2 over Campbell, and Frank, 7-6 over Ringgold. With Frank racing to 7, Leggett took the subsequent quarterfinal match 5-5, but had his loss-side streak ended in the semifinals by Bryant 9-3.
With Bryant racing to 9, he and Ailstock locked up in a double hill battle. Ailstock won the case game to claim his second Q City 9-Ball title.
Tour director Herman Parker thanked the owner (Daniel "Papa John" Adams) and his staff at Friendly Cue Billiards, as well as sponsors Viking Cues and Delta-13 racks. The next stop on the Q City 9-Ball Tour, scheduled for June 4-5, will be hosted by Borderline Billiards in Bristol, TN.
Daniel "Papa John" Adams went undefeated through a field of 23, on-hand for the 28th stop on the Q City 9-Ball Tour, stopping a loss-side challenge by Scott Roberts in the finals. The Saturday, July 25, handicapped event, originally slated for Chandley's in Statesville, NC, was hosted by The Clubhouse in Lynchburg, TN.
Adams, a "7" handicap, entered the tournament in the middle of a pack of 64 players, who will, at season's end, qualify for the tour's championship event. His undefeated run notched him a few slots above Mike Davis. On his way to the tour win, he faced off in a winners' side semifinal against Jerry Varnado, who is among the tour's top ten shooters. Darren Musser, in the meantime, met up with Brian Bryant. Adams advanced to the hot seat match 7-6 over Varnado and was joined by Musser, who'd sent Bryant to the loss side 8-7. Adams claimed the hot seat 7-2 and over Musser and waited for Roberts to complete his five-match, loss-side run.
After falling to Musser 8-5 in a winners' side quarterfinal, Roberts (coming into the tournament at #12 on the tour list) defeated Bill Miller and Bobby Glenn, both 8-3, to pick up Varnado. Bryant drew Wes Campbell, who'd gotten by Mike Allen 6-2 and Chad Pike 6-4. Roberts eliminated Varnado 8-5 and was joined in the quarterfinal match by Bryant, who'd defeated Campbell 9-5.
Roberts took the quarterfinal match 8-3 over Bryant, earning himself a second shot at Musser in the semifinals. He took advantage of the opportunity and defeated Musser 8-3. "Papa John" ended Roberts' loss-side winning streak with a 7-2 victory in the finals and claimed the event title.
Stop #29 on the Q City 9-Ball Tour is scheduled for the weekend of August 1-2. The event will be hosted by Breakers Sky Lounge in Herndon, VA.
DJ Brads isn’t the first competitor to bring home his first recorded cash payout with a win on a regional tour event and isn’t likely to be the last. But losing his first match at last weekend’s (Sat., March 5) Viking Cues’ Q City 9-Ball Tour stop and then wending his way through eight loss-side wins to double dip hot seat occupant, Greg Taylor, certainly caught the attention of those present who watched it happen. To include the attention of tour director, Herman Parker, who’ll likely be adjusting Brads’ handicap rating for future events. The $500-added event drew 24 entrants to the Clubhouse in Lynchburg, VA.
