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Ringgold chalks up 12th overall win on the Viking Cues’ Q City 9-Ball Tour

JT Ringgold

About five years ago, Joshua Terrence Hughes Ringgold, better known since early childhood by virtually everyone as JT Ringgold, started competing on the Viking Cues’ Q City 9-Ball Tour as a ‘C’ player. On this past weekend, July 7-8, playing as an A++ player, he chalked up his 12th victory on the tour, double the number of wins of any other tour competitor. Ringgold went undefeated through a field of 60 entrants at the event, hosted by Borderline Billiards in Bristol, TN.
 
Ringgold advanced through the field to a winners’ side semifinal match against Gwen Sharpton, as Dalton Messer faced Stevie Thomas in the other one. Ringgold shut Sharpton out and advanced to the hot seat match. He was joined by Messer, who’d defeated Thomas 5-2. Ringgold claimed the hot seat 10-2 over Messer, and waited on his return from the semifinals.
 
On the loss side, Sharpton picked up Ricky Bingham, who, moving into the event’s money rounds, had defeated Dustin Coe 5-3 and Ikey Maynard, double hill (5-6) to reach her. Thomas drew Trey Frank, recent winner over William Cloud 6-1 and Jose Irizarry 6-3. Sharpton advanced to the quarterfinals 4-2 over Bingham, and was joined by Frank, who’d eliminated Thomas 6-3.
 
Sharpton and Frank locked up in a double hill, quarterfinal battle. Sharpton won it 4-5 (Frank racing to 6) and turned to face Messer in the semifinals. Messer gave up only a single rack to Sharpton in those semifinals to earn a re-match against Ringgold.
 
Messer started the finals with ‘five on the wire’ in a race to 10 against Ringgold, needing to win twice to deny Ringgold his 12th tour title. Though he would chalk up four of the five racks he needed to win it, Ringgold prevailed to claim that 12th title.
 
Tour directors Herman and Angela Parker thanked Janet Atwell and her staff at Borderline Billiards, 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 14-15) will be the 4th Annual North Carolina State 10-Ball Championships. Defending champion Reymart Lim is expected to be ‘in the house’ for this event, to be hosted by Brass Tap Billiards in Raleigh, NC.

Williams takes two out of three versus Cloud to win stop on Q City 9-Ball Tour

Clear dominance in the hot seat match for William Cloud turned into relative dominance for Josh Williams in a two-set final that earned him the event title. The occasion was the August 13-14 stop on the Q City 9-Ball Tour, which drew 36 entrants to the Gate City Billiards Club in Greensboro, NC.
 
Cloud sent Mike McPherson to the loss side 8-4 in one winners' side semifinal, as Williams sent Jonathan Ailstock over 5-3 in the other one. In the hot seat match, Cloud gave up only two racks to Williams (racing to 5), which proved to be his last winning set.
 
On the loss side, McPherson picked up Brad Barton, who'd defeated Chad Weachter 6-3, and David Tickle, double hill, to reach him. Ailstock drew Gate City Billiards owner Don Liebes, who'd eliminated John Sanders 5-4 (Sanders racing to 8), and Anthony Mabe 5-5 (Mabe racing to 7).
 
McPherson gave up a single rack to Barton and advanced to the quarterfinals. Liebes joined him after defeating Ailstock 5-4 (Ailstock racing to 6). A second straight 7-1 set for McPherson put him a single match away from a re-match versus Cloud. Williams spoiled that party in the semifinals with a 5-3 win that gave him the re-match against Cloud.
 
The total game score over the two-set final was Williams 10, and Cloud 9. Williams took the opening set 5-4, and then, allowed Cloud one more rack, before chalking up the second set 5-5 and claiming the event title.
 
Tour director Herman Parker thanked Don Liebes and his staff at the Gateway Billiard Club, as well as title sponsor Viking Cues, Delta-13 racks, and Ruthless Billiards Apparel. The next stop on the Q City 9-Ball Tour, scheduled for August 20-21, will be a $500-added event, hosted by Cue Time in Spartanburg, SC.

Teenager Hunter White double dips Leonard to win stop on Q City 9-Ball Tour

While early development of natural skills is no guarantee of future success, it certainly doesn't hurt. Sixteen-year-old Hunter White is making a bit of a name for himself on the Q City 9-Ball Tour, where on the weekend of May 21-22, he came back from a loss in the hot seat battle to double dip, Zach Leonard, who'd sent him to the semifinals. Leonard, a two-time former North Carolina Junior 9-Ball Champion (2012-2013) was the winner of the tour's March 5-6 stop in Statesville, NC. This most recent 8-Ball event, a qualifier for the North Carolina 8-Ball Championship in November, drew 43 entrants to the Gate City Billiards Club in Greensboro, NC.
 
They met first in the hot seat match. Leonard had sent Dalton Messer to the loss side 7-3, as White was busy sending William Smith over 8-2. Leonard claimed the hot seat 7-2 over White and waited on his return.
 
On the loss side, Messer picked up Blade Best, who'd eliminated William Cloud 5-7 (Cloud racing to 9) and Morgan Sutherland 5-3. Smith drew Bryan Plummer, who'd defeated Dale Lloyd 7-4 and Ryan Hollinsworth 7-5. Best and Plummer handed Messer and Smith their second straight losses; Best 5-1 over Messer and Plummer by forfeit over Smith.
 
Best downed Plummer in the quarterfinals 5-4 (Plummer racing to 7), before being eliminated by White in the semifinals 8-3.
 
Leonard took his best shot in the opening set of the true double elimination final, battling to White to double hill, before White prevailed to force the second set. White won that second set to claim the event title.
 
Tour Director Herman Parker thanked the ownership and staff at the Gate City Billiard Club, as well as sponsors Viking Cues, and Delta-13 Racks. The next stop on the Q City 9-Ball Tour, scheduled for the weekend of May 28-29, will be hosted by Friendly Cues, in Lynchburg, VA.