Van Boening & Thorpe Victorious at The Battle of the Bull

Owners Kory & Trena Wolford and proud parents of “Champagne Shane” Wolford welcomed players and fans to Wolf’s Den Billiards for the 2nd Annual $45,000 added Battle of the Bull.

Located in Roanoke, VA and presented by title sponsor Bull Carbon/Koda Enterprises & Wolf’s Den Billiards, this event featured a $10,000 added One Pocket division and a $35,000 added Nineball division. The Nineball championship was also a Matchroom Mosconi Cup points qualifying event to complete this year’s Mosconi Cup teams.

Local sponsors joining Wolf’s Den Billiards, Wes and Jamie Bond’s Bull Carbon and PoolActionTV.com were Premier Billiards, Attorney Joseph J. Long, Brambleton Computer, JB Cases, Simonis, Aramith, Diamond Billiard Products, Inc., Savage Billiards, Vinton Computer and Fort Worth Billiards Superstore.

Fresh off from taking down the Texas Open One Pocket Championship, new BCA Hall of Fame inductee Shane Van Boening had arrived as did this year’s Bayou State One Pocket victor, Billy Thorpe, reigning Big Tyme Classic 9-Ball champ Sky Woodward and current Big Easy Classic Barbox 9-Ball champ, Josh Roberts.

Also spotted were 2024’s Chuck Markulis Memorial and Midwest Billiards & Cue Expo 9-Ball champ Tyler Styer, Tony Chohan, winner of The Rack’s One Pocket Classic, Florida star Anthony Meglino – Zingale’s Labor Day champ and last year’s Maryland Open 9-Ball champ, Brandon Shuff.

Young guns like reigning Buffalo’s Pro Classic Open 9-Ball champ Lukas Fracasso-Verner were also spotted as well as Shane Wolford – winner of 2023’s Midwest Open 9-Ball and the Chuck Markulis Memorial 9-Ball and junior champ Landon Hollingsworth.

Foreign players such as Filipinos Roberto Gomez – winner of this year’s Buffalo’s Pro Classic One Pocket and the Scotty Townsend Memorial Open 9-Ball and last year’s Battle of the Bull One Pocket champ Roland Garcia were also there as well Ukraine’s Vitaliy Patsura – Texas Open Nine Ball and Skinny Bob’s Nineball Classic winner, Venezuela’s II International Open of the Americas titlist Gregorio Sanchez, Canadian John Morra, 2022’s Hex.com Pro-Am 10-Ball champ and Albania’s Eduard Bregu.

Also spotted were Sacramento’s Hard Times owner and former Mosconi Cup team member Oscar Dominguez, New England Pool & Billiards Hall of Famers Jeremy Sossei and Mike Dechaine, one pocket legend Danny Smith, Battle Creek, MI’s Jeremy Seaman and Louisville, KY’s Louis Demarco.

After an auction, players meeting and draw, the event began on Monday evening with the $10,000 added One Pocket division. Featuring 27 players, the entry fee was $350 with the three foul rule in effect. The double elimination event and racing to three until down to the final eight players. From there, it was single elimination with races to four.

Seaman, Smith, Meglino, Gomez went undefeated and Van Boening, Garcia, Thorpe and Fracasso-Verner survived the one loss side to advance to the knock out phase of the event.

A redraw pitted Fracasso-Verner against Seaman who eked out a 4-3 win, Van Boening thumped Gomez 4-1 while Smith defeated Thorpe and Meglino eliminated defending champ Garcia – both scores were 4-2.

Both Smith and Van Boening made quick work of their respective opponents, Fracasso-Verner and Meglino – both 4-1, to move into the finals.

In the opening rack, Shane shot out to a 5-1 lead but Danny clawed his way back to make it 5-4. They both made another ball to make it 6-5 but from there, Van Boening took the first game 8-5.

Danny broke the balls in the second game but it was Shane who got the first shot. He ran eight and out to claim the game.

Now 2-0, it was Shane’s break and he laid down a good one. Danny attempted to get out of it but left Shane a shot. He made that one, sliced in two extremely thin cuts and then four more to put him on the hill. He left himself a bank and it barely grazed the cue ball on the way to the pocket but just enough to cause a miss.

After a few safes and attempts by both players to pocket a ball, Danny finally got another shot and ran five. Needing a makeable three but faced with a cut on a ball below the side pocket, it hit the point and Shane pocketed the final ball he needed to make it 3-0 needing only one game to clinch the title.

In game four and on Danny’s break, things took a turn. After a few shots back and forth, Shane barely missed a bank and from there, Danny ran five for his first lead in the match. A few shots later, Danny attempted a kick safe but fouled – score now 4-0. More back and forth, another kick safe attempted by Danny but fouled – now 3-0.

Now it was Shane’s turn to kick safe – another foul – score 3-minus 1. This had turned from a shooting game into an “old school” game!

Safety after safety, Danny finally fired in a combination bank to make it 4-minus 1!

Answering, Shane back cut a long rail bank and made it. He followed that with four more to take the lead 5-4! After another attempted cross bank that he barely missed, Danny was back at the table.

Left with a three rail bank, Danny made it look easy as he made it, plus a spot shot to retake the lead 6-5. He then sliced a ball down the rail & pocketed one more to win the game! What a game!

With the score now at 3-1, Shane broke the balls but scratched – Danny got ball in hand behind the line and as he had no shot at his pocket, he decided to “rearrange the furniture.” Shane answered with a kick into the stack almost pocketing a ball. Danny decided to let Shane have that one. With the ball spotted, the game was now back to even. Shane played safe, leaving the cue ball up table in the jaws of the corner pocket. Danny back cut a ball and barely missed. This time it was Shane who gave him the ball and repositioned the cue ball back down table – 1-0 Danny. He attempted a safety but left Shane a shot.

Looking to win this game and end the match, Shane pocketed the ball and ran more seven more to take the title!

As the one pocket division was winding down, the main event, the $35,000 added 9 Ball division began after the players auction, meeting and draw.

Slicing through the field undefeated to get to the single elimination portion of the event were Van Boening, Wolford, Dominguez, Morra, Styer, Thorpe, Sanchez and Sossei.

Patsura, Garcia, Hollingsworth, Bregu, Gomez, Woodward, Meglino and Doug Shulz emerged from the one loss side.

Now down to the final sixteen and after a redraw, Van Boening beat Hollingsworth 11-5, Gomez squeaked past home court hero Shane Wolford 11-10 and Sossei eliminated Schulz 11-3.

By the same score of 11-9, down went Garcia to Dominguez, Meglino to Morra and Woodward to Sanchez. Also by the same of score of 11-8, it was Thorpe over Bregu and Patsura over Styer.

Next round saw Sanchez over Sossei 11-6, Morra over Dominguez 11-8, Thorpe over Patsura and Gomez end Van Boening’s chances of a sweep – both matches 11-9.

Now down to the final four, Morra pounded Gomez 11-3 and Thorpe dusted Sanchez 11-5.

Playing one final race to thirteen, Thorpe shot out to a 5-0 lead before Morra won his first game. They then split the next two games making it 6-2. Billy won the following two games to make it 8-2 before John won another. The score was now 8-3. However, with all the momentum behind Billy, he closed out the match 13-3 to claim the title.

Congratulations to both Billy and Shane for their victories!

PoolActionTV.com would like to thank Kory & Trena Wolford and their staff for rolling out the red carpet for all the players and fans!

Thanks also go out to Tournament Director Kory Wolford and his assistant, Ian Jones, for doing an excellent job!

We’d also like to thank our commentators for another fine job! They included Jeremy Jones, Larry Schwartz, Josh Roberts, Dominick Dunne and Ray Hansen.

We look forward to next year!

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