Testa Takes First on Blaze Billiard Tour

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Testa Takes First on Blaze Billiard Tour
Blaze 9-Ball Tour / Vineland, NJ

Joey Testa scored the win at Q-Ball Billiards in Vineland, NJ.

The latest stop on the Blaze 9-Ball Tour was hosted by Jose Garcia’s room, Q-Ball, in Vineland, NJ, with Joey Testa taking top honors.
 
Testa led the top half of the bracket, with wins over Don Polo 7-0, Bill Smith Jr. 7-6, and Matt Krah 7-5.  Leading the bottom half of the bracket, Adam Kielar showed wins over Scott Freeman 7-6, Jose Burgos 7-2, and Bob Madara 7-1.
 
Kielar and Testa met in a one-sided match that saw Testa easily win 7-4, earning the hot seat. Waiting for Kielar on the one-loss side was Wali Muhammad. This match was all Kielar from the start, as he dealt Muhammad a 7-0 donut.
 
In the finals it was a rematch between Kielar and Testa, with Kielar having to defeat Testa twice. In the first set it went to double-hill, with Kielar winning 7-6.  After that set both players decided to be co-champions.
 

Minor Bags Bay Area Billiards Victory

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Minor Bags Bay Area Billiards Victory
Tiger Bay Area Amateur Tour / Palm Harbor, FL

by Skip Maloney, InsidePOOL Staff

Dee Minor took down the Tiger Bay Area Amateur Tour billiard event hosted by Stroker's Billiards in Palm Harbor, FL.

Dee Minor took first place honors at the Tiger Bay Area Amateur Tour stop October 11. Minor joined a 15-player field at the $500-added event, hosted by Stroker’s Billiards in Palm Harbor, FL.

Among the winners’ side final four, Minor launched her four-match trip to the finals and eventual victory with a 5-4 win over Leslee Davis-Blaikie. Jamie Toennies, in the meantime, sent Sabra MacArthur Beahm west with a 5-3 victory. Minor earned the hot seat with an 8-3 victory over Toennies.

On the one-loss side, it was Stephanie Mitchell and Connie Mago advancing to meet Davis-Blaikie and Beahm. Mitchell dropped Beahm into the tie for fifth place as Davis-Blaikie sent Mago to join her. In the quarterfinal match that followed, Davis-Blaikie won 7-3 to take on Toennies in the semifinals. Seemingly determined to earn a second chance at Minor in the finals, Davis-Blaikie shut out Toennies and got that chance.

Davis-Blaikie utilized the momentum she’d gained in the semifinals to win the first set of the double-elimination finals 6-3. Minor, however, was not to be denied. She won the second set 5-3 to earn top honors.

Vidal the Victor at Predator Billiard Tour Finale

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Vidal the Victor at Predator Billiard Tour Finale
2008 Empire State 9-Ball Championship / West Hempstead, NY

by InsidePOOL Staff

Sansouci and Vidal with their newly acquired hardware from the Empire State 9-Ball Championship at Raxx Pool Room Bar & Grill in West Hempstead, NY.

The First Annual Empire State 9-Ball Championship, presented by the Predator 9-Ball Tour, took place October 11-12 at Raxx Pool Room Bar & Grill in West Hempstead, Long Island. The $3,000 added event had 75 of the Northeast’s top players come to participate in this historic event, including Jose Parica, George Sansouci, Marc Vidal, Shaun Wilkie, Joey Korsiak, and Tony Robles, with Vidal winning this first inaugural prestigious event.

The event started with an awards ceremony to celebrate the players of the 2008 season. The players of the year were:

Third-place players of the year were also rewarded, as were all the junior competitors who participated during the season. A special thanks was also given to tournament director William Finnegan for all his hard work and dedication throughout the season.

Day one action saw Oscar Bonilla win over Bobby Blackmore 8-3, Jay Plonski 8-4, Jorge Rodriguez 8-6, and Mike Miller 8-5. Vidal also started the day by taking against Rob Omen 8-4, Eric Tang 8-4, Thomas Wan 8-4, and Wilkie 8-6. 

At the bottom of the chart, George Sansouci won his first five matches, defeating Alfonso Passariello 8-2, Mike Panzarella 8-5, Robles 8-7, Pete Tascarella Sr. 8-4, and Eddie Abraham 8-4. Lenny Favata also showcased his talent with wins over William Finnegan 8-3, Wali Muhammad 8-5, Jay Chiu 8-1, Frankie Hernandez 8-5, and Jerry Tarantola 8-5.

On day two, Vidal bested Bonilla 9-7, while Sansouci won against Favata 9-8 to set up the hot seat match. Vidal was playing some of the best pool of his life but also battled his own mistakes.  Trailing 7-3 against Sansouci, Vidal fought back to make it hill-hill. But in the final game, Vidal under-stroked the 7 ball and left himself tough on the 8.   He successfully pocketed the 8 ball but watched in horror as the cue ball rolled into the opposing corner pocket, giving Sansouci ball in hand on the 9 and the victory.

On the one loss side, Bonilla ousted Robles 9-3, while Favata eliminated Wilkie after a hill-hill match, guaranteeing that a new face would appear in the winner’s circle. Bonilla proceeded to best Favata 9-6 to earn a rematch against Vidal. Still fuming over the loss to Sansouci, Vidal tortured Bonilla in their rematch 9-3 and went on to exact revenge. 

In the final, Vidal started off by taking a commanding 6-2 lead.  Sansouci, though, took advantage of a couple of errors and came back to tie the match 6-6. In the next rack, Sansouci made a jump shot to cut the 2 in the corner but missed an easy shot on the 5.  Again, Vidal struggled keeping the cue ball on the table, giving up ball in hand three times on the 9 ball. 

With the score 10-9 in his favor, Vidal broke and made a ball but couldn’t pocket the 1 ball.  After the players had traded several innings, Vidal left the 9 hanging in the pocket. Sansouci had a shot on the 2 but missed it. Calmly Vidal stepped up to the table and pocketed four balls to set up a 7-9 combination for the 11-9 win.

Highest Finishing C/D
William Finnegan             $    100

Highest Finishing Female
Gail Glazebrook               $    100

 
Photo courtesy of NYCGrind.com

Brown Bags Great Southern Billiard Tour Win

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Brown Bags Great Southern Billiard Tour Win
Great Southern Billiard Tour / Rock Hill, SC

by Skip Maloney, InsidePOOL Staff

Jason Brown emerged victorious at the Great Southrrn Billiards Tour stop at Breaker's Sports Bar & Grill in Rock Hill, SC

Jason Brown took two out of three matches against Russ Edwards to go home with the first-place prize at the Great Southern Billiard Tour’s stop October 11-12. The $1,500-added amateur event drew 43 entrants to Breaker’s Sports Bar in Rock Hill, SC.

Working from the final four winners, Brown defeated Norris Brady 8-6 before tackling Edwards for the first time in the hot seat match. Edwards sent Wade Mascia west 8-3, then followed him there when Brown gained the hot seat 8-6.

On the one-loss side, Eddie Little and Matt Reed, having dropped Brian Capps and Mark Patterson into a tie for seventh place, were there to meet Brady and Mascia. It was Reed and Little falling into the tie for fifth place, as Brady and Mascia squared off in the quarterfinals.  Brady advanced to the semifinals with an 8-6 victory over Mascia and Edwards got his second chance at Brown when he dropped Brady into third place 8-5 and turned back to the finals.

Edwards took the first set of the true double-elimination finals 8-5. Brown returned the favor in the second set, winning it by the same score and walking away from the table with the $1,000 first prize.

Results:
1st Jason Brown $1,000
2nd Russ Edwards $500
3rd Norris Brady $250
4th Wade Mascia $150
5/6th Eddie Little $100
5/6th Matt Reed
7/8th Brain Capps $75
7/8th Mark Patterson
9/12th Jeff Pate
9/12th Jeff Peele
9/12th Leonard Holmes
9/12th Josh Newman

Hillbilly Wins Carolina Open Billiards Event

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Hillbilly Wins Carolina Open Billiards Event
Carolina Open / Goldsboro, NC

by Skip Maloney, InsidePOOL Staff

Bryant and Archer played until 5 am to see who was going to be crowned the champion at Fast Eddie's in Goldsboro, NC.

It was Johnny “The Scorpion” Archer looking to sting Charlie “Hillbilly” Bryant, complete with bibbed overalls, in the finals of the Carolina Open 10-Ball Tournament in the early hours of Monday, October 13. But in an epic battle to 15 that lasted until just after 5 a.m., Bryant came through to bring home the $5,000 first prize.

Earlier in the evening, Archer sent Keith Bennett west with an 11-4 victory, as Jason Klatt battled to a double-hill win over Brian White. Archer opened the hot seat match that followed with a slim lead at 3-1 but then surged ahead. At 7-2, Klatt moved into a two-to-one mode that saw him get within three at 9-6. Archer reached the hill at that point and in the final rack played a safety that set up a perfect 6-10 combination for himself. Klatt missed the kick at the 6 and conceded the match.

With the tournament down to four in each bracket, Bryant, who’d worked his way back through five opponents since a second-round defeat at the hands of Klatt, dropped Michael Fuller into a tie for seventh place, as Chris Bartram did likewise to Sam Monday. Bryant then faced Bennett, as Bartram took on White. Bryant advanced 11-2, as Bartram and White locked horns in a hill-hill match that advanced White against Bryant in the quarterfinal match. When Bryant finished with White 11-5, he turned his attention to Klatt, who’d sent him to the one-loss side eight matches ago. Vengeance was sweet and swift. Bryant was up 7-0 before Klatt won a game, and though he did manage to get three in before it was over, Bryant advanced to face Archer.

In a finals match that began at 12:50 EST, the two played slowly and deliberately through to a 3-3 tie before Bryant began to establish a rhythm that brought him out in front 8-3. Archer fought back and at 9-7, as the hour hand inched toward 4 a.m., a certain amount of irritability was on display as the two got involved in a dispute over whether the racked balls were being placed properly over the head spot. Play resumed and Archer got a step closer at 9-8.

Bryant won two in a row to make it 11-8 and Archer got one back. Bryant opened the gap to three again before Archer’s chance to make it 12-10 disappeared when he rattled a 7 ball into a corner pocket. Bryant cleaned up and it was 13-10 and then, “Hillbilly” was on the hill. Archer refused to go quietly and made it 14-11. Bryant was called on a shot clock foul and Archer closed out the rack to get back within two at 14-12, but Bryant took advantage of a combination in the next rack and it was over.

Results:
1st Charlie Bryant $5,000
2nd Johnny Archer $2,800
3rd Jason Klatt $1,500
4th Brian White $1,000
5/6th Keith Bennett $700
5/6th Chris Bartram
7/8th Mike Fuller $400
7/8th Sam Monday
9/12th Antonio Mendieta $250
9/12th Charlie Brinson
9/12th Manuel Chau
9/12th Mike Davis