Three Times a Charm for Newman

Three Times a Charm for Newman
Great Southern Billiard Tour / Inman, SC

by Lea Andrews

Though Josh Newman’s first encounter with Mark Parlier didn’t go his way, the 17-year-old made up for it in the next two sets to earn his first win as an A-player on the Great Southern Billiard Tour. Newman topped the mega-sized field of 81 that arrived for the $1,500-added A-B amateur event, held March 6-7 at Raisin’ Cain’s in Inman, SC.

Newman faced A-ranked Parlier for the first time on the winners’ side final four, and Parlier earned a spot in the hot seat match 9-7. Earning the other spot was B-ranked Dusty Gosnell, who’d sent A-ranked Paul Mullens west 7-5. Gosnell came up one game shy of his goal of seven games against Parlier, and he moved over to the semifinals for a shot at the rematch.

On the one-loss side, A-ranked Chase Smith blew through B-ranked Randy Henderson 9-1 to meet up with B-ranked Marvin Reed, who’d gone hill-hill with A-ranked Marty Free 7-8. Another hill-hill match was waiting for Reed against Smith, but he was on the wrong end of this one, and he landed in seventh 9-6. Meanwhile, AA-ranked recent winner Jared McGee took care of B-ranked Trey Melton 11-4 to face B-ranked Michael Walker, who’d ousted A-ranked Barry Medlock 7-5. Holding Walker to five games, McGee moved on to Newman, who pushed his way past 9-7 to reach the quarterfinals. There he faced Smith, who’d edged out Mullins 9-8. Another 9-7 victory for Newman put him up against Gosnell in the semifinals, where they were both fighting for another chance with Parlier. It was well into the early hours of Monday at this point, and Newman outlasted Gosnell to claim his spot in the finals 9-5.

The first set of the true double-elimination match went hill-hill, and in the final rack, it seemed like it would be the only set. An unlikely late miss by Parlier brought Newman back to the table, though, and he finished off the rack to push the second set 9-8. Though neither showed it, fatigue had to have been wearing on both players, but Newman’s stamina served him well, allowing him to finish off his win 9-7 at just after 6 a.m. Monday morning.

Results:
1st Josh Newman $1,000
2nd Mark Parlier $600
3rd Dustin Gosnell $400
4th Chase Smith $200
5th Paul Mullins $150
Jared McGee
7th Marvin Reed $100
Michael Walker
9th Randy Henderson $50
Marty Free
Barry Medlock
Trey Melston
13th Nathan Roberts $25
Kenny Wilson
Dayne Miller
John Thompson

Basha Holds off Monday for Billiards Victory

Basha Holds off Monday for Billiards Victory
Great Southern Billiard Tour / Goldsboro, NC

by Lea Andrews

A big obstacle—Southern superstar Sam Monday—stood in Mike Basha’s way at the February 27-28 Great Southern Billiard Tour stop, but Basha stood his ground to earn his spot in the winner’s circle. Basha and Monday were among the field of 51 that gathered at Fast Eddie’s Sports Bar in Goldsboro, NC, for the $1,500-added A/B amateur event.

B-ranked Basha got past fellow B-player Justin Ward to reach the hot seat match against B-ranked Tony Williams, who’d managed to fend off Monday, who was racing to 11, 7-9. Taking care of Williams 7-2, Basha claimed the hot seat, while Williams took his spot in the semifinals.

On the left side of the bracket, B-ranked Rick Royster made his way past B-ranked Bobby Hicks 7-6 to face recent winner Tony Morrison, who’d ousted A-player Zach Wilson 9-6. After easing past Morrison 7-7, Royster moved on to Ward. Meanwhile, AA-ranked Sparky Ferrell blew through A-ranked “Pokey” 11-1 to meet up with Larry Faulk, who’d breezed by fellow A-player Montez Lloyd 9-3. Ferrell edged out Faulk hill-hill 11-8, but that score got flipped on him by Monday, and he landed in fifth. Monday advanced to the quarterfinals against Royster, who’d squeaked past Ward 7-6, and looking for the rematch with Williams in the semifinals, Monday put Royster in fourth 11-5. Against Williams, Monday more than made up for the last match, earning his spot in the finals 11-2.

In the first set of the true double-elimination final match, Basha reached the hill first, but Monday took the next two racks to make it hill-hill 10-6. His break and run in the final rack pushed the second set, which he opened with another break and run. Allowing Basha few chances at the table, Monday stretched his lead to 5-0, but after topping a safety battle, Basha got on the board, and he took advantage of some unlikely opportunities in the next racks to keep it close at 7-3. He made it 7-4 with a 3-9 carom and 7-5 with a 4-9 combination, but Monday took three in a row to reach the hill. In the alternate-break format, Basha broke open the next rack, putting more into his final break than he’d put into others in the set, but his reward was a cue ball on the floor and what looked like no more chances at the table. The ultimate reward came late, though, as Monday missed what was, for him, a routine shot on the 6 ball, allowing Basha back at the table to make it hill-hill. It was Monday’s turn to break, and after making a delicate cut on the 1 ball, he found himself bridging behind the 8 ball for a shot on the 2. He overcut it and Basha pocketed it instead, and though he was faced with tough position on the 4, a thin cut all the way down the rail put the 4 in the pocket and the cue ball in position for the 5. Basha’s win was just a matter of staying in line, and he pocketed the rest of the balls to notch his first GSBT victory 7-10.

The next $1,500-added stop will be at Raising Cain’s in Inman, SC, March 6-7.

Results:

1st Mike Basha $1,000
2nd Sam Monday $500
3rd Tony Williams $300
4th Rick Royster $200
5th Justin Ward $100
Sparky Ferrell
7th Tony Morrison $70
Larry Faulk
9th Bobby Hicks $40
Zach Wilson
Montez Lloyd
“Pokey”

Orange Outlasts Great Southern Billiards Field

Orange Outlasts Great Southern Billiards Field
Great Southern Billiards Tour / Duluth, GA

by Lea Andrews

After a weekend of play that ran over into the early hours of Monday, Tim Orange remained undefeated, taking care of John Maikke twice on the way to his first-place finish on the Great Southern Billiards Tour. The $1,500-added A/B amateur event drew a field of 52 to The Pool Room in Duluth, GA, February 20-21.

AA-ranked Orange rode a strong 11-2 win over B-ranked Bob Lea to face Maikke in the hot seat match. A-ranked Maikke had just sent B-ranked Paul Mullins west 9-5, but he couldn’t mark up the games against Orange, and he moved over to the semifinals 11-4.

On the one-loss side, one of Orange’s earlier victims, AA-ranked Mike Laney, was making a run for a rematch, ousting fellow AA player Billy Young 11-6 to face recent winner Robert South, who’d breezed past B-ranked Felipe Flores 9-2. Another 11-6 victory pitted Laney against Mullins, who landed in fifth after managing to mark up just five games. Meanwhile, B-ranked Richard Andrews was making his way through B-ranked Jeremy Sane 7-2 to meet up with B-ranked Jason Caldwell, who’d won 7-6 over A-ranked Jason Steman. Edging out Caldwell 7-6, Andrews moved on to Lea, but made it no further. Lea put him in fifth 7-3 to advance to the quarterfinals against Laney, whom he held to 8 games in the weighted race to face Maikke in the semifinals. The finals would be a rematch for either man, but Maikke earned the right by a decisive 9-2 score.

The alternate-break, true double-elimination final match didn’t even begin until after two a.m., so fatigue was an issue from the very start. The two traded off games for the first racks, and though Orange managed to open up his lead a little bit, Maikke didn’t let go, reaching his hill of 8 games first after Orange scratched on a tough shot on the 6 ball with the bridge. In what could have been the rack that would push the second set, Maikke got a chance at the table after Orange missed the 3 ball in the side, but Maikke’s shot missed its mark, as well, allowing Orange to finish it off and make it hill-hill 10-8. It was Orange’s turn to break in the final rack, and though he pocketed a ball, he was left without a shot on the 1 ball, and he chose to push. With the cue ball nearly frozen to the foot cushion, Maikke accepted, attempting a long cross-bank, and when it went wide, it left Orange wide open for a run to the winning 5-9 combination.

Results:
1st Tim Orange $1,000
2nd John Maikke $500
3rd Bob Lea $300
4th Mike Laney $200
5th Richard Andrews $125
Paul Mullins
7th Jason Caldwell $75
Robert South
9th Jeremy Sane $50
Jason Steman
Billy Young
Felipe Flores

Payton Powers Through GSBT Field

Payton Powers Through GSBT Field
Great Southern Billiards Tour / Asheboro, NC

by Lea Andrews

While head coach Sean Payton was leading the New Orleans Saints to their first Super Bowl victory at Sun Life Stadium in Miami, another Payton—Roy—was finishing up an undefeated weekend at Zoo City Saloon in Asheboro, NC. He did so at the expense of the field of 30 who gathered February 6-7 for the $1,500-added Great Southern Billiards Tour event.

B-ranked Payton got past fellow B-player Jeff Baumgarner 7-2 to reach the hot seat match against A-ranked Tony Morrison, who’d gotten by A-ranked Kevin Boggs 9-7. In the weighted race for the hot seat, though Payton notched one less game, he scored the win 7-8.

On the one-loss side, B-ranked Charles “Cotton” Trivett eased by B-ranked Robert Ash 7-3 to meet up with Paul Mullins, who’d ousted fellow A-player Sidney Champion 9-7. After taking care of Mullins 7-4, Trivett moved on to Baumgarner. Meanwhile, B-ranked James Blackburn held B-ranked Joe Edmonds to three games to face Mike Basha, who’d held fellow B-player Tony Williams to four games. Edging out Basha 7-6, Blackburn advanced to Boggs, but landed in fifth after managing just two games. In the quarterfinals, Boggs met Baumgarner, who’d put Trivett in fifth 7-5, and though Boggs managed to reach his hill of 8 games, Baumgarner marked up the final rack, earning his spot in the semifinals 7-8. There he found himself in another tight hill-hill match with an A-player, which, fortunately for Baumgarner, yielded the same result—he put Morrison in third 7-8 to get his rematch with Payton in the finals.

In the true double-elimination final match, Payton could afford to get behind or even lose the first set, but he hadn’t lost a set all weekend, and he wasn’t about to start. After jumping out to a two-game lead, Payton stayed in front, and when Baumgarner missed his chance to tie it up by scratching on the 5 ball at 6-5, Payton took ball in hand and the final rack to earn his win 7-5.

Results:
1st Roy Payton $1,000
2nd Jeff Baumgarner $500
3rd Tony Morrison $250
4th Kevin Boggs $125
5th Charles Trivett $70
James Blackburn
7th Mike Basha $45
Paul Mullins

Wilson Takes Down World Cup Billiards Field

Wilson Takes Down World Cup Billiards Field
Great Southern Billiard Tour / Greenville, SC

by Lea Andrews

Though many tried, no man was up to the task of derailing Kenny Wilson on his way to the ultimate victory at the January 16-17 stop of the Great Southern Billiard Tour. The $1,500-added A/B amateur event drew 55 players to World Cup Billiards in Greenville, SC.

B-ranked Wilson rode a strong 7-1 win over A-ranked Dale Philips into the hot seat match, where he met A-ranked Sean Davis, who’d gotten past B-ranked Jerry Cairnes 9-4. Keeping Davis one rack shy of his goal of 9, Wilson claimed the hot seat hill-hill 7-8.

On the one-loss side, AA-ranked Brian White, who’d taken a second-round loss to B-ranked Mike Basha, was on a straight path to the finals. An 11-3 victory over B-ranked Jose Tovar pitted White against Duane Davis, who’d ousted Basha 7-3. Cruising past Davis 11-5, White met up with Philips. Meanwhile, B-ranked Greg Gilliam went hill-hill with A-ranked Joseph Cole, coming out on top 7-8 to meet up with past winner Josh Newman. Newman, who’d held fellow A-player Jim Jennings to five games, managed only three racks against Gilliam. Gilliam moved on to Cairnes, holding him to three games, as well, to reach the quarterfinals against White, who’d sailed past Philips 11-5. Another smooth win for White, this one 11-3, put him in the semifinals against S. Davis, whose four games planted him in third.

In the true double-elimination final match, White needed to take the first set to put him on equal footing with Wilson, but Wilson wouldn’t give him the chance. Taking advantage of some errors made by White, which were perhaps brought on by his having to fight his way through ten elimination-round matches, Wilson got ahead and stayed ahead, earning his first Great Southern Billiard Tour win 7-6.

Results:
1st Kenny Wilson $1,000
2nd Brian White $500
3rd Sean Davis $300
4th Greg Gilliam $200
5th Dale Philips $100
Jerry Cairnes
7th Duane Davis $75
Josh Newman
9th Mike Basha $40
Jose Tovar
Joseph Cole
Jim Jennings