Kielar Steals Mezz Victory

Kielar Steals Mezz Victory
Mezz Pro-Am Tour / Frazer, PA

by Jose Burgos

Adam “The Stealer” Kielar took down the Mezz Pro-Am Tour March 7, winning the title over Eddie Abraham in the finals. The $1,000-added stop was hosted by Main Line Billiards in Frazer, PA, and enticed a field of 41 out to play.

Kielar went through the top half of the bracket, winning over Lou Patrikios 7-1, Sharon O’Hanlon 7-2, Ray Lee 7-4, Josh Brothers 7-4, and Gregg McAndrews 7-3 . Leading the bottom half of the bracket was Shaun Wilkie, who scored over Tom Bow 7-1, Michael Praseutsy 7-0, Dan Zetts 7-1, VJ Mcglone 7-3, and Joe Hong 7-2.

Kielar and Wilkie collided in the hot seat match, which went hill-hill before Kielar advanced 7-6. Now on the one-loss side, Wilkie was faced with Abraham in the semifinals. Abraham was primed and ready to go, running away with the match 6-2 to reach the finals.

In the double-elimination finals, Abraham had to best Kielar twice for the title. But that was not necessary, for Kielar easily won the first set of the finals 7-3, taking his first Mezz Tour title.

Results:
1st Adam Kielar $1,100
2nd Eddie Abraham $590
3rd Shaun Wilkie $340
4th Joe Hong $200
5th Tom Bow $125
Gregg McAndrews
7th Dominic Noe $100
Ray Lee

Soash Wins Flamingo Endurance Test

Soash Wins Flamingo Endurance Test
Flamingo Billiards Tour / Fort Pierce, FL

by InsidePOOL Staff

Two hard-working poolroom owners, each playing with only two hours of sleep, squared off in the finals of the Flamingo Billiards Tour stop March 6 at Ultimate Billiards in Fort Pierce, FL. Margie Soash of Hollywood Billiards in Hollywood, FL, outlasted Stephanie Mitchell, owner of The Corner Pocket in Largo, FL, after a long, safety-dominated slugfest.

It was the first Flamingo Billiards Tour event for Soash and five other new members, all of whom made a big impression at the tour’s 2010 kick-off event. Soash went undefeated for the day, squeaking by Mimi McAndrews 7-6 and Christie Cloke 7-5.

Mitchell started the day with a loss 7-3 to new member JoAnn Mason Parker, the 1990 WPBA U.S. Open champ who has returned in excellent form after a long hiatus. Mitchell then caught a bye before blanking Kelly Cavanaugh 7-0.

After the modified double-elimination redraw, Mitchell avenged her early loss to Parker 7-4, Jessica Barnes defeated Kim Caso 7-2, Jeannie Seaver swept Helene Caukin 7-0, and Soash went 7-5 against Melissa Durkin, another impressive new member.

In the semifinals, Seaver fought back from a 6-2 deficit but eventually lost to Soash 7-5. Meanwhile, Mitchell ran the final table on Barnes for a 7-3 victory.

The first game of the finals was a precursor of things to come, with each player notching six innings at the table. Smart play, tight pockets, and tired eyes led to a true test of focus and endurance. After Soash took the first rack, Mitchell went on a five-game streak before jawing the 9 ball in the seventh game. Soash brought it to double-hill, and the last rack saw Mitchell jaw the 9 ball again, leaving Soash the game and match.

Results
1st Margie Soash$350
2nd Stephanie Mitchell $230
3rd Jessica Barnes$100
Jeannie Seaver
5th JoAnn Mason Parker $55
Kim Caso
Helene Caukin
Melissa Durkin

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

Moore Mows Down Joss Field

Moore Mows Down Joss Field
Joss Northeast 9-Ball Tour / Syracuse, NY

by Lea Andrews

Making a rare appearance on the Joss Northeast 9-Ball Tour, Steve Moore went undefeated through the 25-player field, taking down reigning champ Dennis “The Hatchet Man” Hatch in the finals. The $1,500-added Mary Capotto Memorial event was held March 6-7 at Cap’s Cue Club in Syracuse, NY.

Moore blew by Chance Chin 9-3 to reach the hot seat match against Dave Grau, who’d just edged out Hatch 9-8. Grau managed just five games against Moore, though, and he moved over to the semifinals to try to fight his way back.

On the left side of the bracket, tour bigwig Bucky Souvanthong was plowing through the field, ousting Lyn Wechsler 9-4 to meet up with Dwight Dixon, who’d eased past Brian Holmes 9-8. Taking care of Dixon 9-7, Souvanthong moved on to Chin. Meanwhile, Bruce Carroll got past Geoff Montgomery 9-6 to face tour director Mike Zuglan, who’d just knocked out Mike Renshaw 9-5. Holding Zuglan to four games, Carroll moved on to Hatch, who dropped him into fifth 9-3. In the quarterfinals, Hatch went up against Souvanthong, who’d advanced over Chin 9-7. Against Hatch, though, he managed just four games, landing in fourth. Hatch moved on to a rematch with Grau, which ended in his favor 9-7, putting him into very familiar territory: the finals. The true double-elimination final match didn’t go the usual way for Hatch, though. Taking control from the beginning, Moore earned his decisive victory 9-4.

Results:
1st Steve Moore $1,000
2nd Dennis Hatch $800
3rd Dave Grau $600
4th Bucky Souvanthong $400
5th Chance Chin $250
Bruce Carroll
7th Dwight Dixon
Mike Zuglan

Baraks Double-Dips Wilgus for Title

Baraks Double-Dips Wilgus for Title
Lucasi Hybrid All-American Tour / Decatur, IL

by InsidePOOL Staff

James Baraks bested Dustin Wilgus twice in the final set to take the Lucasi Hybrid All-American Tour by storm February 27. Held in Decatur, IL, this $500-added event featured a 52-player field in a double-elimination 9-ball format on 8-foot tables.

Wilgus took the undefeated route to the hot seat, including an A-side semifinal win over Sergio Perez 8-6 and the A-side finals win over Mike Dunklin 8-6. Dunklin won his A-side semifinal match over Chris Austin 8-7 prior to his loss to Wilgus, and Dunklin then awaited his opponent in the B-side finals.

In the B-side round of eight, Baraks and Rick Halls eliminated Chris Winschief 8-4 and Ike Runnels 8-6, respectively, at seventh place. The B-side quarterfinals featured Baraks and Halls continuing by ousting Perez 8-5 and Austin 8-7, respectively, at fifth place. In the B-side semifinals, Baraks edged Halls at fourth place by an 8-7 margin. Baraks maintained his momentum in the B-side finals by defeating Dunklin 8-5. Versus the undefeated Wilgus in the finals, Baraks displayed conviction in winning two sets for the title, 8-2 and 8-6.

Results:
1st Jamie Baraks $240
2nd Dustin Wilgus $200
3rd Mike Dunklin $160
4th Rick Halls $140
5th Sergio Perez $120
Chris Austin
7th Chris Winschief $100
Ike Runnels
9th Mike Durbin $60
Tony McCray
Marco Jyawook
Richard Southwell