by Lea Andrews

Josh Newman, who’s notched Great Southern Billiard Tour wins first as a B player and then as an A player, earned his first win as an AA player the weekend of March 26-27. Undefeated Newman topped a strong 74-player field at the $1,500-added event, which was held at Speak Eazy Billiards in Sanford, NC.

Newman, who’s notched Great Southern Billiard Tour wins first as a B player and then as an A player, earned his first win as an AA player the weekend of March 26-27. Pic: from l to r: Jimmie and Jenny Bullis (owners of Speak Eazy Billiards), Josh Newman, BJ Ussery, and Shannon "The Cannon" Daulton

Following back-to-back, hill-hill wins over past winners Tony Morrison and Sidney Champion, both A players, Newman faced yet another past winner, AA-ranked B.J. Ussery. Edging out Ussery 11-10, Newman went on to the hot seat match against A-ranked Glenn Russell, who’d sent C player Jack Miller west 9-4. It was Newman earned the hot seat 11-7, sending Russell over to the semifinals to try to fight his way back.

On the left side of the bracket, Morrison and Champion were making their own efforts to get back to Newman. Morrison ousted A-ranked Mike Basha 9-1 and B-ranked Vernon Rogers 9-2 to face Ussery, while Champion took care of B player Walter Newsome and C player Mike Walker to reach Jack Miller. Champion easily handled Miller 9-2 to earn his spot in the quarterfinal match, but Morrison managed just two games against Ussery to land in fifth. Both Ussery and Champion were determined to be the one to move on, fighting their way to hill-hill 10-8, but it was Ussery who marked up the final game to move on to the semifinal match against Russell, and it was Ussery who played his way into the finals 11-5, leaving Russell behind in third.

View the Great Southern Billiard Tour Speak Eazy Billiards tournament brackets

In the true double-elimination final match, Newman and Ussery stayed fairly even until they’d reached seven games apiece, but a few bad rolls and errors on Ussery’s part allowed Newman to pull ahead 9-7, and an accidental 9 ball in the next rack allowed him to reach the hill 10-7. Ussery took the next game, but when he snookered himself on the 6 and missed the kick, Newman went back to the table to clean up what was left and put another GSBT victory under his belt.

Results:
1st Josh Newman $1,000
2nd B.J. Ussery $600
3rd Glenn Russell $420
4th Sidney Champion $320
5th Tony Morrison $160
Jack Miller
7th Vernon Rogers $90
Mike Walker
9th Taz Holliday $50
Mike Basha
Mike McMillian
Walter Newsome

by Lea Andrews

Sam Monday suffered a late loss to fellow frequent high-finisher Josh Newman at the November 27-28 stop of the Great Southern Billiard Tour, but the setback was brief. Monday controlled the matches that followed to finish on top of the $1,500-added event, which drew 42 contenders to Raisin’ Cain’s in Inman, SC.

Monday suffered a late loss to fellow frequent high-finisher Josh Newman at the November 27-28 stop of the Great Southern Billiard Tour, but the setback was brief.

Monday’s 9-7 loss to Newman cost him a spot in the hot seat match and sent him to left side of the bracket, while Newman went on to face Scottie Ward, who’d just sent Zack Robbins west 7-4. Against Newman, Ward managed just three racks and moved over to the semifinals.

On the one-loss side, heavy hitters were trimming the field before coming upon each other. Cliff Joyner got rid of Harold Binesett 10-2 to meet up with Derek “Chewy” Leonard, who’d just taken care of John Thompson 10-5. Joyner held Leonard to four games to move onto Robbins, while Carolina Open winner Brian White took care of Mike Basha 10-7 and fellow AA player Greg Dix 10-8. Unfortunately for White, next up was Monday, who was on a mission. Monday planted White in fifth 10-6 to advance to the quarterfinals against Robbins, who’d managed to hold back Joyner 7-5. He couldn’t go any further, though, because Monday blew through their match 10-3 to move on to Ward in the semifinals. Another lopsided match ensued, and Ward finished in third 10-4, sending Monday on to a rematch with Newman in the finals.

In the first set of the true double-elimination final match, Newman, who was trying for his third win this season, notched up four games, but Monday was less generous in the second set. Reaching his goal of ten while Newman was still at two, it was Monday who clinched his third win of the season.

Results:
1st Sam Monday $800
2nd Josh Newman $550
3rd Scottie Ward $350
4th Zack Robbins $200
5th Brian White $135
Cliff Joyner
7th Greg Dix $85
Derek Leonard

Tour Championship Gathers Top Pro Talent

The Great Southern Billiard Tour Carolina Handicap Open kicked off at Fast Eddie’s in Goldsboro, NC Thursday. The event attracted 60 players including Johnny Archer, Nick Varner, Shawn Putnam, Larry Nevel and Great Southern Tour promoter Shannon Daulton.

The Great Southern Billiard Tour has kicked off the Tour Championships which are hosted by Fast Eddies Sports Bar in Goldsboro, NC, November 11-14, 2010.

The $7,500 guaranteed purse event has been long awaited by the players and appears to to attracted some of the south’s best offerings in the talent department. Along with the main event are two ring games and a one-pocket event.

The first night of action featured Larry Nevel facing Keith Bennett. The match appeared to be a runaway with Nevel taking an early lead, but Bennett won a few games to tighten the set. In the end, Nevel ambled across the finish line winning, 13-8.

Michael Basha survived a filed of ten players to win the B Player Ring Game.

The event is being live streamed for free by Inside POOL Magazine and at Inside POOL Magazine’s Ustream.tv channel.

View the Great Southern Billiard Tour Handicap Carolina Open tournament brackets

by Lea Andrews

After a setback in the first set of the finals of the April 17-18 Great Southern Billiard Tour stop, Marty “Flawless” Free turned the tables on Mike Templeton to become the last man standing. Free, Templeton, and 42 others arrived at the newly opened Slate Billiards in Greenwood, SC, for the $1,500-added A/B amateur event.

B-ranked Free edged past A-ranked Dennis Spears 7-7 to reach the hot seat match. Spears, who was racing to 9, moved west, while Free moved on to B-ranked junior player Tyler Mayfield, who recently celebrated his 16th birthday. Mayfield had gotten past B-ranked TJ Seabolt 7-4, but he managed just one game against Free, and he moved over to the semifinals.

On the left side of the bracket, recent winner Mike Basha took care of fellow B player Derrick Horn 7-2 to face JR Poste, who’d ousted A-ranked Glen Russell 7-7. Putting Poste in seventh 7-3, Basha moved on to Seabolt, where his hopes of putting another notch in his GSBT belt ended 7-2. Meanwhile, Templeton, an early 7-4 victim of Mayfield’s, had gone on to knock aside B players Wesley Stokes 7-5 and Brian Wise 7-4.

After a setback in the first set of the finals of the April 17-18 Great Southern Billiard Tour stop, Marty “Flawless” Free turned the tables on Mike Templeton to become the last man standing.

Results:
1st Marty Free $1,000
2nd Mike Templeton $500
3rd Tyler Mayfield $300
4th TJ Seabolt $200
5th Mike Basha $100
Dennis Spears
7th JR Poste $40
Brian Wise

by Lea Andrews

Jeff Jordan hit a late bump in the road thanks to Mike Templeton, but he regained control for ultimate victory on the Great Southern Billiards Tour. Jordan and Templeton were among the field of 57 who vied for their share of the $1,500-added purse April 10-11 at Classic Billiards in Conyers, GA.

B-ranked Jordan rode a strong 7-6 win over AA-ranked Jesse Middlebrook, who was racing to 10, into the hot seat match, where he met Mike Templeton for the first time. B-ranked Templeton, who’d just gotten past A-ranked Josh Newman 7-7, managed just four games against Jordan.

On the other side of the bracket, Jordan’s A-ranked brother, Randy, took care of fellow A-player Claude Marrier 9-6 to face recent winner Mike Basha, who’d just blown past A-ranked Jason Jones 9-2. Dealing Basha a 9-5 blow, R. Jordan moved on to Middlebrook, who took control of the match to earn his spot in the quarterfinals 10-1. Meanwhile, another AA-ranked player, Brian White, was storming through the field, ousting A-players Aaron Frady 10-7 and Floyd Reasons 10-5 to meet up with Newman, whom he blew past 10-2 to face Middlebrook. It was the second time the two had met this tournament, and while Middlebrook had come out on top 10-5 the first time, White earned his revenge and the semifinal spot 10-7. But in the semifinal match, Templeton was fighting for his own rematch, and he got it with a decisive 7-5 victory.

In the first set of the true double-elimination final match, Templeton found himself on top of another 7-5 match, putting the two on equal footing, but in the second set, it was Jordan who came out on top as he won the set and the tournament 7-5.

Jeff Jordan hit a late bump in the road thanks to Mike Templeton, but he regained control for ultimate victory on the Great Southern Billiards Tour.

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.

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.