by InsidePOOL Staff

It was a grind, but ultimately Shannon “The Cannon” Daulton took home the top prize at the October 8-9 installment of the Great Southern Billiard Tour over Keith Bennett. The stop opened up to allow pros as well as amateurs to their U.S. Open warm-up event, hosted by Speak Eazy Billiards in Sanford, NC, and the $1,500-added prize purse attracted a field of 71 hopefuls.

Ranked as an AAA player, Daulton raced to 13 against double-A-ranked B.J. Ussery in the winners’ side final four, sending him to the one-loss side with a 13-8 win. AA-ranked Bennett and A-ranked Tony Morrison raced to 11 in the other winners’ side match, with Bennett routing Morrison 11-3. In the following round, Daulton and Bennett went head to head for the hot seat, where Bennett eked out an 11-11 win.

Larry “The Truth” Nevel was taking advantage of the opportunity to warm up for the Open, eliminating Carlos Cruz at seventh place 13-8. Tying with Cruz was Sam Monday, who was sent home by Mike Fuller 11-4. Nevel went on to dominate Ussery 11-2, while Morrison ousted Fuller at fifth 9-10. In the quarterfinal match, Morrison held Nevel back from reaching the required 13, winning there 9-11.

It was a grind, but ultimately Shannon “The Cannon” Daulton took home the top prize at the October 8-9 installment of the Great Southern Billiard Tour over Keith Bennett.

Eagerly awaiting an opponent after his hot seat match loss, Daulton devoured Morrison 13-2 in the semifinals to earn a rematch with Bennett in the double-elimination finals. The first set saw Daulton win over twice as many racks as Bennett did to take it 13-6 and force a second set. There Daulton again dominated, winning this time by the score of 13-8.

Results:
1st Shannon Daulton $1,100
2nd Keith Bennett $600
3rd Tony Morrison $425
4th Larry Nevel $325
5th Mike Fuller $160
B.J. Ussery
7th Sam Monday $90
Carlos Cruz
9th Antonio Slaydon $50
Mike Higgins
Steve Page
B.J. Hucks

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 InsidePOOL Staff

Only 12 players remain of the 256 who kicked off the week at the 35th U.S. Open 9-Ball Championships in Chesapeake, VA. The $50,000-added event began last Sunday and will crown a winner Saturday.

Ever since his unexpected defeat in the first round by Mike “Fireball” Dechaine 11-3, 2007 champion Shane Van Boening has been a man on a mission. Having eliminated excellent opponents such as 2004 winner Gabe Owen, Keith Bennett, Manny Chau, Chris Bartram, and Brandon Shuff with ease, it seems Van Boening is only priming himself for attacking the finals from the west. In the last afternoon round Friday, Van Boening found himself matched up against 1999 winner Johnny Archer. Van Boening took a three-rack lead but watched it evaporate as Archer came back and knotted the score. Then it was Archer’s turn to take the lead 7-4, but at that point Van Boening wasted no more time and surged ahead, winning seven games in a row to take the match 11-7.

Jesse Engel knocked off Strickland and Sigel before falling to Melling. Not too shabby for only being eighteen years old.

Francisco Bustamante, who was inducted into the BCA Hall of Fame the previous evening, rebounded from his hill-hill defeat by David Alcaide and crushed Chris Melling in the afternoon round 11-3. Bustamante’s next match will be against the loser of the Ralf Souquet / Jason Klatt match.

The legendary Efren Reyes finally exited the building. He suffered an 11-5 loss to Darren Appleton on the winners’ side, eliminated fellow Hall of Famer Nick Varner 11-8, and then was himself eliminated by countryman Warren Kiamco 11-4.

Appleton remains undefeated, having bested 2001 winner Corey Deuel 11-8 to reach the winners’ side final four. His next match will be against Spain’s David Alcaide, who defeated Thorsten “Hitman” Hohmann 11-5.

Mika Immonen, hoping for his third U.S. Open title in a row, defeated Lo Li-wen, 2010 U.S. Open 10-Ball Championships runner-up, 11-7. Lo will face off against Kiamco on the one-loss side in the first evening round.

View U.S. Open 9-Ball Championships 256-player tournament brackets (updated continuously)

View U.S. Open 9-Ball Championships Final 8-player tournament brackets (updated continuously)

Live streaming provided by Accu-Stats.

Visit InsidePOOL for the latest news in the sport of billiards and pool.

2010 U.S. Open 9-Ball Gallery 1

272 Photos

2010 U.S. Open 9-Ball Gallery 2

150 Photos

2010 U.S. Open 9-Ball Gallery 3

132 Photos

Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony

40 Photos

2010 U.S. Open 9-Ball Gallery 4

162 Photos

2010 U.S. Open 9-Ball Gallery 5

368 Photos

by InsidePOOL Staff

After his surprising first-round defeat by Mike “Fireball” Dechaine, Shane Van Boening has been a man on a mission, hoping to reclaim the U.S. Open 9-Ball Championships title he first took in 2007. He most recently eliminated Virginia State 9-Ball champion Brandon Shuff 11-4 and then whitewashed Chris Bartram 11-0. Van Boening’s next opponent will be the loser of the Manny Chau / Francisco Bustamante match.

After his surprising first-round defeat by Dechaine, Van Boening has been a man on a mission, hoping to reclaim the U.S. Open 9-Ball Championships title he first took in 2007.

Dechaine saw his tournament come to a close in 49th place after his loss to Ramil Gallego of the Philippines. Gallego goes on to face the loser of the Ralf Souquet / Raj Hundal match.

Former world champion Ronnie Alcano remains still alive, having bested Paul Song 11-5. Filipinos Lee Van Corteza and Antonio Lining did not fare so well, though. Corteza was eliminated by Tommy Tokoph 11-8, and Lining was ousted by Daniel Heidrich 11-7. And 2005 champ Alex Pagulayan was eliminated as well after a nail-biting 11-9 match against Jeremy Sossei. 2009 Semifinalist Donny Mills was also sent home after a tight 11-9 loss to Beau Runningen.

The father-and-son duo of Ernesto and Oscar Dominguez are headed home as well after Thursday’s rounds. O. Dominguez was eliminated by Dechaine 11-9, and E. Dominguez ran into a determined Keith Bennett, who won their match 11-8.

Local fans were disappointed to see the elimination of Chris Futrell, a young player but a classy one. Futrell had a close match with Earl Strickland but fell 11-9. Strickland moved on to oust So Shaw 11-4 and now waits for the loser of the Charlie Williams / Tommy Kennedy match.

View U.S. Open 9-Ball Championships 256-player tournament brackets (updated continuously)

Live streaming provided by Accu-Stats.

Visit InsidePOOL for the latest news in the sport of billiards and pool.

2010 U.S. Open 9-Ball Gallery 1

272 Photos

2010 U.S. Open 9-Ball Gallery 2

150 Photos

2010 U.S. Open 9-Ball Gallery 3

132 Photos

Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony

40 Photos

2010 U.S. Open 9-Ball Gallery 4

162 Photos

2010 U.S. Open 9-Ball Gallery 5

368 Photos

by Lea Andrews

Keith Bennett dominated the Jacoby Custom Cues Carolina Tour last season, and though he shared the spotlight with some of the Carolinas’ other heavy hitters throughout this season, all eyes were back on him at the October 2-3 finale. The site of Bennett’s third victory of the year was On The Snap Billiards in Fuquay-Varina, NC, where a talented field gathered for the $1,000-added event.

Bennett dominated the Jacoby Custom Cues Carolina Tour last season, and though he shared the spotlight with some of the Carolinas’ other heavy hitters throughout this season, all eyes were back on him at the October 2-3 finale.

Bennett forced his way into the hot seat match with a shutout win over B.J. Ussery, who topped four events this season. Two other past winners, Michael “Bulldawg” Fuller and Sam Monday, battled for the other spot, and it went to Fuller 7-5. Against Bennett, though, Fuller marked up just five games himself, and he moved over to the semifinals.

On the left side of the bracket, Cary Dunn got past Delton Howard 7-4 but then fell 7-4 to Ussery, landing in fifth. Meanwhile, Chris Turner suffered the same fate, ousting Peaches Fuller 7-4 only to run into Monday, who held him to two games. In the quarterfinal match, Monday took care of Ussery 7-4 to advance to a semifinal rematch with Fuller, but in a replay of their earlier match, Monday finished in third 7-5.

The single race-to-11 final match began evenly enough, with Fuller tying the score at one and three apiece. But after that, it was all Bennett, who notched up the final eight racks to earn his victory 11-3.

The weekend’s other winners were Solomon Pope, who took home $80 for his 7-2 win over Oliver Smith in the finals of the early bird tournament, and Cary Dunn, whose 9-3 win over Smith in the finals of the second chance event earned him $40. Dunn pocketed another $20 for topping the break contest, and Charlie Crowper went home with a $600 Limited Edition Jacoby Cue after his ticket was drawn in the raffle. BJ Ussery got a chance to line his pockets a little when his ticket was pulled for the break and run contest, which had grown to $114 per ball made after the break. Ussery’s pocketed a ball on the break, and after making the 1 ball and and a 2-7 combination, found himself straight in on the 2 ball. He made it, but was hooked on the 3 ball, ending his run at $342. The break and run pot will go to $94 per ball at the season opener in November.

Results:
1st Keith Bennett $1,000
2nd Michael Fuller $450
3rd Sam Monday $100

by Lea Andrews

Keith Bennett, who last won a Jacoby Custom Cues Carolina event in January, found himself back in the winner’s circle after getting past the best in the Carolinas. The $1,000-added twelfth stop of the tour was held at Break Time Billiards in Wilmington, NC, the weekend of July 24-25.

The final four on the winners’ side were a fearsome bunch—all past winners—and Bennett swept past Sam Monday 7-3 to reach the hot seat match against Michael “Bulldawg” Fuller, who’d just sent last month’s winner B.J. Ussery west 7-4. Another 7-3 victory for Bennett secured him the hot seat and sent Fuller to the semifinals to try for another chance.

On the left side of the bracket, two of Bennett’s early victims were fighting for their own second chances. Jared McGee edged out Larry Faulk 7-6 and junior player Jackson “Smokey” Jeffreys 7-2 to face Ussery. Meanwhile, Hindu Williams ousted Rodney Strickland 7-4 and Arnold Hamlett 7-6 to face Monday. That was as far as McGee and Williams got, though, as they landed in fifth 7-6 and 7-5, respectively. In the quarterfinals, Monday notched another 7-5 win to earn his spot against Fuller in the semifinals, where the two battled for the right to fight Bennett once again. It was Monday who reached the goal first, while Fuller stayed behind in third 7-4.

Keith Bennett, who last won a Jacoby Custom Cues Carolina event in January, found himself back in the winner’s circle after getting past the best in the Carolinas.

In Friday’s early bird tournament, Barry Irving took home $140 for his 7-6 win in the finals over Dana Hallett, who took home $85. Hindu Williams earned $50 for third, and Sam Monday earned $25 for fourth. Jackson Jeffreys was a two-time winner this weekend, pocketing $35 for topping the break contest, and $60 for his 7-6 win in the finals of the juniors’ division over Gabe Grissom. Terry Faulk once again took the ladies’ event, and Anton Hall won a $600 limited-edition Jacoby cue in the raffle. The break and run pot went unclaimed at this event, and will move to $105 per ball at the next. In Sunday’s second chance event, Larry Faulk swept past Nolan Leonard 7-2 in the finals, earning $100, while Leonard earned $40.

Results:
1st Keith Bennett $1,000
2nd Sam Monday $500
3rd Michael Fuller $225
4th B.J. Ussery $75

Jacoby Custom Cues Carolina Tour / Raleigh, NC

by Lea Andrews

After a couple of disappointing showings on the Jacoby Custom Cues Carolina Tour earlier this season, Earl Strickland is back in top form. “The Pearl” showed off his stuff by plowing undefeated through a strong field of 15 at the $1,000-added June 26-27 stop, which was held at Brown’s Billiards in Raleigh, NC.

To reach the hot seat match, Strickland first had to get past BJ Ussery, who was looking for his fourth Jacoby win in a row — fifth total this season — but Strickland managed to mark up the last game in their hill-hill match to meet up with Keith Bennett, who’d just sent Delton Howard west 7-4. No strangers, the hot seat match, the finals, or each other, Bennett and Strickland both fought hard to become the last man standing on the winners’ side, but it was Strickland who earned it 7-5.

On the one-loss side, Sam Monday, who was there thanks to a second-round 7-4 loss to Howard, swept past WPBA pro Belinda Calhoun 7-2 and Brian Simpson 7-2 to meet up with Ussery. Meanwhile, Tony Morrison notched his own 7-2 victory over Jeff Pruitt and a strong 7-1 win over Chris Vollmar to face Howard, but a 7-4 loss planted him in fifth. Howard moved on to the quarterfinals against Monday, who’d ended Ussery’s hopes of four in a row 7-2, but Howard’s second go at Monday didn’t end as well for him as the first — Monday exacted his revenge 7-4 to advance to the semifinals against Bennett. Bennett was ready to get back to Strickland, though, and he blew past Monday 7-1 to get there.

But Strickland was ready for him, and the first six games of the single race-to-11 final match were over in 18 minutes — Strickland was up 6-0. His scratch on the break in the next rack, though, gave control to Bennett, who ran to a 4-9 combination to mark up his first game, and he marked up his second after Strickland hung the 2 ball. Strickland took the next two to make it 8-2, and though Bennett rebounded a bit to get it to 8-5 and 9-7, that was as close as he got. Strickland took the last two racks to close out his first win this season 11-7.

After a couple of disappointing showings on the Jacoby Custom Cues Carolina Tour earlier this season, Strickland is back in top form.

Results:

1st Earl Strickland $1,000
2nd Keith Bennett $475
3rd Sam Monday $200
4th Delton Howard $75