by InsidePOOL Staff

The OB Cues Ladies’ Tour has a new number-one player: Orietta Strickland, winner of the tour’s September 17-18 event. Hosted by Rusty’s Billiards in Arlington, TX, the tournament attracted 36 players to vie for the $750 top prize.

Strickland went undefeated through the event, besting Christy Powell 7-2 in the winners’ side final four and advancing to meet Tara Williams, who had just defeated Ming Ng earlier in a hill-hill affair. As Strickland and Williams were familiar with each other’s style, the hot seat match was a close one, with Strickland winning 7-5.

Ng ended up going home in fifth place, tying with Powell. Kim Pierce was having a great tournament, having knocked out both Ng and Lisa Marr, two solid opponents, before being eliminated herself in fourth place by Leslie Anne Rogers.

In the semifinals it was Williams versus Rogers. These two had played each other earlier Saturday, where Williams handed Rogers her first loss 7-6. The semifinals were no different—once again it was a 7-6 match with Williams the victor.

The OB Cues Ladies’ Tour has a new number-one player: Orietta Strickland, winner of the tour’s September 17-18 event. Tracie Voelkering, Orietta Strickland, Leslie Ann Rogers, Tara Williams, and Kim Pierce

In the true double-elimination format, Williams had to best Strickland twice in the finals to take the title. Though Williams won the first set 7-6 to force the second, Strickland pulled through to emerge the winner 7-5. Strickland not only earned top prize but is now the new tour points leader going into the final stop of the year.

Results:
1st Orietta Strickland $750
2nd Tara Williams $550
3rd Leslie Anne Rogers $400
4th Kim Pierce $280
5th Ming Ng $160
Christy Powell
7th Lisa Marr $110
Kim Tipton
9th Jennifer Pavlovick $60
Lisa Henderson-Major
Julie Stephenson
Shayla Neris

by InsidePOOL Staff

It was a Petrosino weekend as the mother and daughter team of Terry and Robyn amazed the field at the OB Cues Ladies’ Tour’s June 25-26 stop with their superb play and stamina to reap the top rewards for their efforts. The Billiard Den in Richardson, TX, played host to the $2,000-added main event, which drew 42 entrants, while the second chance event drew 12.

From among the winners’ side final four, Terry defeated Orietta Strickland 7-5, as Julie Stephenson was busy sending Deedra Trammell west after their double-hill match. Petrosino reached the hot seat with a 7-5 victory over Stephenson and waited for what turned out to be a rematch versus Strickland.

It was a Petrosino weekend as the mother and daughter team of Terry (left) and Robyn (right) amazed the field at the OB Cues Ladies’ Tour’s June 25-26 stop with their superb play and stamina to reap the top rewards for their efforts.

On the one-loss side, Strickland first faced Belinda Lee, who had gotten by current OB Cues Tour champion Lisa Marr 7-1. Next up was Strickland, who defeated her 7-3. Trammell squared off against Michelle Cortez with a score of 7-3, but she also could not get past Strickland, who scored a 7-3 victory. Belinda and Michelle finished in fifth place, while Trammell attained her highest tour finish in fourth place.

Strickland then went on to defeat Stephenson double-hill in the semifinals to meet Petrosino once again to avenge her earlier loss. But Petrosino took the opening and only set of what would have been a true double-elimination final with a score of 7-3.

On Sunday, 12 players participated in the $200-added second chance event, including Terry’s daughter, Robyn. Unlike her mother, the younger Petrosino had to come from the one-loss side to take home the second chance prize after losing the hot seat match against Tera Saunders. Robyn went on to take the opening set of the true double-elimination final 5-4 and then went one better to take the second set 5-3.

Results:
1st Terry Petrosino $750
2nd Orietta Strickland $550
3rd Julie Stephenson $400
4th Deedra Trammell $260
5th Belinda Lee $155
Michelle Cortez
7th Lisa Marr $100
Shayla Neris
9th Tera Saunders $70
Tara Williams
Kim Pierce
Tracie Voelkering
13th Susan Petty $35
Melinda Bailey
Amanda Lampert
Jennifer Kraber

Second Chance Results:
1st Robyn Petrosino $130
2nd Tera Saunders $100
3rd Michelle Prince $60
4th Monica Anderson $30

by InsidePOOL Staff

It was a Petrosino weekend as the mother and daughter team of Terry and Robyn amazed the field at the OB Cues Ladies’ Tour’s June 25-26 stop with their superb play and stamina to reap the top rewards for their efforts. The Billiard Den in Richardson, TX, played host to the $2,000-added main event, which drew 42 entrants, while the second chance event drew 12.

From among the winners’ side final four, Terry defeated Orietta Strickland 7-5, as Julie Stephenson was busy sending Deedra Trammell west after their double-hill match. Petrosino reached the hot seat with a 7-5 victory over Stephenson and waited for what turned out to be a rematch versus Strickland.

It was a Petrosino weekend as the mother and daughter team of Terry (left) and Robyn (right) amazed the field at the OB Cues Ladies’ Tour’s June 25-26 stop with their superb play and stamina to reap the top rewards for their efforts.

On the one-loss side, Strickland first faced Belinda Lee, who had gotten by current OB Cues Tour champion Lisa Marr 7-1. Next up was Strickland, who defeated her 7-3. Trammell squared off against Michelle Cortez with a score of 7-3, but she also could not get past Strickland, who scored a 7-3 victory. Belinda and Michelle finished in fifth place, while Trammell attained her highest tour finish in fourth place.

Strickland then went on to defeat Stephenson double-hill in the semifinals to meet Petrosino once again to avenge her earlier loss. But Petrosino took the opening and only set of what would have been a true double-elimination final with a score of 7-3.

On Sunday, 12 players participated in the $200-added second chance event, including Terry’s daughter, Robyn. Unlike her mother, the younger Petrosino had to come from the one-loss side to take home the second chance prize after losing the hot seat match against Tera Saunders. Robyn went on to take the opening set of the true double-elimination final 5-4 and then went one better to take the second set 5-3.

Results:
1st Terry Petrosino $750
2nd Orietta Strickland $550
3rd Julie Stephenson $400
4th Deedra Trammell $260
5th Belinda Lee $155
Michelle Cortez
7th Lisa Marr $100
Shayla Neris
9th Tera Saunders $70
Tara Williams
Kim Pierce
Tracie Voelkering
13th Susan Petty $35
Melinda Bailey
Amanda Lampert
Jennifer Kraber

Second Chance Results:
1st Robyn Petrosino $130
2nd Tera Saunders $100
3rd Michelle Prince $60
4th Monica Anderson $30

by InsidePOOL Staff

Nicole Keeney bested a 44-player field at the April 16-17 stop of the OB Cues Ladies’ Tour to be crowned the WPBA Texas State champion. The event was hosted by Casper’s Billiards, San Leon, TX, and drew some of the top women players in pool vying for the WPPA U.S. Open qualifier spot.

Jennifer Kraber grabbed the qualifier over Orietta Strickland in the one-loss side, while on the winners’ side, it came down to Keeney versus Amanda Lampert and Ming Ng against Ricki Casper. Keeney won her match hill-hill, while Ng bested Casper 7-4. In the hot seat match, Keeney kept the streak going with a 7-4 win over Ng.

Nicole Keeney bested a 44-player field at the April 16-17 stop of the OB Cues Ladies’ Tour to be crowned the WPBA Texas State champion.

On the one-loss side, Terry Petrosino, winner of the November 2010 tour stop at Casper’s, was hanging tough as she won a hill-hill match against Lampert. Lisa Marr was able to get another chance against Casper, who, on Saturday, bested Marr 7-0. Marr avenged this loss Sunday 7-4.

Petrosino continued her strong play by scoring another hill-hill win against Marr, leaving Marr with a fourth-place finish. However, it was over for Petrosino when Ng bested her 7-4 in the semifinals.

In the double-elimination final match, Ng looked like she would force a second set, as she reached the hill in the first set 6-1. Keeney had to refresh and dig deep to make the score hill-hill. A safety battle ensued in the final game, and ultimately Keeney finished the match with a 6-7-8-9 run to win 7-6.

Results:
1st Nicole Keeney $750
2nd Ming Ng $550
3rd Terry Petrosino $400
4th Lisa Marr $260
5th Amanda Lampert $160
Ricki Casper
7th Orietta Strickland $100
Jennifer Kraber
9th Chris Fields $75
Cristina De La Garza
Belinda Lee
Amber Stone

by InsidePOOL Staff

Terry Petrosino notched her first OB Cues Ladies’ Tour victory during the tour’s championship stop, taking first place over Jennifer Kraber in the finals. The November 13-14 event was hosted by Casper’s Billiards in San Leon, TX, and featured a $2,000-added prize purse.

As it was the championship event, it was announced that the points leader for the year was Lisa Marr, with Kraber in second. The award for the most improved player went to Michelle Prince.

Terry Petrosino notched her first OB Cues Ladies’ Tour victory during the tour’s championship stop, taking first place over Jennifer Kraber in the finals.

Of the 32 players who started in the main event, 8 returned for Sunday’s matches. On the one-loss side, Kraber eliminated Ricki Lee Casper, while Amanda Lampert ousted Deanna Kinola. Finishing in a fifth-place tie were Angela Garza and Lampert. Michelle Cortez had a solid year of high finishes, and in this event, she was defeated by Kraber to take fourth place.

In the semifinal match, it was once again the top-two-ranked players, Kraber and Marr. These two have waged plenty of battles against each other all year long, and this time was no different. Kraber was again triumphant at this event, sending Marr home in third place.

Kraber, after losing her first match against Julie Stephenson 7-6, came back and won eight matches to earn her spot in the finals against Petrosino, who was undefeated. She defeated a number of strong shooters, starting out with Tara Williams, Julie Stephenson, Lisa Henderson-Major, Michelle Cortez, Marr, and then Kraber in the finals 7-5. Petrosino always has been a strong contender, but this time there was no looking back. She stayed on target and focused to achieve her first OB Cues Ladies’ Tour win ever, capturing the first-place prize money of $750.

Results:
1st Terry Petrosino $750
2nd Jennifer Kraber $550
3rd Lisa Marr $400
4th Michelle Cortez $260
5th Amanda Lampert $160
Angela Garza
7th Deanna Kinola $100
Ricki Lee Casper
9th Lisa Henderson-Major $50
Natalie Mans
Julie Stephenson
Ashley Nandrasy
13th Monica Anderson $30
Yvette Reyes
Amber Stone
Belinda Lee

by InsidePOOL Staff

Amanda Lampert earned her second consecutive victory on the OB Cues Ladies’ Tour the weekend of October 9-10, defeating Lisa Marr in the finals. The tour’s eighth stop was hosted by Fast Eddie’s in Round Rock, TX, and drew 38 players to vie for the $2,000-added prize purse.

Lampert (pictured right) earned her second consecutive victory on the OB Cues Ladies’ Tour the weekend of October 9-10, defeating Marr (pictured left) in the finals.

Eight players returned for Sunday’s action. On the winners’ side, Lampert and Marr faced off for the first time in the event, with Lampert sending Marr to the west side of the chart 7-2 and moving on to face Michelle Cortez, who had just bested Helen Laiche 7-6, in the hot seat match. It was a lopsided affair, as Lampert whitewashed her opponent 7-0 to claim the winners’ side final.

It looked that the finals would be a rematch of the hot seat match, as Cortez was ahead of Marr in the semifinals for a time. But the rolls left Cortez coming up short, and she was defeated 7-5.

In the double-elimination finals, Marr had to defeat Lampert twice for the title. As the match progressed, it looked like Marr was trying her best to take it to a second set, as she held an early 4-1 lead. But Lampert kicked into gear to tie up the set 4-all. It seemed Marr was going to force the second set when she took the lead at 6-4, but Lampert once again dug deep to make it hill-hill. When Marr missed the 9 ball to force a second set in the final rack, Lampert had a clear shot and made it to take the title.

Results:
1st Amanda Lampert $750
2nd Lisa Marr $550
3rd Michelle Cortez $400
4th Orietta Strickland $270
5th Helen Laiche $150
Rachel Hurst
7th Kim Pierce $100
Nancy French
9th Alicia Stanley $60
Jennifer Kraber
Ahsley Nandrasy
Tara Williams

by InsidePOOL Staff

Amanda Lampert returned to her winning ways to take her first OB Cues Ladies’ Tour victory of the season over Heather Pulford. The seventh stop was held September 11-12 at Rusty’s Billiards in Arlington, TX, and hosted 38 participants.

Lampert (pictured right) returned to her winning ways to take her first OB Cues Ladies’ Tour victory of the season over Pulford.

Last season’s most improved player of the year, Melinda Bailey, most likely had the toughest bracket of the event. She began with a match against Orietta Strickland and then defeated points leader Jennifer Kraber 7-3. Her next match was against her best friend, Lampert. Bailey was down 6-3 in the race to 7 but dug deep and made it a hill-hill affair; however, Lampert went on to secure the win. Bailey then went on to eliminate Strickland 7-5 and Michelle Cortez 7-2 before facing Pulford, who eliminated Bailey 7-5, sending her home in fourth place.

Lisa Marr, after suffering an unexpected whitewash from Pulford, finished in third place. But she is still in the running for the 2010 tour champion with Kraber.

The finals match between Lampert and Pulford seemed like old times. These two have been pitted against each other many times before. Heather, formerly from Austin, TX, last year moved to the Bay Area, and it was a pleasant surprise to the players and fans to see her smiling face and superb playing skills once again. Pulford would have to defeat Lampert twice if she was going to take first place. Lampert missed some critical shots in the first set, and Pulford was able to reach the hill 6-3 as a result. But Lampert came on strong to make it a hill-hill battle. When Pulford came up short on the 7 ball in the final rack, Lampert ran out for first place.

Results:
1st Amanda Lampert 750
2nd Heather Pulford $550
3rd Lisa Marr $400
4th Melinda Bailey $270
5th Jennifer Kraber $150
Michelle Cortez
7th Orietta Strickland $100
Rebecca Riley
9th Monica Anderson $60
Michelle Prince
Tracie Voelkering
Ashley Nandrasy
13th Julie Stephenson $30
Tara Williams
Corina Campbell
Janea Taylor

Lisa Marr went head to head with Kraber for the hot seat, and the hard-fought win went to Kraber in a hill-hill finish. Angela Garza and Julie Comitini finished seventh, Michelle Cortez and Lisa Henderson-Major tied for fifth, Orietta Strickland took fourth, and Julie Stephenson finished in third place.

Kraber, who just this year has been in the finals three additional times, considered herself “always a bridesmaid, never a bride.” This day, though, she defeated Marr in the finals with a score of 7-3. Kraber has been a consistent player on the OB Cues Ladies’ Tour, and with her first tour win ever, she is at the top of the rankings.

Results:
1st Jennifer Kraber $750
2nd Lisa Marr $550
3rd Julie Stephenson $400
4th Orietta Strickland $280
5th Lisa Henderson-Major $160
Michelle Cortez
7th Angela Garza $110
Julie Comitini
9th Monica Anderson $60
Kim Pierce
Melinda Bailey
Corina Campbell
13th Michelle Prince $35
Rebecca Riley
Annie Doyle
Tara Williams

by InsidePOOL Staff

Janet Atwell escaped a close call in her double-elimination final match with Ashley Nandrasy to claim the title of Oklahoma State champion at the OB Cues Ladies’ Tour’s July 24-25 stop. Hosted by Magoo’s Billiards in Tulsa, OK, the $750-added tournament attracted 28 ladies to play, including three current WPBA pros.

Atwell (pictured left) escaped a close call in her double-elimination final match with Ashley Nandrasy (pictured right) to claim the title of Oklahoma State champion at the OB Cues Ladies’ Tour’s July 24-25 stop. Hosted by Magoo’s Billiards in Tulsa, OK, the $750-added tournament attracted 28 ladies to play, including three current WPBA pros.

But Nandrasy had managed a tough bracket and had come too far to back down. After ousting Williams at third place 7-3, she went up against Atwell in the double-elimination final match. As the first set commenced, Atwell missed critical shots while Nandrasy finished games to win 7-2 and force a second set. The second set was a back-and-forth battle that saw the score ultimately reach hill-hill. It all came down to Atwell’s kick at an 8 ball—with a little nudge off the 9 ball, the 8 went in, leaving a straight-in shot on the 9 for the win.

Results:
1st Janet Atwell $750
2nd Ashley Nandrasy $550
3rd Tara Williams $335
4th Melinda Bailey $235
5th Belinda Calhoun $150
Lisa Marr
7th Jennifer Kraber $100
Tracie Voelkering
9th Lisa Henderson-Major $50
Cindy Parvala
Julie Comitini
Amanda Lampert
13th Michelle McDermott $30
Kathy Knuth
Theresa Wilson
Veronica Perez

by InsidePOOL Staff

Lisa Marr took on all comers at the OB Cues Ladies’ Tour’s June 12-13 event, defeating Jennifer Kraber in the finals. Click’s Billiards in Carrollton, TX, was a first-time host to 41 ladies who came out for the festivities.

On the winners’ side final four, Kraber met Kim Pierce while Marr matched up with Corina Campbell. The hot seat match turned out to be between Kraber and Marr, and in their first meeting of the tournament, Marr secured her spot in the finals 7-1.

Pierce and Campbell tied for fifth place, while Orietta Strickland attained the fourth-place position. Tara Williams, who had a bye the first round and then lost to Julie Comitini, was on a hot streak—she won her next eight matches to play in the semifinals against Kraber. Both players were in stroke as their match saw back-to-back break and runs, but ultimately Kraber ended up the 7-5 victor.

As the final match commenced, it looked like Marr would walk away with the win at a score of 6-1. But Kraber, never one to say die, pulled out all the stops and fought back to close in with a 5-6 score. Unfortunately for Kraber a long bank on the 9 ball fell short and provided Marr an easy shot in the corner pocket for her second tour win for this year.

Marr took on all comers at the OB Cues Ladies’ Tour’s June 12-13 event, defeating Jennifer Kraber in the finals. Click’s Billiards in Carrollton, TX, was a first-time host to 41 ladies who came out for the festivities. Pictured (L-R) Jennifer Kraber, Royce Brunnel, Lisa Marr