by InsidePOOL Staff

Greg Smith came back from a late loss at the November 26-27 stop of the Great Southern Billiard Tour to double-dip Adam Bryan in the finals to take the title. The $1,500-added amateur 9-ball stop was held at Mickey Milligan’s Billiards and Pub in New Bern, NC, and attracted a field of 32 that Thanksgiving weekend.

A hill-hill defeat in the winners’ side final four at the hands of Smith 9-8 sent Sidney Champion to the one-loss side of the chart, as Smith advanced to the hot seat. His opponent was Bryan, who had just squeaked past Larry Faulk 7-8. Bryan went on to best Smith 7-5 and await a finals opponent, while Smith headed west.

On the left side, Charlie Brinson whitewashed Champion 7-0 and sent him home in fifth place, as Faulk defeated Montez Lloyd 9-6, who tied with Champion. Faulk gave Brinson a taste of his own medicine in the quarterfinals, handing him a donut 7-0.

But Faulk reached the end of his event in the next round as Smith eliminated him 9-7 to advance to the double-elimination final match against Bryan. Smith only allowed Bryan to win a total of 5 racks as he himself claimed 18 by winning the finals 9-2, 9-3 to take first place.

Greg Smith came back from a late loss at the November 26-27 stop of the Great Southern Billiard Tour to double-dip Adam Bryan in the finals to take the title. Daulton, Adam Bryan, Greg Smith, and Gerry Shephard (owner of Mickey Milligan's Billiards & Pub)

Results:
1st Greg Smith $1,000
2nd Adam Bryan $500
3rd Larry Faulk $350
4th Charlie Brinson $205
5th Montez Lloyd $100
Sidney Champion

by InsidePOOL Staff

Mac Herrell charged through the field at the July 30-31 installment of the Great Southern Billiard Tour to take top honors over Greg Smith, pocketing $835 for first place. The $1,500-added amateur event was hosted by Mickey Milligan’s Pub and Billiards in New Bern, NC, and attracted a 41-player field.

Mickey Milligan's Pub & Billiards in New Bern, NC Pictured L-R: Shannon "The Cannon" Daulton, Mac Herrell, Greg Smith, & Gerry Shephard (owner of Mickey Milligan's Pub & Billiards)

Herrell received a first-round bye and then won three matches to reach Larry Faulk in the winners’ side final four. He delivered Faulk to the one-loss side of the chart 9-7 and went on to face Smith for the first time for the hot seat. Smith, who had just sent Chad Pike west 9-6, put up a good fight but fell to Herrell 9-6.

On the left side of the bracket, Pike recovered to eliminate Jason McSorley at fifth place 9-5. Tying with McSorley was Faulk, who fell to Ronny Parks 9-7. In the quarterfinal match Park prevailed over Pike 9-6 and advanced to meet Smith in the semifinals. Smith won the right to seek revenge from Herrell in the finals, but after their double-hill final match, Herrell had hung on to win the title.

View the tournament brackets from Mickey Milligan’s Pub and Billiards in New Bern, NC.

Results:
1st Mac Herrell $835
2nd Greg Smith $600
3rd Ronny Parks $400
4th Chad Pike $200
5th Chris McSorley $125
Larry Faulk
7th Glenn Russell $75
Sam Monday

by InsidePOOL Staff

Randy Lamar went undefeated through the 18-player field that gathered for the March 13 stop of the Lucasi Hybrid All-American Tour. The $500-added event was hosted by Mickey’s Billiards and Pizzeria in Wausau, WI, and featured a double-elimination 9-ball format on 7-foot bar boxes.

Lamar went undefeated through the 18-player field that gathered for the March 13 stop of the Lucasi Hybrid All-American Tour.

Veteran Lamar, one of the favorites, took control of the A-side, including a semis win over Terry Schilling 7-1 and a finals clip of host Mike Masgay 7-6.

B-side action included Scott Herbeck and Jake Miller eliminating Terry Schilling 7-4 and Kevin Klages 7-6, respectively, at fifth place. Herbeck then ended Miller’s day at fourth place 7-1 and continued his winning ways to dispatch Mike Masgay at third by a 7-3 margin. The final match between Lamar and Herbeck was close, but Lamar prevailed in the first set 7-6 for the title.

Results:
1st Randy Lamar $350
2nd Scott Herbeck $240
3rd Mike Masgay $150
4th Jake Miller $90
5th Kevin Klages $60
Terry Schilling

by Lea Andrews

Those looking for Shannon “The Cannon” Daulton’s familiar face at the U.S. Open 9-Ball Championships had disappointment coming their way, as he was busy running the show at his own Great Southern Billiard Tour stop, where he was witness to Larry Faulk’s undefeated run through the field. Faulk was one of the 40 competitors who arrived at Fast Freddy’s Billiards in Jacksonville, NC, for the $1,500-added A/B amateur event October 17-18.

AA-ranked Larry Faulk sailed 10-4 past A-ranked JR Poste, who was racing to 9, to reach the hot seat match. There, he met up fellow AA-player Ray McGinn, who’d gotten by another AA-player, Phillip Britt, 10-6. The battle of the talents that ensued was fierce, but it was Faulk who notched up the final rack to take the hot seat 10-9.

On the other side of the bracket, Glen Maready blew by Donald Arnold 7-1 to face Vernon Ringold, who’d moved past Calvin Roberts 7-5. Meanwhile, Don Strickland did the same to Vernon Rogers 9-4 to face Mickey Hucks, who’d made it past Greg Little 9-8. Maready and Strickland put their opponents in seventh 7-5 and 9-4, respectively, to welcome Poste and Britt to the west side. Both were a bit too welcoming, though—Maready landed in fifth 9-5 courtesy of Poste, while Strickland got there courtesy of Britt 10-6. In the quarterfinal match, Poste was looking to make his way to a rematch with Faulk in the finals, while Britt was looking for a semifinal rematch with McGinn on the way to the final match. It was Poste who prevailed 9-7 to fight it out with McGinn for the right to play the Faulk rematch. Both men fought hard, pushing the score to hill-hill in the weighted race before McGinn dropped the final 9 to move back over to Faulk 10-8.

Those looking for Daulton’s familiar face at the U.S. Open 9-Ball Championships had disappointment coming their way, as he was busy running the show at his own Great Southern Billiard Tour stop, where he was witness to Larry Faulk’s undefeated run through the field.

Unfortunately for McGinn, the final match of the true double-elimination event was quite unlike the hot seat match, where he’d come up just one game short of victory. This time, it was all Faulk, who marked up game after game to earn first place with a very decisive 10-1 victory.

Results:
1st Larry Faulk $1,000
2nd Ray McGinn $500
3rd JR Poste $250
4th Phillip Britt $125
5th Glen Maready $85
Don Strickland
7th Vernon Ringold $50
Mickey Hucks

by InsidePOOL Staff

Larry Park was the best of the field at the April 4 stop on the Pechauer All-American Tour. The $500-added event was hosted by Koch Street Bar and Grill in Pekin, IL, and featured 21 players in a double-elimination 8-ball format on 7-foot bar boxes.

Park dominated the action on this day by skipping undefeated to the tournament finals, capped off with a winners’ bracket finals triumph over Mickey Meischner 5-0. In the winners’ bracket semifinals earlier, Park whitewashed Justin Scroggs 5-0, while Meischner edged Donnie Thompson 5-4. In the one-loss side Marco Jyawook and Justin Scroggs tied for fifth place at the hands of Donnie Thompson and Anthony Schultz, respectively, 4-3 and 4-0. Thompson then eliminated Schultz at fourth place by a 4-2 margin. In turn, Thompson completed his day at third place via another hill-hill loss to Meischner 4-3. In the finals, Meischner made a good showing, but Park was too strong and took down the first set 5-3 for the title.

arry Park was the best of the field at the April 4 stop on the Pechauer All-American Tour.

Results:
1st Larry Park $450
2nd Mickey Meischner $250
3rd Donnie Thompson $150
4th Anthony Schultz $75
5th Marco Jyawook $50
Justin Scroggs

Players from Nevada, California and Arizona demonstrated their 8-Ball skills December 20-21, 2008 at Mickey’s Cues and Brews in Henderson, Nevada in their pursuit of two qualifying spots for the NCS 8-Ball Championship.

Pro Player Max Eberle from Los Angeles and Las Vegas resident Joe Alvarez, after a day of close matches on tight 9’ foot Diamonds, won the two spots. Al Lawrence won the alternate position as the third place finisher.

Eberle and Alvarez have been added to the NCS player list.

The next set of qualifiers will be at the following locations: January 3-4, 2009 King Street Billiards in Fayetteville, NC and Comet Billiards in Parsippany, NJ. Accu-Stats will stream live from the qualifier at Comet Billiards. For the complete calendar of all NCS 8-Ball qualifiers please visit the CueSports Intl. (CSI) website www.playcsipool.com click the events tab. Please call 702-719-7665 or email Holly Ryan at holly@playcsipool.com for more information about the NCS.

by Skip Maloney

Jui-Lung Chan put in an impressive performance to take the title at Fast Eddie's in Houston, TX.

Jui-Lung Chen gave up only five racks in his final three matches at Fast Eddie’s Olhausen 9-Ball Tour stop the weekend of October 11-12. He bested Doug Young twice to capture the first-place prize of the $1,750-added event that drew 51 players to Fast Eddie’s in Houston, TX.

Among the winners’ side final four, Chen sent Andy Jethwa west with a 9-2 victory before meeting Young for the first time in the hot seat match. Young had sent Stoney Stone to the one-loss side with a 9-3 win. Chen sent Young to the semifinals, giving up only two racks in that match as well.

On the one-loss side, it was James Davis Sr. and Juan Taylor emerging from that bracket to tackle Jethwa and Stone. Two hill-hill matches ensued that put Davis and Stone into the quarterfinal match, won by Stone 7-5. By the same score, Young ended Stone’s tournament bid and moved back to face Chen for the last time.

Young won the opening game of the match, but it was the only game he won. Chen settled in to win nine in a row and bring home the $1,170 first-place prize.

Results:
1st Jui-Lung Chen $1,170
2nd Doug Young $740
3rd Stoney Stone $580
4th James Davis, Sr. $410
5/6th Andy Jethwa $260
5/6th Juan Taylor
7/8th David Henson $140
7/8th Rick Stanley
9/12th Rafael Martinez $100
9/12th Manuel Ayala
9/12th Marc Garza
9/12th Mickey Woinicki