by Lea Andrews

The first and last face Josh O’Neal saw at the June 26-27 Great Southern Billiard Tour event belonged to Russ Edwards, the first and last of O’Neal’s many victims. AA-ranked O’Neal went undefeated through the field of 40 that arrived at Murfreesboro Billiards in Murfreesboro, TN, for the $1,500-added event, which was sponsored by Nick Varner Cues and Cases.

While AA-ranked Edwards was moving steadily through the left side of the bracket following his first-round 10-5 loss to O’Neal, O’Neal was making his own steady path through the winners’ side. A strong 10-2 win over A-ranked Ryan Dunn put him into the hot seat match against Mike Laney, who’d just sent AA-ranked Billy Young west 10-6. O’Neal, who’d had several high finishes on the tour but had yet to make it to the finals, earned his first finals appearance with a convincing 10-1 victory.

On the one-loss side, former winner Daniel McKinney took care of fellow A-player Brad Hutchins 9-5 and B player Ricardo Nixon 9-5 to face Young, whom he ousted by yet another strong score of 9-5 to reach the quarterfinals, where he met up with a determined Edwards. Edwards, who’d just run through B players Heath Reynolds 9-5 and Jeremy Scarpace 9-1, and A-ranked Dunn 9-4, went smoothly through McKinney 9-7 to advance to the semifinals against Laney. Both of O’Neal’s victims fought hard all the way to hill-hill for the right to the rematch in the finals, but Edwards marked up the final game, moving on to the true double-elimination final match 9-9.

But revenge was not in the cards for Edwards. The fact that O’Neal was in the finals for the first time, and that he could stand to lose the first set, didn’t slow him down at all—he pushed hard to maintain complete control throughout the set, earning his first tour win 10-3.

The first and last face Josh O’Neal saw at the June 26-27 Great Southern Billiard Tour event belonged to Russ Edwards, the first and last of O’Neal’s many victims. Pictured (L-R) April Dobbins - owner of Murfreesboro Billiard Club, Josh O'Neal, Russ Edwards, and Shannon Daulton

by Lea Andrews

After a weekend of play that ran over into the early hours of Monday, Tim Orange remained undefeated, taking care of John Maikke twice on the way to his first-place finish on the Great Southern Billiards Tour. The $1,500-added A/B amateur event drew a field of 52 to The Pool Room in Duluth, GA, February 20-21.

AA-ranked Orange rode a strong 11-2 win over B-ranked Bob Lea to face Maikke in the hot seat match. A-ranked Maikke had just sent B-ranked Paul Mullins west 9-5, but he couldn’t mark up the games against Orange, and he moved over to the semifinals 11-4.

On the one-loss side, one of Orange’s earlier victims, AA-ranked Mike Laney, was making a run for a rematch, ousting fellow AA player Billy Young 11-6 to face recent winner Robert South, who’d breezed past B-ranked Felipe Flores 9-2. Another 11-6 victory pitted Laney against Mullins, who landed in fifth after managing to mark up just five games. Meanwhile, B-ranked Richard Andrews was making his way through B-ranked Jeremy Sane 7-2 to meet up with B-ranked Jason Caldwell, who’d won 7-6 over A-ranked Jason Steman. Edging out Caldwell 7-6, Andrews moved on to Lea, but made it no further. Lea put him in fifth 7-3 to advance to the quarterfinals against Laney, whom he held to 8 games in the weighted race to face Maikke in the semifinals. The finals would be a rematch for either man, but Maikke earned the right by a decisive 9-2 score.

The alternate-break, true double-elimination final match didn’t even begin until after two a.m., so fatigue was an issue from the very start. The two traded off games for the first racks, and though Orange managed to open up his lead a little bit, Maikke didn’t let go, reaching his hill of 8 games first after Orange scratched on a tough shot on the 6 ball with the bridge. In what could have been the rack that would push the second set, Maikke got a chance at the table after Orange missed the 3 ball in the side, but Maikke’s shot missed its mark, as well, allowing Orange to finish it off and make it hill-hill 10-8. It was Orange’s turn to break in the final rack, and though he pocketed a ball, he was left without a shot on the 1 ball, and he chose to push. With the cue ball nearly frozen to the foot cushion, Maikke accepted, attempting a long cross-bank, and when it went wide, it left Orange wide open for a run to the winning 5-9 combination.

After a weekend of play that ran over into the early hours of Monday, Tim Orange remained undefeated, taking care of John Maikke twice on the way to his first-place finish on the Great Southern Billiards Tour.

Results:
1st Tim Orange $1,000
2nd John Maikke $500
3rd Bob Lea $300
4th Mike Laney $200
5th Richard Andrews $125
Paul Mullins
7th Jason Caldwell $75
Robert South
9th Jeremy Sane $50
Jason Steman
Billy Young
Felipe Flores

By Joshua Johnson, Inside POOL

Thirty-two of the original 61 players who started the day are moving into Sunday play in the Great Southern Billiard Tour’s Choo Choo Amateur 9-Ball Classic. The tournament, which is taking place at Diamond Billiard Club in Chattanooga, TN, features some of the most recognizable amateurs in the south to include Landon Shuffett, Mike Laney, Danny Smith and Bill Bailey. However, as play on Saturday came to a close, some of those names found themselves on the wrong side of the tournament chart or out of the tournament.

Mike Laney was one who could not navigate the tough field, getting knocked out of the tournament early Saturday evening. Other top players finding the way difficult going are Russ Edwards, Danny Smith, and Bill Bailey. Top names still fighting in the winners’ bracket are Landon Shuffett, Diamond Billiard Club proprietor Davey Crockett Jr., Josh O’Neal, and Arlo Walsman.

Play will begin again on Sunday at 12:00pm with 1-loss bracket action. Some of the feature matchups going into day 2 of this $1500 added tournament are Josh O’Neal vs. Landon Shuffett, Arlo Walsman vs. Matt Reed and Daniel McKinney vs. Jimmy Dickerson, all on the winners side. Top names still alive on the one-loss side include Bill Bailey, Smith, David Rice, Russ Edwards, Nicholas Hickerson and Jason Jahop.

Thirty-two of the original 61 players who started the day are moving into Sunday play in the Great Southern Billiard Tour’s Choo Choo Amateur 9-Ball Classic.

Players are using the GSBT’s newly implemented, and popular, handicapping format. Players who are rated an “AA” have to go to 10 games, “A” players have to go to 9, and “B” players have to go to 7 in an alternate break race. This format levels the playing fields for multiple skill levels in the amateur ranks.

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Tournament brackets

The Great Southern Billiard Tour would like to thank the owner of the Diamond Billiard Club, Davey Crockett, for hosting the event as well as its sponsors: Nick Varner Cues and Cases, Tiger Products, Delta-13 Rack, Gambler Clothing, Masters Chalk, Inside POOL, AZ Billiards, Professor Q-BALL, and Billiards Stroke News.

By Joshua Johnson, Inside POOL

Sixty-one of the best amateur players the south has to offer made the trek to Diamond Billiard Club this weekend to participate in the Great Southern Billiard Tour’s $1500 added Choo Choo Amateur Classic in Chattanooga, TN. Top amateur players such as Mike Laney, Danny Smith, Landon Shuffett, Russ Edwards, Matt Reed and David Rice will have to navigate through brackets which feature an additional thirteen AA and A rated players.

This will be made tougher with the GSBT’s newly implemented, and popular, handicapping format. Players who are rated an “AA” have to go to 10 games, “A” players have to go to 9, and “B” players have to go to 7 in an alternate break race.

Sixty-one of the best amateur players the south has to offer made the trek to Diamond Billiard Club this weekend to participate in the Great Southern Billiard Tour’s $1500 added Choo Choo Amateur Classic in Chattanooga, TN.

The Great Southern Billiard Tour would like to thank the owner of the Diamond Billiard Club, Davey Crockett, for hosting the event as well as its sponsors: Nick Varner Cues and Cases, Tiger Products, Delta-13 Rack, Gambler Clothing, Masters Chalk, Inside POOL, AZ Billiards, Professor Q-BALL, and Billiards Digest. This event is being streamed live at the following link:

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Tournament brackets

by Skip Maloney

Donny Branson faced down a strong one-loss side challenge from David Rice to take first place at the Great Southern Billiard Tour’s stop the weekend of January 10-11. The $1,500-added event drew 68 amateurs to Diamond Billiards in Chattanooga, TN, and was the last event preceding the tour championships to be held in the same venue February 4-8.

Branson was among the winners’ side final four and defeated Mike Jones 8-3 to move into the hot seat match versus Rick Powers. Powers had barely survived a double-hill battle against 14-year-old Landon Shuffett, fresh from his first-place win less than a week ago at Truman Hogue’s 9-ball tournament in Louisville, KY. Branson gained the hot seat with an 8-3 win over Powers and waited for a return that didn’t happen.

David Rice, on his way to the finals, had moved among the event’s final 12 and defeated both Jeff Click and Gabe Apollos to eliminate Jones. Josh O’Neal got past Charlie Lane and Marcus Pendley and then ousted Shuffett. It was Rice and O’ Neal facing each other in the quarterfinals, where Rice took immediate command and defeated O’Neal 8-1. Powers put up a fight, but Rice prevailed in the semifinals 8-5 and moved into the double-elimination finals against Branson.

Building on his own momentum, Rice took the first set 8-6. Branson took the second set and the first-place prize by the same score.

Donny Branson faced down a strong one-loss side challenge from David Rice to take first place at the Great Southern Billiard Tour’s stop the weekend of January 10-11.

Results:
1st Donny Branson $1,000
2nd David Rice $600
3rd Rick Powers $400
4th Josh O’Neal $200
5th Mike Jones $140
Landon Shuffett
7th Gabe Apollos $90
Marcus Pendley
9th Mike Laney $60
Jeff Click
Jared McGee
Charlie Lane

by InsidePOOL Staff

Landon Shuffet double-dipped Marcus Pendley in the finals of the Viking Cues 9-Ball Tour stop at Randolph's Billiards in Hickory, NC.

Double Hill Billiards Club in Hixson, TN, hosted the Viking Cue Amateur 9-Ball Tour the weekend of October 4-5. The events were played on the fifteen 8-foot tables freshly covered with Simonis 860 cloth and paid out $4,540 in prize money, with Landon Shuffett taking home the lion’s share.

While KC Donahey won the single-elimination mini tournament and the $500-added Sunday tournament was won by Jason Stemen, the $2,000-added main event quickly became the Shuffett and Marcus Pendley. Shuffett made a comeback in the finals and double-dipped Pendley to take the first-place prize money.

Jason Stemen, Terrie Janis, Joe Powell

Shuffett began his race to first place by defeating Charlie Conway 9-2, Jeff Tabet 9-6, and Robert Frost 9-6 before he faced Pendley for the first time. Pendley defeated Shuffett with a hill-hill score. Once on the left side of the chart Shuffett defeated Jonathon Tedder 9-7 and Wade Aycock in the semifinals 9-3 before going on to double-dip Pendley 9-7 in the first set and 9-6 in the second.

Pendley worked his way undefeated through the top half of the brackets until he ran into Shuffett for the second time in the finals.  He notched wins over Mike Laney 9-8, Jamey Hickman 9-5, Charlie Pierro 9-1, Shuffett 9-8, and Aycock 9-2.

Results:
1st Landon Shuffett $1,200
2nd Marcus Pendley $720
3rd Wade Aycock $520
4th Jonathon Tedder $300
5/6th Robert Frost $200
5/6th Jeff Tabet
7/8th George Payne $100
7/8th Joe Powell

Jason Stemen, KC Donahey

The Viking Cue Amateur 9-Ball Tours $500 added Sunday tournament was won by Jason Stemen who defeated Joe Powell in the 1st set of the finals. 
 
The Viking Cue Amateur 9-Ball Tours $500 Added event payouts:
1st $500 Jason Stemen
2nd $210 Joe Powell
3rd $100 Mike Janis
 
The Viking Cue Amateur 9-Ball Tours Mini Tournament with a format of race to 9 single elmination was won by KC Donahey.

by Skip Maloney

Rock Powers held off Mike Laney in the finals of the Great Southern Billiard Tour stop at Diamonds Billiard Club in Chattanooga, TN.

Rick Powers withstood a strong challenge from the one-loss side by Mike Laney to take first place in the Great Southern Billiard Tour’s amateur stop the weekend of September 27-28. The $2,000-added event drew 52 amateur pool players to Diamonds Billiard Club in Chattanooga.

Early Sunday, Powers and Daniel McKenney, on the winners’ side, sent Kendall Frazier and Josh O’Neal over to battle for fifth place and faced each other in the hot seat match. They battled to double-hill before Powers prevailed, sending McKenney to the semifinals.

Laney, in the meantime, was working from among the one-loss side’s final eight, defeating Darrell Stites and Gabe Appolos before facing O’Neal in the battle that determined fifth place. Dave Crockett was at work as well, moving past Jared McGee and Jarrett McPherson for his fifth-place struggle against Frazier. Crockett and Laney faced each other in the quarterfinals, won by Laney 8-4.

Laney completed his trip to the finals with an 8-6 victory over McKenney, only to be defeated by the same score in the finals against Powers.

Results:
1st Rick Powers
2nd Mike Laney
3rd Daniel McKenney
4th Dave Crockett
5/6th Josh O’Neal
5/6th Kendall Frazier
7/8th Jarret McPherson
7/8th Gabe Appolos
9/12th Jared McGee
9/12th Darrell Stites
9/12th Jeff Tabet
9/12th Jamey Hickman

by Skip Maloney

Mike Laney saw his way through two hill-hill matches to win the Great Southern Billiard Tour event at the Marietta Billiard Club.

Mike Laney survived two double-hill battles in his final two matches to go undefeated in the Great Southern Billiard Tour’s stop the weekend of September 20-21. The $2,000-added event drew 32 amateur billiard players to the Marietta Billiard Club in Marietta, GA.

Earlier in the day, Laney had joined Kevin Wright, Jared McGee, and Junior Farias among the winners’ side final four. In the first of their two match-ups, Laney sent Wright west with an 8-3 victory, and after McGee sent Farias over to join him 8-4, Laney and McGee squared off in the hot seat match that ended with the first of Laney’s double-hill victories.

On the one-loss side, it was Jeff Tabet and Dustin Byrd emerging from among the tournament’s final 12 to face Wright and Farias in the battle for advancement to the quarterfinals.  Tabet advanced with an 8-2 victory over Farias, as Wright, working his way back to a rematch against Laney, defeated Dustin Byrd 8-6.Wright dropped Tabet into fourth place 8-4 and turned to face McGee, the last obstacle on his journey back to a rematch against Laney. McGee dropped into third place when Wright handed him his second straight double-hill defeat.

While it looked, early on in the finals, as if Laney were going to conclude his tournament bid undefeated, jumping out to a 3-0 lead, Wright fought back to tie it. At that juncture in the final match, it turned into a grind that brought them to 5-5. It looked, after Laney had gone ahead 6-5, as if Wright was in a position to win the game and tie the match for the fourth time, but he hit a side pocket with the 5 ball so hard that it bounced back out of the pocket and onto the floor. Laney cleared the table and reached the hill first. Wright battled back to hill-hill, but he scratched shooting at the 3 ball in the final game, giving Laney the ball in hand he needed to close it out.
 
Results:
1st Mike Laney
2nd Kevin Wright
3rd Jared McGee
4th Jeff Tabet
5th Dustin Byrd
Junior Farias
7th Matt Reed
Roderick Galan
9th Jefferson Taylor
Mark Nanashee
Dusty North
John Salter

by InsidePOOL Staff

Ron Gilbert snapped off the Viking Cue 9-Ball Tour event at Side Pockets Cue Club in Marietta, GA.

The Viking Cue 9-Ball Tour’s Amateur Nationals held its fourth event of the five-event series August 30-31 at Side Pockets Cue Club & Billiards in Marietta, GA, which hosted 108 participants in the events this weekend.  Ron Gilbert won the event to rack up his first win on the Viking Cue 9-Ball Amateur Tour.
 
Gilbert worked his way through the bottom half of the bracket, sending all of his opponents to the left side of the chart. He began his run with a bye in round one and proceeded to defeated Dana Aft 7-6, Pat Cooper 7-3, Bob Buckley 7-3, Eddie Little 7-5, and Mark Merwin 7-6 before facing Mike Laney in the finals. There Laney defeated Gilbert 7-3 in the first set, but Gilbert didn’t give up—he came back in the second set of the true double-elimination format to win the event 7-5 and walk away with his first top finish.
 
The Saturday night mini tournament was won by Mike Laney. Additionally, Marty Jennings won the amateur-only mini event Sunday over Eric Charlton.

Mike Laney

 
Results:
1st Ron Gilbert
2nd Mike Laney
3rd John Visotsky
4th Matt Bulfin
5th Mark Merwin
Bret Hawes
7th Shawn Dowling
Chad Royal
9th Matty Ledford
Bryant Walker
Eddie Little
Bobby Connor Jr

by InsidePOOL Staff

With his victory at Mr Cues 2 in Atlanta, GA Jeff Hooks has won Viking Cue 9-Ball billiards stops in a row.

The Viking Cue 9-Ball Tour’s amateur division’s third event in the five-series nationals took place at Mr. Cues 2 in Atlanta, GA, August 23-24. Breaking all previous records for that division, the event drew a total of 138 players in the multiple tournaments offered, with Jeff Hooks winning both the amateur event and the 16-player winner-takes-all event as well.

On Saturday the head count in Mr. Cues 2 was at approximately 350—it was literally standing room only as patrons packed in to the event to watch their favorite player compete in the tournament that was played on new Brunswick Gold Crown IV 9-foot tables freshly recovered and featuring with Aramith Super Pro Balls and Chameleon racks..

Hooks displayed phenomenal play as he worked his way through the winners’ bracket, besting Heather Crowe 7-2, Denise Conway 7-1, Steve Cox 7-2, Ray Born 7-3, Eddie Little 7-6, and Travis Dorn 7-4. He matched up with Marty Jennings in the hot seat match and sent him packing 7-4 and then faced down Mike Laney in the final match 7-4.

The 16-player, $100-entry, winner-takes-all event was also won by Hooks. Hooks made a strong showing as he once again played his best against all of his opponents and took home the prize fund from that event.

Results:
1st Jeff Hooks
2nd Mike Laney
3rd Marty Jennings
4th James Roberts
5th Travis Don
Matt Bluffing
7th Eddie Little
Bernardo Estevan
9th Henry Cofer
David Shadden
Sean Davis
Luis Tovar