|
Runner-up Shaun Wilkie, 5th place finisher
Raxx Manager Rob Omen, and Winner Joey Testa |
Testa Takes Blaze
9-Ball Season Finale |
| Joey Testa finished fourth among
the Blaze 9-Ball Tour’s top 10 players on the year, but
he recorded the most wins (six) on that tour’s 32 stops,
including the most recent, $5,000-added season finale on January
24-25. Hosted by Raxx Bar & Grill in West Hempstead, the
finale drew 57 entrants, including six of the tour’s top
10 finishers in total points. Eddie Abraham, who finished first
among those top 10 with five total victories, was on hand, as
were Matt Krah (second in total points), Adam Kielar (seventh)
and Mike Miller (ninth). Also on hand was Shaun Wilkie (fifth),
who came from way back on the one-loss side to challenge Testa
in the season-ending finals.
Testa and Abraham locked horns among the winners’ side
final four, as did Miller and Krah. Testa moved Abraham to the
one-loss side 9-4, as Miller hung on to defeat Krah in a double
hill battle. Testa gained the hot seat with a 9-4 win over Miller.
Wilkie, in the meantime, had his hands full battling back from
the one-loss side. He survived two hill-hill struggles against
Kielar and Eddie Vazquez to take on Krah, who came within a
game of making it three such struggles in a row. For Rob Omen,
things were getting progressively easier, as he got by Oscar
Bonilla 7-5 and Carmen Lombardo 7-3 for a shot at Abraham. Omen’s
run would end there, as Abraham dropped him into a tie for fifth
place with a 7-2 win and turned to face Wilkie in the quarterfinals.
Wilkie got some breathing room with a relatively easy 7-2 win
over Abraham in those quarterfinals, but had to battle again
to get by Miller in the semifinal match 7-5. Despite the inevitable
layoff between the hot seat and finals, Testa came out strong
and concluded his undefeated weekend with a 9-2 win over Wilkie.
While Testa went home with the $3,000 first place prize, both
he and Wilkie earned qualification to the US Open as a bonus.
Abraham, as a result of finishing first among the top 10 point
leaders on the tour, also qualified for the US Open and brought
home a crystal trophy and watch as the tour’s Player of
the Year. Krah’s second place finish among the tour’s
point leaders earned him a crystal trophy, as well. All 10 of
the tour’s leaders received, as well, a subscription to
Inside Pool, an Ipod Shuffle and a Blaze cue. Also recognized
for their efforts on the tour were Caroline Pao and Liz Ford.
Pao, who finished 30 points ahead of Ford among the female leaders,
earned a trophy, a watch and entry into the upcoming Turning
Stone Classic of the Joss Northeast Tour in February. |
| Complete Results: |
1st Joey Testa $3,000 plus US
entry
2nd Shaun Wilkie $1,400 Plus US entry
3rd Mike Miller $830
4th Eddie Abraham $500
5th Rob Omen $350
Matt Krah
7th Carmen Lombardo $250
Eddie Vazquez
9th Jorge Rodriguez $150
Oscar Bonilla
Adam Kielar
Carl Morgan
End of Season Tour Leaders/Total Points
Eddie Abraham 8,160
Matt Krah 4,440
Rob Pole 4,250
Joey Testa 41,85
Shaun Wilkie 3,510
Marc Vidal 3,330
Adam Kielar 3,285
Wali Mahammad 3,270
Mike Miller 2,820
Manny Chau 2,670
Women
Caroline Pao/1,290
Liz Ford/1,260 |
| Marc
Vidal Takes Skyline Blaze |
Marc Vidal
|
Skyline Billiards hosted the Blaze 9 Ball Tour
on December 14, 2008. A strong field of 48 came out to play.
Player like: Marc Vidal, George San Souci, Tim Cahill, Liz Ford,
Eddie Abraham, Jorge Rodriquez, Rob Pole, and Sammy wu to name
a few.
Leading the top half of the bracket was Marc Vidal with wins
over Lionel Rivera 7-3, Mhet Vergara 7-4, Michael Yednak 7-5,
Pete Testerella Sr. 7-5, and Liz Ford 7-5. Leading the bottom
half of the bracket was George San Souci with wins over Mike
Boyles 7-1, Tim Dlugosz 7-0, Sammy Wu 7-2, Jorge Rodriquez 7-1,
and Rob Pole 7-6.
Playing for the hot seat was Marc Vidal VS George San Souci,
this was a good match with Marc Vidal pulling it off at the
end winning the match 7-5 sending George San Souci to the one
lost side. Waiting for George San Souci on the one lost side
was Tim Cahill. This match was all George San Souci from the
start winning the match easily 6-3.
In the finals it was George San Souci Vs Marc Vidal, This was
a rematch from earlier in order for George San Souci to with
the match he has to beat Marc Vidal twice. The first set was
all George San Souci winning easily 7-2. The second set was
all Marc Vidal winning the match 6-3 and the event.
|
| Complete Results: |
1st Marc Vidal $1225.00
2nd George San Souci $650.00
3rd Tim Cahill $385.00
4th Liz Ford $250.00
5th/6th Robert Pole $150.00
Jorge Rodriquez $150.00
7th/8th Sammy Wu $100.00
Eddie Abraham $100.00
9th-12th Alex Gilvarg $70.00
Daniel Smith $70.00
Adam Kielar $70.00
Pete Testerella Sr. $70.00 |
|
Mike Dechaine
|
Mike Dechaine Takes
Leisure Time Blaze |
Blaze 9 Ball Tour made it way
to Leisure Time Billiards in Levittwn NY. Special thanks to
the owner and the wonderful staff of Leisure Time Billiards.
Leading the top half of the bracket Ivo Petrov with wins over
Dave Albers 7-4, Bob Madara 7-2, and Adam Kielar 7-5 Leading
the bottom half of the bracket was Mike Dechaine with wins over
Scott Murphy 7-2, Beau Baur 7-3, and Victor Nau 7-4.
Playing for the hot seat was Ivo Petrov VS Mike Dechaine this
was a good match with Mike Dechaine pulling it off late in the
match with a 7-5 win and sending Ivo Petrov to the one lost
side. Waiting for Ivo Petrov on the one lost side was Victor
Nau. This was a great match that went hill hill but when it
was all said and done it was Ivo Petrov winning the match 7-6.
In the finals it was Mike Dechaine VS Ivo Petrov, Ivo Petrov
has to beat Mike Dechaine twice to win the event. The match
never took place Ivo Petrov forfeited giving Mike Dechaine the
event.
|
| Complete Results: |
1st Mike Dechaine $750.00
2nd Ivo Petrov $400.00
3rd Victor Nau $300.00
4th Adam Kielar $100.00 |
| Joey
Testa takes down Atlantic City Blaze |
From left to right - 3rd place Bob Madara, 2nd place Shaun Wilkie,
winner Joey Testa, and Owner Ernie Arcaro
|
Blaze 9 Ball Tour made its way to Atlantic City
Billiards Club, On Sunday November 30th . A strong field of
28 players came out to play, players like Joey Testa, Shaun
Wilkie, Bob Madara, Adam Kielar, Mike Miller , Matt Krah, and
Eddie Abraham.
Leading the top half the bracket was Bob Madara with wins over
Carlo Faurtto 7-6, Steve Gephart 7-3, Mike Przywara 7-4, Shaun
Wilkie and 7-6. Leading the bottom half of the bracket was Joey
Testa with wins over Jose Burgos 7-3, Mike Miller 7-3, and Eddie
Abraham 7-3.
Playing for the hot seat was Bob Madara Vs Joey Testa this was
a one siding match with Joey Testa winning easily 7-2 sending
Bob Madara to the one lost side. Waiting for Bob madara on the
one lost side was Shaun Wilkie this was a good match with Shaun
Wilkie pulling it off by winning 7-4 to get to the finals.
In the finals it was Joey Testa VS Shaun Wilkie, Shaun Wilkie
has to beat Joey twice to win the event. The first set was all
Shaun Wilkie winning 7-3. The second set was all Joey Testa
winning 7-4 and the event.
|
| Complete Results: |
1st Joey Testa $975.00
2nd Shaun Wilkie $500.00
3rd Bob Madara $260.00
4th Adam Kielar $140.00
5th/6th Mike Miller $80.00
Eddie Abraham $80.00 |
|
Matt Krah
|
Matt Krah takes Rockaway
Blaze |
Blaze 9 ball tour made its way
to Rockaway NJ on Sunday Nov. 23rd 2008. A strong field came
out to play. Players like Matt Krah, Eddie Abrahsam, Ryan McCreesh,
Victor Nau, Bob Madara and Carmen Lombardo. Special thanks to
Owner of Rockaway Billiards Bob Geurra and his wonderful staff
for hosting the event.
Leading the top half of the bracket was Eddie Abraham with wins
over Bill Horne 7-5, Victor Nau 7-6, and Bob Madara 7-4. Leading
the bottom half of the bracket was Ryan McCreesh with wins over
Devil Dave 7-1, Matt Krah 7-2, and Carmen Lombardo 7-2.
Playing for the hot seat was Eddie Abraham Vs Ryan McCreesh
this was a great match that went to the hill with Ryan McCreesh
pulling it out at the end winning the match 7-6 and sending
Eddie Abraham to the one lost side. Waiting for Eddie Abraham
on the one lost side was Matt Krah, this too was a good match
with Matt Krah winning the match 7-5 to get to the final.
In the finals it was Matt Krah Vs Ryan McCreesh, Matt Krah has
to beat Ryan McCreesh twice to win the event. And that he taking
Ryan McCreesh to school by winning the first match 7-3 and the
second one 7-1 to win the event.
|
| Complete Results: |
1st Matt Krah $700.00
2nd Ryan McCreesh $360.00
3rd Eddie Abraham $200.00
4th Victor Nau $100.00 |
| Jorge
Rodriguez and Mhet Vergara Co-Champions at Skyline |
38 Strong players from throughout
the North East came down to the Blaze Tour's 28th event, which
stopped at Skyline Billiards, in Brooklyn, NY.
Several top players from the North East came out to play including...
Jorge Rodriguez, "Get Some" Shaun Wilkie, Mike Fingers,
"Spain" Marc Vidal, Eddie Abraham, Mhet Vergara, Adam
Kielar and WPBA pro "Capo" Caroline Pao.
The blend of local up and coming players along with seasoned
battle tested road veterans provided a very competitive pool
tournament.
2007 Ocean State Champion Jeremy Sossei, also came to play in
preparation for the upcoming 2008 Ocean State Championship,
which stirred up a buzz.
The Blaze Tour event also had three women pool players who came
out to play in the "Open field"... Asia Cysak, "The
Other" Alison Fischer, and WPBA pro "Capao" Caroline
Pao.
Caroline Pao made a statement in this event as she earned gritty
victories over Joey Land, then was knocked to the loser's bracket
by veteran "King Kong" Joey Kong 6-4. On the one-loss
side Caroline fought back to defeat Victor Nao 6-3, and came
back from a 4-2 deficit to beat Lionel Rivera in a come from
behind thrilling Hill HIll battle. Caroline went on to win another
"Hill-Hill" battle with top NY players Mike Fingers,
before running into a "Hot Stick" in Adam Kielar who
left Carololine at the gate 6-0. (Caroline Pao finished 7th)
After the tournament Caroline mentioned that this tournament
was a great warm up for her WPBA event at the Hard Rock Casino
in Florida, which is coming up November 16th.
The "One Loss" side match between Joey Kong and Shaun
Wilke was interesting to watch. In the end with the score tied
(HIll-Hill), Shaun Wilke fired in a 5 ball to cheat the pocket
al little as he tried to bounce out for position... and the
cue ball reacted funny off of the rail and to Sean's dismay
bounced out of the pocket ending Sean's run.
The players had to endure a short power outage, that only left
Skyline Billiards with three tables with the lights on for about
an hour before the glitch was fixed. While some of the lights
went out in the pool room... there was nothing that could distract
two of the hottest players in the tournament. Mhet Vergara and
house player Jorge Rodriguez.
Jorge, is an emerging player who showed a lot of heart while
having a nice run at the US Open. In this event Jorge went through
the winner's side defeating Gary Murgia 7-6, Greg McAndrews
7-3, Mike Fingers 7-4 and Skyline's own Rob Pole 7-2.
Mhet Vergara earned impressive wins over Wali Muhammed 7-4,
Ariel Rivera 7-5, Joey Kong 7-4, and Ray Lee 7-3 to land in
the match for the hot seat.
In the "Hot Seat" match... Mhet and Jorge went blow
for blow, but ultimately Mhet ran out a very impressive rack
to earn the first spot in the finals.
On the One loss side "Hot Seat" match, Jorge was to
face local up and coming player Ray Lee, who just came off an
impressive 6-4 win over "King Kong" Joey Kong. In
the "One Loss" hot seat match, Jorge was dominant
as he only missed a few balls against Ray on his way to a decisive
6-1 victory.
Both Mhet and Jorge split in the finals.
|
| Complete Results: |
T-1st: Jorge Rodriguez and Mhet Vergara (Split
in Finals) $2,300
3rd: $475 Ray Lee
4th: $200 Joey Kong
5th: $150 Adam Kilear
6th: $150 Rob Pole
7th: $100 Caroline Pao
8th: $100 Shaun Wilkie |
| Eddie
Abraham goes undefeated at Raxx Blaze |
Eddie Abraham
|
Blaze 9 Ball Tour made its way to Raxx Bar &
Grill in Hempstead NY . Special thanks for Holdin Chin for hosting
the event and his wonderful staff for taking care of the players.
On Sunday Raxx Bar & Grill has all NFL teams playing on
there many TVs, so if you are looking for a great afternoon
to meet people and eat great food stop by Raxx Bar and Grill,
Steelers fans welcome.
A strong field of 36 players came out to plaqy players like
Eddie Abraham, Jose Parica, Joey Kong, Xao Ting Pan, Caroline
Pao, Jeremy Sossie, Mike Fingers, and Rob Omen.
Leading the top half of the bracket was Jose Parica with wins
over Evan Broxmyer 7-1, Scott Murphy 7-2, Mike Panzarella 7-1,
and Joey Kong 7-3. Leading the bottom half of the bracket was
Eddie Abraham with wins over Larry Ross 7-3, Oscar Bonilla 7-3,Chris
Lazaravich 7-5, Caroline Pao 7-3.
Playing for the hot seat was Eddie Abraham VS Jose Parica this
was a one way match with Eddie Abraham running away with the
match 7-3, sending Jose Parica to the one lost side. Waiting
for Jose Parica on the one lost side was Joey Kong this was
all Jose Parica winning the match easily to get to the finals
for a rematch against Eddie Abraham.
In the finals it was Eddie Abraham Vs Jose Parica, Parica has
to beat Abraham twice to win the tournament. But this day belongs
to Eddie Abraham winning the match 7-4 and the tournament.
|
| Complete Results: |
1st Eddie Abraham $1150
2nd Jose Parica $750
3rd Joey Kong $405
4th Oscar Bonilla $200
5th/6th Caroline Pao $150
Xao Ting Pan $150
7th/8th Mike Fingers $100
Scott Murphy $100 |
|
Joey Testa
|
Joey Testa and Adam
Kielar Co-Champions at Q-Ball |
The Blaze 9 Ball Tour made its
way down to Vineland NJ to Jose Garcia’s place at Q-Ball.
Special thanks to Jose Garcia and staff for a wonderful time.
Leading the top half of the bracket was Joey Testa with wins
over Don Polo 7-0, Bill Smith Jr. 7-6, and Matt Krah 7-5. Leading
the bottom half of the bracket Adam Kielar with wins over Scott
Freeman 7-6, Jose Burgos 7-2, and Bob Madara 7-1.
Playing for the hot seat was Adam Kielar vs Joey Testa this
was a one way match with Joey Testa winning easily 7-4and sending
Adam Kielar to the one loss side. Waiting for Adam Kielar on
the one loss side was Wali Muhammad , this match was all Adam
Kielar from the start winning easily 7-0.
In the finals it was a rematch between Adam Kielar and Joey
Testa, Adam Kielar has to beat Joey Testa twice in the first
set it went to hill hill with Adam Kielar winning 7-6. after
that set both player decided to be co-champions.
|
| Complete Results: |
1st Joey Testa $585
Adam Kielar $585
3rd Wali Muhammad $200
4th Matt Krah $120
5th/6th Mike Praseutsy $80
Bob Madara $80 |
| Eddie
Abraham has One Shot to win and does |
Eddie Abraham
|
One Shot Billiards Host the Blaze 9 Ball Tour
Sunday October 5, 2008 Strong field came out to play. Players
like Jose Parica, Joe Frady, Eddie Abraham, Adam Kielar, and
Matt Krah.
Leading the top half the bracket was Adam Kielar with wins over
Larry Ross 7-5, Shaun Dobson 7-2, and Joe Frady. Leading the
bottom half of the bracket was Jose Parica with wins over Tyler
Foy 7-1, Mike Fingers 7-4, Eddie Abraham 7-4.
Playing for the hot seat was Adam Kielar vs Jose Parica this
was a great match with Adam Kielar pulling off the win 7-5 and
sending Jose Parica to the one loss side. Waiting Jose Parica
on the one loss side was Eddie Abraham this was all Eddie Abraham
from the start winning easily 7-3.
In the finals it was Eddie Abraham vs Adam Kielar, Eddie Abraham
has to beat Adam Kielar twice to win the event. Eddie Abraham
won the first set 7-5, The second set was a great match that
went hill hill but when it was all said and done it was Eddie
Abraham winning the match and the event.
|
| Complete Results: |
1st Eddie Abraham $675
2nd Adam Kielar $370
3rd Jose Parica $200
4th Jose Frady $80 |
|
Eddie Abraham, Bob Maidhof, and Joey Testa
|
Joey Testa takes Drexeline |
Leading the top half of the bracket
was Joey Testa with wins over Jose Parica 7-5, Bill Smith Jr.7-4,
Josh Brothers 7-2, and George Ellinger 7-1. Leading the bottom
half of the bracket was Eddie Abraham with wins over Mark Horn
7-1, Shaun Dobson 7-4, Dustin Paris 7-1, and Many Chau 7-5.
Playing for the hot seat was Eddie Abraham vs Joey Testa, this
was a one way match with Joey Testa taking control from the
start and winning easily 7-4. Sending Eddie Abraham to the one
loss side. Waiting for Eddie Abraham on the one loss side was
Jose Parica. Eddie Abraham controlled this match from the start
and never looked back winning the match 7-4.
In the finals it was Joey Testa vs Eddie Abraham both players
decided to play one match, this was a great match that went
to the hill when it was all said and done it was Joey Testa
winning 7-6.
|
| Complete Results: |
1st Joey Testa $1062
2nd Eddie Abrahan $512
3rd Jose Parica $313
4th Mike Fingers $200
5th/6th Many Chau $120
George Ellinger $120
7th/8th Josh Brothers $80
Matt Krah $80 |
| Josh
Brothers takes Atlantic City Blaze |
Josh Brothers
|
Atlantic City Billiards Club hosted the Blaze
9 Ball Tour on Sunday September 21, 2008. 40 players came out
to play, players like: Ga-Young Kim, Josh Brothers, Shaun Wilkie,
Caroline Pao, Joey Testa, Scott Freeman, John Spencer, and Rob
Palm.
Leading the top half the bracket Josh Brothers with wins over
Joe Frady 7-3, Matt Haines 7-0, Mike Przywara 7-3, and Ga-Young
Kim 7-3. Leading the bottom half of the bracket Shaun Wilkie
with wins over Jay Paranich 7-4, Mike Boyles 7-2, Shaun Dobson
7-6, and Matt Krah 7-6.
Playing for the hot seat was Shaun Wilkie VS Josh Brothers this
was a one way match with Shaun Wilkie taking control from the
start and winning easily 7-3, sending Josh Brothers to the one
lost side. Waiting for Josh Brothers on the one lost side was
Joey Testa, this was a good match with Josh Brothers pulling
it off at the end with a 7-5 win to get to the finals.
In the finals it was a rematch with Josh Brothers VS Shaun Wilkie
both players decided on one race to 7. This was a great match
that went to the hill but when it was all said and done it was
Josh Brothers winning 7-6 and the event.
|
| Complete Results: |
1st Josh Brothers $1,237
2nd Shaun Wilkie $650
3rd Joey Testa $385
4th Scott Freeman $200
5th Matt Krah $125
5th Ga-Youg Kim $125
7th Mike Przywara $100
7th Shaun Dobson $100 |
|
Jose Parica
|
Jose Parica storms
Castle Billiards |
Castle Billiards hosted the Blaze
9 Ball Tour on Sunday September 14, 2008. A field of 28 players
came out to play. Players like Jose Parica, Eddie Abraham, Joey
Testa, Jonathan Castillo, Scott Simonetti , John Trobiano and
Corey Eulas.
Leading the top half of the bracket was Eddie Abraham with wins
over Rob Pole 7-5, John Trobiano 7-1, and Carmen Lombardo 7-4.
Leading the bottom half of the bracket was Jose Parica with
wins over Joey Testa 7-6, Jorge Rodriquez 7-3, Marc Vidal 7-6,
and Corey Eulas 7-5.
Playing for the hot seat was Eddie Abraham vs Jose Parica, this
was a one way match with Eddie Abraham pulling away from the
start winning the match 7-3, sending Jose Parica to the one
loss side. Waiting for Jose Parica on the on loss side was Mike
Miller this was a good match with Jose Parica pulling away late
and winning the match 7-4 to get to the finals.
In the finals it was Jose Parica vs Eddie Abraham, Jose Parica
has to win two match to win the event. The first set was all
Jose Parica winning 7-1, in the second set it was all Jose Parica
winning the match 7-0 and the event.
|
| Complete Results: |
1st Jose Parica $875
2nd Eddie Abraham $625
3rd Mike Miller $350
4th Carmen Lombardo $250
5th Marc Vidal $100
5th Corey Eulas $100 |
| Joey
Testa wins at Riley's Concord |
Joey Testa
|
Riley’s Concord Billiards hosed the Blaze
9 Ball Tour on Sunday September 7, 2008 A strong fields of 40
players came out to play. Players like Joey Testa, Eddie Abraham,
Kevin West, Mike Miller, Josh Brothers, Matt Krah and Rob Pole
to name a few.
Leading the top half of the was Eddie Abraham with wins over
Chris Riley 7-2, Joe Hong 7-1, Josh Brothers 7-6, and Joey Testa
7-4. Leading the bottom half of the bracket was Mike Miller
with wins over Joe Pierce 7-3, Matt Douglas 7-5, Bill Gallagher
7-3, and Chuck Pendrak 7-0.
Playing for the hot seat was Mike Miller VS Eddie Abraham this
was a good match with Eddie Abraham pulling away late to win
7-5, sending Mike Miller to the one losst side. Wating for Mike
Miller on the one loss side was Joey Testa, this match was all
Joey Testa winning easily 7-4 to get to the finals.
In the finals it was Joey Testa vs Eddie Abraham, Joey Testa
has to beat Eddie Abraham twice to win the event. First set
was a great set with Joey Testa winning on the hill 7-6, in
the second set it was also close but it was Joey Testa winning
7-5 and the event.
|
| Complete Results: |
1st Joey Testa $850
2nd Eddie Abraham $500
3rd Mike Miller $300
4th Kevin West $200
5th Chuck Pendrak $150
5th Bill Gallagher $150
7th Josh Brothers $70
7th Rob Pole $70 |
|
Francisco Bustamante
|
Francisco Bustamante
and Eddie Abraham Co-champions at One Shot |
One Shot Billiards hosted Blaze
9 Ball Tour Sunday August 31, 2008. A strong field came out
player’s like FranciscoBustamante, Matt Krah, Eddie Abraham,
and Mike Fingers to name a few.
Leading the top half of the bracket was Matt Krah with wins
over Ben Sadowski 7-4, Jose Burgos 7-0, and Noel Bensurto 7-2.
Leading the bottom half of the bracket was Francisco Bustamante
with wins over Mike Seas 7-2, Eddie Abraham 7-4 Playing for
the hot seat was Mat Krah Vs Francisco Bustamante this was a
great match that went to the hill when it was all said and done
it was Francisco Bustamante winning the match 7-6 and sending
Matt Krah to the one lost side. Waiting for Matt Krah on the
one lost side was Eddie Abraham, this too was a great match
that went to the hill but it was Eddie Abraham with the win
7-6.
Playing in the finals was Eddie Abraham vs Francisco Bustamante
both players are co-champions of the tournament.
|
| Complete Results: |
1st Francisco Bustamante $375
Eddie Abraham $375
3rd Matt Krah $100
4th Noel Bensurto $100 |
| Bustamante
wins NYC Championship |
Francisco Bustamante
|
Blaze 9 Ball Tour host the 3rd Annual NYC Championships,
held at Skyline Billiards in Brooklyn, New York. Special thanks
to Sammy Wu and Robert Pole for hosting the event.
A strong field of 61 players came out to play, players like:
Francisco Bustamante, Johnny Archer, Manny Chau, Mika Immonen,
Mike Davis, Chavez, Shaun Wilkie, Eddie Abraham, Matt Krah,
Mike Dechaine and Alan Rolan.
Leading the top half of the bracket was Mika Immonen with wins
over Alex Gilvarg 9-1, Ray Lee 9-0, Mhet Vergara 9-2, Francisco
Bustamante 9-7, and Mike Davis 9-7. Leading the bottom half
of the bracket was Manny Chau with wins over Ariel Rivera 9-1,
Kevin Coyle 9-3, Mike Fingers 9-1, Mike Dechaine 9-5, and Chavez
9-3.
Playing for the hot seat was Manny Chau vs Mika Immonen this
was a great match with Manny Chau winning the match easily 9-5,
sending Mika Immonen to the one loss side. Waiting for Mika
Immonen on the one loss side was Francisco Bustamante, This
was a one way match with Francisco Bustamante winning easily
7-1 to get to the finals.
In the finals it was Francisco Bustamante vs Manny Chau this
was one race to 9 it was all Bustamante taking control of the
match from the start and winning easily 9-4.
|
| Complete Results: |
1st Francisco Bustamante $3053
2nd Manny Chau $1500
3rd Mika Immonen $1150
4th Mike Davis $900
5th/6th Chavez, Mike Dechaine $450
7th/8th Alan Rolan, Eddie Abraham $350
9th-12th Wali Muhammad, Adam Kielar, Mhet Vergara, Marc Vidal
$200 |
|
Mika Immonen
|
Mika Immonen takes
Turning Stone Warm-up Event at Raxx |
Blaze 9 Ball Tour made its way
to Raxx Pool Room, Sports Bar & Grill on Long Island Aug.
9th and 10th , A strong field of 41 players came out to play.
Leading the top half of the bracket was Eddie Abraham with wins
over Mike Ettl 9-3, Liz Ford 9-4, John Alicia 9-6, and Alejando
Calderon 9-4. Leading to bottom half of the bracket was Mika
Immonen with wins over Bobby Blackmore 9-3, Gregg McAndrews
9-2, Vinnie Leone 9-2, and Manny Chau 9-6.
Playing for the hot seat it was Eddie Abraham vs Mika Immonen
this was a great match with Mika Immonen pulling away mid-way
in the match to win 9-5. sending Eddie Abraham to the one loss
side.
On the one loss side it was Manny Chau waiting for Eddie Abraham.
This also was a great match with Manny Chau pulling it off at
the end with a 9-7 win to get to the finals.
In the finals it Mika Immonen vs Manny Chau, this was one race
to 13th and it was all Mika Immonen running away with the match
winning easily 13-7.
|
| Complete Results: |
1st Mika Immonen $1625
2nd Manny Chau $813
3rd Eddie Abraham $575
4th Alejando Calderon $325
5th/6th Shin Park, Oscar Bonilla $250
7th/8th John Alicea, Marc Vidal $150 |
| Eddie
Abraham takes Atlantic City Blaze |
Winner Eddie Abraham with owner Ernie Arcaro
|
Atlantic City Billiard Club In Egg Harbor NJ
hosted the Best one day tournament around The Blaze 9 Ball Tour.
I want to thank all sponsors: Blaze Cues, Cue Sight, Sterling
Gaming, Carolina Cues, JAB Cues & Things, Inside Pool Magazine,
AZ Billiards, Milliken Super Pro, Pool On The Net, RJH Custom
Cues, OB Cues, Predator Cues, Stealth Cues, Alan Hopkins Super
expo, Robin Dobson Frog Jump Cues, Highendcues.com, Pooltees.com,
and Bullseye Security Systems. A strong field came out to play,
special thanks to Ernie Arcaro and his staff for hosting the
event.
Leading the top half of the bracket was Eddie Abraham with wins
over Joey Testa 7-5, Danko Campese 7-3, Matt Krah 7-6, and Allen
Hopkins 7-2. Leading the bottom half of the bracket was Dawn
Dawn with wins over Lloyd price 7-1, Mel Free 7-2, Rob Palm
7-4, Christine Liotti 7-2, and Evan Bostron 7-1.
Playing for the hot seat was Dawn Hopkins vs Eddie Abraham this
was a one sided match with Eddie Abraham winning the match easily
7-2, sending Dawn Hopkins to the one loss side. Waiting for
Dawn Hopkins on the one last side was Adam Kielar, this was
a good match with Adam Kielar pulling away to win the match
6-3 to get to the finals.
In the finals it was Eddie Abraham vs Adam Kielar , Adam Kielar
has to beat Abraham twice to win the tournament. The first set
was a great match with Adam Kielar winning on the hill 7-6.
In the second set it was all Eddie Abraham winning the set easily
6-3 and the tournament.
|
| Complete Results: |
1st Eddie Abraham $1250
2nd Adam Kielar $650
3rd Dawn Hopkins $380
4th Joey Testa $250
5th/6th Evan Boston $180
Alan Hopkins $180
7th/8th Matt Krah $140
Mike Miller $140 |
|
Winner Ed Matushonek, owner Bob Maidhof
and runner-up Matt Krah
|
Ed Matushonek wins
Drexeline |
Drexeline Billards host the best
one day tournament around, The Blaze 9 Ball Tour. A strong field
of 55 came out to play. Special thanks to Bob Maidhof and his
staff for hosting the event.
Leading the top half of the bracket was Ed Matushonek with wins
over Mike Donato 7-5, Matt Krah 7-4, Lou Patrikios 7-5, Mike
Praseutsy 7-4 and Joey Testa 7-5. Leading the bottom half of
the bracket was Joe Hong with wins over Jeff Richardson 7-5,
Chuck Fought Sr. 7-2, Troy Whitfield 7-5, Mike Miller 7-4, and
Eddie Abraham 7-2.
Playing for the hot seat was Ed Matushonek vs Joe Hong this
was a one sided match with Ed Matushonek winning easily 7-1.
But the big story was Matt Krah making his way through the one
loss side by winning his next 9 matches to get to the finals.
In the finals it was Matt Krah vs Ed Matushonek, Matt Krah has
to beat Ed Matushonek twice to win the tournament. Matt Krah
won the first set 7-5 but Ed Matushonek was too much for Matt
Krah winning the second match 6-3 to win the event.
|
| Complete Results: |
1st Ed Matushonek $1300
2nd Matt Krah $650
3rd Joe Hong $450
4th Mike Miller $225
5th/6th Eddie Abraham $180
Joey Testa $180
7th/8th Shawn Dobson $125
Jorge Rodriquez $125
9th-12th Mike Praseutsy $80
Eric Perry $80
Raphael Saldana $80
Lou Patrikios $80 |
| Mike
Miller soars through Cosmo's |
Mike Miller with owner Greg Taylor
|
Blaze 9 Ball Tour made its way to Cosmo’s
Billiards Dickson City Pa. Strong field of 32 came out top play.
Special thanks for Greg Taylor and his wonderful staff for hosting
the event.
Leading the top half of the bracket was Mike Miller with wins
over Chuck Fought Jr. 7-5, Chuck Fought Sr. 7-3, and Joey Korsiak
7-3. Leading the bottom half of the bracket was Lester Smulowitz
with wins over Angelo Inness 7-2, Dave Daya 7-2, Eddie Abraham
7-4, and Justin Muller 7-5.
Playing for the hot seat was Mike Miller vs Lester Smulowitz,
this was a good match with Mike Miller pulling away easily to
win 7-3, sending Lester Smulowitz to the one lost side. Waiting
for Lester Smulowitz on the one loss side was Tim Tanana, this
was a great match with Lester Smulowitz winning 6-4.
In the finals it was Mike Miller vs Lester Smulowitz, Lester
Smulowitz has to beat Mike Miller twice to win the tournament.
Mike Miller was too much for Lester Smulowitz on this day winning
the match 7-4.
|
| Complete Results: |
1st Mike Miller $950
2nd Lester Smulowitz $500
3rd Tim Tanana $350
4th Adam Kielar $200
5th/6th Justin Muller, Joey Korsiak $125 |
|
Eddie Abraham
|
Eddie Abraham lights
up Skyline |
The best one day tournament,
the Blaze 9 Ball Tour made its way to Skyline Billiards in Brooklyn
NY. Special thanks to Rob Pole and Sammy Wu for hosting the
event. Congratulations to Even Broxmeyer for winning the Break
and Run contest.
A strong field of players came out to play, leading the top
half of the bracket was Mhet Vergara with wins over Mark Pantovic
7-3, Wali Muhammad 7-3, Mike Fingers 7-5, Pascal Guimond 7-5,
and Joey Kong. Leading the bottom half of the bracket was Shin
Park with wins over Alex Gilarg 7-1, Justin Muller 7-4, Kenny
Rutman 7-2, Eddie Abraham 7-5, Noel Bensurto 7-3.
Playing for the hot seat was Mhet Vergara vs Shin Park this
match was all Shin Park from the start winning the match easily
7-4. Sending Mhet Vergara to the one lost side where Eddie Abraham
was waiting. This was a great match with Eddie Abraham coming
back from 5-2 to win at the hill 7-6.
In the finals it was Eddie Abraham vs Shin Park, Eddie Abraham
has to beat Shin Park twice to win the tournament. First set
was great with Eddie Abraham winning hill hill 7-6. In the second
set it was all Eddie Abraham winning the match 7-5 and the tournament.
|
| Complete Results: |
1st Eddie Abraham $1250
2nd Shin Park $650
3rd Mhet Vergara $570
4th Barry Banks $250
5th/6th Joey Kong, Noel Bensurto $200
7th/8th Sammy Wu, Mike Miller $150
Break & Run Even Broxmeyer $100 |
| Mike
Miller takes Rockaway Blaze |
Winner Mike Miller with owner Bob Guerra and second place finisher
Kenny Rutman
|
Blaze 9 Ball tour made its way to Rockaway Billiards
in Rockaway, NJ, a strong field came out to play. Special thanks
to Bob Guerra for hosting the event.
Leading the top half of the bracket was Mike Miller with wins
over Evan Broxmeyer 7-6, Larry Ingram 7-0, Bob Guerra 7-3, and
Wali Muhammad 7-3. Leading the bottom half of the bracket was
Biker Bill with wins over Jose Burgos 7-6, Carl Khan 7-5, and
Kenny Rutman 7-6.
Playing for the hot was Biker Bill vs Mike Miller this was a
great match with Mike Miller pulling off the win 7-5 to get
the hot seat. Sending Biker Bill to the one lost side where
Kenny Rutman was waiting. This is a one way match with Kenny
Rutman winning easily 7-3 to get to the finals.
In the finals it was Mike Miller vs Kenny Rutman. Kenny Rutman
has to beat Mike Miller twice to win the tournament. It didn’t
get that far because Mike Miller took care of business and won
the first set 7-3 to win the tournament.
|
| Complete Results: |
1st Mike Miller $750
2nd Kenny Rutman $400
3rd Biker Bill $300
4th Wali Muhammad $200 |
|
Runner-up Joey Testa, owner Ernie Arcaro
and winner Allen Hopkins
|
Allen Hopkins win
Atlantic City Blaze |
The Blaze 9 Ball Tour the best
one day event, made its way to Atlantic City Billiard Club in
Egg Harbor NJ. A strong field of 30 players came out to play.
Leading the top half of the bracket was Joey Testa with wins
over Edwin Perez 7-2, Jamie Garber 7-0, Allen Hopkins 7-6, and
Shaun Wilkie 7-6. Leading the bottom half of the bracket was
Tom Bow with wins over Damon Ooten 7-5, John Spencer 7-5, Mario
Sahatjian 7-1, and Justin Paris 7-2.
Playing for the hot seat was Joey Testa vs Tom Bow this was
all Joey Testa winning the match easily 7-1 sending Tom Bow
to the one lost side where Allen Hopkins was waiting for him.
This too was a one way match with Alan Hopkins winning 7-0 to
get to the finals.
In the finals it was a rematch with Allen Hopkins vs Joey Testa
this was a great match that went back and forth with Allen Hopkins
winning it at the end 7-5.
|
| Complete Results: |
1st Allen Hopkins $1045
2nd Joey Testa $545
3rd Tom Bow $340
4th Shaun Wilkie $125
5th/6th Dustin Paris $80
Damon Ooten $80 |
| Shane
Winters doubles up Eddie Abraham for Blaze Tour Win |
Shane Winters
|
Blaze 9 Ball Tour made its way to Skyline Billiards
in Brooklyn NY on Sunday May 18th. A strong field came out to
play.
Leading the top half of the bracket was Mike Fingers with wins
over Eddie Vazguez 7-4, Lionel Rivera 7-2, Jorge Rodriquez 7-3,
and Tony Rodriquez 7-6. Leading the bottom half of the bracket
was Eddie Abraham with wins over Barry Banks 7-3, Huey Moy 7-5,
Mike Boyles 7-2, and Shane Winters 7-4.
Playing for the hot seat is Mike Fingers vs Eddie Abraham this
was a good match with Eddie Abraham pulling it off with a 7-4
win sending Mike Fingers to the one lost side. Waiting for Mike
Fingers on the one lost side was Shane Winters This too was
a good match with Shane Winters winning 7-5 to get to the finals.
In the finals it was Shane Winters vs Eddie Abraham, Shane Winter
has to beat Eddie Abraham twice to win the tournament and that
he did winning both sets by the score of 7-5, to win the tournament.
|
| Complete Results: |
1st Shane Winters $600
2nd Eddie Abraham $360
3rd Mike Fingers $280
4th Bucky Souvanthong $100
5th/6th Tony Rodriquez $70, Eddie Vazquez $70 |
|
Evan Broxmeyer, winner Rob Pole and Wali
Muhammed
|
Rob Pole take Leisure
Time Blaze |
Blaze 9 Ball Tour made its way
to Leisure Time Billiards in New York. A strong field came out
to play.
Leading the top half of the bracket was Rob Pole with wins over
Evan Broxmyer 7-6, Beau Baur 7-3, Oscar Bonilla 7-4. Leading
the bottom half of the bracket was Marc Vidal with wins over
Dave Shlemperis 7-1, Liz Ford 7-5, Eddie Vazquez 7-3.
Playing for the hot seat was Rob Pole vs Marc Vidal this was
a one way with Rob Pole running away with the match with the
start winning easily 7-3 and sending Marc Vidal to the one loss
side. Waiting for Marc Vidal on the one loss side was Eddie
Vazquez. This two was a one way match with Eddie Vazquez winning
7-0 to get to the finals.
In the finals it was Eddie Vazquez vs Rob Pole, It was all Rob
Pole winning 7-0 to win the tournament.
|
| Complete Results: |
1st Rob Pole $500
2nd Eddie Vazquez $300
3rd Marc Vidal $175
4th Oscar Bonilla $100 |
| Brooklyn's
own "Smitty" Dan Smith grinds out a gritty win at
Skyline |
Dan Smith and Mike Fingers
|
31 players prepared for battle at the Blaze Tour
stop this weekend, which was hosted by Skyline Billiards in
Brooklyn, NY.
Skyline Billiards is a pool player friendly friendly pool room,
that serves as a breeding ground of emerging top talent coming
out of NY. The pool room is owned by pool players Rob Pole Jr
and Sammy Wu who roll out the red carpet for brooklyn players
as well as road players alike. On this day it wasn't recently
sponsored WPBA Liz Ford or house pro "Spain" Marc
Vidal who snapped of the tourney, but rather Brooklyn's own
"Smitty" Dan Smith.
"Smitty" has been a strong short stop in the NY landscape
for quite some time, and has been playing this game for 20 years.
Dan Smith is a self described "Pool Googan" or "Pool
Freak", and who has pool coursing through his veins.
"Smitty" Dan Smith has come up playing in many pool
"action" packed pool rooms in NY, most notably the
historic Chelsea Billiards in New York. He has been a gritty
player since the days of matching up with "Kid Delicious"
Danny Basavich, "Billy the Kid", Skeeter Hawk, New
Jersey "Blood", "Neptune Joe" and the late
"Johnny B".
While "Smitty" hasn't been on his A- game for quite
some time since his decision to allow his pool game to take
a back seat to building a career and family, he certainly can
get the cash. He has always been one of the most impressive
players that I have seen come up in NY, with his ability to
bring the heat and put packages together vs his opponents.
"Smitty" would have to awaken the spirit of the dormant
warrior within to win against a strong field such as... Eddie
Abraham, Rob Pole, Mike Fingers, Eddie Vasuqez, Scott Evans,"Twiz"
Derek Eakins, Jorge Rodrigez, all looking for a win at Skyline.
In a clear sign that pool is drawing back players to the game,
Smitty has stepped up efforts to begin to focus on pool again,
as he has taken his game to the next level. In Sunday's tournament
action, he ran through the field unscathed as he marched to
the finals undefeated and was poised to make a dominant statement
that the "Pool Googan" has his groove back.
In the finals it was a battle between "Mike Fingers"
and "Smitty" for top honors. "Mike Fingers"
has been a dominant force on the Blaze tour as well as the NY
landscape for several years and was determined to come back
from the "One Loss" side to earn the win. The first
match was a gritty battle as "Mike Fingers" showed
a lot of heart for bouncing back from an earlier loss to "Smitty"
to grind out a 7-6 win. This set up a final match for who would
earn bragging rights as well as top honors.
In the finals "Smitty" Dan Smith was dead set on putting
the fear in the local touring up and coming player in the NY
area with his focused intent to bring his A-game on this night.
"Mike Fingers" although an always tough opponent,
couldn't contain the break out performance from the "Pool
Googan" for the latest Blaze stop as he goes on to roll
over Mike 7-3. "Smitty" has been putting in the time
as he has been playing out of Skyline Billiards regularly and
earns the respect from the knowledgeable brooklyn players and
fans with a dominant home win.
Here is a quick break down the tournament in the final stretch:
Winners Side:
"Smitty" Dan Smith defeats "Mike
Fingers" for the hot seat after Mike just came off of a
strong 7-5 win over Tim Clark. Dan had just caught a gear after
a dominant 7-2 win over home player Ray Lee.
"One Loss Side"
"The Russian" Steve Astashin was also having a stand
out tournament as he was wowing the rail-birds with a demon
stroke and amazing position play. Steve had an impressive 6-4
win over "Twiz" Derek Eakins, moving him over on the
bracket to play Ray Lee. Ray has just come off of a 6-4 win
over Alex Gilvary. "The Russian" Steve Astashin then
rolled over Ray Lee 6-2 setting up a match between him and Mike
Fingers for the Hot seat.
- by Jerry Tarantola - NYC Grind
NYCGrind.com |
| Complete Results: |
1st Dan Smith $1000
2nd Mike Fingers $550
3rd Steve Astashin $250
4th Ray Lee $150
5th/6th Alex Gilvarym $100
Tim Clark $100
Twiz Real Name Derek Eakins
Biker Bill Real Name Bill Rowlands |
| Blackmore and Vidal
co-champions at Raxx |
| Blaze 9 Ball Tour made its way
to Raxx Bar & Grill on Sunday April 20th, a strong field
of 30 players came out to play.
Leading the top half of the bracket was Marc Vidal with wins
over Janie Gerber 7-1, Dave Shlemperis 7-3, Pete Tascarella
Jr. 7-5, and Pete Tascarella Sr. 7-3. Leading the bottom half
of the bracket was Bobby Blackmore with wins over Duane Tony
7-4, Joe Pierce 7-3, Mhet Vergara 7-5, Anthony Pizaro 7-1.
Playing for the hot seat was Marc Vidal vs Bobby Blackmore this
was a great match that went back and forth with Bobby Blackmore
pulling it off at the end 7-5, sending Mack Vidal to the one
loss side. Waiting for Marc Vidal on the one loss side was Anthony
Pizaro. This was a good match with Marc Vidal winning 7-4 to
get to the finals.
In the finals it was a rematch with Marc Vidal and Bobby Blackmore
but both players decided to share the championship. |
| Complete Results: |
1st Bobby Blackmore $600
1st Marc Vidal $600
3rd Anothy Pizaro $200
4th Mike Fingers $150
5th Sean Morgan $100
6th Pete Tascarella Sr. $100 |
| Testa and Hopkins
co-champions at Rockaway |
Blaze 9 Ball Tour was hosted
by Rockaway Billiards on Sunday April 6, 2008. A strong field
of 34 players came out to play.
Leading the top half of the bracket was Scott Simonetti with
wins over Bob Geurra 7-1, Wali Muhammad 7-2, John Alicia 7-2,
and Carmen Lombardo 7-2. Leading the bottom half of the bracket
was Joey Testa with wins over Shaun Dobson 7-5, Frankie Ramos
7-0, Jose Cruz 7-5, Eddie Abraham 7-5, and Twiz 7-1.
Play for the hot seat it was Scott Simonetti vs Joey Testa This
was a good match with Joey Testa taking control from the start
to with the hot seat 7-3 sending Scott Simonetti to the one
loss side. Waiting for Scott Simonetti on the one lost side
was Allen Hopkins, this was all Hopkins winning the match easily
7-0 to get to the finals.
In the finals it was Joey Testa vs Allen Hopkins, Hopkins had
to beat Testa twice to win the tournament. The first match was
great going hill with Hopkins winning 7-6, with that said the
two players decided to be co-champions of the tournament.
|
| Complete Results: |
1st Joey Testa $525
1st Allen Hopkins $525
3rd Scott Sinonetti $200
4th Carmen Lombardo $150
5th/6th Twiz, Wali Muhammad $100
7th/8th Rob Pole, Eddie Abraham $70 |
| Abraham
over Spain at Riley's Concord Billiards |
Eddie Abraham
|
Blaze 9 Ball Tour was hosted by Riley’s
Concord Billiards Sunday March 30th. A field of 38 players came
out to play.
Leading to top have of the bracket was Marc Vidal with wins
over Williams McWilliams 7-3, Matt Douglas 7-4, Lew Morris 7-1,
and Joe Pierce 7-4. Leading the bottom half of the bracket was
Eddie Abraham with wins over Joe Hong 7-3, Jeremy Sossie 7-3,
Bill McCoy 7-6, and Scott Freeman 7-2.
Playing for the hot seat was Eddie Abraham vs Marc Vidal this
was a great match with Eddie Abraham pulling off the win late
into the match by a score of 7-5, sending Marc Vidal to the
one lost side. Waiting for Marc Vidal on the one lost side was
Jeremy Sossie but this was a one side match with Marc Vidal
winning the match 7-1 to get to the finals.
In the finals it was Eddie Abraham vs Marc Vidal this was a
great match that went hill, hill with Eddie Abraham coming out
on top winning the tournament 7-6.
|
| Complete Results: |
1st Eddie Abraham $750
2nd Marc Vidal $350
3rd Jeremy Sossie $200
4th Matt Krah $150
5th/6th Scott Freeman, Joe Pierce $100
7th/8th Tom Bow, Charles Marshall $70 |
|
Owner Jose Garcia with winner Manny Chau
|
Manny Chau controls
Q-Ball |
Blaze 9 Ball Tour made it way
to Vineland NJ to Jose Garcia’s place Q-Ball Billiards.
A strong field of 29 Players came out to play.
Leading the top half of the bracket was Matt Douglas with wins
over Nicholas Jankowski 7-3, Robert Kay 7-2, Mario Sahatjian
7-2, and David Abraham 7-5. Leading the bottom have of the bracket
was Manny Chau, with wins over Wali Muhammad 7-1, Mike Praseutsy
7-0, Eddie Abraham 7-6, and Tracy Vega 7-4.
Playing for the hot set was Matt Douglas Vs Many Chau, this
was a one way match with Many Chau running away with it from
the start winning the match easily 7-1, sending Matt Douglas
to the one lost side. Waiting Matt Douglas on the one lost was
Shaun Wilkie, Shaun Wilkie took control of the match from the
start never looking back winning 7-0.
In the finals it was Manny Chau Vs Shaun Wilkie, Wilkie has
to beat Chau twice to win the tournament. This was a great match
that went hill, hill with Manny Chau winning 7-6 to win the
tournament.
|
| Complete Results: |
1st Manny Chau $650
2nd Shaun Wilkie $300
3rd Matt Douglas $200
4th Mike Lizzio $150
5th/6th David Abraham, Tracy Vega $100
7th/8th Eddie Abraham, Jim Louis |
| Shaun
Wilkie double dips Davis for Blaze win |
Shaun Wilkie
|
| The Blaze 9 Ball Tour made its way to Castle
Billiards in East Rutherford NJ. A strong field came out to
play. Players like Mike Davis, Shaun Wilkie Eddie Abraham, Scott
Simonetti, Carmen Lombardo, and Matt Krah to name a few.
Leading the way on the top half of the bracket was Mike Davis
with wins over Rob Pole 7-2, Scott Simonetti 7-4, Mike Miller
7-2,and Shaun Wilkie 7-2. Leading the bottom half of the bracket
was Carmen Lombardo with wins over Harry Foster 7-1, Mike Fingers
7-4 and Albert Lopez 7-2.
Playing for the hot seat was Carmen Lombardo Vs Mike Davis this
was a great match with Mike Davis pulling away late to win the
match 7-4 sending Carmen Lombardo to the one lost side. Waiting
for Carmen Lombardo was Shaun Wilkie but this match was all
Wilkie winning the match easily 6-2.
In the finals it was Shaun Wilkie Vs Mike Davis, Shaun Wilkie
has to win twice and that he did winning the first match 7-2
and the second 7-4. |
| Complete Results: |
1st Shaun Wilkie $750
2nd Mike Davis $450
3rd Carmen Lombardo $300
4th Gerard Soriano $100 |
|
Owner Gregg with winner Mike Davis
|
Mike Davis soars through
Cosmos |
The Blaze 9 Ball Tour made its
way to Cosmo’s Billiards in Dickson City Pa, On Sunday
February 24th. A strong field of 35 Players came out to play.
Leading the top half of the bracket was David Abraham with wins
over Joe Hong 7-1, Matt Krah 7-4, Rich LaRussa 7-5, and Shin
Park 7-6. Leading the bottom half of the bracket was Mike Davis
with wins over Marcus Solt 7-3, Jorge Rodriquez 7-2, Shaun Wilkie
7-1, Lester Smulowitz 7-2.
Playing for the hot seat was David Abraham vs Mike Davis, this
was a one way match with Mike Davis running away with the match
7-1 to get the hot seat and sending David Abraham to the one
loss side. Waiting for David Abraham on the one loss side was
Shaun Wilkie, Wilkie took control from the start and never looked
back winning the match 6-3 to get to the finals.
In the finals it was Shaun Wilkie vs Mike Davis. This was a
one sided match with Mike Davis again winning easily over Shaun
Wilkie by a score of 7-2.
|
| Complete Results: |
1st Mike Davis $800
2nd Shaun Wilkie $400
3rd David Abraham $300
4th Lester Smulowitz $200
5th/6th Bill Ianieri, Shin Park $150
7th/8th Joe Kuligowski, Eddie Abraham $100 |
| Mika
Immonen goes undefeated at Skyline |
Mika Immonen with owner Rob Pole
|
| Sunday February 17th, the Blaze Tour rolled it’s
second stop into Skyline Billiards, in Brooklyn, NY. Tour owner
Jose Burgos drew 33 players to this $1,500 added event. Skyline
Billiards which is on 25-15 McDonald Ave. Brooklyn, New York
has rolled out the red carpet for its players. The room is owned
by Rob Pole Jr and Sammy Wu, and since Rob Pole is a touring
emerging professional player, he looks to make sure things are
perfect, including having a hot buffet for the players.
There were several stand out players who participated in this
Pro-Am (Professional/Amateur) 9 Ball event. including “The
Ice Man” Mika Immonen, WPBA Pro Liz Ford, WPBA Rookie
of the year “Joanne Asthon” from the world famous
Ashton Twins and several other stand outs. ”Spain”
Mark Videl, “Mike Fingers”, Rob Pole Jr., Hunter
Lombardo, Eddie Abraham, Wali Muhammed, “Alaska”
Sean Morgan and Jorge Rodrigez.
There where many tough matches throughout the event and close
fought battles.Wali Muhammed, Liz Ford, Eddie Abraham and Eddie
Vasquez were grinding out gritty wins from the “One Loss
Side” throughout the day, which was a clinic of “playing
with heart”. “Godzilla” Shin Young Park, was
looking dominant in the first 3 rounds and was looking automatic
as usual. “Godzilla is a battle tested tournament warrior
who is very difficult to beat opponent, as the entire NY pool
scene knows by now.”The Ice Man” Mika Immonen seemed
as if he wanted to the let gritty Brooklyn crowd witness his
poetic style and demeanor as he stood tall against the mighty
“Godzilla”. Mika Immonen regained his World Champion
form, as his “gear” was clearly on a different level
than the rest of the field on this day.
Mika defeated “Godzilla” Shin Young Park 7-4 then
defeated the blazing hot Jorge Rodrigez from Brooklyn, 9-3…
cementing his place in the Finals. Jorge Rodrigez has been an
emerging local superstar, who has been coming up the ranks doing
very well on the local NY circuit. He also placed 32nd out of
233 of the worlds best, in the 2007 US Open. After getting steamrolled
by Mika, the loss would wind up being a huge test for Jorge
on his quest to reach a consistent pro speed which is his main
goal. Jorge now forced a feature match between him and a determined
“Godzilla” Shin Young Park. Shin Young Park was
hungry to have the chance to avenge his loss to Mika Immonen
in the Final Match. Jorge Rodrigez came out of the gate with
an early 3-0 lead, quickly making a statement that he has the
ability to take control of even the toughest opponents. The
next 6 games where split 3 games a piece, resulting in a 6-3
score in Jorge’s favor. Then Jorge made a couple of costly
mistakes and “Godzilla” Shin Young Park, quickly
regained his footing in the set. The match went “Hill-Hill”,
which means in this case 6-6… with one final game resulting
in the winner. Jorge broke, but didn’t have a clear shot
on the one ball. Jorge then left Park a shot, and park ran until
the four ball, before missing a difficult shot to have the opportunity
to stay at the table. That miss proved to be costly as Jorge
runs out for the win.
In the finals, it was a rematch of Jorge Rodrigez and “The
Ice Man” Mika Immonen, one of the sport of pools most
dominant forces. Mika was chewing on an energy bar shortly before
the match as he prepared himself mentally and physically for
competition. It was clear that Mika is a professional pool player,
in every sense of the word. He represents a modern athlete who
conditions for battle just like any other top performing athlete.
”The Ice Man” Mika Immonen came out of the gate
strong and did not look back. He rolled to another 9-3 win over
Jorge Rodrigez, through world class pool playing. In the end,
this was a very high finish for Jorge Rodrigez with such a strong
field, and serves as an invaluable learning experience for him
on his journey. In the end the “The Ice Man” Mika
Immonen dominates the gritty brooklyn field at the second Blaze
Tour stop. |
| Complete Results: |
1st Mika Immonen $1,000
2nd Jorge Rodrigez $600
3rd Shin Young Park $350
4th Wali Muhammed $250
5th Eddie Vasquez $200
6th Eddie Abraham $200
7th Liz Ford $125
8th Justin Muller $125 |
|
Owner Bob Maidhof and winner Rob Pole
|
Rob Pole scores big
win at Blaze Tour opener |
First stop of the Blaze 9 Ball
Tour was host by Drexeline Billiards on Feb 10, 2008. Thanks
to Bob Maidhof for hosting the event a strong field of 55 players
came out to play.
Leading the top half of the bracket was Shaun Wilkie with wins
over Adam Kielar 7-6, Randy Kay 7-1, Bill Smith jr 7-3, and
Matt Krah 7-3. Leading the bottom half of the bracket was David
Abraham with wins over Matt Douglas 7-4, Troy Whitfield 7-4,
Josh Brothers 7-5, Raphael Saldana 7-5, and Mike Young 7-5.
Playing for the hot seat was David Abraham vs Shaun Wilkie This
was a great match that went hill hill but when it was all said
and done it was David Abraham winning the match and the hot
seat. But the player making all the moves from the one loss
side was Rob Pole with wins over Joe Hong 6-4, Rapheal Saldana
6-1, Mike Gasper 6-3, Matt Krah 6-5, Mike Young 6-5, and Shaun
Wilkie 6-1, to get to the finals.
In the finals it was Rob Pole vs David Abraham, Rob Pole has
to beat David Abraham twice and that he did by winning the first
match 7-0 and the second match 6-2.
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| Complete Results: |
1st Robert Pole $1333
2nd David Abraham $600
3rd Shaun Wilkie $416
4th Mike Young $200
5th/6th Shawn Dobson $150 Matt Krah $150
7th/8th Ed Matushonek $120 Mike Gasper $120
9th-12th Adam Kielar $60 Bill Smith Jr. $60 Robert Kay $60 Raphael
Saldana $60 |
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Top 5 Points Leaders
Season 2009 |
Top 5 Men's Points Leaders
Season 2009
(through stop #39) |
1. Joey Testa 6570
2. Eddie Abraham 5020
3. Matt Krah 4960
4. Shaun Wilkie 4600
5. Josh Brothers 3820 |
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Top 5 Women's Points Leaders
Season 2009
(through stop #39) |
1. Erin McManus 1280
2. Caroline Pao 900
3. Denise Reeves 850
4. Sharon Ohanlon 430
5. Pam Cimarelli 250 |
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| Entry Fees |
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$100 Pro Men & Women/Open
$75 A
$60 B/C/D
$50 Juniors |
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Tour Membership Fee: $35/yr
Non Member Fee: $20/event |
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64 Player Fields
Double Elimination
Races based on field size
Finals 2 Races to 7
Alternate Breaks |
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Doors open at 10 am
Matches begin at Noon |
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