Joshua FIller
Greg Sullivan and Diamond Billiard Products welcomed hundreds of players and fans to the 25th anniversary of the greatest show in pool!
The tournament featured four events – the Bigfoot Ten Ball Challenge, Nine Ball Banks, One Pocket and Nine Ball.
Kicking off the tournament was Bigfoot Ten Ball played on the ten footer. Sixteen players competed in this single elimination, race to ten, alternate breaks event.
Narrowed down to four players, the first semi-final pitted Joshua Filler against Fedor Gorst. Rocketing out to an 8-4 lead, Filler watched it slip away as Gorst won five in a row to reach the hill 9-8! It was Filler’s break and he ran out to tie things up and although it was now Gorst’s break, he couldn’t capitalize on it and Filler ran out for the win.
The second semi-final saw last year’s runner-up Konrad Juszczyszyn battle Lee Vann Corteza. Filled with safety battles, Corteza lead early and closed out the match 10-5.
The finals saw Corteza and Filler trading the first few games until Filler took a two game lead – 5-3. Corteza tied the match at five apiece but to no avail. Filler won five in a row to win 10-5 to become this year’s Bigfoot champ!
The nine ball banks was in full swing and after hundreds of matches, five men were left standing – Justin Hall, Tony Chohan, Can Salim, Joshua Filler with Shane Van Boening drawing the bye. Hall then eliminated Chohan and Filler defeated Salim.
Now down to three, Hall got the bye and watched Filler and Van Boening duke it out. Tied at 1-1, an unfortunate scratch by Van Boening in the third game, he then watched Filler run out to take the lead. Filler then broke and ran the last game to lock up his seat in the finals.
The finals led off with Hall taking the first two games. The third and fourth games saw Filler eke out 5-4 wins. One game for it all! Trading points in the case game, it was the red-hot German who pulled away to a 5-2 win and another title!
With the one pocket and nine ball divisions still underway, the Friday night Banks Ring Game featured six players – four time ring game winner and last year’s runner-up Billy Thorpe, Mike DeLawder, Sky Woodward, Robert Frost, Shane Wolford and Max Adams. Mike DeLawder piled up the most chips and took the cheese!
The one pocket division was finally down the final three – Van Boening, Gorst and Filler – all undefeated so still had buybacks. Gorst got the first bye and saw Van Boening defeat Filler. Filler got the next bye and watched Gorst beat Van Boening. Van Boening then got the next bye and Filler was eliminated by Gorst. With Gorst still having a buyback, the finals began.
Knowing he’d have to win two sets, Van Boening bore down and led 2-0 and then closed out the match 3-1. Returning from the re-buy desk and to Van Boening’s dismay, Gorst won three in a row to claim his second Derby City One Pocket title!
And, while the one pocket finals were in progress, the nine ball field was getting smaller. Finally down to four players – Filler against John Morra and Vilaliy Patsura against Pijus Labutis.
Filler eliminated Morra and Labutis defeated Patsura. Since Labutis was undefeated and still had a buyback, Filler would have to win two sets for the title.
Filler moved out to a 3-0 lead but then Labutis tied it up. Again, Filler won the next three games to make it 6-3 and closed out the first set 9-5.
In the final set, Filler jetted out to a 6-1 lead but Labutis surged to tie the match at seven apiece! He reached the hill first only to scratch and allow Filler back to the table. Filler wins the game to make it 8-8! It’s now Filler’s break but he breaks dry and leaves Labutis straight in on the one! Feeling the tension, he couldn’t get out and watched helplessly as Filler ran the remaining balls for the title!
Congratulations to Fedor Gorst for taking the One Pocket, Mike DeLawder for his first ever Banks Ring Game title and Joshua Filler for winning the Bigfoot Ten Ball, the Nine Ball and Banks titles to become this year’s Master of the Table!
And, while all this was going on, upstairs in PoolActionTV’s Aramith Action Room it was action galore! One pocket, ten ball, nine ball, nine ball banks! Something for everyone!
Hunter White and Charlie Mora survived the field – Alex Calderon, Mike Eck, Ilir Jaho, Sergio Rivas, Scott Rabon, Ruben Bautista – to make the finals in the $500 entry $500 added single elimination race to one one pocket tournament. White took it down.
Tony Chohan, Roberto Gomez, Alex Calderon, Richie Richeson, Scott Rabon, Chris Reinhold, Shane Wolford, Reyes Gomez, Pedro Botta, Gregorio Sanchez (“Guama”), Jason Kirkus, Russian Kenny, Mike Williamson, Mike Eck, Ilir Jaho and Familia got into the grease for some high dollar action.
PoolActionTV.com would like to thank our commentators – Larry Schwartz, Scott Rabon and Ray Hansen – for another outstanding job.
We’d also like to thank our fans and sponsors. Our sponsors include JB Cases, Hanshew Jump Cues, Slate, Lomax Custom Cues, Savage Billiards, Durbin Custom Cues, Diamond Billiard Products, Simonis, Aramith, attorney Joseph J. Long, the Action Billiard Palace of Dayton, OH and the Fort Worth Billiards Superstore of Fort Worth, TX.
Our next stop is the 2nd Annual Bayou State Classic at Emerald Billiards in New Iberia, LA. With $20,000 added, the dates are February 6th-11th. Hope to see you there!
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