Cameron Lawhorne (Courtesy Chris Reinhold)
Back in 2018, junior competitor Cameron Lawhorne recorded what remains as his best recorded earnings year at the tables. He won two stops on the Viking Cues’ Q City 9-Ball Tour that year and cashed in eight others. Over the next two years, he was in the money only three times on the tour. This year, while he’s unlikely to match his 2018 earnings, he’s already higher on the AZ Money Leaderboard than he was during that best year. On the tour, he’s been runner-up, third and fourth this year, and though he only competed once in the On the Wire Creative Media’s Junior International Championships, he won that series opener back in January.
This past weekend (Sat., Oct. 9), Lawhorne returned to the tour’s winners circle with a victory that necessitated a second set in a true double elimination final. That second set went to Lawhorne and allowed him to claim title to the event that drew 34 entrants to Borderline Billiards in Bristol, TN.
Lawhorne and eventual runner-up, Gabe Lester advanced through the field to a winners’ side semifinal, although not against each other. Lawhorne faced and defeated Zach Wilson 7-3 to earn his spot in the hot seat match. Lester, though, faced and was defeated by Christopher Wilson (no relation to Zach) 5-1 in the other winners’ side semifinal. Lawhorne gave up only a single rack to Wilson in claiming the hot seat.
Christopher Wilson was one of three room owners who signed on to compete at this event. Janet Atwell, owner of Borderline Billiards, who might normally have competed was unable to do so. In addition to Wilson, who owns The League Room in Parkersburg, WV, the event drew Herschel Rife, owner of Lucky Shots in Phelps, KY and John Brockman, owner of Sonny’s in Princeton, WV.
On the loss side, Zach Wilson picked up Brent Hensley, who’d defeated Sean McGrady, double hill, and Gary South 6-4. South had defeated Lucky Shots’ owner Rife 7-3 in the previous round. Lester drew Daniel Shelton, who’d recently eliminated Mike Clevinger 7-4 and Todd Kihnley 7-3. It was Kihnley who’d defeated Sonny’s owner Brockman 5-3 in the previous round.
Zach Wilson downed Hensley 5-3, as Lester was busy eliminating Shelton 5-2. Lester gave up only a single rack to Zach Wilson in the quarterfinals and only one more than that in the semifinals versus Chris Wilson.
Lester threw a bit of a scare into Cameron Lawhorne in the opening set of the true double elimination final by repeating the single-rack performance of his quarterfinal match. Lawhorne, though, battled Lester to double hill in the second set before dropping the final 9-Ball to claim the event title.
Tour director Herman Parker thanked Janet Atwell and her Borderline Billiards staff for their hospitality, as well as title sponsor Viking Cues, BarPoolTables.net, Dirty South Grind Apparel Co., Diamond Brat, Federal Savings Bank’s Mortgage Division and AZBilliards. The next stop on the Viking Cues’ Q City 9-Ball Tour, scheduled for this weekend (Oct. 16-17), will be hosted by Buck’s Billiards in Raleigh, NC.
