Jeff Franklin, Robert Clark and Daniel Herring
Before the 10th stop on the Cuetec DFW 9-Ball Tour was over on Sunday, Oct. 24, tour representatives announced to all those in attendance that Daniel Herring, by virtue of how far he had already advanced in the $1,500-added, ongoing event that drew 84 players to Snookered in Frisco, TX, was the 2021 Tour Champion. It might have provided Jeff Franklin with a touch of motivation, because Franklin subsequently downed Herring twice, in the hot seat and finals, to go undefeated and claim the second-to-last 2021 tour title.
Though he started strong after a bye, downing Zeke Moore 8-3 and Quy Dao 8-1, Franklin would finish, having given up an average of five racks to his six opponents in seven matches (Herring twice). From his second match, he never gave up less than five the rest of the way. He downed Alberto Nieto Garcia (5) and Tony Top (6) to arrive at a winners’ side semifinal matchup against Robert Clark.
Herring, in the meantime, after a bye, started out 8-2 (Domingo Lazaro) and 8-4 (Steve Raynes), and even after his two late losses to Franklin, finished having given up an average of just under four racks to his eight opponents (Franklin twice). After Raynes, Herring downed Jim Calderon 8-2 and then, shut out Miguel Hernandez to arrive at a winners’ side semifinal versus Clint Freeman.
Franklin sent Clark to the loss side 8-6, as Herring was sending Freeman over 8-3. In their first of two, Franklin and Herring battled to double hill before Franklin prevailed and claimed the hot seat.
On the loss side, Clark picked up Miguel Hernandez, who’d followed his winners’ side quarterfinal loss to Herring with wins over Prashant Srivastava 6-2 and Jeff Georges 6-4. Freeman drew Tony Top, who’d followed his winners’ side quarterfinal loss to Franklin with victories over Mark Nanashee 8-5 and Chris “Woody” Smith 8-4.
Top downed Freeman 8-3. Clark joined him in the quarterfinals with an 8-5 win over Hernandez. Clark advanced one more step, defeating Top in those quarterfinals 8-5, before being stopped by Herring in the semifinals 8-4.
The finals looked as though it was going to be another double hill battle, but it fell short by a single game. Franklin sealed the deal and claimed the event title 8-6.
Tour director Monica Anderson thanked Craig and Jana Lucas and their Snookered staff, as well as title sponsor Cuetec and associate sponsor Fort Worth Billiards Superstore (Albert Trujillo and team). The Cuetec DFW 9-Ball Tour’s finale, scheduled for the weekend of Nov. 20-21, will be hosted by Rusty’s Billiards in Arlington, TX.
