Josh Roberts
It’s been a slow 2023, comparatively speaking, for South Carolina’s Josh Roberts. Many competitors on regional tours across the country would consider Roberts’ 2023 (recorded) earnings to be enviable. He is currently at #65 on this year’s AZBilliards Money Leaderboard, but so far, his 2023 recorded earnings pale in comparison to 2022, his best recorded earnings year since he showed up on AZBilliards for the first time, finishing 63rd at the Derby City Classic’s 9-Ball division back in January of 2007.
This past weekend (July 15-16), Roberts chalked up his 13th cash finish of the year and his third event victory at an Open stop on the Strokers Pool Tour in Raleigh, NC. He went undefeated to the hot seat, and was challenged in the finals by Mike Davis, Jr., who came to the event looking for his 9th event victory of the year (he sits ahead of Roberts on the Money Leaderboard (#59 to Roberts #65). Roberts defeated Davis twice, first in a winners’ side quarterfinal and later, in the opening set of the true double-elimination final. Roberts rallied to win the second set and an hour past dawn on Sunday, claimed the title. The $1,500-added event drew 43 entrants to Brass Tap Billiards in Raleigh.
Roberts’ path, after an opening round bye, went through Ethan Smith (2) and Barry Mashburn (4) before running into Davis the first time. A 9-6 victory sent Davis to the loss side, as Roberts advanced to face Mark Bolton in one of the winners’ side semifinals. Scott Roberts (no relation), in the meantime, after a bye, got by Eli Dickson (0), Eddie Little (double hill), and Christy Norris (3) to draw Corey Sykes in the other winners’ side semifinal.
Scott Roberts got into the hot seat match with a 9-3 win over Sykes and was joined Josh, who’d sent Bolton to the loss side 9-1. Josh claimed the hot seat 9-4 over Scott and waited on the return of Davis.
On the loss side, following his loss to Roberts, Davis gave up only one rack in his first two loss-side matches, none to Chris Gentile and the one to Eddie Little, before meeting up with Sykes. Bolton drew Barry Mashburn, who was working on a five-match, loss-side winning streak that had recently eliminated Jeffrey Underwood (1) and Katie Bischoff (5).
Bolton put a stop to Mashburn’s run 7-4, as Davis was busy surviving a double-hill battle versus Sykes. Davis made Bolton’s loss-side trip short, downing him in the quarterfinals 7-3 and then, eliminating Scott Roberts 7-5 in the semifinals.
Perhaps eager to add his fourth event victory since he’d won three (One Pocket, 10-Ball & 8-Ball) a week ago at the inaugural Port City Pool Championships a week ago. Iron Mike came out gunning in the opening set to down Josh Roberts 9-1. The probability of a double-hill second set was probably a better bet than wagering on either of the players.
The sun came up at 5:38 a.m. that Sunday morning, about two minutes after the opening set had finished. An hour and 11 minutes later (according to DigitalPool.com), the double-hill second set was over and Roberts had claimed the event title.
The next stop on the Strokers Pool Tour, scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 5, will be a $500-added, Barbox 9-Ball event, hosted by The Clubhouse Sports Bar & Grill in Lynchburg, VA.
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