Greg Taylor and Michael Robertson
When Greg Taylor arrived at The Clubhouse in Lynchburg, VA this past weekend (Sat., Dec. 16), he had already secured 2023 as his best recorded earnings year at the tables, ever. By going undefeated to claim the Q City 9-Ball Tour’s 11th Annual Tour Championship title, Taylor secured the cash that made his 2023 earnings more than double what he’d earned in his previous best year (2014). The $1,000-added Tour Championship drew 46 entrants to the Clubhouse.
There was a noteworthy battle in the semifinals at this event. Its two competitors, separately, had won both of last year’s tour championship events. Michael Robertson, who faced Taylor twice in this event, had won last year’s Bar Table Championships, while Larry Hughes had grabbed the 9-ft. Table Championships. Like Robertson and Taylor, Taylor and Hughes met twice at this event. The two ‘table championships’ have been phased out of the yearly equation by tour director Herman Parker, who has replaced them with two Championships for the two PremierBilliards.com tours he runs; an Open Championship for his TOP (The Open Player) Tour and a separate, handicapped Championship (this one) for his Q City 9-Ball Tour.
Racing to 8 throughout, Taylor’s trip to the hot seat, following a bye, went through DJ Brads (2), Bryan Walters (1) and Billy Walker (5) before arriving at a winners’ side semifinal matchup with Jonathan Ailstock. Robertson, in the meantime, racing to 7, sent Nick Call (2), Thuy Nguyen (0), Ron Frank (4) and William McGinley (2) to the loss side and set up his first match against Hughes in the other winners’ side semifinal.
Robertson gave up just a single rack to Hughes and advanced to the hot seat match. Taylor joined him after sending Ailstock west 8-3. Robertson started the match with a single “bead on the wire” in a race to 8. It was the only ‘bead’ he had up there at the end, as Taylor shut him out to claim the hot seat.
Hughes showed up on the loss side and picked up Scott Roberts, who’d lost his opening match, double hill, to Daniel Adams and set out on a five-match winning streak that had recently eliminated Billy Walker (4) and Ron Frank (6). Ailstock drew Nathan Worley, who’d been shut out by Hughes in a winners’ side quarterfinal and then defeated Clark Talbot 5-3 and Russell Stalls 5-5 (Stalls racing to 7).
Hughes got by Roberts, double hill, as Worley did what he needed to do to affect the rematch; defeated Ailstock 5-5 (Ailstock racing to 7). Hughes wasn’t able to shut Worley out in their second meeting in the quarterfinals, but he was able to restrict him to a single rack and advance to the semifinals.
So the Q City 9-Ball’s 2022 Bar Table (Robertson) and 9 Ft. Table (Hughes) Champions squared off a second time. Though Robertson wasn’t able to hold Hughes to a single rack as he’d done in the winners’ side semifinal, he did manage to hold him to two racks and advance to take a second shot at Taylor.
Upon arrival for the final match, Robertson had been the only competitor that Taylor had shut out. In fact, through five matches, hot seat match vs. Robertson included, Taylor’s opponents had chalked up every possible number of matches against him from 0 to 5 (except 4). Robertson put up a fight in their rematch and was able to make that range in racks-against-Taylor 0 to 6 (except 4). Taylor claimed the Q City 9-Ball Tour’s 11th Annual Tour Championship.
Tour director Herman Parker thanked Chris England and his Clubhouse staff for their hospitality, along with tour sponsor (England’s) PremierBilliards.com, BarPoolTables.net (Randy Tate), TKO Custom Cues and Realty One Group results (Kirk Overcash, who also contributed trophies), Dirty South Grind Apparel (Angela Harlan-Parker), Federal Savings Bank (Alex Narod), Diamond Brat (Tonya Crosby) and AZBilliards.
This was not the Q City 9-Ball Tour’s last stop of the year. That will be this weekend (Sat., Dec. 23) for a single-day, $500-added event hosted by Action Billiards in Inman, SC.
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