Ashley Benoit, Josh Gormly, Shane Ryan and Cody Porter
They’re the guilty pleasure of the pool world; doubles tournaments, that while taken seriously by participants, are really all about the fun of playing with toned-down expectations and aside from the cash, some short-term bragging rights for the winners, for a while at least.
They went at it up in New Hampshire last weekend (Sun., Dec. 10), 33 teams of two, all with Fargo Rates below a combined 1150. It was Stop #3 of the New England 9-Ball Series and the last stop on the ‘23/’24 tour. Cody Porter and Shane Ryan went undefeated to the hot seat, but lost the opening set of a double-elimination final to the team of Ashley Benoit and Josh Gormley, who’d lost their opening match and won eight on the loss side to face Porter and Ryan. Due to time constraints, the final two teams decided to play a single, shortened race to 4 (instead of 6) and when the previously undefeated Porter/Ryan team lost, they opted out of a second match. With each team having lost a single match, they split the top two prizes. The event drew its 66 entrants to the Nest in Plaistow, NH.
With eventual finalists Benoit and Gormley already on the loss side, Porter and Ryan worked their way through the field to arrive at a winners’ side semifinal against Catherine Fiorilla and Ron Ricard. The other winners’ side semifinal featured Doug Nedobity and Brandon Neal versus Jordan Stevens and Jose Soto.
Porter/Ryan downed Fiorilla/Ricard 6-4 and were met in the hot seat match by Nedobity/Neal, who’d defeated Stevens/Soto 5-5 (Stevens/Soto racing to 7). Porter/Ryan claimed the hot seat 7-1 over Nedobity/Neal.
On the loss side, Fiorilla/Ricard had the misfortune of running into the destined-for-the-finals Benoit/Gormley who were five matches into their loss-side winning streak. They’d recently eliminated Matt Caisie/Phil Russo, double hill, and Mike Felix/Russell Green 5-1. Stevens/Soto picked up Chad Avallone/Justin Grant, who were five matches into their loss-side winning streak and had recently defeated Steve Quirion/Gary Marinin, double hill and Rich Senna/Robert Avellar 5-3.
Benoit and Gormley moved into the quarterfinals after defeating Fiorilla/Ricard 5-3. Avallone and Grant joined them after shutting out the Stevens/Soto team. Benoit/Gormley kept rolling along, downing Avallone/Grant in those quarterfinals 5-3 and then, Nedobity/Neal 5-1 in the semifinals.
With their combined (average) Fargo rates separated by only seven points (Porter/Ryan 565, Benoit/Gormley 572), the two final teams would normally have played an extended, straight up race to 6. But playing against the venue clock, they reduced the race to 4. Benoit/Gormley took the opening set of what was scheduled to be a true double-elimination final 4-2. It was at that point that the couples opted out of a second set and split the top two prizes.
Tour director Marc Dionne thanked the ownership and staff at Crow’s Nest for their hospitality, along with sponsors USAPL New England, BEF, Fargo Rate, AZBilliards, Professor Q-ball’s National Pool and 3-Cushion News, MJS Construction, OTLVISE, Outsville, Cue Pocket LLC, and Just The Tip Cue Repair and Custom Accessories.
The NE 9-Ball Series will open its 2024 schedule with Stop #4 on January 14 at an event hosted by Stroker’s Bar & Billiards in Pelham, NH.
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