Which is worse? Sitting in the hot seat and dropping your final match to a loss-side challenger? Or winning a bunch on the loss-side, only to fall short in the finals. It was the latter scenario that ruled the March 23-24 stop on the Great Southern Billiard Tour, as Greg Smith won 10 on the loss side, only to be stopped by hot seat occupant, Trent Talbert in the finals. The $1,000-added Amateur event drew 45 entrants to Mickey Milligan's Sports Bar in New Bern, NC.
Talbert survived a straight-up race to 7, double hill match among the winners' side final four against Younger Chapman to get into the hot seat match against Chris McSorley, who'd shut out Daniel Hill in another straight-up race to 7. Talbert got into the hot seat with a 7-3 win over McSorley and waited on Smith.
Smith, with five notches on his loss-side belt, defeated Tommy Cook 9-5 and Paul Swensen 9-4 to pick up Chapman. Hill drew Garrett Shephard, who'd gotten by Jerry Cannon 5-4 and Delton Howard 5-6 (Howard racing to 9). Smith defeated Chapman 9-6 and in the quarterfinals met Shephard, who'd downed Hill 5-4.
Smith then gave up only two racks to defeat Shephard, and faced McSorley. Smith gave up only two to McSorley, as well, and got his shot at Talbert in the hot seat. With Smith racing to 8, Talbert hung on to win the final set 7-6 and claim the event title.
