Michael Wong, owner Bob Guerra and Matt Krah
Michael Wong and Matt Krah were both looking to pick up their second victory on the Mezz Pro Am Tour when it came to its 15th stop at Rockaway Billiards in Rockaway, NJ on Sunday, September 25. Wong had won Stop # 12 in August. Krah had picked up the victory in Stop # 10 back in July. It came down to the last ball in the finals, with Wong in the hot seat and Krah on the heels of six straight on the loss-side. Wong won three straight double hill matches, including the last, to secure the event victory at the $1,000-added event, which had drawn 25 entrants to Rockaway Billiards.
Competition among the event's final 12 was hard-fought, as half of the matches among those 12 went double hill, including all three matches among the winners' side final four and the finals. From among the final four winners, Wong sent Ed Culhane west, as Frankie Hernandez was busy doing likewise to Richard Broumpton. Wong then sent Hernandez to the semifinals double hill and sat in the hot seat awaiting Krah.
Krah, who'd been sent to the west bracket by Jay Brotherton in the event's second round won three to reach Culhane, including a 7-4 victory over Bob Madara, and a double hill win over James Conn. Broumpton drew Brotherton, who'd gotten by Gary Fuller 7-4 and Victor Nau, double hill. Krah won his second straight (and last) double hill battle with a victory over Culhane, and was joined in the quarterfinals by Broumpton, who denied Krah a vengeance re-match by defeating Brotherton 7-2.
Krah then administered Broumpton a taste of his own medicine, defeating him 7-2 to face Hernandez in the semifinals. He downed Hernandez 7-5 and the race for a second victory on the 2011 Mezz Pro Am Tour was on. In the last of the final 12's seven double hill matches, Wong prevailed to capture the first place prize.
