There were some new names among the top finishers at the J. Pechauer Northeast Women's Tour, Stop # 8, on the weekend of August 27-28. While these new names jumped up on the tour's ranking list, they didn't disturb the tour's top three (Linda Shea, Karen Corr and Kia Sidbury), nor did they, themselves, break into the Top 10. They (winner, Joy McFeaters and runner-up Alexandra Calabrese), in consort with a host of other competitors, did, however, cause a little shakeup in the rankings that saw Janet Atwell and Jia Li drop out of the Top 10 (each has only competed twice this year). The $500-added event drew 20 entrants to Classic Billiards in Phoenixville, PA.
It was Joy McFeaters first win on the tour, in only her second appearance this year (she finished in the tie for ninth back in late April, and had finished third behind Corr and Shea in April 2015). Runner-up Alexandra Calabrese was making her first appearance of the year, though not her first on the tour (she played in all of the tour's events in 2013, and finished in 12th place on the tour rankings). The draw helped McFeaters in that, until the semifinals, she never had to face a tour opponent ranked higher than 18. Calabrese, on the other hand, to get to the hot seat, had to get by two of the tour's top 10 players; Judie Wilson, who entered the tournament at #8, and Kia Sidbury, the tour's #3 player.
McFeaters and Calabrese met twice in this one; hot seat and finals. Following an opening round bye, McFeaters defeated Sandy Raber and Carol Clark, to draw Kathleen Lawless in a winners' side semifinal. Calabrese, recipient of a bye as well, defeated Judie Wilson and Kia Sidbury to get Colleen Shoop in the other winners' side semifinal. McFeaters downed Lawless 7-4, as Calabrese was sending Shoop to the loss side 7-2. In their first of two, Calabrese defeated McFeaters 7-4, to claim her first hot seat.
On the loss side, Lawless picked up Linda Shea, who, after being sent to the loss side by Shoop, defeated Jen Keeney 7-4 and Sharon O'Hanlon 7-5, to draw Lawless. Shoop drew Nicole King, who'd shut out Carol Clark and defeated Judie Wilson 7-5 to reach her.
Shea and Shoop advanced for a re-match; Shoop downing King 7-2, Shea defeating Lawless 7-3. Shea exacted her revenge on Shoop in the quarterfinals, defeating her 7-3, and then locked up in a tense, double hill fight against McFeaters. McFeaters was playing in her first semifinal, and in the absence of a gender equivalency, was playing David to the tour's top-ranked Goliath. The 9-ball in game 13 took the place of David's rock, and McFeaters advanced for a second shot against Calabrese.
In the modified race to 9, McFeaters had to win seven to trigger an extension to nine games. She did so, and completed her first win on the JPNEWT with a 9-5 win over Calabrese. They both advanced from ranking obscurity to a spot among the tour's Top 20 competitors.
