Byrant Taylor Holds Off Field at Silver Cue Billiards (Woburn, MA)

Eighteen of the regions top B-C-D level players made their way to the latest stop of the New England 9-Ball Series which was held this past weekend (October 26, 2008) at Silver Cue Billiards in Woburn, Massachusetts.  Although the day was a chilly one, the players crowded into the room for a chance at the $450 that was up for the taking.  Included in the roster were Rick Gatta, Dan Simoneau, Andy Manard, Harry Nathan, Kevin Sun, and Ed Fortin.

As the day progressed, up-and-coming players Rick Gatta and Byrant Taylor showed off their stuff while racing to five.  This match was quite grueling in that it would end up going neck and neck the entire set until Gatta made an error in game six on (ironically) the six ball.  Taylor took the lead at that point 4-3 and from there, finished out the set 5-3.

The hot-seat match pitted Taylor and Kevin Sun together, both also racing to five. Taylor edged out yet another opponent in Sun to secure his place in the final round 5-3.

On the one-loss side, the field narrowed to Gatta and Sun in the semis.  The set saw Gatta's continuous safety play determining the outcome.  Although Sun pocketed balls nicely the entire race, Gatta came out on top in a nail biter 5-4 ending for another shot at Taylor.

In the final arena, Gatta had to best Taylor twice.  As in the first match-up against these two, the pair flip-flopped the entire set with each waiting for the other to make a mistake so that they could capitalize on it.  But in the end, it would be Taylor that pulled off the victory with a 5-3 decision.

Tour Director, Marc Dionne, would like to thank the players for making their way to the event and he stated he looks forward to seeing everyone again soon.  The tour will head to T.J.'s Classic Billiards in Waterville, Maine, on November 9th for its next open $600 added event (with 32 players).  For more information, visit www.mdpromotions.com