14 year-old Richard Barney sliced through a strong field of top amateurs undefeated at the Tiger Tour's amateur 8-ball stop at First Break in Sterling, VA this past weekend to bag his first ever Tiger Tour victory. Barney simply outplayed his opponents to prove that he will be more than just a force to be reckoned with in the future.
His first notable victim was points leader, Wayne Bean, whom he beat in the second round. Next came Brandon Shuff, who won the previous 8-ball event here at First Break, and who also has been making waves as a player to watch in recent times. Barney faced Doug Whiting in the winners' bracket final after Whiting put tournament director and number two on the points list, Nick Prinsloo in the one-loss bracket. Whiting didn't put up much of a fight and went down 5-2 to Barney on Sunday.
On the one-loss side, Shuff beat Bean while Prinsloo beat Pat Carosi. Then Prinsloo ousted Shuff 5-1 to take revenge on Whiting. That match also went in Prinsloo's favor, 5-2. In the final, however, it was all Barney, as he relentlessly ran out game after game, virtually missing his first ball against Prinsloo only when he left himself a tough cut on the 8-ball at 6-0. Prinsloo scrounged two games before Barney put him out of his misery.
In the women's event, tour director, Ceci Strain looked well on her way to setting up a win for herself, but ran into a too-strong Marcie Hanifee twice--first in the winners' bracket final, and then again in the final. Strain faced Judie Wilson in the semi-finals. Wilson had earlier beaten point list number two, Kathleen Lawless, who herself then fell at the hands of Pauline Mattes. Wilson played strongly against Strain, but it was Strain who played even better to come out victorious in that match. In the final, Hanifee was intent on letting nothing come between her and her first ever tour win, dominating Strain 5-2.
