Juan Pena and Juan Tavaras
One of the Juans won.
In the season opener of the Garden State Pool Tour, a $220-added event that drew 53 entrants to Shooter’s Family Billiards in Wayne, NJ this past weekend (January 7-8), the hot seat and finals featured two competitors named ‘Juan’ (Pena and Tavaras). As noted, one of them won (Pena), but not before the other Juan (Tavaras) battled the winning Juan to a double hill final game. As it happened, the last four matches featured five competitors whose names began with the letter ‘J.’
The event was initially split between two separate brackets; one for Fargo-rated players from 526 to 650 and a lower bracket for players rated at 525 and below. As happens with such split brackets, players compete against others in their Fargo-rated ‘ballpark,’ so to speak. The two brackets come together near the end and in some cases (this one, as a matter of fact), the two finalists have won their individual brackets.
Juan Pena went through his upper bracket undefeated, past Aidan Downey, Dinko Busanich and Steve Persaud, to arrive at the finals of the upper bracket, against Jon Goncalves. This was the winners’ side semifinal of the overall tournament. In the lower bracket, Juan Tavaras got by Alejandro Azcarate, Shweta Zaveri (whose husband, Jaydev, was toiling away in the upper bracket) and Chris Weick to arrive at the other winners’ side semifinal (lower bracket final) against John Torp. And there they all were, five ‘J’s about to embark on the event’s last four matches; two Juans, a Jon and a John, and a Jaydev.
In spite of being down 0-5 (Goncalves on the hill), Pena rallied to defeat him double hill (6-5), as Tavaras sent Torp to the loss side 7-2. Pena took the first of two against Tavaras 7-4 to claim the hot seat.
On the loss side, Goncalves drew a rematch against Jaydev Zaveri, who’d defeated him in a winners’ side quarterfinal and gone on to win matches over Dennis Feliciano, double hill, and Rick Rodriguez 7-3. Torp drew a rematch as well, versus Kris Manuel, whom he’d defeated in an overall winners’ side quarterfinal and come back through Chris Cheung 6-4 and Chris Weick 7-3 (the ‘Chris’ undercard to the five ‘J’s?).
Jaydev Zaveri chalked up a successful rematch against Goncalves, shutting him out. Torp stayed alive, following his successful second match versus Manuel 4-5 (Manuel racing to 9).
J. Zaveri eliminated J. Torp in the quarterfinals 9-2. J. Tavaras earned his second shot at J. Pena with a 4-5 win over J. Zaveri in the semifinals (Zaveri racing to 7).
As had happened to him in the winners’ side semifinal versus Goncalves, Pena allowed his opponent in the finals (Tavaras) to get out in front early and reach the hill, ahead of him by four racks, Pena rallied a second time, rendering a second set unnecessary by dropping the 9-ball in the 13th game.
Tour director Dave Fitzpatrick thanked the ownership and staff at Shooter’s Family Billiards for their hospitality, as well as all of the 53 participating competitors. Thanks were also extended to tour sponsors, Billiard Engineering, In the Bx, Off the Rail Apparel, Kamui, JFlowers Cues and Cases, and John Bender Custom Cues.
The tour opened its 2023 season by moving to the Fargo Rate system, as well as employing the services of digitalpool.com for online brackets. Outsville 9-Ball racks were employed at the tables. The tour is setting up its pool Web site (www.gstptnj.com), as well as offering tour information on its Facebook group: Garden State Pool Tour (8 & 9 Ball). The Garden State Pool Tour and Shooter’s Family Billiards will host a charity event this coming weekend (Jan. 14-15), in which the proceeds will go to Warriors Run, LLC to assist veterans in need. The next regularly scheduled event (Jan. 28-29 for 675 and lower Fargo rates) will be hosted by Rockaway Billiards in Rockaway, NJ.
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