Derrick Burnham, Lukas Fracasso-Verner & Steve Romann
As the upper and lower brackets, detailing the progress of Stop #23 on the NE 9-Ball Series, began to join near the end of the tour stop on Saturday, April 21, Derrick Burnham got edged out of the winners’ side of the upper bracket by Bobby Hilton. He moved to the loss side, won five straight to get into the finals against former junior champion Lukas Fracasso-Verner, and double-dipped him to claim the event title. The $500-added event drew 46 entrants to Yale Billiards in Wallingford, CT.
Following his victory over Burnham, Hilton drew Fracasso-Verner in one of the (overall) winners’ side semifinals, while Steve Romann and Kelly Hodder met up in the other one. Fracasso-Verner moved into the hot seat match with a 7-3 win over Hilton and was joined by Romann, who’d sent Hodder to the loss side 6-2. Fracasso-Verner claimed the hot seat 8-5 over Romann and waited for Burnham to complete his loss-side run.
Burnham opened his loss-side campaign with a double hill win over Sal Midolo, and followed it with a shutout over Ryan Urso, to draw a re-match against Hilton. Hodder picked up Shiek Ahmed, who’d won two straight double hill battles, against Phil Medeiros and Mike Marzik, to reach him.
Burnham allowed Hilton only a single rack in their re-match, as Hodder was busy downing Ahmed 5-4 (Ahmed racing to 6). Burnham then gave up only single racks to both Hodder in the quarterfinals (8-1) and Romann in the semifinals (7-1) to finish his loss side run with an aggregate score of 33-7 (his earlier three-match run on the winners’ side featured an aggregate score of 17-8).
In the double elimination final that followed, Burnham gave up more racks in two matches than he’d given up to either his winners’ side or loss-side opponents, combined, over eight matches. But with Fracasso-Verner racing to 7, Burnham won two straight matches, double hill (6-6) to claim the event title.
Tour director Marc Dionne thanked the ownership and staff at Yale Billiards, as well as sponsors Ozone Billiards, Molinari, Bert Kinister, AZBilliards, Inside English, Professor Q Ball’s National Pool and 3-Cushion News, Delta 13 racks, MJS Construction, Bob Campbell, Championship Cloth, and OTLVISE Billiard Mechanics of America. The next stop on the New England 9-Ball Series tour, (#24) scheduled for Saturday, April 28, will be hosted by Maxamillian’s Billiards in Tyngsboro, MA.
