Miguel Castillo, looking for his first (recorded) payout in a regional tour event, went toe-to-toe against a pair of the PremierBilliards’ Q City 9-Ball Tour’s top competitors this past weekend (Sat., June 10). He survived three double-hill challenges in the middle of the five matches he played and emerged as the undefeated winner. Racing to 6 in the handicapped tournament, two of Castillo’s three double-hill challenges featured opponents racing to 10 (Joey Tate and JT Ringgold). The other was his first of two against Glenn Weatherly, racing to 5, and also looking for his first (recorded) regional tour payout. The $250-added event drew 19 entrants to Mickey Milligan’s in New Bern, NC.
After being awarded a bye in the opening round, Castillo defeated Jeff Singleton 6-2 and drew Joey Tate, soon to be aging out of a current designation as a junior competitor, in one of the winners’ side quarterfinals. In the first of his three straight double-hill matches, Castillo sent Tate to the loss side and advanced to meet Weatherly for the first time in a winners’ side semifinal. The other winners’ side semifinal featured two competitors with multiple wins on the tour between them; JT Ringgold, racing to 10 and DJ Brads, racing to 7.
Castillo chalked up his second straight double-hill win, defeating Weatherly 6-4 and advancing to the hot seat match. Ringgold joined him after sending Brads to the loss side 10-4. Castillo chalked up his third straight, double-hill win (his second against an opponent racing to 10) and claimed the hot seat over Ringgold.
Tate followed his loss to Ringgold by giving up only two racks over his next 22 games on the loss side. He gave up none at all to David Williams and only two to Danny Todd, advancing to draw DJ Brads. Weatherly picked up Justin Outlaw, who’d recently eliminated Shane Sparks 5-2 and Tracy Hardie, double hill, to reach him,
Brads and Weatherly punched their tickets to the first money round in the quarterfinals; Brads sending Tate, racing to 10, to the proverbial showers 7-6, as Weatherly was busy eliminating Outlaw 5-3. Weatherly downed Brads in those quarterfinals 5-5 (Brads racing to 7).
Weatherly, who, like Castillo when he began the hot seat match, was looking at being only two match victories away from chalking up his first regional tour win, against the same opponent Castillo had faced. Although not the same double-hill win Castillo had chalked up in the hot seat match, Weatherly got the job done, eliminating Ringgold 5-6 (Ringgold racing to 10).
It’s rare for spectators, especially the limited number who might be on hand when a tournament spills over from one day to the next as this event did, to understand or even know what was at stake as Castillo and Weatherly squared off for the second time, in the finals. They knew, for sure, and it might have been responsible for eliminating any negotiations for splitting the top two prizes and just going home.
They were both looking for their first regional tour win. They had both survived a double-hill win, against each other, on the winners’ side. For them, it had all the drama of High Noon at the OK Corral.
The cue sticks ‘fired,’ and as it turned out, Castillo had the faster ‘gun.’ He defeated Weatherly 6-2 and went home with his first regional tour title.
Tour director Herman Parker thanked Kayla and Jacob Corley, along with their Mickey Milligan’s staff, as well as title sponsor PremierBilliards.com, BarPoolTables.net, Dirty South Grind Apparel Co., Realty One Group Results, Diamond Brat, AZBilliards.com, Federal Savings Bank Mortgage Division and TKO Custom Cues. The Q City 9-Ball Tour will have its next tour stop at a new venue this weekend (June 17-18), when a $500-added event will be hosted by Papertown Billiards in Canton, NC.
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