Eighteen women came to compete in the 3rd stop of the Midwest Ladies’ Regional Tour at Snookers’ Pool & Pub in Livonia, Michigan.
The tour added 12 new, enthusiastic members: Shannon Dunn, Lupe Harpster, Melissa Kipp, Sherrylrodaka Latterell, Jaki Lovrince, April Martin-Frederick, Connie O’Heron, Jen Polik, Shari Ross, Ali Seattle, Rebecca Venson, and Rosetta Wood. These ladies certainly proved their place among the intense competition.
However, a few favorites left the tournament earlier than expected: Kipp, Latterell, Goens, Carmack, Polik, and Wood lost out in just a couple of rounds. Dunn, an early favorite to win the tourney finished 9th along with heavy-hitters Harpster, Ross, and Mears.
In an intermission, MLRT gave out various pool accessories courtesy of Ozone Billiards to 5 ladies in a free raffle for players only. Also, McDermott sponsored the event with a cue; MLRT players received a free raffle ticket. Jason “The Michigan Kid” Lynch ironically won the cue—McDermott is Lynch’s sponsor!
After the surprising upsets in the early rounds, the quarter finals were a real treat to watch! Debbie Cervantes beat out local lady “Crazy” Jaki Lovrince 7-1, and Connie O’Heron defeated her dear friend Angela Williams 7-4. On the B-side, Seattle dominatEd Martin-Frederick 6-2, and Venson squeaked out a victory over Monica Hill 6-5.
After her first loss, Williams was adamant to get back to the finals. The fight between Williams and Venson was intense, going tit-for-tat until the end, Williams finishing 6-5 over Venson, who subsequently finished 4th in the tourney.
The surprise came when Cervantes defeated O’Heron, another of the favorites to win it—both women having played in the WPBA Masters numerous times. However, Cervantes’s relentlessness and consistency served her well! She defeated O’Heron by the skin of her teeth, 7-6.
Semi-finals of the B-side saw O’Heron up against Williams again. But, Williams wasn’t going down this time—she needed to get revenge on Cervantes. Williams came out on top 6-4, and O’Heron finished 3rd.
With great determination in her eyes, Williams had to return the double-tap to Cervantes after the upset of Stop #2. Williams came out swinging a big stick, firing in shots, banking like a pro to take the first set 7-4! You could see the disappointment in Cervantes’s eyes, as the women took a break to regroup.
The second set began, and no one could deny the well-oiled machine that is Cervantes. The woman didn’t miss! Williams fought hard, playing defense, pulling shots out of nowhere, and trying to keep Cervantes off the table. But she missed a few times, and Cervantes swooped in to kill, every… single… time. The match was quick, Cervantes ran 4 solid racks, snapped the 9 to put her on the hill, and came out victorious again, 6-1 over Williams. Ouch!
No one can doubt the skill and consistency of this little lady from Ohio: Cervantes has a solid pre-shot routine, smooth stroke, and an eagle-eye for safeties. Watch out, though, Debbie—you’ve got a target on your back now!
MLRT Stop #4 will take place on July 11, 2015 at Brickyard Billiards in Indianapolis, IN. For more info, see their website at www.midwestladiestour.com and/or contact the tour directors at director@midwestladiestour.com.
