Erica Testa, Briana Miller, Sandy Cheng and Emily Smith
In only her third try on the J. Pechauer Northeast Women’s Tour, Florida’s Sandy Cheng, in a winners’ side semifinal, defeated the tour’s most formidable opponent (and tour director), Briana Miller, who’s won (outright or shared) 18 of the tour’s stops over the past three years. Cheng went undefeated to the hot seat, and though Miller came back from the loss side to challenge her in the final, the two opted out of the match and split the top two prizes. As occupant of the hot seat at the time, Cheng became the event’s official winner. The $1,000-added event drew 34 entrants to Racks Billiards and Bar in Vernon, CT.
Not only did Cheng go undefeated to the hot seat, but she was responsible for sending Miller to the loss side in the first place. Cheng set a pattern in the five matches that she played; she won all five of them by a score of either 5-1 or 5-3, and alternated that pattern through to the event victory. After being awarded a bye, she opened with a 5-1 win over Christine Torrence, defeated Farrah Kirk 5-3, downed Melissa Jenkins 5-1 and drew Miller in one of the winners’ side semifinals.
Erica Testa, in the meantime, also bound for the hot seat match, had a similar trip to her winners’ side semifinal, except for the double-hill match in the second round. She, too, opened with a bye before defeating Amanda Laverriere 5-1 and then, running into Sandie Clang, who put up a double-hill fight in the hopes of advancing to a winners’ side quarterfinal. It was Testa who advanced to meet and defeat Carol Clark 5-1 in that winners’ side quarterfinal and drew Emily Smith in the other winners’ side semifinal.
Cheng and Testa advanced to the hot seat match with 5-3 victories over Miller and Smith. And since it was time in Cheng’s pattern for a 5-1 victory in the hot seat match, that’s what she did.
On the loss side, Miller showed up and was scheduled to meet up with Sarah Archer, but Archer forfeited the match, allowing Miller to leapfrog into the quarterfinals. Sarah Bennett, who’d been shut out by Miller in one of the winners’ side quarterfinals had come to the loss side and survived two straight, double-hill matches against Kim Storey and Tracey Duffin, to draw Smith.
Bennett, unfortunately, was eliminated in the same way she’d been sent to the loss side, by shutout, which advanced Smith to the quarterfinals against Miller. Miller ended Smith’s short visit to the loss side 5-2 and turned to face Erica Testa in the semifinals.
They had met before, these two, Miller and Testa, most recently at JPNEWT Stop #6 in Pelham, NH. The occasion was a winners’ side semifinal, won by Miller 7-2. Testa would win three on the loss side for the right to challenge Miller in the finals, but in the end they negotiated a split of the top two prizes.
They played their semifinal match this weekend and it became a somewhat predictable, double-hill match, won by Miller, who then negotiated with Cheng (waiting for her in the hot seat) for a split of the top two prizes.
In her role as tour director, Briana Miller thanked the ownership and staff at Racks Billiards and Bar, as well as title sponsor J. Pechauer Custom Cues, Fort Worth Billiards Superstore, In the Box Sportswear, PA Pro-Am Pool, Mezz Cues and George Hammerbacher (Advanced Pool Instructor).
In collaboration with PA Pro-Am Pool, the JPNEWT’s 2024 season finale will be the 2nd Annual Pennsylvania State Women’s 9-Ball Championships. Scheduled for the weekend of Dec. 7-8, the $3,000-added event will be hosted by BlueGrass Billiards in Philadelphia.
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