(l to r): Karen Corr, Nicole King, Elaine Wilson & Kia Sidbury
Having given up only a total of three racks over four matches to sit in the hot seat, Karen Corr found herself engaged in a bit of a fight in the finals of the September 29-30 stop on the J. Pechauer Northeast Women’s Tour. Kia Sidbury had been one of Corr’s earlier victims, but came back through three matches on the loss side to challenge her in the finals. The match went double hill before Corr won that battle to claim the event title, her third straight on the tour. The $500-added (by Coins of the Realm) event drew 13 entrants to First Break Café in Sterling, VA.
With two stops left on the tour, the results on this weekend caused a shake-up among the tour’s top four players. Going into the event, tour director Linda Shea was at the top of the tour’s rankings, followed by Nicole King, Kia Sidbury and Karen Corr. Shea and King had competed in all five previous stops on the tour, Sidbury in four of the five. This was Corr’s third appearance. When it was over, Sidbury had become the tour’s top player, with King remaining in second place, Shea in third and Corr holding position in fourth place.
In a customary random draw, Corr drew Shea in the opening round, defeating her 7-1. Corr followed up with a 7-1 victory over Judie Wilson (#5 on the tour’s ranking list). This set Corr up in her first of two against Sidbury in one of the winners’ side semifinals. Nicole King, in the meantime, had her hands full with, first, Leslie Furr, whom she defeated 7-5. Bethany Sykes battled King to a deciding 13th game, before King finished it, advancing to the other winners’ side semifinal against Elaine Wilson.
Corr sent Sidbury to the loss side with her third straight 7-1 victory, as King sent Elaine Wilson over 7-5. Corr capped the winners’ side portion of her undefeated run with a shutout over King in the winners’ side final and sat in the hot seat, waiting on Sidbury.
On the loss side, Sidbury had run into Shea, who, following her opening round defeat at the hands of Corr had defeated Sharon O’Hanlon 7-3, and Bethany Sykes 7-5. Elaine Wilson picked up Judie Wilson (no relation), who, following her defeat at the hands of Corr had eliminated Chari Slater and Leslie Furr, both 7-4.
Sidbury downed Shea 7-5, and in the quarterfinals, met Elaine Wilson, who’d defeated Judie Wilson 7-4. Sidbury took the quarterfinal match over Elaine Wilson 7-3, and then, in her first of two double hill matches, downed King in the semifinals.
The last time Corr and Sidbury had matched up on the JPNEWT was in the semifinals of stop #5 in August. Corr had uncharacteristically been sent to the loss side in that event by Caroline Pao in the battle for the hot seat. Sidbury had won six on the loss side, including double hill wins over Nicole King, and in the quarterfinals, Linda Shea, to meet Corr in the semifinals. Corr downed Sidbury a second time to earn a second shot at Pao, whom she eventually defeated in the finals.
In the finals of this one, Sidbury chalked up double the number of racks that all of Corr’s previous opponents combined had managed, but it fell short by one. Corr finished it to chalk up her third straight JPNEWT title.
Tour director Linda Shea thanked the ownership and staff at Sterling Café, as well as title sponsor J. Pechauer Custom Cues, Coins of the Realm, ‘live stream’ sponsor Britanya E Rapp (angle aim Art), Turtle Rack, and Baltimore City Cues. The next stop on the JPNEWT, scheduled for October 13-14, will include an Amateur event on Sunday, and will be hosted by Eagle Billiards in Dickson City, PA.
