Mike Dechaine
Mike Dechaine held off a late run by Jeremy Sossei to win the Joss NE 9-Ball Tour's 4th Annual New England Pool & Billiards Hall of Fame Open on March 2nd and 3rd.
The field of sixty seven players would have their work cut out of them, as Mike Dechaine doesn't lose much on his home turf.
Dechaine found himself facing Jeremy Sossei for the hot-seat, where he scored a 9-8 win.
On the one loss side, Sossei demolished Joeu Dupuis 9-2, to earn a shot at redemption against Dechaine in the finals.
The first set of the finals saw Dechaine race out to a 7-2 lead before Sossei came back to win seven of the next eight games and steal the match 9-8. There would be late heroics for Sossei in the second set as Dechaine kept his foot on the gas throughout the match and won 9-4.
The win catapults Dechaine over Ron Casanzio into second place on the Joss Tour Points List - and well within striking distance of points list leader Jeremy Sossei.
The second chance tournament on Sunday saw twenty two players competing for nearly $1000 in prize money. Paul Dryden was the man to beat, as he defeated Francisco Cabral 3-1 for the hot-seat and then defeated Doug Brown 3-0 in the first set of the finals.
The Joss NE 9-Ball Tour will be back in action on March 16th and 17th at Trick Shot Billiards in Clifton Park, NY.
Tour director Mike Zuglan is taking signups now for the Turning Stone Classic XXI, which will take place at Turning Stone Resort & Casino on September 19th - 22nd. Interested players should contact Zuglan at (518) 356-7163.
