Mini Derb One Pocket Final set for 9 p.m. with SVB vs either Krause or Woodward
In a short field of 30 entrants, dominated by American competitors that signed on to compete in the 3rd Annual Mini Derb in Louisville, KY this past weekend (Jan. 11-14), Denmark’s Mickey Krause got by, in (not strict) order, Fedor Gorst, Shane Van Boening, Billy Thorpe, Shane Wolford and in a double-hill final, Tony “T Rex” Chohan. Not a bad day’s work.
Krause opened with a 9-6 victory over Gorst, which is a recommended way to get started in any tournament. He followed with wins over Dale Ding and Joe Pierce, both 9-5, before being sent to the loss side in a double-hill battle versus Shane Wolford, which certainly was a highlight of his efforts. Krause would return to claim title to the $5,000-added 9-ball division of the Mini Derb, hosted by Railyard Billiards in Louisville. It’s an acknowledged ‘warm up’ for the Derby City Classic, set to get underway in three days (Jan. 17-26) and there’s little doubt at this point that Krause is good to go.
It was Shane Wolford and Tony Chohan who met up in the hot seat match, each with their own claim to sending tough opponents to the loss side. Chohan got by Korey Tipton (1) and Riley Richardson (4), ahead of his meetup with Sky Woodard. He gave up three to Woodward and drew Fracasso-Verner in one of the winners’ side semifinals.
Wolford, in the meantime, started strong with a shutout over Johnny Hammontree, before meeting and defeating Shane Van Boening 9-6. He followed that with a victory over Landon Hollingsworth 9-1 and drew Krause in the other winners’ side semifinal.
T Rex gave up just a single rack to Fracasso-Verner and advanced to the hot seat match. Wolford and Krause battled to their double-hill, winners’ side semifinal and it was Wolford advancing to meet Chohan. Chohan claimed the hot seat 9-5.
Over on the loss side, where any number of potential ‘spoilers’ for the title remained, Fracasso-Verner and Krause showed up to draw two of them, both members of last month’s US Mosconi Cup Team. It’s something of a ‘toss up’ as to who got the better deal in that draw. Fracasso-Verner drew Billy Thorpe and Krause got Van Boening. Both Thorpe and Van Boening had lost their second-round, winners’ side match – Thorpe to Woodward, Van Boening to Wolford – and won four in a loss-side row, eliminating a few of the other potential ‘spoilers,’ like Ukraine’s Vitaliy and Woodward (by Van Boening) and Landon Hollingsworth (by Thorpe).
Krause ended Van Boening’s loss-side run 9-7. Thorpe extended his with a 9-3 win over Fracasso-Verner. Krause then ended Thorpe’s day with a 9-5 quarterfinal win and turned to face the guy, who’d made his ‘day’ three matches longer than it might have been, Wolford.
Krause returned the ‘favor’ by eliminating Wolford 9-5 in the semifinals to earn his shot against Chohan. Though their paths have likely crossed over the past few years, it was, to the best of our knowledge, the first time that the two had ever met in a match anywhere. This could potentially have been an advantage for T Rex, who cuts an imposing figure at the tables, even before he’s taken cue in hand to execute his known and respected skills.
It should have come as no surprise to anyone that the two battled to double hill before the matter was settled. Krause settled it, dropping the last 9-ball in the 21st rack, claiming the Mini Derb title and presumably packing up for the hop, skip and jump (over the Ohio River) to Elizabeth, IN and its Caesars Southern Indiana facility, about half an hour (depending on traffic) away. Krause and quite a few other Mini Derb attendees are expected to compete there in the 2025 Derby City Classic’s events.
Running concurrently with the Mini Derb 9-Ball tournament is the One Pocket event; a 16-entrant affair that will culminate in a final match this evening, Tuesday, Jan. 14, scheduled for 9 p.m. EST. Shane Van Boening is in the hot seat of the event, having shut Sky Woodward out to claim it. Mickey Krause, sent to the loss side by Lukas Fracasso Verner, went on to win three straight, double-hill matches against Tony Chohan, Billy Thorpe and Louis Demarco, before defeating Fracasso-Verner in their quarterfinal rematch and preparing to face off against Woodward.
The final One Pocket match will be streamed live by XPOOL – https://xpool.live/
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