Gail Eaton
Since her first recorded cash prize at an event, winning a stop on the Texas Express Tour, almost exactly 22 years ago (the weekend of June 24-26, 1999), Gail Eaton has become an ongoing force to be reckoned with at the tables. Records indicate that she failed to cash in only two of those 22 years (’10, ’12) and in her best year (2017), she won six out of the 15 events in which she cashed. She’s competed in events and tours from one end of the country to the other. From the J. Pechauer Northeast Women’s Tour in the East to the WPBA Pacific Coast Classic in the West. Over the years, she racked up a total of 10 wins on the Gulf Coast Women’s Regional Tour.
This past weekend (June 19-20), she went undefeated at Stop #2 on the Jerry Olivier Ladies Tour to chalk up her first, post-pandemic win. The $2,000-added event drew 26 entrants to Skinny Bob’s Billiards in Round Rock, TX.
Eaton faced separate opponents in the hot seat and finals of this event. She got by Michelle Cortez, Molly McWhorter, and Kim Pierce to draw Yvonne Asher in one of the winners’ side semifinals. Kim Sanders, in the meantime, had defeated Christy Grigsby, Marilina Nieves, and Margaret Fox to pick up Chris Fields in the other winners’ side semifinal. Fields had just sent the other eventual finalist, Ming Ng, to the loss side.
Sanders and Fields battled to double hill before Sanders prevailed for a spot in the hot seat match. Eaton joined her after sending Asher to the loss side 7-1. Eaton claimed the hot seat over Sanders 7-3 and waited for Ming Ng to complete her five-match, loss-side winning streak.
On the loss side, it was Asher who picked up Ming Ng, two matches into her loss-side winning streak, having shut out McWhorter and eliminated Jennifer Kraber 7-3. Fields drew Natalie Rocha, who’d lost a winners’ side quarterfinal to Asher and then defeated Michelle Cortez 7-2 and survived a double hill fight versus Kim Pierce.
Ng gave up only a single rack to Asher and advanced to the quarterfinals. Fields joined her after eliminating Rocha 7-4.
Ng and Fields locked up in a double hill fight in the subsequent quarterfinals, eventually won by Ng. Ng then downed Sanders 7-2 in the semifinals for a shot at Eaton in the hot seat.
Eaton completed her undefeated run with a 7-3 win over Ng in the finals.
Tour representatives thanked the ownership and staff at Skinny Bob’s for their hospitality, as well as title sponsor Jerry Olivier Cues. The next stop on the Jerry Olivier Ladies Tour, scheduled for July 31- August 1, will be a $2,000-added event, hosted by Stixx & Stones Billiards in Lewisville, TX.
