 Paul Babineau, room owner, Kelly Fisher and Doug Ennis, tournament director |
Babineau's Billiards in Raleigh, NC was the site of a recent WPBA Qualifier event on November 4th-5th that brought out a mixture of top amateurs as well as touring pros.
Kelly Fisher stormed through her first three opponents, Lea Andrews, Rachel Eliazar and Melissa Goss, allowing only one game apiece. In the hot seat match, Fisher narrowly defeated Val Finnie (7-6), whom she would face again in the final match.
After a bye in the first round, Finnie had little trouble with Michelle Allison (7-2) and Julie Reaves (7-2). On the one-loss side, however, Finnie faced Melissa Goss in a match to decide the recipient of a $500 entry into the 2007 Carolina Women's Billiard Classic (CWBC), scheduled for February 22-25, 2007, at Gateway Convention Center in Rocky Mount, NC. With Fisher (currently #4 in the WPBA) in the hot seat and not eligible for the qualifier, Finnie and Goss had plenty to play for in this match. Finnie edged Goss (7-5) for the qualifier and earned a rematch with Fisher in the championship match.
In the final race to nine, Fisher pulled out the win over Finnie (9-5).
A good time was had by all at Babineau's. Fisher with the win, Finnie earning the qualifier and the crowd at Babineau's was treated to a match between two top WPBA professionals. Owners Paul and Cindy Babineau, hosts for a second year in a row, were most gracious and accommodating.
The next WPBA Qualifier for the 2007 CWBC will be hosted by Fast Eddie's in Goldsboro, NC, December 2nd and 3rd, 2006. Most of the ladies are planning to return for this event, saying ‘nothing could be finer than to be in Carolina' when it comes to pool tournaments. Promoted by PrimeQuest Association in association with Rock City Promotions, both WPBA Qualifier events are awarding an entry into the 2007 CWBC, which is the first stop on the 2007 WPBA Tour and will be televised worldwide on ESPN.
FINAL RESULTS
1st $300 Kelly Fisher
2nd $200 Val Finnie*
3rd $100 Melissa Goss
*Finnie also earned qualifier ($500 value)
