On February 21, Legends Billiards in League City, Texas was the site of the fourth annual Friendswood Senior 9-Ball Tournament. Thirty-two top seniors (55 and older) from the Greater Houston area competed in this invitational event, sponsored, promoted, and directed by Bill Tippit.
Players in this year's event included the 2007 champion, David Cardenas, and the 2008 champion, Gary Duncan. Other pre-tournament favorites were: Gene Marshall, W.T. Westel, Jerry Avara, Louis Medina, Adrian Cordova, and Bob Green. Other notable players included Lucille Donahue, board member of the OB Cues Ladies 9-Ball Tour, who won several games before bowing out, and Barney Garza, who at age 88 again won the unofficial “elder statesman” title.
After eight hours of competition, the field narrowed to the final four: Gene Marshall and Ron Inglet on the winners side and David Cardenas and Bob Green on the one-loss side. Marshall then dealt Inglet his first loss, 7 to 2, and Cardenas eliminated Green in a hill-hill struggle, 5 to 4. While Marshall waited in the hot seat, Cardenas earned his way into the championship match by defeating Inglet, 5 to 3.
In the final set of the day, Marshall maintained his winning streak and earned a hard fought victory over Cardenas, 7 to 4. For their efforts, Marshall received $1,000 and the Tejas Trophy; Cardenas received $500 and the Runner-up Trophy.
In the pool world, independent tournaments come and go, but senior players in the Greater Houston area have learned to count on Bill Tippit's annual February event. As players left the poolroom, they expressed their appreciation for Tejas Testing and Inspection, Inc. (owned and operated by Bill and his two sons) sponsoring this event, and for Bill personally promoting and directing it. And everyone appreciated Legends Billiards hosting this tournament. Legends is owned and operated by Ted Dean, and Mindy and Craig Cohen.
