Lisa Bailey, Jillian Nickerson, Ming Ng and Jennifer Kraber
It was the third time this year that they’d faced each other in a double-elimination final. The first time, back in March when the tour was known as the On The Ball Ladies Tour, Ming Ng, who’d sent Jennifer Kraber to the loss side in a winners’ side quarterfinal, was in the hot seat when Kraber returned from a five-match, loss-side winning streak and won the first set of the final 7-1. Ng won the second set in a thrilling, double-hill final match to claim the second stop on that tour. Two months later, in May, on what was then and now called The Infinity Ladies Tour, Jennifer Kraber ‘turned the tables’ (as we called it in the report at the time) by returning from a seven-match, loss-side winning streak and won both sets of the final on the newly-named tour’s third stop.
This past weekend (Sat., Sept. 23), they were at it again, playing the ‘rubber’ match of their three-match series in a $1,000-added, Bar Box 8-ball event that drew 13 entrants to Big Tyme Billiards in Spring, TX. Here’s what happened this time.
They faced totally opposite kinds of struggles in their opening matches; Ng shutting out Alexsandra Chavez, as Kraber was engaged winning a double-hill match against Kristen Kinder. Ng sent Kraber to the loss side at this point 5-2 and advanced to a winners’ side semifinal against Lisa Bailey, defeating her and moving on to the hot seat match. Jillian Nickerson, in the meantime, following an opening round bye, chalked up two straight double-hill wins, against Gail Roles and in her winners’ side semifinal, tour director Teresa Garland, to join Ng in the hot seat match. Ng claimed the hot seat 5-3 over Nickerson.
Kraber, working on a five-match, loss-side winning streak in races to 4, had given up only a single rack in her first two against Brittany Gutierrez (0) and Crystal Ayres (1) when she drew Garland, coming over from her winners’ side semifinal loss to Nickerson. Bailey picked up Darcy Durham, who’d defeated Amber Quinn, double hill, and Kristen Kinder (2) to reach her.
Kraber and Garland battled back and forth to double hill, before Kraber moved on to the quarterfinals. Bailey joined her after besting Durham 4-1. Kraber took the quarterfinal match 4-2 over Bailey and then, leaving no doubt where her head was at, shut out Nickerson in the semifinal.
Ng and Kraber had a different option this time out. Ng, in the hot seat, had won the first March match by winning the only set necessary, double hill. In May, Kraber, once again coming from the loss side, won both sets of the double-elimination final. Ng took the ‘rubber match’ 5-1, taking the lead in something of an established rivalry that has the potential of meeting again. Soon, no doubt.
TD Teresa Garland thanked the ownership and staff at Big Tyme Billiards for their hospitality, along with Skinny Bob’s in Round Rock, TX and an anonymous donor for the added money and Backwards Billiards for the free streaming on YouTube. The tour’s season finale, which could well host Round 4 in the Ng/Kraber rivalry, will be a $2,000-added event, hosted by Skinny Bob’s on November 4th – 5th.
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