It was a beautiful, sunny and near cloudless weekend in Arlington, VA where the Virginia State Women's Nine Ball Championship was being hosted at Champion Billiards and Café. The event drew 31 players from several states throughout the US and a few from other nations including Japan and England.
The strong field consisted of WPBA Touring Professionals #10 ranked Kim Shaw and #16 ranked Tiffany Nelson who brought their respective full arsenal of talents. Also among the array of mostly seasoned players and the few new faces was the World's number one ranked women's snooker champion, Kelly Fisher and Miyuki Sakai, one of the top ranked players from Japan. Both appear this year to be making a quick run for their WPBA Touring Pro status.
However the talents of their internationally and nationally known competitors did not deter some of the well-known DC area women players. In particular Kathy Friend from Maryland, who finished in fourth place this weekend and who recently finished second at the 2004 BCA Nationals Women's Open Division, is riding a hot streak and Colorado native Nancy Roe now residing in Virginia placed 7th / 8th in this, her first WPBA Qualifier tournament. Nancy, while although new to this level of nine-ball competition is not new to competing in a professional sport. In the 1980's and 1990's, she was a ranked professional tennis player and competed on the pro tennis circuit around the United States. Another player who is stealth-like making a name for herself with consistent top 25% field finishes in most events she participates is Tennessee resident Buffy Jolie, who ended the weekend tied with Miyuki for 5th / 6th place. Top player in the Women's Division of the Planet Pool Tour and Maryland resident Amanda Pasko rounded out the top 8.
However, the seasoned professional vets faced down the field and took the top three places. Mowing through the first four rounds on the winner's bracket with only a total loss of two games, Tiffany Nelson found her way onto the other side of the grid when she was stung a 7-0 shutout by Kim Shaw. The next match Tiffany faced was none other than Kelly Fisher, who she handed an invite to pack her bags and move to the one loss side just the evening before. Would this be a tale of revenge on the table or a double whammy, see ya? Kelly appeared to have a thirst for revenged and handed Tiffany her tournament walking papers 7-3 and headed off towards the finals against Kim. In the finals, a single race to nine, Kelly and Kim offered the crowd a demonstration during the first half of why snooker champions can be fierce in a nine-ball event. It was kick, hide, kick, hide, kick, hide frequently. But it was Kelly who won this meticulous match to take first place 9-6.
For information on the Chesapeake Area Tour (CAT) and schedule of events please visit http://www.threecatproductions.org The next tournament will be the Maryland State Women's Nine Ball Championship in Laurel, Maryland July 24-25.
Tournament Results:
1st Place: Kelly Fisher $500
2nd Place: Kim Shaw $350
3rd Place: Tiffany Nelson $250
4th Place: Kathy Friend $150 (and the paid qualifier spot to the WPBA 2004 Women's US Open)
5th / 6th Place: Miyuki Sakai and Buffy Jolie $90
7th / 8th Place: Amanda Pasko and Nancy Roe $70
