Cole Lewis
Junior competitor Cole Lewis and Mike Robertson battled twice in the Saturday, December 18 stop on the Viking Cues’ Q City 9-Ball Tour, with Lewis winning both matches to claim the last 2021 event title on the tour. The final four competitors at this stop all met first in the opening round of play, with Lewis downing Steve Dye and Robertson defeating Robert McCoy. Dye and McCoy won a combined total of 13 matches on the loss side to meet each other in the quarterfinals. McCoy, who ended up winning seven of those 13, fell in his rematch versus Robertson in the semifinals. This Mike Robertson, it should be noted, is not related to the Michael Robertson, who’d recently won two stops within a month, including the previous week’s event at The Clubhouse in Lynchburg, VA. The Dec. 18, $500-added event drew 25 entrants to Sonny’s Billiards in Princeton, WV.
With Dye and McCoy already toiling away on the loss side, Lewis and Robertson advanced to winners’ side semifinal matches. Lewis battled Keith Young, while Robertson squared off against Robert Hamilton.
Lewis got into the hot seat on the heels of a 7-4 victory over Young. Robertson joined him after sending Hamilton to the loss side 6-4. Lewis claimed the hot seat over Robertson 7-3 and waited for him to return from his rematch against McCoy in the semifinals.
On the loss side, it was Young who drew McCoy and Hamilton who picked up Dye. McCoy and Dye were both five matches into their loss-side streaks. McCoy had recently eliminated Hank Powell 5-5 (Powell racing to 8) and Dustin Coe 5-1. Dye reached Hamilton after eliminating Danny Clay 5-1 and Dwain Barberie 5-4 (Barberie racing to 6).
McCoy and Dye advanced to the quarterfinals; McCoy over Young and Dye over Hamilton, both 5-3. McCoy ended Dye’s loss-side run 5-1 in those quarterfinals.
Robertson brought McCoy’s loss-side trip to something of a dramatic close, by shutting him out in the semifinals. Robertson was able to earn one more rack than he’d scored against Lewis in the hot seat match, but Lewis claimed the event title 7-4.
Tour director Herman Parker thanked the ownership and staff at Sonny’s Billiards for their hospitality, as well as title sponsor Viking Cues, BarPoolTables.net, Dirty South Grind Apparel Co., Realty One Group Results, Diamond Brat, AZBilliards.com, and Federal Savings Bank Mortgage Division. The next stop on the Viking Cues’ Q City 9-Ball Tour will be the first event of 2022. Scheduled for the weekend of January 8-9, it will be the tour’s annual Bar Box Championships. The $1,000-added event will be hosted by Break & Run Billiards in Chesnee, SC.
