The Viking Cues’ Q City 9-Ball Tour ran into another tournament during their visit to Brown’s Billiards in Raleigh, NC on Saturday, January 5. Table assignments for the two events in a single room messed with the timing of both, and at the conclusion of the Q City 9-Ball quarterfinal match, it was 5 a.m. on Sunday morning. The three remaining competitors – Anthony Mabe, Graham Swinson and Corey Sykes – opted out of playing the two remaining matches and split the top three cash prizes. As the undefeated occupant of the hot seat, Anthony Mabe claimed the official event title. The event drew 37 entrants to Brown’s Billiards.
The hot seat match proved to be the title match. Anthony Mabe had survived a double hill match against Brian Bryant in one of the winners’ side semifinals, as Graham Swinson was working on his 6-6 victory over Barry Mashburn (Mashburn racing to 9). Mabe defeated Swinson 7-4 to claim the hot seat and presumably went looking for a cup of coffee.
On the loss side, Bryant and Mashburn ran right into their second straight loss. Bryant fell 10-3 to Corey Sykes, who’d defeated co-tour director Angela Parker and David Smooth, both 10-2, to reach him. Mashburn was eliminated by Randy Tate (father of Junior Champion and Atlantic Cup team member, Joey Tate) 6-5, who’d previously eliminated Josh Padron 6-5 (Padron racing to 7) and Billie Spatafora 6-3.
Sykes and Tate played the night’s, or more accurately, the morning’s last match, the quarterfinals. Sykes won it 10-2 to take his place in the how-to-split-up-the-last-three-cash-payouts discussion. He took third, Swinson was runner-up, and as the undefeated hot seat occupant, Mabe claimed the title.
Tour directors Herman and Angela Parked thanked the ownership and staff of Brown’s Billiards, as well as title sponsor Viking Cues, Bar Pool Tables, Delta 13 Racks, AZ Billiards and Professor Q-Ball. The next stop on the Viking Cues’ Q City 9-Ball Tour, scheduled for this weekend (Jan. 12-13), will be a $1,000-added event ($1,500-added, if entrants exceed 80), hosted by Steakhorse Billiards in Spartanburg, SC.
