Taking top honors this year at the Maryland Open 2009 14.1 Straight Pool Championship - Danny Harriman. Big Daddy's Billiards in Glen Burnie Maryland, owned by Richard and Cynthia Molineiro, played host to a fantastic group of players this weekend for the second year in a row. Being an enthusiast himself, Molineiro keeps the game alive giving the annual event a home this time around.
Many spectators were able to catch the excitement of the Sunday rounds via live streaming. Starting out the day, only sixteen players which were determined from the top two from each flight on Saturday. Play began at 9 am Sunday and went well into the late hours of the night starting out with a sixteen player round-robin format running in four flights of four players each, playing three matches to 125 points. The four flight winners then played single elimination races to 150 points.
The final flights were as follows (the scores for all rounds can be found below):
I - Maidhof, Ford, Daya, Haag
II - Harriman, Lipsky, Deschaine, Duty
III - Davis, McCreesh, Lee, Shuff
IV - Hodan, Chamberlain, Hunter, Zvi
Saturday ended with high run going to Israeli player Zion Zvi after his eighty-three ball run against Chris Lynch in the mid-day rounds. Going into Sunday, Zvi continued his excellent play with wins over Bob Chamberlain 125-117, Ed Hodan 125-73, and Bobby Hunter 125-31 to seal his spot into the semis against Harriman.
Harriman on the other hand came into Sunday with a 400-181 count with only Zvi getting close to beating him in the last round of the day 100-86. Prior to that, Harriman bested Frank Wojciechowski 100-18, Chris Lynch 100-36, and Lester Smulowitz 100-41. On Sunday, Harriman took down Mike Deschaine 125-55, Alan Duty 125-20, and then Steve Lipsky sent him packing 125-61. Regardless of that loss, Harriman moved on to shoot against Zvi where the two traded a few balls for a bit until the score tied up at 14-14. Zvi ran 69 balls to open up an 83-14 lead before missing allowing an answer from Harriman in the form of 115 balls bringing the score to 129-83. Zvi then ran 24, but again, after an unexpected miss on an easy shot, opened the door wide open for Harriman to run out 21 balls for the win (150-107).
Dave Daya on the other table took down WPBA superstar Jeanette Lee 150-128 to assume his spot in the finals against Harriman. The finals began with a break from Daya and Harriman attempting to play safe, but instead fouled. Daya then took an intentional foul turning the table over to Harriman who decided on a safe. Daya tried to return the favor but ended up scratching in the corner after an unforced error (putting him on two). Harriman ran 28 balls then played safe giving Daya a chance at the table. Daya played a cautious safe since he was on two and left an opening for Harriman who in turn, ran 99 balls to lead 126 to -2. Harriman was unable to hit the rack on the break shot to end the run and attempted a safe but fouled. Daya then ran 28 but stuck himself to the side of the rack. Since Harriman was on one, Daya took an intentional foul. Not wanting to be on two, Harriman played a tough combo, made it, and ran 25 and out for the win. Final score 150-25.
Many thanks to all who played, the fans, and to Big Daddy's mangement and staff for keeping the game alive in the area. If you are in the Annapolis vicinity, this IS the place to play. Big Daddy's owners Richard and Cynthia Molineiro wanted to send a heartfelt thanks to the players and spectators - it was a treat having such a well-rounded group in attendance. Last but definitely not least, for all of the hard work put into before, during, and after the event, kudos to Peter Burrows and Dave Nangle for not only pulling together such a high caliber turn-out, but for all of their efforts in running such a smooth event. For more information on the venue, contact (410) 760-1332 or email directly at bigdaddysbilliards@verizon.net
Sunday Scores Follow:
1st Round
Daya beats Maidhof 125-116
Ford beats Haag 125-74
Harriman beats Dechaine 125-55
Lipsky beats Duty 125-100
Lee beats Davis 125-115
Shuff beats McCreesh 125-70
Hodan beats Hunter 125-84
Zvi beats Chamberlain 125-117
2nd Round
Maidhof beats Haag 125-43
Daya beats Ford 125-116
Harriman beats Duty 125-20
Dechaine beats Lipsky 125-53
Shuff beats Davis 125-94
Lee beats McCreesh 125-115
Zvi beats Hodan 125-73
Chamberlain beats Hunter 125-98
3rd Round
Daya beats Haag 125-48
Maidhof beats Ford 125-33
Dechaine beats Duty 125-58
Lipsky beats Harriman 125-61
Lee beats Shuff 125-98
Davis beats McCreesh by forfeit
Zvi beats Hunter 125-31
Hodan beats Chamberlain 125-27
