Sunday's Northeast Players Tour open 9-ball event was fun and exciting! Forty-seven players traveled from NJ, MD, DE and PA to participate at American Billiards in Quakertown, PA. The field had twelve first time arrivals to the tour: Tyrone Wayman, Steve Choy, Louis Gagliano and Don Steele all made it in the money in their first attempt. Two players who made their first appearance in the money were Bob Whitfield and Mike Sutterby. Great playing guys!
The tour's format has produced many different players in the money. There have been six events with six different winners! No one player has yet to dominate the field.
The final match was literally the battle of the titans. Pat McNally from Scranton, PA won his bid to the finals in the no-loss side by defeating Bill Misliyets, Todd March, Bob De Turk, Mike Sutterby, Ryan McCreesh and Don Steele. Ryan McCreesh from Frederick, MD battled through the one-loss side by defeating Wes Dobson, Steve Choy, Tyrone Wayman, Gavin Umburger, Phil Sherman, Shaun Wilkie and Don Steele.
This set the stage for one of the most exciting final matches of the year! In the final set to nine there were only two balls missed by both competitors. Perfect defense, powerful breaks and extreme shot making capabilities awed the spectators. Ryan McCreesh jumped out to an early lead of 3-1. Pat McNally quickly countered by taking the lead 4-3. It was nip and tuck straight through the race to nine finals with neither player having more than a two game advantage. In the final rack for the championship, both players were on the hill. Pat proceeded to break and unfortunately scratched. Ryan took full advantage of this opportunity by playing a safe on the one ball. Ryan's next inning produced the winning one-nine carom shot for the win and the title of the new undisputed champion of the Northeast Players Tour Open!
Another player who deserves recognition is Don Steele from Greensburg, PA. Finishing third in a talented field, he showed stamina and concentration throughout the tournament.
Tour stop #7 is at Boulevard Billiards in Allentown, PA on Sunday July 27th. Pre-registration is available only by Email: neplayerstour@nni.com See you there for the "Best Time Ever"!
Photo courtesy of Diana Hoppe - Pool Pics by Hoppe
Complete Payout
1st Ryan McCreesh $675
2nd Pat McNally $475
3rd Don Steele $325
4th Shaun Wilkie $225
5th/6th Lee Holt, Phil Sherman $150
7th/8th Louis Gagliano, Mike Miller $100
9th/12th Eric Heiland, Gavin Umburger, Joe Cataldi, Mike Sutterby $75
13th/16th Bob Whitfield, Joe Worrell, Steve Choy, Tyrone Wayman $50
