Joann Mason Parker, Ashley Benoit, Briana Miller and Caroline Pao
It was the third time, this year, that they’d faced off in a hot seat match and the second time they’d opted out of playing a final match. In their first hot-seat meetup, back in April, the tour director of the J. Pechauer Northeast Women’s Tour, Briana Miller, who was looking for her 18th win on the tour at the time, defeated Ashley Benoit (pronounced Ben-wa), who did not return from the semifinals. They met again in June and just this past weekend (Sat. July 13). In both of those events, Benoit claimed the hot seat and in the end, negotiated a split of the top two prizes with Miller. Both times, as occupant of the hot seat at the time, Benoit became the event’s official winner. This past weekend’s stop (#5) on the JPNEWT was a $750-added event (9-ball on 9 ft. tables), which drew 27 entrants to Shooter’s Family Billiards in Wayne, NJ.
It’s way too early to start talking about a rivalry that’s ‘storied’ or even ‘fierce,’ but in the somewhat tight, geographic zone of JPNEWT competition, even as a newly-emerging rivalry, people are aware of it. Thanks to digitalpool.com, JPNEWT competitors and streaming fans are likely to notice if and when the two names are scheduled to merge in a given bracket (at a JPNEWT or other event), and watch, either in person or on a live stream. So begins what’s known in the sports world as a fan base, fueled by (among other things) rivalries between two singular or team entities and critical to growth in any sport.
Racing to 7, the two rivals set out from opposite ends of the 32-player bracket, which meant that if they were going to matchup at all, it’d be in the hot seat match, and they did. To get there, Benoit, with a 608 Fargo Rate, played two opponents with lower Fargo rates and defeated them (Amanda Andries 7-5 and Mindy Maialetti 7-2) before coming up against her next three opponents, all with higher Fargo Rates. She and Caroline Pao (639) battled to double hill before Benoit advanced to face Joann Mason Parker (656) in one of the winners’ side semifinals.
Miller (672), competing against lower Fargo Rates throughout, downed Nicole Adams (441) 7-2, Giovanna Napolitano (557) 7-2 and Rachel Walters (581) 7-4 to arrive at her winners’ side semifinal against Rachel Lang (597).
Benoit advanced to her first meetup versus Miller with a 7-5 win over Parker, as Miller was engaged with sending Lang to the loss side 7-2. In what would prove to be the deciding match of the event, Benoit and Miller battled to double hill before Benoit claimed the seat.
On the loss side, Rachel Walters had followed her loss to Miller with a shutout over Maialetti and a 7-5 win over Edwidge Cavanna 7-5 to draw Parker. Pao had followed her winners’ side quarterfinal loss to Benoit with a shutout over Ashlee Trinci and a 7-1 win over Carol Clark and picked up Lang. Pao and Parker advanced to the quarterfinal with identical 7-3 wins over Lang and Walters, respectively.
Parker took the quarterfinal 7-3 over Pao and was eliminated by Miller 7-2 in what proved to be the final match of the event. Miller and Benoit negotiated their split and JPNEWT’s Stop #5 went into the books.
The event was a qualifier for an upcoming WPBA’s Cuespeed NAPA Invitational, scheduled for the weekend of Oct. 10-13 at Railyard Billiards & Sports Pub in Louisville, KY. With other competitors finishing ahead of her in the event either already qualified or not planning on attendance, Rachel Walters won the qualifying spot.
Tour director Briana Miller thanked the ownership and staff at Shooter’s Family Billiards for their hospitality, along with title sponsor J. Pechauer Custom Cues, Fort Worth Billiards Superstore, In the Box Sportswear, PA Pro-Am Pool, Mezz Cues and George Hammerbacher (Advanced Pool Instructor). The JPNEWT will return to the Granite State for its next stop, scheduled for the weekend of Sept. 7-8, the $1,000-added event will be hosted by Strokers Bar & Billiards in Pelham, NH.
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