Erica Testa, Briana Miller, Ashley Benoit and Jane Im
After two straight stops on the J. Pechauer Northeast Women’s Tour at which the tour’s top two competitors – Tour Director Briana Miller and Ashley Benoit – split the top two cash prizes, a new ‘voice’ was heard on the field. This past weekend (Sat., Sept. 7), it was Erica Testa, appearing in her third event on the 2024 tour, who earned the right to face Miller and then, by mutual agreement, opted out of a final match. The $1,000-added event (Stop #6) drew a short field of 19 entrants to Stroker’s Bar & Billiards in Pelham, NH.
Miller has so far either won outright or split with a potential final-match opponent in every one of the tour’s six, 2024 events. That figure was eight in 2023 and six in 2022. She has played a final match on the JPNEWT 14 times over the past three years, against 12 different opponents. Kia Burwell was runner-up three times. Miller lost only three final matches in that same stretch. Bean Hung defeated her in 2023. Kia Burwell and Caroline Pao did so in 2022.
A third, potential matchup in the finals between Miller and Benoit at this latest stop on the tour was ‘in the cards’ until the semifinal. Benoit had claimed the hot seat in June before negotiations to split, while it was Miller who grabbed the hot seat last month.
They set out on a bracket that assured that if they were to meet on the winners’ side, it was going to be in the hot seat match. Miller defeated Amanda Laverriere 7-4, Sharon Klardie 7-1 and played her first, and as it turned out, last match against Testa in one of the winner’ side semifinals. Benoit, in the meantime, opened with a 7-3 win over Kennedy Dunn, followed by shutting out Logan McLeod and then, sent Emily Smith to the loss side 7-4. She drew Jane Im in the other winners’ side semifinal.
Miller downed Testa 7-2, as Benoit was at work defeating Im 7-1. It took a double-hill match to do it, but it was Miller who broke the ‘battling for the hot seat’ tie between her and Benoit.
On the loss side, Testa arrived to pick up Emily Smith, who’d followed her loss to Benoit with a victory over Rebecca Teese 7-4 and a double-hill win versus Laverriere. Jane Im drew Rachelle Rainey, who’d lost a winners’ side quarterfinal to Testa and then, defeated Karen Faucher 7-1 and Sharon Klardie 7-3.
Testa and Smith battled to double-hill before Testa prevailed and advanced to the quarterfinals. Im defeated Rainey 7-3 to join her. Testa won the quarterfinal 7-3 and then, spoiled Benoit’s plans for a rematch versus Miller by defeating her 7-4 in the semifinals. Negotiations for a split of the top two prizes were initiated and Stop #6 on the JPNEWT was done.
As tour director, Miller thanked the ownership and staff at Stroker’s 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 next stop (#7) on the JPNEWT, in collaboration with PA Pro-Am Pool and scheduled for the weekend of Oct. 5-6, will be the $1,500-added, 2nd Annual Pennsylvania State Women’s 8-Ball Championships, to be hosted by Blue Grass Billiards in Philadelphia.
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