Robyn Petrosino, Ming Ng, Jennifer Kraber and Angie Payne
Be there a pool soul alive who doesn’t enjoy a nail-biting, double-hill final match in a tournament, especially when it’s performed by two wily veterans of the sport?
The On the Ball (OTB) Ladies Tour delivered just that this past weekend (March 25-26), setting the stage up for Ming Ng and Jennifer Kraber in just such a match, made that much more ‘nail-biting’ when it turned out to be the second set of a true double-elimination final and the third time they’d met at the tables. The match was streamed live by Backwards Billiards, so enjoyment wasn’t restricted to just the on-site spectators. Ng dropped the final 9-ball to claim the event title at the $2,000-added event which drew 21 entrants to Legends Billiards in League City, TX.
Ng and Kraber were two of the 10 competitors who did not find themselves on the sidelines in the opening round of play, waiting for their first opponent. Ng opened up with victories over Marilina Nieves and Natalie Rocha, both 7-1, before running into Kraber for the first time in one of the four winners’ side quarterfinals. She sent Kraber to the loss side 7-3 and turned to face Mary Mikita in one of the winners’ side semifinals. Robyn Petrosino, in the meantime (another competitor active in the opening round) got by Shyenne Toms (1), Kim Sanders (4) and tour director Teresa Garland (3) to arrive at her winners’ side semifinal against Cheyenne Valdez.
Ng advanced to the hot seat match 7-4 over Mikita and was joined by Petrosino, who’d sent Valdez to the B side 7-2. Ng claimed the hot seat, though Petrosino’s four racks-against is evidence of a match that wasn’t any kind of stroll through a park.
On the loss side, Kraber, like any veteran of her caliber, shrugged off the loss and got right back to work. She downed Kim Sanders 7-4 and Sybil Barron 7-2 to draw Valdez. Mikita picked up Angie Payne (another active player in the opening round), who’d lost her second, winners’ side battle to Barron and began a three-match, loss-side streak that had eliminated Shyenne Toms (2), Amber Quinn (0) and Michelle Cortez (5).
Kraber advanced to the quarterfinal 7-4 over Valdez and was joined by Payne, who extended her loss-side streak to four with a 7-3 win over Mikita. Kraber stopped Payne’s streak 7-2 in that quarterfinal.
Last stop before a rematch, however it turned out, was Kraber and Petrosino in the semifinals, which had a nail-biting character of its own. Kraber prevailed 7-4 and the rematch was set.
That well-known ‘third player’ in a lot of finals rematches, momentum, stopped by for a visit in the opening set and helped Kraber chalk up a somewhat surprising 7-1 victory to tie with Ng at one loss each. The second set became that nail-biting, double hill match that was anticipated and delivered. It ended with Ng claiming the title to Stop #2 of the OTB Ladies Tour.
Tour representatives thanked the Cohens (Craig and Mindy), owners of Legends Billiards, for their hospitality, Backwards Billiards for their live-streaming and Chris Renfro for providing the event’s template racks. The next stop on the OTB Ladies Tour, scheduled for the weekend of May 21-22, will be hosted by Skinny Bob’s in Round Rock, TX.
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