On January 22nd of this year, at about 1 a.m., Chad Bostic was working in the small bar and billiards hall he owned, called The Pit Stop, in Kinston, NC, when two gunmen entered the establishment, opened fire and then fled with an unknown amount of cash. Bostic was fatally wounded in the armed robbery.
On the weekend of Oct. 15-16, the Viking Cues' Q City 9-Ball Tour held a Chad Bostic Memorial pool tournament, the proceeds of which were donated to Bostic's family. The event, which drew 40 entrants to Breaktime Billiards in Cary, NC, featured a contingent of inexperienced players who signed on to support the Bostic family. The event was won by Steve Page, but not before he was challenged, and in the end, one game away from losing in the finals to Scott Roberts.
Page and Roberts met first in a winners' side semifinal, as Kristy Norris and Dustin Boone squared off in the other one. Page took the first of three versus Roberts 10-4 (Roberts racing to 7). Page was met in the hot seat match by Norris, who sent Boone to the loss side 7-2. Page claimed the hot seat 10-5 over Norris and waited on the return of Roberts.
On the loss side, Roberts picked up Ricky Dixon, who'd shut out Geno Hernandez 4-0, and James Wheeler 4-1. Boone drew Anthony Mabe, who'd gotten by Dustin Boone's father, Al Boone, 7-1, and David Brown, double hill. Mabe and Roberts advanced to the quarterfinals by identical 7-1 scores over Dustin Boone and Dixon.
Roberts took the quarterfinal match over Mabe 7-3, and then, almost had his loss-side campaign ended by a straight-up race to 7, double hill effort by Norris in the semifinals. He prevailed, though, to get his second shot at Page in the hot seat.
Roberts used some semifinal momentum to take the opening set of the true double elimination final 7-3 (Page racing to 10). He capitalized on that victory by reaching the hill in the second set, ahead by five racks, 6-1. His sixth game, though, proved to be his last, as Page went on a nine-rack run that earned him the event title.
Tour director Herman Parker thanked the ownership and staff at Breaktime Billiards, as well as title sponsor Viking Cues, Delta-13 racks and Ruthless Billiards. The next stop on the Viking Cues' Q City 9-Ball Tour, scheduled for the weekend of October 22-23, will be hosted by Borderline Billiards in Bristol, TN.
