Josh Roberts has been on something of a One Pocket tear since March, when he defeated Justin Bergman in the finals of the Big Tyme Classic One Pocket Tournament in Spring, TX. One week before entering the 44-entrant, $1,000-added Midwest 9-Ball Tour's One Pocket event at Shooter's in Olathe, KS (June 26-29), he defeated Justin Bergman again, in the finals of the Big Dog One Pocket Championship in Des Moines, IA (June 20-22). In Kansas, his finals nemesis was Skyler Woodward, who finished 5th/6th in the 92-entrant Open event (Roberts finished 9-12; story elsewhere). Woodward chalked up an eight-match, loss-side winning streak to face him in the One Pocket finals; to no avail, as it turned out.
With (typical) races to three, there are only three possible scores to One Pocket matches. Eight of the Midwest 9-Ball Tour's One Pocket event's last 14 games ended in double hill, 3-2 scores, including the hot seat match and finals. There were four shutouts, including one in the semifinals, and two 3-1 scores. In the interest of not being overly repetitive, we'll adopt a won or lost attitude in reporting the details.
It was something of a star-studded field as the One Pocket event entered its Final 12 stages. In the winners' side semifinals, Roberts faced Robb Saez, while John Gabriel met Joey Gray. On the loss side, the eight players vying to advance to the first money round, were Cliff Joyner vs. Chip Compton, Danny Smith vs. Mike Hopkins, Skyler Woodward vs. Gary Lutman and James Walden vs. Darren Everett.
On the winners' side, Gabriel defeated Gray and moved into the hot seat match versus Roberts, who'd defeated Saez. Roberts took the hot seat, double hill, and waited on Woodward.
With three down and five to go on his loss-side scoresheet, Woodward defeated Lutman and Walden to pick up Saez. Gray drew Danny Smith, who'd downed Hopkins and Joyner (giving up only a single game in the process; to Joyner). Gray got by Smith, double hill, as Woodward eliminated Saez with a shutout.
Woodward chalked up the second-to-last double hill win against Gray in the quarterfinals, and recorded the last shutout, against Gabriel, in the semifinals. Woodward and Roberts locked up in an appropriate double hill match in the finals, won by Roberts to claim the event title.
