(l to r): Joe Romeo & Patrick Meyers
Checking in with his first (payout) entry in our player database, Joe Romeo went undefeated to win the March 25 stop on the Tri-State Tour. He was challenged in the finals by Patrick Meyers, who’d lost his opening round match to him and then won eight on the loss side for the right to face him a second time. Romeo, as the hot seat occupant, became the official winner, once he and Meyers opted out of playing a final match. The $1,000-added, Double Point event drew 29 entrants to Cue Bar in Bayside (Queens), NY.
After his opening round victory over Meyers, Romeo got by Mike Strassberg and Michelle Brotons to face Mike Mele in a winners’ side semifinal. Bob Toomey, in the meantime, following victories over Marc Lamberti and Jim Gutierrez, faced Allison LaFleur, looking for her second Tri-State victory of the month. With identical scores of 6-3, Romeo and Toomey advanced to the hot seat match over Strassberg and LaFleur. Romeo claimed his first hot seat 6-2 over Toomey and waited on the return of his first opponent in the tournament.
On the loss side, Meyers, following victories over Suzzie Wong, David Booth, and Qian Chen, shut out Tony Ignomirello and survived a double hill match against Ada Lio, to enter the first money round against Mele. LaFleur drew Frank Sieczka, who’d defeated Daniel Decker 5-3, and Jim Gutierrez 6-4 to reach him.
Meyers got through a second straight double hill match to advance to the quarterfinals over Mele. LaFleur joined him, following a 6-2 win over Sieczka.
Meyers ended LaFleur’s bid for a second March win on the tour with a 6-4 win in those quarterfinals, and then, spoiled Toomey’s hopes for a second shot against Romeo with a 5-3 victory over him in the semifinals.
It was late. The two assessed the option of a final match, taking into consideration that they’d already played once, and opted out. They settled for a split, with Romeo collecting the event title.
Tour representatives thanked the ownership and staff at Cue Bar, as well as sponsors Ozone Billiards, Sterling-Gaming, Kamui Tips, Phil Capelle, BlueBook Publishing, Human Kinetics, Pool & Billiards, Professor Q Ball, Bender Cues, and DIGICUE OB. The next stop on the Tri-State Tour, scheduled for Saturday, March 31, will be a 9-ball event, hosted by Steinway Billiards in Astoria (Queens), NY.
