Abel Rosario, Dave Shlemperis and Mike Harrington
Abel Rosario, building on progress he's made throughout the year, playing on the Predator Tour, won his first; a $500-added Amateur event, that drew 41 entrants to the Cue Bar in Bayside (Queens), NY on Saturday, November 14. Rosario won seven games on the loss side for the right to face hot seat occupant, Dave Shlemperis, and hung on to win the final, double hill.
With Rosario at work on the loss side, early, the man who sent him there, Mike Harrington, advanced to a winners' side semifinal against Irene Kim. Shlemperis, in the meantime, squared off against Marco Dy. Harrington survived a double hill fight versus Kim, and in the hot seat match, faced Shlemperis, who'd sent Dy to the loss side 7-4. Shlemperis won his last match, defeating Harrington 7-3, to claim the hot seat.
Rosario, with two notches already on his loss-side belt, defeated Ehmunrao Tooccaram 7-2 and Dave Faraguna 7-5 and picked up Kim. Dy drew Lidio Ramirez, who'd survived two straight double hill matches, against Tommy Hagan and Eric Kwon, to reach him. Rosario then eliminated Ramirez in the quarterfinals 9-7 for a second shot at Harrington.
Rosario gave up only a single rack in a 7-1 victory over Harrington in the semifinals. He then fought to force a case game against Shlemperis in the finals, and won it to claim his first Predator title.
