Rubard goes undefeated in New England 9-Ball Series

Stan Rubard withstood two strong challenges from Nick Conner to take first place in the New England 9-Ball Series, held on Sunday, January 31. The $150-added amateur event drew 28 entrants to Boston Billiards in Nashua, NH.

Rubard's first challenge from Conner took place in the hot seat match.  Rubard defeated Garith Steele 4-4 to get there (Steele had to reach six games), as Conner was busy sending Dave Bowden west 6-1. With Conner needing to reach six games in the hot seat match that followed, Rubard battled to double hill 3-5, before prevailing, and then waiting for Conner to come back.

On the one-loss side, Jeramy Bean and Dave Hambley awaited the arrival of Bowden and Steele. Bean got by Dave MC 5-2, and then dropped Deric Mcarthy 4-3 into the tie for seventh place for the right to meet Bowden. Hambley, in the meantime, defeated Brian Andersen 4-2 and shut out James Correlle to pick up Steele. Bean and Hambley made Bowden and Steele's trip to the one-loss side brief and advanced to the quarterfinals;  Bean with a 5-2 win over Bowden, Hambley with a 4-5, hill-hill win over Steele.  

Bean moved one step closer with a 5-3 win over Hambley in the quarterfinals, only to face a determined Conner, anxious for a re-match against Rubard.  Conner allowed Bean only a single rack in the 7-game semifinal match and got his chance.  In the double elimination final, the two battled back and forth as they had in the hot seat match, to the same hill-hill juncture. Once again, Rubard took the final game, this time with the first place prize in hand.