Troy Fortin, Elizabeth Ellis and Jason Seavey
Rebecca Ellis forces a deciding match against Seavey in battle for the hot seat
Though Jason Seavey earned the headline as the undefeated winner of the New England 9-Ball Series’ 5th tour stop this past weekend (Sat., Oct. 24), he has to share part of the story with the woman who almost defeated him in the battle for the hot seat – Rebecca Ellis, who, according to our records, has never cashed in a major event anywhere and on this day, came within a single match of playing, with a chance of winning, her first major final. One has to wonder whether her defeat in the subsequent semifinals was a source of relief or concern for Seavey, who ended up facing Troy Fortin, who’d been defeated by Ellis in a winners’ side semifinal and had a short, three-match trip on the loss side, which included a successful rematch against Ellis.
They ended up 1, 2 & 3 at the $750-added event which drew 48 entrants to American Pool & Billiards (formerly Union Station Billiards) in Portland, ME.
Seavey may have been lulled into a false sense of security when he won his upper bracket opening match against a slightly higher-Fargo-rated opponent, Steven Smith (591 to Seavey’s 530). It gave Seavey a single bead on the wire at the start of the race-to-6, first round match, which, as it turned out, he didn’t need. He defeated Smith 5-1. His next three opponents were not so generous and forced Smith to face three double-hill deciding games (versus Robert Davis, Xavier Libby and Ben Savoie) just to get to his winners’ side semifinal match against Mike DeMarco.
Ellis, in the meantime, working in the lower bracket toward her winners’ side semifinal match against Troy Fortin, faced three opponents with higher ratings than her (367). She began against Bob Campbell, whose 506 Fargo Rate awarded her three beads on the wire in a race to 7, which, as it turned out, she needed. Campbell got to 6, but Ellis hit her ‘4’ target and advanced. In the only straight-up race to 5 she faced in the entire tournament, she defeated Michelle Haddock 5-2, before downing Steve Desrochers 4-4 (Desrochers racing to 6) and Shane Ryan 4-2 (Ryan also racing to 6) to draw Fortin for her winners’ side semifinal.
Ellis, with two beads on the wire in a race to 6, downed Fortin in their first meeting 4-3. Seavey, in the meantime, in a straight-up race to 6, sent DeMarco west 6-4 and joined Ellis in the hot seat match. Ellis started this match with four beads on the wire in a race to 8. They battled to a 3-7, double hill point, before Seavey prevailed and heaved (presumably) a huge sigh of relief as he settled into the hot seat.
On the loss side, Fortin opened up with a rematch against James Smith, whom he’d sent to the loss side in a double hill, winners’ side quarterfinal. Smith then defeated Bob Campbell and Ryan McCrum, both 5-1, to draw Fortin. DeMarco picked up Mark Morgan, who’d lost his opening match and was in the midst of a seven-match, loss-side winning streak that had recently included victories over Brandon Coley and Ben Savoie, both 6-3.
Morgan defeated DeMarco 6-3 and was joined in the quarterfinals by Fortin, who’d eliminated Smith 5-2. With two beads on the wire in a race to 7, Fortin then ended Morgan’s loss-side winning streak 5-3 in those quarterfinals.
The rematch between Fortin and Ellis did not go well for Ellis. She had two beads on the wire in a race to 6 and ended up adding just one. Fortin won it 6-1 and advanced to meet Seavey. The finals were a straight-up race to 6, won by Seavey to complete his undefeated run and claim the event title.
Tour director Marc Dionne thanked the ownership and staff at American Pool & Billiards for their hospitality, as well as Predator, Poison, Arcos II, BCAPL, USAPL New England, Fargo Rate, AZBilliards, Inside English, Professor Q-Ball’s National Pool and 3-Cushion News, Bob Campbell, MJS Construction, Master Billiards, OTLVISE Billiard Mechanics of America, Piku Tips and Just the Tip Cue Repair and Custom Accessories.
The next stop on the NE 9-Ball Series (#6), scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 14, will be a $500-added event, hosted by Straight Shooters in Fall River, MA.
