Joshua Shultz
The finals of the Nov. 3-4 stop on the Viking Cues’ Q City 9-Ball Tour featured two representatives of the most dramatically increasing demographics in the sport; a teenager and a woman. The woman, Kimberly Young, sent the teenager, Joshua Shultz, to the loss side, only to have him come back and defeat her twice in a double elimination final to claim the event title. The event drew 29 entrants to Corner Pockets in Fayetteville, NC.
They met first in a winners’ side semifinal, as Phillip “Skibo” Britt met up with David Burke in the other one. Skibo sent Burke to the loss side 9-5, as Shultz and Young locked up in a double hill fight that eventually, 4-6, sent Shultz to the semifinals. Young fought to double hill in the hot seat match, as well, downing Skibo 4-8 to claim the hot seat for the first time since showing up on our payout lists 18 years ago, when she began competing on the Southeastern Amateur Ladies Tour.
On the loss side, Shultz opened his trek back to the finals against Geoff Grayson, who’d defeated Mark Williams and Billie Spadafora, both 6-4, to reach him. Burke drew Jason Brittain, who’d recently eliminated Johnny Haney 7-5 and JC Autrey 7-4.
Shultz and Burke advanced to the quarterfinals; Shultz 6-1 over Grayson and Burke 7-5 over Brittain. In a double hill quarterfinal, Shultz sent Burke home, and then, in the semifinals against Skibo, sent him home 6-3, as well.
Things began but did not end well for Young in the finals. She took an early 3-0 lead in the opening set of the true double elimination final, which, racing to 4, put her on the hill to claim the event title. In the following game, she took aim at the 9-ball that would have put the title in her pocket, only to miss it. Shultz came back to win 12 of the next 13 games, encompassing both sets (6-3, 6-1), to claim the event title.
Tour directors Herman and Angela Parker thanked the ownership and staff at Corner Pockets for their hospitality, as well as title sponsor Viking Cues, Bar Pool Tables, Delta 13 Racks, AZ Billiards and Professor Q-Ball. The next stop on the Viking Cues’ Q City 9-Ball Tour, scheduled for this weekend (Nov. 10-11), will be hosted by Gate City Billiards Club in Greensboro, NC.
