Todd Gosnell (owner of Zoo City Saloon), Brad Smith, Jerry Hilton, & Shannon Daulton
Brad Smith came within a single match of going undefeated on the Great Southern Billiard Tour's stop on the weekend of June 5-6. He gave up that single match to Jerry Hilton in the first set of a true double elimination final, but came back to take the second and deciding set to win the $1,500-added Zoo City Amateur event, which drew 32 entrants to the Zoo City Saloon in Asheboro, NC.
Smith occupied the hot seat after defeating J.R. Poste 7-4, from among the winners' side final four and then, Derek Leonard 7-6 (Leonard had to reach 10). Leonard had defeated Adam Stanton 10-4 to take on Smith in the hot seat match.
Hilton, in the meantime, who'd been sent to the one-loss side by Jeff Abernathy in the second round, was on his way back. He got by Glenn Russell 7-6 (with Russell needing 9) and James Blackburn 7-1, to hook up with Stanton, coming over from the winners' side final four. Wayne Briles, who'd eliminated Abernathy 7-1 and Chris Adams 7-7 (Adams needing 9) faced Post. In the first of the money rounds, Hilton went double hill against Stanton 7-8 to move into the quarterfinals. Briles dropped Post into the tie for fifth place 7-4.
Hilton then concluded Briles' day with a 7-5 win that set him up to face Leonard in the semifinals. Leonard needed to reach 10 games and came within a single game of doing just that, but Hilton prevailed, chalking up his requisite seven games and advancing to the true double elimination final against Smith.
Hilton pretty much breezed through the opening set with a 7-2 win. Smith, though, put up a fight in the second set, and brought it down to a last deciding game. Smith won it and brought home the Zoo City Amateur title.
