Jeff Sullivan, Robbie Cleland and Crispian Ng
The Cuetec DFW 9-Ball Tour dodged the winter storm/power outage ‘bullet’ or, as tour representative Monica Anderson put it, “a few icicles” last weekend (Feb. 20-21). The tour was able to successfully hold its $1,500-added second tour stop of the 2021 season at Snookered Billiards in Frisco, TX.
“The thaw happened Friday afternoon,” said Anderson, “and nothing was stopping pool players from coming out.”
“We had to limit it to 80 players for Covid capacity rules,” she added, “and with the power outages, everyone wanted to play. We had a waiting list of 20+ that couldn’t play.”
Jeff Sullivan, who, at the last minute, made 2020 his best (recorded) year at the tables by winning the Royce Bunnell Memorial One Pocket Event and placing 7th in that same event’s 9-Ball Tournament in December, started 2021 off with a bang, wending his way through the 80-entrant field, recording five loss-side wins and double-dipping hot seat occupant Robbie Cleland to claim the event title. As it turned out Cleland’s runner-up finish put him and Sullivan in a tie for first place in the early tour standings with 200 points each. Sullivan did not compete in the season opener and Cleland finished in the tie for 13th. Cleland’s finish in this second event, added 160 points to the 40 he’d earned finishing in that tie.
Sullivan, after an opening round bye and victories over Juan Parra, Leo Washington and Greg Sandifer, moved west at the conclusion of one of the winners’ side quarterfinal matches in which he fell to Valon Gashi 7-5. Gashi moved on to face Crispian Ng in one of the winners’ side semifinals. Cleland, who’d gotten by Joshua Paredes, Fahad Alwari, and Sam Abusalem faced Tony Matthew in the other winners’ side semifinal.
Cleland and Matthew locked up in a double hill fight that eventually put Cleland into the hot seat match. Ng joined him after downing Gashi 8-5. Cleland defeated Ng 8-2, claiming the hot seat, and assuring himself at least a tie in the tour standings with whoever came back at him from the semifinals.
Over on the loss side, Sullivan began his trek back to the finals with a 7-1 win over Clint Palaci and followed it with a 7-2 win over Blake Kamiab, to draw Matthew. Gashi picked up a rematch versus Daniel Herring, who’d begun his loss-side work with an 8-6 victory over Juan Parra, an 8-3 win over Sam Abusalem, and an 8-6 win over Donnie Gregory to pick up his rematch versus Gashi.
The two who’d been sent to the loss side by Gashi handed their opponents their second straight loss. Sullivan and Matthew fought to double hill, before Sullivan advanced to the quarterfinals. Herring wreaked his vengeance on Gashi, winning the rematch 8-3. Sullivan stopped Herring’s run in those quarterfinals 7-5.
Sullivan then defeated Ng 7-4 in the semifinals and turned to what would have to be two wins over Cleland, waiting for him in the hot seat. Sullivan took the opening set 7-6 (Cleland racing to 8) and used the momentum to help him to a 7-4, title-claiming victory in the second set.
A Second Chance event drew 13 entrants and saw James Davee down Monica Anderson in the finals. Curtis Caldwell finished in 3rd place.
Tour representatives thanked Craig and Jana Lucas and their staff at Snookered Billiards for just being open after one of the worst weeks in the state of Texas in remembered history, as well as their general hospitality. They also thanked title sponsor Cuetec, and associate sponsor Fort Worth Billiard Superstore. This coming weekend, Saturday, Feb. 27, the DFW 9-Ball Ladies Tour will hold an event at Rusty’s in Arlington, TX. Stop #3 on the Cuetec DFW 9-Ball Tour, scheduled for the weekend of March 20-21, will be a $1,500-added event, hosted by Stixx and Stones in Lewisville, TX.
