A small field of ladies met at Baron's Billiards in Bradenton on June 4th for the fourth Fury Ladies Amateur 9-Ball event and a day full of exciting rematch rivalries, high energy and intense play.
The showdown for queen of the hill came down to Stephanie Mitchell and Jessica Barnes who dueled in the finals at the last event. It was a tight race until the match was tied at four-all. Barnes then pulled away and took the next three games to win 7-4 and advance to the finals.
On the left side of the board, Helene Caukin was amassing a great comeback after losing her first match to Barnes. With four match wins Caukin was back in the running and waiting for Mitchell in the semifinals.
The semis were quite a battle between Caukin who was on a roll and Mitchell who was hot off the winner's side after a day of strong wins. They played it out until at hill-hill, Caukin dropped the final 9-ball to win 5-4 and leave Mitchell in 3rd place.
Caukin met Barnes in the finals for a rematch. The race was on early with it tied up at 3-3. Each player took another rack and they were tied again at 4-4. Barnes then made a small advance to take the lead at 6-4 but couldn't hold Caukin as she ran out to tie again 6-6. The next rack would prove who would take the lead in the end game. A miss on the 5-ball by Caukin left Barnes no shot and Barnes took a flyer but left it wide open for Caukin. Caukin ran out to the 7 but jarred the 8. The 8 rolled a few inches from the side pocket and the cue ball crept up table to hide behind the 9. Barnes kicked one rail and made the 8 and then shot the 9-ball to take the lead 7-6. This set the tone and Barnes took the final two games to win 9-6.
Results:
1st Jessica Barnes $280
2nd Helene Caukin $180
3rd Stephanie Mitchell $80 (sponsored by Stroker's Billiards, FL)
