As the weekend drew to a close (June 26th-29th), two of the three divisions were complete at Shooters in Olathe, Kansas, for the Midwest 9-Ball Tour's latest stop – the main event was dwindling down as well but would end shortly before midnight. This tour stop offered a $3500 added open bar table 9-ball main event, a $500 added ladies, and $1000 added one-pocket tournament for some of the top regional talent in and around Kansas.
The fourteen ladies battled out the weekend, but this time around Rhonda Pierce proved to be the top gun. Pierce bested Jessica Frideres for the hot-seat and the opportunity for a brief rest in between matches. On the one-loss side, the semis came down to Brittany Colbert and Jessica Frideres – Frideres turned the tables and held on for a 7-4 upset and another chance at Pierce. Unfortunately for Frideres, Pierce had a one-track mind this weekend and ensured victory with her 7-5 final score.
In the one-pocket tournament, the field drew a total of thirty-two tough competitors to the arena. Names such as Cliff Joyner and Gabe Owen joined the race, but this weekend was all about former U.S. Open Champion, Gabe Owen. Owen managed to hold off a very determined Joey Gray for the hot-seat win in a tight 3-2 finish, sending Gray to fend for himself on the one-loss side. His opponent, Cliff Joyner gave him a run for the money as well, but Gray pushed past Joyner with the same score of 3-2. But when the final round came to a close, Owen was on top by a larger margin 3-1 for the triumph.
All the while, the eighty-three player strong nine ball main event played on bar tables was working itself down to the final crew. Jason Kirkwood dropped Mike Banks, Jr. for the coveted hot-seat win 9-6. Banks then ran into Beau Runningan in the semi-final round. Although a hard fought battle ensued, Runningan pulled ahead in the end for the opportunity at Kirkwood in the finals. But in the finals, Jason Kirkwood stood his ground and held off Runningan by a final score of 9-6.
Thanks to the staff and management at Shooters for hosting this weekend. The next event for the tour will be the First Annual Gaylord Robinson Memorial at Side Pockets in Papillion, Nebraska on July 19-20, 2008. The $2500 added tournament will have an open and ladies event played on bar tables with an entry of $50 Entry (entry includes green fees, no quarters necessary). For additional information on the tour, including the most recently scheduled events, visit their website at www.9balltour.com
Results (ladies):
1st Rhonda Pierce $450
2nd Jessica Frideres $300
3rd Brittany Colbert $150
4th Cindy Wessling $90
Results (one-pocket):
1st Gabe Owen $725
2nd Joey Gray $475
3rd Cliff Joyner $350
4th Beau Runningan $230
5th/6th Chip Compton/Jordan Davis $150
7th/8th Dusty Meyer/Mike Parker $100
Results (open):
1st Jason Kirkwood $2200
2nd Beau Runningan $1600
3rd Mike Banks, Jr. $900
4th Chuck Raulston $550
5th/6th Justin Bergman/Jeff Melton $350
7th/8th Gabe Owen/James Baraks $250
9th-12th Dustin Gunia/Joe Johnson/Cliff Joyner/Buddy Hall $175
13th-16th Kent Henderson/Shane McMinn/Ryan Cobb/Chad Vilmont $125
