Reid Vance
Until this past weekend, Reid Vance had only cashed in three Viking Cues’ Q City 9-Ball events over the past two years. He finished as runner-up in two of those three events, 4th in the other. Two years ago (Sept. 2018), Vance made it to the hot seat, only to get double-dipped by Ricky Bingham in the finals. Earlier this year (January), he and BJ Ussery opted out of a final match, allowing Ussery, as the undefeated occupant of the hot seat to claim that event title. Vance broke through this weekend (Sat. Oct. 24) when he took the double-dip route; winning five on the loss side and then double dipping Dustin Coe in the finals to claim his first title. The $300-added event drew a short field of 17 entrants to a new venue for the tour, Kickshot Billiards in Phelps, KY.
Vance and Coe met three times in this event; first, in a winners’ side quarterfinal in which Coe launched Vance onto his loss-side trip. Coe advanced to a winners’ side semifinal against Bobby Gartin, as Chris Stump faced Bill Collins in the other one. Coe got into the hot seat match with a 6-3 win over Gartin. Stump joined him after sending Collins west 6-2. Coe claimed the hot seat 6-3 and waited on Vance’s return.
Gartin and Collins came into the loss bracket and walked right into their second straight loss. Collins drew Vance, who’d defeated Jacob Marcum 6-2 and then, chalked up the first of three straight double hill wins, against Tony Williams. Gartin picked up Mike Clevinger, who’d recently shut out Kickshot Billiards’ owner, Hershel Rife and eliminated Danny Clay 6-3.
Vance won his second double hill match, sending Collins home, as Clevinger downed Gartin 6-1. Vance made it three-in-a-row with a double hill win over Clevinger in the subsequent quarterfinals.
The double hill pattern ended in the semifinals, though not well for Chris Stump. Vance defeated him 6-2 to earn his rematch against Coe. In the true double elimination final, Vance took the first set 6-2 and in the second, allowed Coe only a single rack, before claiming his first event title.
Tour directors Herman and Angela Parker thanked Hershel Rife and his staff for their hospitality, as well as title sponsor Viking Cues, Bar Pool Tables, JB Magic Templates, AZBilliards, Tickler Pool Ball Washing Machine, Skyline Construction, Federal Savings Bank Mortgage Division and Dirty South Grind Apparel Co. The next stop on the Viking Cues’ Q City 9-Ball Tour, scheduled for this weekend, Oct. 31-Nov. 1, will be a $500-added event that will be hosted by Borderline Billiards in Bristol, TN.
