Wayne Hutter, 18, from Mims, FL, stunned the field as he eliminated the five other finalists in the 10 Ball Diamond Ring Game at the 3rd event of the Junior Billiards Tour in Orlando Florida, April 30th, 2005.
Hutter also took control of the 9 Ball match from the one loss side to win the 18 and Under BCA Junior National Qualifier being held as the second half of the event of the Junior Billiards Tour.
This is the second 1st Place win on the Junior Billiards Tour for Hutter who takes home a $200 Nick Varner Cue for the Diamond Ring Game win and a $100 Nick Varner Cue Case for the 9 Ball win. The JBT event was held at the newly reopened Orlando Billiard Center, formerly Pro Billiards of Central Florida, and featured 18 of the top junior players in the Southeast.
The event, which is a regularly scheduled Junior Billiards Tour event was also a Junior National Qualifier and a last chance for players to qualify for the BCA Junior Nationals in Ann Arbor Michigan in June.
Hutter lost his first match of the day to top ranked player, Trey Jankowski, 18, of North Port Florida in a hill-hill match, 6-7. Then facing the returning Billy "The Kidd" Burke, 17, of Orlando Florida, Hutter pulled out another hill-hill match to stay alive on the one loss side.
Hutter then faced and disposed of newcomers Thomas Lane, 15, of Wesley Chapel, Florida, and Christopher McCain, 16, of Satellite Beach, Florida, before again facing Trey Jankowski in the final match of the loser's bracket. Jankowski had just come off a close match loss to Mitchell Menes, another tournament favorite. After an exciting hill-hill match, Hutter again pulled off the win 5-4 to face undefeated Menes in the Finals.
The Finals pitted undefeated Junior Champion, Mitchell Menes, 15, from Tampa Florida, against Hutter in the race to 7 one set match for 1st Place. In an intense game, Hutter again pulled off the win and clinched his second 1st Place win on the Junior Billiards Tour.
Hutter's 1st place win in the 10 Ball Diamond Ring Game event secured him the 3rd spot in the six player 10 Ball Diamond Ring Game Championship to be held at the Orlando Open, Aug 3-7, 2005. Along with previous winners, Nick "The Stick" Tafoya, and Denny Singletary, Hutter will face three other yet to be decided players in a Championship Finals Ring Game at the Open.
Wayne Hutter and Mitchell Menes had previously qualified for the Junior Nationals which allows newcomer Christopher McCain and veteran junior Trey Jankowski the spots for the BCA Junior Nationals with their JBT finish.
The Junior Billiards Tour continues to strengthen and grow with the next event scheduled for May 28th, 2005 at Bankshot Billiards in Jacksonville Florida. The junior event, limited to 32 players will play alongside the UPA Predator Florida Open event.
10 Ball Diamond Ring Game Results
Wayne Hutter 1st Place 100 Points
Trey Jankowski 2nd / 3rd Place Tie 75 Points
Christopher Lafata 2nd / 3rd Place Tie 75 Points
Matthew Menes 4th - 6th Place Tie 45 Points
Mitchell Menes 4th - 6th Place Tie 45 Points
Christopher McCain 4th - 6th Place Tie 45 Points
9 Ball 18 and Under Junior National Qualifier
Wayne Hutter 1st Place 50 Points
Mitchell Menes 2nd Place 25 Points
Trey Jankowski 3rd Place 15 Points
9 Ball 14 and Under Junior National Qualifier
Michael Mallen 1st Place 50 Points
Roger Aleong Jr. 2nd Place 25 Points
Matthew Menes 3rd Place 15 Points
