Combined, Jack Whitfield and Jerry Cannon, official winner and runner-up at last weekend’s (Sat., Sept. 21) PremierBilliards.com’s Q City 9-Ball Tour stop at Mickey Milligan’s in New Bern, NC, have cashed on the tour a total of 12 times; 10 for Whitfield, including a win at the same location last October and three for Cannon, including two official runner-up finishes (no final played) at an event in April, 2023 and last weekend. They’ve both been making appearances on the tour for eight years, though Cannon’s two cash payouts came seven years apart between 2016 and 2023. They battled twice this past weekend, in a winners’ side semifinal and in the first set of a true double-elimination final at the $250-added event which drew 26 entrants to Mickey Milligan’s. Cannon won the first set of the final, tying them at one loss each, before they both agreed on a split of the top two cash prizes and Whitfield’s status as the ‘official’ winner.
It was Whitfield and Larry Cheek who headed out at the start, bound for the hot seat match. Racing to 7 throughout the handicapped tournament, Whitfield did not allow opponents to chalk up more than three racks against him, starting with Chris McSorley (3) and following with a win over John Bouchillon (3), which put Whitfield into a winners’ side semifinal against Glenn Weatherly. Cheek played 17 games in his first three matches, allowing those three opponents to score only two racks, total. He opened with a shutout over Bobby Lyon and then gave up one each to Robert Perez and Frank Leahy. In the winners’ side semifinal, he drew Cannon, who’d won two double-hill matches against (first) Daniel Sanchez and then, Tracy Hardie, shutting out Wayne Miller between them.
Whitfield got into the hot seat match with a 7-2 win over Weatherly and was joined by Cheek, who’d won a double-hill battle (his first of the event) against Cannon (his third). Whitfield claimed the hot seat 7-2 in what proved to be his last match.
On the loss side, Cannon picked up Wilson Dorsey, who’d lost a winners’ side quarterfinal to Weatherly 6-5 (Dorsey racing to 8), then defeating Tanner Jackson 8-3 and shutting out Robert Perez. Weatherly drew Delton Howard, who’d lost his opener to Frank Leahy 6-4 and then won four straight, including a successful rematch against Leahy 7-4.
Cannon advanced to the quarterfinals 6-5 over Dorsey (Dorsey racing to 8). Howard joined him after extending his winning streak by one and eliminating Weatherly 7-1. Cannon engaged in his fourth, double-hill match in those quarterfinals, winning it over Howard and then, defeated Larry Cheek 6-3 in the semifinals.
Whitfield and Cannon started the true double-elimination final but didn’t finish it. Cannon took the opening set 6-5 (Whitfield racing to 7) before negotiations got underway for the split of the top two cash prizes. Whitfield was awarded the ‘official’ winner title.
Tour director Herman Parker thanked Kayla and Corley and their Mickey Milligan’s staff for their hospitality, along with title sponsor PremierBilliards.com, digitalpool.com, BarPoolTables.net (Randy Tate), Breaktime Billiards in Winston-Salem, NC, TKO Custom dCues and Realty One Group results (Kirk Overcash), Dirty South Grind Apparel (Angela Harlan-Parker), Federal Savings Bank (Alex Narod), CHC Underground (Chris Clary), and AZBilliards.
The next stop on the PremierBilliards.com’s Q City 9-Ball Tour, scheduled for this weekend (Sept. 28-29), will be hosted by Janet Atwell’s Borderline Brunswick Arena in Bristol, TN.
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