Doug Young and Terry Easter
The original plan called for the Viking Cues’ Q City 9-Ball Tour to visit a new venue, called Still Cluckin’ in Providence, NC. And up until Election Day last week (Nov. 3), that was where they were headed. Until, like the election for some, things didn’t go according to plan. Tour Director Herman Parker got a call from the owners of Still Cluckin,’ who’d gotten a call from the Caswell County Sheriff’s Department, informing them that the county’s Covid-19 numbers had tripled and if they held the tournament, the sheriffs would shut them down. Not what the owners wanted to hear, but left with no choice, they called Parker to cancel. Parker quickly set up an emergency substitute and announced, three days before the fact, that the event would be held at Randolph’s Billiards in Hickory, NC.
The event, which, with its limited promotion, drew only 16 entrants to Randolph’s, featured the return of one Doug “Junior” Young, who, according to Parker, was a well-known area player until he moved to Texas some 25 years ago. Though sent to the loss side by a junior player, Cole Lewis (16), Young returned to face and double dip hot seat occupant Terry Easter in the finals.
The loss-side trip launched by a junior player was likely not how Doug Young expected things to go, either. We have database information on him that dates back to 2000, a year after AZ began, when he was already in Texas. In his best earnings year (2008), he won the Steel City (Pittsburgh) Winter 9-Ball Tournament, ahead of such known competitors as Matt Clatterbuck, Manny Chau and Brandon Shuff. He shared a four-way tie for 6th place in that year’s Derby City Classic’s 9-Ball tournament, with Alex Pagulayan and Jeff Abernathy. Abernathy joined him for this Q City 9-Ball stop, 12 years later, and came within a match of facing him in the quarterfinals. Young advanced to a winners’ side semifinal against the youngster Lewis, while Easter squared off against Abernathy.
With Young racing to 11, Lewis defeated him 5-4 and advanced to the hot seat match. Easter, in the meantime, downed Abernathy 5-7 (Abernathy racing to 9). Easter claimed the hot seat in a double hill fight and waited on what turned out to be the return of Young.
On the loss side, with Mike Gaskins, former tour champion Steve Reece, Kelly Farrar and Hunter Apple eliminated, Abernathy picked up Mike Bumgarner, who’d defeated Gary South and Jerry Hilton, both 7-5, to reach him. Young drew Robby House, who’d eliminated Brian Overman 6-4 and survived a double hill match against Montez Lloyd.
Young did his part to affect a table reunion with Abernathy by surviving a double hill fight versus House (11-5). Bumgarner spoiled the potential party by defeating Abernathy 7-5.
In a second straight 11-5 win (though with his opponent racing to 7), Young defeated Bumgarner. Looking not to repeat his earlier loss to the junior player, Young defeated Lewis 11-2.
Young and Easter played 24 games over the two sets of the double elimination final. Young won 22 of them with back-to-back 11-1 wins that (according to our available records) gave him his first event title since he won two stops on the Lone Star Billiard Tour nearly a decade ago (2011).
Tour directors Herman and Angela Parker thanked the owners and staff at Randolph’s Billiards for their accommodation of the tour’s last-minute change of plans. They also thanked 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. With six stops left on the Viking Cues’ Q City 9-Ball Tour left, the tour will visit another new venue this coming weekend (Nov. 14-15). Stroker’s Billiards in Sumter, SC will host the tour in a $500-added event, $1,000-added with a full 64-player field.
