Zach Martin
The first time that Zach Martin competed in a regional-tour hot seat match (according to our records) was last September at a stop on the PremierBilliards.com’s Q City 9-Ball Tour at West End Billiards in Gastonia, NC. He lost that match to Billy Fowler and did not return from the semifinals, but he did get to take home his third cash payout on the tour in what was his first (recorded with us) year competing at a regional tour level. Well on his way to making this, his second year on the tour, his best recorded earnings year, Martin got into the second hot seat match of his 16-month career this past weekend (Sat., June 17).
He didn’t lose the hot seat match this time, because he didn’t play it. Martin advanced through the 19-entrant field of the $500-added event hosted by a new venue for the tour, Papertown Billiards in Canton, NC, to find himself prepared to battle for the hot seat against his fiancé, Amber Jackson. By mutual consent, Jackson forfeited, allowing Martin to claim his first hot seat. The plan (presumably) was for her to win the semifinal, return and together, opting out of a final, they’d take home the top two cash prizes. That plan got derailed in those semifinals and Martin would finish undefeated to claim his first regional-tour event title.
The couple had advanced through the field to square off against Jeff Thompson (for Jackson) and Jordan Crigger (for Martin). Jackson sent Thompson off to the loss side 4-5 (Thompson racing to 7), while Martin downed Crigger 6-2. They had the ‘conversation,’ Martin was in the hot seat and became a semifinal spectator.
On the loss side, Thompson and Crigger came over and walked right into their second straight loss, against two opponents working on winning streaks that would set them against each other in the quarterfinals. Co-room owner with her husband Mike, Alicia Putnam had lost her second- round match to Martin 6-3 and was working on a five-match, loss-side streak that had recently eliminated Kevin Williams 5-1 and Chris Hinson 5-2 to set her up against Crigger. Thompson got Marty Shook, who’d lost his opening round match to Rich Ferguson 6-1 and was working on a seven-match streak that would end in the finals, spoiling any plans the engaged couple might have been harboring for the opportunity to qualify for meeting each other in the finals. Shook had chalked up loss-side wins #3 and #4 against Dalton Messer 7-4 and in a successful rematch, Rich Ferguson 7-2.
Putnam shut out Crigger, while Shook eliminated Thompson 7-5. Someone’s loss-side streak was about to end and it was Putnam’s. Shook defeated her 7-4 in the quarterfinals and turned to face Jackson in the semifinals.
Shook completed his loss-side run with a bit of a punctuation mark, shutting Jackson out for a shot at her fiancé, waiting for him in the hot seat. Martin started the final with a single ‘bead on the wire’ in a race to 7. He chalked up the six racks he needed to defeat Shook 6-5 and claim the event title.
Tour director Herman Parker thanked Mike and Alicia Putnam and their Papertown Billiards staff for their hospitality, along with title sponsor PremierBilliards.com, BarPoolTables.net, Dirty South Grind Apparel Co., Realty One Group Results, Diamond Brat, AZBilliards.com, Federal Savings Bank Mortgage Division and TKO Custom Cues. The next stop on the PremierBilliards’ Q City 9-Ball Tour, scheduled for this weekend, June 24-25, will be $500-added (with 32 players) event, hosted by Overtime Billiards in Columbia, SC.
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