Karen Corr and Julie Kelly were the final two players out of a field of 35 women at the JPNEWT event, October 11th & 12th at Drexeline Billiards in Drexel Hill, PA. Owner Bob Maidhof added $2500 and raffled a DeCola cue. This event also carried a 2009 US Open qualifier spot, which was well earned by Pam Cimarelli (nee Treadway). Co-sponsored by Sapphire Limousine and Yoder & Armstrong, the $2500-added event drew 35 of the area’s best 9-ball players to compete for the Pennsylvania State title and a chance to go to the 2009 US Open. The field included many top players, including Corr, Kelly, Pam Cimarelli (nee Treadway), Megan Minerich, Liz Taylor and Ming Ng. Karen Corr started her tournament bid with a 7-2 victory over one of JPNEWT’s newest members, Karen Freire, then quickly got through the field with wins over Tina Meraglio 7-0, Ming Ng 7-4, and Liz Taylor 7-3. She then battled successfully against Kelly to earn the hot seat. Kelly moved to the one-loss side to face Pam Cimarelli, who got out to a 3-1 lead before Kelly hit a great break and turned the tables to lead 6-3. Cimarelli won the next game, but Kelly ran out the next rack to return to the winners’ side for another chance at her friend, Karen Corr. Corr was ready for her, though, and while there was a lot of savvy play in the opening two games, Karen found her stroke and took the match 7-2. Congratulations to our new Queen of PA - Karen Corr, the Irish Invader! Special thanks to Yoder & Armstrong for the program guides, Sapphire for the Limousines, J. Pechauer and Bob Maidhof for their continued support of women in billiards and Sure Shot Billiards, Coca Cola, Black Boar, Action Vending, Accounting Offices of Frank J. DiSantis & Company, Peter Burrows, John E. Mulloy, Jr., CPCU, Drexel Agency, Inc., Iwan Simonis, RT9 Designs. Top Notch Roofing, Keane’s Oriental Rug Cleaning & Restoration Services, Landscaping Unlimited, Dave Gosselin, LUTCF (Dave Gosselin Agency, Nationwide Insurance), We Paint-You Smile, Hibachi Japanese Steak House & Sushi Bar, and Moe’s Tavern & Grill. Click here to view group photo taken in front of Drexeline

Primetime Sports Bar & Grill hosted the J.Peachauer North East Women's Tour July 12th & 13th. It was the New Jersey State Championship for 2008. The room itself, the food, and the staff are always fantastic. The event had $3000 added to the prize fund with Heinekin as a co-sponsor, as well as a Qualifying spot for the US Open that will take place in Oklahoma at the end of July. The event had 28 highly skilled participants as many members of the WPBA joined the regular crew. Sunday’s returning players included Karen Corr, Tiffany Nelson, Julie Kelly, Monica Webb, Megan Minerich, Romana Dokovic, My-Hanh Lac, and Iris Ranola. Sunday’s play had many fans interested in basically a mini- pro event with some great match-ups. Karen Corr defeated Tiffany Nelson 7-2 in the quarter finals, and Iris Ranola 7-2 in the semi-finals. Iris and Tiffany battled to the hill with Iris getting another chance with Karen. Another hill match with Karen capturing the NJ State Championship title. Because so many of the final eight were already attending the US Open, there was a bonus match on Sunday to determine who would win the qualifying spot between Sharon O’Hanlon and Asia Cycak. Asia won that match 7-3. We wish Asia great success at the US Open. Congratulations to all who participated! See you at the next event in September. Many thanks once again to Pechauer Cues and Primetime Sports Bar and Grill!

Click below to see photos from the 2008 NJ State Championship
1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9
10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18
19	20	21	22	23

A full field of 32 participated in the JPNEWT ( www.JPNewt.com ) event on the weekend of June 21 - 22 at Comet Billiards located in Parsippany, NJ. This room featured well maintained Gold Crown's and drew talent from the US, Mexico and Philippines. The level of competition was very impressive with Brenda Heras vs. Linda Shea, Iris Ranola vs. Asia Cycak going undefeated into Sunday. On the one loss side, Tiffany Nelson vs. Zinnie Panju, Emily Duddy vs, (12yr old) Briana Miller ( who will be competing at the JR Nationals next month in Tucson Arizona) Iris Ranola stayed very confident and extremely strong through the entire event. The final round with Tiffany Nelson coming from the one loss side. Tiffany started out with a 2 game lead, Iris came back to lead 3 - 2. Tiffany jumped to seven with 5 impressive racks. Iris returned with 4 amazing games in a row to tie them 7 to 7. Tiffany got to the hill first but Iris took the next two games to win the tournament and the Qualifier spot to Charlotte NC WPBA Classic event in Sept. 2008. We thank J.Pechauer Cues www.pechauer.com and Comet Billiards www.cometbilliards.com for their continued support of billiards. JPNEWT's next event will be the New Jersey State Championships on July 12, 13th at Primetime Bar & Billiards
www.ptsportsbar.com.

Primetime Sports Bar & Grill hosted the J. Peachauer North East Women's Tour April 19th & 20th We always love coming to Primetime Billiards. The fantastic food, the equipment, and the friendly wait staff and room management really made this event enjoyable. Primetime added $1500 toward the prize fund, which included a paid qualifier spot for the Generation Pool .com WPBA event in Charlotte NC this June. The event started with 28 women from near and far. The competition proved to be rough from the start, in round one the match ups included MyHanh Lac, an up and coming Semi-Pro, and former pro Linda Shea. Linda lost the round on the hill sending her to the one loss side. Another round one upset, Cheryl Squire sent newly ranked pro Morgan Steinman to the elimination bracket with a score of 7-6 . There were many great matches throughout the two day event including Pam Hutchings winning over Cheryl Squire 7-6, Sharon O’Hanlon over Linda Shea 7-3, Ceci Strain over Lisa Rizzi 7-5, Cha Caliskur over Naomi Fingerhut. At the end of day one, MyHanh Lac and Iris Ranola had dominated the winner side bracket. The start of day two saw the winner's side final with Iris claiming the HOT seat with a score of 7-2 over MyHanh. The elimination bracket final saw another grueling hill-hill match between Morgan Steinman and MyHanh Lac with MyHanh taking the win to get another chance at Iris Ranola. The finals match was over very quickly with Iris winning with a score of 7-1 over MyHanh. Iris had already won a spot at the GenerationPool.com event, so she settled for first place prize money, while MyHanh took second place cash and the qualifier spot. Keep your eyes on this young lady from the Phillippines, she's shy and quiet, but she's already proven herself to be a great player to watch and to compete against. Good luck to both Iris and MyHanh at the GenerationPool.com event! Our next stop will be Comet Billiards June 20th & 21st, but we will be returning to Primetime in July for the New Jersey State Championships. Come out and join us…See you there.

A field of 23 participated in our first 2008 JPNEWT event at Comet Billiards on the weekend of March 8 & 9. Located in Parsippany, NJ. This room features well maintained Gold Crown's, lunch menu, plenty of parking. We would like to thank J. Pechauer Cues www.pechauer.com and Comet Billiards www.cometbilliards.com for their continued support of billiards.

1st - Candi Rego + $600 + 2008 US Open Qualifier
2nd - Kim Smith + $425
3rd - Buffy Jolie + $315
4th - Morgan Steinman + $200
5th/6th - Caroline Pao, Barbara Stock + $100
7th/8th - Michelle Li, Erica Testa + $50

With only 10 minutes left to sign up, the usual suspects of the Pechauer NorthEast Women’s Tour began to feel like they had dodged the bullets of the big guns of the WPBA. They were wrong. At 10:50 am, Karen Corr and Julie Kelly crossed the threshold of The House of Billiards to play in the New York State 9-Ball Championships on October 13th and 14th. The sounds of players practicing grew quieter and the groans were audible. “It’s a bit chilly in here – I might have to play with my jacket on”, quipped Julie as she and Karen signed up. “No refunds!!” shouted a joking and laughing Tournament Director Barbara Stock. More groans ensued with a few sighs here and there. But for the luck of the draw, Julie and Karen had to play each other in the first round. Karen lost. And that would be the last time she lost. Karen raced through the 1-loss side posting wins over Naomi Fingerhut, Supadra Boonpasook, and Sharon O’Hanlon before having to meet up with Julie again in the final round for Saturday night. Julie didn’t win this time and had to settle for 7th/8th place. Meanwhile, on the undefeated side of the chart, My Hanh Lac was running through her opponents – Erin McManus, Julie Kelly, and Candi Rego before sending Morgan Steinman to face Karen after winning the hot seat in a 7-4 score. Morgan ended up in 3rd after a 7-1 match with Karen. In the finals, Karen dominated the match, allowing My Hanh only 3 games to her 9, taking back the NY State Title she had held in 2002 and 2003. JPNEWT thanks Room Owners Rob Riccardi, Anthony Stilletto, Joe Zancocchio, and HOB staff Cookie, and Al, at The House of Billiards. The Ladies had a wonderful time and we appreciate your support of not only this event, but for Women’s pool as well!! J Results:

Zinnie Panju almost didn’t get a chance to win the Maryland State 9-ball title. The original venue was cancelled at the last minute, but with the resourcefulness of Ceci Strain, Linda Shea, and Champion Billiards Café owner Gary Allen, the event was rescheduled at Champion Billiards Café in Fredericksburg, MD. Thank you Ceci, Linda, Gary, and Michael Ricciardella who posted up the money for the WPBA Qualifier!! Zinnie ran undefeated through the field posting wins over Kathleen Lawless, My Hanh Lac, Sherry Pouncey, and Buffy Jolie. She then won the hot seat against Supadra Boonpasook with a 7-1 score. Supadra posted wins over Erica Testa, Linda Shea, and Sharon O’Hanlon before being sent to the left side of the chart by Zinnie. Supadra then won 7-2 over Buffy Jolie before meeting up with Zinnie again for the finals. Zinnie would post up 4 games before Supadra got onto the scoreboard. Supadra then answered with 4 games before Zinnie reached the hill. Zinnie won 7-4 to claim the title. Congrats to Zinnie Panju!!

Karen Corr went undefeated in a field of 31 players to win the NJ State 9-ball Championships at Prime Time Billiards and Sports Café in South Amboy NJ. Other WPBA Pros in attendance included Julie Kelly, Kim Shaw, and Gerda Hofstatter, as well as JPNEWT POY Morgan Steinman and POY Runner-Up Caroline Pao, to compete for a prize fund worth over $5000. Karen didn’t have the easiest ride to the hot seat match after her first match win over Carina Lawrence, as she had to play Julie Kelly in the second round and then Gerda Hofstatter in the round after that. Meanwhile, Zinnie Panju was having a strong Saturday by posting match wins over Barbara Stock, Candi Rego, and Liz Ford. When the final eight returned on Sunday it was Karen facing My-Hanh Lac, and Zinnie Panju playing Palma Kogan. Karen won over My-Hanh and Zinnie sent Palma to the left side of the chart as well to set up the hot seat match. With the score tied at 5-5, Karen’s skills and knowledge of the game overpowered Zinnie and Karen won 7-5. On the left side of the chart My-Hanh posted wins over Liz Ford and Gerda Hofstatter to face off against Zinnie for the final match with Karen. My-Hanh won 7-4 over Zinnie. In the finals Karen jumped out to a 5-1 lead before My-Hanh could win another game. Karen finished the match with a 7-2 score for the championship title. Congrats to Karen and congrats to My-Hanh for winning the US Open Qualifier!! JPNEWT thanks Prime Time Billiards Room Manager Adam Seltzer and Room Owner Kevin Seltzer for another outstanding event! JPNEWT’s next event will be the Maryland State 9-ball Championships at Bill and Billies CuesPort in Arnold, MD. This event will feature $1500 and a WPBA 2008 US Open Qualifier.

Bora Jeong won her first JPNEWT event at Comet Billiards on June9th/10th. Bora went undefeated through the field posting wins over Supadra Boonpasook, Amy Walker, Candi Rego and Zinnie Panju to meet up with Caroline Pao for the hot seat. Bora then sent Caroline to the left side of the chart in a 7-3 win. Caroline posted wins over Kiana Clark, Morgan Steinman, Kathy Friend, and Melony Page before losing the hot seat race. Caroline then won 7-2 over Zinnie Panju to rematch with Bora in the finals. The outcome of the finals would be an almost exact repeat of the hot seat match with Bora winning the event and Qualifier with a 7-2 score. JPNEWT thanks Bill and Marcia Haley and the Comet staff for another wonderful event. JPNEWT’s next event will be the 2007 New Jersey State 9-ball Championships at Prime Time Billiards on July 14th/15th with $4000 added with a US Open Qualifier up for grabs.

Fox Takes BCA Qualifier at Prime Time Billiards They came far and wide to compete at Prime Time Sports Bar and Billiard Café on April 14th and 15th – Dawn Fox from her new home in the South, and Meng Meng Zhou from Mainland China. In the end, it was the two that did travel the furthest to play in the finals for one of the last BCA Vegas Qualifiers up for grabs. Zhou cruised through the field undefeated with wins over Kathy Friend, Buffy Jolie and Naomi Fingerhut to match up against the two-tour POY, Morgan Steinman. Zhou dispatched Morgan to the left side of the chart with a 7-3 score. Dawn Fox posted wins over Kiana Clark, but was sent to the left side of the chart by Naomi Fingerhut. Dawn then continued on her way with wins over Erica Testa, Palma Kogan, Pam Ogarek, Naomi Fingerhut, and Buffy Jolie to match up with Morgan Steinman. Dawn left Morgan in 3rd place with a 7-3 win to match up to Zhou in the finals. In the modified race to 9, if Zhou reached 7 games first, the match is over and Zhou wins. If Dawn reached 7 games first, they would have to play out to 9. Dawn built up an 8-4 lead over Zhou, but Zhou dug in to come back hill-hill. In the final rack Zhou made a ball but had to push out. Dawn answered back with a safe. Zhou ran out to the 4, but missed and left Dawn a wide-open table to take the event and Qualifier. JPNEWT thanks Brian and Adam Seltzer of Prime Time Billiards for hosting this event and looks forward to returning in July for the NJ State Women’s 9-ball Championships. JPNEWT’s next event will be June 9th/10th at Comet Billiards for a WPBA Qualifying event.

Morgan Steinman overcame a second round loss to Caroline Pao to win the Pechauer NorthEast Women’s Tour opener at Comet Billiards. Morgan, the 2006 POY of two Regional tours, started off with a win over Naomi Fingerhut, but was sent to the left side of the chart by Caroline in a 7-4 loss. From there Morgan raced through her matches with wins over Susan Schmidt, Carol (Toots) Clark, Gail Glazebrook, Kathleen Lawless, Supadra, Boonpasook, Kathy Friend, and Sharon O’Hanlon before her rematch with Caroline in the finals. Caroline posted wins over Judie Wilson, Morgan, Cyndi Haefner, and Supadra Boonpasook be fore matching up with Sharon O’Hanlon for the hot seat. Caroline won the hot seat with a 7-2 score. Sharon then lost to Morgan for her personal high tour finish of 3rd place. And since Caroline and Morgan were ineligible to win the Qualifier spot, Sharon also won her first Qualifier. Congrats Sharon! The finals started out well for Caroline who jumped to a 4-1 lead, but Morgan came back to rally to lead 7-5 with 3 9-breaks in a row with the alternate break format. Morgan kept up the steam and finished with a 9-6. JPNEWT thanks Bill and Marcia Haley for hosting this event and we look forward to returning in June. JPNEWT’s next event will be a BCA Qualifier at Prime Time Billiards in South Amboy, April 14th and 15th

Morgan Steinman had a stellar year with the Regional Tours, to say the least. She started with a 5th/6th place finish at the January Regional Tour Championships that featured 55 of the top Semi-Pro players in the country. Then Morgan proceeded to win back-to-back events in JPNEWT to secure her POY status. But that wasn’t all. Morgan was also the McDermott New England Women’s Tour POY as well. In the history of the Regional Tours, this is the first time one player captured two tours at one time. Congrats Morgan!! As was the same with November event, Morgan went undefeated to meet up with 2005 POY Caroline Pao. With a first round bye, Morgan then scored wins over Pam Ogarek, and Sandra Pereira before successfully defending a hot seat win over Caroline Pao, 7-4. Caroline Pao scored wins over Barbara Stock, Carol Clark, and Supadra Boonpasook before being sent to the left side of the chart to meet up with JPNEWT rookie Erica Testa. Erica lost her first match to Noell Rima, but surged through the left side of the chart with wins over Melissa Jenkins, Carol Clark, Naomi Fingerhut, Supadra Boonpasook, and Sandra Pereira before succumbing to Caroline Pao. Congrats to Erica on her 3rd place finish in her rookie year!! In the finals Morgan ran up a 4-1 lead over Caroline. Caroline answered back with 5 games to go up 5-4. Morgan and Caroline traded the next two racks with Caroline reaching the first hill at 6-5. If Caroline were to have reached 7 games first, they would have to play out to 9. Morgan regrouped and won the next two racks to make the finals 7-6. JPNEWT thanks Clifton Billiards room owner Lee Kutchenreuther and his staff, Sandy and Michelle for another wonderful event. We also thank J. Pechauer Custom Cues for their continued support.

Morgan Steinman may have started off on a wrong note in losing her first match hill-hill to JPNEWT newcomer Naomi Fingerhut, but that just made her more determined to dominate the left side of the chart on Saturday and Sunday. Morgan slowly but surely gathered steam through the two-day event to rack up her first JPNEWT event win on Sunday in a 9-3 final against JPNEWT’s #1 ranked player Gina Lipsky. Morgan posted wins over Judie Wilson, Barbara Stock, Amy Johns, Erica Testa, Sharon O’Hanlon, Colleen Shoop, and Charlotte Reeder to meet up with Gina in the finals. Gina posted wins over Kathy Fiend, Dee Barbules, Supadra Boonpasook, and Sharon O’Hanlon before meeting up with Charlotte Reeder for the hot seat match, which she won 7-4. Charlotte then lost 7-4 to Morgan to finish in 3rd place. JPNEWT thanks Cosmo Salerno and Amy Johns for hosting an event on such short notice and we look forward to returning next year. JPNEWT’s year finale will be a $500-added event on December 3rd and 4th at Clifton Billiards in Clifton, NJ.

Dawn Hopkins went undefeated to win the New York State Women’s 9-Ball Championships held on October 7th and 8th at House of Billiards in Staten Island. While the turnout was off a bit, the “Usual Suspects” showed up to vie for the POY title to be determined in December. On her way to victory, Dawn posted wins over Naomi Williams, Erica Testa, and Sherry Pouncey to meet up with Tour newcomer Naomi Fingerhut for the hot seat match. Naomi had her best tournament finish of the year with scoring wins over Melissa Jenkins, Joanne Corbett, and Gina Lipsky be fore getting knocked to the left side of the chart by Dawn in a 7-2 match. Naomi then lost out to Erin McManus for a 3rd place. Congrats to Naomi on her highest tour finish to date!! Erin McManus took a break from life as a college student to come out and play with the tour for the first time two years. Erin posted a win over Kathy Friend before being sent to the wrong side of the chart by Sherry Pouncey. Erin gathered a head a steam and won her next matches over Erica Testa, Gina Lipsky and JPNEWT POY Caroline Pao to face Naomi Fingerhut. Erin won over Naomi 7-3 to match up with Dawn in the finals. All the steam seemed to let out of Erin as Dawn won the first 4 games before Erin got on the board. Erin would only manage to win one more game as Dawn gave a clinic on how to play and went on to win 7-2. Congrats to Erin for winning her first Qualifier! JPNEWT thanks House of Billiards owners Joe Zancocchio, Anthony Silletto, and Rob Riccardi for hosting this event, and we look forward to coming back next year. JPNEWT also thanks Pechauer Custom Cues for their continued support. JPNEWT’s next event is at Cosmo’s Billiards in Dickson City, PA on November 4th and 5th.

A full 32 player field turned out for the $2000-added New Jersey State 9-Ball Championships at Prime Time Sports Bar and Billiards on September 15th and 16th. Kelly Fisher and Val Finnie traveled from North Carolina to battle for the title while Dawn Hopkins drove north in her home state to attempt to regain the title she had won once before. On Sunday the final six returned to Prime Time with match-ups for 5th/6th place between Liz Ford and JPNEWT POY Caroline Pao, and Alexandra Calabrese and Supadra Boonpasook. Liz and Supadra emerged the winners and since Liz was not eligible for the US Open Qualifier, Supadra won her very first Qualifier. Congrats Supadra!! The hot seat match commenced at 12:30 pm between Kelly Fisher and Dawn Hopkins. Kelly posted wins over Kathy Friend, Janice Larocca, Val Finnie, and Caroline Pao. Dawn won her matches against Liz Ford, Kathleen Lawless, Gina Lipsky, and Alexandra Calabrese. “Quik Fire” Fisher won the hot seat with a 7-2 score. Dawn then rematched with Liz Ford and won again, 7-3. The finals may have been a repeat of the players from the hot seat match, but Dawn emerged from her match with Liz with a new determination for the final showdown. In the modified finals race, Kelly had to reach 7 games first to win, but if Dawn reached 7 games first, they had to play out to 9. Kelly won the lag and the first game, but Dawn won the next two games and from then on Dawn could not gain more than a one-game lead over Kelly in a virtual “catch-up” battle. With the score tied at 6-6, Dawn won the first hill-hill to continue the race to 9. Kelly was able to take the lead, 8-7, in the 15th rack, but Dawn forced a second hill-hill, tying the score at 8-8. In the final rack Dawn came up dry on the break. Kelly faced a half-ball hit on the 1, but took a chance and played a 1-9 carom that split the pocket to win the match and the title for 2006. JPNEWT thanks Prime Time Billiards and Heinekin for hosting the event. We also thank Pechauer Custom Cues for their continued support. JPNEWT’s next event is the New York State Championships at House of Billiards in Staten Island on October 7th and 8th.

It took Kelly Fisher all of 30 minutes to send defending Maryland State Champion Tiffany Nelson to the left side of the chart to win the hot seat,7-1. Then it took Kelly only 40 minutes to unseat Tiffany permanently to take claim to the title in the finals with a 7-2 score. Bill and Billies CuesPort held the Maryland State 9-ball Championships on July 15th and 16th for the second year in a row with the J. Pechauer NorthEast Women’s Tour. Room Owner Kurt Ziem generously added $1500 to the prize fund, as well as a US Open Qualifier to be awarded to the highest finishing Semi-Pro player in the field that was open to the WPBA Touring Pros. And the Touring Pros came. Kelly Fisher and Tiffany Nelson drove up from North Carolina with Val Finnie, and Sueyen Rhee drove in from Virginia. On her way to the hot seat, Kelly posted wins over JPNEWT newcomer Cheryl Squire 7-1, JPNEWT POY Caroline Pao 7-2, and fellow Touring Pros Sueyen Rhee 7-1, and Tiffany Nelson 7-1. Tiffany Nelson posted her wins over Val Finnie 7-3, Pam Treadway 7-6, and Ellen Yu 7-5 before losing to Kelly for the hot seat. Then Tiffany faced Val Finnie who had come back from her first round loss with wins over Morgan Steinman 7-6, Kim Sudler 7-5, Caroline Pao 7-4, Ellen Yu 7-4, and Sueyen Rhee 7-5. Tiffany froze Val in her seat with a 7-0 score to rematch with Kelly Fisher. Val won the US Open Qualifier with her 3rd place finish and fine performance. JPNEWT thanks Bill and Billies CueSports' Room Owner Kurt Ziem and his gracious staff for a fantastic event. We also thank Pechauer Custom Cues and Inside Pool for their continued sponsorship. J PNEWT’s next event is the New Jersey State 9-ball Championships at Prime Time Billiards in South Amboy. The event date is September 16th and 17th and is currently scheduled as $3000 added, including a US Open Qualifier. This event is also open to all WPBA Touring Pros.

At JPNEWT’s event at Comet Billiards on June 24th and 25th, Kathy Friend arrived literally seconds before the Player’s Meeting was to begin.A little frazzled from an incident while traveling to the event, she dropped her first match to Tour newcomer Naomi Fingerhut. After that, she regained her composure and that was the last time Kathy lost a match. Coming from the B-side of the chart, Kathy posted wins over Sherry Pouncey, Carol Clark, Erica Testa, and Supadra Boonpasook before returning on Sunday. Tour Coordinator Barbara Stock got a bye to settle down after the first round matches went off and had a chance to warm up a little before her first match. Barbara posted wins over Bye, Allison Mosimann, Erica Testa, and a hill-hill battle with the McDermott NEWT POY Morgan Steinman to return on Sunday for the hot seat match. The Final Four returned on Sunday with Kathy Friend matching up to Morgan Steinman and Barbara Stock playing JPNEWT Tour POY Caroline Pao. There were a few “firsts” that were going to happen on Sunday. Kathy dispatched Morgan in a 7-3 win. Barbara won her “first” hot seat in a 7-4 win over Caroline Pao (note to self, winning on Sunday feels pretty good, try to keep this up!). Kathy was playing strong and posted a 7-4 win over Caroline to head for the finals. This was a “first” time in over a year that two players who have never won a Qualifier matched up in the finals. Claiming a stake to literary license to skip over the gory details of the finals, Kathy won 9-4 over Barbara. Congrats to Kathy Friend for her “first” JPNEWT tour win and winning the Qualifier!! Keep up the good shooting!! JPNEWT thanks Bill and Marcia Haley of Comet Billiards for hosting our second event of the year with them. We also thank Pechauer Cues and Inside Pool for their continued support. JPNEWT’s next event is the $1500-added + US Open Qualifier Maryland State 9-Ball Championships at Bill and Billies Cues Port in Arnold, MD.

Pamela Treadway literally ran through a field of 23 women vying for the last BCA Open Qualifier to be had in the Regional Tours, which was held at Prime Time Sports Bar and Billiards in Sayreville on April 8th and 9th. In some matches that didn’t last even 25 minutes, Pamela scored wins over Val Finnie (7-2), Cyndi Haefner (7-2), and Tina Meraglio (7-3), to match up with JPNEWT’s 2005 POY Caroline Pao for the hot seat. Caroline Pao’s ride to the hot seat consisted of wins over Gina Lipsky (7-6), Jessica Cycak (unk), and McDermott Tour POY Morgan Steinman (7-4). The hot seat match was a close race with neither opponent gaining more than a 2-game lead over each other. Although Caroline pulled out in front 2-0, Pamela took over the lead at 3-2 on a costly scratch by Caroline on the 8-ball and never looked back. Pamela won the hot seat 7-5. Caroline was left to face former WPBA Touring Pro Ming Ng. Ming had an unfortunate accident in 2005 and was forced to give up playing and her Touring Pro status while recovering from surgery. Ming lost her second round match to Morgan Steinman, but gradually built up steam throughout the rest of the tournament and won over Pam Ogarek (7-6), Xenia Balleste (unk), Kathy Friend (7-0), Gina Lipsky (7-4), and Tina Meraglio (7-4) to rematch with Morgan. Only this time, Morgan was unable to win the rematch and lost 7-3 to Ming. Caroline Pao built up a quick 4-0 lead over Ming while running a 2-pack in-between the first and fourth racks, but Ming dug her heals in and fought back to 4-3. Caroline then went ahead to the hill 6-3 and all Ming could do was win one more game while Caroline posted a 7-4 score to rematch with Pamela in the finals. In the modified race to 9, Pamela only had to reach 7 games before Caroline to win it all. And winning looked too easily for Pamela as she ran a two-pack and then some to build a 6-0 lead. A scratch by Pamela on an 8-ball looked to rattle her a little and Caroline was able to gain 4 games on her. But Pamela regained her composure and closed out the match 7-4. JPNEWT thoroughly enjoyed a wonderful event at Prime Time Sports Café and Billiards and thanks owners Adam and Kevin Seltzer as well as their staff. We also look forward to returning to Prime Time for the 12th Annual New Jersey State 9-Ball Championships on September 16th/17th. Meanwhile, JPNEWT thanks Pechauer Cues for their continued support, as well as Inside Pool Magazine. JPNEWT’s next event will be at Comet Billiards on June 24th/25th for $500 added and a 2006 WPBA Qualifier.

Zinnie Panju went undefeated to win JPNEWT’s opener at Comet Billiards on February 18th. This was Zinnie’s first WPBA Qualifier and event win. Zinnie posted wins over Carol Clark 7-4, Cyndi Haefner 7-2, and Annette Carroll 7-6.Zinnie then matched up with Gina Lipsky for the hot seat. The match for the hot seat was a see-saw battle with Gina reaching the hill first. But a position error left Gina hooked behind the 9-ball for the 7 and Zinnie pulled out the game. Gina posted wins over Irene Liao 7-3, Kathy Friend, and Ellen Yu 7-5, before meeting up with NEWC Tour Champion Morgan Steinman for 3rd place. Morgan went up 4-2 on Gina, but Gina came back with 3 unanswered games to make it 5-4. Morgan then tied it up at 5-5, and then Gina reached the hill first. Morgan took the next game and Gina would have another hill-hill match on her hands. This time though, Gina successfully ran out the game to rematch with Zinnie in the finals and go for her third event in a row. The finals were a “modified” race to 9. If Zinnie reached 7 games before Gina did, the match would be over. If Gina reached 7 games first, they had to play it out to 9. Zinnie took control and surged ahead to a 6-1 lead and it looked like it would be over soon. But Gina found another gear and came back with 5 unanswered games. In the 12th rack Gina unfortunately hung up the 9-ball giving Zinnie her first win at 7-5. JPNEWT thanks Pechauer Cues for their continued support and Bill and Marcia Haley of Comet Billiards for hosting the Tour. JPNEWT’s next event will be a $1000-added, BCA Qualifying event at Prime Time Billiards on April 8th and 9th. Go to www.newt9ball.com for more event information.

Gina Lipsky pulled off her second JPNEWT event, making it two in a row as the Pechauer NorthEast Women’s Tour finished up at Clifton Billiards on December 3rd. It was a small but distinguished field as there were no less than 4 players vying for the WPBA’s invited spots for 2006, as well as the $500 added, and the Qualifier to a 2006 WPBA event. Gina started out her undeafeated run with wins over Karen Armstrong, local favorite Michelle Colletti, and Caroline Pao before facing off against Kathy Friend for the hot seat which she won, 7-3. Caroline posted wins over Melissa Jenkins and Frankie Duffy before bowing to Gina. Caroline regrouped on the left side of the chart with wins over Sandra Pereira and Charlotte Reeder. She then faced Kathy Friend and the possibility of losing the valued invited spots and POY but won decisively, 7-1, to rematch to Gina in the finals. Both Regional Tour veterans dug their heels in the ground and refused anything more than a 2 game lead throughout the race to 9 match. Caroline drew first blood and had the lead at 3-1, but Gina came back to tie her and then go up on her with a 2-game lead at 6-4. A costly scratch on the 9-ball in the 12th rack by Caroline gave Gina 7-5 lead, but Gina then scratched on a 9 in the 14th rack and Caroline tied her at 7-7. Caroline reached the hill first but it was Gina winning the last two racks to make it 9-8 to win her second event of the 2005 season. Congrats to Gina and Caroline who is the JPNEWT 2005 POY!! A separate article on Caroline Paos POY honors will be written. JPNEWT thanks Pechauer cues for their continued support and sponsorship. We also thank Inside Pool for their sponsorship and support. And thanks to Lee Kuchenreuther and Clifton Billiards for another wonderful event at a great pool room!!

Gina Lipsky overcame the Hot Seat loss to Pam Treadway and went on to win JPNEWT’s 8th stop at Harry Metzger’s RackM Up in Frazer, PA. Pam started out strong with wins over Melissa Jenkins, Lauren Galen and Gina Lipsky to win the hot seat 7-5 over a 4-year MIA Tour Terror, Laura Metzger. This was Laura’s first Tour event since 2001 and she showed great form with wins over points leader Caroline Pao, Charlotte Reeder, and a Tour newbie Ellen Yu. Gina posted wins over Kathleen Lawless and Carol Clark before being shown the left side of the chart by Pam, 7-5. Gina then made headway over Barbara Stock, Sherry Pouncey, and put Laura Metzger into 3rd place on Sunday to rematch with Pam in the finals. This time, however, it wasn’t as close as the first match-up. Gina played deliberately and cautiously against the talented rookie Pam and won the finals handily, 9-2. JPNEWT thanks Harry and Sam Metzger for welcoming back the tour and looks forward to coming back next November. We also thank Pechauer Custom Cues for their continued support. JPNEWT’s next event is at Clifton Billiards on December 3rd/4th. It is an Amateur and Semi-Pro only event with $500 added and a Qualifier to a 2006 WPBA event.

It was an “All Canadien Final” at the JPNEWT NY State Women’s 9-Ball Championships at Michelle’s Billiard Café in Baldwinsville NY on October 1st and 2nd. Up for the taking was a $2735 cash prize fund and 2 WPBA US Open Qualifiers for the highest ranking eligible finishers. Terri Mason went undefeated through the field with wins over Lauren Galen, Barbara Stock, Liz Taylor, and Kathy Friend to then win the hot set match against Caroline Pao, 7-3. Anita McMahon lost an early match to Liz Taylor but came back with wins over Carol Clark, Barbara Stock, Michelle Allen, and Kathy Friend to meet up with Caroline Pao to face off for 3rd Place. Anita froze Caroline in her seat with a 7-3 score. In the final race to 9, Anita drew first blood, but Terri wore Anita down and gained a 7-3 lead. Terri met the hill first and then Anita answered back with two more games, but an early turnover in the last rack gave Terri the table and the win, 9-5. JPNEWT thanks Pechauer Cues for their continued support and sponsorship. We also give our kudos to Michelle and Ed Allen and their staff, Gary, Andy, and John Allen, for a wonderful weekend of pool, food, karaoke, and fun for all the players. We look forward to returning next year! JPNEWT’s next event is a $1000 added, 2006 WPBA Qualifier at Rack M Up in Frazer, PA. This event will be open to the WPBA Touring Pros.

Tiffany Nelson bested fellow Touring Pro Kim Shaw 9-4 in the finals of the event to win the $2000-added Maryland State 9-Ball Championships held at Bill and Billies CuesPort in Arnold, Maryland. This is Tiffany’s second State Championship title she has won on the J. Pechauer NorthEast Women’s Tour circuit. Tiffany started her run to her undefeated title with wins over tour newcomer Pamela Treadway, Kathy Friend, and Morgan Steinman. She then played Kim Shaw for the hot seat and won, 7-4. Kim Shaw posted wins over Kathleen Lawless, Liz Taylor, and a hill-hill match win with Annette Carroll before being sent to the wrong side of the chart by Tiffany. Kim then won 7-3 over Sueyen Rhee to meet up with Tiffany for the finals. The finals were a bit of a turnaround in the beginning with Kim Shaw jumping out to a 4-1 lead. But an unfazed Nelson put Kim in a full eponymous hold and never let her win another game to win 9-4. Pamela Treadway won her second WPBA Qualifier, this one taking her to the WPBA US Open in October in Albuquerque, NM. JPNEWT wishes to thank Room Owner Kurt Ziem and Room Manager Richard Moliniero, as well as their gracious staff, for hosting the event at their wonderful room. JPNEWT also thanks Pechauer Cues for their continuing support. JPNEWT’s next event is the $2000-added NY State 9-Ball Championships on October 1st and 2nd at Michelle’s Billiard Café in Baldwinsville, NY. This event will feature TWO WPBA US Open Qualifiers eligible to the two highest finishing Amateur/Semi-Pro players.

PAO WINS GREAT SLATES EVENT, TAKES JPNEWT POINT LEAD
Caroline Pao made only one match mistake at the JPNEWT event at Great Slates in Cambridge Maryland on August 20th and 21st – she underestimated Kathy Friend’s talent while playing for the hot seat and lost 7-4. But Caroline recouped her composure and seated Carol Clark into 3rd place to regain a rematch with Kathy and then forged on to win the finals, 9-6. In the $1000 added event Caroline won $500 for her win plus a Qualifier to a 2006 WPBA event. Caroline posted wins over Barbara Stock, Karen Armstrong, and Kimberley Sudler before losing 7-4 to Kathy Friend. She then won against Carol Clark to rematch against Kathy in the finals. Kathy Friend started out with a bye and then had match wins over Kathleen Lawless and Carol Clark to then meet up with Caroline and send her to the left side of the chart. In the finals it was all Caroline until Kathy returned 3 racks unanswered to try and catch up at 6-5, but one more game was all Kathy could manage as the final score ended up at 9-6 with Caroline the victor. With her win, Caroline has taken the JPNEWT point lead. JPNEWT wishes to thank John Moody and his staff at Great Slates for a wonderful event, and J. Pechauer Custom Cues for their continued sponsorship and support. JPNEWT also thanks Rich and Cathy Rhoads for setting up the event for JPNEWT. JPNEWT’s next event will be at Bill and Billies CueSports in Arnold Maryland for the Maryland State 9-Ball Championships with $2000 added and another WPBA US Open Qualifier up for grabs! WPBA Touring Pros are allowed to entered for this prestigious event.

Tiffany Nelson went undefeated to unseat the absent Defending Champion Karen Corr to become the 2005 NJ State 9-Ball Champion at Herbert's Billiards in Secaucus, NJ held July 16th and 17th. Up for grabs was $1250 in added monies, but more importantly, TWO WPBA US Open Qualifiers. Tiffany started her run with wins against Barbara Stock, Rebecca Pike, and Dawn Hopkins before she met up with Caroline Pao for the hot seat. Caroline won her matches over Gina Lipsky, Pam Ogarek, and Morgan Steinman. Morgan had recently won the ACS National 9-ball and 8-ball Singles Championships. Congrats Morgan!! Tiffany then sent Caroline to the left side of the chart to win the hot seat in a 7-4 score. Caroline then won over Gina Lipsky, 7-2. With the rematch for the title at hand, Caroline first took the lead 1-0, but Tiffany was in pure stroke and gave notice why she belongs in the top 10 of the WPBA standings and ran a two-pack to gain a 6-2 lead in the single race to 9 finals. Caroline answered back with two games on her own and capitalized on a scratch by Tiffany with the 7 and 9 left to pull up to a 6-5 score. Tiffany then answered back with a break and run on the 11th rack and gained her ground to the win of the match by taking over the table on a hung 9-ball in the 12th rack and from an unfortunate scratch by Caroline on the 4 ball in the 13th rack. Tiffany was just not giving anything up from there. The final score was 9-5. Congrats Tiffany!! JPNEWT thanks Herbert's Billiards Room Owners Mel and Meredith and Promoter Richie Sacco for their sponsorship of this tour. JPNEWT also thanks J. Pechauer Custom Cues for their continuing support and sponsorship. JPNEWT's next event is in Cambridge MD at Great Slates on August 20th/21st for $1000 Added + a 2006 Qualifier.

Karen Armstrong won JPNEWT’s 3rd event at the ever-accommodating Comet Billiards, in Parsippany, NJ as Bill and Marcia Haley hosted their second J. Pechauer NorthEast Women’s Tour event on June 4th/5th. The hot seat match was between Carol Clark and Kathy Friend and was a nail-biter hill-hill match. Carol came out the victor and rested while Kathy matched up with Karen Armstrong. Karen took a strong lead and won the match 7-4. The finals were one race to 9 that started at midnight. Having been up since 4 am, Carol regained her second wind too late and lost 9-5 against Karen. Karen wins the WPBA Qualifier for the Midwest Classic event. Carol’s second place finish propelled her to first place on the JPNEWT tour.

Ellen Van Buren flew up from Florida on a mission to win the WPBA Florida Classic Qualifier from JPNEWT's Clifton Billiards event and it was Mission Accomplished at JPNEWT's second event of 2005! Ellen charged through the field undefeated scoring wins over Sandra Pereira, Dawn Fox, and Hollie Burk before winning the hill-hill hot seat match over Gina Kim-Lipsky. Gina posted wins over Michelle Colletti, Barbara Stock, and Liz Schwartzreich before being sent to the left side of the chart by Ellen. Gina lost the right to rechallenge Ellen in a 7-5 loss to JPNEWT 2003 POY Liz "The Giant Killer" Schwartzreich. Liz posted wins over Brenda Hearas and Supadra Boonpasook before her first loss to Gina, and then won over Barbara Stock and Brenda Heras before winning her rematch with Gina to go to the finals against Ellen. The finals were as close as they get. In a single race to 9, Ellen posted the first win. Liz then tied her, but Ellen pulled ahead by two games, 4-2. The rest of the match would never see more than a two-game distance between the two, and always with Ellen in the lead. With the score at 8-7, Liz took advantage of a clustered layout to three-foul Ellen and go hill-hill, but when Ellen was on two fouls a Hail Mary third kick at the one-ball worked and she subsequently won that game for the match 9-7. JPNEWT thanks Lee Kuchenreuther of Clifton Billiards for his support and hosting this event. We also thank Pechauer Custom Cues for their continued sponsorship of JPNEWT. And JPNEWT congratulates Ellen for her win and Liz Schwartzreich on her pending nuptials in Las Vegas during the BCA Pro Event. Liz is going to be married on May 22nd. Congrats Liz!! JPNEWT's next event will be at Comet Billiards on June 4th and 5th for $500 added plus a WPBA Qualifier. It is open to Amateur and Semi-Pros only.

Miyuki Sakai put the women’s pool world on notice that 2005 would be the year she makes a run for the WPBA by winning the Pechauer NorthEast Women’s Tour’s first event at Comet Billiards in Parsippany, NJ. Miyuki went undefeated in her quest and posted wins over Charlotte Reeder, Morgan Steinman, and Caroline Pao. Miyuki then matched up with JPNEWT newcomer and 2004 Super Billiards Expo Open Women’s Amateur winner Zinnie Panju for the hot seat. Zinnie could not stop Miyuki’s march for the WPBA Qualifier in a 7-2 loss. On the left side of the chart JPNEWT perennial Caroline Pao lay in wait for Zinnie. Caroline posted wins over Barbara Stock, Abigail Marcus-Hong, Brenda Heras, and Erin McManus before leaving Zinnie in third place in a 7-4 match. In her second match with Miyuki, Caroline could not make any headway as Miyuki steadily built up her lead to 8-3. But in the 12th rack Caroline got her on 3 fouls to cut the lead by a game. However, it was Miyuki in the end with a 9-4 win. JPNEWT thanks the ever-accommodating Bill and Marcia Haley and Comet Billiards for hosting this event and we look forward to returning on June 4th for another event.

Kelly Fisher Takes JPNEWT Finale Kelly Fisher came from the 1-loss side of the chart to take JPNEWT’s final event, 9-1, over Tina Meraglio at Hagerstown Billiards in Hagerstown, MD. Kelly was sent to the wrong side of the chart by roommate and road partner Val Finnie after they each received a bye in the first round and had to play each other in the second. Kelly posted wins over Simone Hospedales, Kathleen Lawless, Pam Ogarek, Carol Clark, and Karen Armstrong before meeting up with Val again. After defeating Kelly in the second round, Val won against Wendy Safford and Carol Clark, but got drilled by Tina Meraglio in the contest for the hot seat, 7-2. Tina also posted wins over Barbara Stock, Pam Ogarek, and Karen Armstrong on her way to the hot seat. In the finals it was Kelly Fisher all the way, making very few mistakes en route to a 9-1 victory. Val Finnie is JPNEWT’s Player of the Year. Congrats Val!! JPNEWT thanks Jason and Gary Carbaugh of Hagerstown Billiards, and Pechauer Cues for their support and sponsorship.

What the field lacked in size, it more than made up for in talent. Three-time Defending Champion and #2-ranked Karen Corr, #7-ranked Julie Kelly, #9-ranked Gerda Hofstatter, #10-ranked Kim Shaw, #17-ranked Romana Dokovic and former NY State 8-ball, 9-ball, and 14.1 Champion Dawn Hopkins all came out to play in The Billiards Workbook NY State 9-Ball Championships held October 2nd and 3rd at The Pocket Billiard Lounge in Binghamton, NY. When the final 4 came back on Sunday, the hot seat match action saw Dawn Hopkins win 7-5 over Gerda Hofstatter. On the one-loss side, Karen Corr had a grueling match win over fellow road partner and former World Champion Julie Kelly, also at 7-5. That match seemed to have taken something out of Karen as she could not get started in her match with Gerda, and lost 7-0. The finals were a true double elimination as Gerda would have to beat Dawn twice versus Dawn needing only match win in a race to 7. In the first match it appeared that Dawn would go on the hill first, but missed an off-angled 9 ball to let Gerda tie her at 5 games apiece. Gerda went to the hill first in the 11th rack after a costly scratch by Dawn late in that game. In the final rack of that match Gerda capitalized on another missed 9-ball and won, 7-5. The second set wasn’t as close as the first as Gerda jumped out to a 4-0 before Dawn could answer back with 2 games. And in the end it was Gerda 7-2. JPNEWT wishes to thank its sponsors, Pechauer Cues and The Billiards Workbook, as well as the new room owners of The Pocket Billiard Lounge, Steve Micalizzi and Rob Centorano and wish them success with their room.

KAREN CORR DEFENDS NJ STATE 9-BALL TITLE “She gave me a LESSON!!” exclaimed Val Finnie after Karen Corr handed her a 9-1 defeat in the finals of the 11th Annual NJ State 9-Ball Championships at Herbert’s Billiards, August 14th and 15th. Karen not only ran through Val like a hot knife through butter, but also handed each of her opponents much of the same. Karen started out her undefeated run to the title with a win over the #1-ranked Japanese player Miyuki Sakai, then tossed former fellow snooker player Kelly Fisher to the wrong side of the chart, dispatched WPBA Touring Pro Fran Crimi to the same fate, and came through victorious in a hill-hill battle with her Irish co-patriot and former World Champion, Julie Kelly. Karen continued her run to the title by winning the hot seat in a 7-0 match over Carol Clark who had just won an exhaustive hill-hill match against JPNEWT newcomer Morgan Steinman. That match cost Morgan the WPBA US Open Qualifier as Morgan soon bowed out to another newcomer, Brenda Heras. Congrats to Carol on winning her first Qualifier!! Val Finnie posted her first win over Barbara Stock before being sent to the wrong side of the chart by Julie Kelly. Once there, Val posted wins over Charlotte Reeder, Saeko Mori, and Kelly Fisher only to find herself in a rematch against Julie Kelly. This time it was Val who would become the victor. Then Val bested Brenda Heras and Carol Clark to face Karen in the finals. Karen gave Val a taste of what’s in store for her when she plays her first WPBA event in Florida by winning the first two racks. A scratch on the third rack gave Val ball-in-hand as she went on the defensive and 3-fouled Karen for her only game win. Karen played in classic “Karen Style” and just completely dominated the rest of the match by allowing Val back to the table to face kicks from her any of her deadly safeties and impossible table positions. In the end, it was Karen, 9-1. JPNEWT thanks Herbert’s Billiards for another wonderful event and looks forward to being there again next year. We also thank our sponsors, J. Pechauer Custom Cues, The Billiards Workbook, and Inside Pool Magazine.

Val Finnie defeated Romana Dokovic 7-6 to win the NJ State 8-Ball SC and US Open Qualifier. Val won the hot seat over JPNEWT tour favorite and Official Birthday Girl, Carol Clark, 5-1. But Carol's crowning glory was winning the chance to get to play Val by first defeating fellow NYCer and WPBA Touring Pro Romana Dokovic and then sending Kelly Fisher to the left side of the chart in a 5-4 match. Carol then rematched with Romana, but it wasn’t as close as Saturday’s match and Carol lost, 5-1.
In the finals, it was a battle between the Glaswegian Finnie and Romanian Dokovic to go hill-hill. Val Finnie was down to her last ball when she was faced into a straight-shot with no angle to get on the 8-ball. Val powered-stroked a table length draw shot, but it scratched into the opposite corner pocket. Romana had ball in hand on her last ball, but failed to get position on the 8 and had to do an extreme cut into a corner pocket and
dangled the 8. Val pocketed the 8 for the win. JPNEWT wishes to thank Herbert’s Billiards and the owners, Mel and Merideth for a great tournament. And we thank Herbert’s very professional staff for their help. We also thank the promoter, Rich Sacco, for organizing this event. And finally, we thank all of our sponsors – Pechauer Cues, The Billiards Workbook, and Inside Pool for their continued support.

Val Finnie won her first WPBA Qualifier at JPNEWT’s second stop at Comet Billiards in Parsippany, NJ. Finnie, a native of Glasgow, Scotland, went undefeated in the field of 22 players and bested 6-time World Snooker champion Kelly Fisher in a hill-hill final. Finnie posted wins over Melissa Jenkins, Diana Sorrentino, and Helen Koh. She then defeated Kelly Fisher for the hot seat, 7-5. Fisher posted wins over Joanne Corbett, Morgan Steinman, and JPNEWT’S 2003 POY Liz Schwartzreich before being sent to the left side of the chart to again play Liz for the chance to meet up with Finnie in the finals. Liz finished in third place. JPNEWT wishes to thank their hosts, Bill and Marcia Haley for a great event in their spacious room. We also thank our sponsors, Pechauer Cues, The Billiards Workbook, and Inside Pool.

The first JPNEWT event of the year featured a first time match up of 6-time World Snooker Champion Kelly Fisher and Kim Shaw on American soil at Prime Time Sports Bar and Café in Sayreville, NJ. Kelly Fisher has officially arrived to American pool and posted wins over Sueyen Rhee, Stacey Lantz, Sabrina Sasaki and Romana Dokovic before sending Kim Shaw to the 1-loss side to win the hot seat. Kim Shaw posted wins over Pam Ogarek, Diane Policastro, Carol Clark, and Tiffany Nelson before losing to Kelly. Kim then bested fellow Touring Pro Romana Dokovic to match up with Kelly again in the finals. In the finals Kelly kept up with Kim, but a jawed 9-ball with the score tied 3-3 let Kim go ahead to 6-3 before Kelly could answer with another game. With the score 6-5 another unforced error by Kelly let Kim post a 2 game lead. Kelly would manage one more game but it was Kim that reached 9 first to take the match. Without any doubt, when Kelly learns the strategies and nuances of 9-ball, she will be a force to be reckoned with. JPNEWT thanks owners Kevin and Adam of Prime Time Billiards for their hospitality. We also thank room manager Tiffany Nelson for coordinating this event. And we wish to thank Pechauer Custom Cues, Inside Pool, and the Billiards Workbook for their support and sponsorship of this tour.

Karen Corr successfully defended her 2002 NY State Championship title against Kim Shaw in finals finish that mimicked the 2002 finals. Kim Shaw put Karen on the left side of the chart in a previous hill-hill match. Kim won the hot seat over Jennifer Barretta, 7-5. Jennifer played an intense and focused match against Shaw, but the rolls just seemed to be against her. Jennifer’s intensity and focus continued with her into her match with Karen, and she capitalized on a couple of Karen’s unforced errors to keep up with her early in the match. But Karen’s skills prevailed and she reached the hill first at 6-2. A killer safety and kicking game ensued in rack 9, and Karen came out on top to win 7-2. The finals were true double elimination with Karen having to win both races to 7 while Kim only had to win one race. In the first race to 7, Karen jumped out to a 4-0 lead before Kim put herself on the scoreboard. Karen reached the hill first at 6-2, then capitalized on a 4-9 carom to win 7-2. The next match was much closer with neither player taking any chances in any questionable situation. Kim made a small lead on Karen, 3-1, but Karen battled back to go ahead 4-3. Kim answered with 2 games to lead 5-4, but a miss on the 5-ball in rack 10 allowed Karen back to the table where she ran out that rack. Karen then ran the last two racks completely to win 7-5. Jennifer Barretta won the Qualifier for the 2004 U.S. Open and Liz Scwartzreich won the Coors Light Qualifier for the 2003 WPBA Nationals. JPNEWT wishes to thank J. Pechauer Custom Cues for their continued support and “The Billiards Workbook” for their sponsorship of the event through direct prize fund contribution as well as raffle sales from over $2000 of donated merchandise.

Karen Corr’s first JPNEWT event this year resulted in a win, but not an undefeated win at Castle Billiards August 9-10th for the 10th Annual NJ State 9-ball Championships. Karen lost the hot seat battle to road partner and friend, Julie Kelly, in a hill-hill match. This set up the semi-final match between #2 WPBA-ranked Corr, and JPNEWT’s #1 ranked player, Jennifer Barretta. Jennifer was having a red-hot weekend posting wins over Cathy Bello, and JPNEWT newcomer Van Phan before losing a hill-hill match to Julie Kelly. On the 1-loss side, Jennifer caught another gear on Sunday and sent Ellie Chang and newly minted WPBA Touring Pro Gail Grecar packing. Jennifer won the lag in her match against Karen and ran the first rack. When Karen got to the table in the second rack, Karen froze Jennifer for the next 6 games, making Jennifer kick at safeties any time she was at the table. The score turned 6-1 before Karen fouled on the 1-ball and allowed Jennifer back to the table. Jennifer answered with 2 more games to make the score 6-3. In the tenth rack, Jennifer missed a hard shot on the 5 ball to allow Karen back in to finish the match, 7-3. Jennifer finished a strong 3rd with $600 for her showing. In the finals race to 9, it was a classic Kelly-Corr showdown with Karen starting off with a win, and Julie keeping up with another win. The seesaw battle kept going until the 9th rack when Julie jawed the 9 in the corner pocket. This took the steam out of Julie’s push and she managed only two more games when Karen won the match 9-6. Of course, this wasn’t your ordinary tournament at Castle. Owners Rich and Mary Sacco love to make the games more interesting by adding the enticement of $500 to the first person to make the 9 on the snap in a hill-hill match. Of the 5 such challenges on Saturday (yours truly included), no one was able to capitalize on the opportunity. On Sunday, Richie raised the stakes to $1000 and the two challenges weren’t able to reach the objective. So after the finals, Richie again offered the $1000 to any of the final 8 players to try again Karen Corr snapped the 9 in so fast, you couldn’t blink!!! Or, at least we thought so. It seems that the racker and TD, Steve, put the 9-ball as the wing ball in the rack, and it went like lightning into the pocket. Richie Sacco breathed a sigh of relief but neither the rest of the players were able to snap the 9-ball in. Talk about TOUGH RACKS! This $3000 added event was generously sponsored by Omni Financial Services of Rutherford, NJ as well as Castle Billiards. JPNEWT new-comer Van Phan won the qualifier to the US Open. JPNEWT also wishes to thank their title sponsor, Jerrry Pechauer Custom Cues for their support.

Ga Young Kim, the 19-year old Korean pool sensation, won her second J. Pechauer North East Women’s Tour event at Castle Billiards in East Rutherford, NJ. But it wasn’t without a fight from some of JPNEWT’s top players. Ga Young posted wins on Saturday over Jeannie Seaver, Sueyen Rhee, and Caroline Pao, but on Sunday she had her hands full with Gina Kim-Lipsky in the battle for the hot seat. Gina was very determined to beat Ga Young and took advantage of Ga Young’s rare mistakes and misses to even the match out at 4 games each. But Ga Young caught a fresh wind and won the next three games to win the match, 7-4. JPNEWT’s #2 ranked player, Liz Schwartzreich posted a Saturday win over Teresa Diller and then lost to #1 ranked Jennifer Barretta. Liz then stormed through the 1-loss side with wins over Barbara Stock, Jeannie Seaver, Caroline Pao, and then on Sunday over Carol Clark before matching up with Gina Kim Lipsky. Liz took serious aim at Gina and won the match, 7-0, for the trip to the finals against Ga Young. Ga Young was still struggling in the finals and Liz kept her from running away in the score or around the table with many well-played safeties. But Ga Young found another stride with the score 5-4 and ran it up to 7-4 before Liz pulled herself back to the table to come within one game at 7-6. But that would be the last game Liz would win as Ga Young went on to win, 9-6. JPNEWT wishes to thank Rich and Mary Sacco and the staff at Castle Billiards for a wonderful event and looks forward to the 10th Annual NJ State 9-ball Championships with at least $3000 added!!!

Dawn Hopkins, sponsored by Viking Cues, won the NJ State 8-Ball Championships hosted by Castle Billiards and the J. Pechauer NorthEast Women’s Tour on June 21-22nd. But Dawn did not win without a fight as Liz Schwartzreich sent her to the wrong side of the chart in the battle for the hot seat by winning the match, 5-2. Dawn then matched up with Jennifer Barretta for the rights to meet up with Liz in the finals. Jennifer played as well as she could against the 23rd ranked WPBA Touring pro, but came up short in the match, 5-3. In the final race to 7, Dawn found new energy in her rematch against Liz and had Liz down 2-0 before Liz could tie Dawn at 3 games apiece. But Liz failed to score any more games in the match and Dawn ended up winning the match, 7-3. The J. Pechauer NorthEast Women’s Tour wishes to thank the Sacco family for their support of the J. Pechauer NorthEast Women’s Tour and looks forward to the next two events at Castle on July 12-13th and the 10th Annual NJ State 9-Ball Championships on August 9 & 10th.

Ga Young Kim flew up from Florida with a mission in mind. And that mission was to win the J. Pechauer NorthEast Women’s Tour May Qualifier event at Comet Billiards in Parsippany, NJ. Ga Young went undefeated in the event and posted wins over Liz Schwartzreich, Ellie Chang, Carol Clark, and then Jennifer Barretta to win the hot seat. Jennifer fought off Liz Schwartzreich for a second meeting with Ga Young in the finals. Jennifer posted wins over Gina Lipsky, Lisa LePage, and Kathleen Lawless before losing her first match to Ga Young. In the finals Ga Young went up 6-0 before Jennifer got on the board in the seventh rack to make it 6-1. But that would be the only game Jennifer would win as Ga Young cruised to a 9-1 final score. JPNEWT thanks Comet Billiards owners, Bill and Marcia Haley for their hospitality in hosting the event and looks forward to returning next year in June.