2018 ARCHIVES
2019 NAPT Division 2 North American Champion, JPNEWT's Bethany Sykes
2018 STOP #1
March 3-4
Triple Nines Bar & Billiards
Elkridge MD
20 player field
1st $585 Kia Sidbury
2nd $290 Erica Testa ***
3rd $230 Heather Platter
4th $ 85 Judie Wilson
5/6 $ 55 Cheryl Sporleder
$ 55 Linda Shea
*** Winner of NAPT Division 1 Pro Summer Classic qualifier spot at Shooters in Greyslake, IL.
l-r: Erica Testa, Linda Shea, Judie Wilson, Kia Sidbury, Cheryl Sporleder, Heather Platter
Sidbury comes back from semifinals to down Testa and win JPNEWT season opener
~Skip Maloney, AZBilliards, Mar 4, 2018
ia Sidbury claimed the J. Pechauer Northeast Women’s Tour’s season opener on the weekend of March 3-4 by coming back from a hot seat loss to down hot seat occupant, Erica Testa in the finals. Sidbury, who finished sixth overall in the tour’s 2017 standings, claimed the event title, and for the time being, top spot on the 2018 rankings. The $500-added (by Coins of the Realm) event drew 20 entrants to Triples Nines Bar & Billiards in Elkridge, MD.
Sidbury faced Testa twice, winning the all-important second matchup, in the finals, but she also had to get by Heather Platter twice; once in a winners’ side semifinal, and again, in the event semifinals. Following victories over Elaine Wilson and Kathy Friend, Sidbury came out on top in two straight double hill matches, against Tour Director Linda Shea in a winners’ side quarterfinal and Platter in the winners’ side semifinal, which put her (Sidbury) in the hot seat match. Testa’s path to the hot seat match went through Nicole Fleming, Lynn Richards (who would go on to win a concurrently-run, 9-entrant Amateur event), Gwen Townsend, and in the other winners’ side semifinal, Judie Wilson 7-2. Testa claimed the hot seat 7-5 over Sidbury and waited on her return from a re-match versus Platter in the semifinals.
On the loss side, Platter and Wilson met up with Cheryl Sporleder and Shea, respectively. Sporleder had eliminated Gwen Townsend, double hill, and Teri Thomas 7-2 to reach Sporleder. Shea got by Sharon O’Hanlon and Kim Whitman, both 7-4 to draw Wilson. Platter and Wilson advanced to the quarterfinals; Platter, 7-5 over Sporleder and Wilson, 7-2 over Shea.
Platter and Wilson locked up in a quarterfinal, double hill fight, that eventually sent Platter to a rematch against Sidbury in the semifinals. That semifinal match came within a game of going double hill, but in the end, Sidbury pulled ahead to win it by two 7-5.
In what was, essentially, an early season, first-stop battle for first place on the tour, Sidbury and Testa fought for a second time, looking to claim the event title. Sidbury got out in front, and stayed there, winning it 9-3 for her first tour win.
A concurrently-run Amateur event drew nine entrants and was won by Lynn Richards. The next stop on the J. Pechauer Northeast Women’s Tour, scheduled for April 28-29, will be hosted by Markley Billiards in Norristown, PA.
2018 STOP #2
April 28-29
Markley Billiards
Norristown PA
18 player field
1st $250 Erica Testa
2nd $175 Linda Shea
3rd $120 Judie Wilson *
4th $ 75 Nicole King
5/6 $ 50 Chari Slater
$ 50 Kia Sidbury
* Winner of NAPT Division 1 Pro Summer Classic qualifier spot at Shooters in Greyslake, IL.
l-r: Erica Testa, Kia Sidbury, Judie Wilson, Nicole King, Chari Slater, Linda Shea
Testa comes from the loss side to down Shea in finals of Stop #2 on the JPNEWT
~Skip Maloney, AZBilliards, May 6, 2018
While it’s still a little early to be talking about tour rankings, and who might or might not advance to be the J. Pechauer Northeast Women’s Tour champion at the conclusion of its season in November, the tour’s second stop, held on the weekend of April 28-29, did result in a bit of shuffling at the top of those rankings. Erica Testa, who entered Stop #2 in second place behind Kia Sidbury in the single-event rankings, came from the loss side to down Linda Shea in the finals. Testa moved ahead of Sidbury into first place. In the absence of Heather Platter, who was ranked second, Sidbury, who finished in the tie for 5th place, moved into the second spot. Shea’s runner-up finish moved her from 5th to 3rd, while Judie Wilson’s third-place finish kept her in the #4 spot in the rankings. The event drew 18 entrants to Markley Billiards in Norristown, PA.
After an opening round bye, Testa downed Chari Slater and Anita Sowers to draw Shea in one of the winners’ side semifinals. Wilson, in the meantime (also after a bye) defeated Suzanne Sellet and Melissa Jenkins to meet Sidbury in the other winners’ side semifinal. The four women in those two matches were four of the early-tour’s six best players (Heather Platter and Cheryl Sporleder did not compete in this event). Shea sent Testa to the loss side 7-4, as Wilson was working on a double hill win over Sidbury. Shea claimed the hot seat (her first of the early season) 7-1 over Wilson and waited on the return of Testa.
Over on the loss side, Testa drew a re-match against Slater, who’d defeated Tina Marinelli, Sharon O’Hanlon (double hill) and Melissa Jenkins 7-4 to earn that re-match. Sidbury picked up Nicole King, who’d originally been defeated by Shea, and gotten by Elaine Wilson 7-3 and Nicole Nester 7-2 on the loss side.
Advancement to the quarterfinals was hotly contested with both matches going double hill. When the double hill dust settled, King and Testa had advanced. Testa eliminated King 7-5 in those quarterfinals, and then, spoiled Judie Wilson’s bid for a re-match against Shea (and movement up the rankings ladder) with a 7-3 win in the semifinals.
It was an ‘extended race to 9’ final. Coming from the loss side, Testa had to beat Shea to seven racks, to extend the race to 9. She did so and added two more for a 9-6 win that gave her the event title and sole possession of first place in the tour rankings.
In addition to the Open event, on Sunday, the tour added its second Amateur event, open to players with skill levels at “4” or below. That event was won by Shelah Joner, who, in addition to $40 in cash, was awarded a paid entry into the next JPNEWT event. That event, scheduled for the weekend of May 19-20, will be hosted by First Break Café and Billiards in Sterling, VA.
2018 STOP #3
May 19-20
First Break Cafe'
Sterling VA
18 player field
1st $540 Nicole King
2nd $250 Linda Shea
3rd $200 Kathy Friend
4th $ 75 Jackie Rivera
5/6 $ 50 Judie Wilson
$ 50 Kia Sidbury
l-r: Judie Wilson, Linda Shea, Jackie Rivera, Nicole King, Kia Sidbury, Kathy Friend
King goes undefeated at third stop on JPNEWT
~Skip Maloney, AZBilliards, May 21, 2018
In addition to the visible struggle that plays out on the pool tables, regional tour competitors participate in a meta-game of tour rankings. At the end of a given season, based on those tour rankings, someone ends up as a given tour’s champion, which can accrue benefits ranging from cash, entry fees to major events, or, in some cases, nothing more significant than bragging rights. This meta-game tends to play out within a relatively small circle of a tour’s members, because ascension to the top of a tour’s rankings requires a combination of superior skills and consistent participation.
On the weekend of May 19-20, there was another early-season shuffle in the upper ranks of the J. Pechauer Northeast Women’s Tour (JPNEWT) rankings. Going into the $500-added (from Coins of the Realm), third stop on the tour, which drew 18 entrants to First Break Café and Billiards in Sterling, VA, Erica Testa, with a win and runner-up finish to her credit, was the tour’s #1-ranked player. When it was over, tour director Linda Shea (third going in) had become #1. Testa (who did not compete in this event) was sharing the second spot with Kia Sidbury, who came into and out of the event as the tour’s #2 player (albeit, tied at that spot). Nicole King, who went undefeated in the event, moved into the fourth slot, while Judie Wilson, dropped a spot into #5.
The players don’t spend a lot of their time (if at all) thinking about this meta-game aspect of a single tournament, but it’s there, and highlights the generally tight group of women (in this case) who get together on seven separate occasions (in this case) to battle for area supremacy in the sport. It may only be the tour’s third stop, but it’s just shy of half the battle. King’s trip to the winner’s circle went through two players just below her in the rankings – Sharon O’Hanlon (7-4) and Melissa Jenkins (7-5) – and one above her (Kia Sidbury; 7-3), before meeting up with a woman in a winners’ side semifinal, Jackie Rivera, who, at this stage, had yet to figure into the current rankings.
Shea, in the meantime, got by Elaine Wilson 7-5 and Kelly Wyatt 7-2 to draw Kathy Friend in the other winners’ side semifinal. Shea moved into the hot seat match with a 7-3 win over Friend, as King was busy surviving a double hill match against Rivera. King downed Shea 7-3 and sat in the hot seat, awaiting her return.
On the loss side, Rivera picked up Judie Wilson, who’d lost her opening match to Friend, and was in the midst of a four-match, loss-side run that included a recent double hill win over Wyatt and a 7-4 win Bethany Sykes. Friend drew Sidbury, who, following her defeat by King on the winners’ side had defeated Elaine Wilson and Teri Thomas, both 7-4.
Rivera eliminaTed Wilson 7-3 and was joined in the quarterfinals by Friend, who’d defeated Sidbury 7-5. Friend just did survive the quarterfinal 7-6 but had her bid for further advancement derailed by Shea, who took the semifinal match 7-4.
In the meta-game of ranking points, Shea was moving into the top spot, no matter what happened in her finals match against King, who, no matter what happened in the finals, was going to end up in the #4 ranking spot. Both, however, were looking to chalk up their first win on the tour, which, one would assume, carried much more weight in the double hill fight that followed than the meta-rankings-game. King won it to complete her undefeated run and take that first 2018 event title.
The meta-rankings-game and the individual battles that define it will continue at stop #4 on the JPNEWT, scheduled for the weekend of June 23-24. The event will feature a separate amateur division and will be hosted by Champion Billiards and Sports Bar in Frederick, MD.
2018 STOP #4
June 23-24
Champion Billiards
Frederick MD
24 player field
1st $920 Karen Corr
2nd $500 Kim Whitman
3rd $375 Christina Madrigale
4th $180 Nicole King
5/6 $130 Bethany Sykes
$130 Char Dzambo
7/8 $100 Teri Thomas
$100 Val Nolan
l-r: Kim Whitney, Christina Madrigale, Karen Corr
l-r: Char Dzambo, Nicole King, Bethany Sykes, Kim Whitney, Karen Corr, Val Nolan, Teri Thomas, Christina Madrigale
Corr Prevails at JPNEWT Stop #4 in Frederick MD
~by Keith Paradise, June 29, 2018
Karen Corr was looking for an event to try out her ailing back. The Billiard Congress of America Hall of Famer has just spent the past few weeks working in North Carolina while her lower back caused her some discomfort. Having relocated back to the Washington D.C. suburbs in recent weeks, Corr decided to give last weekend’s J. Pechauer Northeast Women’s Tour event at Champion Billiards in Frederick, Md. a try. “It was just up the street, the tournament,” said Corr, who now makes her home in Rockville. “I just wanted to have a little test with a two-day event and see how my back held up.” Her back and her game passed with flying colors, as Corr went undefeated in her first JPNEWT event of the year – defeating Kim Whitman 7-1 in the finals of the tournament Sunday evening. The victory was her fourth consecutive JPNEWT victory in Frederick.
Corr put on a dominating performance through most of the 24-player tournament – opening with a 7-2 defeat of Cecilia Strain followed by easy victories against Christie Hurdel, 7-1 and Christina Madrigale, 7-2. After a 7-0 blanking of Char Dzambo, Corr squared off in the hot seat finals against Kim Whitman. Corr maintained control throughout the match, but Whitman didn’t go away quietly, stealing a handful of games before falling, 7-4.
“I had to tighten up the belt a bit there, which is what you want: to be challenged,” Corr said. Whitman moved over to the one-loss side and faced Madrigale, who had won four straight matches after a third-round loss at the hands of Corr. Madrigale jumped out to an early lead and was poised to increase her lead to 5-2 in the race to seven match, but scratched into the corner pocket after trying to use follow on a shot on the 8-ball.
“That was a pivotal shot. That gave me a punch in the arm,” Whitman said. “I feel like she was playing a lot better and the fatigue was starting to get to me.” Whitman used some clutch shot making to claw back and gut out a 7-6 victory.
The sequel against Corr wasn’t nearly as close as the first match. Using a break and run and along with a couple of stellar safeties, Corr jumped out to a fast 4-0 lead. After Whitman won the fifth game,
Corr took advantage of a misplayed safety, and a scratch on the break by her opponent, to win the final three games and close out the match.
“My break wasn’t working, and I certainly wasn’t pocketing balls the way I was in the first match with Karen,” Whitman said. It wasn’t all bad news for Whitman, who continues to work her way back into playing shape after undergoing surgery to repair her left shoulder in November. The runner-up finish qualified her for the North American Pool Tour (NAPT) Desert Challenge at Griff’s Billiards in Las Vegas, during the third week of September.
Madrigale also turned in a strong performance in Frederick, battling her way through the one-loss side to a third-place finish. After her loss to Corr she won a hill-hill match against Elaine Wilson, then defeated Teri Thomas, 7-5, and Bethany Sykes, 7-4. With a chance to reach the semifinals on the line, Madrigale trailed Nicole King 6-4 and appeared on the verge of elimination until King scratched while pocketed what would have been the match winning nine-ball. Madrigale was able to use safety play, and a few clutch shots, to tie the match and win yet another hill-hill deciding game. “I actually did way better than I thought I was going to do,” said Madrigale, who added that she usually plays in eight-ball tournaments on seven-foot tables.
The JPNEWT tour is back in action August 11-12 at Triple Nines Bar and Billiards in Elkridge, Md. The tour is sponsored by the following: J.Pechauer Custom Cues; Coins of the Realm added $500 to the event in Frederick ($300 to 1stplace, $100 to 2nd, and $100 to 3rd); Baltimore City Cues sponsored the qualifier spot; and billiards artist Brit Rapp, sponsors the live streaming.
2018 STOP #5
August 11-12
Triple Nines Bar & Billiards
Elkridge MD
24 player field
1st $600 Karen Corr
2nd $300 Caroline Pao *
3rd $230 Kia Sidbury
4th $ 90 Linda Shea
5/6 $ 60 Elaine Wilson
$ 60 Nicole Monaco
7/8 $ 40 Eugenia Gyftopoulos
$ 40 Nicole King
* Caroline wins the Pro (Division 1) event Qualifier to the NAPT Desert Classic at Griff's, Las Vegas, in September.
l-r: Kia Sidbury, Caroline Pao, Karen Corr
l-r: Karen Corr, Eugenia Gyftopoulos, Linda Shea, Caroline Pao, Nicole King, Elaine Wilson, Kia Sidbury, Nicole Monaco
CORR REBOUNDS FROM PAO DEFEAT TO WIN AT 999s
~ by Keith Paradise, August 20, 2018
Back in June, Karen Corr made her first appearance of the year on the J. Pechauer Northeast Women’s Tour (JPNEWT), and breezed through the event undefeated, while testing out a nagging back problem. Corr’s second event wouldn’t go nearly as easily. The Billiard Congress of America Hall of Famer needed a break-and-run in the deciding game, to fight back from the one-loss side and defeat Caroline Pao 9-8, in the tour’s fifth stop of the season – held August 11 and 12, at Triple Nines Bar and Billiards, in Elkridge, Maryland. Corr was sent to the one-loss side by Pao, who was competing in her first JPNEWT event of the year, and her first tournament over-all, in a couple of months.
“First of all, I’m really happy with the results, but I’m also really surprised,” Pao said. After a first-round bye, Pao posted a 7-3 victory against Nicole King, a 7-0 shut-out of Leslie Furr, and got by Nicole Monaco 7-3, to face Corr for the first time in the hot-seat finals. Corr appeared to be in control in the early stages, using two break and runs, as well as an unforced error and a dry break from her opponent, to jump out to a 4-0 lead in the race-to-seven match. Knowing the capabilities of her opponent, Pao tried to focus on the table, while minimizing the pressure. “I said to myself, ‘no matter how ugly this gets, you have to get one point on the board,’” Pao said. “You have to try your best.”
Pao used a solid break to rally, breaking and running the fifth and seventh games. She also capitalized on a missed shot by Corr, and a combination shot on the 9-ball, to tie the match at four games each. Pao took the lead with another game-winning combination, then capitalized on a Corr miss in the 10thgame, and a misplayed safety in the 11thgame by her opponent, to complete the comeback – winning seven straight, for a 7-4 victory.
After Corr disposed of Kia Sibury 7-2, on the one-loss side, Corr and Pao met again. Unlike the first match, it was Pao who had some early opportunities to jump out ahead, but was unable to capitalize. Leading 1-0, she missed a 3-ball in the corner pocket, which allowed Corr to tie the match.
Pao also missed an 8-ball in the fifth game, and misplayed position on the 7-ball in the sixth game. She would bank in the object ball, but couldn’t get back in line for a run-out, leaving the 9-ball in the corner pocket’s jaws after a bank attempt. Corr easily pocketed the game-winner and took a 4-2 lead. “That rack really stood out to me, because that was just an unforced error,” Pao said. “That rack really put a stake in my heart.” Pao battled back and tied the match at four games each, but quickly found herself trailing again after a scratch in the ninth game, and a missed cut shot on the 9-ball in the next game. She continued to battle, winning a safety battle and taking advantage of a missed 5-ball by Corr in the 14thgame, to tie the match at seven games each. However, Corr was able to break and run twice in the alternating break format, to nail down the victory.
Despite the defeat, Pao was still rewarded at the event’s conclusion – learning she had earned a spot in the North American Pool Tour’s (NAPT’s) Desert Classic next month at Griff’s, in Las Vegas. “I had no idea. So that’s a bonus,” Pao said. “I’m definitely going to try to go to that.”
Baltimore’s Sidbury, also turned in a solid performance in the event, rallying from an early loss and finishing in third place. Sidbury opened competition with a 7-1 loss to Corr; then went on a run through the one-loss side of the bracket – defeating Val Nolan, Sharon O’Hanlon, Bethany Sykes, Nicole King, Nicole Monaco, and Linda Shea, before falling to Corr again in the semifinals 7-2. “With the pressure of being kicked to the one-loss side early, I knew I couldn’t afford to lose another match,” Sidbury said. “The pressure had me wired, so I had to remind myself to relax, while continually doing deep breathing exercises.”
The JPNEWT tour is back in action, September 29, at the First Break Sports Bar & Grill, in Sterling, VA. The tour is sponsored by the following: J.Pechauer Custom Cues; Coins of the Realm added $500 to the event in Elkridge ($300 to 1st place, $100 to 2nd, and $100 to 3rd); and billiards artist Brit Rapp, sponsors the live streaming.
2018 STOP #6
September 29
First Break Sports Bar & Grill
Sterling VA
1st $500 Karen Corr
2nd $250 Kia Sidbury
3rd $200 Nicole King
4th $ 70 Elaine Wilson *
* Elaine wins the Pro (Division 1) event Qualifier to the NAPT Coupe de Quebec, in Montreal Canada, Nov. 2-4.
l-r: Karen Corr, Nicole King, Elaine Wilson, Kia Sidbury
Corr Wins Third Straight JPNEWT Title This Year
~ Skip Maloney, AZBilliards.com
September 30, 2018
Having given up only a total of three racks over four matches to sit in the hot seat, Karen Corr found herself engaged in a bit of a fight in the finals of the September 29-30 stop on the J. Pechauer Northeast Women’s Tour. Kia Sidbury had been one of Corr’s earlier victims, but came back through three matches on the loss side to challenge her in the finals. The match went double hill before Corr won that battle to claim the event title, her third straight on the tour, at the $500-added (by Coins of the Realm) event at First Break Café in Sterling, VA.
With two stops left on the tour, the results on this weekend caused a shake-up among the tour’s top four players. Going into the event, tour director Linda Shea was at the top of the tour’s rankings, followed by Nicole King, Kia Sidbury and Karen Corr. Shea and King had competed in all five previous stops on the tour, Sidbury in four of the five. This was Corr’s third appearance. When it was over, Sidbury had become the tour’s top player, with King remaining in second place, Shea in third and Corr holding position in fourth place.
In a customary random draw, Corr drew Shea in the opening round, defeating her 7-1. Corr followed up with a 7-1 victory over Judie Wilson (#5 on the tour’s ranking list). This set Corr up in her first of two against Sidbury in one of the winners’ side semifinals. Nicole King, in the meantime, had her hands full with, first, Leslie Furr, whom she defeated 7-5. Bethany Sykes battled King to a deciding 13th game, before King finished it, advancing to the other winners’ side semifinal against Elaine Wilson.
Corr sent Sidbury to the loss side with her third straight 7-1 victory, as King sent Elaine Wilson over 7-5. Corr capped the winners’ side portion of her undefeated run with a shutout over King in the winners’ side final and sat in the hot seat, waiting on Sidbury.
On the loss side, Sidbury had run into Shea, who, following her opening round defeat at the hands of Corr had defeated Sharon O’Hanlon 7-3, and Bethany Sykes 7-5. Elaine Wilson picked up Judie Wilson (no relation), who, following her defeat at the hands of Corr had eliminated Chari Slater and Leslie Furr, both 7-4.
Sidbury downed Shea 7-5, and in the quarterfinals, met Elaine Wilson, who’d defeated Judie Wilson 7-4. Sidbury took the quarterfinal match over Elaine Wilson 7-3, and then, in her first of two double hill matches, downed King in the semifinals.
The last time Corr and Sidbury had matched up on the JPNEWT was in the semifinals of stop #5 in August. Corr had uncharacteristically been sent to the loss side in that event by Caroline Pao in the battle for the hot seat. Sidbury had won six on the loss side, including double hill wins over Nicole King, and in the quarterfinals, Linda Shea, to meet Corr in the semifinals. Corr downed Sidbury a second time to earn a second shot at Pao, whom she eventually defeated in the finals.
In the finals of this one, Sidbury chalked up double the number of racks that all of Corr’s previous opponents combined had managed, but it fell short by one. Corr finished it to chalk up her third straight JPNEWT title.
Tour director Linda Shea thanked the ownership and staff at Sterling Café, as well as title sponsor J. Pechauer Custom Cues, Coins of the Realm, ‘live stream’ sponsor Britanya E Rapp (angle aim Art), Turtle Rack, and Baltimore City Cues. The next stop on the JPNEWT, scheduled for October 13-14, will include an Amateur event on Sunday, and will be hosted by Eagle Billiards in Dickson City, PA.
2018 STOP #7
October 13-14
Eagle Billiards
Dickson City, PA
1st $600 Linda Shea
2nd $400 Nicole King
3rd $300 Melissa Jenkins
4th $200 Elaine Wilson
5/6 $100 Sharon O'Hanlon
5/6 $100 Anita Sowers
l-r: Nicole King, Chris Wilson (Eagle Billiards owner), Melissa Jenkins, Linda Shea
l-r: Anita Sowers Elaine Wilson, Melissa Jenkins, Nicole King, Linda Shea, Sharon O'Hanlon
Shea Moves into Top Ranking on JPNEWT with Undefeated Win
~ Skip Maloney, AZBilliards.com
October 15, 2018
As the J. Pechauer Northeast Women’s Tour rounded its final turn, headed for its season-finale home, its two top competitors were neck and neck. Approaching that last turn, going into Stop #7 on the tour, Kia Sidbury had a slight, five-point lead in the tour standings, just ahead of Nicole King, with Tour Director Linda Shea, 20 points behind King. Shea went undefeated through a field of 15 entrants at Stop #7, held on October 13-14, at Eagle Billiards in Dickson City, PA, which allowed her to claim the event title and first place in the standings.
King, as runner-up, moved up a slot to the second position. Sidbury, who was sent to the loss side by Shea and eliminated by King on the loss side, slipped into third place. Karen Corr, who’s won three of the tour’s events, but did not compete in this event, remained in fourth place, just ahead of Judie Wilson in fifth place.
Following an opening round, 7-3 victory over Shelah Joner, Shea moved into what proved to be a double hill battle against Sidbury. Shea advanced to a winners’ side semifinal match against Elaine Wilson, as Melissa Jenkins and Sharon O’Hanlon squared off in the other one.
Shea downed E. Wilson 7-2 and was met in the hot seat match by Jenkins, who’d sent O’Hanlon to the loss side 7-4. Shea and Jenkins locked up in a double hill fight that eventually sent Jenkins to the semifinals.
On the loss side, Elaine Wilson met up with Anita Sowers, who’d been sent there by O’Hanlon and downed Denise Mangini, double hill, and Chari Slater 7-3 to reach her. O’Hanlon picked up King, who, following her defeat at the hands of Shea, had eliminated Sidbury 7-1 and Ada Lio 7-4.
Wilson got into the quarterfinal match with a 7-4 victory over Sowers and was met by King, who’d survived a double hill fight versus O’Hanlon. King ended Wilson’s weekend 7-4 and then got a shot at Shea in the hot seat with a strong 7-1 victory over Jenkins in the semifinals.
Both the event title and first place in the tour standings was at stake as Shea and King squared off in the finals. The winner would claim both. Shea completed her undefeated run through the field with a 7-4 win.
Shea thanked the ownership and staff at Eagle Billiards, as well as title sponsor J. Pechauer Custom Cues, Coins of the Realm, ‘live stream’ sponsor Britanya E. Rapp (angle aim Art), Turtle Rack, and Baltimore City Cues. $100-added (by Billy R. Bunn). The next stop on the JPNEWT will be the tour’s season finale, scheduled for December 1-2 at Triple Nines Bar & Billiards in Elkridge, MD. Look for another tight race as the tour’s top competitors race for the finish line.
2018 STOP #8 (Season Finale')
December 1-2
Triple Nines Bar & Billiards
Elkridge MD
1st $700 Cheryl Sporleder
2nd $400 Linda Shea
3rd $300 Judie Wilson
4th $125 Sharon O'Hanlon
5/6 $80 Bethany Sykes
$80 Kim Whitman
7/8 $50 Elaine Wilson
$50 Nicole King
l-r: Judie Wilson, Cheryl Sporleder, Pete Boyer (owner, Coins of the Realm, Linda Shea
l-r: Elaine Wilson, Judie Wilson, Nicole King, Bethany Sykes, Sharon O'Hanlon, Kim Whitman, Cheryl Sporleder, Linda Shea, Top 2 amateurs: Amy Faulk, Robyn Washer
Cheryl Sporleder Comes Out of Hiatus to Win JPNEWT Stop #8
~by Keith Paradise, Billiards Digest
December 9, 2018
Cheryl Sporleder doesn’t get to play as much pool as she would like. With a full-time job and three children at home, she has to squeeze the game in whenever she can. “I am a vey part-time player,” she said. “I have small kids at home, so, if I have time, I’ll sneak out and play at a tournament.”
She had time during the first weekend of December, and made the most of it, fighting back from the one-loss side of the bracket, to win the season finale’ of the J. Pechauer NorthEast Women’s Tour at Triple Nines Bar and Billiards, in Elkridge, Md.
Sporleder bested a field of 20 competitors, and overcame some early mistakes in the championship match, to outlast Linda Shea 9-6. It was her second event of the season, placing in the top six at the tour’s first event, also held at Triple Nines in March.
Sporleder opened the two-day event with a 7-4 takedown of Carol V. Clark, and then surviving a hill-hill match against Kim Whitman. She then squeaked past Nicole Christ 7-5, before falling to Shea 7-3, in her final match on Saturday. Now, on the one-loss side of the bracket on Sunday, Sporleder continued to play focused while attempting to not place any pressure on herself. She cruised by Sharon O’Hanlon 7-2, and then took advantage of a handful of unforced errors by opponent Judie Wilson, to coast into the finals 7-1.
Shea was able to capitalize on a pair of misses and a scratch by Sporleder, to jump out to an early 3-1 lead in the modified race to 7/9 finals match (if the player from the one-loss side reaches 7 first, the race goes to 9). Taking advantage of a foul and missed 8-ball on ball-in-hand by Shea, Sporleder tied the score, then capitalized on missed shots by Shea in the seventh and eighth games, as well as a foul in the ninth game, to build a 6-3 lead. “I had played back-to-back matches, I felt I had momentum, and she started making mistakes,” Sporleder said. “Linda is a hard person to beat.”
Shea twice cut the lead to one game, but was never able to overcome her opponent. Trailing 7-6, she looked poised to even the score, but missed a cut shot on the 6-ball. Sporleder finished off the rack, then capitalizing on a scratch on the 9-ball by Shea in the 15thgame, to end the match.
Taking third place overall was Wilson, who fought some shaky play in the early stages of the tournament to win her first three matches against Anita Sowers, Ada Lio and Bethany Sykes. Like Sporleder, Wilson was sent to the one-loss side by Shea, who was in stroke, and easily defeated Wilson 7-1. “I worked my way through three tough match wins on Saturday and was feeling confident on Sunday, but then I ran into a hurricane named Linda Shea,” Wilson said. Wilson then faced Sporleder on the one-loss side, where she struggled with avoiding scratches and was again defeated.
With a victory at last month’s event in Dickson City, PA, and two-second place finishes, Shea finished the season in first place for tour points, accumulating 980 points over the course of the nine-month season. Nicole King placed in second with 865, and Kia Sidbury tallied 725 for third. Rounding out the top four was Wilson, who used a third-place finish in Elkridge, as well as four top five finishes throughout the season, to secure 650 overall points for the season. “I think overall I had a good year, especially with the level of competition we have,” Wilson said. “We have a really deep tour.”
JPNEWT would like to thank all of their sponsors for 2018: Tour Sponsor, J.Pechauer Custom Cues; local event sponsor, Coins of the Realm; Livestream sponsor, Brit Rapp-angle aim Art; Turtle Rack sponsor, Mezz Cues; and finally Eagle event sponsor, Billy Ray Bunn.