Maryland State 9-Ball Championship Report
All-Star Billiards in Frederick, Maryland hosted the Maryland State 9-Ball Championship on February 20, 2010. The full 64 player limit was reached early that morning and resulted in more than 15 players being unable to enter the main event. A mini tournament was quickly organized to accommodate these players.
Results:
9-Ball Mini Tournament (bar box tables):
With 15 players, this tournament progressed smoothly and was the first of the day to be completed. Josh Brothers and Manny Chau came through the field to the finals and agreed to share first place.
Second Chance 9-Ball Tournament (9 foot tables):
All players either eliminated or not entered in the main event were eligible for the second chance 9-Ball tournament. This event began at approximately 7 p.m. with a field of 16 entrants. Jeff Lee emerged as the winner, with Bill McGuire taking second.
Maryland State 9-Ball Championship (9 foot tables):
The main event drew a full field of 64 players. Using an alternate break format and spotting any 9-Ball made on the break made many of the matches close and hard-fought. This was confirmed through the time it took for the main event to run its course. Play began close to the scheduled 11 a.m. start time on Saturday and the finals did not conclude until almost 4 a.m. Sunday morning.
A number of players emerged from the field as the event progressed. These included Ryan McCreesh, Shaun Wilkie, Chris Loar, Ryan Jones, and Alan Duty. McCreesh and Wilkie - both undefeated to that point - met late in the day, with McCreesh coming away with an 8 to 3 win to advance to the hot seat.
On the one-loss side, Alan Duty and Ryan Jones played a rematch of their earlier hill-hill battle that had been won by Duty. Jones turned the tables this time and came away with the win. This set up a match between Jones and Chris Loar. Loar’s victory brought him through to a match against Wilkie to determine who would meet McCreesh in the final. The Wilkie-Loar match was extremely tight, with Wilkie winning after both players had reached the hill.
The final match between Ryan McCreesh and Shaun Wilkie was true double elimination. As winner of the one-loss side, Wilkie would have to beat McCreesh twice to win – first race to 9 and the second race to 7. Shaun came out of the gate fast and captured the first set 9 to 3. Ryan came back in the next set by a margin of 7 to 4 to claim the overall win.
The final between Ryan McCreesh and Shaun Wilkie was recorded (apologies for the amateur camera handling and that the battery ran out of power in the last game). If all goes well, it should be available for viewing on YouTube within a week or so. The YouTube link will be posted on AZBilliards as soon as possible.
It was hoped that a ring game could be fit into the day. However, the large field and length of the main event prevented this from occurring. The tournament director will investigate ways to incorporate this event at a reasonable time into the upcoming April 3, 2010 Maryland State 10-Ball Championship.
Many thanks to all of the players, fans, and All-Star Billiards for making this a great event. Special thanks go to tournament director Tiny who successfully managed 3 events during the day and hung in there until the conclusion at 4 a.m. Sunday. Hope to see everyone at the Maryland State 10-Ball Championship on April 3, 2010.
All-Star Billiards in Frederick, Maryland hosted the Maryland State 9-Ball Championship on February 20, 2010. The full 64 player limit was reached early that morning and resulted in more than 15 players being unable to enter the main event. A mini tournament was quickly organized to accommodate these players.
Results:
9-Ball Mini Tournament (bar box tables):
With 15 players, this tournament progressed smoothly and was the first of the day to be completed. Josh Brothers and Manny Chau came through the field to the finals and agreed to share first place.
Second Chance 9-Ball Tournament (9 foot tables):
All players either eliminated or not entered in the main event were eligible for the second chance 9-Ball tournament. This event began at approximately 7 p.m. with a field of 16 entrants. Jeff Lee emerged as the winner, with Bill McGuire taking second.
Maryland State 9-Ball Championship (9 foot tables):
The main event drew a full field of 64 players. Using an alternate break format and spotting any 9-Ball made on the break made many of the matches close and hard-fought. This was confirmed through the time it took for the main event to run its course. Play began close to the scheduled 11 a.m. start time on Saturday and the finals did not conclude until almost 4 a.m. Sunday morning.
A number of players emerged from the field as the event progressed. These included Ryan McCreesh, Shaun Wilkie, Chris Loar, Ryan Jones, and Alan Duty. McCreesh and Wilkie - both undefeated to that point - met late in the day, with McCreesh coming away with an 8 to 3 win to advance to the hot seat.
On the one-loss side, Alan Duty and Ryan Jones played a rematch of their earlier hill-hill battle that had been won by Duty. Jones turned the tables this time and came away with the win. This set up a match between Jones and Chris Loar. Loar’s victory brought him through to a match against Wilkie to determine who would meet McCreesh in the final. The Wilkie-Loar match was extremely tight, with Wilkie winning after both players had reached the hill.
The final match between Ryan McCreesh and Shaun Wilkie was true double elimination. As winner of the one-loss side, Wilkie would have to beat McCreesh twice to win – first race to 9 and the second race to 7. Shaun came out of the gate fast and captured the first set 9 to 3. Ryan came back in the next set by a margin of 7 to 4 to claim the overall win.
The final between Ryan McCreesh and Shaun Wilkie was recorded (apologies for the amateur camera handling and that the battery ran out of power in the last game). If all goes well, it should be available for viewing on YouTube within a week or so. The YouTube link will be posted on AZBilliards as soon as possible.
It was hoped that a ring game could be fit into the day. However, the large field and length of the main event prevented this from occurring. The tournament director will investigate ways to incorporate this event at a reasonable time into the upcoming April 3, 2010 Maryland State 10-Ball Championship.
Many thanks to all of the players, fans, and All-Star Billiards for making this a great event. Special thanks go to tournament director Tiny who successfully managed 3 events during the day and hung in there until the conclusion at 4 a.m. Sunday. Hope to see everyone at the Maryland State 10-Ball Championship on April 3, 2010.
