branpureza said:
Any results on the tournament? I was going up there to play but I didn't make it... it got a little late on Friday and I didn't feel like making a 4 1/2 hour trek up there by myself...
I was there for the whole weekend and also played in the event. Manuel Chau beat Ryan McCreesh 11-9 in the finals, with Brandon Shuff taking third place.
Regarding the venue, I must say I was very impressed. I have never been to Winchester before, and was very pleasantly surprised. The owners Conrad and Mary were very friendly and run a great establishment. Food was excellent. I ate there every day, lunch and dinner. Regarding Danny's comment about the alcohol, they do have just about everything. There are separate juke boxes in the restaurant/bar area and the playing area, which is nice. The place was packed on Friday when I arrived, and the waiting lists were 8-deep while locals waited patiently for the tournament to be over so they could play. The staff was friendly, professional, efficient and just about everywhere. They probably had all-hands-on-deck for their first Tiger Tour, but even still, everything about this place was a pleasant experience. They also have darts, and plan to have poker in the near future. There was a "back table" where the action took place (and there was action on Friday and Saturday nights), and the owner even stayed open past 2:00am so the players could finish.
Some of the locals and staff kids mentioned to me this was their first time seeing players of this caliber, so they were really in for a treat with the field of 63 players, to include the likes of Kevin West, Shaun Wilkie, Matt Clatterbuck, Brandon Shuff, Ryan McCreesh, Manuel Chau to serve up the goods. A lot of people were especially taken with young Tyler Adolini (sp?), the 14-year old fearless wonder who has all the confidence in the world, and is very entertaining to watch.
I would definitely be there for any Tiger Tour event or other large tournament. It was well worth the trip. Highly recommended. Now all we have to figure out is how to get poolrooms like that in Maryland!
