Ladies Spirit Tour

The Ladies Spirit Tour got back in action over the September 8-9 weekend where a 34-player field fought it out at Capone’s Billiards in Spring Hill, FL. The double-elimination action brought in a tough crowd of locals, amateurs, and WPBA pros; however, they were all shut down by Monica Webb, who soared through the event to win undefeated.

Currently ranked fifth on the WPBA, Webb started in one of only two winners’-side matches not to get a first-round bye, and from there she owned the bottom half of the bracket. Four wins followed by a fifth against Helena Thornfeldt, where Webb dominated 7-3 to put her comfortably in the hot seat match. On the upper half of the chart Ellen Van Buren enjoyed a nice ride as she drilled Malea Swanson 7-0, Freida Walker 7-1, Tracie Hines 7-0, and finally Leslee Davis-Blaikie 7-5 to meet Webb in the hot seat match.
The very top of the chart seemed to totally stacked, as former tour stop winners Debbie Schjodt and Jeannie Seaver, along with other top players from regional tours, all whittled each other away as Van Buren slipped past. Capping off the winners’ side Webb took little time with Van Buren before chalking up a quick 7-2 match to whisk her into the finals.

On the one-loss side the stacked grouping produced its favorite, while the others scrambled to overcome a comeback. After falling short on her first match Tamara Redemakers blew through five matches to reach the quarterfinals, eliminating more than her share of the field. Not far behind, Seaver took seven matches to catch up with Redemakers in the quarterfinals by eliminating Schjodt 7-3 and Thornfeldt 7-6 among others.

Redemakers was in great shape as she slipped past Seaver double-hill in the quarterfinals, although Van Buren was eager for a rematch and slapped Redemakers away 7-4 to face Webb once again in the finals. The well-rested Webb once again tore through Van Buren, as her superior skills could not be stopped. In the end Webb took the match 7-1 to end the event and claim another victory for herself.

Jacksonville Open 2007

Bankshot Billiards in Jacksonville Florida played host to a $2000 added open tournament on September 1st that managed to stay low enough on the radar to draw out only 30 players for the event. Though the field may have lacked volume, the amount of talent was hardly diminutive. Heavy hitters included snooker pro turned Florida shark Tony Crosby and the Prince of Pool himself, Corey Deuel .
Stalking through the field also were the always threatening Florida talents Butch Croft, Dave Grossman and Neil Fujiwara. The race to 7 on the winners side and 5 on the losers side format gave anyone with a little bit of skill and a moment of clarity an opportunity to oust one of the top dogs and battle their way into the money, but this tournament proved the old saying true; the cream always rises to the top.

Deuel skated through the field for a chance to play for the winner’s bracket utilizing a rarely seen power break and some cagey offensive play. Deuel’s opponent on the winner’s side final proved to be none other than the Sniper Tony Crosby, who picked off opponents convincingly on his way to the top, carrying enough momentum and ammunition into his match with Deuel to gun down the Prince 7-4. Deuel rebounded after the loss and took out Neil Fujiwara, who battled through the likes of Butch Croft and Mike Staubes, to earn another shot at the Sniper in the extended race to 9 format. Though the momentum shifted back and forth between Crosby and Deuel, a couple of atypical misses by Tony Crosby and some intrepid run outs by the Prince continually allowed Deuel to strike and capitalize, eventually sealing the deal with a 9-8 victory. All the players in the tournament wish to thank room owner Jeff Scott for hosting a much appreciated event.

the UPA

Rodney "The Rocket" Morris

The United States Professional Poolplayers Association (the "UPA") recently made some administrative transitions to in-affect renew the association and its presence in the pool community. One of those positive changes was to name "The Rocket" Rodney Morris (arguably one of the most recognized male pool players internationally) as the individual to take over the role of UPA's Lead Player Representative.

Mr. Morris replaces former Representative, Frank Alvarez, who is now president of the association. Rodney elaborated by saying, "I believe in the UPA, I believe in its leadership and goals. At this stage in my career I want to do my part in giving back to the industry by representing player interests."

The UPA Player Representative serves as not only a representative to the association's Touring Professionals, but also for the organization on behalf of the players. Representatives also include World Class players Tony Robles and Tony Crosby.

If you would like to learn more about the association, our website is located at www.upatour.com