Bryant Tames Tidewater Tour

By Bill Rosenberger

Having 12 Brunswick and Diamond tables wasn't enough for o­n Cue Sports Bar in Greenville, NC.  They did o­ne better by hosting a Tidewater Tour event o­n October 2-3.

The private pool club saw Leroy Bryant claim victory, but he had to work through the o­ne-loss side, as well as beat the man who put him there.  The quarterfinal match pitted Bryant and Tommy Cooke.  Cooke led early and often and pulled out a 7-5 victory.  Bryant headed to the loser's bracket to await the loser of the hot seat match between Cooke and Charlie Brinson.

The Brinson/Cooke match was as close as could be.  Both men traded games back and forth until the match went hill-hill at 6.  Brinson, though, controlled the final rack and won 7-6.

Cooke then headed to the semifinal against Bryant, who was looking for revenge.  Bryant caught fire early and ran away with the match, winning 7-5.

Brinson and Bryant faced off in the finals for the $400 prize.  Bryant jumped out to an early 3-1 lead.  He then finished off Brinson by winning six of the final nine games for the 9-4 tournament victory.  "Leroy really controlled the table," described tournament director Buxton Turner.  "When he did let Charlie shoot, he was stuck without any offensive shots.  Leroy played a good offense and a tough defense."

Results:
1st Leroy Bryant $400
2nd Charlie Brinson $230
3rd Tommy Cooke $150
4th Dave Bollman $80
5th Kelly Farrar, Billy Peadon $50