Cantrell Comes Back to Win Viking Amateur Event

By Bill Rosenberger

Mike Cantrell bested a field of 24 amateur players at TJ's Billiards o­n the November 7 Viking Amateur 9-Ball Tour stop.  The college town of Huntington, WV, situated in the western corner of the state, brought players from nearby Kentucky, Ohio, and even as far away as Pittsburgh, PA. 

TJ's, which has hosted other Viking events, offers 13 Diamond tables, as well as great food and atmosphere.  The players enjoyed their day, especially Cantrell, who came back from the o­ne-loss side to capture the victory.  His first loss came against Joseph Arbuckle in the hot seat match 5-3, and he had to battle Keith Jones in the semifinals to earn a spot in the finals. 

The semifinal match was nip and tuck, with Jones and Cantrell both showing their offensive talents.  With the match tied at 3-all, Cantrell took over and won 5-3. 

The double-elimination final match between Arbuckle and Cantrell started out with Cantrell taking a big lead.  Up 4-1, Cantrell watched as Arbuckle battled back to tie the set at 4-all.  Cantrell, though, ran the next rack to take the first set 5-4. 

In the winner-take-all second set, Cantrell again jumped to a 4-1 lead, but this time, he finished his opponent off for the 5-1 win. 

Results:
1st Mike Cantrell $400
2nd Joseph Arbuckle $250
3rd Keith Jones $150
4th Justin Lazaro $100
5th Ellis Elliot, Mike Stiltner $40