The staff at Quentin Corner Pockets was gracious and pleasant, and Mark Haddad of Championship Cloth was o­n-hand as well.  Championship Cloth Tour Edition 2000 covered all of the tournament tables, which were Brunswicks and Pinnacles, and the players are reported to love the cloth.

Pro players like Jimmy Wetch and Shawn Putnam showed up, as well as Jamie Baraks, who took the last three Viking events in Chicago.  Danny "Kid Delicious" Basavich, who suffered his first loss to Sergio Perez, met Putnam, who lost his first match to Joe Cuppertino 9-8, in the o­ne-loss bracket.  When the score reached hill-hill, Basavich scratched o­n the 5 ball.  However, Putnam, who is the Viking Cue 9-Ball Tour's Player of the Year, missed the 7.  Not to be outdone, Basavich gave Putnam ball in hand after scratching o­n the 8, and Putnam escaped with a 9-8 win.

Sarah Rousey, currently ranked #20 o­n the Women's Professional Billiard Association (WPBA), showed up and fought hard.  In her match with Ed Flatt, she came back from a 7-1 deficit to tie at the hill but ultimately lost 9-8.

In the hot seat match, Nevel suffered his first defeat at the hands of Marquez.  Leading 7-4, Nevel was stunned with Marquez came back and beat him o­n the hill.  Nevel went o­n to meet Wetch, who had just relegated Gil Hernandez to fourth place, and sent the Minnesota pro packing after their 9-5 match.  Wetch played consistently the entire weekend, and it took a real pro to beat him.

Fueled for revenge, Nevel again met Marquez, this time in the true double-elimination finals.  Coming back from a 7-4 deficit, Nevel defeated his opponent 9-8 in the first set in a spectacular match that held the audience captive despite the very late (or early) hour of 3 a.m.  In the second set, another double-hill match evolved.  Faced with a tough decision o­n the 1 ball, Nevel drew back and nailed the 1-9 combo perfectly to win the second set 9-8 as well.

 The Viking Cue 9-Ball Tour's next event will begin o­n Thursday, November 6, at 6 p.m. and will be a o­ne-pocket tournament.  o­n Saturday, the $5,000-added 9-ball event commences at 12 p.m.  Both events will take place at Cornfed Red's in Columbus, OH.

Results:

1st Larry Nevel $2,000

2nd Marco Marquez $1,100

3rd Jimmy Wetch $800

4th Gil Hernandez $600

5th Sergio Perez, Neil Jacobs $400

7th James Baraks, Tom Spencer $300

9th Andres Uribe, Shawn Putnam, Jeff Carter, Chad Vilmont $200

13th Mark Pratico, Gordie Vanderveer, Ike Runnels, Ed Flatt $100

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