Second Straight Win for Melman

Alice Rim and Julie Melman are typically two of the more dominant players o­n the Jacoby Cues Great Lakes Tour.  While the two ladies have met in competition before, Sunday, November 21 was their first match up in the finals.

The two-day stop at Guppies in Holland, MI, was the first regional tour to come through the doors.  Owners Candy and Jerry Thomas opened for business o­n November 1, and they provide a full restaurant, six new Diamond 9-foot tables, and eleven bar boxes.

Rim had the hot hand for most of the weekend, winning her first match against touring pro Gail Grecar 7-5.  Rim then faced Melman and dominated the entire match for a 7-0 victory.  Rim cruised o­n from there to meet Tina Meraglio in the hot seat, where the two ladies played neck and neck.  With the match at hill-hill, Rim pulled out the win to advance to the finals. 

In the o­ne-loss side, Melman was quietly working her way through, winning four straight matches to advance to the semifinals against Meraglio.  Melman watched as her opponent built a 3-1 lead, but she fought back and took six of the next seven racks for a 7-4 win.

In the finals, Rim and Melman battled it out, with neither player gaining more than a two-game lead.  With the score tied at 5-all, the ladies traded games back and forth, and Melman edged out the hill-hill victory 9-8.   

Results:

1st Julie Melman $400 plus WPBA Qualifier

2nd Alice Rim $275

3rd Tina Meraglio $180

4th Gail Grecar $125

5th Sunny Ulrich, Julie Ekman $75