DJ McGinley Gets the Cash in Barrie

Dec 1, 2002

Dunlop Billiards in Barrie, Ontario was the host of the 4th event for the 2002-2003 Quebec/Ontario 9-Ball Challenge. Fifty-Four players made the trip to Barrie and the field was very strong. Sunday’s play was very exciting to watch as most of the remaining players had the talent needed to win the $1000 first prize.
I had the pleasure to watch the 2001 Junior Canadian Champion Chris Jenkins and Vito Puopolo battle it out in a thrilling match. In the hill-hill game, Chris stepped up to the table to play a 2-ball which Vito left hanging in the pocket. Unfortunately, Chris moved a ball while reaching for his shot. A foul was called and Vito was back at the table with ball in hand. Vito ran the rack out making a tough cut shot on the 9-Ball. The win put Vito in the A-Side finals. A well played match by both players.
The A-side Finals was a good one. Vito Puopolo faced up against Al Logan. These two players dominated the tour last year and continue to prove their skills in each event. Al Logan jumped out into the lead 8-2, with Vito not getting many chances. However, Vito won 10 of the next 11 games for the 11-9 win. What a great comeback!
With all the attention on the A-Side, Brantford player DJ McGinley was coming on strong from the B-Side. After losing his first round on Saturday to John Black 11-9, DJ beat Walter Szydkowski 9-6, Shane Gummerson 9-6, Scott Yanke 9-2, Aaron Thomas 9-8, Louis Fazekas 9-3, Al Maracle 9-4, Chris Jenkins 9-6, Andrew Attard 9-7 and Al Logan 9-3. That was 11 straight matches to earn his spot in the finals with Vito.
The final match of the Tournament remained close. The left-handed DJ McGinley played his aggressive style, but missed a few balls failing to establish a comfortable lead. Vito’s perseverance kept the match close at 10-10 in this race to 13. In the next rack Vito had a chance to go ahead but missed the 7 in the side pocket. DJ won that game, following it up with a break and run in the next rack to put him on the hill. A nice safety in the next game gave DJ ball in hand. He proceeded to run out once again for the 13-10 win. Congratulations!
1st – DJ McGinley - $1000
2nd – Vito Puopolo - $625
3rd – Al Logan - $450
4th – Andrew Attard - $350
5th – Marcel Gauvreau - $250
6th – Chris Jenkins - $250
7th – Zartash Hussein - $200
8th – Al Maracle - $200
9th – John Kenyon - $150
10th - Dan Anderson - $150
11th – Bill Brooker - $150
12th – Louis Fazekas - $150
13th – Aaron Thomas - $125
14th – Dan Doerner - $125
15th – Shawn Miller - $125
16th – Steve Murray - $125