Ramos triumphs…
Jan 17, 2015
The pool playing universe in the GTA has found its natural place again. The 5th event of the 2014/15 ‘404’ series took place on January 3 & 4th, 2015 at Shooters Snooker and Sports Club with an expanded field of 72 players. Like the Shooters Amateur Event the preceding weekend, the ‘404’ tournament was over subscribed resulting in the need to expand the playing field beyond the typical 64 cap. Especially gratifying was the presence of the local men professionals who decided to participate despite the more challenging handicap system implemented this season.
The holiday season has produced back to back successful tournaments with players not only from the GTA but players from London, Sarnia, Hamilton, St. Catherines, Guelph, Oshawa, Orillia, Newmarket and elsewhere making the journey for this long-time competitive event. With the participation of the professionals and other accomplished players, this resulted in the strongest ‘404’ field of the year. Our local female professionals were also well represented.
After play concluded on Saturday, John Morra, Isaac Ramos, Eric Hjorleifson and Adam Monture were undefeated on the ‘A’ side while the ‘B’ side had Tom Polsinelli, Steve McAllister, Ben Chang, David Robbins, Brittany Bryant, Nello Robson, Romeo Zulueta, and Brandyn Griffen returning for Sunday play. The Sunday matches were very competitive. In the ‘A’ side final Hjorleifson defeated Ramos sending Ramos to the ‘B’ side and Hjorleifson to the hot seat. Waiting for Ramos on the ‘B’ side was Brittany Bryant who had defeated Adam Monture for the right to face Ramos. The Bryant/ Ramos match was exceptionally well played with great potting, safeties, and kicks resulting in hill/hill suspense with Ramos squeaking through with the win and the ‘B’ side title. In an abbreviated Championship final Ramos extracted his revenge on Hjorleifson and came away with the tournament title.
Congratulations to Isaac Ramos on his ‘404’ tournament win. Isaac has been steadily improving his game over the past few years with much more room to grow. And kudos to Erik Hjorleifson for his strong performance under the new and more demanding handicap system. While the new handicap system is more rigorous for the men professionals it is a given that the better players usually win regardless of the challenges of any handicap system. It has to be noted that 3 of the top 5 placements in the tournament were by professionals who just find ways to win. The GTA pool world has returned to normal. It is hoped here that the results of this past ‘404’ and the generally high competition of the tournament will continue to encourage more strong players in Southern Ontario to make a return to the game.
Isaac Ramos, Peter Chin, Erik Hjorleifson
As always, thanks to those who participated in the ‘404’ at Shooters Snooker and Sports Club. While pre-registration for the tournament remains an asset it is not without its issues as some players continue to fail to inform the tournament organizer of their change in plans. Players must notify the tournament organizer of cancellations in sufficient time to avoid unnecessary delays in the tournament start. This is a discourtesy to the tournament organizer and the rest of the players and causes the tournament to repeatedly begin late time after time.
The next Shooters ‘404’ will be held January 31 and February 1st, 2015.
** If you have pre-registered for the event you must be present and your entry fee paid by 11:00 a.m. on the day of the tournament. Failure to do so may result in your place being forfeited to an individual on the waiting list.**
Finish
Player
Rank
Prize Money
Calcutta
1st
Isaac Ramos
8
$1,000
$1,170
2nd
Erik Hjorleifson
11
$650
$830
3rd
Brittany Bryant
7
$400
$520
4th
Adam Monture
9
$250
$330
5-6th
John Morra
12
$175
$160
5-6th
Ben Chang
8
$175
$160
7th-8th
Steve McAllister
5
$115
$85
7th-8th
Brandyn Griffen
5
$115
$85
9th -12th
David Robbins
4
$70
9th -12th
Nello Robson
5
$70
9th -12th
Romeo Zulueta
6
$50
9th -12th
Tom Polsinelli
7
$50