Van Boening double dips Moore to win Bar Table 10-Ball Championships; Wagner takes Women's Title

Feb 16, 2012

It took Shane Van Boening four matches to move among the winners' side final four in the 10-ball competition of Cue Sports International's 19th annual US Bar Table Championships. Through those four matches, he was giving up just under five racks in each of the race-to-7 contests. From among the winners' side final four in a fresh, double elimination bracket, he picked up his pace a little, giving up only a single game in a match against Josh O'Neal that set him up to face Stevie Moore in the battle for the hot seat. Moore sent Van Boening to the semifinals, from whence he returned to win both sets of a double elimination final to capture the event title. The $6,000-added, 10-ball event drew 87 entrants to the Grand Sierra Resort and Casino in Reno, NV.
In one of two, preliminary double elimination brackets, each of which yielded two winners' side and two loss-side opponents advancing to a final and new double elimination bracket of eight players, Van Boening almost ended up on the loss side, as Amar Kang battled him to double hill in his third round of play. Van Boening hung on to win, and then defeated Glen Atwell 7-5 to become one of the final four winners. Moore's most serious challenge in the five rounds of play that led him among the final four winners came in his opening round match versus Ernesto Dominguez, who chalked up six racks against him. Three rounds later, John Morra got five. Combined, Moore's other three opponents - Richard Richeson, Corey Penrod and Jesse Engel - were only able to score a total of four racks against him.
Gabe Apollos gave up six in a third round match versus Greg Herada, but gave up only four total to his other three opponents, including a shutout over Ed Scott and a 7-2 win over Rodney Morris, which put Apollos among the final four. Josh O'Neal's toughest match of his five, which included a 7-2 win over Manny Chau and 7-4 win over Dennis Haar, was his last, in which Francisco Bustamante finished two back at 7-5. The victory moved O'Neal among the final four winners.
On the loss-side, Jerry Matchin, Larry Nevel, John Morra and Jesse Engel advanced to the new double elimination bracket. Matchin had been sent west in the second round by Glenn Atwell, and won four straight, including a 7-4 win over Amar Kang, that put him among the final eight in the final, double elimination bracket. Nevel had fallen to Bustamante in his third match and battled back through three opponents - Derek Pogirski, Dennis Haar, and finally, Glenn Atwell - to reach the final eight.
Morra's nemesis on the winners' side had been Moore, who defeated him 7-5 in the fourth round. Morra chalked up wins over Chris McCreary, and Sean Morgan, before meeting and defeating Rodney Morris 7-4, and advancing to the final bracket. Engel had been sent west by Moore in the final match of one of the preliminary brackets, and faced only one opponent on the loss-side of that bracket. A 7-2 win over Scott put Engel among the final eight.
In the final set of eight players, on the winners' side, Moore matched up against Apollos, as Van Boening drew O'Neal. On the loss-side, Engel met Morra, as Nevel squared off against Matchin. Moore sent Apollos west 7-3, and moved into the hot seat match against Van Boening, who'd defeated O'Neal 9-1. Moore then sent Van Boening to the event semifinals with a 7-5 win and awaited what proved to be his fateful return.
On the loss-side, Apollos picked up Nevel, who'd downed Matchin 7-3. O'Neal drew Engel, who'd gotten by Morra by the same score, 7-3. Engel advanced to the quarterfinals with a double hill win over O'Neal, and was joined in those quarterfinals by Nevel, who finished Apollos' day 7-3. Nevel then defeated Engel 7-3 to pick up Van Boening in the semifinal match.
Van Boening gave up only two racks in the semifinal match to earn a double elimination finals rematch against Moore. He then gave up only a single rack in the opening set of those finals. Moore reached the hill first, ahead by three in the second set, but Van Boening came back to knot things at double hill and then, drop the last 10-ball to secure the event victory.
Rebecca Wagner won the $1,000-added Women's Division 10-Ball Tournament, which drew 24 entrants. She got by Beth Fondell twice to do it; once in the hot seat match and again, in the finals. Wagner had sent Melinda Bailey west 5-1 to get into the hot seat match, as Fondell was busy surviving a double hill match against Cindy Sliva. Wagner then shut Fondell out in the hot seat match.
Fondell moved over to the semifinals for a re-match against Sliva, who'd hung on to defeat Melinda Bailey in a double hill quarterfinal match. Fondell earned the rematch versus Wagner with a double hill victory in the semifinals. Fondell put up a better fight in her second match against Wagner, but Wagner prevailed 5-3 to win the women's title.
Men's 10-Ball
1st Shane Van Boening $4,300
2nd Stevie Moore $2,400
3rd Larry Nevel $1,550
4th Jesse Engel $1,050
5th Josh O'Neal $725
Gabe Apollos
7th John Morra $475
Jerry Matchin
9th Ed Scott $275
Rodney Morris
Glen Atwell
Francisco Bustamante
13th Dennis Haar $175
Mitch Ellerman
Louis Ulrich
Sean Morgan
17th Sal Butera $150
Ernesto Dominguez
Brian Butler
Chris McCreary
Jose Parica
Derek Pogirski
Amar Kang
Manny Chau
Women's 10-ball
1st Rebecca Wagner $850
2nd Beth Fondell $475
3rd Cindy Sliva $300
4th Melinda Bailey $175
5th Susan Williams $125
Stacy Allsup
7th Nicole Hellmer $75
Kimberly Broughton