Morris Comes Back to Best Hundal
Jacoby Custom Cues Carolina Tour / Raleigh, NC

by Skip Maloney
Professional pool player “Rocket” Rodney Morris followed up on a hill-hill hot seat defeat at the hands of Raj Hundal by returning in the finals to win 9-4, capturing the first-place prize in the Jacoby Custom Cues Carolina Tour the weekend of June 7-8. The $1,000-added event drew 25 billiard entrants to Babineau’s in Raleigh, NC.
Earlier Sunday, Morris and Hundal moved into their hot seat match following defeats of Mike Fuller and Robert Ray, respectively. Morris couldn’t capitalize on the momentum, falling to Hundal and moving into the semifinals.
On the one-loss side, Cary Dunn defeated Sidney Champion, who had just eliminated Mike Davis from the tournament. Wade Crane, in the meantime, dropped Peaches Fuller into the seventh-place slot. Dunn and Wade then defeated Mike Fuller and Ray to face each other in the quarterfinal match. Crane advanced with a 7-5 win to face Morris in the semifinals. Morris ended Crane’s tournament with a 7-3 victory and turned to challenge Hundal a second time.
Morris and Hundal struggled back and forth to a 4-4 tie in the finals before Morris took command, winning the next five to capture the first-place prize. Morris’ victory also earned him an entry into the Carolina Open in October, though he narrowly missed an opportunity at extra prize money, offered to any player who ran five racks. While he’d closed out the tournament by winning the last five games, he’d allowed Hundal opportunities to shoot, which cost him the supplementary prize.
Results:
1st Rodney Morris
2nd Raj Hundal
3rd Wade Crane
4th Cary Dunn
5th Mike Fuller
Robert Ray
7th Sidney Champion
Peaches Fuller
9th Mike Davis
Doug Jones
Younger Chapman
Leroy Bryant

Page Takes Two From Davis
Tar-Heel Open 9-ball Tournament / Rocky Mount, NC
by Skip Maloney
Steve Page went undefeated in the Tar-Heel Open 9-ball Tournament in Rocky Mount, NC, the weekend of May 31-June 1. He defeated billiard player Mike Davis twice to capture the first-place prize in the $750-added event, which drew 25 entrants to Dot’s Cue Club.
On Sunday, Page sent Larry Pittman to the one-loss side with a 9-3 victory, as Davis was doing the same to Mike Fuller 9-4. Page prevailed in the subsequent hot seat match, sending Davis over with a 9-5 victory.
On the one-loss side, Scott Rabon was at work on a march that would eventually take him to the semifinals. He defeated Qi Liu 7-4 before turning to face Fuller. He eliminated Fuller from the tournament and moved on to challenge Pittman. He dropped Pittman into fourth place with a 7-5 victory and then ran into a determined Mike Davis. Davis moved into the finals with a 7-4 victory that ended Rabon’s strong run.
The true double-elimination finals lasted only a single set. The two struggled to a 3-3 tie before Page surged ahead by 4 games. Davis managed two more racks but so did Page, ending it 9-5. It was Page’s first event victory of the year.
Scott Rabon followed his third-place effort in the open division with a hill-hill 3-2 finals victory over Tommy Briscoe in a $110-added bank tournament. Rabon had defeated Wade Crane 3-1 to face Briscoe in the finals, as Briscoe sent Mike Davis into the third-place slot with a hill-hill 3-2 victory.
Open Results:
1st Steven Page
2nd Mike Davis
3rd Scott Rabon
4th Larry Pittman
5th Phillip Richardson
Mike Fuller
Bank Results:
1st Scott Rabon
2nd Tommy Briscoe
3rd Mike Davis
Wade Crane

Fuller Wins Second Straight billiards Event
Jacoby Cues Carolina Tour / Rocky Mount, NC
by Skip Maloney
After recording his first victory in five attempts on the Jacoby Cues Carolina Tour in April, Mike Fuller picked up his second straight billiards tour victory the weekend of May 17-18. Fuller defeated Phillip Richardson twice to capture first place in the $1,000-added event, which drew 39 entrants to Sharks-N-Shooters in Rocky Mount, NC.
On Sunday, Fuller and Richardson were half of the final four on the winners’ side. They gave up only three games total between them in defeating Rob Krull 7-1 and Delton Howard 7-2, respectively. The going got a little rougher in the hot seat match, with Fuller prevailing 7-5 to send Richardson to the semifinals.
On the west side, Robert Ray faced Mike Gulyassy in the quarterfinal match. He’d sent Gulyassy to the one-loss side in the tournament’s opening round and defeated him a second time 7-5 to move into the semifinals against Richardson. Richardson defeated Ray 7-4 to advance to the finals.
Richardson took an early 3-0 lead in the finals before Fuller responded. They tied and then struggled back and forth to double-hill before Fuller closed it out and collected his second straight tour victory.
Results:
1st Mike Fuller
2nd Phillip Richardson
3rd Robert Ray
4th Mike Gulyassy
5th Rob Krull
Delton Howard
7th Ron Park
Mac Harrell
9th Matt Reed
Peaches Fuller
Jeff Pruitt
Russell Sasser

Fuller goes undefeated in Carolina Tour Stop

Jacoby Custom Cues Carolina Tour / Greensboro, NC
Mike Fuller worked his way through a field of 40 entrants on the Jacoby Custom Cues Carolina Tour stop at Fast Eddie’s in Goldsboro, NC, the weekend of April 26-27. He sent Larry Faulk to the one-loss side of the bracket with a decisive shut-out in the round of 8 and defeated him again in the finals to capture the first-place prize.

Larry Faulk worked his way through two opponents on the west side before meeting Arnold Hamlet in the quarterfinals. He won all but 5 of the next 19 games, dropping 2 versus Hamlet and 3 against Liu in the semifinal.

The final match-up was something of a waltz, played out three steps at a time. Fuller and Faulk danced their way one game at a time to a 3-3 tie before Fuller decided that he wanted to lead the dance and jumped out 6-3. Faulk responded with his own three steps and tied it at 6-6, but it was Fuller who brought the waltz to a three-step finale to finish the dance.

The tour stop also featured a Friday night early bird tournament with 9 entrants, a second chance tournament Sunday with 11, and a small junior tournament with 3 entrants. Cary Dunn took the early bird, defeating Wade Crane, with Michael Fuller in third place. Mike Triplett defeated Shane Barnwell 7-1 to take the second chance first prize; Peaches Fuller and Charlie Brinson took third and fourth place, respectively. Justin Ward defeated Tiffany Leonard in the finals of the three-player junior tournament, taking the lead in points for the race to qualification to the Junior Nationals.

Results
1st Michael Fuller
2nd Larry Faulk
3rd Qi Liu
4th Arnold Hamlet
5th Younger Chapman
Wade Crane
7th Sidney Champion
Chris Vollmar
9th Cary Dunn
Mike Frowein
Charles McClung
John Hernandez

Ussery Takes Home Two in a Row
Jacoby Custom Cues Carolina Tour / Chapel, Hill, NC
by Skip Maloney
B.J. Ussery picked up his second straight tournament win of the Jacoby Custom Cues Carolina Tour the weekend of April 5-6, defeating Michael Fuller 9-5 in the final at Oscar’s Q and Bar in Chapel Hill, NC. In addition to the $1,000 first-place prize in the $1,000-added event, Ussery won his second free entry fee into the Carolina Open, set for October.
The field was down to eight on Sunday morning as Ussery squared off against Leroy Bryant on the winners’ side of the bracket. Fuller, also undefeated, faced Arnold Hamlet, another previous winner on the tour. Ussery and Fuller both advanced and faced each other in the final winners’-bracket match-up. Ussery took the match 7-3 to earn the hot seat.
Meanwhile, over on the one-loss side, Eddie Little defeated David Tickle 7-5 and went on to defeat Hamlet 7-4. Cary Dunn bested Brian Overman 7-2 before falling to Leroy Bryant by the same score. Little then defeated Bryant 7-2 but lost to Fuller 7-3, securing the third place and setting up the finals rematch between Fuller and Ussery. Ussery, however, was unimpressed with Fuller’s prowess, soundly drilling him 9-5 in the final match. Fuller, who was the tour’s Player of the Year in 2005-2006 and continues to lead the field in points for this year’s award, went home with the second-place prize, having already picked up his own two entry fees to the Carolina Open with previous wins on the tour.
The tour stop featured both an eight-player early bird tournament Friday night and a four-player last chance tournament Sunday afternoon. Terry Champion took home the first-place, $100 early bird prize, defeating Chris Vollmar in the final 7-2. Peaches Fuller earned the $80 prize in the last chance final match-up on Sunday, defeating Joe Meskey 7-1.
Results:
1st B.J. Ussery
2nd Michael Fuller
3rd Eddie Little
4th Leroy Bryant
5th Cary Dunn
Arnold Hamlet
7th Brian Overman
David Tickle

Ussery Puts Down Park
Jacoby Custom Cues Carolina Tour / Winston-Salem, NC

by Rock City Promotions
Break Time billiards in Winston-Salem, NC, hosted the March 8-9 stop of the Jacoby Custom Cues Carolina Tour. A field of 42 players came out for the $1,000 guaranteed added main event, where B. J. Ussery held off Ron Park in the final match.
To kick things off, an early bird tournament was held Friday night, in which Mike Davis defeated Mike Maurer 7-4 in the final match. In the junior tournament Sunday, Marcus Pendley defeated his younger brother Adam Pendley 7-4 in the final match. Also on Sunday, a second chance tournament was won by Peaches Fuller, who defeated Ed Killough 7-5.
In the main event, Park drew a bye and made his way to the hot seat by defeating Tim Morton 7-2, Marcus Pendley 7-4, Andy Hutchens 7-2, Robert Ray 7-4, and Michael Fuller 7-4. Meanwhile, Ussery also drew a bye and struggled to defeat Charles McClung 7-4, Jeff Abernathy 7-5, and Killough 7-6. After being sent to the one-loss side by Michael Fuller 7-2, Ussery held off Abernathy for a second time and by the same score as before. A win over Brian White 7-4 set up a rematch with Fuller. This time it was Ussery who came out on top 7-3 and moved on to meet Park in the final. The lopsided final match saw the players trade the first few racks, but then Ussery pressed on to win five games in a row to take the win 9-3.
Results:
1st B.J. Ussery
2nd Ron Park
3rd Michael Fuller
4th Brian White
5th Jeff Abernathy
Robert Ray
7th Cary Dunn
Adam Pendley
9th Mike Maurer
Mike Davis
Ed Killough
Andy Hutchens

Monday Makes Quick Work of Fuller
Jacoby Custom Cues Carolina Tour / Rocky Mount, NC

by Rock City Promotions
Sharks-N-Shooter in Rocky Mount, NC, hosted the February 9-10 stop of the Jacoby Custom Cues Carolina Tour, drawing a field of 23 players for the $1,000 guaranteed added main event. Sam Monday defeated Michael Fuller in the final match, earning $1,000 for first place plus entry into the 2008 Carolina Open, courtesy of Fast Eddie’s in Goldsboro, NC.
To kick things off, an early bird tournament was held Friday night. Montez Lloyd held off Younger Chapman 7-6 in the final match. In the junior tournament Sunday, Mac Harrell defeated Trey Sprye 9-5 in the final match. Also on Sunday, a second-chance tournament was won by Phillip Richardson, who defeated Steven Page 7-6 in the final match.
In the main event, Monday began his quest for the title down 2-0 to junior player Andrew Coley. Monday quickly righted the ship and defeated Coley 7-2 and two other junior players, Mac Harrell 7-2 and Trey Sprye 7-1. Monday then faced Sidney Champion, having to come from behind to take the hill-hill match. This set up the hot seat match in which Monday sent Fuller to the one-loss side 7-3.
Fuller’s tournament began with victories over Scott Crandall 7-4, Jim Faircloth 7-1, Jeff Pruitt 7-3, and Eddie Little 7-1. After Fuller’s loss to Monday in the hot seat match, he defeated Little for a second time 7-4 to set up a rematch with Monday.
In the final match, both players stumbled coming out of the gate. Missed shots and bad position led to an eventual 4-2 lead for Monday. Fuller broke the seventh rack, and from there it was all Monday. It took exactly eight minutes for Monday to run the table, break and run twice, make the 9 ball on the break, and break and run a third time for the win 9-2.
Results:
1st Sam Monday
2nd Michael Fuller
3rd Eddie Little
4th Sidney Champion
5th Jeff Pruitt
Cary Dunn

Hamlet Holds off Pureza
Jacoby Custom Cues Carolina Tour / Fuquay Varina, NC

by Rock City Promotions
On The Snap billiards in Fuquay Varina, NC, hosted the January 19-20 stop of the Jacoby Custom Cues Carolina Tour. A field of 42 players braved the cold weather and threat of snow for the $1,000 guaranteed added main event, in which Arnold Hamlet held off a much younger Brandon Pureza in the final match.
To kick things off, an early bird tournament was held on Friday night, where Pureza defeated Craig Wolfe 7-2 in the final match. In the junior tournament Sunday, Jackson Jeffries defeated Andrew Coley 9-5 in the final match. Also on Sunday, a second-chance tournament was won by Robert Ray, who managed a 7-6 win over Chris Vollmar.
In the main event, Hamlet drew a bye but then had his work cut out for him. He scored wins over Shane Winters 7-5, Paul Scarboro 7-3, and Jeff Pruitt 7-5 before losing to Rodney Strickland 7-4. On the one-loss side Hamlet defeated Johnny Griffin 7-6 and Mike Davis 7-6 to set up a rematch with Strickland, this time finishing on the positive side 7-1.
Meanwhile, Pureza ran through his first five opponents with little difficulty, defeating Deamon Dawson 7-2, Mae Beale 7-1, Anthony Barrington 7-3, Johnny Griffin 7-3, and Michael Fuller 7-3. Then, in the hot seat match, Strickland took Pureza to the hill before falling 7-6.
The final match saw Hamlet take an early 5-1 lead before Pureza finally got a break—an empty one for Hamlet. Pureza ran the rack and was poised for a comeback. Midway through the eighth rack, however, Pureza missed a crucial 5 ball, and Hamlet cleaned the table. Pureza then locked up a 2-ball in the ninth rack to give Hamlet a 7-2 lead.
In the tenth and eleventh racks, Pureza pulled to within three games by taking advantage of Hamlets’ misses, which included a 9 ball left in the jaws of a corner pocket. A dry break put Hamlet back in charge, and he inched his way to a 9-5 win.
Results:
1st Arnold Hamlet
2nd Brandon Pureza
3rd Rodney Strickland
4th Mike Davis
5th Michael Fuller
Johnny Griffin
7th Anthony Barrington
Ron Park
9th Larry Faulk
Jeff Pruitt
Robert Ray
Sam Monday

Fuller Holds off Winters for Billiard Win
Jacoby Custom Cues Carolina Tour / Goldsboro, NC

by InsidePOOL Staff
Michael Fuller held off young gun Shane Winters in the final match of the Jacoby Custom Cues Carolina Tour’s December 8-9 stop. Hosted by Fast Eddie’s in Goldsboro, NC, this stop drew a field of 24 players for the $1,000-added main event.
To kick things off, an early bird tournament was held on Friday night, in which Mike Danner defeated Charles Jones 7-4 in the final match. In the junior tournament on Sunday, Mac Harrell defeated Justin Ward 7-1 in the final match. Junior players score points, which accumulate for the first ten events on the tour. The top point winners in each division will qualify for the 2008 Junior Nationals. Also on Sunday, a second-chance tournament was won by Dave Gray, who took a 7-6 win over Cary Dunn.
In the main event, Michael Fuller survived a close match against Sam Monday 7-5 before being sent to the one-loss side by Winters 7-3. Winters, having already defeated Wade Crane 7-5, continued his march to the hot seat with wins over Larry Faulk 7-5 and Peaches Fuller 7-3.
Meanwhile, Michael Fuller put together a run through the one-loss side by defeating Monday 7-5, Younger Chapman 7-1, Montez Lloyd 7-1, Charles Jones 7-3, and Peaches Fuller 7-6 to earn a rematch with Winters.
The final match was a single race to 9. Fuller took an early 4-1and then a 6-2 lead, at which point Winters got a break when Fuller fouled. Winters cleared the table and then broke and ran out the next rack. Feeling the momentum, Winters sank two balls on the break, but his hopes were dashed when the cue ball found the side pocket. Fuller took ball in hand and ran out for a 7-4 lead.
Fuller left himself bad shape and hung the 8 ball in the corner to keep Winters’ hopes alive. Winters made the last two balls to make the score 8-6. Although finally avoiding a scratch on the break, Winters was left with a difficult cut on the 1 ball. He decided to go for it and ultimately lost control of the table. Fuller finished the rack to win the match 9-6.

Davis Coasts to Win on Jacoby Billiard Tour
Jacoby Custom Cues Carolina Tour / Kinston, NC

by Rock City Promotions
Pastime billiards and Pub of Kinston, NC, hosted the second stop on the 2007-2008 Jacoby Custom Cues Carolina Tour November 17-18, drawing a field of 27 players for the main event. Mike Davis took first place over Cary Dunn, earning $1,000, plus entry into the 2008 Carolina Open, courtesy of Fast Eddie’s in Goldsboro, NC.
The weekend began with an early bird tournament on Friday night. Younger Chapman defeated Terry Champion 7-1 in the final match. The junior tournament Sunday saw Mac Harrell besting Justin Ward 7-5 in the final match. Junior players score points that accumulate for the first 10 events on the tour, and the top point winners in each division will qualify for the 2008 Junior Nationals.
Also on Sunday, a second-chance tournament was won by Larry Faulk. Faulk finished 7-2 over Mac Harrell, who squandered chances on three 9 balls.

In the main event, Davis had a relatively smooth road to the hot seat, defeating Joe Hawkins 7-3, Wayne Sutton 7-2, Charles Jones 7-5, Paul Mullins 7-2, and Dunn 7-4.
Dunn struggled early with David Brown but emerged the winner in a hill-hill match. After making quick work of Ty Bissett 7-1 and Eddie Little 7-2, Dunn headed west after his loss to Davis. Dunn earned his rematch with Davis by defeating Mullins, who was the underdog of the tournament.
The final match—a single race to 9—started out with unforced errors and missed opportunities on the part of both players. Snookered and down 3-1, Dunn made a good hit on the 1 ball and left Davis safe. Davis made a good hit, but Dunn ran out nevertheless.
Rack seven proved to be the turning point. After making the 7 ball on the break, Davis made the 1 and 2, then played a safety on the 3 ball. Rewarded with ball in hand, Davis ran out. Davis stretched his lead to 8-2, thanks to a 9 ball on the break and back-to-back break and runs.
Dunn’s last chance was in the eleventh rack. After an empty break by Davis, Dunn made the 1 ball and missed a desperate 2/9 combination. Davis missed a 7 ball late in the rack, but a fortunate roll left Dunn snookered. Davis won the final game and the match 9-2.
Results:
1st Mike Davis
2nd Cary Dunn
3rd Paul Mullins
4th Eddie Little
5th Younger Chapman
Sidney Champion
7thLarry Faulk
Terry Champion

Steven Page Defeats Hometown Rival for Jacoby Tour Win
Hosting the 14th stop on the 2006-2007 Jacoby Custom Cues Carolina Tour was Sharks-N-Shooters in Rocky Mount , NC . In addition to the players who traveled from near and far, several locals took part, including room owner James Gray. Two local favorites, Steven Page and Phillip Richardson, thrilled the hometown crowd by meeting in the final match.
Paul Mullins gave Page an early scare before losing a hill-hill match (7-6). Page had an easier time the rest of the way to the hotseat with wins over Russell Sasser (7-2), Ashley Cartwright (7-4) and Trey Sprye (7-1).
Meanwhile, Richardson took a longer route to the final match. After a quick win over Ty Bissett (7-1), he lost a hill-hill match to Cartwright (7-6) and was sent to the one-loss side. Richardson proceeded to plow through Ronnie Greer (7-4), Sasser (7-3), Buddy Fisher (7-0), Sidney Champion (7-5) and Sprye (7-3).
Winning the lag to break first in the final match, Richardson took the first game and then broke and ran for a 2-0 lead. After an empty break, Page shot safe and was rewarded with ball-in-hand. Page quickly ran the table to trail 2-1.
Page didn¢t make a ball on the next break and a safe battle ensued. Each player had 5 innings before the first ball was pocketed. Page played a carom and ran out, tying the score at two games apiece.
At that point, the match really began to go Page¢s way. Making the 9 on the break, then breaking and running two racks, Page capitalized on a mistake by Richardson in the eighth rack to take a commanding 6-2 lead.
Another empty break by Page left a run-out for Richardson, who broke and ran the next rack to trail 6-4.
Early in the eleventh rack, Richardson missed and left Page out. Now leading 7-4, Page again failed to pocket a ball on the break. However, alternating safeties, then misses, finally gave control of the table to Page, who took the hill, 8-4.
With a break-and-run, Page took the championship, 9-4.
The next stop on the Jacoby Tour will be at New York billiards on August 18th in Raleigh , NC . In addition to the cash purse, players will be competing for a free entry ($100 value) into the Carolina Open, to be held October 2-7 at Fast Eddie¢s Sports Bar and Grill in Goldsboro , NC .

Story and photo courtesy Rock City Promotions
FINAL RESULTS
1st $500 Steven Page
2nd $350 Phillip Richardson
3rd $200 Trey Sprye
4th $125 Sidney Champion
5th $75 Buddy Fisher
6th $75 Ashley Cartwright

Nail-Biting Victory Goes to Howard

Jacoby Custom Cues Carolina Tour / Greenville, NC
by Rock City Promotions

Billiard News - The 12th stop on the Jacoby Custom Cues Carolina Tour was hosted by Emerald City billiards in Greenville, NC. Local player Delton Howard stayed close and took the final two games to win a hill-hill final match against Rusty Shaw.

To take the hot seat, Howard defeated Montez Lloyd 7-5, John Ormsby 7-2, Paul Mullins 7-4, and Shaw 7-5. Meanwhile, Shaw posted wins over Phillip Richardson 7-1, Wayne Richardson 7-5, and Ray Vines 7-2 before being sent to the one-loss side by Howard. Shaw proceeded to make quick work of Mullins 7-0 and faced Howard once again.

The final match was nip and tuck all the way. Shaw got out to an early lead but could never stretch it past two games. To take the hill first, Shaw executed a clever 3-9 combination that, if missed, would have snookered Howard.

Howard won the next game to pull even at 8 apiece and force a final, deciding game. Trading safeties, both players had their chances at the table, but Howard gave Shaw the opening for which he was looking. With three balls left on the table, Shaw seemed to have victory within reach. Having resigned himself to defeat, Howard watched in amazement as Shaw missed a nearly straight-in 8 ball. Sprinting to the table, Howard pocketed the last two balls to take the hill-hill victory.

The next stop on the Jacoby Tour will be June 23rd at Babineau’s billiards in Raleigh, NC.

Results:
1st Delton Howard
2nd Rusty Shaw
3rd Paul Mullins
4th Phillip Richardson

Ray Wins on Home Turf

Jacoby Custom Cues Carolina Tour / Raleigh, NC
by Rock City Promotions
The Jacoby Custom Cues Carolina Tour rolled through Raleigh, NC, March 24 as the ninth stop on the tour was held at Play 2 Win billiards. As the poolroom owner, Robert Ray rolled out the red carpet, but as a player he pocketed the green, defeating Sam Monday in the final match.

Jacoby Custom Cues Sponsors Carolina TourJacoby Custom Cues and Doug Ennis of Rock City Promotions have released their 2005 schedule for the new Carolina Tour. The tour features six stops, with each event boasting a break contest, a ring game, and a 10-ball challenge to go along with the 9-ball tournament. The tour's inaugural stop is May 14-15 at New York billiards in Raleigh, NC, followed by a June 4-5 event at Dot's Cue Club in Rocky Mount, NC. The third stop takes the tour to Fast Eddie's in Goldsboro, NC, o­n June 25-26, then to Sharks-N-Shooters in Rocky Mount o­n July 16-17. The final two stops come in August o­n the 6-7 at Pastime billiards in Greenville, NC, followed by the finale back at New York billiards o­n August 27-28. The season-end event offers a huge incentive, as the point's champion will be awarded a paid entry into September's U.S. Open in Chesapeake, VA. Ennis said the excitement among players and room owners is already growing, even for those poolrooms that didn't get a stop this summer. “I solicited the players' input and put together a tour that reflected what they wanted. Everything about the Jacoby Custom Cues Carolina Tour is bigger than your everyday run-of-the-mill tour. And room owners that didn't get a stop this year are lining up their dates for next year.” For more information, visit rockcitypromotions.com or email Doug Ennis at Visit InsidePOOL for the latest news in the sport of billiards and pool. (http://www.insidepoolmag.com/)