Cube 9-Ball Debuts in Cincinnati

Cube 9-Ball Debuts in Cincinnatiby InsidePOOL StaffCube 9-Ball had its inaugural tournament at Michael's Billiards in Cincinnati, OH, on April 5, with a strong field of local players present to try their skills with the new device. Mike Franklin (pictured) bested Eric Durbin 104-0 in the finals to win the trophy and $250 first-place prize money.Terri Nicole Hess, the inventor of the Pool Cube, said regarding her invention, "It adds suspense and drama to every game. It's a race within a race." Hess came up with the Pool Cube after playing backgammon with some friends, modifying the doubling cube to fit the game of pool. It can be used to enhance any game on the table, but in this case, the game was 9-ball.
Franklin, a road player who is currently making Cincinnati home, was defeated by Durbin (pictured) in the hot seat match by the score of 54-44 in the race to 50 points. He scored 32 in the first game, but Durbin came back and soon had 28 points to Franklin's 32. When the score was 44-38, Franklin rolled a 16, which made that the match game. After Franklin missed a tough bank on the 9, Durbin said with a smile, "This is all mine!" and drilled it.In the match for third place, Franklin annihilated another local player, Jason Miller, by the score of 52-2, breaking and running the first three racks. He then went on to his rematch with Durbin in the finals. Because the tournament was double-elimination, he had to beat Durbin twice. The first match, a race to 50 points, consisted of a single game. Frankling rolled a 16, and the two doubled it until after Durbin scratched on the 5 ball, Franklin ran out for the 64-0 win. The final match, a race to 100, began with another incredible roll of 16. Again, the two doubled the score every chance they got until the game was worth 128 points. Franklin missed his shot on the 7 ball, leaving Durbin an easy three-ball out, but Durbin miscued on a straight-in 9, handing Franklin the 128-0 win.Those who stuck around for the action afterwards were treated to a high-stakes challenge match in the Diamond Mine between Eric Durbin and Tony Watson, with Durbin coming out the winner this time. They have planned to get together later this month in Watson's turf, North Carolina.

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