Inaugural Billiard Palace Event Won by Owen

Inaugural Billiard Palace Event Won by OwenBy Bill Rosenberger The Midwest 9-Ball Tour christened Billiard Palace in Fayetteville, AR, with their first-ever event. The poolroom, owned by Tony Catroppa, opened in early 2005, and according to tour director Evelyn Dysart, the room is large, and they are planning another stop there in the fall. The room's inaugural tournament drew a healthy field of 40 players, including 2003 and 2004 U.S. Open champs Jeremy Jones and Gabe Owen. To kick off the weekend event, the two pros squared off in a $500 race-to-11 match held on Friday night. A large group of spectators watched as Owen snared an 11-8 win, which was followed by a challenge-the-pro event that lasted nearly two hours. On Saturday, the 9-ball competition began, and right away, Owen was the clear favorite. But he had company, as James Walden also emerged as a contender. When Sunday started, the bracket had dwindled down to its last few players. First off for Owen was Chuck Raulston, and the Oklahoman took care of business to reach the hot seat match against Walden. Owen didn't waste any time, taking the match 9-4 and advancing to the finals. In the one-loss side, Raultson was making noise, ousting Shane McMinn and Jim Weast to reach the semifinals. Walden, who had trouble with his breaks against Owen, suffered the same fate in his match with Raulston. Although the two kept it close early on with the score reaching 5-all, Walden's dry breaks and scratches all but handed the contest to Raulston. The final match between Owen and Raulston was a crowd pleaser. on the very first break, Raulston snapped in the 9, but Owen countered in the second rack with a 1-9 combo. Two games later, Owen also made the 9 off the break, extending his lead to 3-1. From then on, Owen held at least a one-game edge over his opponent, but Raulston did make it interesting with his break-and-run success in Game7, 9 and 13. In the end, though, Owen just couldn't be stopped, nailing a two-rail bank shot that opened the table for his final run out in a 9-6 victory. Results:1st Gabe Owen $1,0302nd Chuck Raulston $7003rd James Walden $4504th Jim Weast $3005th Shane McMinn, Bobby Ferrell $1507th Danny Lane, Jeremy Jones $100Visit InsidePOOL for the latest news in the sport of billiards and pool.

Pool Balls and Billiard Balls at LOW PRICES!!!

About the Author:
Inside Pool Magazine publishes billiard news. Definitive Synergy creates pool and billiard management software.