Nevel and Cole Rock the House
Viking 9-Ball Tour / Atlanta, GA
by Rick Davis
The Viking Cue 9-Ball Tour got back in action over the July 28-29 weekend, where 117 players entered the combined divisions at Mr. Cues II in Atlanta, GA. The open division was owned by Larry “The Truth” Nevel, while the amateur division kept pace with Joseph Cole in control.
In the open division a wide range of competitors threw their hat in the ring. Between the WPBA pros, Seminole Florida Pro Tour regulars, and other Southern top guns, it was rough action all around. Late action on the winners’ side had Nevel cut down Justin Hall 9-4 in the hot seat match to earn a brief rest. On the one-loss side Tony “The Sniper” Crosby faced reigning Reno Open champion Richie Orem in the quarterfinals and got revenge from the previous day, where Orem sent Crosby west. This time around Crosby ended on top with the 7-5 score to eliminate Orem. Although Crosby was getting back in gear, Hall was eager to face Nevel again and crushed Crosby 7-4 to make that happen. In the finals Hall started strong with a 4-1 lead until Nevel took five racks to go up 6-4. Hall inched back with one more rack, but Nevel was back in command as he finished the set to claim the event.
In the amateur field Cole defeated Josh Louis 5-3 in the hot seat match as the remainder of the event would be nail-biters all around. On the one-loss side Travis Dorn slipped past David Shadden in the quarterfinals then sent Louis to the door as well in the semifinals, both matches going double-hill. In the finals it was Dorn versus the 18-year-old Cole, who has already picked up BumperNets of Birmingham, AL, as a sponsor, and once again a double-hill thriller unfolded. In the end Cole was king, taking the final match 5-4 to win the event undefeated.
Open Results:
1st Larry Nevel
2nd Justin Hall
3rd Tony Crosby
4th Richie Orem
5th Cliff Joyner
John Morra
7th Clint McCollough
Billy Tyler
9th Danny Turner
David Shadden
Louis Ulrich
Helena Thornfeldt
13th Tommy Kennedy
Jim Jennings
John Macias
Monica Webb
Amateur Results:
1st Joseph Cole
2nd Travis Dorn
3rd Josh Lewis
4th David Shadden
5th Jeff Hooks
Robert South
7th Jesse Middlebrook
Roger Lewis