WPBA Satellite Tour / Bristol, TN
by Lea Andrews
Day two of the WPBA’s inaugural satellite event was the day to shine for some young stars, and it was the end of the road for several top players. While the day started with all 64 players still vying for victory, back-to-back matches throughout the day whittled the field down to 12 players.
The all-pro winners’ side final four had to work hard to get there. Julie Kelly, having sent 14-year-old Briana Miller west 9-7, went on to meet the ever-powerful Kelly “Kwikfire” Fisher. At that point, Fisher had given up only four games in three matches, but she gave up all nine to Kelly and joined the one-loss side. Line “Rockstar” Kjorsvik had given up only one game in two matches when she came up against Gerda “G-Force” Hofstatter. “G-Force” was ready for the “Rockstar,” though, and allowed her only four games, going on to allow Ewa “The Striking Viking” Laurance only three games to arrive in the final four.
Monica Webb, who had a shut-out match and a forfeit Friday, finally allowed an opponent to pocket a 9 ball against her on Saturday, but not many. Having sent Belinda “The Texas Belle” Calhoun to the left side of the bracket 9-5, Webb did the same to Iris Ranola of the Philippines 9-4. Webb’s first opponent on Sunday will be none other than Karen “The Irish Invader” Corr, who had bested Stephanie Mitchell 9-2 and Kim “The Cooler” Shaw 9-3.
WPBA Satellite tournament brackets
Day two of the WPBA’s inaugural satellite event was the day to shine for some young stars, and it was the end of the road for several top players.
Meanwhile, on the one-loss side, 17-year-old giant-slayer Chelsea Hardwick, whose 19-year-old sister Allison was also in the field, was changing the face of the bracket. Hardwick, who had fallen 9-5 to Hofstatter, went on to take down Sarah Rousey 7-4, Mai Schieck 7-2, and Tiffany “The Rock” Nelson-Crain 7-4 before coming upon Allison Fisher, who lived up to her nickname. “The Duchess of Doom” allowed Hardwick only one game, earning the right to play the other Fisher on Sunday. Also meeting up Sunday are Kjorsvik and Ranola, Val Finnie and Laurance, and Kim Shaw and young Miller, who today took down 17-year-old Liz Lovely and 20-year-old pro Brittany Bryant.
Missing from the action tomorrow are Calhoun, who fell to Finnie 7-2; hostess “Jumping” Janet Atwell, who fell 7-4 to Denise Belanger; Liz Ford, who fell 7-4 to Bryant; and Tracie Hines and Melissa Herndon, who both fell 7-4 to Kjorsvik.