Van Boening Captures 9-Ball U.S. Bar Table Title
U.S. Open Bar Table Championship / Reno, NV
by InsidePOOL Staff
Shane Van Boening has had a busy week so far, and it’s not over yet. Not content with winning the 10-ball bar table division at the U.S. Open Bar Table Championship, he has also taken the 9-ball crown and is making a run at the 8-ball division as well. The week-long event is being hosted by the Sands Regency Hotel and Casino in Reno, NV.
After defeating Jose Parica in the finals of the 10-ball division, Van Boening went right into the 9-ball event, which began with 136 men. Van Boening bested Phil Kerns 9-2, Duane Jones 9-6, Chris Melling 9-1, Dan Louie 9-2, and Oscar Dominguez 9-5. He then came up against former world 9-ball champion Thorsten Hohmann, and though the German is not very familiar with bar-table pool, Hohmann was able to send Van Boening to the one-loss side 9-5.
Hohmann had whizzed through his first few matches, winning over Joe Gonzales 9-1, Richard Cook 9-2, and Arturo Hernandez 9-1. Things got a little tougher at that point, but still Hohmann sent to the left side Tommy Tokoph 9-7, Jeff Heath 9-7, and Sylver Ochoa 9-7. After dealing Van Boening his first—and so far his only—loss this week, Hohmann then matched up with Scott “The Freezer” Frost and sent him to the west side 9-5.
On the left side Van Boening was faced with Steve Moore, whom he eliminated 9-2 to advance to the quarterfinals, where his second meeting with Dominguez resulted in Van Boening moving on 9-6. Frost formed Van Boening’s next challenge, but Van Boening was determined to earn a rematch with Hohmann and sent Frost home in third place with a convincing 9-1 score. In the true-double elimination final match, Van Boening double-dipped Hohmann for the title, winning both sets by the score of 9-5.
This year was the first time the ladies were granted their own division, and 24 came out to vie for the title. Melissa “The Viper” Little went undefeated through the event, besting Melinda Bailey 7-4, Edwidge Cavanna 7-2, Tina Pawloski 7-2, and Bonnie Plowman 7-5 to reach the hot seat match. Meeting her there was Amanda Lampert, who had scored victories over Shawn Modelo 7-1, Tara Vreeland 7-3, Heather Pulford 7-5, and Andrea Wilson 7-5.
The hot seat match was a lopsided affair that saw Little advance to the finals 7-1, while Lampert went west. There she faced Pawloski, who had just sent Plowman home in fourth place 7-3. Pawloski wasn’t ready to join Plowman, though, and she eked out a hill-hill win over Lampert to earn a rematch with Little, who had been the one responsible for Pawloski’s earlier loss, in the finals. But it ended there, as Little surged ahead to claim the crown in the first and only set 7-1.
In the 8-ball event, which kicked off Friday, 183 men and 38 ladies began play. To date, no one has ever won all three divisions of the U.S. Open Bar Table Championship, but Van Boening could always be the first. Visit InsidePOOL for the latest news in the sport of billiards and pool.
Not content with winning the 10-ball bar table division at the U.S. Open Bar Table Championship, Van Boening has also taken the 9-ball crown and is making a run at the 8-ball division as well.
Open Results:
1st Shane Van Boening $5,300
2nd Thorsten Hohmann $3,400
3rd Scott Frost $1,700
4th Oscar Dominguez $1,100
5th Rob Phillips $750
Steve Moore
7th Sylver Ochoa $500
Jose Parica
9th Chris Melling $300
Earl Strickland
Beau Runningen
Jaynard Orque
13th Tyler Edey $150
Tommy Tokoph
Max Eberle
Dan Louie
17th Brendan Crockett $125
Brandon Shuff
Charles Bryant
Justin Whitehead
Jeff Heath
Johnathan Pinegar
Glenn Atwell
Dan Olson
Ladies’ Results:
1st Melissa Little $1,000
2nd Tina Pawloski $675
3rd Amanda Lampert $400
4th Bonnie Plowman $225
5th Sunny Griffin $150
Andrea Wilson
7th Kimberly Benson $100
Tara Vreeland