Winters Strikes Again on Joss Tour
Joss Northeast 9-Ball Tour / Williamsville, NY
by Lea Andrews
Shane Winters, who topped the field at the Joss Northeast 9-Ball Tour season opener in September, reclaimed his crown by going undefeated at stop number three. The $2,000-added event drew 36 players to Bison Billiards in Williamsville, NY, on October 17-18.
Arriving in the winners’ side final four, Winters met up with last stop’s winner, Dennis Hatch. Prevailing 9-7, Winters moved on to the hot seat match against Hendrik Drost, who’d posted a 9-7 win over Derek Williams. After blowing through Drost 9-2, Winters cooled off in the hot seat to wait for his finals opponent.
On the left side of the bracket, Bucky Souvanthong got past Jim Hoffstetter 9-4 to face Dan Kolacz, who was coming off a 9-5 win over Jeff Smolen. Souvanthong didn’t let Kolacz hit the string at all, putting Kolacz in seventh and earning himself the right to face Hatch. Meanwhile, another Hatch, Dennis’ uncle Mark, was making his way through the field. A 9-4 victory over JB Brotherton put him up against Dan Cee, who’d just ousted tournament director Mike Zuglan after a battle that went hill-hill. After Putting Cee in seventh 9-5, M. Hatch greeted Williams over from the winners’ side by putting him in fifth 9-6. The quarterfinal match was a battle of the Hatches, uncle versus nephew, who’d won hill-hill over Souvanthong. Family ties didn’t keep nephew Hatch from playing his game—he allowed uncle Hatch just one game and moved on to the semifinals. There, he met up with Drost, whom he held to five games to face Winters in the finals.
Shane Winters, who topped the field at the Joss Northeast 9-Ball Tour season opener in September, reclaimed his crown by going undefeated at stop number three.
The two champions stayed fairly tight for the first several games of the true double-elimination final match, tying up at five games apiece. It was then, though, that Winters stepped it up, becoming this season’s two-time winner 9-6. Winters wasn’t the only winner, though. Vicki Shara’s raffle ticket won her a custom, engraved, collectible Joss cue valued at $1,200.
Results:
1st Shane Winters $1,400
2nd Dennis Hatch $930
3rd Hendrik Drost $750
4th Mark Hatch $600
5th Derek Williams $400
Bucky Souvanthong
7th Dan Cee $200
Dan Kolacz