Canadian 9-ball Tour Hits Bourbon Street billiards

The seventh stop of the Canadian 9-ball Tour, presented by Indigo Chapters bookstores and Cineplex Entertainment, saw unseasonably cold weather once again greet the 64 players making their way back to the venue for Saturday morning play. Apparently the cooler temperatures affected some of the players’ sleeping patterns. Second seed John Morra was one of three players to be disqualified on the one-loss side and was forced to make his way back to Toronto empty-handed. The other two players to be listed among the missing on the B-side were Scott Harder and Fast Eddy. All three were relegated to the stands for the remainder of the event in Winnipeg.

Winners’-side action commenced early with some enticing prospects to whet the appetite of the pool fans in Winnipeg. Top-seeded Edwin Montal again looked strong in defeating Doug Nobiss 9-1. He carried that form through to his match against American Rory Hendrickson with a 9-3 win. In total, Montal had dropped only five racks in his first three matches. Jason Klatt survived a hill-hill scare before advancing over Jeff Clare 9-8. Klatt then faced Ryan Solleveld in a re-match of the final at Canadian Tour event number 5l. This re-match went the same way as that previous final but with a more convincing result in favor of Klatt, this time 9-4 over Solleveld. Tyler Edey overcame a tough opponent in Berry McLean by a 9-5 score and found himself in another tussle with highly regarded Felix Beardy. Beardy was well-prepared, and playing in his homeroom did little to throw him off the scent. When the smoke cleared it was a surprisingly easy 9-5 win for Beardy over Edey. An excellent match-up took place when Shannon Ducharme hooked up with former national champ Randy Pruden. The former champ took control of this match early and never relinquished the reins en route to a surprising 9-3 victory over the tenth-ranked player on the tour.

Adam Smith, Erik Hjorleifson, and Blake Martel all progressed with minimal resistance through round three and then into round four on the A side. There was also a good deal of local talent on display, many of which were gaining momentum as the second day of the Canadian Tour was heating up.
After a couple of wins each, Smith and Hjorleifson met up on the draw sheet. The crowd on hand was very partial in favor of their local star, and Hjorleifson appeared to relish that aspect. In what always promised to be a close match, Hjorleifson proved one rack better when it counted most and scraped home a 9-8 winner. Another anxiously awaited confrontation in round four on the winners’ side saw Montal oppose Klatt. Similar to the Hjorleifson versus Smith match, the crowd was very vocal in their support of another hometown star in Klatt.

The left-hand side of the draw brought Shannon Ducharme and Berry McLean together. McLean coming off a win and Ducharme coming off his loss meant that McLean was the player in the positive frame of mind. It proved to be just enough to allow McLean to fend off Ducharme after a hill-hill struggle at 9-8.

Tyler Edey fought back after his loss to Beardy with back to back wins over Martel and Smith, respectively. The latter, a convincing 9-4 account that proved Edey had pulled his socks up and would be ready for Sunday.

Play went smoothly and without issue all day Saturday, and event organizers took advantage of this and decided to play down to the last eight for Sunday. This meant four from the winners’ bracket and four from the one loss-bracket would be coming back to take their shots at the $5,000-guaranteed purse for the winner of the event.

Of the eight men returning on Sunday, the four on the winner’s side were all homegrown Winnipeg natives. Erik Hjorleifson, Felix Beardy, Jason Klatt, and Randy Pruden insured that all the fans in the city were going home happy. The four left from the other half of the draw and coming back with no insurance policies in hand are travelling companions Tyler Edey and Edwin Montal, along with Gimli Manitoba’s Dave Strachan and another Winnipeg hopeful, Blake Martel.

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Martel Comes Up Big in Montreal
By Michael Wright
The Canadian 9-ball Tour saw only 12 anxious competitors making their way back to Le Skratch Bar billiards in Montreal for Sunday’s action. Early play from the one-loss brackets saw Danny Hewitt, one of the pre-event favorites, pitted against Rafael Houde, Ryan Solleveld playing Adam Smith, Norm Pomainville locking horns with Francis Crevier, and former world snooker star Alain Robidoux looking to continue his run against Tyler Edey.
Hewitt and Houde exchanged all the early racks before Hewitt hit a gear that could not be matched by his opponent to come home a 9-5 winner. Edey looked in fantastic form as he took early control of his match against Robidoux. The French Canadian hit back with a massive comeback and a 9-6 win after trailing 0-5 at one stage. Smith seized the initiative from the outset against Solleveld and, similar to the Edey/Robidoux match, watched his opponent dig in and produce a fightback. Smith, however, held his nerve, and the early lead prevailed winning this match 9-6. Canadian 8-ball champion Francis Crevier came into his match against Pomainville as the prohibitive favorite. American Pomainville remained in complete focus and, belying the odds, won the match by comfortable score of 9-5. The day started with Pomainville an 80-1 long shot to win the tournament, and many fans and punters in attendance were kicking themselves for not taking advantage of this betting offer by Stan James the Sports Bookmakers.
Winners’-side matches all presented high-powered clashes with Alain Martel facing off against Stan Tourangeau and lanky Erik Hjorleifson matching wits with Edwin Montal. Martel came out of the gate quickly enjoying a 5-1 advantage over Tourangeau. Martel was looking very comfortable on tables that he was very familiar with, and this did not bode well for Tourangeau. Unfortunately for Tourangeau things did not get any better, as Martel was an unstoppable force, winning the match 9-2. The second seed, Montal assumed control of his match against Hjorleifson, taking the four of the first five racks to lead 4-1. Keeping the pressure on Hjorleifson was the key in Montal’s mind, and his attacking style showed he was determined to stamp his authority on this match. Comfortably leading 7-2 and with the break to come for Montal, it was a long road back for Hjorleifson. He didn’t have to suffer much longer, as minutes later Montal was home and dry with a lopsided 9-2 victory.
One-loss bracket matches featured Alain Robidoux versus Danny Hewitt and Adam Smith versus Norm Pomainville. Smith won the first three racks against fellow American Pomainvilleand looked to be breaking at the perfect speed on this match table. Smith then won three of the next four racks to assume a 6-1 lead before Pomainville secured three of the next four racks to trail 4-7. Smith stopped Pomainville’s comeback dead in its tracks, winning the next two racks to secure the win with a 9-4 score. The two Montreal sharpshooters from different cue sport disciplines, Robidoux and Hewitt, knew each others’ reputations well. Misses were at a premium in this match as Robidoux took the early lead at 4-3. The slower pace of this match suited Robidoux perfectly, coming from professional snooker. The two went hand in hand and, exchanging racks with each other, took the score to 7-7. Robidoux took the next and was breaking for the win at 8-7. A tailor-made break provided Robidoux with the winning line, and he assuredly took this opportunity as he ousted Danny Hewitt with a final score of 9-7.
A winner from the B-side matched up with a loser from the A-side in the Smith versus Tourangeau match. As is the case more often than not, the player with the positive momentum prevails, and Smith did nothing to betray this philosophy by jumping out to a 5-0 lead. Tourangeau was in no mood to go down quietly and took the next five racks to square the match at 5-5. Smith hit back winning the next three racks to lead 8-5 and breaking in the next for the win. Smith had the measure of the break in this match and had the 1 ball sitting up to attention every time. The last was no different and a break and run-out gave Smith a 9-5 win and afforded him time to await the winner of Robidoux and Hjorleifson.
Erik Hjorleifson, coming off his loss to Montal, had to wait almost one hour before he faced off against Robidoux. The snooker star was making a fantastic run, and after losing his first round match, he had compiled seven match wins in succession before confronting Hjorleifson. It proved to be a different proposition altogether for Robidoux, as Hjorleifson won four of the first five racks to lead 4-1. He maintained the initiative by moving into a 7-2 lead over Robidoux. This was a tough lead to overhaul, but Robidoux had already won a previous match from well behind so he was well aware of how a 9-ball deficit was vastly different than a snooker deficit. He pulled back to trail 5-7, but Hjorleifson was in no mood to relinquish the early lead and dismissed the valiant effort by Robidoux, eliminating him with a 9-6 final tally.
The battle for the hot seat between lain Martel and Montal was a highly anticipated encounter. These two had shared a room as teammates representing Canada in last year’s World pool Cup in Holland, so bragging rights were also on the line. Martel was brimming with confidence and was overpowering his opponents with his break and fearless approach. It wasn’t long before he had applied the pressure to Montal by moving into a 5-2 advantage. With two powerhouse players at the table, it is always expected that either one is capable of reeling off racks in quick succession. Montal showed some spirit as he reeled Martel in to trail by only one rack at 5-6. Sensing that he had to stop the threat offered by Montal, he gathered himself and won the next three racks to move into a commanding position at 8-5 clear. A solid break gave Martel the opportunity he wanted, and he was equal to the task as he beat his former World Cup roommate 9-5. Montal would now sit back and wait to see the outcome of the Hjorleifson versus Smith match for his next opponent.
Adam Smith had won eight matches in a row after losing his first, so it was fair to say that he had built up a little momentum as he squared off with Hjorleifson. The early going gave no indication of a winner, as Hjorleifson held the narrow lead at 4-3. Smith was not showing the positive signs or the break that had helped him along the way to his match against Hjorleifson, and mistakes were creeping into his game. Hjorleifson was capitalizing on these mistakes and eased into a handy 7-4 lead. Smith had no reply for Hjorlefson in this match, and after ten minutes’ time the tall Hjorleifson has secured a berth against Montal with a 9-4 win over Smith. The eight-match winning streak finally came to an end at the hands of Hjorleifson, but it showed a lot of heart and fight in Smith’s game.
The B-side final brought together Montal and Hjorleifson in a battle of the second and third seeds, respectively. Montal was hoping for an instant replay of the A-side semifinal in which he dismantled Hjorleifson 9-2. The first eight racks of this match were split, meaning Hjorleifson had already doubled his output from their previous encounter. Both players were exhibiting some edgy play and a number of easy balls had been missed from both camps. Montal, however, managed to keep his nose in front leading 6-5 as both players opted for a short break. The break seemed to re-energize Montal as he swiftly moved into a three-rack lead arriving to the hill at 8-5. The winning post appeared in the next rack, and the transplanted Philippino star would take no more chances as he won the fourteenth rack to take the victory with a 9-5 scoreline.
The final between Martel and Montal was contested over a race to 11 racks. Martel opened his account with a long bank on the 9 ball to take the first rack. He swiftly took the next to lead 2-0. Some canny safety play took Martel further in front at 3-0. The trend continued and Montal was digging himself a hole that would be very difficult to climb out of. The fifth rack finally went to Montal to bring the score to 4-1 in favor of Martel. The Montal fans in attendance were desperately hoping that their man could sustain the high level of play required to match shots with Martel. Their hopes were dashed as Montal won racks five, six, and seven to roll in front 7-1.
The situation had now become desperate for Montal, and his expression around the table showed it. Martel was not about to be sending any sympathy cards, however, as he won rack number nine after a short safety exchange. The lead now was 8-1 to Martel. A great safety shot from Martel when he could easily have attempted a shot at an 8-9 combination took him to 9-1 in front. Unforced errors were coming fast and furious from Montal, and Martel was quick to administer punishment as he won the next to put Montal up against the wall 10-1. A rare mistake from Martel kept the fans in their seats as he scratched on the 8 ball to give Montal a flicker of life. That flicker would soon be extinguished for the likeable Montal, however, as Martel won the last rack he required in the event for a masterful 11-2 victory and the first-place prize of $5,000 along with it. Montal now takes over first place in the overall points race with John Morra failing to show up for the event.

Elite billiards Field Converge on Montreal
Canadian 9 ball Tour Staff
Le Skratch Bar billiards, located in Montreal’s south end, rolled out the red carpet and welcomed some of the country’s best 9-ball players into town. A nearly full field was looking to capitalize on tour event number six and the $10,000 added purse that accompanies each stop of the Canadian 9-ball Tour, presented by Indigo and Chapters bookstores and Cineplex Entertainment.
The first major upset with respect to top seeded players occurred in Montreal without a ball being struck. Number-one seed John Morra failed to show up for his match and was disqualified. This completely opened up the top half of the draw, allowing for players like Stan Tourangeau of BC and Adam Smith from Detroit to take advantage. Danny Hewitt, the winner of the last tour stop in Quebec and former host pro at Le Skratch, was definitely going to be a hot favorite with the local fans and would be tough to beat. Jason Klatt and Ryan Solleveld from Winnipeg, coming off first- and second-place finishes, respectively, in Kelowna, were hoping to bring the same form to Montreal. Calgarians, Tyler Edey, and Edwin Montal would join transplanted Torontonian Erik Hjorleifson, in making the event a very formidable field indeed.
Former Canadian champion Harold Rousseau, a player who had a very poor record in Canadian Tour events to date, finally came through with a big win 9-4 over Adam Smith. Another former national champion, Chris Orme, did not share the same fate as Rousseau, losing to local talent Laurent Lledo by a one-sided score of 9-2. Last month’s tour event winner, Jason Klatt, was sent to the one-loss side by virtue of a nail-biting 9-8 loss at the hands of seasoned former touring professional Claude Bernatchez. Other big names all progressing through to the second round unscathed included Tyler Edey, Stan Tourangeau, Alain Martel, Jeff White, Francis Crevier, Luc Salvas, Jason Klatt, Danny Hewitt, Ryan Solleveld, Mario Morra, Nick Kruger, and Andrew Attard along with top guns Edwin Montal, Louis Fazekas, and Erik Hjorleifson, who enjoyed first-round byes.
The next few hours’ play provided a few surprises along with many expected results in feature battles. Luc Salvas tasted defeat at the hands of Ryan Solleveld, Jeff White fell to Alain Martel, and Danny Hewitt survived a scare with a 9-8 win over Andrew Attard. Some key match-ups in third-round action on the winners’ side saw Stan Tourangeau beat Harold Rousseau 9-6, Tyler Edey hammer Shannon Ducharme 9-1, Erik Hjorleifson defeat Mario Morra 9-5, Ryan Solleveld outlast Nick Kruger, and Francis Crevier survive a hill-hill match against Danny Hewitt.
Hewitt came back after his loss to Crevier with his best performance of the tournament in taking out Jason Klatt by a convincing 9-3 score. Stan Tourangeau, flying under the radar somewhat, was playing some solid pool and stayed on the unbeaten side with a 9-0 drubbing of Montreal’s Raphael Houde. The key match in round four would have to be Alain Martel versus Tyler Edey. This match lived up to its advance billing and went all the way to the wire with Martel scraping in a 9-8 victory over Edey.
Erik Hjorleifson was showing great form all day and carried this through to round four as he dismissed his buddy Ryan Solleveld to the one-loss bracket by a final score of 9-5. Number-two-seeded Edwin Montal knew he was in for a war with left-handed Francis Crevier. Crevier planted Montal in his chair early, but it was Montal providing the late finish from 2-7 down and putting Crevier to the west side with a 9-7 win.
A-side winners coming back for Sunday action include Stan Tourangeau, Edwin Montal, Alain Martel, and Erik Hjorleifson. Players fighting back from the left side with only one life are Raphael Houde, Danny Hewitt, Norman Pomainville, Adam Smith, Alain Robidoux, Francis Crevier, Ryan Solleveld, and Tyler Edey.
As the tour moves closer to their final event, they would again like to offer their sincere appreciation to Indigo and Chapters Bookstores and Cineplex Entertainment, Canada billiard and Bowling, Dufferin billiards, Stan James The Sports Bookmakers, Simonis cloth, and Aramith billiard balls.

Long days and long nights favor youth in Kelowna billiards event
Canadian 9-ball Tour event #5, Kelowna BC
By Canadian 9 ball Tour Staff

Sunday morning brought brisk temperatures and sweaty palms back to Breakers billiards and Bistro to crown the Canadian 9-ball Tour winner of event number five.

Presented by Indigo and Chapters bookstores and Cineplex Entertainment, the Canadian Tour featured a number of class players that had been flying under the radar all weekend, most notably Brian Butler of Edmonton Alberta, Jason Klatt and Ryan Solleveld of Winnipeg along with John Horsfall and Alain Boutin both of Vancouver. All seasoned campaigners who are no strangers to the limelight of top flight pool. They were alive and looking good in the winner’s side matches with Butler facing Nick Kruger of Vancouver, Horsfall matching wits against Winnipeg’s young Ryan Solleveld, Boutin playing fifth seeded Louis Fazekas from Sudbury and Jason Klatt, another young star from Winnipeg opposing the maestro Paul Potier of Vancouver. All matches started at 10am local time and players were forced to negotiate the daylight savings 1 hour time change taking away an extra hours sleep from their match preparations.
The Horsfall vs Solleveld match found the experienced Horsfall in serious trouble as he fell 7-0 down very quickly to the vastly improving Solleveld. It was too big a deficit for Horsfall to overcome as he bowed down to Solleveld by a 9-2 score.

Butler vs Kruger saw a one sided start in favor of Kruger as the former Atlanta Georgia resident failed to stamp his authority on this match allowing Kruger to seize the early iniative. From this point Kruger continued to play solid pool and cruised home a 9-4 winner.

Louis Fazekas looked to be in fine form as he came out of the gate well against “Frenchie Boutin” taking the momentum. This match always looked to be a tough one to call as they went hand in hand to the finish line with Fazekas scraping out a hill-hill win.

The best match of the winner’s bracket brought Potier up against another young player from Paul’s original hometown of Winnipeg, Jason Klatt. Klatt has been gaining vast experience in pressure pool by travelling and playing money matches all over North America and this obviously put him in good stead with a good start against Potier. This match lived up to expectations and was a hard fought battle from start to finish and to nobody’s surprise it came down to the last rack. Klatt cleared the final rack after a safety exchange to come home a happy 9-8 winner.

Results from the one loss side were Edwin Montal over Claire Gauthier 9-1, Stan Tourangeau ousting PJ Massicote 9-4, Adam Smith beat Ray Carter 9-5 and finally Bill Thompson taking out Shannon Ducharme with a 9-6 win.

Eight players now remained on the B side pitting Paul Potier against Stan Tourangeau, Brian Butler vs Bill Thompson, Edwin Montal vs John Horsfall and lastly Alain Boutin vs Adam Smith. Coupled with the four remaining players on the winner’s side of the drawsheet, event number 5 in Kelowna assured us of crowning a brand new tour winner for season three.

Always intriguing match ups when an event reaches the later stages where players who have won a match oppose players coming off a loss. The psychological philosophies ensue and only time will tell how these tendencies pan out.

Adam Smith opposing Alain Boutin was virtually assured to be the first match completed as Boutin is regarded as one of the fastest players around these parts. The pundits in this regard proved correct as Adam Smith eliminated Boutin in a 45 minute clash by a score of 9-6.

The Edwin Montal and John Horsfall brought two road warriors together and it was Montal who took early command to lead 5-3. He maintained the advantage and reached the hill first with a lead of 8-5. Five minutes later the handshake arrived with Montal moving on a confidence boosting 9-5 victor.
In the Brian Butler vs Bill Thompson match, it would be interesting to see if Thompson could maintain the form that helped him eliminate the top seed John Morra and the number seven seed Shannon Ducharme. Butler coming off a loss to Kruger in his previous match could not afford the same loss of form against Thompson otherwise he would be booking his trip back to Edmonton sooner than expected. Butler was in no mood for a repeat performance as he established a tidy lead at 7-3. Butler took the last two racks he needed in short time and ended the game run of Thompson with a 9-3 win.

The final match of this sound brought two very experienced pals together in Paul Potier and Stan Tourangeau. These two will have met on countless occasions and undoubtedly will have carved out many lasting memories in these past matches. This one was not going to be going into Stan Tourangeau’s memoirs as Potier stormed in front to an insurmountable lead at 8-1. The misery soon ended for Tourangeau as Potier comfortably secured his place in the last 8 with a 9-1 win.

The last eight would bring four players from the winner’s side and four from the loser’s bracket to centre stage. Matches from the right hand side of the draw were up and coming young cueists, Ryan Solleveld vs Nick Kruger and another more seasoned young gun, Jason Klatt matching wits against the number 5 seed from Sudbury, Louis Fazekas. Klatt flew out quickly to a huge 6-1 lead over Fazekas. With his break working and his concentration peaking at just the right time, this was looking like Jason Klatt’s event to win. After approximately 10 minutes the final score was 9-1 to Klatt and it sent a message to the remaining players in the field that he was now the player to beat in Kelowna.

Ryan Solleveld was one rack in front of Nick Kruger at 4-3 with both players looking focused and showing no signs of nerves. Solleveld continued with a strong break and sound position play to build up a lead of 8-5 as he arrived to the hill. Both players have a lot of experience playing in Canadian Tour events and both were eager to keep their unbeaten runs alive in Kelowna. Kruger has a lot of heart and determination and this became apparent when he pulled three racks back in a row to tie the match at 8-8 and force one rack for the glory. A dry break from Kruger brought Solleveld in for a gutsy clearance and a well deserved 9-8 win over a battling Nick Kruger.

B side action saw Adam Smith lock horns with Paul Potier and Edwin Montal, the only other remaining seed in the event at number four, playing Edmonton’s Brian Butler. Both these matches started out similarly with Potier enjoying a 4-3 lead over Adam Smith and Montal in front of Butler by the same score. Potier finally took the lead over Smith at 7-6 only to have Smith hit back with the next two racks to go 8-7 in front and breaking for the match. Smith broke well in what proved to be the last rack played and kept his hopes alive of winning his first Canadian Tour event with a 9-7 win over a game Paul Potier. Montal and Butler looked to be heating up to a photo finish as they were deadlocked at 7 racks apiece. A bad miss on a 5 ball from Montal when the finish line was in sight at 8-7 in front brought Butler back to the table to clear up and assume the and break at hill-hill. The last rack brought about some safety play and offered a 3-9 billiard shot to Montal for the win. A successful effort on the billiard brought relief and a smile to Montal’s face as he escaped with a 9-8 win over Butler. It was now confirmed that it would be an all Winnipeg battle for the hotseat between Ryan Solleveld and his buddy Jason Klatt.

Two matches remained from the loser’s side, Adam Smith vs Nick Kruger and Edwin Montal vs Louis Fazekas. Smith coming off a big win and Kruger off a heartbreaking loss left little doubt as to who was in a better frame of mind. Smith was eager to take advantage of this scenario as he eased his way into a 4-2 lead early. Racks were exchanged by both players until Smith stole the 13th rack on Kruger’s break to take a 8-5 stanglehold on the match. A break and finish and Kruger’s run in Kelowna had ended as Smith moved on with a 9-5 victory. He now would await the winner of the Montal and Fazekas match to see who his next opponent would be.

Montal was starting to look like the player who finished in first place at the end of last season’s rankings and his match against Louis Fazekas definitely had him installed as early favorite to progress. Fazekas, the number five seed, already has a runner up finish this season from the Ottawa event. This self belief may have factored in to his quick start as he took 4 of the first 5 racks against Montal to lead 4-1. The reigning Canadian champ Montal, quickly returned the favor to seize 4 of the next 5 racks to level at 5-5. The next four racks gave no indication of who the winner would be as they were split bringing the score to 7-7. Fazekas took the next to leave him one rack win away from eliminating the number four seeded Montal. To force yet another hill-hill match, Montal would have to win the next and that is exactly what he did with some great pressure potting. The last rack provided Fazekas with the first real chance but a bad miss on the 7 ball allowed Montal to step in and clean up the remaining three balls for the 9-8 win.

The A side final between Jason Klatt and Ryan Solleveld, started very tentatively as one would expect when two good friends compete against each other in an event of this significance. Klatt moved out to a 4-2 lead to keep the heat on Solleveld. That advantage increased when Klatt swiped the next three racks to move into the comfort zone at 7-2 in front. Solleveld still had a lot of fight in him as he won three of the next four racks to face a deficit of three racks at 5-8. He also had the knowledge that one more mistake would send him to the B side final. Solleveld snatched the next two racks to pull closer to Klatt and keep the pressure on trailing 7-8. Displaying a ton of heart, Solleveld held his nerve to win the next and force a final rack against Klatt. After winning the last three racks momentum was definitely on Solleveld’s side. A break and run out in the decider and Ryan Solleveld had completed a terrific comeback against Jason Klatt with a character boosting 9-8 victory.

The B side semi final with Adam Smith and Edwin Montal would be tightly contested as both players possess a fierce competitive nature. The first six racks were split with Montal breaking at 3-3. He took the next three racks with little resistance to secure an enviable lead at 6-3 over Smith. A recovery by Smith winning three of the next four racks brought him back to just one rack behind Montal at 6-7. Montal won the next to arrive to the hill and with the break to come, looked to book his spot into the last three. A few minutes later he could relax and settle back to wait for the conclusion of the Klatt vs Solleveld match to see who his next opponent would be. It was a good win for Montal as many pundits in attendance were picking Smith as the in-form player to beat.

The B side final between Edwin Montal and Jason Klatt was eagerly awaited by all the pool fans in Kelowna as it presented a high powered match up of talented shotmakers. It was a dream start for Montal stealing the first rack off Klatt’s break and then running the next three racks to open up a 4-0 cushion. Klatt hit back winning the next three racks to trim Montal’s lead to only one rack. It appeared as though Klatt had hit stride as winning the next rack brought the match back to 4-4. The next ten minutes did nothing to aid Montal in his quest to repeat as a winner in Kelowna as Klatt took the next three racks to move in front 7-4. Klatt had now won the last seven racks in succession. The lead was increased to 8-4 when Edwin Montal came to the table and promptly asked for a break. That move proved to be beneficial as Montal finally stopped the rot by winning the thirteenth rack bringing the score to 8-5 in Klatt’s favor. Montal grabbed the next pulling back to 8-6 down, but a dry break by Montal in rack fifteen brought Klatt the opening that he been waiting for. After laying a solid snooker on Montal he came to the table with cue ball in hand and ran out the rack to win the match 9-6 and set up a re-match against Solleveld in the final.

The final offered a chance for Klatt to avenge his earlier loss to Solleveld and erase the memory of a match that he felt he had let slip away. The race to eleven started on an even keel with both players sharing the first four racks. Solleveld gambled in the fifth rack following his break and opted for a kick shot instead of a push out. That decision proved costly as it allowed Klatt to clear the balls for a 3-2 advantage. With the momentum in his corner Klatt took the next to lead 4-2. The two finalists split the next two racks before Klatt made a nice billiard shot from the 8 ball on to the 9 ball to move three racks clear at 6-3. Showing some competitive fight, Solleveld dug in his heels to win the next two racks and stay within range of Klatt at 6-5 down. A dry break in the following rack from Solleveld paved the way for Klatt to re-establish his two rack cushion at 7-5. Klatt took the next only to have Solleveld respond with a tricky two-nine billiard to bring the score to 8-6 in Klatt’s favor.
Klatt secured the next rack to go three in front and played a good snooker on Solleveld in rack sixteen only to see Solleveld play his best jump shot of the match, pocket the three ball and clear up to stay two racks adrift at 7-9. A break and run out in rack seventeen kept Solleveld in the hunt trailing by only one rack at 8-9. The next rack saw Klatt play a good safety and come to the table with a run out on offer to get to the hill at 10-8 in front. Breaking for the match Klatt failed to seize the opportunity and watched as Solleveld cleared up to trail 9-10. A gutsy clearance by Solleveld in rack number twenty meant that once again these two Winnipeg sharp shooters would be treating the pool fans in Kelowna to another hill-hill treat. The final break for Solleveld was successful but did not offer a shot on the one ball and a safety exchange followed. Failing to kick out of a snooker safely should have proved to be costly for Klatt but Solleveld failed to clear the remaining five colors and let Klatt off the hook. The final score read 11-10 for Jason Klatt over Ryan Solleveld but both these young stars will definitely be heard from in tour events to come and laid to rest that the future of pool is very bright indeed in Canada.

The Canadian 9-ball Tour wishes to express its sincere appreciation to its presenting sponsors Indigo and Chapters bookstores and Cineplex Entertainment. We would also like to thank Canada billiards and Bowling, Dufferin billiards, Stan James the Sports Bookmakers, Simonis pool cloth and Aramith billiard Balls for their continued support. We would also like to acknowledge Breakers billiards Bistro and all their staff in Kelowna for providing a first class facility and allowing us to offer the best possible conditions to all the competitors.

Tournament Payouts:
Winner: $5,000 Jason Klatt
Runner Up: $3,000 Ryan Solleveld
3rd Place: $2,000 Edwin Montal
4th place: $1,500 Adam Smith
5-6th place: $1,000 each: Nick Kruger, Louis Fazekas
7-8th place: $700 each: Paul Potier, Brian Butler
9-12th place: $400 each: Alain Boutin, Stan Tourangeau, Bill Thompson, John Horsfall
13-16th place: $200 each: Claire Gauthier, PJ Massicote, Ray Carter, Shannon Ducharme

Moving Day Surprises in Kelowna billiard Tournament

The Canadian 9-ball Tour presented by Indigo and Chapters bookstores and Cineplex Entertainment brought all competitors back on Saturday at 10am sharp to Breakers billiards and Bistro where all players saw action. The theme of the event to date was one of major upsets. The pressure was definitely on top seeded John Morra from Toronto, number three seeded Tyler Edey and fourth seeded Edwin Montal of Calgary as they found themselves on the left hand side of the draw with no more lives in hand.
It didn’t take long for the first major shock to materialize on day two. Second seed Erik Hjorleifson from Toronto was dismissed to the loser’s bracket by virtue of a 9-1 drubbing at the hands of local sniper, Jason Spanier. This meant that the top four seeds in Kelowna would have to prove their mettle with no insurance policies on the one loss side.
While other seeds struggled, the dynamic duo from Sudbury Ontario, Louis Fazekas the number 5 seed and eighth seeded Alain Lessard were playing solid pool and marching through the ranks with little to no trouble. Matching them was BC native and event number 6 seed Stan Tourangeau, who seemed to be flying under the radar as well and was looking as solid as ever, never an easy player to beat.
Seventh seeded Shannon Ducharme from Winnipeg had suffered an early loss on day one but was making significant strides on the one loss side to keep his hopes of winning his first tour event alive. Matching Ducharme’s staying power was the number four seed Edwin Montal. The Canadian champ was starting to find some much needed form and more importantly, establishing some confidence in his game by winning some matches in the loser’s brackets. John Morra, a double winner of Canadian Tour events this season, was also making short work of his B side matches and building a strong case to insure that his Sunday morning schedule would be booked. Day two was proving to be the wake- up call for many top seeds who were now playing with the knowledge that one more slip up meant a long difficult trip home.
Unseeded players making a big statement this weekend included 2006 Canadian champion Brady Gollan, former touring professional John Horsfal, the colorful and entertaining Alain “Frenchie” Boutin, the experienced campaigner Paul Potier and capable young guns Jason Klatt, Ryan Solleveld and PJ Massicote.
As play on Saturday heated up, some feature matches involving players looking to stay alive, included Erik Hjorleifson facing off against Mike Vidas and a winner’s side prospect pitting Paul Potier against Brady Gollan.
In the Hjorleifson vs Vidas encounter the early going showed little in the way of advantages either way as the two players shared the first two racks. Hjorleifson then stuck a four pack on Vidas showing some superb cue ball control and vaulted in front 5-1. The next six racks were exchanged which obviously suited Hjorleifson just fine as he now enjoyed the benefits of arriving on the hill at 8-4 in front. Needing the last five racks to stay in the event was a tall order for Vidas and winning a tactical battle in rack 13 did nothing to derail his efforts as he pulled one back trailing 5-8. There would be no monumental comeback however as Hjorleifson would secure the next rack and with it the 9-5 win.
A winner’s side clash featured two foes that knew each other very well in Brady Gollan and Paul Potier. The elder Potier opened up with a win in rack number one. Two more break and run outs saw Potier sprint out to a 3-0 advantage. Gollan had seen only one kick shot in the first three racks. A scrappy fourth rack also went to Potier and Gollan knew he was digging himself a hole that would be tough to climb out of. The hole only got deeper when Potier took the next two racks to move closer to the finish line leading 6-0. Gollan, known for his fighting spirit, took three of the next four racks to trail Potier 3-7. Rack eleven went to Potier taking him to the hill with a comfortable 8-3 stranglehold on the match. The twelfth rack was taken by Gollan making it 4-8 who was well aware that he had to string some racks together if he would have any chance of remaining unbeaten into Sunday. Potier however was in the driver’s seat and riding the early lead that he had built up in the match, won the thirteenth rack to close it out with a 9-4 win over 2006 Canadian champion Gollan. A gritty performance from Potier was rewarded with a spot into the final sixteen and an unbeaten record to build upon.
On the loser’s side a massive upset was brewing on a back corner table. The tournament’s top seed, John Morra was in big time trouble against Calgary’s Bill Thompson. Morra admittedly had not been sleeping well and coming straight from an event in Reno, Nevada, did nothing to enhance his preparation for the Kelowna stop. Taking nothing away from Bill Thompson however as he is noted for his straight shooting ability and intense competitive drive honed from years of playing top class snooker in western Canada. Thompson asserted himself from the outset in this match and glided home with a one sided victory of 9-2 over the classy young Morra. It was a match that had to put a load of confidence in Thompson’s future run in this event.
With Gollan’s loss to Potier it set up another mouth watering prospect for the Kelowna native against Edwin Montal. The winner would survive the day. Gollan took the early lead at 3-2. The players jockeyed racks back and forth and when the smoke cleared it was Edwin Montal with a slim 7-6 lead. Montal won the next rack and brought himself to the hill at 8-6, much to the dismay of the local fans in attendance. Gollan won rack fifteen to bring the score back to 7-8 but it was Montal in with a big chance to win the match in the next. Taking no prisoners, Montal took his chance and nailed down his place on Sunday with a 9-7 victory over Gollan.
Sunday would see 8 players from the winner’s side return for final day action, names that included, Paul Potier, Jason Klatt, Louis Fazekas, Alain Boutin, Ryan Solleveld, John Horsfall, Brian Butler and Nick Kruger.
The 8 players completing the final sixteen from the left hand side of the draw are Adam Smith, Stan Tourangeau, Edwin Montal, PJ Massicote, Ray Carter, Claire Gauthier, Bill Thompson and Shannon Ducharme.
The Canadian 9-ball Tour wishes to thank its sponsors, Indigo and Chapters bookstores, Cineplex Entertainment, Canada billiard Bowling, Dufferin billiards, Stan James Sports Bookmakers, Iwan Simonis table cloth and Aramith billiard balls for their support and adding to the success of the tour.

For all the day one results and tournament brackets check the official website of the Canadian 9-ball Tour at www.canadian9balltour.com (http://www.canadian9balltour.com/)