Gail “Virginia Slim” Eaton fought through a 42-player field to secure her first win of the 2018 Gulf Coast Women’s Regional Billiards Tour season, defeating Ming “The Empress” Ng in the second set of the true, double elimination final.
On June 2nd-3rd, 2018, Fat Rack’s Sports Bar and Billiards in San Antonio, Texas, along with tour sponsors, Cyclop Pool Balls Facebook.com/CyclopPoolBalls, APA of North Harris County Facebook.com/APANorthHarrisCounty, Outsville.com, and VaporKnightsUSA.com, facilitated a very successful, two-day, $1,000 added 9-ball event for Gulf Coast Tour competitors. The event paid out twelve places, and a generous $1,840 in prize money, thanks in part to Fat Rack’s owners, Daniel and Alice Tarpley.
On Saturday morning, matches commenced following a brief players’ meeting, and the final sixteen returned Sunday, at noon. Gail Eaton was on her way, with wins over Holly Feher, 7-3, Vada Selsor, 7-0, Yvette Cox, 7-3, and D’Andrea McQuirter, 7-0, while Ming Ng ousted Celeste Espinosa, Toni “Copperhead” Esteves, 7-2, and junior competitor, Aryana Lynch, 7-4. Yvonne Asher was also on her way to the winners’ side final four with victories over Cindy Tillman, 7-1, Robyn Petrosino, 7-1, Melissa Smith, and Kris Wilburn, while Ellen Robinson overcame Terry “The Terrorizer” Petrosino, 7-5, Hopey Lawrence, 7-5, and Ruth Paine, 7-4. On the one loss side, in the final twelve and in the money, T. Petrosino was eliminated by Wilburn, 5-4, while R. Petrosino denied Paine, 5-1. Kim “Texas Heat” Pierce sent home McQuirter, 5-1, and Lynch ended Kawania Watson, 5-3. Back on the east side, Eaton overwhelmed Ng, 7-3, while Asher fell to Robinson, 7-5. The hot seat match was a real crowd-pleaser, with Eaton sliding by Robinson in a hill-hill thriller, 7-6. Match play was heating up on the west side. Still alive, R. Petrosino foiled Wilburn, 5-3, and Lynch eliminated Pierce, 5-1. Following a first round loss to Asher, 7-1, R. Petrosino won six matches, headed to the final four, but was stopped short by Ng, while Lynch made quick work of Asher, 5-1. Ng had blinders on, taking out Lynch and Robinson, to meet Eaton in an all-too familiar final. The ladies teed off. The first set was tight, but Ng caught a gear at the finish line, handing Eaton her first loss, 7-5. In the second set, at 3-3, Eaton hooked herself with three balls on the table. She was forced to use a bridge in order to jump the cue ball over the six-ball and pocket the eight-ball. Eaton took a few, finely tuned strokes, and successfully executed the shot, propelling her to a 5-3 win. Congratulations to Virginia Slim on her first Gulf Coast Tour victory of the year!
San Antonio’s Sophia Lopez won her first Gulf Coast Tour, second chance 9-ball event, and New Braunfel’s Celeste Espinosa finished second. Aryana Lynch booked her highest finish to date (4th), along with Kris Wilburn (7th-8th), Ruth Paine and D’Andrea McQuirter (9th-12th). In the weekend raffles, Ruth Paine won a Poison Arsenic3-2 playing cue, and Jillian Nickerson took home a Poison Armor 3×4 case.
The Tour would like to welcome its newest members, Maria Requejo, Rosa Cantu, Angelina Almaraz, Brittany Kromer, Jackie Claxton, Melissa Smith, Lara Turner, Yvette Cox, Gail Cato, and Angela Garza. The Tour also welcomes returning members, Stasie Knight, Jillian Nickerson, Kris Wilburn, Holly Feher, Julie Collins, Sherry Gear, Sophia Lopez, and Kawania Watson. We’d like also like to recognize Jackie Claxton (Springfield, MO) and Holly Feher (Wellsburg, West VA) who traveled over two thousand miles combined, to attend this event!
The next event will be held July 7th-8th, 2018, at Bogies Billiards, 3040 FM 1960 E., in Houston, Texas. It is a two-day, 10-ball event, played on 9’ tables with Cyclop Pool Balls.
For more information about the Gulf Coast Women’s Regional Billiards Tour, visit www.GulfCoastWomensTour.com. Interested in becoming a Gulf Coast Tour Sponsor? Email Kim Newsome at lonestartour@gmail.com.
Written By: Kim Newsome
Photos By: Kim Newsome and Jyoti Lynch
Payout is $1,840, based on $1,000 added, $25 entry fee, less a $5 administrative fee.
1st Gail Eaton $650
2nd Ming Ng $440
3rd Ellen Robinson $260
4th Aryana Lynch $130
5th-6th Robyn Petrosino, Yvonne Asher $80 ea
7th-8th Kim Pierce, Kris Wilburn $50 ea
9th-12th Ruth Paine, Kawania Watson, Terry Petrosino, D’Andrea McQuirter $25 ea