Dooly's Valleyfield: The Dancing Bear Wins Second Falcon Tour Stop of the Season

From left to right Winner Alain Martel, Runner-Up Danny Normandin and third place Yves Gaudreault 

By: Markus Noé

This past weekend September 15-16 the newly renovated Dooly's Valleyfield hosted the second tour stop for the Falcon Cues Quebec Pro Tour. 48 players of all different calibers came out to participate in Canada's most popular non-handicapped Pro Tour. The usual tournament favourites were all in attendance such as; Alain Martel, Danny Hewitt, Francis Crevier, Martin Daigle, Joey Cicero to name a few.

There was a few rule changes from last year that founder of the tour Hewitt had to go over before play begun. The main one that stuck out was the new breaking rule. As is the case in general for 9 ball the soft cut break became an issue of contention last season. For those unfamiliar with this it just makes, making the wing ball and getting position on the 1 ball in the top corner almost automatic. Over the past decade break arguments have become much more frequent and perhaps one of the biggest things holding pool back from being considered a sport.

Therefore tournament organizers have come up with a new way to break, which they call breaking from the "small box," see picture below for reference.

In between these two chalk lines was the only place you were able to place the cueball. This combined with racking the 9 ball on the spot with a magic rack as well as 3 balls needing to pass the "headstring," completely changed the game. In my first match against last seasons Grand Final winner Nicolas Charette, I found it a big struggle as I scratched off the break 3 times while trying to hit the balls hard enough to have a legal break. The main thing I noticed with this new break is it virtually gives amateurs no chance against top players because it is simply too hard to control the break and forces us to play every rack with more experienced players. When before if you could figure out a cut break there was always a chance for a break and run.

Charette ended up besting me 9-1, it was a pleasure to play with him. He takes no shots off and makes it very difficult for you to find your way into the match once he takes control, he will give you nothing, you must earn every inch, not only did I appreciate his style I learned a lot from this match on shot selection and percentage play.

Next up for me was well known Canadian player Andre Goyette, a Canadian legend of sorts and one of the best players ever out of the Ottawa/Gatineau region. I have had the pleasure of playing him several times and have had some success in handicap events however to this day I have never beaten him straight up despite him being in his mid 70's! After knocking me out of the tournament he was gracious enough to sit me down and give me some much needed guidance on the mental side of the game, something I admit has been an ongoing struggle for me. I took this advice very seriously and look forward to implementing in the future. For amateurs like myself this is another benefit of playing these Pro events, literally every time I play I learn something of value, thank you Andre!

Getting back to the tournament Martel looked to be in form early as he cut through a tough early draw beating both Danny Hewitt and Luc Salvas. On the other side of the winners bracket Danny Normandin was the other player in top form beating top players such as Yan Lalande and Francis Crevier on route to the winners side final against Martel. Normandin was able to get the big win 9-6 earning is spot in the final.

On the losers side Martel waited for the 4th place match to finish between Yves Gaudreault and Danny Hewitt. Gaudreault who is consistently in the top 5 in these tournaments was able to break through and get a huge win against Hewitt 9-5 earning him a shot to play his pal and fellow UPS co-worker Normandin in the final.

First he had to get through the always tough "Dancing Bear" who despite his earlier loss was not ready to hibernate just yet. Martel got the victory 9-5 and earned his rematch in the final. Normandin started off well getting up 2-0 but in a blink it was 4-2 for Martel and he never looked back earning the 11-7 victory.

Thank you to the Falcon Tour for sponsoring me for this event. I would have liked to stay longer but I had death in the family late Friday night and I showed up with zero sleep and under an unusual amount of stress to be honest. I look forward to seeing everyone in two weeks at Dooly's St. Hyacinthe Sept 29-30 for the next edition of the Falcon Tour!

 

Payouts:

1- Alain Martel 1225$
2- Dany Normandin 920$
3- Yves Gaudreault 720$
4- Danny Hewitt 560$
5/6 - Marco Caron et Joey Cicero 380$
7/8 - Nicolas Charette et Francis Crevier 220$
9/12 - Yan Lalande, Sylvain Gingras, Martin Daigle et Dominic Legault 120$

A special congratulations goes out to my frequent road partner and one of my closest pal Jason Hall for winning the second chance tournament! Well done in a tough field! Also to Marc Malette for coming in 3rd, that is two players from my home Rack-M-Up Billiards in Cornwall, Ontario who took the cash! 

Jason Hall 

Second Chance Winners 

1- Jason Hall 200$
2- Denis Duteau 150$
3- Marc Mallette 100$
4- Dannick Duchaines 50$

Rack-M-Up Ladies Tournament Results

By: Markus Noé

Saturday July 28th local player Loreen Toutant with the help of the owner Rack-M-Up Billiards located in Cornwall, Ontario, Doug Distotell, hosted a womens only tournament. 9 players came to particpate from Cornwall, Ottawa, Québec and Awkesanse.  This was a different format then most tournaments and seemed to be well liked by the players.

It was round robin with every player getting a chance to match up against everyone in the field for 4 racks. Whether someone won 4-0 or 3-1 the score would be tallied and the top 6 players woud move on to a single elimination format.

Disotell was gracious enough to return the green fee's into the tournament pot and gave the ladies a little extra to play for. Whenever it was all said and done it was Chantal Bergeron taking home first place, Nathalie Chabot taking second and fairly new local player Sandy Mackay grabbed third.

There was also a 50/50 draw and 10 Ball break and run that acted as a side pot. Marc Malette and Nathalie Chabot split the draw while Bergeron continued her hot streak and had the best run in the 10 ball break and run.

At the end of the day it was a successful event with all participants raving about the great time they had. Hopefully there will be more of these events in the future. Congratulations to all the winners and see you all next time. Toutant would also like to thank Henry Barkwell for donating his time and being a big help to make sure things ran smoothly for the entire event.

Payouts:

1. Chantal Bergeron $200
2. Nathalie Chabot $120
3. Sandy Mackay $40 

Malette Picks up 3rd win of the Summer Series

By: Markus Noé

Sunday July 22nd Rack-M-Up Billiards hosted the 6th qualifier out of 8 for the well received Summer Series. Since late spring there has been a qualifier approximately every two weeks. For those competitive players in the area which there are many, the Summer Series provides an outlet during the "off season" for those players who just cannot put the cue down no matter how nice the weather is.

These are handicapped events with the lowest ranking available is a 4 and the top a 9. Each player has to win a different number of games depending on their assigned handicap. Marc Malette started off the season by winning the first two events easily and looked to be in form again beating fellow tournament favorite Jacques Sauvé 9-4. In fact Malette once again charged through this 15 player field all the way through to the winner side final.

J.R Cook was the other undefeated player who met up with Malette in the winners side final. Cook who has gone a few years since his last good performance kept his momentum going and handed Malette who is ranked a 9, his first match loss of the season 6-8.

Malette regained his form in the losers side final eliminating fellow 9, Justin Miller 9-5. In the final it was a much different story as Malette went on to easily win and capture his 3rd consecutive win which is a record since the debut of the Summer Series 3 years ago.

There are two qualifiers left August 4th and August 19th and the added money Grand Final is a few weeks later. We welcome anyone to come and watch and enjoy some quality pool from some of the best players in the area. Finally the fall season is quickly approaching and the registration for the Fall/Winter leagues will be commencing shortly. There are leagues for all skill levels contact Doug Disotell for more information through the Rack-M-Up Facebook Page or by telephone 613-933-9362.

Congratulation to the most recent winners Marc Malette and J.R Cook.

Top 3 Payouts 

1. Marc Malette $180

2. J.R Cook $135

3. Justin Miller $90

Tailgators Announces 5th Annual Summer Shootout August 10-12!

5TH ANNUAL SUMMER  8-BALL SHOOTOUT

·      DOUBLES START FRIDAY AUGUST  10TH  6PM

·      SINGLES START SATURDAY AUGUST 11TH  1PM

DOUBLES DIVISIONS

 COPPER DOUBLES  MAX 180 TRS  $40 PER TEAM

 BRONZE DOUBLES   MAX 160 TRS  $60 PER TEAM

 SILVER DOUBLES   MAX  120 TRS   $80 PER TEAM

SINGLES DIVISIONS

BUDWEISER SINGLES  100 TRS             $20 ENTRY      

COPPER SINGLES             90 HANCP       $30 ENTRY

BRONZE SINGLES           80-70 TRS       $40 ENTRY

SILVER SINGLES             60-50 TRS          $75 ENTRY       

TOUHEY TAX GOLD     40-20 TRS $100 ENTRY

GOLD SINGLES IS FIRST 16 PLAYERS $1000 ADDED

 Tailgators will host the fifth annual Summer shootout August 10th-12th. This is a barbox 8-ball event that has DIVISIONS for all ALL SKILL LEVELS.

The  DOUBLES starts Friday at 6pm and has 3 different divisions. It is a scotch doubles format and last year was the inaugural for the doubles and it was very well accepted. Teamates are allowed to talk amongst each other and creates a fun interactive environment. 

The SINGLES start Saturday at 1pm and and has 4 different skill level divisions. 

The showcase Touhey Tax Gold Division will feature 16 top players. Matches will be live streamed and there WILL BE A CALCUTTA FRIDAY NIGHT. 

**Spots are limited in all divisions so please contact Curtis Houlden by email at leagues@tailgators.ca 

or Facebook to reserve your spot**

Rack-M-Up Summer Series is Underway

Winner of the second qualifier Marc Malette and runner up Clayton Disotell

By: Markus Noé

The much anticipated annual Rack-M-Up Summer Series has begun. Thus far there has been two qualifiers played out of the eight. In order to be able to participate in the Grand Final September 8th one needs to play in no less than 4 out of 8 of the qualifying tournaments. This series is handicapped and open to players from begninner level to AAA which is just under Semi-Pro and Pro level. The game is 9 ball alternative break and call the 9 ball only.

Winner of the first Qualifer Mark Roy and Director Doug Disotell

Each player is given a number 5-9 based on their skill level which is determined by tournament director Doug Disotell. Once this number is established, that is the number of games one must win in order to win their match. So far after two events we have two different winners both of whom went undefeated to capture their wins, congratulation to Mark Roy for winning the first event and Marc Malette for taking down the second. Below is the reamaining dates we hope to see many new faces in this edition of the Summer Series. If you are curious and feel like spectating feel free to beat the heat this summer and come on in grab cool beverage and enjoy the air conditioner.

For questions about leagues, tournaments, cue/repairs and table installation contact Doug Disotell through the Rack-M-Up Billiards Facebook Page or by telephone at 1-613-362-5035. 

Charette Goes Undefeated to Win Falcon Cues QC Pro Tour Grand Final

Michael Bernier, Danny Hewitt, Nicolas Charrette, Luc Salvas, John Morra

 By: Markus Noé

The weekend of April 28th-29th the Falcon Cues Québec Pro Tour wrapped up its season at Dooly's Valleyfield. 50 players from all over Québec and Ontario came to participate in this $4000 added season ending tournamnet. With the edition of players like John Morra and Erik Hjorleifson who came from Toronto this was the most talent stacked tournament of the season.

Early on the main storyline for me was that world renown player and major champion Morra, was playing with his opposite hand. I have some insight on his abilities as a few years back I went to the Steinway Classic in Queen's NY and played some cheap matches with him as he played left handed. He even spotted me and I think I was lucky to win 1 out of 4 matches. Morra being a right handed player but heavely left eye dominate has been discussed in length in the pool community.

Being so dominate in his opposite eye something I am trying to overcome myself, has caused some issues for Morra. He is currently in a lot of neck and back pain and told me this past week "if i am going to contiue to play professionally, I have to make the switch." Morra also said he believes in two years he will be preforming better than ever. Besides overcoming the pain their are some technical advantages for him as well.

With all that being said Morra went on to finish in third place, playing opposite hand the entire way. He met up with Danny Hewitt the most dominate player in Falcon Tour history earlier on and lost a close match. Later on the losers side he met up with another legend Alain Martel on the losers side and eliminated him, then also got revenge against Hewitt beating him out in 4th.

It was runner up Michael Bernier who ended Morra improbable run in the losers side final. Bernier has to be one of the most aggressive pro players I have seen on the tour. He literally takes on most shots without much regard for safety play and it serves him well as him and Nicolas Charette met in the winners side final.  Both players had to get by some tough pro's as Charette beat Alain Martel and Bernier beat Danny Hewitt two Canadian legends on route to the winners side final

Charette would get the win 9-5 in this match. Overall all weekend Charette seemed to be the most comfortable out there, just queitly going about his business never taking a shot off or taking a gamble at the "wrong shot." It was this combination that served him well throughout the event.

The final was a thrilling match as until half way though the race to 11 either player had not made a mistake. They were exchanging racks back forth the entire match until the end were Charette got his nose ahead to win 11-9 in what was one of the highest level matches I have seen on the tour all season. Congratulations to finalist for putting on a great show.

I would like to thank Danny Hewitt and Luc Paquette for putting on a great tour again this year! As always I cannot wait to be back next season and keep climbing up the ladder myself! See you all in September! 

1st Annual Pat Cormier Memorial Pool Tournament

Submitted by Jayson Goyer

It was a great time for all in Belleville this past weekend who participated at  Pat Cormier Memorial pool tournament at Mr. Zeds Billiards Room. There was 30 entrants from Belleville, Picton, Brockville, Kingston and Trenton, A special thanks to Brandon Cormier for running things as smooth as possible and to Lois Cormier and the Preston family for their generous door prize donations,

Kingstown Brewery gave sizable prize donation,  and Pizza Hut Belleville also donated prizes.  We would like to also thank Kim Bracken and Lisa Knell for doing an awesome job running the 50-50 draw selling over $500 in tickets WOW ! Also a special thanks to George (grey bush) Sokolowski for Mc-ing the best dam player auction I have ever been a part of in Belleville collecting over $1,000 cash payout, and a special thanks to Peter for letting us take over his pool room for 2 days.

Results 
8 Ball 1st prize $700 Devin Buttle
2nd $420 Ron Bradshaw
3rd $260 Steve Winter
4th $160 Stan Wilkinson
10 Ball 1st prize $700 Ron Bradshaw
2nd $500 Jay Goyer

And over $350 raised for the Children's Hospital.