This past weekend the annual CSNS Open 10-Ball Provincials were contested at Dooly’s Portland. The Open Division had a total of 58 players competing. The A-side was a race to 8, the B-side race was to 7.
As luck of the draw would have, there were a few matches in the opening rounds that involved two A ranked players, meaning some favorites were sent to do battle on the B-side early. Richard Young topped Dave Boone, Bill MacPherson overcame Colin Maloney, Rocky Johnson beat Brian White, and defending Champion Rick Leon got past Greg Wilson. One round later, MacPherson lost to Young, and Leon was upset by Chris Bright.
While early setbacks might have been the trend among a number of the tournament’s elite shooters, it didn’t stop two of them from fulfilling their expectations. Rocky Johnson made the A-side final beating Darrell Abolit, White, Randy Demont, Christian Coffey and Richard Young. Meanwhile, Brad Doyle also staked his place in the A -side final with wins over Lynanne Cutler, John Rushton, Brent MacIntyre, Jeff Saulnier, and Brian Bedford. Johnson and Doyle would then tangle in a hill-hill affair, won by Doyle.
After his earlier loss to Young, Bill MacPherson was treading his way through the B-side with wins over Kayle Goodwin, Jason Ross, Jeff Saulnier and Randy Demont, before clashing again with Mr.Young. This time MacPherson would pick up the win 7-6. From there, MacPherson would complete his quest to the finals with wins over Brian Bedford and Rocky Johnson.
In the final, Doyle sprung out to a controlling lead 6-2 in a race to 9. Macpherson was able to close the gap to 7-6, but Doyle pulled away again, winning 9-6 for his first 10-Ball Provincial title. For his part, MacPherson’s 2nd place finish matched his finish from last year, and represented his third straight Open 10-Ball final, winning in 2015. Rocky Johnson placed 3rd, Brian Bedford 4th, and Richard Young and Christian Coffey were 5th-6th.
The Women’s Division had 6 players vying for the title. The defending titlist Janet Ritcey was defeated 7-6 by Jennie Saulnier in her opening match. Saulnier was then herself on the wrong end of a 7-6 scoreline, going down to Cheryl Maloney. Shauna Boyle was the eventual last undefeated player, beating Lynne Palmer and Maloney. Ritcey was able to fight her way back to the final, successively taking down Palmer, Lynanne Cutler, and Maloney. The final was dominated by Ritcey, taking it 7-1 over Boyle, for back-to-back Provincial 10-Ball titles. Cheryl Maloney was third.
The Second Chance event was won by Leo Sanchez over Mike Nicksy, with Ferrell Walker in third place.
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