10-Ball winner John Schroeder and runner-up Sandra Decker
Skip Jones and Alphie Smith
The Quail Creek Billiards Club (QCBC) held its monthly In-House Tournament on Saturday, July 11, in the Billiards Room at Madera Clubhouse. It was a game of 10-Ball. What an exciting tournament it turned out to be!
New member, John Schroeder, in his first QCBC tournament emerged as the victor after almost four hours of competition. Sandra Decker, the sole woman player, came in second. Gerry Bates was third. The other participants were John Andersen, Bob Baker, Bob Coulter, Dave Gill, and Dave Sypkens.
Schroeder and Decker were new to the game of 10-Ball and rose to the occasion. Decker fought her way through the winners bracket undefeated. Schroeder made it through the one-loss side by defeating Bates. This set up a final confrontation between Decker and Schroeder to determine the champion.
The first match was the best two out of three, which Schroeder won, two to one. The final match was sudden death, as both Decker and Schroeder now had one loss.
The match came down to a bank shot narrowly missing the corner pocket. Decker was now faced with a long shot for the win. The shot looked good, but the ball rattled the pocket, leaving Schroeder an easy shot to win the match and the tournament.
There were spectators throughout the morning, and many of the competitors stayed for the final games. Skip Jones, the tournament director, felt that “it was an exciting finish with no losers,” as both Schroeder and Decker played very well.
It was encouraging to have a woman competing in the final matches. Decker went the distance and achieved recognition for the QCBC Women members. Jones hopes that more women members will play in tournaments in the future. The tournament experience is very different from casual play, and your game will benefit in the long run. An added plus is to meet new players and have a good time.
QCBC In-house tournaments are usually on the first Saturday of each month and are open to men and women members. Next up in the Billiards Room is 9-Ball. Learn more at www.qcbcbilliards.com.