Leslie Anne Rogers Back in the Winner’s Circle of Hunter Classics Tour

View all the photos from this stop!   

Heather,Tara, Mindy, Leslie Anne and Lisa
 

Forty-five ladies traveled from Texas, Arkansas and Illinois to compete in the tournament for the top first place prize of $750 and the Pro Qualifier for a WPBA 2007 event.  On the twenty four 8-foot tables, the ladies climbed and clawed their way through the bracket.  In the end, 2001-2005 Hunter Classics Tour Champion, Leslie Anne Rogers from Arlington, Texas, found herself back in the winner’s circle capturing first place in a tough field.  The WPBA Qualifier was won by Tara McCracken from Dallas, Texas. 

Leslie Anne, a player representative for the OB-1 Cue Shaft, exclaimed after the tournament, “It feels great to win!  I’ve been in a bit of a slump for the last few months, so it was really exciting to bring my game up to full strength through the course of the tournament.”  Leslie paused and then stated, “I knew coming into the event that I could win - I felt like I was hitting the ball well and playing good position.  I’ve also been working on kicks and that definitely paid off.”

On Sunday morning, the winner’s side matches resulted in Leslie Anne defeating Cristina De La Garza from Austin, Texas (7-3) and Lisa Brannen from Little Rock, Arkansas prevailing over local rising player Courtney Peters (7-4).  Leslie Anne then defeated Lisa for the hot seat with a lopsided score (7-2).   

9th-12th place finishers were Shayla Neris, Amanda Lampert, Tina Larsen and Jillian Valles who each earned $75.  7th/8th places were filled by Jennifer Kraber and board member Julie Stephenson ($100 each), while 5th/6th place finishers were Courtney Peters and Cristina De La Garza ($150 each).  4th place was filled by Heather Lloyd who won $265 and Lisa Brannen placed 3rd and earned $400.  Exceptional play was performed by everyone, including 2 thrilling hill-hill matches between Shayla Neris and Julie Stephenson and then Heather Lloyd and Julie Stephenson. 

Sharp shooter Tara McCracken took the long road to the finals:  Starting with a bye, Tara lost her next match to HOTT Tour Director Anne Mayes, 3-7.  Then Tara defeated her teammate Monica Anderson (7-3), Julie Stiranak (7-1), Susan Petty (7-3), and Michelle Ram (7-6) to reach Sunday.  On Sunday, Tara continued her strong play and exceptional shot making skills as she defeated Tina Larsen (7-3), Jennifer Kraber (7-5), Courtney Peters (7-1), Heather Lloyd (7-5), and Lisa Brannen (7-5) to confirm her spot in the finals.

Leslie Anne Rogers was leaving a trail of dust with her scores – only one player could win 5 games against her.  Leslie Anne started off with a bye also and then defeated Tracie Voelkering (7-5), Anne Mayes (7-4), and Amanda Lampert (7-4) to confirm her spot on the winner’s side on Sunday.  Leslie Anne then defeated Cristina De La Garza (7-3) and Lisa Brannen (7-2) for the hot seat while she waited for her opponent. 

Amanda and Lisa have both defeated Leslie a few times recently and Leslie commented, “winning against Amanda and my good friend (and fierce competitor) Lisa were both memorable matches for me.  Amanda in particular is playing really well, so I knew I had to step up my game and stay in control of the match.  Also, the winner’s bracket semifinal against Cristina De La Garza felt like a really crucial match, especially since her game has come up so much this year.”

Tara and Leslie met up in the finals and they were both prepared for the battle, however Leslie was playing stronger and prevailed 7-4.  Tara earned $550 and the WPBA Qualifier and Leslie Anne earned $750.  Congratulations to all the ladies!

Leslie Anne focused on “just relaxing and making the ball” throughout the tournament. Her focus and determination prevailed - Leslie Anne has claimed first place at Legend’s Billiards for the third year in a row!  “I always enjoy playing at Legends because they have great tables and it’s a very friendly environment,” reflected Leslie a few days after the event.  Leslie added, “Congrats to Tara – I’m proud of her for fighting hard to win this qualifier!  And I want to thank Mindy and Craig of Legend’s Billiards for their hospitality, and a huge thank you to Royce Bunnell from OB-1 Cues for making such a great quality shaft and for supporting me and the Hunter Tour!” 

View numerous photos from this event and also the updated point standings.

Several items were raffled off during the event.  And the winner’s are:

A BIG, BIG thank you to Wes Hunter who has been sponsoring the Hunter Classics Tour for 13 years now!  Thank you also to Robbie Daughtery, Carl Miller of Stroke, Julie Stiranak, Melinda Hinojosa and Lisa Brannen who donated raffle items.  Thanks also to Royce Bunnell of the OB-1 Cue Shaft, Legend’s Billiards and all the ladies who came to compete!  Visit us next month at Carom Club September 23-24 in Albuquerque, New Mexico!

Main Event, complete payouts, 45 ladies, $2,000 added:

1st $750 Leslie Anne Rogers,

2nd $550 Tara McCracken plus WPBA Qualifier

3rd $400 Lisa Brannen

4th $265 Heather Lloyd

5th/6th $150 Courtney Peters and Cristina De La Garza

7th/8th $100 Jennifer Kraber and Julie Stephenson

9th-12th $75 Jillian Valles, Amanda Lampert, Tina Larsen, and Shayla Neris

13th-16th $50 Michelle Ram, Anne Mayes, Sandra Adams and Helen Hayes

17th-24th $20 Melinda Hinojosa, Terry Petrosino, Susan Petty, Snowy Belt, Kathy Knuth, Suzanne Walkuski and Kim Mills

Second Chance Tournament, complete payouts, 27 ladies, $150 added:

1st Helen Hayes, $130

2nd Michelle Ram, $100

3rd Holly Gilbert, $65

4th Rose McCrory, $45

5th/6th Monica Anderson and Snowy Belt, $25

7th/8th Sherri L. Smith and Tracie Voelkering, $15