Pendley goes undefeated, claims 6th Brian James Memorial at Borderline Brunswick Arena

Adam Pendley

Roberts falls single-match short in loss-side campaign for second Memorial title

The 6^th Annual Brian James Memorial, held this past weekend (Sat., June 14) at its traditional location, Janet Atwell’s Borderline Brunswick Arena in Bristol, TN, came within a match of crowning its first repeat champion. North Carolina’s Adam Pendley spoiled that particular party with an undefeated run through a short field of 24 entrants, downing the 4^th annual event’s winner, Eric Roberts, in the final. Held under the auspices of the Q City 9-Ball Tour, it proved to be Pendley’s first cash finish on the tour since 2022, a year in which he finished as runner-up in three of five events in which he finished ‘in the money.’

Racing to 9 throughout the event, Pendley was awarding ‘beads on the wire’ to all of his opponents – three, four and five (twice) – until he met up with Roberts in the final, at which point, it was Roberts who was giving him a single ‘bead’ in a race to 10.

Pendley’s toughest opponent, as measured in terms of racks-against, proved to be his first. With a bye in the first round, Pendley opened with a 9-4 victory over Donnie Streeter, who was afforded three ‘beads’ and came within a game of double hill, losing 4-9. Pendley advanced to give up just one to Evan Jones and draw Mark Hurst in one of the winners’ side semifinals.

Chris Cowan, in the meantime, from the opposite end of the bracket and bound for the hot seat, was also awarded a first-round bye. He survived an opening-round, double-hill battle versus Casey Cork (23), who’s been battling on the tour since she was 14 and chalked up her best finish ever (3^rd) two weeks earlier. Cowan advanced to a winners’ side quarterfinal and got six ‘beads’ in his race to 10 against Eric Roberts. Cowan advanced again after downing Roberts 4-6 and drew Gavin Hatley in the other winners’ side semifinal.

Pendley, giving up four ‘beads’ to Hurst in a race to 9, defeated him 9-2 and advanced to the hot seat match. He was joined by Cowan, who’d defeated Hatley 4-4 (Hatley racing to 6). Cowan was only able to add a single rack to the five he’d been awarded at the start in the hot seat match’s race to 9, as Pendley claimed the seat 9-1.

Hatley sauntered on over to the loss side and drew an immediate rematch versus the room’s owner, Janet Atwell, whom he’d rather unceremoniously defeated, double hill, in what was her first round. Atwell chalked up five straight on the loss side, including two straight, double-hill wins over Ricky Chitwood and Evan Jones that allowed her to advance to the rematch. Hurst picked up Roberts, who’d followed his loss to Cowan by giving up a total of only two racks, one each, to Ron Frank and Michael Clevinger. 

Hatley allowed Atwell only a single rack and advanced to the quarterfinals, where he was joined by Roberts, who, giving up five ‘beads on the wire’ in a race to 10, battled to double hill before prevailing 10-4. Roberts then won a 10-3 battle over Hatley, who was racing to 6.

Cowan needed to win just four games in the semifinal race-to-10 against Roberts that followed. He got half of them, but Roberts earned the 10 he needed for a shot at a second Brian James Memorial title.

The two-hour+ gap between the end of the hot seat match and the start of the final (as recorded on the digitalpool bracket) didn’t appear to have any effect on Pendley at all. Awarded a single ‘bead on the wire’ that he didn’t end up needing in his race to 10 against Roberts, Pendley went on to become the sixth winner of the annual Brian James Memorial. It was his first (recorded with us) regional tour victory since he’d won two on the Great Southern Billiard Tour in 2009.

Tour director Herman Parker thanked Janet Atwell and her Borderline Brunswick Arena staff for their hospitality, along with sponsors BarPoolTables.net, BreakTime Billiards (Clemmons, NC), TKO Custom Cues, Realty Group One Results, CHC Underground, Digitalpool.com, Dirty South Grind Apparel, Federal Savings Bank Mortgage Division and AZBilliards.

Up next for the Q City 9-Ball Tour will be a $250-added event at Sticks & Stones in Rock Hill, SC this coming weekend (June 21-22). The following weekend (June 28-29), the scene will shift to Cary, NC for an event at that town’s Breaktime Billiards (not to be confused with the ‘other’ Breaktime Billiards in Clemmons, NC). 

Plans are already underway and competitors (40+, to date) are already signing up for the July 4^th weekend’s event at the ‘newer’ Breaktime Billiards in Clemmons, which will host the $3,000-added (guaranteed) 13^th Annual NC State 9-Ball Open. Further information about the event (including a regularly updated list of already-registered competitors) can and will be found on Parker’s FB page; https://www.facebook.com/hparker2112

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