Pool Players of the Brooke: Paul ‘Bankster’ Callas plays perfect against field of 18

Left to right: Bruce Fink, second place; Larry Tipton, fourth place; Paul “Bankster” Callas, first place; Tom “Half Jacket” Barrett, third place. Lurking in the background is Dominic “The Doctor” Borland sitting in his very familiar chair.

Left to right: Bruce Fink, second place; Larry Tipton, fourth place; Paul “Bankster” Callas, first place; Tom “Half Jacket” Barrett, third place. Lurking in the background is Dominic “The Doctor” Borland sitting in his very familiar chair.

Joe Giammarino and Dominic Borland

Pool Players of the Brooke and SaddleBrooke Ranch Billiards Club want to thank SaddleBrooke Ranch and our generous sponsors Tractor Supply Co. and Chuy’s Mesquite Broiler.

On August 6, 2016 the SaddleBrooke Ranch hosted its fourth 8-Ball Tournament. Tournament directors were Dominic Borland and Joe Giammarino. The following strong field of 18 players gathered to play competitive 8-Ball: Dan Stebbins, Jim Kauffman, Tom “Half Jacket” Barrett, Joe “Fast Eddie” Giammarino, Dominic “The Doctor” Borland, Larry Tipton, Larry Jacox, Tom “Teck” Sorensen, Cliff Terry, Jay “The Shamrock Shooter” Clary, Paul “Bankster” Callas, Bruce Fink, Jim Mansmith, Karl “English” Knight, Randy “Thin Man” Smith, Ron Ridge, Gary Powers and Jim Donat.

The players’ meeting started off with a moment of silence in honor of our friend and fellow pool player Vance Wayne MacLeod who passed away on June 23, 2016 after a long battle with cancer. Vance was one of our first participants and sponsors. R.I.P. Vance MacLeod.

Results:

First, Paul “Bankster” Callas – Unblemished on this day! Six wins.

Second, Bruce Fink – Great tourney. Seven wins and two losses.

Third, Tom Barrett – A valiant attempt to defend title. Three wins, two losses.

Fourth, Larry Tipton (Ranch) – Showed some real pool talent today. Three wins, two losses.

Note: SaddleBrooke’s Pool Players of the Brooke again hold the top spot in this tourney in addition to second and third places. Congratulations PPB for the good showing.

Sponsors Gifts:

Tractor Supply Co. – Gary Powers, certificate

Chuy’s Mesquite Broiler – Tom Barrett, certificate

Recap:

Paul “Bankster” Callas’ road to the Championship started out by defeating Dan Stebbins in the first round and then by ousting Ron Ridge in the second round. Next up was Jim Mansmith, and he played good pool but not good enough to beat Paul today. Paul then outplayed Larry Tipton. Then he paired up with defending champion Tom Barrett and sent him to the losers’ bracket; this put Paul on the hill waiting for someone to come out of the losers’ bracket to challenge him. Paul would have to be beaten twice to give up the title. Meanwhile Bruce Fink was working his way through the losers’ bracket with some great precision shooting and beating Jim Donat, Joe Giammarino, Jim Mansmith, Gary Powers, Larry Tipton and Tom Barrett. Bruce emerged from the losers’ bracket to set up the finals against Paul. Remember Bruce would have to beat Paul twice. Paul “Bankster” Callas was just too much for Bruce and the whole field today; there was no stopping him from capturing the title of Ranch 8-Ball Champion. Congratulations to Paul for some lights-out shooting and a great tournament!

Thanks to our hosts The Ranch Billiards Club, to all the participants, sponsors and the ladies of the Bistro Viente Restaurant for their great service.

A fun day was over after four hours and 34 games of 8-ball. The 18 participants competed and met some new friends that shared their passion. That is a good day!

Rack ‘em up!