Players at the July 3 contest at PebbleCreek include (L-R) CantaMia’s Jeff Satterthwaite,
Kelly Strieby, Todd Stringer, and Craig Jones; and PCBC’s Dan Harris (photographer),
Rene Lefebvre, Mike Finnegan, and Barry Woodward.
Dan Harris, Travel Team Coordinator
The PebbleCreek Billiards Club (PCBC) and CantaMia (CM) Billiards Club delivered action-packed days of high-level 8-ball competition in a first-ever dual-location, dual-week format. The clubs split the matches, with four PCBC players traveling to CantaMia on Thursday, June 26 for afternoon play and four CantaMia players visiting PebbleCreek on Thursday, July 3 for a morning session. In the end, PCBC prevailed 3 matches to 2 and 51 games to 46, capturing bragging rights in a tightly contested rivalry.
June 26 Afternoon Session at CantaMia (CM won 2 matches to 1; PCBC won the game count 23–21)
First Match: Round-Robin (16 games)
The teams traded racks throughout, but CM pulled ahead by winning the last two games to clinch the match 9-7. Standout performers were PCBC’s Johnny Henson and Rene Lefebvre, along with CM’s Todd Stringer and Shane Korman, each winning three of their four games.
Second Match: Round-Robin (16 games)
PCBC jumped out strong, winning six of the first seven games and cruising to an 11-5 victory. PCBC’s Johnny Henson was dominant, posting a perfect 4-0 record.
Third Match: Ranked Heads-Up (12 games)
Players were paired by their round-robin performance for four rounds in the time remaining. The match stayed close, with CM edging out a 9-7 win.
July 3 Morning Session at PebbleCreek (PCBC won both matches and the game count 28-25)
First Match: Round-Robin (32 games)
Each PCBC player faced every CM opponent twice. CM took an early 10-6 lead, but PCBC rallied to tie the score at 16-16. (The best players of the match were PCBC’s Barry Woodward and CM’s Jeff Satterthwaite, who each won six of their eight games. PCBC’s Rene Lefebvre also dazzled the crowd with a spectacular break shot that sank four object balls.) The match was decided by a tiebreaker game between Woodward and Satterthwaite. Woodward won the game, and thus the match, for PCBC.
Second Match: Ranked Heads-Up (20 games)
Paired by round-robin results for five rounds, the teams traded games until PCBC held a narrow 10-9 lead heading into the final game. Once again, Woodward and Satterthwaite faced off. After a tense battle of offense and defense, Satterthwaite left the cue ball in a difficult spot on the 8-ball and missed. Woodward capitalized, calmly pocketing his last object ball and the 8-ball to seal both the game and the match for PebbleCreek. PCBC’s Dan Harris and CM’s Kelly Strieby were the match’s top performers, each winning four of five games.
Both clubs demonstrated exceptional skill, sportsmanship, and camaraderie throughout the two-day event. This hard-fought series has quickly become one of the season’s most anticipated rivalries. The next showdown is already on the calendar—and both teams will surely be sharpening their games to claim victory next time.