Peter shows vintage form in Thursday pool

David Peter turned back the hands of time to beat Ben Sablan for the Miller Lite Invitational 8-Ball Tournament championship last Thursday at Round Two Bar and Grill.

The Dean of CNMI billiards saw his undefeated run through the tournament stymied by Sablan in the first game. But Peter made sure lightning wouldn’t strike twice in the finals. He put out all the stops in the rubber match and turned back Sablan to take home the Thursday title.

It was a great comeback for Peter, who dominated the early goings and seemed unbeatable going to the championship.

After getting a bye in the opening round, Peter worked his way up by first dismissing Doug Flynn. He then victimized Joe Castro before copping the first finals seat and twice-to-beat advantage with a win over Jerry Soriano.

Other pool regulars that played Thursday were Joe Schaffer, Victor Hocog, Frank Codog, Roy Tereyama, Manny Aguon, Roman Rodriguez, Emi Peter-Palican, Roger Espiritu, and Manny Mariano.

Two nights earlier, Victor Hocog came up from the losers bracket to win the Tuesday Ladies Handicap 8-Ball Tournament.

Hocog began the evening with a win over Gary Ridley but was unexpectedly relegated to losers bracket play after losing to Kippy Aiken.

With no more room for error, Hocog began an incredible show of force and earned a spot in the finals after hurdling Larry Creekmore, Manny Mariano, Ning Copeland, Kim Prinz, and Aiken in succession.

In the finals, Hocog continued his hot streak and outplayed Joe Shaffer in two straight games to complete the improbable championship run.

Roy Tereyama, Roman Rodriguez, Mei Hua Jin, Roger Espiritu, James Pringle, and Tony Arriola also graced the Tuesday pool event.

On May 16, Ben Sablan outfoxed veteran cue artist Senen Pangilinan and triumphed in the Sunday Winner-Take-All Fun Tournament.

Sablan started things off by dusting off Manny Mariano. He then beat Kim Prinz and David Peter in his next two trips back to the green felt table before barging into the finals with a win over Pangilinan.

Sablan rested for a few minutes while waiting for his opponent. But the downtime proved not good for Sablan as Pangilinan shocked him in Game 1 of the championship. He regrouped in Game 2 and calmly took charge of the match and won the title.

Donald Kapileo, Manny Mariano, Roger Espiritu, Rainie Francis, Tony Arriola, Vince Cepeda, Felix Travilla, Dustin Camacho, and Thomas Allen also participated in the Sunday tournament.

Round Two hosts three regular tournaments a week. The Sunday Winner-Take-All Fun Tournament starts at 1pm and entry costs is $5 per player. Depending on the number of lady participants, the competition switches from regular to an 8-ball handicap format.

The Tuesday Ladies Handicap 8-Ball Tournament is held every Tuesday starting at 8pm and has an entry fee of $10.

On Thursdays, Round Two holds the exciting Miller Lite Invitational 8-Ball Tournament starting at 8pm. Entry fee is $15 on regular days but goes up to $25 every last Thursday of the month.

For more information on Round Two’s tournaments, please call 234-6930.