CHARLOTTETOWN, P.E.I. – Rack ‘em up will be the call this weekend at the Canadian Cue Sport Association (CCS) Maritime 8-ball championships beginning Thursday at Dooly’s in Charlottetown.
Beyond shooters aiming for titles in the advanced, open, standard, women’s and team divisions, a total purse of $30,000 is available to pocket.
There are 128 players from eight provinces signed up and tournament chairman Andrew Sprague said the event’s registration co-ordinator Brian Willis has been swamped.
“We’ve been blown away with registrations. The whole weekend will be just a spectacle,” Sprague said.
Preliminary rounds start Thursday at 8 p.m. Play continues Friday at 1 p.m. On Saturday, games begin at 9 a.m., doors open at 8 a.m., while Sunday is reserved for the team championship.
Friday also includes the Livingston Steel Challenge, which pits P.E.I.’s Lorne Allaire, the current provincial 8- and 9-ball champ, against Nova Scotia’s top-ranked shooter, Rick Leon, in a one-on-one battle.
Sprague said Ben Francis is the odd-on favourite to win the advanced division. The Calgary native is the 12th-ranked player in Canada.
Cue Sports Live from Calgary will stream the championships.