Not since Mark Tadd at the Los Angeles Open in 1993 has a player so dominated a major all-around tournament like Shane Van Boening did this year at the 14th annual Derby City Classic. It took the straight shooting young man from Canada, John Morra, two tries to defeat Van Boening in the Banks finals, thus preventing what would have been a sweep for Van Boening, as he went on to win both the One Pocket and 9-Ball divisions.
Morra had entered the final Banks round with his “buy-back” still available, whereas Shane had suffered a loss in an earlier round. Shane prevailed in the first final match, but was finally dispatched by Morra in the second final match. Third place went to Brandon Shuff and 4th to John Brumback.
It only got better for Van Boening in the One Pocket division, as he navigated his way through a field of 312 players to sweep his way to the top prize. Not that it was easy, nor was it just his superior fire-power that carried him. He survived one match with veteran Chicago player Ike Runnels that included a single two hour game in which Shane clawed out a win after falling way behind.
Obviously, Van Boening also came away with the Master of the Table bonus. It was a great week for Van Boening overall, who took home $33,000 in purses and an extra $20,00 for the Master of the Table bonus.
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