Due to family obligations, I was unable to participate in the “remembrance of Tino Lofaro” 2018 Sonoma Wine Country Open, but I managed to show up briefly on Saturday to snap a few pictures.
I was pleasantly surprised by the large turnout. Forty-three (43) doublettes (86 players) registered to play and filled the courts to capacity. I was also told that some true “petanquophiles” traveled far and wide (Texas, Tennessee, Wyoming, etc.) to attend this event.
From the Elysian Fields, our friend Tino must have been beaming.
Before I forget… this intricate tournament was ably run by Patrick Vaslet and co-conspirator Shannon Bowman. Well-done guys!
I left early Saturday but was back on Sunday to watch the heavyweights battle for the heavy purses.
16 teams qualified to play in the Concours, 16 teams qualified for Consolante A and 11 teams qualified for Consolante B
This tournament had everything a Hollywood director would want: action, romance, showboating, pathos, miracles, and an unexpected finish.
In the Concours semi-finals, Peter Mathis and Mickey Coughlin faced John and Tish Harris. If I had been a betting man, I would have put my money on Peter and Mickey. Both are known as excellent players as well as good “shooters” and could switch roles if the situation demanded it.
John and Tish were the unknown quantity to me. I saw them play just 2 or 3 times and I did not really know much about them.
As it turned out, they proved to be tough customers. Tish pointed extremely well and John provided the artillery when needed. On the other side, Peter Mathis also played well, performed a few miracles and even walked on water. But that was not enough.
Mickey’s weak pointing was their undoing. He pointed below par and basically sealed their fate.
After a long match with many twists, John and Tish finally won 13/8.
In the finals, played on the tricky gravel covered court, John and Tish faced Paul Yang and Jer Thao, both excellent and stylish players.
What should have been an evenly matched encounter turned out to be anticlimactic. Paul and Jer inexplicably failed to point accurately on gravel. They were undone by Tish’s superior pointing and John’s shooting.
Final, unbelievable score: 13/0 for the Harrises. This does not take anything from Paul and Jer. They are still great players and very nice people. They just had a bad hair day.
Concours
1st place: John & Tish Harris – $1700.00
2nd place: Paul Yang & Jer Thao $700.00
3rd place: Peter Mathis & Mickey Couglin $350.00
4th place: $350.00
5th to 8th place: $140.00 (not played)
Consolante A:
1st place: Nicolas Yang & Ziggy $280.00
2nd place: Holly Sammons & David Johnstone $160.00
3rd and 4th place: $100.00 (not played)
Consolante B:
1st place: David Clark & Chan Xiong $120.00
2nd place: Ed Clay & Jack Cannard $90.00
And that was the extraordinary day that was.
Alain