You got trouble, folks, right here in River City, trouble with a capital ‘T’ And that rhymes with ‘P’ and that stands for pool
Ya Got Trouble, from The Music Man (1957), by Meredith Wilson
Darryl Doolittle of Valley City Branch in Dundas, Ont., ran the table in five of six playoff games to take the singles title at the 2024 Legion national eight-ball championships in Hartland, N.B. [Stephen J. Thorne]
Darryl Doolittle never looked back.
“Since I picked up that cue, I loved this game,” he said after sweeping all three titles—team, doubles and singles—at the 2024 Legion national eight-ball championships May 24-27 in beautiful Hartland, N.B.
“All my life—that’s 52 years ago. That’s a true story.”
RCL Vice-President Brian Weaver (left) and host Hartland, N.B., Branch President Gary Bovard with the 2024 Legion eight-ball team champions, Ontario’s Colton Keuhl, Mark Johnston, Darryl Doolittle and Brandon Raddatz. [Stephen J. Thorne]
Doolittle and Johnston took a three-of-five doubles playoff in four games against Ringer and David Locke of Labrador City. The two teamed with Brandon Raddatz and Colton Keuhl of Eganville, Ont., to edge the Nova Scotia foursome of Bob Massia, Christopher Marsh, Bruce Lilly and Harry O’Donnell of Centennial Branch in Dartmouth 46-45 and clinch the team event in the round robin.
Champions representing all provinces and territories except Quebec, along with a host team from Hartland, played 360 round-robin games during two days before Ontario went up against Newfoundland and Labrador in the doubles tiebreaker.
Four players were forced into a tiebreaking finale in singles. They played each other twice. Both Doolittle and Johnston swept Ringer and Walters, winning four games each before facing off for the title. Ringer and Walters settled on a tie for third.
Down two games to none, David Locke of Newfoundland and Labrador ran the table in Game 3 of the best-of-five doubles final versus Ontario, pulling off a remarkable eighth shot as he banked the game’s penultimate ball tight off the head rail into the corner pocket on the foot rail. He went on to sink the eight ball for his team’s only win as Ontario’s Darryl Doolittle and Mark Johnston went on to take the title 3-1. [Stephen J. Thorne]
Orser, Allison and other branch members, along with a handful of players, refereed the matches and, while there were discussions on a few rulings, there were no significant disputes.
Andrew Spence of St. Boniface Branch in Manitoba eyes his next shot in early-round play at the 2024 Legion national eight-ball championships in Hartland, N.B. [Stephen J. Thorne]
“We have an outstanding team here and they pulled it off—in spades,” said Branch President Gary Bovard, a legionnaire since 1979. “I told the executive and pretty well anyone who would listen…I didn’t care if we didn’t make one red cent from it…we were going to show the [124-member] branch in its best light.
“Anyone who gets the opportunity to host an event such as this, I would fully encourage them,” he added. “It tightens up your executive, your members, your volunteer base, and it can really make your branch shine.”
Richard Lee of Swift Current, Sask., jammed these balls during play at the 2024 Legion national eight-ball championships in Hartland, N.B. They were both ruled down and his opponent was given a ball in hand. [Stephen J. Thorne]
The host branch’s pool chair, Carla Orser — one of the tournament’s principal organizers and a Jill-of-all-trades — referees a match. [Stephen J. Thorne]
Newfoundland and Labrador’s Carl Ringer (right) and Manitoba/Northwest Ontario’s Richard Urbanik share a laugh during play at the 2024 Legion national eight-ball championships in Hartland, N.B. [Stephen J. Thorne]
William Doherty (left) and Plemon Mercer of Fredericton share a joke with Terry Levesque of Drayton Valley, Alta., between games at the Legion national eight-ball championships in Hartland, N.B. [Stephen J. Thorne]
William Unwin of BC/Yukon preps a delicate shot with the rake.[Stephen J. Thorne]
Mark Johnston of Valley City Branch in Dundas, Ont., won the team and doubles titles, and finished second in the singles to teammate Darryl Doolittle at the Legion national eight-ball championships in Hartland, N.B. [Stephen J. Thorne]
Rich Hutcheon of Norwood Legion in St. Boniface, Man., resorts to the rake in early-round play.[Stephen J. Thorne]
Brandon Raddatz of Eganville, Ont., lines one up at the 2024 Legion national eight-ball championships in Hartland, N.B. [Stephen J. Thorne]
Tournament director Bob Allison ran a tight ship, all while co-ordinating schedules and refereeing matches.[Stephen J. Thorne]
Ontario’s Colton Keuhl navigates a tricky situation.[Stephen J. Thorne]
Wayne Westbury of Swift Current, Sask., Branch takes a shot.[Stephen J. Thorne]
Manitoba/Northwest Ontario’s Marvin Quiambao lines one up.[Stephen J. Thorne]
Equipped with his pool-playing glasses, Bruce Lilly of Centennial Branch in Dartmouth, N.S., leans in during early-round play at the 2024 Legion national eight-ball championships in Hartland, N.B.[Stephen J. Thorne]
Richard Urbanik of Manitoba/NWT rests his chin on his cue while lining up a shot.[Stephen J. Thorne]
Singles, doubles and team champion Darryl Doolittle of Team Ontario twists and leans into a shot during play at the Legion national eight-ball in Hartland, Ont.[Stephen J. Thorne]
The toothpick was an ever-present accoutrement of Drayton Valley, Alta.’s Terry Levesque.[Stephen J. Thorne]
Colton Keuhl of Ontario negotiates a challenging shot during play at the 2024 Legion national eight-ball championships in Hartland, N.B.[Stephen J. Thorne]
Dwayne Bloomfield of Newfoundland and Labrador prepares to execute.[Stephen J. Thorne]
Daniel Davidson of Cochrane, Alta., wills his shot into the pocket during play at the 2024 Legion national eight-ball championships in Hartland, N.B.[Stephen J. Thorne]
Edward Arsenault of P.E.I.’s Wellington Branch lines one up.[Stephen J. Thorne]
Andrew Spence of St. Boniface Branch in Manitoba eyes his next shot during play at the 2024 Legion national eight-ball championships in Hartland, N.B.[Stephen J. Thorne]
Brandon Raddatz of Eganville, Ont., lines one up on Day 1 of the Legion national eight-ball championships. The Ontario foursome of Raddatz and Colton Keuhl from Eganville, and Mark Johnston and Darryl Doolittle from Valley City Branch in Dundas, took the team title. [Stephen J. Thorne]
Sean Bateman of Cochrane, Alta., has this one in hand.[Stephen J. Thorne]
Carl Ringer of Labrador City, NL, Branch.[Stephen J. Thorne]
[Stephen J. Thorne]
Daniel Davidson of Cochrane, Alta., closes one out during play at the 2024 Legion national eight-ball championships in Hartland, N.B.[Stephen J. Thorne]
Allen Tompkins of the host Hartland, N.B. Branch lines one up during early play at the Legion national eight-ball championships.[Stephen J. Thorne]
Dennis Klyne of Saskatchewan’s Swift Current Branch negotiates a delicate shot.[Stephen J. Thorne]
Yvon Arsenault of P.E.I.’s Wellington Branch lines one up at the Legion national eight-ball championships in Hartland, N.B.[Stephen J. Thorne]
Teammates look on as Stewart Perry of Prince Edward Island’s Wellington Branch lines one up.[Stephen J. Thorne]
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