Radford goes undefeated to claim first regional tour title on NWPA
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Shaunda Radford
In emerging as the winner and runner-up at this past weekend’s (Aug. 15-17) stop on the Northwest Women’s Pool Association Tour (NWPA), Shaundra Radford and Robin Adams have recorded their best finish on the tour. Radford, who’s climbed steadily up the pool ‘ladder’ to chalk up her first win, now has four cash finishes on her AZBilliards profile; one last year and now, three this year. She finished, in order, 9th, 2nd, 4th and now, has won her first since she joined the database last June. Adams’ history began (with us) five years ago, when she finished 5th in the 2020 season opener. From there, she finished 5th two more times, re-establishing what was her former high finish, until she faced Radford in this past weekend’s final. Stop #5’s 10-ball event drew 47 entrants to Players Sports Bar Grill in Kennewick, WA.
They met twice, early and late. Radford went undefeated to claim the title and downed Adams the first time in the 4th round. Adams moved over to the loss side and won five in a row, running a gauntlet of NWPA talent in the process, all but one of whom were ahead of her in the tour standings at the start of the tournament. To include Tylynn Holzapfel, whom she met in the semifinals that eventually sent her to the finals against Radford.
In races to 6, Radford, appearing in only her second stop on the tour, got underway with a victory over Jennifer McKune (4) and followed by sending Dyamelle Castilleja (1) and Sara Moore (2) to the loss side. It was Adams who tossed a double-hill challenge at her in the 4th round. Radford survived that and drew the tour’s #1 competitor in point standings, fellow Canadian Maryann McConnell in one of the winners’ side semifinals.
Holzapfel, in the meantime, opened with a 6-3 win over Angela Higgins, ahead of shutting out Jordan Oakes, defeating Evelyn Hazlett (3), and surviving her own double-hill challenge versus Aimee Wilson-McDonnell, #5 in the tour standings. Holzapfel drew Andy Camping (#3) in the other winners’ side semifinal.
Both matches for advancement to the hot seat match finished with 6-3 wins; Radford over McConnell and Holzapfel over Camping. Radford claimed the hot seat by the same score.
Adams, after defeating Diana Whitaker (4), Darla Kalloch (0) and Nicole Donisi (4) on the winners’ side, ahead of falling to Radford, showed up on the loss side and drew the tour’s #2 point-standings competitor, Kathie MacDonald. MacDonald, who’d lost a third-round match to Camping and was working on a two-match, loss-side streak that was about to end. Not, however, before she’d put up a double-hill fight against Adams. Adams advanced to defeat Melinda Hoffman 5-3 and pick up Camping.
McConnell came over to the loss side and drew Sarah Myers-Mitchell, who’d lost her winners’ side quarterfinal to Camping, ahead of downing Sara Moore (1) and eliminating Jeanne Christiansen, double hill. Both matches determining advancement to the quarterfinals went double hill, as well. Mitchell downing McConnell, Adams over Camping.
In her fourth, double-hill match of the tournament, Adams defeated Myers-Mitchell in the subsequent quarterfinals. With three of her loss-side matches going double hill and the last two, back-to-back, Adams was more or less ready for Holzapfel in the semifinals. Adams defeated her 5-2, assuring her best finish on the tour and a shot at claiming her first title.
FargoRate ‘odds’ calculations gave Adams (at 498) a 40% chance to win the final race to 6 against Radford (at 520). Two competitors vying for their first (recorded with us) regional title gave the final match some ‘desire’ weight and Adams stayed within ‘striking’ distance until Radford pulled ahead to win it by three, 6-9, and claim the event title.
With two stops left on the tour, there’s likely to be a scramble for the Tour Championship title over the next few months. Many of the competitors who remain in contention for that title have competed in four or five of this year’s tournaments. A look at the names on the list (available by heading out to the NWPA Web site at https://www.playnwpa.com/2025-member-standings) will likely offer you a glimpse at many of the women who’ll be coming out to play in the last two stops. Stop #6, scheduled for the weekend of Oct. 25-26 will be hosted by Ox Billiards in Seattle, WA. Stop #7, which will include the annual Awards Banquet, is scheduled for Dec. 6-7 at Scratch Pizza & Billiards in Fife, WA.
