Bob Cherry, Paul Scott and Eileen Soo were title winners at the USCA International Rules National Championships held recently in Linville, NC. Soo, of Chapel Hill, won the First Flight. Scott, of Raleigh, won Championship Flight doubles (partnered with California player Jerry Stark), his third consecutive win at this event. And Cherry, of Pinehurst, shook a monkey off his back by winning Championship singles for his first national title.

Cherry’s performance was impressive. He blitzed through block play undefeated, then won matches against Andy Short (Chapel Hill) and the top-seeded Stark (singles champion in 2000) to reach the final. There he met Curtis Drake (Kentucky), another rising star seeking his first national title. Cherry had beaten Drake in block play, but by one measure—triple peels completed—Drake was the hottest player at the tournament. Drake won the first game easily, but Cherry countered in the second game. Nerves were apparent in the third, deciding game, with errors by both players. Late in the game Cherry made a crucial long hit-in and from there he stayed focussed to close out the match and win his well-deserved national title. As a result, Cherry is now a career-high #5 on the US ranking list and #49 in the world. He is the fifth NC player to win a USCA national singles title.

Scott’s win is his seventh national title, making him the fifth player to win that many. Two of the other seven-time titlists are also NC players—Damon Bidencope (Charlotte) and Jeff Soo (Chapel Hill). The controversial Mik Mehas is the category leader with eight USCA open national titles.

Last modified on 12 December 2004