Concord’s Tripp Combs and Gavin Dodge were dressed to the nines, focused and ready for a big occasion. The homegrown talents were ready for the Junior New Hampshire State Billiards Championships.
Kids as young as seven filed into Capital City Billiards for one of the most important junior tournaments in the state. They looked just like the pros — for the most part.
Custom cues, gloves, magnets in their pants for chalk and a few orders of chicken tenders and fries were popular.
Combs, a 14-year-old local player, has attended Capital City’s Monday night kids nights for two years now. It was only his second tournament, so he was happy to compete against some tough travelers from outside the state.
“I feel pretty good. I was kind of nervous last night but then as I thought about it and I’m seeing it now, I’m feeling a lot better,” he said as his opponents filed in.
He started playing at the age of nine at the Boys and Girls Club, and his hunger for playing only grew.
Dodge, younger than Combs by two years, plays Monday nights too with a group of about a dozen junior talents.
The two went head-to-head often on Mondays, but the junior tourney was a new challenge. It was a high-intensity place to be on Saturday, as high finishes could help qualify a player to compete for the US national team.
The tournament was put on by the Billiards Education Foundation (BEF), led by Roy Pastor, who said it was a good turnout for a still-burgeoning youth billiards scene in New Hampshire compared to other states.
The winners and top three of the 18-under boys and girls brackets, and the 10-under were all from Massachusetts, Connecticut and Vermont.
Now, with some experience under their belts, the New Hampshire kids can continue growing to compete against the best in the region.