by Chris Jones ·
Friday, April 10, 2026
This Sunday, April 12, The Red Dragon Billiards Club will host the second annual Jayden Liu memorial pool tournament at The Billiards Cafe in Ayer. The tournament aims to raise scholarship money awarded to two deserving pool players at the Billiard Education Foundation Junior National Championships in July.
Liu, a 2022 Bromfield graduate, died unexpectedly in the spring of 2024, and Harvard resident Roy Pastor, founder and coach of The Red Dragon Billiards Club, wanted to create a legacy event. “I’ve done a lot of fundraising for a lot of causes, so this tournament was something in my wheelhouse … something we can repeat every year. It’s a way to remember Jayden who was a great kid. … It was devastating to lose him,” he said.
Pastor started coaching Liu when Liu was 8, and by his senior year, he had become a nationally ranked player. According to Tong Qu, Liu’s mother, Jayden finished third at Nationals in 2021 and was selected to represent Team USA in the Junior World Tournament to be held in Austria. “Jayden didn’t attend because of soccer, but he was one of four or five boys in his age group who were chosen,” Qu said. Pastor confirmed that Liu was an excellent player. “Jayden usually finished in the top five nationally of the boys division which is a large and very competitive division.”
The Ayer tournament will draw players from Harvard, the Boston area, and surrounding states, and for this tournament, the goals are about raising money and having fun. Last year, the competition raised $3,000 from entry fees and an on-site raffle of various prizes. Lucia’s Tavola, a local restaurant, donated the food, so everyone in attendance went home well-fed and entertained. Admission for spectators is free, but Pastor said that if anyone eats or participates in the raffle, then a $20 donation would be appreciated.
Pastor has been coaching the game of pool for the past 24 years and rents a space close to Sorrento’s at 285 Ayer Road where kids come to learn and practice. According to Pastor, over the 24-year span, he has produced more junior national pool champions than any other coach in the U.S., but his emphasis isn’t on winning. “The program is about meeting your potential and being the best person you can be. The kids in the program are successful in college, in their careers, and in pool if that’s what they want to do.” Pastor believes Liu was well on his way to achieving that success.
Doors open at 11 a.m. on Sunday, April 12, for the Jayden Liu memorial pool tournament, and admission for spectators is free. All are welcome.