Any way you write it, in black and white, it's going to sound lame... You REALLY had to have watched the whole match and rooted for your man to understand the sheer magnitude of what happened.
For a start - there wasn't a spare seat in the house. We had all just finished watching a really boring rout of a match, Johnny Archer beating his rather lacklustre opponent 11-2 - it was clear this next one was a big match with a capital "B".
From start to finish, there were intricacies to fascinate the pool aficionados and fun to entertain the fans.
Darren's demeanor was compared to a British Bulldog - stoic when seated, passionate when in action.
Efren was his usual, happy-go-lucky self.
Darren had the cut break "nailed on" - breaking from the right hand side as he see's the table, and applying some right hand side English to take the cue-ball to the right side rail and bring it back to centre table. So successful that he rarely had a dry break, BUT...
He DID scratch twice in PRECISELY the same fashion, into the kitchen corner pocket (same side as he was breaking from) because of the two ball (which both players consistently placed in the rear of the rack) bouncing off the back rail and coming up the same side as the cueball and knocking it towards (and into) the corner pocket.
Efren on the other hand had the completely opposite experience. I think he only ONCE or TWICE made a ball on the break, despite attempting to emulate Darren's technique - although it's fair to say pretty much everyone is cut-breaking from the same spot on this table.
Repeatedly breaking dry is something that can really break a player mentally - but Efren took it on the chin and maintained his happy-go-lucky attitude, with a shrug and a smile to the audience.
During all this, the scores were up and down more often than the proverbial draws of the proverbial lady. Efren set off out to a decent lead and my heart sank, but then Darren came back and all was good in the world.
The lead swapped back and forth, enough to get me anxious enough to do the pathetic screaming at the laptop screen, to the players, to the commentators, to the squeaking doors in the venue, as if any of them could hear me.
My memory is a bit patchy with the scores, but I know they tied at 6 a piece, then 7-7, and then later at 10-10 in this, by now, epic hill-hill thriller.
The final rack was exactly what you would expect, on a TV table with packed house, and the most viewed live stream match of the whole tournament so far.
ABSOLUTELY TERRIBLE QUALITY POOL!
I know, I know, but it's pressure moments like this that give all the hope in the world for the 9-Ball game to capture the general public's fascination.
Horrid for the players involved - but fascinating watching!
Control of the table passed back and forth more often that it should have... Efren perhaps even choking a little bit on a long shot needing a super-supple loose wrist to draw back the cue-ball for position, and it only came back a couple of inches... If you've ever done that under pressure yourself - i.e. not been able to perform to your best ability because of the pressure you'll know exactly how that happens. Darren missing safeties and leaving chances.
Ultimately... And by this time my nerves are wrecked, what with the score being tied again and again, the lead switching back and forth, and now this final rack seeming to be thrown away and won again and again, both of them already had clear cut opportunities to take this rack - and the match already, Daz has just a few balls remaining on the table... It all looks like once again, it's his for the taking.
He'll be able to explain it all better himself, as he seemed to question how he got out of shape, indicating an inch with his thumb and forefinger to the audience,
Ultimately, he has to play a safety when there are just a few balls remaining. He considers all and any options for a long time.
(You know when it's easy to see the right shot when you're watching it on the TV? Well this WASN'T one of those occasions... I swear I couldn't see what shot to play).
Daz seemed to have made up his mind and hunkered down into his shooting position, made his safety attempt, which all looked like going completely wrong, virtually handing the game to Efren, until the very last moment when the white-ball and the ball-on, settled almost exactly either side of the nine ball, about five inches from the middle of the foot rail.
The audience went wild with appreciation, clapping and hooting, and like a supreme gentlemen at this crucial point in the game, Daz put his hand up and admitted it was actually a fluke by indicating with the tip of his cue where he had attempted to place the balls. The crowd didn't seem to care,but they quietened down as Efren came to the table.
Efren is now in a really crumby situation. Full-ball snookered - just a few balls left on the table, and no easy safety at all.
Really, we all know he just lost this match by a fluke, but we all know that can happen in 9-Ball.
He did the only thing you can really do in this kind of situation. He tried to make his own luck.
He played a *two rail kick shot, with no real hope of getting safe, but he deliberately hit the ball-on with some force at least, but it was clear is wasn't going safe or anywhere near a pocket...
But then we noticed the nine ball had received a gentle knock too.... And Efren knew where it was going straight away as he animatedly started pulling on an imaginary rope where his cue was, pulling, urging, helping that darn nine ball to seemingly travel the impossible distance all the way to the side pocket. Surely it will stop?
Oh no it won't!
Efren Reyes 11 : 10 Darren Appleton
The audience went absolutely wild, the way they always do when Efren pulls out a bit of fairy dust and sprinkles it on the table.
Everyone in the crowd wanted to shake his hand. After a quick respectful handshake with Darren, and ever the ultimate entertainer, he did a lap of honour with his arm outstretched so everyone could say they had touched "The Magician" after that amazing shot.
Next time I tell you about a match, buy the stream!
It's likely that the only way you'll get to see this now is if you buy the Accu-Stats DVD of this in a month or so - I think you need to buy the entire set at around $200+ unless they make a promo of this match for YouTube or something.
*I've since been corrected on this, it was a one rail kick shot.-----------------
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[ This message was edited by: BigDave on 2012-10-26 08:47 ]
