Newsletter Volume 15 Issue 14

Tuesday Night Singles: Four players take all (15) in their matches in week 10 as we head for the final position round on the 26th of April. Making the grade with (15) were Victor F, Ray R, Mike B & Walter W. Nice shooting by all. Walter trails 1st place Jimmy (Victor) by two points and they will possibly have back to back matches to finish up the winter session. The highlighted match of the week goes to Katie M and Todd C who battled in a one point match, as Katie came out ahead. Our payback party will be held on the 28th of April. Pizza and Salad will be provided by Orleans, so we want to give them a hearty thank you from the league. 

Table 1: Todd C (11) vs (12) Katie M:

Katie continues to shoot well and took it to Todd in week 10 in a very close and competitive match, that was ultimately decided in by a single point in the final set. Katie opened the 8-Ball Set with some very nice shot making notched a 4 ball finish in game 1 and duplicating the 2nd win with the same 4 ball finish. With a 2 game lead, Todd seemed to get into his shooting rhythm and ran 5 balls to get on the score sheet in game 3. The momentum seemed to switch right back to Todd as he nailed a winner in game 4 and took the lead posting the win in game 5. This would be Todd’s last win in the set as Katie continued to take advantage of some good starting shots and nailed wins in games 6, 7 & 8 as sheets takes the first set with a 2 point lead in the match.

Todd started the 9-Ball Set with some fancy shooting and great position play to take game 1. Katie matched him with some of her own nice shooting and the set was all even. Then again, the momentum switched back as a few misses by Katie opened up the door for Todd. He nailed down a 4 ball finish in game 3 and notched a combo win to take a three to one lead in the set. Again, Katie took charge in the set, notching win after win. She didn’t a lot of long runs, but she shot steady when she was given the opportunity to finish games. She nailed the next four games to overtake Todd and a second 5-3 win, to give her a 4 point lead in the match.

The 10-Ball Set started out as if it may go the distance as both players battled back and forth. Katie started the set with the first game win, running the final 3 balls and Todd answered right back as he notched a win in game 2.  It was Katie again running a few balls to gain the lead, this time for the last time in the set. Todd would get into a shooting frenzy nailing everything in his path. He was methodical in his shot making and nailed the next four games, to almost come from behind to take the match. Todd comes up a point short as he takes the final set with a 5-2 win. This was a very competitive match and even match with both players showing some nice shot making and position play.

Table 2: Marty M (07) vs (15) Victor F:

Victor has taken over for Jimmy in the final few weeks of the season, and continues to shoot extremely well. Marty fought hard in the set even after Victor opened the 8-Ball Set with back to back wins. Victor made some very nice runs, posting a 5 ball finish in game 1 and a 4 ball run in game 2. Marty took advantage of a few openings on misses by Victor as he got things going with a win in game 3. Marty held off Victor in game 4 for the second win in a row, that evened up the set. Marty notched a 3 ball run in the fourth game. Then it was a race to the final game.  Victor notched game 5 and Marty stayed with him as he posted a four ball finish even up the set. Victor hit the hill first as he notched a 6 ball run, but Marty wasn’t finished as yet. With some very nice shot making, Marty again squared up the set at 4 games each. It was Victor holding on to take the set with a 5-4 win.

After Victor put a long run together to start game 1 of the 9-Ball Set, Marty’s game picked up again. Victor notched a 5 ball run in game one as he continued to shoot well. Marty nailed a 4-9 combo in game 2 and it looked very promising for him. He made it 2 in a row as he cleaned up the last four balls in game 3. Everything was going Marty’s way, until a missed shot in game 4 opened the flood gates for Victor. He pounced on the opening like a lion on a gazelle and never slowed down. He posted very nice runs and some great position play as he move through each game with precision. When the dust had cleared, Victor had notched wins in the next four games to close out the set with a 5-2 win. Marty only trailed by 4 points in the match to this point.

Victor continued his run from the previous set, making it 5 straight as he opened the 10-Ball Set with a win in game 1. The hot shooting continued for Vic as he nailed a 3-10 in game 2. Marty could not get anything going in the set as Victor continued to punish him when he missed a shot. Victor made it 8 straight wins as he notched games 3 & 4 to get on the hill with a 4-0 lead. Only good thing for Marty was that he stopped the bleeding with a 4 ball run in game 5, stopping the run with a chance to rebound with some good shooting. Unfortunately that would not happen as Vic notched his fifth win of the set to close out the match. Victor takes the set with a 5-1 win. A valiant effort by Marty and great shooting by Victor.

Table 3: Micks M (07) vs (15) Ray R:

Ray got off to a pretty good start in the 8-Ball Set with a 6 ball run to open with a win. Ray got a gift in game 2 as Mick’s put the 8 ball in the pocket out of turn and Ray jumped into a 2-0 lead in the set.  It was Micks doing even better than Ray’s opening run as he took a cue ball in hand from Ray in game 3 and ran his entire group and the 8 ball to tie up the set at 1 each. Ray returned the favor to Mick’s in game 4 as he notched what appeared to be a 8 ball winner dropping into the called pocket.That would have been the case had the cue ball had other ideas, like go into a pocket, turning a win into a loss for Ray. Ray and Mick’s exchanged the next two games as both players were even at 3 games each. Then a couple of mistakes by Mick’s opened the door for Ray as he ran the final 3 balls in game 7 and closed out the set with a win in game 8. This gave Ray a 5-3 set win.

Mick’s got things going in the 9-Ball Set as he made quick work of the set in game 1. Ray broke and could not drain anything, but he did give Mick’s an open shot at the one. He made the shot and got a pretty set up for a 2-9 combo shot with a nice position play. He pounded in the shot and the opening set win. Ray answered with his own combo try, that did not come early. He ran a few balls and had a decent shot at a 7-9 combo along the back rail, that had enough steam on a soft hit to drop in for a win in game 2. Ray finished off three balls in game 3 as this set would go back and forth the rest of the way. Mick’s kept the set even as he pounded in a winner in game 4. Ray got a few breaks in game 5, with a couple of untimely misses by Mick’s gave him the win in game 5. Mick’s ran 4 balls in the 6th game, and without any way of setting up an easy shot on the 9 ball, he was forced to make a end to end bank shot, that was executed perfectly. It never touched anything but the bottom of the pocket as he nailed it for the win and kept things even. Ray hit the hill first putting in a winner in game 7, but Mick’s continued to take advantage of his good shooting as he cleaned up 5 balls in game 8 to tie up the set at 4 each.  After Micks broke in game 9, the one dropped into the pocket along with the cue to gave Ray ball in hand with a good chance at a combo. Ray set up for the shot and the set was over as it dropped in for a 5-4 win for Ray.

Ray had built up a 3 point lead in the match as the opponents started the 10-Ball Set. This set seemed to go Ray’s way from the start. Mick’s had too many misses to give Ray multiple chances to win games. Ray notched the opening game and then the flow stayed in Ray’s corner. He continued to get great chances with misses by Mick’s. Ray notched game 2, and drove in the 10 ball on the break in game 3. Mick’s hopelessly watched as Ray finished off game 4 to hit the hill with another decent run after a Mick’s miss gave Ray a nice opening shot. The pain was over as Ray finished off the game 5 to sweep the set. Great try by Mick’s and nice shooting by Ray.

Table 4: Gary L (09) vs (15) Mike B:

This was the heavyweight battle between two very sharp and accomplished players in the league and the writer expected this to be closer than it turned out. Gary got on the score sheet first in the 8-Ball Set with a very nice run. Mike answered with a 5 ball run to finish off game 2 and the battle was on. After Gary notched the win in game 3, Mike strung together back to back wins in games 4 & 5. Mike finished off 2 balls in game 4 and a hearty 5 ball finish in game 5. Gary came right back as he capped off a Mike miss in game 6 to take the game and again even up the set. Mike continued to shoot well and took game 7 to hit the hill first, but Gary wasn’t going away. Mike left him a tough starting shot, that Gary executed brilliantly, making the shot to finish off the game to even up the set and get on the hill with Mike. It was Mike coming right back making his own momentum, running his final four balls and setting up an easy 8 ball finish. Mike takes the opening set with a 5-4 win.

Gary opened the 9-Ball Set with a very nice 6-9 combo, and it looked like he got the momentum back on his side to start the set. After a few safeties by both players, Mike got a chance at his own combo. It was a 2-9 shot that dropped in the 9 for the win. Mike continued to shoot well, and Gary seemed to slow down some. A few misses continued to keep Mike able to post wins. Mike was able to notch game 3 and then dropped in a 4-9 combo to take a 3-1 lead in the set. Just like that, Mike hit the hill as he nailed a 9 ball on the break in game 5. Gary would not get much of a chance to make a comeback as Mike got another chance at a combo. Just like his first win in game 2, Mike was looking at his second 2-9 combo of the set. BAM, right into the heart of the pocket and a 5-1 win, as he started with a combo and finished with one. Mike at this point doubled up the match totals, taking a 5 point lead heading into the final set.

Gary seemed to recovery from the shock of the 2nd set as he opened the 10-Ball Set with back to back winners to get an early jump on Mike. Gary posted back to back 4 ball finishes to get a 2-0 lead. Mike was not done with his shooting skills as he made a couple of nice shots to set up a easy 10 ball finish and a win in game 3. Gary continued to stay ahead of Mike as he again increased his lead to two games as he posted the win in game 4. Mike picked his way through the rack in game 5 with the precision of a surgeon to nail down the win and cut the lead to a game. Game 6 went back and forth with both players playing shots and safeties through the game. Gary finally got a small opening and made good as he hit the hill with a win in game 6 to regain a 2 game lead. Mike nailed a win in game 7 with a very nice run and the tide that was on Gary’s side, seemed to shift to his opponent. Mike ran four balls to take game 8 and get on the hill with Gary. It was Mike shutting down the offense of Gary in game 9 with some very timely safety play and a come from behind set victory. With the final set, Mike takes all three sets and a 6 point match win. A great match by two very good shooters. Nice shooting by both players. Gary holds a 2 point lead over Mike in the standings and they will more than likely meet in the final position round in week 12.

Table 5: Stephanie M (10) vs (12) Nigel M:

This was another close match as both players played a tight match. Stephanie came out of the gate hot, taking advantage of missed opportunities by Nigel. She nailed down wins in the first three games of the 8-Ball Set to take a very good lead in the set. Nigel would cut into the lead as he ran 4 balls to take game 4. Stephanie played great in game 5 as she too ran the final 3 balls in her group and pounded in the game winner to get on the hill with a 3 game lead in the set. Nigel continued to get chances to get back into the set, and started on the right foot as he notched game 6 to get a game closer to Stephanie. Stephanie didn’t give Nigel any chance to gain any steam as she nailed the final game winner and a 5-2 win.

The 9-Ball Set turned out to be a set that start out going back and forth as both players continued to play steady. Nigel got things going with a winner in game 1, taking advantage of a couple of missed chances by Stephanie. It was Nigel then setting up Stephanie on a missed chance at the 9 ball. Stephanie didn’t miss it and the set was even at a game each. The players split the the next four games, Nigel taking game 3 & 5 and Stephanie notching game 4 & 6 as they remained all tied up in the set.  It was Nigel getting some great opening starts left by Stephanie and took advantage to post back to back wins in games 7 & 8 to close out the set and trailed by a point in the match.

Nigel continued to stay focused from the previous set with the momentum still on his side. He got a huge lead in the 10-Ball Set posting wins in the first three games. Two of the three games saw Nigel with some very nice runs to build up a 3-0 lead. Stephanie stopped a 5 ball run by Nigel as she ran 5 balls to finish off game 4. Nigel hit the hill with a win in game 5, to again take a 4-1 lead in the set. Stephanie would get another chance to catch up and did just that. She made a very nice run to capture game 6, but that would be as close as she would get. Nigel closed out the set with a win in game 7 and come from behind to win the match by a couple of points. Nice shooting by both players in a very close match.

 Table 6: Austin H (3) vs (15) Walter W:

This should have been a closer match, as Austin is a pretty fair shooter, but seemed to come in with ice in his veins and even a scarf would not have warmed him up. Walter notched games 1 and 2 to start the 8-Ball Set as he continues to shoot extremely well. Austin was fortunate in game 3 as Walter was on track to get a large lead in the set, until he dropped in the 8 ball out of turn. That would be the only win that Austin would get in the set as Walter continued to pound in game winners. He did it with some nice runs though out the last three games that closed out the set with a 5-1 win.

Walter made it 4 straight wins as he opened the 9-Ball Set with a 2-9 combo for a quick win to start the set. Austin answered right back as he got a chance to notch a combo, and nailed a 3-9 to even up the set. The momentum stayed with Austin as he ran 4 balls in game 3 to take the lead for the only time in the set. Walter then put his shooting skills together, and when he wasn’t making shots, he was keeping Austin off the table with some very tough leaves. Walter took the next 4 games with some great runs and very nice position play to give himself some easy nine balls shots for the win. This gave Walter a 7 point lead in the match.

Austin continued to struggle with shot making in the 10-Ball Set as Walter stayed hot with his shot making and position play. Walter was coming off a 4 game run in the previous set and didn’t slow down at all. It was all Walter as he pounded in winners in the next 5 games, to make it a 9 games in a row. Walter’s win keeps him right behind Victor in the standings by 2 points. Victor and Walter will match up in the final week of regular play and it looks like they will also be paired against each other in the final position round. Nice try by Austin and good shooting by Walter.

Thursday Night Doubles: Three teams take all (15) points in their matches in the final regular season play, with out final position round on tap this coming week. Bye Week takes all (15) as did Double D and English Majors. The highlight match of the week was between Reckless and Zenith. The 2nd place team and the fourth place team. This turned into a one point victory for Zenith in a tough match. English Majors will battle against Reckless in the final position round, and Double D will be matched up with Zenith. Reckless holds a one point lead over Double D and 4 points over Zenith. So 2nd place is up for grabs.

Table 1: The Johns (07) vs (15) Just Another Bye Week:

Scott and Scott jumped out quickly in the 8-Ball Set as they nailed down the opening 3 wins. Both Scott’s contributed with some nice shooting and position as The Johns couldn’t get anything going. It was in game 4 that The Johns finally broke through as John Jr ran his last 3 balls and dropped in the 8 ball for the win. That was the only win for John Sr and John Jr as Another Bye Week finished off the final two games and a 5-1 set win.

The 9-Ball Set had the appearance of possible going the distance as Bye Week and The Johns went back and forth with some outstanding shooting by both John Sr and Scott M. Bye Week nailed wins in games 1 & 3 as The Johns stayed with them nailing the even game wins, #2 & #4. Then it was like the curtain dropped on The Johns as they could not get anything else going in the set. Scott K & Scott M finished off the final three games to take a 5-2 win in the set and increased their match lead to 7 points.

The 10-Ball Set turned out to be the set that would go all the way with 9 games played. Just Another Bye Week for the third set in a row took the opening game.  The Johns stayed persistent and every miss in the next two games gave them hope of taking the set. The Johns nailed back to back winners in the 2nd and 3rd games to get  into the lead for the first  time in the match. Bye Week notched game 4 to even the set. Then it was a 8-10 combo by The Johns that put them back in control of the set. Just Another Bye Week continued to shoot well and vaulted back into the lead with back to back wins that put them on the hill. The Johns again drew even with Bye Week as they nailed a 7-10 combo to hit the hill. The Johns were unable to hold off the final charge by Bye Week as they nailed a game winner in #9 to take the final set and a (15) point night. A valiant effort by the Johns, and very nice play by Just Another Bye Week.

Table 2: Double D (15) vs (6) Bull Dogs:

The Bull Dogs literally got their butts handed to them on a platter as Double D beat them by 9 points. Ray was unable to play in the league and Todd subbed for him in week 14. Dave from Double D made a very nice run notching 5 of his group and then draining a long 8 ball winner to get things going in the 8-Ball Set. Todd has been shooting well and made his presence known as he had a 4 ball run and nailed the 8 ball for a winner in game 2. Todd took advantage of an opening in game 3 and finished off the game to take a 2-1 lead. Dave continued to blister the table felt with some great shots as he took game 4, and Double D didn’t look back. Doug got into the shooting act as well as he too had a few long runs in the next two games to put Double D in the drivers seat on the hill with a 2 game lead. A few misses by Bull Dogs set up the final game winner in game 7 and a 5-2 win for Double D.

Doug and Dave took turns pocketing balls to open the 9-Ball Set as they built up a 2 game lead, Doug finishing 5 balls in game 1 and Dave nailing 6 balls to take game 2. Todd again answered the call with some very nice long shots to keep his run going and putting Bull Dogs on the score sheet in game 3. Doug took game 4 and Dave got Double D on the hill with a 4-1 lead as he notched a win in game 5. Todd got one more chance and made good with some nice shooting to put another win on the sheet for Bull Dogs. The end came in game 7 as Doug finished off the remaining balls to take a commanding lead in the match, posting a 5-2 win and a 6 point lead in the match.

Double D continued to control the table and opened the 10-Ball Set with three wins to put Bull Dogs in the hole quickly. Dave opened the set with a 4 ball finish and Doug nailed an 8-10 combo in game 2, as Bull Dogs just could not get anything going. After Doug took game 3, Jim from Bull Dogs finally got into the score act. He got an open shot in game 4 to put together a nice run and connect on a game winner. Jim made it two straight wins as he found an inviting 4-10 combo and dropped it in for the win. This cut into Double D’s lead, and Bull Dogs were only a game back, trying to salvage something from the night. It was not to be as Doug continued to shoot excellent with some pin point accuracy in his position play. Doug slammed the door as he closed out the final two games for their third 5-2 set win. A valiant effort by Bull Dogs and nice shooting by Double D. Double D will go up against Zenith in the final position round of the season.

Table 3: The Two Old Guys (08) vs (15) English
Majors:

Jimmy came back into town to play this match with his father and they continue to play extremely well. Victor had the hot cue to start the match as he pounded in the opening two wins in the 8-Ball Set. Victor nailed a 5 ball run and the 8 ball in game 1 and then notched four and out in game 2. Mike was going to let them get to far ahead as he also got The Two Old Guys into the scoring column with back to back wins in games 3 & 4. Mike had a nice run in game 3 and then played some outstanding position play in game 4 to even up the set. The Majors got a few opening left for them and Victor pounced on the chance to finish off game 5. Jimmy had a tough start as Peter ‘The Hook’ kept him from getting started with easy shots. Jimmy finally got the chance in game 6 and notched a 6 ball finish to give the Majors a 2 game lead in the set. Mike again got his chance to finish off a game and did so in game 7, but that was as close as The Two Old Guys would get. Victor polished off game 8 to take a 5-3 set win.

Jimmy started the English Majors in the 9-Ball Set as he seemed to get back into stroke and focus. He notched 4 balls en-rout to a first game win and father Victor came in right behind him with the win in game 2. Peter had been subdued some with the Majors leaving him little to no shots throughout the first set, but finally got a chance to make it a win for he and Mike. Peter notched the final 3 balls in game 3 to put The Two Old Guys on the sheet. Jimmy came back in game 4 with some nice shooting and his rhythm continued to gain ground. Peter cut the lead to 2 games as he notched the only combo win in the match. Peter used the 2 ball in game 5 to again cut the lead to two games. Jimmy continued to keep the momentum for the Majors and shut down any chance for The Two Old Guys to come back. He nailed a 5 ball run in game 6 and closed out the set winning game 7. The Majors have taken a 5 point lead in the match.

English Majors continued to play excellent, making every chance at the table count. They continued the run from the last set with four more straight wins in the 10-Ball Set. Jimmy continued to shoot well and Victor got back into making some nice runs. Jimmy opened with back to back wins as Victor continued to hold off the offense of the Two Old Guys. With games 1 & 2 in their sheet, Victor stepped up in game 3 and proceeded to finish off the rack to give them a 3-0 lead. Victor wasn’t done yet, as a missed opportunity by The Two Old Guys gave him a chance to finish game 4, which he did to put the Majors on the hill with a 4-0 lead posting 6 straight unanswered points. Mike finally got a chance to get he and Pete on the score sheet as he ran 5 balls in game 5 to stop the Majors run. Then, Mike seemed to get back into stroke, nailing a decent run in game 6 and the momentum continued to favor The Two Old Guys. Peter was playing the hooks that gave Mike the chance to get out. He finished off game 7 and cut the lead to a game. Jimmy stopped the comeback by The Two Old Guys as he nailed the win in game 8 and he and Victor took all three sets. A valiant try by Mike & Peter and very nice shooting by Victor & Jimmy.

Table 4: Reckless (12) vs (13) Zenith:

This match went 25 games and was the match of the week. Nigel started the 8-Ball Set with a nice run to put Zenith on the score sheet first. Then, some missed shots opened up the door for Reckless. Matt has been shooting pretty consistent most of this session, and evened up the set with a win in game 2. Matt continued to stay hot as the flow of the games seemed to stay in his stick. He nailed wins in games 3 & 4 with some very nice shots and position play. It was Nigel again getting the shot needed to close out game  post Zenith’s second win in game 5. Jim put Reckless on the hill with a 4 ball finish in game 6. With both Matt and Jim shooting well with a 4-2 lead it would be an uphill climb for Zenith to come from behind to take this set. Walter then seemed to get some of his own rhythm going and breezed through game 7. With Reckless a game away from the set win, Walter put on a shooting display. He nailed 5 balls and out in game 8 that tied up the set on the hill. The comeback was complete as Reckless missed a few opportunities to close out the set, that Walter did. Zenith takes a 5-4 lead in the match.

The 9-Ball Set got started with an opening 1-9 combo win by Jim of Reckless. Walter continued to shoot well and he nailed the win in game 2. Partner Nigel stayed focused and pounded in a long shot to take game 3. Jim was hot with combinations in this set as he found an inviting 8-9 combo chance. He made the shot and squared up the set. Nigel was playing very focused and notched the win in game 5. Walter ran the remaining four balls in game 6 to put Zenith on the hill with a 2 game lead. Jim again found a lonely 7 ball lined up enough to run the 9 ball into the corner in game 7. He executed it magnificently and now Reckless was a game back from tying up the set. Walter ended the hopes of Reckless as he cleaned up the stray balls in game 8 and increase Zenith’s lead to 3 points in the match.

Matt showed up in the 10-Ball Set as he got Reckless on the score sheet first as he nailed a great 10 ball bank shot to take game 1 and continued to stay in the zone with another nice run to put Reckless two games up in the set. Walter got a chance for a combo in game 3, as he pocketed the 10 with the help of the 6 ball. It was all tied up after game 4 with Walter notching the win. Jim put Reckless ahead for good with a 4 ball run to finish off game 5. He got out of position in game 6, but made a very nice bank shot to drain the 10 ball and give Reckless a two lead sitting on the hill. Walter fired in the game winner in #7 and that would be as close as Zenith would get. It was over in game 8 as Reckless took the final set to make this a one point contest. Great shooting by all four players in a tough match.

 Tips & Tricks: David Alciatore, PhD (“Dr. Dave”) ILLUSTRATED PRINCIPLES “VEPS GEMS – Part X: Plus System Examples”

This week, we’ll look at several examples of how the Plus System can be applied in different game situations. If you don’t remember the details of the system, please review my last two articles that can be found in Issue 12 & 13.

To read more follow the link below

http://billiards.colostate.edu/bd_articles/2010/oct10.pdf