Johnny Archer
Yesterday was finals day at the 5th annual Classique de Billard des Appalaches. This long weekend was jam packed with matches as two full fields of 32 in the 9 and 10 ball played down to the final 4. The arena was near capacity during the entire event as we were all spoiled with world class shooting.
9 Ball
Jason Klatt vs. Mike Dechaine was the match of the day. This match was to see who would go to play Johnny Archer in the losers side final. Klatt played solid, however this was a rotating break and rack your own format. Dechaine, who is meticulous with the rack, figured out a break and was running out more then anyone. Klatt fought hard but the edge in the break was too great and he lost 8-5, finishing in 4th place. The Scorpion was next for Dechaine, however once again his racking and breaking technique were too much as a dejected Archer lost 8-5.
In the final Shaw, who although playing exceptionally well on his way to the finals, had no answers for Dechaine's break. A few bad rolls, and a couple mistakes combined with some stellar play ended this match 13-9 for Dechaine, winning the $5,000 prize.
10 ball
Johnny Archer and Jayson Shaw were the first match of the day in 10 ball. For those who might have thought the four time World Champion had lost a step, he shattered that notion in this match. The Scorpion put on a clinic, kicking out of lock-tight safeties to not only hit the ball, but to pot it and proceed to run out. Archer also found himself a break that he liked and was using it to perfection as he dispatched Shaw 8-4.
In the final of the losers side bracket, Archer had a chance at redemption. He had just come back from a brief lunch break after being eliminated in the 9 ball by Dechaine. Now, with a full stomach and refocused, he was ready to redeem himself; he did just that with a convincing 8-4. Dechaine's break left him for a match and it was the difference as the experience of Archer took over.
Thorsten Hohmann, who did not fair well in the 9 ball but cruised to the finals in the 10 ball, started off poorly in this final. Archer, who caught a gear in his match with Dechaine, just continued on like a well oiled machine. Often breaking and running his own racks, then winning the safety battle to steal racks from Hohmann off his break. Archer went on to win the match 12-3 and claimed the $ 5,000 first place prize. To see all the results and pay outs for this event please refer to compus.ca. I would like to take moment to thank all the organizers for this event who did a first rate job, and also Tino Barbieri who was the MC and made sure I had everything I needed to cover this event.
Feed Back on the Controversy
In yesterdays update I spoke of a moment of tension between Mike Dechaine and Thorsten Hohmann. Of course this received some attention and to some, not all of it was positive. There were a few who suggested that me quoting what happened was not in good taste, for fear people would have a negative outlook on what was a very successful tournament.
My immediate response to this, is that I do not believe this to be true. Pool suffers from a lack of something a lot of other sports have, and that is hype. In my opinion, interactions like the one reported on Saturday are positive for many reasons. Firstly, that this was a rare moment where we see two world class players break their silence and show their fierce competitiveness. Also in life, just like in pool, not everyone gets along and people disagree. These differences in opinion and compete level are what results in rivalries, and as fans that is what we all live for.
Although some feel like this cast a dark shadow over the event, I feel it did nothing but get people excited for the next event or the next time these two players meet. I can see how me reporting this quote can be taken as a cheap attempt to gain more exposure for myself. The exposure might be the result but what really happened is that my journalistic instincts took over. This was newsworthy information and something I recognized would bring interest to pool fans everywhere; that is what we are all trying to do for our game is it not?
In case it was not made clear previously, this was a dispute over a rule and was dealt with professionally and with tact. After a few minutes, the match resumed and both players continued without incident. Now that I have clarified my intentions and how I feel about this issue, I ask you all to comment below and share your thoughts.
