Jayson Shaw (Photo courtesy of David Thomson - Medium Pool)
Diamond Derby City Classic XXII, January 24-Feb.2, 2020
Caesars Southern Indiana, Elizabeth, IN
David Thomson
DIAMOND BIG FOOT CHALLENGE
LIVE from the Accu-Stats TV Arena
Format: Race to 11, single elimination, alternate break, uncalled 10-Ball caroms and combos count.
Saturday’s Results
John “Mr. Smooth” Morra is quite remarkable. He’s naturally right-handed but, due to a debilitating neck ailment, he’s now a leftie–most of the time. He still needs the power of his right arm on the break and when he uses the bridge.
His stroke is so smooth that, unless you knew, you’d never consider that he is in transition from the opposite hand.
Chris Melling knows. You diehard DCC fans may remember, too, when 2 years ago, they met in the 9-Ball finals.
John, left handed, had run a mesmerizing 5 racks to get a seemingly insurmountable 8-3 lead. Melling, with compelling poise and motivation, scrambled back and stole the tournament.
Mr. Smooth was not going to let that happen today. Loss wasn’t an option, plus, alternate breaks would help curb any 5-packs.
The nip and duck strategy had neither player getting ahead much more than a rack. Until, they were tied at 9.
Morra, seizing opportunity, calmly, stole Chris’ serve. John was on the hill. As it was his break, he had the opportunity to close out the match. Until his momentum fizzled.
Chris was back at bat. He ran to the 9 and, in the heat of the moment, attacked the ball too quickly. It jangled in the jaws.
Morra’s 2018 encounter was now avenged.
Jayson Shaw’s devastating .939 Total Performance Average(TPA) had Skyler Woodward handcuffed. Still swooning from his International 9-Ball Open win, the transplanted Scot’s swagger was in full bloom.
The bigger the gap grew in the score, the lower Sky slumped in his seat. Being eliminated with only 3 games, he was soon out of his misery.
Both Mika and Bustey also got off to a miserable start. BIG Foot does not tolerate careless play. Makable balls were spat out of the jaws, sloppy position left speeding cue-balls welded to their intended object balls. The Diamond’s 5’ x 10’ expanse had both players dumbfounded.
It was time to regroup. Francisco’s efforts, frankly, faired faster than Mika’s. His final .868 TPA over Mika’s .556 manifested just that: Immonen was immobilized. Not to worry, he is still unbeaten in the Banks.
Corey Deuel opened playing splendidly and soon sped to a 4-0 lead over Dennis Orcollo. To see that lead dwindle, as Dennis climbed from an abysmal .585 to a .759 TPA, didn’t phase Deuel. Corey was determined to keep cool, calm, and very cautious.
Down 7-4, and still in the hunt, Dennis ran afoul of an errant 6-ball. He, wisely, played safe. Corey kicked the 6 straight into the 10 which careened right into the side. All balls count!
Corey, graciously, accepted the point. Now ahead 8-4, he never looked back. A bewildered Dennis was allowed only one more game.
Results:
John Morra .853 def. Chris Melling .753 11-9
Jayson Shaw .939 def. Skyler Woodward .870 11-3
Francisco Bustamante .868 def. Mika Immonen .556 11-3
Corey Deuel .828 def. Dennis Orcollo.759 11-5
BIG Foot 10-ball continues, Sunday.
1:00. Shane Van Boening vs. Alex Pagulayan
3:30. Lee Vann Corteza vs. Joshua Filler
7pm. John Morra vs. Jayson Shaw
9:30. Francisco Bustamante vs. Corey Deuel
Don’t miss a stroke at accu-stats.com
DIAMOND BANK POOL CHAMPIONSHIP
Short Rack. Race to 3.
451 began, 174 remain.
After 3 rounds, Efren Reyes remains undefeated. His star quality shines brightly. His matches draw crowds that confirm his magnetism while his results have us considering whether he will ever retire.
Meanwhile, most recognized names are wading unharmed thru the krill, although there were a few exceptions:
Tony “T Rex” Cohan did prevail over Jeff de Luna. Alex Pagulayan killed Warren Kiamko’s conquering aspirations as he was sent to buy back.
Local hero, and 3 time Bank Pool Champion, John Brumback was tied 2-2 and down 3 balls to 1 in the 5th with the intimidating Alex Olinger. John, unflinchingly, fired in the required 4 to remind himself that he can still come with it.
Dee Adkins, perhaps, holds the record for fastest finish. He broke balls at 9:15. He was seen registering his win at 9:37!
One Pocket will start tomorrow.
Accu-Stats thanks its Arena Sponsors: Diamond Billiards, Simonis Cloth, Cyclop Balls, Cuetec Cues, Cue and Case, MEZZ Cues, McDermott Cues, National Billiard Academy.
