Texas Open Hot Seat Update

Warren Kiamco
Game One: Charlie with his glove, powder dust from Warren’s hands and it’s on. Warren Kiamco Breaks. Short safety battle. Charlie Bryant takes the first game. Charlie breaks game two, comes up empty, Warren cross cuts the one ball and got a little too close to his work on the two ball at second diamond on foot rail. He elects to play safe pushing the two ball between the middle and first diamond of the foot rail and ducking the cue ball behind the seven at the side pocket. Charlie desides to kick at the two with the four and six in front of the corner pocket making a three ball combo kick 2-6-4, Cue ball comes up to second diamond on head string, but leaves things a little tricky as it is a tight squeeze between the six and two. Charlie plays a soft safety placing the two ball on the second diamond of foot rail with the six ball between the two and six. Warren kicks and almost makes it in the top corner pocket but comes up short. Charlie on the long shot misses sending the two ball down opposite side third diamond and the cue ball in the jaws of the right upper corner. It didn’t seem to faze Warren as he pocketed the ball easily. Warren proceeded to run the rest of the rack with ease with the five in the  left corner, seven in the side, eight in bottom right  corner and nine opposite bottom corner. 
 
Score now tied 1-1, Warren checks the magic rack, lines up, smashes the rack and pockets the wing ball. He makes the two, the cue ball comes off the rail and leaves the nine ball hanging in the corner pocket. He decides to try a carom off the three ball towards the up right corner, off the rail and down to the bottom left corner to go for the cheese. Not enough gas. The cue ball touches the nine barely leaving it frozen and leaving Charlie with a three ball sitting head string center diamond. He tried for the cut, came close but missed. Warren pockets the three, then shoots the five into the nine for the cheese and pockets both the nine and the five to take the lead 2-1.
 
Game 4: Warren breaks pocketing the one ball in the right side pocket and the five in the top left corner. He is set straight in on the two ball in bottom right, gets position and makes three in top left, spinning the cue off the right head rail for cut angle on the four that he pockets in the bottom left using the back rail for shape on the six to the bottom left as well. Didn’t exactly get what he wanted on the seven in the middle of the table and left an extreme cut. He over cut the seven leaving it in the pocket for Hillbilly who got straight in on the eight at the right head string while the nine ball is resting all the way on the middle diamond on the foot string. Charlie pockets the eight, goes three rails for perfect shape on the nine tying the score at 2-2.
 
Game 5: Charlie “ The Hillbilly” Bryant pockets the nine on the break in the bottom right corner! 3-2.
 
Game 6: Charlie breaks and comes up empty.
 
Meanwhile on table 1, Chip Compton has a commanding lead on Sylver Ochoa of 6-3. And Kim Newsome is down 5-4 to Gail Eaton
 
Warren plays safe, leaving the five ball between the cue and one ball. Hillbilly plays a masse kick and gets the legal hit but leaves a perfect shot for Warren. Warren runs the two to the bottom right, the three to the bottom left, backs the cue ball up to repeat same pocket with the four ball and sets up for the long shot on the 5 to the top right corner. He leaves himself jacked up over the seven to shoot at the six, manages to make the six but lands directly across the seven on the second diamond head string with no angle but still manages to cut it in. Gets great shape on the eight and nine for the win, tying the score again at 3-3.
 
Game7: Warren pockets the seven on the break with great shape for the one in the side. He leaves himself a little angle on the two resting at about one and a half diamonds up from the foot rail, sets up for the three in the upper left corner with soft stroke to pocket the four in the side. He brings the cue ball off the back rail up to the middle to pocket the five ball in bottom right. Draws the six to get the eight cutting cross table for perfect shape on the nine taking the lead at 4-3. 
 
Meanwhile on table 1, Sylva is fighting and wins a game by playing lock up safeties bringing the score to 6-4 with Compton still in the lead. Table 5, Kim Newsome ties up with Gail Eaton 5-5. Kim backs it up with a nice run out taking the lead 6-5.
 
Game 8: Warren left with a cluster around the one and elects to play safety leaving Charlie locked behind the three ball at the first diamond head string and the one almost to the third diamond opposite side with the three and four in between his path. Charlie Bryant makes a successful jump, no pocket, but still leaves Warren without a makeable shot. Charlie pockets the one ball in bottom right, has his cue laying across the top left pocket and didn’t bother to move it thinking it was going to scratch but by the time he realized it wasn’t going to, it was too late, the cue had already touched his tip causing a foul. Warren cheeses for the win. Score now5 –3 Warren.
 
Game 9: Warren comes up empty on the break. When he returns to the table he is left with the cue ball on the foot rail, the five near the head string and a kick which he proceeds to perform with grace, kicking the five ball down the left side of the table floating it straight into the waiting duck 7 ball in the bottom left corner. The rest of the rack was pure poetry in motion as he takes the score to 6-3.
Meanwhile, Sylver Ochoa is on the move tying the score up 6-6 against Chip Compton. 
 
Game 10: Warren breaks and comes up empty. Both players at this point clearly  wondering how they keep coming up empty on a magic rack. Hillbilly slows down prestroking his cue in the air to get a feel for things. He pockets the three but gets straight in on the five at the head rail, not good when the rest of the rack is at the foot rail. He leaves himself a tough slice on the six and just barely misses it, but lucks up with a safety behind the seven. Warren returns the safety leaving the cue ball in hand cuffs behind the eight and nine ball. Hillbilly makes a miraculous kick but leaves Warren with a straight in shot to the head string on the six. He leaves Charlie a tough cut but he makes it with excellent shape on the seven. Charlie pockets the eight in the same bottom left pocket as the seven, comes one rail behind the nine and pockets the nine opposite side making the score 6-4 Warren. 
 
Meanwhile Chip kicks back into gear making it to the hill 8-6 against Ochoa. The ladies Kim Newsome and Gail Eaton tied at 6-6, but Kim does go on to victory and to face Melissa Little.
 
Game 11: Open table for Warren as he performs the pleasures of small motions, every move slow and graceful as he takes the eleventh game flawlessly. Score now 7-4.
 
Game 12: Warren ran the rack with a beauty that can only be described as eye candy as the position on each shot was perfection. 
 
Game 13: Warren breaks but the one ball is trapped behind the five at the head string and the cue ball is opposite corner at the foot rail. He pushes, leaving Charlie with pretty much the same shot who decides to take a whack at it and scores one ball upper left pocket. However, the cue ball was left hanging in the upper right pocket. He leaves Warren with a fairly easy cut but it requires the bridge. No problem, Warren pockets with ease. Again Warren faces the same problem as earlier. He gets dead straight across from the seven ball but he manages to slice it to the bottom left corner but uh oh, he gets too close to the eight ball, about a quarter piece of chalk distance and is in a do or die situation. He goes for the extreme cut, makes it, lands shape on the nine and the match is signed, sealed and delivered at 9-4. 
 
Meanwhile, Chip Compton and Sylva Ochoa are on the hill 8-8. Chip elects to play safety on the three putting the seven ball between the cue ball and three at about the third diamond on the foot. The defensive shot paid off tremendously. With the taste of victory on the tip of his lips, Chip Compton was Flash Gordon to the table, pocketing the remaining balls at lightning speed sending Sylva Ochoa home with a nice 4th place finish! Well done Sylva! Chip Compton will be facing Charlie Bryant momentarily to see who gets to play the so far undefeated Warren Kiamco.