LIVE from the Horseshoe Southern Indiana Resort and Casino, Elizabeth, IN
Diamond Derby City Classic XVII: 9-Ball Division
310 players, we're now down to 20.
Young Justin Hall might take heed from his elders about the stamina required to play 9 consecutive days of brutal, unscheduled competition. DCC takes the game into a sport and then some; It's a marathon, it's an endurance test and, like all sport, it's survival of the fittest.
Justin, at 4th in All Around points, managed to sleep through his 10am match. He had until 11:15 to buy-back. He slept thru that, too–Bye Bye Justin.
"Yeah, I was so disappointed in getting so close in Banks and One-Pocket without pulling it off, that I slept right thru my wake-up call. Ah, well, I'm still in the Banks Ring Game."
Alex, at least, had an excuse to be sleep deprived, he had a One-Pocket win to celebrate.
With about 3 hours sleep, he waited for the re-draw.
The DCC policy of "redraw after every round" doesn't allow a schedule. All the players know is, be at the drawing at such and such a time.
Little did he know that he would draw Shane.
While Shane was warming up, Alex was waking up: He was yawning during his introduction.
And, with his loss to Mika in round one, it was do or bye, bye.
But, when he stepped to the table, remembering that the last time he was stringing 8 balls in one pocket, you can imagine how simple it was to put 9 balls in any pocket…even in his sleep!
Alex delivered to Shane what Shane dealt to him in the 10-Ball. At 9-1, revenge is a dish best served cold.
Alex took, and kept, total control of the table. By running the first rack, he never looked back. Shane sat, powerless, in his seat.
The safety play Alex employed was pure one-pocket as he "moved" into an insurmountable lead.
His All Around points accumulated to take the lead as Shannon had been. surprisingly, dismissed in outer arena action.
Euro Tour champion, Finland's Marcus Juva, put Efren to the test in a mid afternoon nailbiter. Efren, always composed, punished Marcus after he missed a straight in 7-ball.
His good fortune ran out when, in the last round of the evening, Jason Klatt snapped three 9-balls to send Efren to the buy-back booth.
Interesting rule infractions were in play when, in his match with Imram Majid, Mike Dechaine conceded an easy 9. Majid informed the ref and a one game penalty was enforced: No good deed goes unpunished.
Dechaine rebought as, later, did Majid after his defeat by Skyler Woodward.
Shane and Dennis, his partner in the Phillipines' Dream Team event, got into a little tussle. At 8-7 Shane, Orcollo picked up a ball from the tray to measure whether a ball would pocket.
Shane, appropriately, informed an official. "That's a foul. Ball in hand," he determined.
Dennis in disbelief, took his cue and raked the remaining 4 balls across the table while wagging an angry finger at Shane. Observer Rodney Morris joked "The Dream Team" has turned into a nightmare." Dennis quickly regrouped and ran to the Diamond buy-back booth.
Shane doesn't rattle. He will let nothing impede his performance, or path, to the title.
Scott Frost, after disappointing performance in the Banks and One-Pocket, got on a roll. His newfound love for 9-ball, and his desire to win, were apparent as his back-to back wins over Shane McMinn, Hawaii's Kelii Chuberko, and Filipino Rodrigo "Edgie" Geronimo. He then befell Mike Durban, hill-hill, and was last seen buying back.
Durban then forfeited to Shane.
The All Around points accumulate as Alex now leads with 182.3; Efren, 176.3 and John Brumback close-by with 165.8, contend for the Master of the Table $25,000 bonus money.
Diamond awards $20,000 for first, $3,000 for 2nd and $2,000 for 3rd.
That action will continue all day Saturday, until a 9-Ball and All Around Champion are determined on the Accu-Stats TV table. accu-stats.com
The DCC Banks Ring Game
Skyler Woodward, Francisco Bustamante, John Morra, Justin Hall, Shannon Daulton and Billy Thorpe entered the jam-packed Accu-Stats Arena.
Each posted $1500 for the privilege.
Hall, after a good day's sleep was rejuvenated and putting off-angle 3-railers in to the heart of the pocket.
Billy Thorpe was the first to go bankrupt, followed by Woodward, Bustamante and, then, Daulton.
John Morra was the last contender in the winner take all confrontation.
The opening game of $50 a ball soon accumulated to a heart pounding $1,000 a ball. It could easily have gone either way as John and Justin traded banks.
Hall was back in form, splitting the jaws with off-angle 3 and 4 railers. John, unintimidated, held court until, 4 hours later, an exhausted, Hall prevailed to pocket the $9,000.
The George Fels Memorial Straight Pool Challenge: Semi Finals
Ruslan Chinakhov 125 - Mika Immonen 5.
Jayson Shaw 125 - Warren Kiamco 15.
The Finals, Russian Chinakhov vs. Scotland's Shaw, will be televised.
See it LIVE at accu-stats.com
The prize money is, 1st: $4000, 2nd; $2500, 3rd-4th: $1300, 5-8th $800.
Jayson is, almost assured, the $1,000 bonus money for his 227 ball high run.
Diamond thanks its sponsors: The Horseshoe Southern Indiana, Cyclop Balls, Simonis Cloth, BCA Pool League, and BadBoys Billiard Productions.
Accu-Stats thanks its Arena Sponsors: Simonis Cloth, Cyclop Balls, OB Cues, Cue and Case, MEZZ Cues, Samsara Cues, and National Billiard Academy.
