I play in an English Pool league with my buddies every week as a chance to get away from our Ball&Chains and a chance to catch up, get drunk and have a laugh. Tonight though...wow was it fun!!!..
We play 10 frames, and teams are a minimum of 5 players, and most teams use 5 or 6 guys on the night. Match night usually lasts about 2 hours but tonight it went on for 5 whole gruelling hours! The entire team played slower than I've ever seen. In particular a guy me and my buddy played. I don't know his name otherwise I'd name and shame the guy, but we can call him Speedy. Game started fairly decent. One of our lesser experienced players started proceedings and got his first ever Break and Run in match play, he was then on again and run out from an opponents dry break. Everyone was so happy for him and he had a huge smile accross his face the entire night. 2 frames lasted 5 minutes.
Next my buddy and probably the best player on our team gets up to play Speedy. Speedy breaks and taps it like a 1p break. Already I'm thinking I know this guys plan. He's not a risk taker and loves a good safety battle. My buddy should have no problem beating someone like this. Buddy had nothing on so plays safe. Once speedy eventually pocketed a ball he started covering every pocket he could. The run out was there and he refused to take it because the black had 2/3rds of a pocket...wtf? In short that frame lasted over an hour. Tip tapping balls and my buddy must have gotten out of atleast 30 safeties. My buddy ends up winning but refuses to play again. So I step up and play him...
I wanted the break and I got it. Hammered the crap out of it just to get a nice open table and made 3 balls, 2 reds and a yellow. I pick reds because none were easy to run out on and there was a nasty cluster of yellows. I decide not to try get out and have 1 or 2 balls left and end up kicking at a couple of balls all night. He goes about his business as normal covering pockets and trying damned hard to get in behid his cluster. In short this 1 frame of English 8 Ball lasted 1 hour and 40 minutes! He took 5 minutes thinking on each shot, hed walk the long way around the table to get his chalk and he even took a piss break halfway through! In total I got out of atleast 50 safties and kicked about 20 of his balls away from the pockets. He didn't end up potting a single ball on the table in our matchand had the 6 yellows he had at the start.
I was so pissed off by the time the game ended I just wanted the next game to come along and go. I broke and ran the next game against this poor guy who must have only been about 17. That game was done in around 1 minute. Didn't think just got down and hammered balls in at 100mph each time just to vent some frustration.
We won 8-2 in the end, but I'd take an 8-2 loss that was quick and we had a laugh doing it. Why the hell is 10 frames of 8 ball lasting 5 hours? And Speedy in particular needs a rocket shoving up his arse in order to play quick.
We play 10 frames, and teams are a minimum of 5 players, and most teams use 5 or 6 guys on the night. Match night usually lasts about 2 hours but tonight it went on for 5 whole gruelling hours! The entire team played slower than I've ever seen. In particular a guy me and my buddy played. I don't know his name otherwise I'd name and shame the guy, but we can call him Speedy. Game started fairly decent. One of our lesser experienced players started proceedings and got his first ever Break and Run in match play, he was then on again and run out from an opponents dry break. Everyone was so happy for him and he had a huge smile accross his face the entire night. 2 frames lasted 5 minutes.
Next my buddy and probably the best player on our team gets up to play Speedy. Speedy breaks and taps it like a 1p break. Already I'm thinking I know this guys plan. He's not a risk taker and loves a good safety battle. My buddy should have no problem beating someone like this. Buddy had nothing on so plays safe. Once speedy eventually pocketed a ball he started covering every pocket he could. The run out was there and he refused to take it because the black had 2/3rds of a pocket...wtf? In short that frame lasted over an hour. Tip tapping balls and my buddy must have gotten out of atleast 30 safeties. My buddy ends up winning but refuses to play again. So I step up and play him...
I wanted the break and I got it. Hammered the crap out of it just to get a nice open table and made 3 balls, 2 reds and a yellow. I pick reds because none were easy to run out on and there was a nasty cluster of yellows. I decide not to try get out and have 1 or 2 balls left and end up kicking at a couple of balls all night. He goes about his business as normal covering pockets and trying damned hard to get in behid his cluster. In short this 1 frame of English 8 Ball lasted 1 hour and 40 minutes! He took 5 minutes thinking on each shot, hed walk the long way around the table to get his chalk and he even took a piss break halfway through! In total I got out of atleast 50 safties and kicked about 20 of his balls away from the pockets. He didn't end up potting a single ball on the table in our matchand had the 6 yellows he had at the start.
I was so pissed off by the time the game ended I just wanted the next game to come along and go. I broke and ran the next game against this poor guy who must have only been about 17. That game was done in around 1 minute. Didn't think just got down and hammered balls in at 100mph each time just to vent some frustration.
We won 8-2 in the end, but I'd take an 8-2 loss that was quick and we had a laugh doing it. Why the hell is 10 frames of 8 ball lasting 5 hours? And Speedy in particular needs a rocket shoving up his arse in order to play quick.
