Bartrum vs. D' Alfonso - Round Two!

BillPorter

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I am sitting in Kickshot Billiards in prime position to watch Chris Bartrum and Tommy (Shorty) D' Alfonso play their second $5,000 set. Just as their set last night, it will be a 10-ahead set played on a 9 foot Diamond table. Chris won the set last night in about 3 hours, but Tommy seems confident that he will play better today. Several observers of the set last night commented that Tommy hasn't seen much serious action since last January and may be a bit rusty when it comes to tough action. Was last night a wake up call for Tommy? Will he come out of the gate smokin' and strokin'? We'll find out in about 30 minutes. I'll try to keep you posted, but I won't promise to stay for the whole match if it runs long. Good luck to both players!
 
With rap music playing too loudly for my taste, Chris wins the flip and breaks the first game. He makes the one ball but has no shot on the two. Plays a safety, but leaves a shot for Tommy. Tommy makes the two and goes the length of the table to break up a two ball cluster. Makes the three, but is partially hooked on the four. Tommy jumps the ball and makes the four, but leaves himself a long, tough shot on the five with scratch possibilities. He makes a GREAT shot on the five and draws to the side rail for position on the 6. Runs to the 9 and leaves an off the rail shot which he misses! Leaves Chris tough on the 9. Chris misses the nine and leaves an easy shot for Tommy. Tommy wins the first game.
 
Tommy breaks and makes two balls with pretty good position on the one. Makes the one and falls on the two. Gets good on the four, but the five is in a tricky position near the 9. Tommy rolls the cue ball a bit too far and the nine ball blocks a shot at the corner pocket. Tommy banks the five and falls nicely on the 6. The eight is on the rail and position on the 8 will be tough. Tommy studies the shot a long time and finally slow rolls the 6 into the corner pocket leaving a cut down the rail on the 8, which he makes. Cuts the 9 in the corner and wins game 2. Tommy up two.
 
Tommy breaks and scratches in the right side pocket. The rack does not look runnable to me. Chris plays a safety and leaves it tough for Tommy to hit the one. Tommy does hit the one and leaves nothing for Chris. Chris plays another safety. Now the one is even more difficult to hit. Tommy misses the one. Chris makes the one and plays a safety. Tommy, on two fouls, gets his jump stick and almost makes a great shot on the two, but it jaws the corner pocket. Chris runs the two, three, four, and plays a safety on the five sending it to the opposite end of the table from the cue ball. The nine is between the cue and the five. Another jump shot by Tommy hits the five but leaves a table length shot on the five for Chris. Chris makes the five and is on the six. Makes the six and has a long shot down the rail on the seven. He makes it and gets perfect on the 8. A little draw and he is on the nine. Tommy is one up.
 
BillPorter said:
With rap music playing too loudly for my taste, Chris wins the flip and breaks the first game. He makes the one ball but has no shot on the two. Plays a safety, but leaves a shot for Tommy. Tommy makes the two and goes the length of the table to break up a two ball cluster. Makes the three, but is partially hooked on the four. Tommy jumps the ball and makes the four, but leaves himself a long, tough shot on the five with scratch possibilities. He makes a GREAT shot on the five and draws to the side rail for position on the 6. Runs to the 9 and leaves an off the rail shot which he misses! Leaves Chris tough on the 9. Chris misses the nine and leaves an easy shot for Tommy. Tommy wins the first game.

I hear that rap crap way down here in Memphis.......I feel your pain:(

Hang in and thanks for the updates:)
 
LOTS of trouble getting the balls to rack where they are acceptable to Chris. Chris finally breaks the balls and makes nothing. Tommy can see the one, but I don't think he can see enough of it to make it. Might be able to throw it in. Guess I was wrong as he shot it straight into the corner. Left with a pretty tough shot on the two. Thin, down the rail or a bank. Tommy banks the two into the corner pocket. Gets down and up and back down a few times on the three before firing it into the corner and playing some nifty position on the four. The four goes in and Tommy is nicely on the five. A nice stun shot brings him in line for the six in the corner, then back across the table for the 7. The eight goes into the same pockket as the seven and Tommy is perfect on the nine to go two games up.
 
That's the way -- uh-huh, uh-huh -- I like it! :D

Go, Shorty, go! :p

JAM
 
Excellent description in the updates.
Thanks a lot Bill. You are da man!

BVal
 
Tommy breaks (with a Predator break stick btw). He makes nothing on the break. Chris has a long shot on the one and the two is tied up. Chris jaws the one leaving Tommy easy on the one, but the rest of the table isn't looking that good for a run out. Tommy makes the one and goes three rails to hit into the two, but there still doesn't seem to be a shot, so he plays a safety. Chris almost makes a great kick shot on the two, but it rolls into the jaws and stays up. Tommy rolls in the two and gets nicely on the three. Two rail shape on the four-seven combination. Seven drops and four stays close to the pocket. Four in the corner, five in the adjacent corner, but only after Tommy has studied the place he wants to be for the 6 ball shot. 6 straight into the side pocket and almost straight in on the 8. He makes the 8 but rolls past where he wanted to be on the 9. Banks the nine crisply into the side pocket to go up 3 games.
 
This is going to be a lonnnng day. I'm predicting over five hours to settle this one. And it could be a lot more.
I'm betting the OVER at five hours. That means this must end after 7:30 PST.
 
Tommy makes a ball on the break but is tough on the one. He gets down and back up several times. Probably considering a push. Misses the one, maybe intentionally, and leaves it at the other end of the table from the cue ball. Chris can see the one and plays a nice safety. But Tommy can see part of the one, at the other end of the table, and kicks behind it leaving an easy shot for Chris into the side pocket. Chris makes the one and is perfect on the two. But he leaves himself a bit tough on the four. Makes a nice down the rail shot on the four. The five is right behind the six near the corner pocket, so the combination was easy. Chris makes the five and is in good position on the 7. Makes the 7 and is good on the 8. Leaves himself a bit of a tester on the 9, sort of a fifty yardline shot. He studies it for a while and then cuts it into the corner pocket while stretched out on the table. Tommy is up 2.
 
Nothing goes on Chris's break and Tommy has the one almost in the jaws of the corner pocket. He makes it and gets almost straight in on the two. Nice position on the three after firing in the two. The four in the corner and the five in the opposite corner. The six follows the five into the same corner. Tommy has to decide whether to play a 7-9 combo or play position on the 7. He choose the lattter. But position on the 8 is a bit tricky. He almost freezes the cue to the eight, but it rolls just past leaving a shot on the 8 in the side. Nine in the corner. Tommy up 3 games.
 
The 7 falls on the break and Tommy has a shot at the one. The one goes, but it leaves a table length shot on the two. Tommy hangs the two in the corner pocket. Chris makes the two, almost scratches in the side, but gets on the three. Almost a road map from here. Four in the side, five in the corner and stop for the six in the side. Seven in the corner and the nine in the corner. Tommy is up two games. Might be a long evening?
 
So the over/under is 5 hours! :p

If it does go over, it should be a good battle to the finish!

Go, Shorty, give 'em all you got! Let Mr. Porter at least get a good night's sleep! :D

JAM
 
Nothing goes on the break and Tommy fails badly trying to play a safety on the one ball leaving an easy shot straight into the corner and the two is now a almost straight in shot into the side. Chris studies the 3 ball shot for a long time as position on the four is not obvious. He gets on the four pretty well for a side pocket shot, but getting on the five will be tough. He shoots the four and follows down toward the five, but the cue ball goes into the corner pocket. With ball-in-hand, Tommy makes the five and runs the remaining balls to go three up.
 
Tommy makes two balls on the break and has an easy shot on the one. If he can get on the two, the table is clearly runnable. There are three balls between the one and where Tommy needs to go to get on the two. He caroms off one of the balls and gets fine on the two. Shorty is starting to roll. The 6 was hanging and Tommy makes it and draws back for the 7. No problems. Tommy is up 4.
 
Back
Top