JOhnny Archer vs Brandon Ashcraft

CrossSideLarry

Cross Side Larry
Silver Member
If you have ever seen Brandon Ashcraft catch a gear, try to see the first match Johnny Archer will face. Brandon has a smooth stroke and lots of heart. He is a great shot maker and run out artist. He will give Archer all he can handle.

Cross Side Larry
 
Yes,

I played about a 3 hour marathon match with Brandon in Reno and just came up on the short end. He struck me as a very deliberate player and quite arrogant (of course most good players often seem that way). I don't think that he'll beat Archer, but he could if he is on his game. On a side note, I asked him later in the Reno tournament who his next opponent was, and he said: "I don't care, I never look and it does not matter...."

His demeanor was serious as a heart attack. : )

Regards,

Doug
 
Salamander said:
He struck me as a very deliberate player and quite arrogant (of course most good players often seem that way).

I asked him later in the Reno tournament who his next opponent was, and he said: "I don't care, I never look and it does not matter...."

His demeanor was serious as a heart attack. : )
While looking for action or playing in a tourney, one must maintain a certain level of confidence which can often be misunderstood as arrogance. The times I've been around Brandon have always been away from the pool table... at a tourney but it was either over or he had been elminated and all those times, there was nothing arrogant about him.

You'd be surprised at how many of these guys don't look at the bracket. It doesn't & shouldn't matter. If it does matter, then your mental game is weak. You're supposed to always bring your A-game to the table, regardless of who you play... so why should it matter?

Just my .02 ;)
 
Salamander said:
Yes,

I played about a 3 hour marathon match with Brandon in Reno and just came up on the short end. He struck me as a very deliberate player and quite arrogant (of course most good players often seem that way). I don't think that he'll beat Archer, but he could if he is on his game. On a side note, I asked him later in the Reno tournament who his next opponent was, and he said: "I don't care, I never look and it does not matter...."

His demeanor was serious as a heart attack. : )

Regards,


I saw Brandon play Gary "Bushwhacker" Nolan in a Michigan 9 ball tournament back in 1986. Bushwhacker beat him, though I don't recall his arrogance then either.

Cross Side Larry

PS: I don't think he will beat Archer either.
 
CrossSideLarry said:
PS: I don't think he will beat Archer either.
Archer is human & he's beatable.... If he's off & his opponent is on.... Archer doesn't have to like the end result. I watched Joey Korsiak beat him in VF.(that was with Joey hanging 2 nineballs after missing combos) Brandon is just as capable as anyone else out there of beating Johnny or anyone.... a bad roll for them, a couple of good rolls for yourself... next thing you know.... the "favorite" just lost the game.... :cool:
 
Johnny/brandon

The Only Way Brandon Is Gonna Win Is If Jonny Plays Like Shit And Brandon Shows Up. I Have Played Brandon And Many Times And Have Taken Him To The Hill Twice. He Does Not Have Quite That Much Speed. Don't Get Me Wrong, He's Great, But Not That Great.
 
Timberly said:
Archer is human & he's beatable.... If he's off & his opponent is on.... Archer doesn't have to like the end result. I watched Joey Korsiak beat him in VF.(that was with Joey hanging 2 nineballs after missing combos) Brandon is just as capable as anyone else out there of beating Johnny or anyone.... a bad roll for them, a couple of good rolls for yourself... next thing you know.... the "favorite" just lost the game.... :cool:

Johnny love the open and the charge he get from playin there .I feel he will move on to the next match ..
 
deadstroke32 said:
Johnny love the open and the charge he get from playin there .I feel he will move on to the next match ..
Yes, he's the odds on favorite.... I'm just saying that Johnny can be beat & Brandon is as capable as anyone if his game is on.... Hell, I could always get lucky & shit out a few times to beat Johnny... Just trying to say that Johnny can be beat... can be done by Brandon but it doesn't have to either. ;)
 
Timberly said:
Yes, he's the odds on favorite.... I'm just saying that Johnny can be beat & Brandon is as capable as anyone if his game is on.... Hell, I could always get lucky & shit out a few times to beat Johnny... Just trying to say that Johnny can be beat... can be done by Brandon but it doesn't have to either. ;)
I saw Brandon play at Valley Forge, earlier this year. IMHO, he has the talent to beat any of the other players. Of course, he has to perform at his best, to beat Johnny, however, Johnny will also have to perform, to beat Brandon.

I believe Brandon would have done better, at VF, if he got some rest, instead of heading to the challenge tables, between matches. As the weekend went on, he looked more and more tired. He has to learn to pace himself.

BTW, I personally watched him run at least 8 straight racks on the challenge table. It kind of killed any side action for his backer.
 
Anyone who has been around the game awhile knows that on a race to 9 or 11 anyone can win if they know how to play. I always find it funny how people can speculate on who will win and by how much. The truth is that Brandon might beat Archer11-5, or Archer might beat Brandon 11-3. The difference in talent at the level of the players that are there is very small indeed. One missed shot, or a poorly placed safe, and that can be the difference in the match.

The purist in me would like to see them have slightly longer races, but I suppose in a speedy world that is asking too much.

Food for thought: Mosconi dominated straight pool when matches were played in huge blocks such as race to 1000 or more over several weeks. Nobody could touch him over the long hall.

I wonder who would rise to the top in this tournament if they played 10 ahead or longer races? What is reasonable to decide the better player?

Perhaps what makes the US Open so exciting is the relatively short races and the chance of a "unknown" to win?

Regards,

Doug
 
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