Matchroom 2023 UK Open (nineball), 30May-4June, Winner $30K

ChrisinNC

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
They kept saying these were 4

Recent event was 4 1/8
I’m curious what the player’s response to these pockets were? Either 4” or 4-1/8”, it’s obvious that Matchroom is closing in on what proper pockets specs should be for world class players.
 

skogstokig

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I’m curious what the player’s response to these pockets were? Either 4” or 4-1/8”, it’s obvious that Matchroom is closing in on what proper pockets specs should be for world class players.

they were 4". so same specs the mosconi, the masters and the world cup has had for a few years now.

i agree on how they correlate well with the level of pro play of today. filler, kaci, sky all had matches with very few misses. there were some amazing matches in QF, SF and final. very few misses between them. extremely impressive.
 

ChrisinNC

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
they were 4". so same specs the mosconi, the masters and the world cup has had for a few years now.

i agree on how they correlate well with the level of pro play of today. filler, kaci, sky all had matches with very few misses. there were some amazing matches in QF, SF and final. very few misses between them. extremely impressive.
Yes, and what is a huge factor is that 4” pockets on newly installed Simonis play considerably bigger and more forgiving than 4” pockets on 1-2 year old worn cloth.

That is a factor for anyone who is considering tightening up their home table to these specs in an attempt to fine tune their shotmaking accuracy should be well aware of before doing.
 

BasementDweller

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Yes, and what is a huge factor is that 4” pockets on newly installed Simonis play considerably bigger and more forgiving than 4” pockets on 1-2 year old worn cloth.

That is a factor for anyone who is considering tightening up their home table to these specs in an attempt to fine tune their shotmaking accuracy should be well aware of before doing.
I'm not so sure they are perfect, not that you said they were. I like the challenging pocket size, but what I don't like is how often the missed balls just hang up vs rattling out. That's certainly one large benefit of the snooker style pockets. While I don't want the game to go in that direction, maybe the facing material or miters could be changed to prevent that a bit.

I'll watch either way, I just think the racks are more interesting when the incoming player doesn't get to start with a ball in the jaws.
 

btal

Registered
Yes, and what is a huge factor is that 4” pockets on newly installed Simonis play considerably bigger and more forgiving than 4” pockets on 1-2 year old worn cloth.

That is a factor for anyone who is considering tightening up their home table to these specs in an attempt to fine tune their shotmaking accuracy should be well aware of before doing.
As you state, when running balls down the rail the newly installed Simonis is bigger at pocket speed. No one was "firing" them in. A long shot (not down the rails) is formidable looking. Saw quite a few missed by the best in the world ..... especially under the heat.
 

skogstokig

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Who are the top 5 in the game today? In no particular order, Filler, Gorst, FSR, ?? — is Kaci ascending to this tier?

no doubt in my mind that he is. his break in both 9-ball and 10-ball is really only matched by svb. his tactical game is top notch, his shotmaking is deadly accurate, and he has loads of confidence / mental strength to go with it. the fickle thing in your question is the word "today"..
 

Taxi

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Who are the top 5 in the game today? In no particular order, Filler, Gorst, FSR, ?? — is Kaci ascending to this tier?

My top five now would be Filler, Gorst, Sanchez Ruiz, Kaci and Chang in no particular order. Other than the World Pool Championship he won last year, Shane hasn't been that much of a factor recently whenever the field included most of the world's top players.
 

skogstokig

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
My top five now would be Filler, Gorst, Sanchez Ruiz, Kaci and Chang in no particular order. Other than the World Pool Championship he won last year, Shane hasn't been that much of a factor recently whenever the field included most of the world's top players.

i'd swap chang with ko. chang is in a slump (someone said eye problems?). albin is another one in a slump.
 

Taxi

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
i'd swap chang with ko. chang is in a slump (someone said eye problems?). albin is another one in a slump.
I hadn't realized that Chang had eye problems. If that's the case, then yes, I'd replace him with Ko Pin-Yi to round out my top 5.
 

Cue Alchemist

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
they were 4". so same specs the mosconi, the masters and the world cup has had for a few years now.
I had to look it up, but your right. I knew the last mosconi had em. And the same for the masters last year. I know alot of it,was depending on, if was diamond or rasson. Looks like thay sorted that now. If thay keep it like this, all the events thay put on, will be a great watch.
 

spartan

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I hadn't realized that Chang had eye problems. If that's the case, then yes, I'd replace him with Ko Pin-Yi to round out my top 5.

5racehorses.jpg
 

iusedtoberich

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
My top 5 would be Filler, Shane, Chang, Wu, Ko Pin Yi.

Edit, I guess I'd have to include Gorst and Kaci. But I think all 7 are a toss up and ahead of the rest of the pack.
 
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It boggles my mind that pocket sizes in pool are not standardized. Can you imagine the rims being different diameters at different NBA arenas? Or the outfield walls being different distances from home plate in baseball?

Wait, scratch that last one.

Biting words from Kaci.
I am be wrong but am guessing Kaci will steal this from Filler in this match between 2 "bad boys" of pools. :ROFLMAO:Kaci is the villain who outvillains the Killer. From his disrespectful 5 rail kick (with BIH) to blaming commentator for missing 9 ball in quarterfinal, Kaci is "bad"
Table conditions will change and don't think the table will break as well as semifinals. Kaci has been consistently breaking well in different table conditions, is better safety tactical player plus no one has won consecutive majors for past few years
:LOL:
I am familiar with why Kaci is viewed as a villain, what has Filler done?
 
This post hits the nail on the head for how I am feeling about pool in the recent days. In major sports, with an emphasis on "major," we virtual railbirds, pool enthusiast, and fans would not be afforded the opportunity to interact with the promoter and/or professional-caliber players on social media the way we do in pool.

Reading the thoughts of others on social media hurt my heart this past week, some of which I vehemently disagreed with, but I did not reply because I now know, thanks to my learned experience on pool forums, that sometimes silence is golden. I came close to deleting my Facebook account yesterday morning after reading some of the posts about the UK Open, but as an admin to a non-pool-related industry group on Facebook, I realized that this was not beneficial to me. It's like putting somebody on "ignore" or giving them the infamous "PLONK." It really doesn't affect anyone except me, and I do use Facebook as a resource for my job on a daily basis.

There are many, many more pluses that I see at pool competitions in the last year or two. Jayson Shaw's Junior tournament was a delight. I cried when the little guy won, but that's me. I get sentimental in my old age. The pro players really enjoyed the Predator Puerto Rico tournament a while back, and I know they're going to also enjoy the upcoming Matchroom event in Spain. I could name many more pluses than minuses about the recent UK Open, but I just wanted to share my agreement with "trob."

And FWIW, I was ecstatic to see Eklent Kaci win. I did not watch the finals, but when I returned home and saw Kaci lifting the trophy, I felt like doing a happy dance. At 24 years old, he's going to fine-tune his game and could become the most feared player on the circuit. He is capable. He must be the pride of Albania today as well as his mom. Good for Kaci. Congratulations!
We need more people like you on this planet.
 
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