Stats -- Filler vs. Chohan One-Pocket Race to 21, May 2020

AtLarge

AzB Gold Member
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Here are some results from the Joshua Filler vs. Tony Chohan "David and Goliath" One-Pocket match played in Ariel Roy Francisco's basement in Virginia May 12-13, 2020. Free live streaming was provided on Roy's Basement Facebook page

This match was a 2-day race to 21 games, with play stopping on the first day when the leader reached 11 games. Remote commentary was provided by Alex Lely throughout and Neight Mindham beginning with Game 12. Filler won the match 21-17, outscoring Chohan each day.

Conditions -- The conditions for this match included:
- Diamond 9-foot table with standard pro-cut pockets and blue Simonis cloth;
- Aramith balls (I think) with a measles cue ball;
- triangle rack;
- rack your own with alternating breaks;
- re-break if a ball is made on the break;
- 3-foul rule in effect (did not occur);
- no shot clock; and
- flip for opening break on first day (won by Filler)​

Match results, in games (Filler's score first)
Day 1 -- 11 - 10
Day 2 -- 10 - 7
Total -- 21 - 17​

Games won by breaker
Filler -- 9 of 19 (47%)
Chohan -- 7 of 19 (37%)
Total -- 16 of 38 (42%)​

Breaks by side of table (viewing from head to foot) -- All 38 breaks were from the players' left side.

Games won by player who scored the first point (or had it scored for him)
Filler -- 12 of 17 (71%)
Chohan -- 12 of 21 (57%)
Total -- 24 of 38 (63%)​

Scratches on the break
Filler -- 1 (a loss)
Chohan -- 2 (1 win, 1 loss)​

Balls made on the break -- Once, by Filler (re-break required).

Games in which the player had the lead at some point
Filler -- 28 games, his 21 wins plus 7 games he lost.
Chohan -- 27 games, his 17 wins plus 10 games he lost.​

Ball counts by length of run -- The total ball counts resulted from the following runs and fouls. Counts are given for Filler first, then Chohan, then the total.
1 ball -- 20 times, 19 times, 39 times
2 balls -- 11, 6, 17
3 balls -- 4, 8, 12
4 balls -- 5, 6, 11
5 balls -- 5, 3, 8
6 balls -- 4, 3, 7
7 balls -- 4, 3, 7
8 balls -- 6, 5, 11
Plus balls pocketed by opponent -- 13, 21, 34
Minus fouls -- 9, 14, 23
TOTAL ball count -- 203, 180, 383
Average game score -- 8 - 2.1 for games won by Filler, 8 - 2.1 for games won by Chohan, 8 - 2.1 in total.​

Distribution of run-outs to win the games. Counts are given for Filler first, then Chohan, then the total.
1 ball -- 4 times, 7 times, 11 times (29% of the 38 games)
2 balls -- 3, 1, 4
3 balls -- 0, 1, 1
4 balls -- 2, 0, 2
5 balls -- 4, 1, 5
6 balls -- 1, 2, 3
7 balls -- 1, 1, 2
8 balls -- 6, 4, 10 (26%)
Average (mean) "out" run -- 4.4 balls
Average (median) "out" run -- 5 balls​

Distribution of lengths of games
Under 10 minutes -- 24 games (63%)
10 - 19 min. -- 10
20 - 29 min. -- 3
33 min. -- 1
Total -- 38​

Match length (including racking and timeouts)
Day 1 -- 4 hours, 48 minutes (including about 33 minutes for timeouts)
Day 2 -- 2 hours, 33 min. (including about 28 min. for timeouts)
Total -- 7 hours, 21 min. (including about 61 min. for timeouts)​

Average minutes per game
Day 1 -- 13.7 (approx. 12.1 not counting timeouts)
Day 2 -- 9.0 (approx. 7.4 not counting timeouts)
Total -- 11.6 (approx. 10.0 not counting timeouts)​
 
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Black-Balled

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I'd like to see
average innings per game
Average safes per game
Number of times 2 or more consecutive safety shots were played by each.

But I wouldn't like it enough to count them.
::eek:uttahere:
 

sjm

Older and Wiser
Silver Member
Great stats, thanks for sharing.

Something weird going on with the break of late in one pocket. In this very long match, the breaker won just 42% of the racks. At Derby City, in the one-pocket final between Thorpe and Hall, the breaker lost every rack!
 

Bob Jewett

AZB Osmium Member
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Great stats, thanks for sharing.

Something weird going on with the break of late in one pocket. In this very long match, the breaker won just 42% of the racks. At Derby City, in the one-pocket final between Thorpe and Hall, the breaker lost every rack!

Maybe it's time for someone to go to the "cushion first, stick to the side of the rack" break. Where's Corey when you need him?:smile:
 

Low500

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Damndest one pocket I ever saw

I was around when Ronnie Allen was hot and running 8 and out...8 and out...over and over.
But I've never seen any one pocket like this Filler plays.
Just too much fire power....and it WORKS consistently
People keep hoping he goes busted with his style of play, but I just don't see it happening.
Big Tony looked like he'd been run over by a bus....and Big Tony is NO dumass at pool. Never saw Big Tony with a distressed look on his face until this.
Best to leave that Filler guy alone-e-e-e. (Unless he starts over-spotting people just to get action)
 

MattPoland

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
■ Games in which the player had the lead at some point
Filler -- 28 games, his 21 wins plus 7 games he lost.
Chohan -- 27 games, his 17 wins plus 10 games he lost.

I feel like this tells the story. The level of play was so high. They were both making moves...crafty moves...aggressive moves...and sometimes downright explosive moves. The difference to me felt like it was in sellouts. If Tony's accuracy was a smidge closer to Josh's, those 10 games he lost from the lead could have been 7...and we might have seen hill-hill.
 

AtLarge

AzB Gold Member
Gold Member
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I'd like to see
average innings per game
Average safes per game
Number of times 2 or more consecutive safety shots were played by each.

But I wouldn't like it enough to count them.
::eek:uttahere:

I think I kept notes that detailed for a few matches in some event way back. I probably quit after some hour-long up-table game with a zillion shots.
 

AtLarge

AzB Gold Member
Gold Member
Silver Member
Great stats, thanks for sharing.

Something weird going on with the break of late in one pocket. In this very long match, the breaker won just 42% of the racks. At Derby City, in the one-pocket final between Thorpe and Hall, the breaker lost every rack!

Yup, breaker lost all 5 games in that final. But at least they got over 50% for the 13 streamed matches in total -- 25 of 48 (52%).
 

pt109

WO double hemlock
Silver Member
Great stats, thanks for sharing.

Something weird going on with the break of late in one pocket. In this very long match, the breaker won just 42% of the racks. At Derby City, in the one-pocket final between Thorpe and Hall, the breaker lost every rack!

Maybe it's time for someone to go to the "cushion first, stick to the side of the rack" break. Where's Corey when you need him?:smile:

Late 70s....the conventional wisdom was that the break at one-hole was worth a ball and a half.
...doesn’t seem like that now.
But I rarely see whitey froze to the side rail..off the break....which makes a return much easier.
...but the biggest difference, perhaps, was the old game was played on looser pockets...
...as a rule
..the cheap safeties like running to the end rail was not as great an idea back then.

Thoughts?
 

sjm

Older and Wiser
Silver Member
Late 70s....the conventional wisdom was that the break at one-hole was worth a ball and a half.
...doesn’t seem like that now.
But I rarely see whitey froze to the side rail..off the break....which makes a return much easier.
...but the biggest difference, perhaps, was the old game was played on looser pockets...
...as a rule
..the cheap safeties like running to the end rail was not as great an idea back then.

Thoughts?

Good points for sure. Jimmy Fusco used to suggest that against an even opponent, he'd happily give up 10-8 in exchange for all the breaks.

Another aspect of the tight vs loose pocket comparison is that it is harder to remove opponent's threats near their pocket on loose equipment, so a successful break presented more problems for opponents back in the day. Grady Matthews used to say that this was a major reason that the top few hated to gamble at one pocket on loose equipment against lesser opponents.
 

King T

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Well..,

I was around when Ronnie Allen was hot and running 8 and out...8 and out...over and over.
But I've never seen any one pocket like this Filler plays.
Just too much fire power....and it WORKS consistently
People keep hoping he goes busted with his style of play, but I just don't see it happening.
Big Tony looked like he'd been run over by a bus....and Big Tony is NO dumass at pool. Never saw Big Tony with a distressed look on his face until this.
Best to leave that Filler guy alone-e-e-e. (Unless he starts over-spotting people just to get action)

Tony's one of the best and thats a big win Filler, has he beat any other One Pocket players.., Frost, Danny Smith, Josh Roberts, Justin Hall, Busty, Dennis?
 
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