Well, being in China I can't watch ANY streaming video from the USA. BUT I just got satellite and found out I CAN watch LIVE pool from the Philippines.
Right now I am watching the Pool Showdown - a race to 11 or 13 between Marlon Manalo and what looks like a 12 year old Renemar David.
Manalo breaks dry. David misses and then Manalo miscues leaving David a shot to the side which David just misses. Manalo repsonds with a three rail safe leaving David a kick shot. David hits the kick and gets a lucky roll to resafe Manalo.
Manalo hits the two but leaves the 2 with a reverse angle for David which he pockets. Th rest of the rack is wide open.
David is 18 as reported on AZ. He looks 12. I think he could get plenty of action in the USA.
Manalo breaks dry. David looking at a long one ball, No problem.
Rack is pretty open. Little touchy on the 5 - gets a little flat on the six. More of a cut than he wanted but he makes and gets back in line. Should be no problem from here. Out.
David breaks makes a ball and then puts Manalo in jail. Manalo plays the get out of jail free card and two rail kicks the one but leaves a shot. David makes the one and two and now much deal with the 3/4 cluster. He plays a perfect thin hit on the three to break up the cluster and put Manalo back in jail again. This time Manalo is jacked up and trys to spin out one rail and doesn't even get close. table is open for David.
David's got the cueball on a string right now. 5:4 for David.
I am guessing that many are still asleep over here. They played at the US Open untill 4:30am. I just can't make it that long any more, so I like your reports. Thanks.
Back. It's 6:4 for David I think and Manalo has just committed an amateur scratch trying to play safe. David runs out easily and is ahead 7:4 in the race to 11.
The programming is pretty cool. It's funny listening to the announcers because the language is a combination of native tongues and Spanish with English sentences thrown in.
Right now they are showing some stroke training with Jeff De Luna who looks like he copied Kelly Fisher's hairstyle. Jeff looks uncomfortable.
Jeff's elbow drops on the follow through. But he has the Bustamante circular elbow going on when he strokes.
David to break. 2 balls down. Has a slightly dicey cut on the 2. The six i blocked by the 8. He overcuts the 2 and barely makes it. Sets up nicely from the 4 to the 5 to fall on the probem six but comes up just a bit short. Stil makeable but harder than it needed to be. Makes six and comes up a little out of line on the seven ends up close to the 8 but recovers and gets out.
8:4 for 18 year old David against marlon Manalo - he has won the last five racks.
Phillipine TV is cool. A lot of US shows and copies of US shows with a Filipino twist.
This is a weekly live show. David breaks dry. The channel is ABC
Manalo is looking at a thin one to the corner. Misses it wide trying to break up a cluster. Leaves David a slight masse' - David hits the one and leaves Manalo looking at the one with no pocket. manalo has not really shown up this match yet.
Manalo plays a half decent safety leaving David hooked by half a ball. David plays a stun masse to hit the one full and leaves a bank for Manalo. Manalo doesn't like it. No easy safe so he goes for the bank half heartedly and catches the point and misses.
David with a clear shot at the one but with traffic and clustered balls. H misses the one and leaves Manalo staring at half of the one. Manalo manages to stop the cue on the rail and send the one up table and close to the eight. David almost pockets the one but leaves Manalo with an off angle one/two combo which he misses. This is the longest rack yet.
David plays a standard safety. Manalo sets up for a masse - thinks better of it and tries to soft kick to the one and lay the cueball up against it but misses the one wide.
It's hard to tell if the seven is tied up. But the table looks open from here.
Wow! David scratches on the two trying to bring the cueball back down table. Manalo hits the seven to knock it into play and leaves himself a 4 ball up the rail which he makes easiy. In line for a routine four ball out here. I take it back he's a little awkward bridging over the 8 but he handles it easily to get on the 7. Ends up a little too straight on the 8 and has to play a power follow and ends up really bad on the 9.
Manalo is using the bridge to shoot the nine and his snooker background pays off as he thin cuts the 9 in with seeming ease.
Manalo doesn't like the rack after breaking dry several times. Asks for a secodn rerack and is told that he only gets one by the ref.
What's up with the lady refs for tv matches??? Seems to be a trend.
Manalo makes the one on the break. Then the 2 but ends up pretty straight on the 3. He wi hve to take less than optimal position on the four. ong ansd straight. Nails it to get back in line - sort of. Looks ok from here - and then - the jinx - he draws his rock straight back into the corner. Daivd has a four ball Cosmo road map.
David makes the one in the side. has a 2:8 combo hanging that he si shooting with the bridge. Makes it and has to continue using the bridge for the 2. He draws the cueball straight back but runs into the four which causes the cueball to end up with the 6 in the way of getting to the 3. Kicks at the 3 nd leave Manalo the 3 in the side and a fairly open table. Th 3 is a little tricky but should be no problem. Unreal. He overcuts it by a wide margin and gets the point but gets a roll and hooks David. Looks like they are in a bakery because then Daivd gets a roll to resafe Manalo.
Manalo kicks two rails hard and reasfes David. This one is a ot tougher. Dvid goes to the jumper. He has to bridge over the nine though making it tougher. He fluke banks the 3 into the corner in a one pocket player's nightmare shot. But the shot tot he four is table length and the cueball is on the end rail. And Daivd misses the 4 and alomst makes another one pocket trick shot. AND on top of that the rolls kep coming as Manalo comes to the table hooked on the 4.
Finally someone has a cler shot at a relatively easy ball. David is looking at the 4 in th side but it's off angle. He might opt for the corner instead. Nope he went for the side but caught the point trying to avoid the scratch. Manalo comes to the table with a difficult reverse cut to the corner and he misses BUT as is par for the course this rack leaves no shot for David.
David is looking at half a ball and plays safe leaving no pocket and distance for manalo.
Manalo plays safe and David comes with the jump cue. Almost makes the 4 and finally Manalo can ee a decent shot. Manalo comes up perfect on teh 5 and is in line for the out. no problems so far. Down goes the nine.
Manalo to break. Asked for a rerack again. Manalo is NOT happy with the rack. Now she is manually placing the one.
Comes up dry on the break and leaves no shot for David. David can see the one but not much of it and there is a scratch there. David elects to push try and put the cueball in a better position. Still no shot and no clear safe. Manalo is taking the shot and tried some kind of carom. Leaves a tough cut to the side - a bank - or a suicide carom. Dvid goes for the side misses and leaves manalo a duck.
BUT it's tought to get to the 2. Manalo weaves through all the traffic and gets on the 2. In line now for the out. Comes up a little funny on the four but it's all right. No problem it was a hanger. Pretty straight on the five so he force follows with a little left to get in position for the six. And he should be out here - no problem.
9:7 David
Who has more pressure here? The young gun or the veteran??
I think Daivd has more pressure as the match was his to lose.
