Reyes reigns over Joyner; Immonen shows up 14.1 finalists

Reyes reigns over Joyner; Immonen shows up 14.1 finalists
King of swing seizes third straight DCC One-Pocket crown as focus shifts to 9-ball

“Cliff, do you want to disclose your game plan?” tournament director Scott Smith asked, drawing a wry smile from an intense, quiet man awaiting a dream match in the Billiard Club Network pit. A legend of one-pocket in his own time, Cliff Joyner hails from Rocky Mount, NC but seems to step off most of his return flights in Atlanta these days. While last year’s St. Louis Louie Roberts award winner has been in action, he’ll certainly be focused on more time on the opposite end of the Executive West now, as the tournament room’s one-pocket is over. While Joyner played a big role, he’s fallen one spot short of his top finish in Derby City Classic One-Pocket in 2002.
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Instead Efren Reyes, for a third consecutive one-hole title in Louisville, has breezed through the field of 416 without a loss, tested rarely and more ably by the Americans than his Filipino countrymen. While the Pinoy islanders knocked each other out, Joyner was busy taking down tough matches against the assembled knowledge and skills of one pocket players across the States. Reyes showed him he still has more to learn, coming up with dazzling shots for every occasion and prevailing 3-1 in the finals.
While Joyner put a game plan into effect that would have brought nearly anyone to histrionics, it only inspired “The Magician” to break out a few old tricks for a fresh audience. Following Joyner’s scratch on the break the first game, Reyes allowed him nothing, hiding whitey behind the closest object ball to Joyner’s pocket repeatedly and sending a ball up-table each time to protect a 2 to -1 lead. They moved them all back towards the scoring end in a mesmerizing dance, as effectively positioning them with strokes as chess players picking up their pieces and placing them with their hands. Reyes put the first real heat on, hanging up an amazing combination and swinging his cue ball all the way back up behind a shield of balls down his side rail. Joyner was able to earn one ball from there to get even, but Reyes came with two sick bank shots in a row to win 8-0.
Joyner fired back on Reyes break, tying the match with an 8-3 rack score that brought the crowd’s chins up on their hands. As good as the contest was beginning to look, Reyes was not interested in that kind of entertainment. A pair of difficult combinations by Efren, first out the stack after a crucial scratch when everything lay on Joyner’s side, and then out of another cluster, brought Reyes halfway home. That 4 to -1 ball count held up, as Joyner rallied but could never regain control of the entire table to keep Reyes stymied.
An eventual 8-5 win for “Bata” put him on the hill in the perilous race to 3 format, demanded by the outpouring of one-pocket devotees entering the most prestigious field in the discipline. When Reyes broke the balls dead perfect in the fourth game, Joyner came with a most impressive foul, something unique to one-pocket. His 3-rail kick to get under the 12 ball next to Reyes pocket was almost good enough, but contrary to the applause in the arena, Joyner knew better. Reyes sliced the razor thin cut in on the twelve with spin to carry around the table for position. The crowd murmured excitedly for a left-handed shot from Reyes that killed the cue ball impossibly, and close observers of Reyes know he generally plays with either hand at will, whether he needs to switch to reach the shot or not. The almost childish joy of Reyes’ game is inherent in this quirk, but he was all business about protecting his 5 to -1 lead.
Stealing another ball with a carom-bank that wowed the audience, Reyes hung up another seemingly impossible cluster-combo, and left Joyner a bank that had consequences for missing. Seemingly sick of taking the abuse, Joyner fired it in but came up short of ideal shape towards his pocket to run for long. He made the next ball to cover what he owed and leave him with one, but he was forced to give it back when Reyes hung up a bank on the 1-ball. Reyes hit an uncharacteristically loose shot on the double spotted balls after Joyner’s foul, and each in turn hung up a bank in their own hole. Joyner cleared Reyes’ prize out with a fiercely-struck dig, while Efren opted to roll Cliff’s in and allow him on the board. Joyner surrendered a shot, and Reyes banked another to finish the rack 8-1 and the set 3-1.
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Reyes now has firm control of the All-Around points race, and immediately turned to his next 9-ball opponent on the same table, the illustrious Bobby Pickle. Other great matches have come in the final division of play for the main event, with Dennis Orcullo profiting from a late miss in the case game by Corey Deuel that gave Orcullo a 7-6 escape. Earl Strickland, freshly exposed as a pretty sporty bank pool player, has just taken a 7-1 pounding from Chattanooga TN’s Bill Bailey, as the field slims down for the last two days of DCC action.
The finals of the $10,000-added straight pool challenge were conducted by billiards student emeritus Bob Jewett tonight. Each of the eight high runners from the first four days of play were given five more chances with a crack at setting up an opening break ball. From there, using the standard rules of 14.1 continuous, each star aimed for the highest run possible. Mika Immonen finished a run of 160 as Reyes and Joyner battled, eclipsing Mike Davis’s 151 from the second day and simultaneously snatching the prize for the finals and the high run of this unique event. Immonen was still using his remaining tries to earn an extra bonus for a run of 200 or more at last look, as a crowd including John “Mr. 400” Schmidt hung around in support. Jewett’s brain child has proved to be a very exciting side dish on a crowded menu at the Derby, but stay hungry. There’s plenty more billiards treats yet to be served, so keep your eyes on the InisdePOOLmag.com buffet line.

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