So league was night, and it was probably my best night of 8-ball play ever.
First off, during alone practice time, after hitting stroke shots warming up, then doing some positional drills to get a feel for the table, I racked the balls, broke, made a stripe ball and ran out!! I couldn’t believe it! It’s only my 2nd ever time doing that. I was feeling good, so I decided to see if I could run the rest of the table (solids)… and I DID!! All 15 balls in a rack. I was happy. So, I went to sit down, drink some tea, have a smoke and enjoy the moment. Then a teammate comes in and says “let’s go”. Okay, he breaks, doesn’t make a ball. I take some time deciding which suite is better, decide on solids… and start making my way through the rack. Before I know it, I’m on the 8… and down it goes!! 🙂 🙂 THAT’S TWO (2) FULL RACKS IN A ROW!! Oh man… I’m just thinking “wow, I gotta hold on to this.” so, I sit out for a few rounds and let the other teammates play, since I had been there a while anyway.
League finally starts, I’m 2nd in line. We lose our first match, then it’s my turn. I lose the lag by a 1/4 inch. My opponent breaks, makes a stripe, but scratches. The table is wide open, no clusters, but almost everything is on one end of the table. There’s a stripe in the jaws and another on the 1st diamond on the end rail. Realizing that I absolutely should be out from here, I decide to take stripes. I make the ball in the jaws, moving the ball on the head towards the other corner. I make a few more balls narrowly navigating through the pack. I overcut the 13, but his 2 ball gives me some help and pushes it in the pocket. I continue my run. 2 more shots and I’m on the 8! Deep breath, “shut up”, stroke. ker-plunk. Down goes the 8!! My first ever league run-out!
I will absolutely be the first to say I got some rolls that helped me out… but it’s part of the game. Next time, I’ll make the balls clean. heh I ended the night going 3-0, although to be fair, the last two games were gimmies since my opponent missed his last ball and left the 8 in playable position.
The tables at this particular bar were 8 foot tables, and we normally play on 7 footers. I think this has something to do with it. I’m more comfortable on the bigger tables, more room to navigate, etc. I’m curious to see how/if this translates to 7 footers next week. I’m still quite enjoying my night, as it set a few milestones for me.