The Belmopan Guinness 9-ball tournament began with nine teams since June, 2009; but by last week it was down to the top four for the semifinals; and now we are heading into this weekend with the top two teams. Let’s check out how we ended with the top two teams, namely: Salvapan Shattaz and Las Flores Shooters.
It began with Salvapan Shattaz (#1 seed) vs Saldivar SharpShooters (#4 seed) on Friday, August 14. Well, it was like a blast from the past, as Shattaz had no mercy on SharpShooters. The first match was won by Shattaz, as Elder Paredes destroyed Elroy Grinage, 5-ZIP. It was WOW! SharpShooters made a comeback, as Juan Villanueva showed Juan Gusman of Shattaz what’s up, as he beat him, 5-2. But, folks, it was all over the hill for Shattaz thereafter, as they defeated SharpShooters, one by one. Wayne Wiltshire embarrassed Clifford King, 5-2; Erwin Paredes defeated Shawn Armstrong, 5-1; and Ernest Borland tortured Artan Tucker, 5-1. So, at home, Shattaz was up, 4-1.
The next match was then played at Barrio Fino Sports Bar, and Shattaz only needed two wins to eliminate SharpShooters. So here we go…. The first match was won by Clifford King of SharpShooters over Juan Gusman, so this made the next match more interesting. The second match was between Elroy Grinage of SharpShooters and Elder Paredes of Shattaz, and if you remember earlier, Elder had beaten Elroy by 5-zip in the previous game. So, Elroy was probably saying it is pay back time; and Elder was probably thinking it’s going to be like eating a piece of cake again. Elroy came out shooting like a pro, and was up over Elder, until the umpire re-spotted the 9-ball, after he claimed that Elroy did not call the shot to win the game. Elroy got frustrated, as he, along with others, said he indeed called the shot; but the umpire ruled that he did not hear, and thus the reason for not repeating the call. However, the by-laws state that the umpire needs to repeat the call; if not, it is not good. So, I would say even if the umpire missed the call, if the player did not hear him repeat the call, he should have ensured that the umpire repeated. Accordingly, this affected Elroy significantly, since he had the golden opportunity to still win that same rack, and failed to do so; but Elder was boosted, and won the match. Thereafter, Ernest Borland of Shattaz defeated Shawn Armstrong, to put the SharpShooters away. The match continued, as the stats are needed for MVP purposes. Juan Villanueva of SharpShooters won Erwin Paredes, so we can say he is the only player from SharpShooters who won his two matches; and Wayne Wiltshire of Shattaz zipped Artan Tucker, 5-0.
In the next series, it was San Martin Dolphins (seeded #2) vs Las Flores Shooters (seeded #3). In the first match, Strikers defeated Dolphins by 4-1 in Las Flores, and we apologize for not having the individual stats at this time. So we go to the second match at Barrio Fino, where the Dolphins consider their home-turf. And, yes, it has been said that you play better at home; or probably it is because Dolphins had their top players in the second match; but Dolphins won the second match, 4-1, to force a third match in the series. The first two players for Dolphins won. First, it was Moises Aguirre to humiliate Oscar Avelar, 5-0; and Luis Najera to follow the trend and hurt Julio Hernandez, 5-0. Salvador Orellana of Shooters gave his team some hope, as he beat Victor Orellana, 5-3; but it was all about Dolphins thereafter. Luis Palma, the Dolphin who swam in from Placencia, edged Adali Alvarez, 5-4; and Daniel Orellana embarrassed Elias Hernandez, 5-1.
So, now we have a tied series, and we go to the third and final match. This is the big one, and the one that counted the most. It went down to the wire; but when the waves past, I saw no Dolphins around, as the Shooters will be charged with murdering them. The first two matches went to the Dolphins, as Moises Aguirre won Oscar, 5-4; and Luis Najera won Salvador Orellana, 5-2. Dolphins needed only one more win at this wave, but it never came, as Las Flores Shooters shot them away, uno a uno. Julio Hernandez demolished Daniel Orellana, 5-0; David Mejia won Victor Oreallna, 5-4; and Adali Alvarez put the icing on the cake for Las Flores, as he flogged Francisco Coxic, 5-2.
This Friday, August 21, it will be the big dance, part 1. Salvapan Shattaz vs Las Flores Shooters in Salvapan. Part 2: Saturday, August 22, Shattaz will pay a visit to Las Flores; and Part 3, if necessary, back in Salvapan on Sunday.
Let’s see who will be the champ to win the big prizes, and more importantly, to represent the Capital City in the national tournament in Sugar City on August 29 and 30.
IT’S ALL ABOUT THE SHOT… SO RACK ‘EM UP!!