The first round of the Guinness 9-ball tournament concluded last weekend in the City of Belmopan with breathtaking matches, and it’s a privilege to share the individual results with you billiards fans.
On Friday, May 30, the upstart Rookies Hi-Five rolled in to challenge Donaldo’s Welders at Capricho’s place, but the Welders put up their burglar bars so that Rookies could not enter their house and steal a victory, as the match ended 3-2 in favor of the Welders. It was a spine-tingling and marvelous match, as the Rookies started off looking and feeling really good when David Gongora drilled senior player Donaldo Murillo, 4-1; and especially when Terrence “Teo” Fernandez crucified captain Luis Palma by a whapping 4-ZIP. So the two wins for the Rookies came in their first two matches, but that was all she wrote. The Welders came back with Moises Aguirre making the right shots to send home Arthur “Jack” Smith, 4-1. That win gave the Welders hope and life, and they won the next two matches, as Jose Palma defeated captain Fidel Mendoza, 4-2, followed by Saam Yaam hurting Manuel Fernandez, 4-1. The match was umpired by Anthony Williams of Fort Point Security.
On Saturday, May 31, what promised to be the match of the week turned out to look like placing butter against the sun, as the Special Effects SharpShooters hosted Magnificent-7, and melted them away with a 5-ZIP blowout. Both teams were tied at 20 points going into this match, but the SharpShooters stood up to their name, looking sharp and smart, making Magnificent-7 look as if they were “Inefficient”, rather than what their name suggests. In the first match, Juan “Maiestro” Villanueva made a comeback this week, as he gave Alvarick “Nally” Guy lessons on the table by beating him, 4-1. Then it was Floyd “Rojo” Enriquez to step up to the table and serve the ever deadly Pedro Escobar, 4-3. Next it was Wayne “Mangis” Wiltshire to embarrass last year’s MVP, Arturo “Bruce” Pelayo (captain), 4-1. The fourth match was between Densford Mangar and Edmund Guy, a match that some people placed their money “where their mouth was”. In the end, Densford defended his colleagues and name, and kept the winning streak alive, as he hammered Edmund “Eggy” Guy, 4-2. The last game was between Shawn Armstrong and Clifford King (captain), but King was too hot to handle, as he cruised past Shawn, 4-2. The match was umpired by Luis Palma of Donaldo’s Welders.
On Sunday, June 1, game one of the second round commenced, and it was Rookies Hi-5 to beat Fort Point Security for the second time. It was a well contested match, but Rookies prevailed by a 3-2 victory. For the Rookies, it was Fidel Mendoza (captain) to beat Marty Gabourel, 4-2; Carl Wade to get a win over the only female in the tournament, Samantha Metzger, 4-1; and the rising superstar Terrence “Teo” Fernandez to blank Anthony Williams, 4-ZIP. Anthony was the second player to fall victim to one of Teo’s blowouts, so it is evident that Teo is making a name for himself in the tournament. In the losing effort, it was Mr. Jose Carmen Zetina who shot like a pro to “lick-shot” on David Gongora; and Mr. Zetina’s son, Gerson to get past Arthur “Jack” Smith, 4-3. The match was umpired by Arturo “Bruce” Pelayo of Magnificent-7.
In last week’s article, we forgot to mention that Arturo “Bruce” Pelayo had defeated Manuel Fernandez, 4-2; and Alvarick “Nally” Guy had beaten Artan Tucker, 4-2, in their losing effort against Rookies Hi-5; so we say respect to them, and extend our apologies.
TOP SHATTA OF THE WEEK: Terrence “Teo” Fernandez, who blanked two of his opponents, 4-ZIP; so we say, “Big up, Teo”.
IT’S ALL ABOUT THE SHOT, so…… RACK ‘EM UP!!!