You Never Know With Scotchy

This week’s Scotch doubles saw 9 half-random pairs pile into the club:

Ali and Khan
Tash and Henri (2)
Hassan and Peter
Konstantin and Ciaran
Cip and Andy C
Spencer and Sean
Martin and Saman
Andrew P and Erwin
Martinho and Glen (1)

Hassan Mehedi impersonated So Shaw in arriving over 90 minutes late so Andrew Phan stepped in for him.

The only pre-round saw second seeds (9/4 to win) Tash and Henri smash up Ali and Khan, 5-2, banishing them to the loser’s bracket.

Quarter final of the winner’s side and pre-tournament second seeds, Tash and Henri storm to another drubbing (5-1), this time over Andrew and Peter.

Bookies favourites, coming in at 2/1 for the title, Martinho Correia and Glen Hargreaves, grilled Andrew and Erwin, 5-3, whilst Spencer and Sean feasted on the scraps left by Cip and Andy C,
toppling them 5-3.

On table 2, Martin “three foul rule” Leonar and the mighty Saman struggled against Konstantin and Ciaran, who swept past them quietly, 5-2.

In the loser’s side, Ali and Khan overcame Martin and Saman, and then Andrew P was to thwart himself (I think?) in a 5-4 tug-of-war, leaving his pairing with Ervin ready for the next round but the Pirate, Peter Hsu, dead in the water.

Ali and Khan tussled on the Brunswick to outsmart a tired and restless Cip and Andy, both unable to hit more than a good shot in three – Andy Banks dogging the last 9 ball at hill-hill. Twerp.

In the winner’s side semis, we saw the clash of the top seeds – a battle of the ages. The key game, 4-3 down, Martinho and Glen couldn’t manage to hold it together to stop Tash and Henri from sinking the final 9, winning 5-3.

Another close one saw Spencer and Sean succumb to Ciaran and Konstantin, 5-3, who were clearly communicating well by this stage - you could see it as a jolly pairing, Konstantin’s jokes keeping things light - leaving the winner’s final (actually the semi final because it’s double elimination) between Tash and Henri, and pre-tournament mid-runners (5/2), Konstantin and Ciaran.

The loser’s side continued with Martinho and Glen taking down Ali and Khan 5-2, Glen playing especially well, as Spencer and Sean zinged past Andrew and Erwin, 5-1.

Table 4 was set for the loser’s semi between the favourites, and Spencer and Sean, and it wasn’t going to disappoint…Martinho and Glen anyway. The two of them worked well together, expecting perfection of themselves - as Martinho always does - and delivering, hopscotching over Spencer and Sean 5-0, setting up the clash of the titans.

Martinho and Glen dug in and marred Tash and Henri’s hopes of a final against the sneaky Konstantin and crafty Ciaran, in their re-match, nailing Tash and Henri by the scoreline of the day: 5-3.

Revenge by double-elim sword. Cutting.

War-torn and bedraggled from the marathon against their top rivals, Martinho and Glen stumbled confidently into the iron curtain of Konstantin and Ciaran, who summoned their inner demons to cast aside Correia the Jordie’s best strikes and take the title, by, yes, 5 frames to 3.

That’s two consecutive finals in a row for Martinho Correia, who we could expect to see up with ‘the big four’ (Ram; Tash; Rod; Daniel) in two shakes of a lamb’s tail.

Well done Konstantin you ninja duck! Nicely sliced, Ciaran - wouldn’t want to be in your group on Wednesdays.

Until next time.

Additional notes: Please be aware that ranking points do not count for "special" weeks like the Scotch Doubles events.  Therefore, there are no changes to ranking points and positions. 

And finally, any mistakes made over the past few weeks are entirely of Andy Curzon's doing.  Please direct all social media abuse at him.

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Written by Dan Suh

Category: Home

Published: 05 October 2022

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Tash keeps Ram's throne warm as Kostiantyn knocks at the door

On the day of the Liz 2 nd ’s funeral, and with Ramesh on holiday, the newly capped 32 budding hopefuls took to the Tooting baize for another clash of cues at Asif’s.
Arriving later than usual - just after 6pm, I saw Richard V playing on table 2 (the old ‘bucket Brunswick’ as Tash coined it) and decided to have a knock, only to find Richard’s cue action much
improved and the pockets skinnier than before, now measuring at almost exactly 4.1 inches (and re-clothed recently). Management and staff are always looking to improve things at our club, which we all very much appreciate.

The pre-tourney 10 ball break’n’run saw Khan break dry on table 4, and the surprisingly tough cannon skill shot of white onto 1 ball onto 2 ball into a chosen corner (all from a line down the
middle of the table) had Ben V and Khan both miss by a distance on the Brunswick. An initial gander at the draw saw the new top dogs Tash, Rod, Cip, and Daniel Son Baker all drawn in
a brutal top half, also alongside Gabriel and G to the J.

Top half first rounds saw last week’s champion Ali motor ahead 3-0 against Tash - who won GJ’s SMB tournament last night - allowing a nice 5-in-a-row comeback for Tash who snagged it 5-3. On the 4.1-inch-pocket Brunswick, Daniel Son nipped past Rod 5-4, brutalising much of the hard work God’s put into getting to 2 nd /3rd in the club’s rankings.  GJ numbed Ranj 5-3 to set up another classic 2 nd round vs Tash. Andy C went 1-4 down vs Erwin on table 4 before turning the tables to actually win a tournament game for the first time in well over a month. Krishen dusted off an out-of-form Joe G 5-2, and Gabriel shredded the mighty Saman without dropping a rack. The last match of the first rounders in the top half saw Ahmad ‘breadstick’ (a tennis term for winning a set 6-1…the winning only one frame being the breadstick) Ben V to send him for an early bath.

Arguably the clash of the first rounders saw Daniel Son turbo past Rod Altes 5-4 on the 4.1-inch-pocket Brunswick (from 3-4 down, no less). If neither felt fortunate to have drawn each other in the first round, they’d be fuming to see Gabriel waiting for them next! In the bottom half, Dmitrius brought Khan to a rolling boil 5-3 and Andrew P edged past Craig L 5-4 (wish I’d seen this – both play with noticeable verve). Glen slayed Ciaran 5-3, Jaz breadsticked Hassan Mehedi, and Konstantin nailed Usman 5-2.  Every time I looked over to table 2 Tomasz Jedlicki was silking another ball in with pinpoint white ball control, but it wasn’t enough to topple newcomer Jamie “rapid fire” O’Brian, who came out ahead 5-3. More breadsticks for the out-of-practice Venables brothers as Shadi overcame Dan V 5-1, and finally Hassan A sailed past Marius by the same 5-1 scoreline.

2 nd rounds in the top half had Ahmad surprise Ciprian 5-2, Andy C dispose of Krishen 5-2, Tash again go 0-3 down against an in-form GJ (who was out for revenge after losing to Tash at SMB yesterday) and again simmer through, this time 5-4, as well as Gabriel fire on all cylinders to bypass Daniel Son Baker on table 6, 5-4.  In the bottom half, Dmitrius Tariajevas blitzed Andrew Phan 5-2, Konstantin bulldozered Glen 5-2, Shadi neatly bounced over Hassan Aljumaili 5-4, and Jaz broke in Jamie 5-2.

This week’s quarter finals saw Tash politely refuse his usual first three frame gifts v Andy C and mashed him up 5-0 with the same killer instinct that inspired Andy to pick up an American cue in the first place. Jaz’s rampage was sharply halted by Shadi’s wand as Shadi ironed him out 5-2, Konstantin steamrollered Dmitrius 5-0, and Gabriel did Ahmad in 5-2, setting up the semis: Tash v
Gabriel, and Konstantin v Shadi.  Gabriel fought valiantly against the man of the moment, Tash, but couldn’t find a way past him - succumbing 5-2, whilst brave Kostya Ivanov (Konstantin/Ducky) somehow saw off Shadi 5-1 (it’s not often you see someone of Shadi’s quality being breadsticked – well done to the 15 year old).

And so to the final. Tash vs Konstantin. Would it be the up and coming Ukrainian or the silkster from hell itself? Konstantin did himself proud in his first final at the club but could only win 2 frames against Mr. Fishonahook who roasted the youngster over his spit before devouring him 5-2, cementing his second place in the club rankings.

Watch out Ram, Tash is back!

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Written by Dan Suh

Category: Home

Published: 21 September 2022

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Ronase runs riot as Peter Hsu edges closer

Sit back, crack a beer, and nestle into another dream with us at the home of American pool.
This week: 9 ball; race to 6 (next week Scotch doubles).
Let’s get stuck in.

Top half first rounds had crackerjack Nick Ronase face off against Jamie “Rapid Fire” in a tense table two tussle, Nick showing heaps of mettle, a three-nine plant, and lashings of white-ball wizardry to charge through 6-4. Jamie cracked some bangers in, but the table was faster than he’s used to and the white ran away from him, letting the best breaker at the club in two too many times.

Table 4 saw a monster showdown between Andy Adams and newcomer, Ken Ofili. Ken getting used to the Tooting baize, allowed Andy to muster a hard fought 4-0 lead and Ken dragged himself back to 5-4 deficit, but was eventually harpooned 6-4.

Table six saw Gabriel “how does he not win way more” [Ram quote] Vasilache take on a steaming Pistol Pete “The Clinic” Cloherty, building on their rivalry at the top of the second tier at the club in a strange encounter of the third kind (first time they played Gabriel won 5-4 from 2-4 down on table 2: 9 ball; second time they played Pistol toasted Gabriel 6-1, missing one open pot all match: 8 ball).
Pistol had been playing all afternoon, break dishing - or reverse dishing – almost every game, definitely a man on a mission since Ali came back from 0-4 to cream him 5-4 a few months back.

With his newly bedded in soft Kamui tip on 314-3 shaft, The Clinic continued his lessons as Gabriel slowly fell apart, missing two mid-range balls by almost a foot to hand Pistol a 5-2 lead, before Gabriel salvaged a scrappy one, and then scratched in the 9 th to give away the final frame, losing 6-3.
Gifts welcome!

Arul did himself proud winning a frame against Daniel Son. It’s good to see him becoming a regular fixture at the club.
Marius Dandu. What can a man say? Such a fluid player. The Mark Williams of American 9 ball. He can not only pot from anywhere, but command the white to glide neatly into a nun’s corner pocket. But facing him last night was The Gladiator, Hamza Itum. Unshakeable, well-oiled, and grinning at the thought of the challenge, Hamza grilled Marius and eventually bumped him off 6-4.
Approached for his post match interview, Marius was only seen walking outside for a fag, muttering to himself “lucky lucky lucky…”.

Next, Martinho Correia took on Shadi Ed in the most eagerly awaited first rounder since Joshua Filler v GJ Oyangoren earlier in the year. Martinho used to grace the tables of Riley’s Victoria ::boo hiss:: back in the early 2000s and give starts to Rico Diks, Imran Majid, So Shaw, and all the rest. Out of practice, he prepared to face, in my view one of the most respectable cue actions in the London’s Finest cadre, Mr. Ed himself.
Martin galloped ahead, only to find Shadi resiliently sneak back. Martin dribbled some more in with precision, as he does, and found himself 5-4 up. Shadi looked down at the table, determined, composed, and struck a lovely clearance to draw it to hill-hill. But the MC burrowed in for the last sprint and took Shadi at the line in a photo finish.

Ranj snatched victory from the jaws of defeat swindling Ali the Greatest (6-5), and GJ trounced Paz 6-2 without breaking a sweat.

In the bottom half, last week’s bandit, Tash, edged past George Parkinson 6-4. The teenage mutant pool robot, otherwise known as Kostiantyn, decimated Joe Granville by the same scoreline, as Tomasz excavated Henri out of the digging of his own grave, 6-2.
Rod capsized Sean 6-0, leaving him up the creak without a paddle. Peter “The Pirate” Hsu ship-wrecked Richard Vinluan 6-2, and Khan gate-crashed Ervin’s parade, 6 racks to 2. The last two first round games saw Paul Choong sink Glen Hargreaves 6-4, and Hassan Aljumaili rip Andy C a new side-bag, 6-2.

Second rounds and GJ had a rematch with Joshua Filler in mind while milking Ranj 6-0, and then Martinho Correia mutilated Daniel Son 6-2 in a wonderful display, really showing the man how to push out!

Hamza The Gladiator continued his barbaric onslaught against Andy Adams, slaying him with his final blow, 6-5, leaving him awaiting the winner of Pistol Pete or Nick Ronase.
And it was to be an epic, Nick humbly remarking after he’d “just capitilised on the mistakes”, eventually splintering Pete, 6-5. On being asked what it was like being taken to The Ronase Clinic, Pistol Pete mumbled “hot and busy”. How long will this hill-hill loss keep him away?

Bottom half saw artful revenge for the Ukrainian Ninja as he flashed past no. 2 Tash. Kostiantyn poured 6 bucket loads of liquid silliness all over Tash’s head and Tash could only manage 4 back, handing Ukraine a spot in the quarters for a second week in a row.
Peter Hsu continued his swashbuckling run, cantering past Khan 6-4, General Zod (see Superman 2 from 1980) showed Tomasz who’s the daddy, offering him only a single rack in consolation, and Hassan A obliterated Paul Choong’s dream of a deep run, 6-2.

So the quarters: Nick v Hamza; Martinho v GJ; Kostiantyn v Rod; Peter Hsu v Hassan A.
Nick wasn’t in the mood to give an inch to The Gladiator, continuing his electric run as he soldered Hamza 6-2, and Martinho showed his class against GJ by coagulating him 6-1.
In the bottom two quarters, Rod medicated the hyper Ukrainian 6-2, injecting his usual viper grip over his opponents, and then The Pirate played to a new level nudging past Hassan Aljumaili 6-3 to reach his first semi-final at the club.

Here was where the dream was to end for the two hopefuls, Nick Ronase and Peter Hsu – both doing themselves proud by reaching the semis in a strong field. Martin Correia had to deal with a vibrant fight from Nick but eventually cast him aside 6-3, as Rod cruised past Peter, 6-1.

The blockbuster night ended in ruin for all but God. Martin Correia hadn’t even finished his pre-match routine before Rod Altes vapourized him 5-0, once again crowning himself temporary king of Ram Palace.

Pandemonium set in at the club and beyond as Mr. Altes counted his evening’s rack losses on one hand and lifted the trophy in the other, his fan clamouring for autographs as he whipped them further into a frenzied winner’s chant that was heard deep into the night along the streets of Tooting.
Tash and Rod have both basked in a paddle of a Ramless sea, but not for long. Time to wake up now.

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Written by Dan Suh

Category: Home

Published: 28 September 2022

Hits: 336

Muhammed Ali Proves His Greatness

Monday night and 37 of the best players in London (maybe not all 37 can claim to be the best though) gathered at London Snooker, Tooting, for the Multiball tournament.  Local legends who are known throughout the UK, like Ramesh Gokhul, Tashunka Schultz, GJ Oyangoren, Gabriel Vasilache, Ciprian Dandi, Hassan Mehedi, Tomasz Jedlecki, and Daniel Baker are well-known throughout and beyond London, and the importance of regularly having such high quality in the field means that everyone needs to step up and achieve the standards of these guys.  Lesser known, but no less talented players, like Rod Altes, Muhammed Ali, Kostiantyn Ivanov, Martin Leonar, Dan Suh (stop laughing), and many more are snapping at the heels and this is what makes Monday nights THE place to be to play pool, at least on a Monday night.

The early rounds saw a huge clash of titans, as Ram and Rod battled out early on.  With Ram ranked number 1 and Rod consistently ranked 2 or 3 this year, you might expect a close battle, but surprisingly Ram came through with relative ease, 4-1.  Interviewed on LFP TV, Rod took the defeat well but explained that a new tip that hadn't been bedded in, had caused his loss.  With Ramesh touring around the world over the next 6 weeks, we'll see less of him for a small while, meaning that if one person can show Ram's levels of consistency over the coming weeks, they will be reining in the diminutive Guyanan. 

Quite a few whitewashes in the early rounds, with Nick Ronase offering a lack of resistance against Daniel Baker.  Paul Choong couldn't really get his game together against Kosta, Sean feeling the full force of Tash's good form, whilst Martin Leonar quickly despatched Arul.  Additionally, Big Jim lost out to Cip, Gabriel demonstrated his usual qualities against Ali Haidery, Hassan Amin completely destroying Khan, and rookie Ankita Sharma couldn't nick a frame against Edgar.  Don't really think she could even hold the cue properly either, nor even chalk her cue...bit of an odd entry in any case.  

Hill hill battles were plentiful too.  Muhammed Ali nicked a win in the first round against Ben Venables, and had another hill hill battle against Hamza Itum to progress to the last 16.  Sher was delighted to have overcome Joe Granville, his first win since May.  Ciaran might claim result of the night, as he beat Tom Jedlecki (last week's finalist).  A huge battle between Hassan Mehedi and Geordie Glen, but Hassan just edged it in the final frame.  And of course, Dan Suh pushed GJ (Garry if you didn't know) Oyangoren to his limits as he ground GJ down but somehow a dodgy pocket robbed the Destroyer of a valuable win.

The last 16 saw Sher involved in another hill hill battle, but Tej clawed it back to win 5-4.  Daniel Baker absolutely wiped the floor clean with Ciaran to win 4-1.  Kosta tried but made too many errors to take advantage of his opportunities against Ram and lost 5-2.  GJ had, perhaps, exhausted himself in his previous match against the Destroyer, and lost 4-0 to Tash.  Muhammed Ali went into another hill hill battle against Ramon, and nicked the win at the death, again!  Meanwhile, Hassan Mehedi overcame Martin 4-3, and Edgar faced a higher quality opponent in this round, against Hassam Amin, and still came through without dropping a frame.  The other matchup saw local Romanian rivals, Cip face Gabriel.  No surprise that it was a high quality game that went to hill hill, but Gabriel eventually came through.

The quarters had Tej run out of steam against the ever impressive Daniel, whilst Tash couldn't quite find the consistency that he has before 10pm (his bedtime) and lost out to Ram. Muhammed Ali decided he didn't want any more hill hill battles, and whitewashed Hassan Mehedi.  And Edgar came up against a very impressive Gabriel. The semi final always sees some impressive games, and the short races really puts players under pressure to perform from the off.  The first semi had Ram and Daniel face each other, and unsurprisingly a game of immense quality ensued.  Ram built up the momentum, though, and saw Daniel off 4-2.  In the other semi, Muhammed Ali might be accused of running out of steam in previous attempts, but not on this night.  Gabriel will be disappointed, but Ali kicked into another level to win 4-2.

The thing with Ali is that he is a high quality performer on his day.  His potting skills are, at times, frightening, and he is immensely competitive.  He has reached finals before, but he can lose concentration, or maybe it's the aura of Ram, but Ali is yet to win a tournament.  Until last night!  Maybe Ram's head was already on holiday, but Ali put together his best performance of the year as he demolished Ram 4-1.  The emotion got a bit much for Ali as he jumped on the table shouting "I'm the greatest, I'm the king of Tooting, I told you suckas that no-one can beat me!" as the crowd watched on.  A fine performance, but the big question is whether he can continue this on whilst Ram is away.  Plenty of players will know that there's a huge opportunity for them, it's just a case of who will grab their chance?

Finally, I am away for a few weeks, so Andy Curzon will be taking over the reports and there might be some small delays in getting everything posted up.  I'm really grateful to those who take the time to read these, but remember that the gratitude really should go to Cip and Andrew for their tireless efforts for no reward at all.  Please support the tournaments, the organisers, and be welcoming to all new players (so long as they know how to hold a cue).

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Written by Dan Suh

Category: Home

Published: 13 September 2022

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