Pagulayan is the Best of the Best at 8-Ball

Aug 13, 2012

We had several scenarios on the horizon regarding which player or players would end up at the end of Sundays' play with the most wins. By the end of Thursday we had two players with three "W's". Darren Appleton and Alex Pagulayan, both of whom would play again on Sunday. If they both lost on Sunday and Johnny Archer and Corey Deuel won then we would have a four-way tie.
However, if Appleton and Pagulayan won their matches on Sunday then we would have a two-way tie for first place. So the competition was more intense on Sunday than it was for the first three days.
Corey Deuel V Efren Reyes 1:00 PM Match
This match was a little sloppy, as both players came up dry on the break almost every rack and both players handed run outs to one another several times per game. Reyes stayed with Deuel as they got to 4-4, but from this point it was all Deuel who soon raised the score line to 7-4. It should be noted that Deuel missed four 8 balls that Stevie Wonder would probably make, and yet Reyes could never capitalize on these misses.
When Reyes did run out the balls the crowd was really behind him and they were enjoying the chance to see such a legend in action at the table. Reyes picked up another game after Deuel missed the 8 ball in rack 12, but Deuel broke and ran out the very next rack to secure the win at 8-5. This put Deuel with three "W's". To get in a tie he would be hoping that Appleton and Pagulayan both lost their matches.
Darren Appleton V Shane Van Boening 3:00 PM Match
Mr. Appleton made it known from the outset of this match that he was in the Simonis Arena for only one purpose and that was to win every game and get the "W". His determination soon had the score line at 4-0 in his favor.
It should be noted that rack 2 in this match was a total safety fest for shot after shot, and both players showed extreme patience, but it was the clever play from Appleton that kept Van Boening under pressure until Appleton was ready to pull the trigger. This rack was 8-Ball at its very best!
After Appleton came up dry in rack 5 Van Boening made a clever run out which included a bank to keep his positional play going and put his first game on the wire. Score now 4-1 to Appleton. Appleton soon got the score to 6-1 before Van Boening took down rack 8 with some stellar play including another bank to keep the pattern going. Score 6-2 to Appleton.
From here on in it was all Appleton who stamped his bulldog-like presence on the remainder of the match. He won the next game on his break, and then ran out the next game after Van Boening came up dry on the snap. This was truly a fantastic performance by Appleton, who just steam rolled right over Van Boening, who we know is no slouch when it comes to winning pool tournaments.
At this point Appleton had four wins and could only be equaled by Alex Pagulayan who needed to win his next match against Johnny Archer. If Pagulayan could win then there would be a playoff to decide the winner.
Alex Pagulayan V Johnny Archer 7:00 PM Match
This was a much awaited match as all eyes were on Pagulayan to see if he could get the win and force a playoff between himself and Darren Appleton.
Archer came up dry in the first rack, and Pagulayan began the run out but surprisingly missed an easy ball into the side pocket and Archer got the win. In the second rack Pagulayan came up dry on the break and handed another game to Archer. Score 2-0 to Archer.
Archer suffered an unproductive break in rack three and handed the game to Pagulayan. In rack four Pagulayan broke and ran out to tie the score at 2 apiece. The next six racks all went to the breaker and the match was tied at 5. From here everything went wrong for Archer, as he came up dry on the break in rack eleven and Pagulayan ran out. Score 6-5.
In rack twelve Pagulayan came up dry but Archer got a little out of position and missed a long shot up the rail. We must assume that 13 is a lucky number for Pagulayan, because he broke and ran out rack 13 to put the score at 8-5 for the win.
Now the 9:00 pm match would be Appleton and Pagulayan playing for the honor of who would be the first-time winner of the Accu-Stats "Make It Happen" 8-Ball Tournament.
Alex Pagulayan V Darren Appleton 9:00 PM Playoff
This match did not meet up to expectations as both players just could not get going and kept missing shots and letting the other player into the game. It was not until game 5 that an actual break and run occurred when Pagulayan made a red ball on the break and executed the run out. This put the score in Pagulayan's favor 3-2.
Rack 6 was a comedy of errors as the following mistakes were made. Appleton broke and made a yellow ball and attempted a bank as his first shot and missed. Pagulayan made one ball and got out of line, made two more balls and eventually got good on the 8 ball and missed. Appleton came to the table and missed the first shot, but left Pagulayan hooked by accident on the 8 ball. Pagulayan attempted a long kick on the 8 ball and handed ball in hand to Appleton who ran out. Score now 3-3.
The next two racks went to the breaker. Score 4-4. Rack 9 had Pagulayan coming up dry and Appleton mopped up a messy rack which was the result of a soft break that left all of the balls on the right hand side of the table. Score 5-4 to Appleton.
In rack 10 Appleton missed twice and Pagulayan once. Win to Pagulayan at 5-5. Pagulayan played a great opening slice into the bottom corner pocket to start rack 11 in what would be a very messy rack to get out on. Score 6-5 to Pagulayan.
Appleton came up dry again in rack 12 and allowed Pagulayan to the table to run out. Score 7-5 to Pagulayan.
In what would be the last rack of this tortuous affair Pagulayan came up dry and let Appleton to the table. Appleton took the red balls and caromed the sixth ball into the side pocket. For whatever reason he pounded it into the pocket sending the last red flying around the table, leaving himself with no shot on the last red. He had no option but to kick at it and although he hit it he left a run out of 7 balls to Pagulayan.
Photo courtesy of Eli Alkatraxx
Pagulayan knuckled down to the task at hand, and not only completed the run out, but won the first Accu-Stats Lets "Make it Happen" 8 Ball Tournament. This is a big win for Pagulayan and it begins his new dedication to the cue sports. Pagulayan tells us he is back into pool full-time now and will dedicate himself to the game for the next seven years.
This event ran like clockwork and although in its infancy the Accu-Stats team behind the scenes really did 'Make It Happen". Thanks must go out to the 100 customers of Accu-Stats Video Productions who made the investment that turned Pat Flemings' dream into a reality.
There was a family feeling that hung over the four day event that permeates from the owner and the staff of the room and the integrity of the fans that showed up to watch the six great players that were selected to play in this event.
Congratulations to Pat Fleming and to Sandcastle Billiards for producing this fine event.