I woke up to the news that Wayne Rooney is out for four weeks as England prepares to face Croatia. Now, like the best of skeptics, or some say realists, I think England’s journey to Euro 2008 ended on the plastic pitch in Moscow with that Pavlyuchenko goal. And even if Israel manage to take points off Russia, there is no guarantee England would be able to beat Croatia, by far the standout team in their group. England fans are dying to start The Great Escape chant, but will they have a chance?
Here in Manila, it’s a red letter day for England as far as pool is concerned. Have only ever had two players reach the final eight – Steve Knight in 1999 when he lost to Chao Fong-Pang, and Steve Davis in 2000 who lost to Corey Deuel – two Blackpool lads, Karl Boyes and Daryl Peach have surpassed that record in emphatic fashion. Boyes and Peach both won through to the final four and could well set up a first-ever all-English final in the history of the World Pool Championship.
While Karl Boyes continued to shoot steadily, despatching his new friend Joven Bustamante 11-8, on the main TV Table it was pure drama. Francisco Bustamante, the prohibitive favourite at this stage of the competition, with eight players left in the draw, was up against Peach.
Against all expectations, it was Django who was chasing the match. Starting cold, Django quickly fell1-6 behind before getting back three racks. Peach then went 9-4 in front before Django got back to the table. Cue Django magic: 5-9 became 6-9, then 7-9, and 8-9. At 9-9, even Django himself began to sense this was going to be his day, with the table breaking easy and the crowd behind him. Django went 10-9 up and the crowd roared. You don’t need Ali and Frazier here to get the Araneta Coliseum going.
Then came this tournament’s defining moment: out of position on the three ball, Django played the ball off the bottom cushion to get at the three. The cue ball connected both the 3 and 9 balls and the yellow-striped ball travelled up the table and into the top corner pocket. Amazing! a 3-9 carrom to end the match! Django roared, turned around and started shaking hands with his fans.
But wait! In the media room, shouts of ‘foul shot’ rang out. I turned and watched the TV screen. At the table, Peach was livid. I saw the normally soft-spoken Englishman spinning around shouting an invective – the four-letter word that rhymes with ‘duck’ was lost amid the noise. The camera panned to Django, and suddenly, there was uncertainty in Django’s eyes. Apparently, referee Nigel Rees had called a halt to the proceedings, the game was not over, the ref wants a second look.
Thomas Overbeck, the WPA’s Sports Director and the top rules man for this tournament had got out of his chair at the media centre and is now down at the table. Rees was having a second look at the replays. At this very moment, I was proud to have once worked for ESPN STAR Sports. Say what you want about the coverage, those cameras are perfectly placed. TV viewers got to see replays from various angles – diagonal right, side on left and of course, the top camera mounted among the light fixtures. They went to slow-mo, then super slow-mo. The cue ball came off the cushion and contacted the 9 ball first before kissing the 3. It was a foul shot.
Rees conferred with Head Referee Michaela Tabb, then with Overbeck. Here’s what Overbeck said about the rules: the referee is allowed to use any and all means to determine if a shot was legal, which includes conferring with fellow referees and using TV replays. In any case, Rees has the final call on this situation. And he made the correct call, ruling it a foul shot. The crowd was understandably unhappy, could this be another situation of a white man robbing an Asian of victory? Damn it, there is no need to go down that road. Everything’s on TV, see for yourself.
The TV evidence is clear, it was a foul shot. Django tried to argue it was a simultaneous contact, and many in the crowd were in agreement. Yes, the mind can choose to see what it wants to see, that don’t make it right. Rees re-spotted the 9-ball and it was ball in hand to Peach. But Django was not done, he wanted to see Overbeck, the situation was boiling over. Overbeck met with Django and explained that it was the correct decision, the two are good friends from when Django was based in Germany. Django finished his smoke and went back to the table. Amid the murmurs of discontent, the match resumed.
Peach held his nerve and slowly worked the balls off the table to tie the score. A good break and another slow and deliberate run-out later, and Peach was through. Half-hearted boos rang out, and Django got his bag and walked out of the arena. Pausing to a moment to unscrew his cues, he then plodded away. Another year, another chance missed. Would his turn ever come?
As the spectators left their chairs, a senior Filipino cuesport journalist who shall remain unnamed was clearly dissatisfied. “I’m through with the World Pool Championship,” he huffed to the silver-haired president of the BSCP (Billiards and Snooker Congress of the Philippines) Ernesto Fajardo. Fajardo blinked and said nothing in reply. What could he say? Was is an unpopular decision what had happened earlier? Sure it was. Was it the right decision? Tough one for Mr Fajardo, I would expect.
In the media room, Peach spoke of his reaction after Django had sunk the bank shot. “I knew it was a foul. I wasn’t ready to lose.”
Asked how he was feeling coming back to the table, “My arms were like jelly. I was surprised I kept on going.”
Two Englishmen from Blackpool, ending the campaigns of two Bustamantes… and The Great Escape for Daryl Peach, di di di di….
