More “old wives tales” and March roared in like a Lion with the non stop heavy snow which has dumped over 5′ at Telluride in the last week.
I’ve been fighting a cold all week but I’m winning the battle and should be good for pool on Saturday, and finally our first trip to the slopes on Sunday if Brenda can shake her cold with massive injects of vitamin C. Need to get up there as the resort closes first week in April and we haven’t strapped on a ski yet!!
A not to be pool afternoon, Brenda gets first out and I seem to be going well with 2 wins then a loss, but I’m missing what I would rate as easy shots and letting the opposition back on the table. Another lucky win and then an infuriating loss with the black just on the lip after a superb cut. Yet another non paying 4th place. 3rd I can always live with but 4th ?
Sunday morning, time change done, never see the point at this latitude, now its back to driving in the dark again for the first run. Brenda is heavy with cold so skiing gets the cnx! Seems there is a lot of this one around and everybody is going down with it and complaining of no energy.
We venture up to the Hollywood and see how week 2 will be of these new Sunday competitions. Not so good, not enough players to run it so it gets the cnx too! Only bright spot was another black ball break for me and after clearing the “pot” last week I was surprised to find just over $14.00 in the jar.
The week slips by, the snow melts and temps are back on the way up. Saturday pool comes and goes…… not so good today! Brenda does somewhat better and ends up in 5th. Plan now for skiing on Sunday but the temps are forecast for the high 50’s and she is not that keen for some reason so it will be Mancos where we have not been this year so virgin territory for the 2015 pool sharks.
Temps must be close to 70 ??? Very warm, no wind and cloudless skies. Have to agree that skiing would not have been ideal. Ice in the morning, slush in the afternoon. Oh well, its only mid March and it could be awful and bitterly cold but Spring is very much in the air for the second time this year.
Pool kicks off with a full 16 players and I win game 1. Brenda looks set to win hers but the opposition gets lucky and manage to take it while she was a mile ahead. I meet Anita who has just beaten her husband Mike which is a bit of a surprise. Anita is “on” and very accurate, but so am I and I get the upper hand for the win.
Brenda is pretty angry about her first loss and is first on the black for a simple shot to the middle having been given a scratched white. It all looks good, angle, speed and in it goes but the white seems to suddenly pick up speed and with the “less than perfect” level of the table runs downhill and curves into the bottom pocket like a golf shot! Now she is seriously unhappy and drinks heavily and unwisely!
My next match is against Teresa who plays well and is on home turf and knows the tables. She very nearly runs the table but misses the black which is within an inch of the pocket. I make a great comeback and then I’m on my last ball with the easy black to come. Even with the odd levels the ball refuses to drop and she is now set up for an absolute straight in shot. Looks like curtains for me but she follows it straight in giving me an unexpected win!!
So with 3 wins with 16 players I can’t finish worse than 3rd so that does take some of the pressure off. I play Donnie next and this year we have been close to 50/50 with perhaps me having a slight advantage overall. Today he gets it in a VERY close game and advances to the final while I move over and take on the winner from the loser’s bench for the 3rd or better slot. I have a good game here and win without it getting too close.
Donnie and myself then in the final and I must rack the first of 2 frames. I win the first and now its a coin toss which I also win so I get the advantage of the break. Now would be a perfect time for another one of my famous “black ball breaks” ……. it doesn’t happen and every ball moves apart from the black ! A very strange game develops with each ball just getting in the way of anything you want to make. Donnie eventually makes a run and then I’m back on for about 3. Donnie runs out to the black ball but misses, I’m back in for another 3 but miss the last allowing Donnie back and he misses again! Cue ball in a less than ideal position for my last ball. Cut or bank? Neither is easy but the cut will give me a good position on the black. The cut angle is about 95 degrees and I get about 97 and it gently bumps the side rail and sits in the jaws, and of course the cue ball rolls up nicely for the black which is now a gift! Close, but never mind 2nd place will do as the first qualification for this season at the Columbine and goes someway to make up for yesterday’s dismal showing. Now I’m all pumped up for this coming weekend.
TONY DOWN