Paul Hunter Classic 2008 A

Paul Hunter Classic 2008

27 August – I and my daughter Kate started our journey to Germany – Furth about 10 a.m. It was quite good journey and we were at our hotel about 2 p.m. Our GPS ignored in last few meters one-way road and therefore several cars flashed on us what we are doing in the opposite, but I closed my eyes and finished my journey. We packed out our luggage and went to the club, again by car. I ignored advices to go again via one-way roads and I went there by signposts. Our GPS was so confused that she found us just in front of the club. Players practiced hard there always and Thomas (organizer) and few members of Czech group arrived about 5 p.m. I have arranged a frame with Thomas, but he was so busy, that there wasn’t any opportunity to play it, maybe I will add myself into group of Czech players next year and I will have bigger chance to play with him . We watched play of one young player, about 14 years I suppose, who was great in control of cue ball. I will write more about him further. We returned to our hotel about 9,30 p.m.

28 August – we went right to the club – again with small wrong direction, but better – and qualifying matches of our players started. Unfortunately they weren’t too successful. Peter and Jan Vodrazka weren’t successful at all and Jan with his wife returned immediately to home. Eva Poskocilova and Eva Maskova, who as the only one played her match (unfortunately just one, cause she had, same as Petr Vodrazka, just one opponent in her group) in the Hall, weren’t successful too. Jiri Prihoda won one match, the second he failed and Jindra Prchal and Jan Prihoda won their first matches too, but they had big bad luck in their second matches, because they both won the first frame, but then they had to play just short format of frame (one red and colours) due to lack of time. I don’t know if it was because they are not used to it, but they failed these short frames and frames decider, which were played again in this short format, they failed too - pity. Jan Prihoda and Jiri Prihoda (they aren’t relatives), who failed his second match, left Germany too. The only one who moved through the group was Stepan Zabloudil, who won both his qualifying matches and he faced next day for example David Gray. I have been spoken that the rest of players have chance too, because if pros won’t arrive, lucky losers will be drawn and therefore Jan or Jindra would have a chance but they haven’t stay up to Saturday there in the end. We went into Chinese restaurant to celebrate Stepan’s progress and we had 4 delicious meals. They took us with Kate at our hotel and they continued in celebration. Unfortunately too long, cause they went to sleep towards morning.

29 August – we went right to the Hall and finally we received entry permission. We were invited by Thomas without tickets and we haven’t problems up to now, cause there were enough people who knew me and therefore we received cards „Special quest“. We started to gain first pics, for the time being without signatures, because we haven’t programme. Stepan unfortunately failed all his matches and he didn’t move into further stage. World Team Speed Cup was held in the evening and 3 of our players were involved there too – Jindra Prchal as a captain, Stepan Zabloudil and Petr Vodrazka. We supported them from the top of our lungs and they done very well, but they failed their duel and they left immediately Germany and we remained just 3 there – me, Kate and Eva Poskocilova. Speed Cup was a great fun, pros supported standing and the best was, when juniors played against another pros – Rest of the World – and Bingham, Murphy, White and others supported standing juniors, where one of discipline was perfect managed by this boy, who we watched the first day in the Club during his practice. The biggest applause received tiny blond boy, who played decider discipline and he managed to beat Gerard Greene – I think he potted 3 balls. To format – 8 teams attended against the other team in knockout format – first player had to pot asap 10 red balls – winner earned 1 point, second player had to pot asap colours, where colour balls weren’t on their usual places – winner again received point. When there was an even score, there was third discipline, which decided winner of this round – 5 reds were placed around blue point in distance 10 cm and player had to pot them with ball in „D“. Who potted the most was winner. Seeds team – Legends (White, Davis, Drago), Welsh (Stevens, Davies, Walker), England (Murphy, Cope, Bingham) and PHC Champions (King, Holt, Pinches) then played with 4 winning teams from the first round. Two new disciplines were added into competition – there were 2 red balls at each pocket and player had to pot them asap, the last discipline was frame with 6 reds and player had 1 minute for his game, who had the biggest score was winner. I don’t remember who beat who and how, because whole event was in main the fun, support and entertainment, but I think winner was Welsh, who beat Rest of the World (Robertson, McBreen, Borg).

30 August – all pros, who failed at the Northern Ireland Trophy were always at the Paul Hunter Classic, there was even Jan Verhaas – he confirmed me that in Germany is better stay. We continued in collection of signatures and pics, I was glad mainly that there were some newbies – Rory McLeod and Mark Williams. Pros joined the matches and we could see nice breaks over hundred. For instance Mark Williams played in one match 2 hundreds and his opponent could just sit and watch. The day was finished with Players Party, the beginning was mainly managed by Bernie and Selby, who shared drawing of raffle and Selby confirmed his nick and he clowned around so much, that audience cried by laugh. Finally instead of Murphy, who had to play one frame with winner of tombola, played this frame himself and with big Bernie’s help he failed this frame. Bernie for example counted all his balls just for one point, while the woman received in one moment 25 points for one ball . Then Davis showed several trickshots (I mean the successful ones were just 2 and not for first try, but it wasn’t matter at all) and he said several jokes, I remember just one old – when he went to Germany, he wanted to learn quickly German language, but they told him, that it’s not possible and that will be enough if he will speak slowly, he arrived in hotel and very slowly started to speak with hotel clerk, he answered him very slowly in English too and Davis asked him (again very slowly): “Are you Englishmen?” “Yes” “And why then we speak German?” – whole this very old joke he said in very slow English so even I understood him . Then we moved the VIP Hall where was music and some drinks. We stayed there until about half past midnight, because I had to think about it’s already Sunday and I have to go home. Jan Verhaas managed to get loaded and he lost status of reputable referee at all (just joke of course). He complemented very well with David Gray, but it wasn’t surprise due to experience from past.

31 August – we just enjoyed knockout matches and watched how Lasse Munstermann eliminates great players (his run stopped after our departure Jimmy White). We said goodbye to Thomas about 3 p.m. and sat into our car. Shaun Murphy won whole tournament, when he beat Mark Selby in final. It was against great event and more participation of players and Jan Verhaas speaks for fact, to Association think more about what to clash with this great event next time.