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Headstring News
Day Six and Fatigue is a Tough Opponent
Sep 7, 2006, 9:53 PM
It's round four of the International Pool Tour's World Open and fatigue is starting to play a role in the performance of the 36 remaining players.
"We're to the point where physical stamina is going to really factor in," said Charlie Williams after winning his first match against Ben Davies, 8-0. Davies was undefeated yesterday, while Williams barely snuck into round four. Williams is on the streak today, winning his first four matches, beating Efren "Bata" Reyes, 8-6, Charlie Bryant, 8-2, Jason Miller, 8-4, and will face longtime friend Rodney Morris in the fifth and final match, about to take place here at the Grand Sierra Resort & Casino. Morris will need to win to secure his spot in round five.
Of his preparation for the event, Williams said he "actually practiced, for once," and increased his focus on physical conditioning. "The thing that exhausts me the most is the decision-making," he said. "I'm a 9-ball player. Thorsten (Hohmann) has more of a straight-pool and 8-ball background, so he sees the patterns right away," Williams said of his cornerman. Hohmann changed his flight to support Williams after he was knocked out in the first round.
Fatigue seemed to catch up with Hall of Famer Nick Varner, who missed an easy 8-ball to lose control of his first match against qualifier Dimitri Jungo, falling 8-6. With one match left in the day, he has failed to post a win.
Also, the oversight of the one-foot-on-the ground rule that was taken advantage of by both Williams and Varner in the same match yesterday, has officially been added to the rulebook, and announced this morning.
Best friends and British 8-ball pros Darren Appleton and Michael "Mick" Hill wound up in the same group this round. Both lost their first two matches, then won their third, respectively, before having to play each other. Hill beat his mate, 8-6, to step into a four-way tie of players with two wins apiece, while Appleton is left in the dust with one. Appleton will need to win his final match while the two players with lower games-won percentages lose in order to advance.
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