Billiards Digest — Pooldawg Stroke of Genius, Pool Videos

Player: Shannon Murphy
Event: Derby City Classic - One Pocket Division
Location: Elizabeth, Ind.
Date: Jan. 26, 2013

May13_Stroke

DRAWING SHANE Van Boening - who entered the 2013 Derby City Classic as the two-time reigning one-pocket champion and two-time reigning Master of the Table, awarded to the top performer in all three main divisions - wasn't the most fortunate start to Shannon Murphy's fourth round of the Derby City Classic one-pocket division. In the Ohioan's defense, though, he was fresh off a third-place finish in the banks event and has a strong history at the annual jamboree.

And once the match got underway, Murphy looked nothing like an underdog. He took the first two games to get on the hill, before grinding his way to a 6-5 lead in balls in the third. Van Boening, shooting at the bottom left corner, missed a bank-combination with the 7 and 14. Murphy then banked a ball off the top rail to get within a ball of victory. Left in the position shown in Diagram 1, he had two options when it came to closing out the match: the razor-thin cut on the 14 from a eight feet away, or a bank on the 14 that would send the object ball more than 20 feet.

Murphy opted to take the long way home, though Accu-Stats commentator Danny DiLiberto preferred the cut. Murphy used plenty of draw and sent the cue ball off the long rail and into the position shown, so even if he missed, Van Boening wouldn't have a clean chance to run three for the win. But things didn't get that far - and Murphy hit the 14 with a touch more than pocket speed to send it straight for the corner pocket.

Van Boening, however, recovered to finish in third place, while Murphy hit a rough patch on his way out in a tie for 50th place.

(Video clip provided by Accu-Stats Video Productions.)

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