Player: Francisco Sanchez Ruiz
Event: Premier League Pool
Location: Leicester, U.K.
Date: March 8, 2023



For the Average Joe, there are plenty of ways to reason yourself into or out of situations. “What's the worst that could happen?” are famous last words. On the flip side, “better safe than sorry” is a truism that has saved plenty of players of all skill levels unnecessary time in the chair.

But for the caliber of player that gets invited to a 16-player Matchroom Multi Sport event like the Premier League Pool, the risk-reward calculations take place on a plane reserved for world champions. At the 2023 event, which featured a format heavy on round-robin play, Francisco Sanchez Ruiz played Jayson Shaw in a relatively early race-to-5, taking place on Day 3 of the eight-day battle royale.

After the Mosconi Cup teammates split the first six racks, Shaw worked his way from the break into a spot where he was forced to play safe, leaving the table shown to the right. With plenty of obstacles in various angles, Sanchez Ruiz grabbed his jump cue from his corner to try an audacious jump-kick at the 3 ball, sitting an inch off the headrail.

Kicking two rails, he sent the cue ball into the object ball at the perfect angle to pocket the 3. While dependent on luck with his leave in such a situation, the Spaniard was a bit unfortunate, leaving the cue ball tucked behind the 8 and up against the right long rail. Trying another jump, Sanchez Ruiz missed this one.

While Shaw went on to win this set, 5-4, FSR had the last laugh. In a dominant performance, he won 22 of 29 matches, compared to second-place Shaw who won 18 of 29. In single-elimination four-player bracket, Sanchez Ruiz dispatched Naoyuki Oi, 7-3, in the semifinal before exacting revenge on Shaw, 7-4, for the title.


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

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