I went to a poker club called the Equal Chance in Walthamstow at the weekend as two of my friends were playing a money match at eightball pool for about £15K between them. Older Brother was also in town on one of his rare forays into London and he came along too.
Here's my report on the match which was published on uk8ball.com. I think it's quite good...
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Cometh the hour, cometh the man… and at 2am on Sunday 27 May after 12 hours playing 55 frames of pool, Pat O’Kane had a black tight on the top cushion with the white awkwardly out of position.
The black was pottable but it was also missable and with his opponent John Kelly having two yellows left in bad positions the chances are O’Kane would have got another go at it even if it had rattled and the white had run safe.
But it had been a long day and a long night so nothing was guaranteed…
Frames 1-10
The match kicked off at just gone 2pm with ten frames of World Rules shared between the players at 5-5. This was an opening set of tight play with limited chances even though Kelly threw in two very solid breaks and clearances in this run and O’Kane hit one quality break and finish of his own.
What was noticeable, however, was that O’Kane hit the lead at 1-0, 2-1, 3-2, 4-3 and 5-4 and was never behind. And he had chances to be in front but for a full length of the table double on the black by Kelly in the eighth frame.
Frames 11-20
The next ten frames were Fed rules and O’Kane suddenly found his game and let his arm go. He was helped in this by the fact that Kelly, who had potted consistently well in the opening ten frames, suddenly missed key balls and O’Kane simply stepped up to take out simple finishes. So suddenly 5-5 became 6-5, 7-5, 8-5, 9-5, 10-5, 11-5, 12-5 and 13-5 as the frames slipped away from Kelly.
The Peckham man did rally to take the last two but the damage had been done and O’Kane took the set 8-2 for a 13-7 lead.
Frames 21-30
The next set reverted to World Rules and Kelly took a frame from a dry O’Kane break then broke and dished one of his own to close the gap to 13-9, but O’Kane produced a break and dish of his own then claimed the next for a 15-9 lead.
The next frame was a bit scrappy and Kelly won it but the next saw a superb finish from O’Kane to keep a six-frame gap at 16-10. Kelly then won a long tactical frame but O’Kane responded by knocking in a superb black for 17-11. Kelly took the next and had a chance in the last World Rules frame of the set. But he didn’t take his chance and O’Kane stepped in for an 18-12 lead.
After five and a half hours play O’Kane had held the World Rules player at 5-5 and 5-5 and won the Fed Rules 8-2. O’Kane had certainly given the partisan crown something to cheer and Kelly had much to ponder…
Frames 31-40
The next Fed Rules set began with Kelly taking on a big finish and leaving himself a black down the long cushion. He missed the black and O’Kane cleared but Kelly then hit a confident finish for 19-13.
Frame 34 saw the finish of the night and it came from O’Kane. For the first time in the match Kelly had won a tactical battle at Fed Rules for control of the table and had the bottom right-hand pocket swamped with yellows – but even worse O’Kane had two reds tied up in this mess. O’Kane had two other red balls in open play and potted his fifth red ball which was over the top corner pocket to screw the white the full length of the table behind his two reds with the white virtually finishing on the corner knuckle of the pocket covered by Kelly’s yellows. But he sighted an off plant into the middle, jacked his cue up and hit it to perfection. He also needed to hit it at pace to spring the other red and the intended pot flew into the middle pocket and sprung the other ball and left him a chance at a game he was out of. It was a brilliant shot.
That shot and that clearance were the highlight of the night and it made the scores 20-13. More importantly it gave O’Kane a huge amount of momentum at a time when Kelly was starting to apply himself and get some results from his tactical endeavours.
Kelly took the next in solid style after O’Kane missed a finish and O’Kane repaid the compliment when Kelly did the same for 21-14, but the O’Kane momentum was building and he took a good pressure finish for 22-14, then an O’Kane break and dish made it 23-14. Kelly tried to keep up and was unlucky to land awkwardly on a black after good work to get there. He missed the attempted double and O’Kane took his chance for a 24-14 lead.
The next two frames were a bit scrappy and were shared but O’Kane now had a commanding 25-15 lead. He couldn’t let it slip. Or could he?
Frames 41-50
It was now back to World Rules and Kelly had yet to win a set and with O’Kane five frames from victory he needed to. In the opening frame Kelly took tactical control and the game when he had his chance for 25-16. He then broke off and put the white off the table – but the black also found the pocket, the frame was reracked but O’Kane took it for 26-16. Kelly then nailed a pressure black for 26-17 but as Kelly broke for the next the white flew off the table again and this time the black didn’t pot. O’Kane took his two visits and mopped up for 27-17.
With the pressure now really on Kelly suddenly found his game. O’Kane may have seen the winning line or felt fatique but he started going for game every frame and Kelly showed superb composure to hold on, take control of the table when he could and win the remaining World Rules frames for 27-23.
For the first time in the match he’d taken six frames in a row and more importantly he’d also won a set of ten frames 8-2. And the gap was now only four frames…
Frames 51-59
It was now back to Fed Rules and before the set began there was a great scene. The partisan O’Kane support, who had previously been letting their feelings known, were talking to John Kelly and congratulating him on the previous set, while O’Kane was simply sat down and keeping his focus. The Chat’s great friend Ross McInnes was sat next to him and next to the Flying Scotsman was Maltese Joe, both silent but clearly hoping just their mere prescence would will their man on.
It was a wonderful moment and the tension, which had been building all night, was suddenly a tangible thing. So this was a rare moment of calm and reflection as the match neared its closing stages…
Now the nerves were jangling because Kelly missed a tough black and O’Kane stepped in to stop the rot at 28-23. O’Kane missed a finish in the next and Kelly put in a good pressure finish for 28-24, then won another for 28-25. It looked like he was heading for 28-26 in the next but he landed touching a black he needed space to pot. He attempted a cross double, missed and O’Kane potted his three remaining yellows and deposited the black for 29-25. It was a hearthbreaking moment for Kelly and his support. It was all nearly over.
The Peckham man, however, wasn’t done yet and knocked in a super pressure clearance for 29-26.
But the end was near and O’Kane dug deep in the next and played his best tactical frame of the night by grouping balls and giving himself a nest to run into. He won several lots of two shots, potted Kelly’s balls then went for game himself and he got it – and the place erupted.
After all the build-up, the animosity and the forum slatings there was a warm handshake at the end. It was O’Kane’s night but Kelly had played his own part in the drama and came out of it with a lot of credit for his gutsy bid to battle back from the brink.
Closing Thoughts
O’Kane had always said his inspiration for this match was his great mate John Bowyer and there was a wonderful moment in the 55th frame when O’Kane looked up to the heavens before he broke and quietly said a few words to himself hoping for some divine inspiration from his deceased pal.
Typically with O’Kane his timing was slightly out and it was the next frame that brought him victory, but anyone who was present in the Equal Chance could not have failed to have noticed the genuine tide of emotion that carried him to victory. His composure throughout the match was impressive but the utter joy as the final black went in was something to behold.
In some ways this match was a victory for the romantics against the realists as the old stager rolled back the years against the commitment and dedication of the new kid on the block, a new kid who’ll probably be claiming pro status for himself on the IPA Tour next year and a new kid who will have better days with a cue in his hand than he had at the Equal Chance.
So maybe it was the spirit and the inspiration of John Bowyer that was the difference in the end for O’Kane, the extra fuel in the tank when the foot pressed down on the pedal for the last time.
And if that was the case it was a fitting tribute that a game between pool players from opposite sides of the political fence came together to provide such an absorbing match, a match that was also watched by pool players from both sides of the rules divide.
Because when push comes to shove, ignoring the rules and the politics and the squabbles and the political allegiances, the things that unite pool players – a few games, a drink, a laugh, the camaraderie, the will to win, even the occasional bet – are much greater than the things that divide them and these are the simple things that should be celebrated and enjoyed.
And, as the victor O’Kane will probably testify, that’s something John Bowyer could have told you.
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