It was not a good night for the ‘STARS’ in the National Pool League, as all three teams bearing the name went down. The most significant of which was a top-of-the-table clash at Billiards Place in Aranguez between second-placed Rivalz and table toppers United Stars.
‘Heavy is the head that wears the crown because everyone would like to sit on the throne.’ After Wednesday night, there is a new leader atop the NPL premier division. Perennial champions United Stars were going into round 11 undefeated with nine wins, while Rivalz were just one match adrift at eight wins and one loss. Both teams boast a who’s who of T&T’s elite pool players.
The match started off with a battle of the captains. Reagan Low Chew Tung for the hosts and Aaron Raghoonanan, Dutch Caribbean champion and multiple national champion. The opener proved to be a one-sided affair as Raghoonanan dominated proceedings, winning the encounter four frames to zero, with a break and run and table run to finish the game. Those runs take Raghoonanan’s tally to a league-best nine breaks and runs to go with three table runs.
Game two featured a titanic clash between two current champions: National 9-Ball title holder Clint Bachan for the Rivalz and Masters Cup Champion Sham Jagerssar for the visitors. Bachan jumped out to an early two-frame lead, inclusive of a break and run in the second rack. Jagerssar, who is known for his never-say-die attitude, pulled within one with a break and run of his own in the third rack, only for Bachan to regain a two-frame cushion by frame four. Jagerssar, again, fought back with yet another break and clearance in the sixth rack, but a Bachan table run finished off the game to even the match at one apiece. Bachan’s stats tally is also impressive with three BRs and seven TRs in ten matches.
The doubles came next, with Martin Davis and Ricky Isaac coming up against the visiting pair of Ravy Joseph and Adrian ‘Glasses’ Bajnath.
What should have been a fairly balanced affair was anything but, as the visitors struggled. The home duo cruised to a four-one win, closing off the game with a table run. Game four was more of the same as the one-way traffic continued; this time, it was Krishendath Heeralal, aka Supa, putting a Rivalz stamp on the match, defeating Wayne ‘Holiday’ Rattansingh in four straight frames to seal the match with just one game left. The fifth game turned out to be the most exciting for the night, as Randell Boodhan ended the night on a high for Team Rivalz, as he got the better of Keshawn Rodney 4-3.
Boodhan twice had to work his way back from one-three to win three unanswered frames. Boodhan had a TR, while Rodney had a WZ (seven) and a TR.
Both Rivalz and United Stars have a record of nine wins and one loss, but by virtue of a superior games’ differential (41/9 to 38/12), Rivalz are now on top of the standings.
The Mercenaries is another team with a similar nine-win, one-loss record, but they lie in third with a games’ differential of 37 and 13.
The Ravi Goorah-led Mercenaries were responsible for the demise of one of the ‘Stars’ teams, as they beat the Shooting Stars 4-1. The other falling stars were the Central Stars. The ‘Stars’ of Central, captained by Jesse Gangaram, lost at home to the Sangre Grande-based Untouchables 1-4. The win for the visitors sees them switch places with Central Stars, with the Anderson Williams-led Untouchables moving one spot up to fifth, while the Central Stars drop down one place to sixth.
