Now I'm satisfied...

Went to Riley's at Shephard's Bush yesterday.

Join the "Riley's" club. Its nothing big just a membership so that you can play at the club. Paid 5 pounds for it. Didn't think much about it at all since my hands were ITCHING for pool. Almost made a wasted trip there. Because they needed a proof of address to join.

I was like WTH!!!! It's just a pool hall man. Why do I need a proof a address? So I gave the staff a super duper sian diao look and they let me join without the proof of address. I knew it! How are they gonna make any money like that if they refuse customers like that?

I think they made the concession partly also because I whipped out my Imperial Student ID and I was carrying my cues (which shows that I am a serious player, not a trouble maker). Anyway, I made it in.

Paid 10 pounds for the "Play all Day" plan. The plan actually allow the players to play from 11am to 6pm for 10 pounds. I was there from 2pm to 6pm. That meant hourly rates even lower than that of KPool and Orchard road. Besides pool for 4 hours straight ALONE, is more than enough man. I am a mere mortal, not a god. There's no way my attention span could go beyond that at my current level.

I was happy during that 4 hours. Sharp as a razor!!!! Haha!

It has been a long time since I played with my beloved pool cues. Almost forgot how it felt. The soft hit of my Viking F90 and the thunderous break of my Gino Ferrari. Magnificent. Wonderful. So used was I to my lighter snooker cue that initially I really wasn't used to the table and cues.

But after a couple of racks, it was business as usual. The balls are spinning the way I want them to
and stopping where I want them to (more or less! haha!). The table was of good quality. It turns out snooker had done my game more good than harm. My cueing was more consistent, my aim has never been better and I was able to impart more spin to the cue ball. It's strange though. I was always under the impression that I have stayed faithful to my pool strokes but somehow snooker just made my cueing better. There's less fluctuation in my stroke and I could keep my eye and concentration on the ball better.

Potting and placing have improved, I would say, even though I was away from the game.

Another thing worth mentioning is my break. That's another strange thing. In snooker I don't normally use strong strokes (even if I do, they don't work most of the time! haha!), but when I was breaking with my Gino, I was potting at least 1 ball quite alot. My break has improved it would seem. Perhaps it is due to an improvement in my stroke. I could keep my aim even if i try to hit harder. Perhaps its due to my Gino. Never really realised the breaking power of my "metal rod" Gino in the past I guess. The ang mohs there didn't break as hard as I did. That's for sure. Even when some of them tried to! Haha! No la, strength wise I admit they are stronger. But I guess they don't know the technique and they don't have my Gino. Haha!

Lastly, it's my draw shot. Improved significantly from what I last remembered it to be. Gotta thank snooker again. Back in Singapore, I was trying SO HARD to get the cue ball to come back to me and it didn't work. Now, with the same cue, it takes much less effort. Shiok shiok ka li pok!

Blissful 4 hours I would say. At the end of it, I was spent but nonetheless happy. Glad I had not lost my pool feel. Also it reminded me of the time when I was playing in KPool with Mr Gan and when I was playing with Etch WYWY and Soon. Happy days...