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The Kiwi’s may not have the most impressive overall statistics compared to the rest of the Pro Series competition.
However, they have showcased their ability to rise to the occasion and claim victory when it matters most, defying expectations and delivering outstanding performances on the biggest stages of the competition.
The Australian public were exposed to 4 Kiwi players during the very one-sided Trans Tasman Test held at the latter end of last year.
How the Kiwis have performed during this years Pro Series is another story.
Statistical guru Marcel Prins delved into the raw data and what he found peaked the interest of the Pockets Sports crew:
“Three Kiwi players [have reached] the quarter finals or better on three separate occasions… emerging as champions twice.
“Despite their relatively modest numbers… they have proven their mettle.”
The Kiwis are ready to prove once again that they have what it takes to snatch another win and leave an indelible mark on the Pockets Pro Series. As the upcoming weekend approaches, the question remains:
Who among the Kiwis will step up and seize the moment?
Don’t miss history. Get your subscriptions at pockets.com.au.
One look at the Pockets Pro Series leaderboard and two names stick out.
Lyndall Vine and Jayme White are both without a match win to their name for the series.
Fittingly enough, both players have drawn themselves in the first round in Championship 7.
Lyndall, the receiver of a wild card due to her dominance in women's pool for decades has shown glimpses of class, but has been unable to get that first win.
The South Australian is arguably the most decorated player in Australian cue sports, yet hasn't been able to replicate the feats that has seen her win title after title.
Jayme, also winless after six Championships has struggled to find form capable of producing a win.
'The Kid' has found himself on the wrong side of the scorecard early on in his matches and while he has clawed his way back into the matches, the damage had already been done.
Lyndall and Jayme break off at noon on table 8, with the winner progressing to table 1 at 2.30pm.
Championship 7 kicks off on Saturday 17th of June. Keep up to date with the live scores at pockets.com.au
The Pockets Pro Series is days away from Championships 7 and 8 and we've seen six different championship winners.
These 6 winners have themselves firmly lodged in the top 8 on the leaderboard.
The most glaring factor of the top 8 is the absence of multiple time winners in the Pockets Pro Series 2022.
Steve Woods, Justin Sajich and Marc Robertson have failed in their attempts so far this year to be sprinkled with confetti - something they were so familiar with last season and a key factor to the ranking points.
Justin and Marc both won events outside of the Pro Series this year, but have been unable to replicate that in the high pressure of the Pockets Sports arena.
Players also featuring in 2022 who haven't held winners cheques, or capitalised on ranking points this year include Alec Evreniadis and Michael Scerri.
Michael, the human highlight reel of 2022, started the year in promising fashion making the Semi Final in both the first two championships.
He has since not lived up to the hype only winning three matches since.
Alec also has returned a poor 2023 track record with only the 4 match wins for the series.
With 4 championships remaining, are we going to see any of these five players step up and bathe in confetti? Or is the top 8 just too far out of reach?
Catch the live action on the 17th and 18th of June at pockets.com.au
The weekend of the 7th of September is scheduled to host the first Pockets Champ of Champs. The 16-player field will be made up of the top 8 overall players from both the Pockets Pro Series and the Pockets Challenger Series. Pockets Sports’ largest sponsor – Pockets Bar is putting up $20,000 in prize money in a winner takes all, one-off Championship. Yes, you read that right - $20,000 for the winner!
The largest winners cheque offered thus far by Pockets Sports, entry is free for the lucky players who qualify for the Champ of Champs. As per usual, Pockets Sports will be creating a high-pressure, high reward experience for the best 8 players of both categories who are vying for the right of the first name on the Champ of Champs trophy.
With both Pro and Challenger Series wrapping up over the next couple of months, all eyes are on the overall rankings for both categories to see who takes the highly sought after spots. Be sure to have your subscriptions up to date as this is a Championship NOT to be missed!