As familiar and comfortable as your favorite pair of house shoes is a final between Karen and Allison, the two best players in the world who own a total of 85 pool titles and 50 snooker titles. What could be better?
Fisher wins the lag and is set to break game 1 of the 2007 WPBA Midwest Classic Final. 1 on the break but no shot on the 2 so Allison pushes. Karen plays a safety, inadvertently double kisses the 2 and the 2 pockets the 7 but Karen is hooked. She makes the hit and leaves Allison a cross on the 2 that doesn’t go. Karen can see the 2, makes the 3 and hooks herself on the 4. She makes a nice kick safe on the 4. Allison kicks 1 rail at the 4 and returns the safe leaving the cue ball behind the 9. Karen goes for the jump cue but misses the hit. Ball in hand for Allison on the 4 with five balls left on the table. Game 1 to Allison.
Karen makes the wing 6 on the break and has a thin cut in the side on the1. She proceeds to run out complete with a couple of testers to tie the score at 1.
Fisher comes up dry on the break and leaves Karen with a long, tough, backward cut into the corner. Karen falls on the 2 with a possible draw carom on the 9 which she executes nicely for a 2-1 lead and the break.
1 in the side and the wing 8 in the corner with a shot on the 2. She catches the point with the 3 and it hangs. Allison is able to fall on the short side of the 4 and opts to shoot the 4-9 combination as it would be difficult to get in and out for position on the 5 which is close to the head rail. Fisher shows a slight smile when the 9 goes and ties the score at 2.
Allison breaks and comes up dry. Karen plays a safety on the 1 but Allison can see enough to shoot the 1-rail long bank. She is forced to play defense on the 2. Karen plays safe. Allison returns. Karen jumps and ends up safe. Allison kicks 1 rail and leaves a possible 2-9 combination for Karen. Swish. Nothing but net for a 3-2 lead.
Ms. Corr to break. She makes the wing 7 but scratches! Fisher with ball in hand. 1, tricky position for the 3 off the 2, 3, nice shot on the 4, 5, 6, 8, 9. Match tied at 3.
Fisher to break. 1 in the side with a shot on the 2 but a tough position requirement on the 3. Allison attempts a safety on the 3 but doesn’t hook Karen. Karen goes for a cross side bank that goes long leaving Allison an opening. Allison runs to the 6 which she just over cuts allowing Corr back to the table to take a 4-3 lead with the break.
Karen makes the 4 on the break but is hooked on the 1 and elects to push. Allison plays a safety behind the 8. Karen has to elevate to kick 1 rail but leaves a 1-5 combo. Allison makes the combo and also goes for the breakout on the 3-8 but doesn’t hit them. She makes the 1 and again gets break out position. She breaks out the 3 but has to play a safety which she executes with perfect speed. Karen comes with a nice long two-rail kick and returns the safe. Fisher returns. Corr can see an edge and returns. Fisher catches the 3 a little thin and leaves a thin cut in the corner for Karen. Despite dropping her cue, chalk, and having “10” called she makes the 3,
goes into the 6 and ends up with a tricky shot in the side that catches the point. Allison pockets the 6, barely avoids a scratch in the side, and gets out to tie the match at 4.
Just the type of match we could have expected from the Number 1 and 2 ranked players in the world. This first time Oklahoma crowd is being treated to a classic Fisher/Corr shootout. Allison is set to break and makes the 6 and plays safe on the 1. Karen goes for the jump cue and brings the house down! She runs the rest of the rack and takes a 5-4 lead with the break.
Corr makes the 1 and 5 on the break but must play a kiss off the 6 with the 2 for the corner. Well done. Karen just misses the 3 but leaves a very difficult cut in the corner for Allison. Fisher elects to go for it but misses leaving Karen an opening. She runs through the 6 and comes up short on the 7 and plays defense. Allison catches the 7 too full giving Karen a shot on the seven. She over runs position from the 8 to the 9, makes a beautiful shot on the 9 but scratches cross corner! The match is tied at 5 instead of hill-4. Fisher fails to pocket a ball on the break and Karen has a shot on the 1 with an open table. She takes full advantage by running out and reaching the hill first 6-5 with the break.
Game 12. Corr to break. Karen makes the 5 and 8 on the break but is forced to push. Fisher gives the shot back to Karen. Karen thins the 1 and goes three rails with the cue ball for a safety but Allison can see the 1. She hits the 1 and brings the cue ball back to a similar position. Karen makes a nice three rail kick on the one but scratches off the1 in the side. Allison makes the 1 but fall too straight on the 2. She makes a nice rail first to come out for the 3 but is forced to play short side on the 4 which is on the long rail. The 4 catches the point of the side and leaves a shot for Karen. After a few extra addressing strokes on the 9, Karen pockets the final 9 and claims the title.
Congratulations to Karen Corr on another well deserved victory.
