Chris Melling vs Earl Strickland | 2023 Premier League Pool

The Magician Chris Melling lined up against one of the greats, Earl 'the Pearl' Strickland
Watch the 2024 #PremierLeaguePool March 18-25, live from Connecticut.
#9ball #pool #nineball #matchroompool

[@OM3N1R]

It should be mandatory to have Strickland mic'd up on every TV table he plays on.

[@lanternman13]

He is loud enough naturally.

[@eddietucker3334]

For comic relief.

[@chrisvand2678]

Chris' stroke through the cueball is so beautiful and unique.

[@purupuru2888]

I started playing billiards because I admired Strickland. Although his body type has changed a lot since then, his play is still fast and accurate.

[@phongnguyen007]

a Pleasure to see Strickland here.

[@johndenver752]

00:09 first time around i heard that Melling has had his hip replaced, Alex Lely has a funny Dutch accent, sounds so sweet to the ear, but sometimes it can be deceptive :))

[@ROCKSTARAVER]

I thought they meant “tip” replaced

[@eddietucker3334]

I love Earl's quick decisions.

[@3941602]

Earl is the man. Never change.

[@michellevalencia7704]

Hi all. This is a tough match to watch, I love Earl but I like Melling a lot too...tough to have a favourite here

[@onnyt60]

They are pretty much the same. Both think they are better than they actually are.

[@goblin13045]

Earl better than anyone else in term of 9ball​ Better than efren too@@onnyt60

[@JohnS-il1dr]

​@@onnyt60because they are better. Most elite sports players think like this.

[@OneShot_G]

@@onnyt60 Earl is just past his prime hes 62 ffs.

[@HUKIT.]

Melling doesn’t help return the balls yet the one with supposed poor sportsmanship does.

[@samuelmongrain607]

Not to say anything about the character of either but I think that's purely an old school vs new school thing. Back in the day when tournaments were far less official and well organized it would've been customary to return the balls with the ref but now that it's all very formal most players leave it to the ref especially in matchroom events. In addition I think Earl doesn't play much tournament pool by comparison to Melling in recent memory so his brain will be a little more used to bar and hall customs these days rather than tournament etiquette

[@xl000]

I wouldn't do it. This is clearly the job of the referee, and this is more work for the referee, Because he now has to clean the the balls that were touched without gloves, and if he doesn't keep track of them, he would have to clean all of them. So Don' t return the balls, let the referee do his job.

[@tereraikarenge3721]

Earl is amazing for maintaining such love and passion for the game

[@thegodofpez]

Legend vs. legend!

[@RT-Ford]

I wish they'd replay more shots. I just can't get enough.

[@michellevalencia7704]

Good game Earl

[@victorgaleas6134]

Earl is a show man

[@sendhelpbaylon]

Definitely didn’t see this on my 2024 bingo card. Glad to see it though.

[@cardguys]

Let's go Earl!

[@alexcollins1630]

Earl and Sigel to me are the best of the business

[@victorgaleas6134]

La Perla es good,junto con El mago los dos mejores del mundo

[@ronthacker211]

Good work Earl

[@barryclark2582]

Great shooting earl

[@fernandomartinez5812]

Earl "No Hugs" Strickland still got it.

[@scottisitoro3953]

The way Earl's walking and that stance when breaking rack #3 tells me he's having low back issues.

[@dustmicks1]

Earl got pretty lucky this set. Had horrible breaks. But got lucky with some missed from his opponent

[@seanscanlon9067]

12:20 surprised Chris did not try the 1-6 combo and perhaps even play it with enough pace to screw the cue ball into the 7-4 combo.

[@martinparker9249]

AGREED

[@scottisitoro3953]

Man, a short race to 5? You had better be ready from the get-go.

[@user-nt9ck5cz8q]

When is the last time Melling saw his belt buckle?😮

[@MC-cs4cm]

I put this on a playlist for my boyfriend to watch ❤

[@s1dest3p]

Why didn't Earl go for the 2-9 combo @18:37?

[@rogerscottcathey]

Hope Melling doesnt try to hug Earl . . .

[@fernandomartinez5812]

Nope nope nope.. Don't even try man.

[@user-ix7cr5ie2c]

Chris smelling🦨sucks!!

[@user-nt9ck5cz8q]

3 in a row scratches on break for Earl!😮😢

[@ralphwiggum240]

@ 15:10 Earl strickland scratched 3 times on 3 breaks, tough luck !

[@darkcheaker]

That's not tough luck, that's a bad cue ball control

[@ralphwiggum240]

@ 6:42 the announcer says: "Chris Melling, good cue ball control" as he misses a 2 foot shot. THE CURSE OF THE ANNOUNCER

[@user-nt9ck5cz8q]

At least Reyes is a Magician I don't mind looking at!😮😢

[@andrewverrett568]

Melling been playing too much on the tiny English 8 ball tables lol

[@seanscanlon9067]

He needs to consider moving his bridge hand closer to the cue ball and shortening his backswing and stroke.

[@martinparker9249]

tiny english pool tables are actually quite cramped when theres 15 balls on it .......not as easy as you think plus the pockets arent buckets and cut straight like these where one can pocket balls off the rail ........try that on a 7 ft uk bar table !!

[@cheungarrie123]

@@seanscanlon9067why? His backswing is so unique and stylish.

[@seanscanlon9067]

@@cheungarrie123 It is and when he is flowing, playing well and everything is in sync then he is a brilliant cueist and player. But Chris has a background in snooker and because of the bigger table, you do sometimes need a longer backswing to generate pace in order to cover a longer distance, that you rarely need to in pool. So the longer distance you pull the cue back, pause as Chris tends to and then push the cue back through to strike the cue ball, the more chance there is of deviating from the line of aim and for a player of Chris's ability, he missed far too many easy shots than he should. Have you ever played a shot in pool or snooker where you cannot really reach properly and instead of using the bridge or rest, your stretch and have too much of your cue hanging over the bridge of your hand? Then miss a shot or do not get the right contact on the cue ball due to a slight deviation or 'wobble' when delivering the cur through? To use an analogy, it is like having a putt in golf from say 30 feet away and so the backswing on the putter measures for example 18 inches, yet using the same 18 inch backswing when only having a six inch tap-in

[@dislecsyk991]

​@@martinparker9249Those pockets on the grey TV tables ARE buckets though. Agree on general pub tables, but the TV tables definitely accept a lot that I wouldn't expect them to.

[@space14605]

Yeah you're right... Earl's still got it

[@user-bn4rn2pf9y]

He’s had what replaced 😂

[@tbom-]

Iove chris

[@sunshower1972]

Melling ran a charity through this match.

[@m1ndst0rm3d9]

The "Pearl" ... Yes Sir!!!

[@nuntana2]

Tony Drago still holds the fastest century.

[@scottisitoro3953]

New hip for Melling....a suggestion... ...lose some weight to take pressure off that hip, and the knees, and your back, and....

[@user-lm3fc5kh4r]

22:49 that 7 ball rolled off line if you look closely, i think he hit it perfect. little unlucky. position from last shot wasn't great though

[@martinparker9249]

naahh , he over cut it

[@user-lm3fc5kh4r]

at first glance it looks like that, but if you zoom in and look at how the 7ball's distance to the rail changes, you'll see that for the first roll or two it gets closer to the rail, but then it rolls off line and gets further. we're splitting hairs though, this 7ball isn't the reason he lost@@martinparker9249

[@robertvasquez1845]

I knew that was an over cut as soon as he made contact.

[@user-lm3fc5kh4r]

no you didnt. you saw where it rolled halfway through it's travel and then convinced yourself you knew where it was headed at contact. if somebody made an edit showing the 7balls path for the first two rolls after contact, you would see that it was headed right toward the pocket, and then quite clearly veers offline@@robertvasquez1845

[@user-iq6cc3df3l]

I’m very confused why Melling chose the center pocket for the 7 during game one. If he draws back he goes 7 in the corner pocket then has a straightforward runout from there. He made it much more difficult the way he went. At 6:45 he totally overcut the eight. He wanted to go two rails and I think he just forgot to make the eight. It seems to me that Melling travels the cue ball too much. Most pros try to move the cue ball as little as possible to get position.

[@Joe-cx4mv]

Strickland fouled on frame two. The white hadn't stopped and he picked balls out of the pocket and put them on the table. I know it would have been harsh but they are the rules.

[@onemoremisfit]

He should have let the ref do his job.

[@mikesmith1485]

Ridiculous game: the 2nd ball potted in the 1st frame contacted the cushion half way down, and still went in.

[@tgh223]

were was the spectators

[@viccamppinball]

Slow start for Earl, but Chris helped him win that match.

[@wendysweeney9780]

A Blindman cant miss on those tables you have pockets like Trashcan lids massive

[@scottisitoro3953]

This seems like overseas league tennis for guys who aren't regulars on the ATP circuit...a way to make some cash and cover expenses. Anyone know what the payouts are here?

[@zanethind]

As a Canadian I'm sorry but I don't hear anyone here call it siding we call it English or side spin or left/right English/spin but never siding I've only ever said siding a few times and I only one guy that has always said siding but yeah it's not a general word for side spin here. Sorry Alex 😂😅

[@eddietucker3334]

What's up with the scratches on break? Are they imitating ME?

[@trumanhw]

Commentators (excluding Alex) are ridiculous. They always act like it's all easy once they're 2-3 balls from the trouble spot and act shocked ... when they'd struggle with roadmaps.

[@ibrostopandas9502]

Too giants collide

[@TheQuaderade]

What a weird match... Five scratches off the breaks in total! Many missed shots and Earl only winning cos Melling played so badly. Weird match indeed.

[@aether2042]

Agreed

[@jamespatrick5930]

another scratch on Earl's break & he might break his cue again, I hope

[@Rising.consciousness]

Melting has really let himself go :(

[@kagz100]

America tables look so easy

[@PlayMoreGolf-RipOff]

STEPHEN LEE

[@TheRawi]

Earl's break is very poor.

[@JohnS-il1dr]

Hes almost 70. His break will suck.

[@johnhubble5373]

⛔️ I Hate Diamond Pockets ⚠️

[@waynekarnold]

Earl the winer😢

[@bingochoice]

playing with a new tip changes nothing.

[@theshyguitarist]

I played 9 ball with Earl back in the early 90’s and he had a loose mouth back then too. I can remember telling him to just stfu and play. He wouldn’t…I won the race.

[@billmannion649]

You sound like Joe Biden, making up stories about yourself.

[@marekd.7350]

"New tip"? WTF? I'm no where near pro level and have multiple shafts for multiple cues. I'm sure a "new tip" is nothing worth discussing here.

[@vincesplc]

this has to be the biggest TOSSER in pool history, shame on you Strickland🤣🤣🤣

[@billmannion649]

Almost certainly the best 9-ball player in pool history. Not sure about your other vaginal discomforts.

[@kelvikelv5322]

He's not "The Magician". Fat Wizard, maybe. But only Efren Reyes is "The Magician!"

[@slorebear1]

announcers awful as usual.. just ditch them and show the game

[@Detailguy101]

its his tip its his tip its his tip wth