I took on Nineball champion Jayson Shaw at pool, here is what he taught me about the sport and pranking team-mates
The 2017 US Open champion met SunSport in the aftermath of his World Pool Championship defeat in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
3
3
Shaw was knocked out by Jefrey Roda in the Round of 32, and he confessed to feeling sore after a gruelling week of competition.
But he shared tips and tricks about pool as well as some tales from his time on the Nineball Tour.
Shaw has won six ranking titles, including the 2010 World Blackball Championship and three Mosconi Cups - pool's equivalent of the Ryder Cup.
The 36-year-old is a three-time Mosconi Cup MVP winner and he admitted the team environment helps him flourish.
Shaw told SunSport: "I grew up playing a lot of team stuff - English 8-ball there was more of a team league pool at the pub and stuff like that.
"So I think teams, I enjoy playing it. It gets me pumped up a little bit more. I like having people on the team.
"You feel like you're not just fighting for yourself...more of a team player."
Shaw enjoys the relaxed atmosphere of team pool and as well as getting the best out of him, it also brings out his fun side.
He revealed he and his team-mates often play pranks on each other to help keep the pressure off.
The Scot continued: "It's good hanging around with the team. You have a lot of fun doing other things, playing little games here and there, playing pranks on each other, playing jokes and stuff like that.
World Nineball Tour No.1 Fedor Gorst reveals how ChatGPT helped him become world champion-
"We all play pranks on each other. Maybe stealing somebody's phone and taking random pictures of weird stuff. Nothing really too crazy. Just for fun.
"I feel like if you pull a bit too much of a prank on someone on your team, they might take it a little bit badly, then they might not perform well."
Shaw has earned comparisons to Conor McGregor and Jake Paul thanks to his charisma and taunting of opponents and fans, but he has previously admitted to being his own worst enemy at times.
He has spoken about "pool screwing your brain up" and the mental anguish he has been though - but these days he is much better equipped to deal with defeat.
The world No.9 explained: "Obviously I'm disappointed to lose.
But like I said, it's part of the game. I think the older you get, the more you kind of let it just go. I think when you're younger, it eats away at you a little bit more.
"When you lose, you wake up in the morning, it's not really down on yourself, it's more like you're thinking, you wish you were still in.
"You've got to come back to the venue, watch a little bit. Then you're maybe watching the guy who beat you.
"Maybe he's not performing as well. You think 'yeah, it could have been me'. So a lot of different things like that."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Guardian
3 hours ago
- The Guardian
King of the Hill review – this charming comedy returns after 15 years … and it's more welcome than ever
It's been 15 years since we last enjoyed the company of Hank and Peggy Hill. Barack Obama had just entered the White House, Hank was a younger man with an exciting adventure ahead of him and all was, if not quite well with the world, certainly at least explicable. But now? Season 14 of this revived, beloved animated sitcom is upon us, feeling anachronistic yet also oddly timely. It's like reconnecting with a group of old friends and realising that, while they are much as they always were, the context in which you now see them has altered beyond all recognition. Playing slightly against cartoon convention, the Hills' lives have moved on. Unlike, for example, the ageless Simpsons, everyone is visibly older. In the intervening years, the propane industry has taken Hank and Peggy to Saudi Arabia. As we rejoin them, they are on the plane home. Hank has been in the toilet for hours because, as Peggy sees fit to inform the other passengers, 'he now has the urethra of a seven-year-old'. When they touch down in Texas, Hank kisses the ground. But will he recognise the place? As they drive around their neighbourhood, Hank has a realisation. Their gated community in Saudi Arabia was 'more Texan than Texas'. The US has exported an idealised version of its past especially for the ex-pats, even as the country itself has transformed beyond all recognition. King of the Hill always did subtle political messaging, wrapping pointed observations in the gentleness of the comedy. Hank is quickly back on familiar territory, standing by the fence outside his home, sharing a beer with his old pals. Bill has let himself go, badly. Boomhauer is still mumbly, but now has a similarly mumbly child. He greets Hank with a slightly surprising hug. As a man who still expresses his love for his son by offering to check the oil in his car, Hank finds this awkward. But as ever, the writing brings a remarkable amount of nuance to these simply but carefully constructed characters. Even in retirement, Hank is working through a few things. Dale, though, is a different keg of beer altogether. He hasn't learned anything; instead the world has come around to him. Back in the day, Dale's fondness for conspiracy theories made him the butt of the jokes. He doesn't seem like such a harmless eccentric any more, though. Needless to say, he references 'the pandumbic'. Hank, though, is old school and old media; he had access only to Fox News and CNN while in Saudi Arabia – although he feels he has to apologise for having watched CNN. Hank is a Republican – during the show's original run, his response to learning that he was driving through Bill Clinton's home town was to lock his car doors. But this adds real poignancy to the new iteration of the show. Much has changed in the US and not everything to Hank's satisfaction, with one of those things being public discourse. At one point, Hank, Peggy and Dale go on a museum tour themed around George W Bush during which they are offered the chance to role-play a cabinet meeting. However, it degenerates into wild fiction as participants start ranting about 'Obama's Kenyan handler'. Dale is no longer an outlier – he's now a thought-leader. Mike Judge's and Greg Daniels's writing perspective is evident here: Hank longs for an old, moderate America that couldn't always agree, but could at least accept shared terms of reference within which they could argue. There is, however, a kindness to King of the Hill, which finds equal expression alongside the show's occasional disquiet. There is charm and progress in its apparently changeless setting. The Hills' son, Bobby, was once a chubby, geeky misfit. Happily, he has been given an upgrade that feels at once generous, eccentric and earned. He is a chef at a Japanese restaurant and Hank's and Bobby's familial battles are now fought via the proxies of food and drink. Hank and Bobby enter a brewing contest. 'It's just a friendly contest between father and son,' says Hank. 'Where the father will kick his son's ass.' Father and son receive a necessary lesson in humility. There remains a lightness and ease to these exchanges. Fittingly, as is the case with most longstanding relationships, the old rhythms return almost immediately, for the Hills and for viewers. Often, King of the Hill drifts toward the neat and the saccharin. It's not a show that will ever hold back on the hugging and learning. But that feels entirely deliberate; at the moment, a show prioritising modesty, tolerance and gentle revelation feels more welcome than ever. King of the Hill is on Disney+
The Sun
5 hours ago
- The Sun
JoJo Siwa shares VERY intimate loved-up pic with Chris Hughes as she reveals the ‘best thing' about dating CBB star
JOJO Siwa has shared a VERY intimate loved-up picture with boyfriend Chris Hughes, as she revealed the "best thing" about dating him. The couple, whose friendship turned romantic after meeting on Celebrity Big Brother back in April this year, have been inseparable over the last few months. 5 5 5 Now JoJo, 22, has shared a sizzling snap of the couple, as she opened up about their relationship. In the picture, the star is seen lying on top of Chris, 32, as the pair float on a lilo in a pool. Written over the sexy snap, she answered fan questions, with one asking her: "What's the best thing about dating Chris?" JoJo replied: "No matter what I am feeling he is always there to help me with that feeling. Either celebrate a high one or get through a low one.' "He is the most fun to be around and he's not only good to me but he's good to everybody. Genuinely I think he's the nicest person I know. "Also all of the universe signs are fun to spot out. "Honestly while I was answering this question one of our songs came on the loudspeaker of where I'm at right now." The new photo comes just days after Jojo's ex, Kath Ebbs, went public with their new romance. The non-binary star shared photobooth pics kissing Australian footballer Tilly Lucas-Rodd. "The rumours are true! YES I still (stupidly) believe in love!! 🚀" they wrote. Chris Hughes reveals baby plans with JoJo Siwa as 'besotted' hunk gushes over new love JoJo split with Kath after publicly falling in love with Chris on Celebrity Big Brother. Chris and Jojo remained friends after leaving the house, but in the space of a few weeks admitted their relationship had become a romance. Since then, the pair have been back and forth between Los Angeles and Essex to spend as much time as possible together. However, they've also been forced to fend off trolls who have questioned their romance, branding their 10-year age gap 'creepy' and criticising Jojo, who had come out as gay four years prior. 5
The Independent
8 hours ago
- The Independent
Liverpool striker Darwin Nunez attracting overseas transfer interest
Darwin Nunez is attracting interest from AC Milan and Al Hilal, with Liverpool reportedly willing to sell the striker for the right price. Liverpool recently signed Hugo Ekitike for £69m and had a £110m bid for Alexander Isak rejected by Newcastle. Nunez, Liverpool's club-record signing in 2022, scored only seven goals in 47 appearances last season, often featuring as a substitute. AC Milan has raised funds from player sales, potentially enabling a move for Nunez, following an earlier bid from Napoli. Liverpool is set to raise significant transfer funds this summer, with Tyler Morton nearing a £15m move to Lyon and West Ham and Wolves interested in Ben Doak.
