Dave ‘Ginger Wizard’ Pearson gives exhibition at Hot Shots; advises local players to get a ‘jump’ on the competition

By John Burbridge
sports@charlescitypress.com
CHARLES CITY — Who knew you needed a scouting report to be “sexy”?

Before taking on each from a list of challengers for two-game sets of 8-Ball as part of his exhibition last Friday night at Hot Shots Billiards, Dave “The Ginger Wizard” Pearson would confide briefly with Hot Shots owner Joe Hull.

“I wanted to find out if they were a player I could be ‘sexy’ with,” the British international pro player, author and self-proclaimed “No. 1 Pool Entertainer in the World” said. “What I mean is if I attempted a trick shot against them and missed, would I get another chance to shoot again.

“Joe warned me about the guys who were real good … so I played them straight up.”

Most of Pearson’s challengers were accomplished league and tournament players, but Pearson managed to win most of the games.

Then it was time to take on Hull.

“We’re going to see how well Joe is liked around here by the way the crowd boos or cheers him,” Pearson announced.

Sinking a ball on the break in the first game, Pearson cleared the table of “bigs” (striped balls numbered 9-15) but scratched on his final shot. With cue ball in hand and only “smalls” on the table, Hull proceeded to run the table for the win with a series of patterned straight-in shots.

But in the second game after Hull failed to sink a shot on the break, Pearson was all business in running the table himself before setting up for an easy straight-in shot on the 8-Ball to even the series.

“Two-rail?” Hull suggested.

“Two-rail!?!” Pearson was incredulous, then warned some younger individuals in the audience to cover their ears. “Are you (bleeping) kidding me? Where was the bloody two-rail on your straight-in shot?”

But Pearson couldn’t resist and attempted a difficult two-rail shot with the 8-Ball getting too much of the corner pocket’s cushioned lips which spit it out.

Hull took advantage and cleared the table leaving only the 8-Ball.

“Straight in,” Hull said before deftly stealing the show with a four-rail shot into the corner pocket he called.

Using audience participation, Pearson attempted an array of trick shots. Though he had an off night when employing jump shots — making the cue ball hop off the felt while staying on target — into his trickery, Pearson was consistently effective with his “hops” in the games against the patrons … even when they were more utilitarian than sexy.

“If you don’t have a jump cue, you are an idiot if you think you’re a serious player,” Pearson said. “You’ve got to have a jump shot, and it’s really easy to learn.”

That weekend, Pearson was due to jump on a plane and hop across the globe for an exhibition in Singapore. But if he ever wants a good run for his money, he knows where to hop back.

“Not too many people know, even from here, that Iowa has the biggest state pool tournament in the nation,” Pearson said of the annual event held at the Five Sullivan Brothers Convention Center in Waterloo. “There are a lot of good players in Iowa. I know if I walk into most any local tavern around here, there’s at least someone — if I don’t hit a ball in on the break — can run the table on me.”