Fluke shot

One thing I really like about playing league rules is that you don't have to call kisses, caroms, combinations, etc. Or more accurately, you don't get penalized for making these types of shots uncalled. This is a diagram (approximate) of a kick shot I made last night during my first game of a match against a player who's ranked a 6. (The past few weeks I've been enjoying playing as a 3.) I was playing stripes and had one ball left on the table, the 14. I was aiming for the cross corner pocket but I hit the rail a tad too far to the right. The cue ball made firm contact with the 14, which caromed off the 8 to go in the pocket. I didn't even see the 14 go in though because I was watching the 8 sloooowly roll toward the other corner. I can't believe it didn't fall in, it stopped right on the edge. Once it stopped I realized I had almost snookered myself behind the 2 and the 1. But I could see enough of the 8 for a thin cut in for the win. My opponent went on to win the next three games, but I won the match on the fifth game. A fluke? Yes. But it reminds me of a saying that I live by: luck is the residue of skill.