Wiktionary
ball in hand
n. In billiards, a circumstance in which a fault by another player, such as a scratch, permits the competitor to take the cue ball in hand and place it anywhere behind the baulk line.
Usage examples of "ball in hand".
Roger grabs it, then slips on the wet grass and crawls for the bag, ball in hand.
The two powerful beasts followed Aballister out of the room and out of another door in the extradimensional mansion that led to the rocky ridge above Castle Trinity, where Dorigen, her crystal ball in hand, waited.