At the Annual General Meeting of the Association, which took place on Saturday 17th April, the matter of dress code for players taking part in EABA tournaments was discussed, and the following resolution was passed : "That the dress code will be set out at each stage of the competition and the Tournament Director will strictly apply it. Any player contravening the dress code will be disqualified immediately". As formal dress requirements may apply only to the later stages of competitions, all players should carefully examine the conditions of each tournament they enter and ensure they are suitably attired at all times.
From 1st September 1999, all tournaments and competitions under the jurisdiction of EASB shall be played with an approved set of billiard balls comprising of a white, a yellow and a red ball. The size and weight tolerances of these balls must be as laid down in the Rules of the Game of English Billiards, Section 1, Rule 2 “Balls”. The WPBSA professional billiard players have been playing international tournaments with the Aramith Tournament Champion balls for at least four years, and the use of these balls can be recommended with confidence.
It has been decided to hold the final stages of the Under-19 Junior Championships alongside the EASB Amateur Snooker Championships which are scheduled to take place at Newcastle upon Tyne in May 1999. Details of the playing arrangements have yet to be confirmed. The Under-16 Championships, which had previously been held at the same time and venue as the Juniors, will now take place independently.
Norman Dagley´s widow, Nita, has generously donated to the EABA the trophy he won for the World Open Billiards Championships in New Delhi in 1989. This event, played under the 150 up format, was intended as a series of Grand Slam events involving additional tournaments in Bombay, Singapore and New Zealand. However, this first Championship also proved to be the last, leaving Norman in permanent possession of the trophy. It is intended that it will now be awarded to the winner of the ABC ranking tournament at The Reardon, Stoke which is traditionally held after the association´s AGM in April.