News from the Editor's Chair

This year's Triangular International Billiards Tournament will shortly take place at Carlow in the Republic of Ireland. It doesn't seem long since the Ivy Rooms at Carlow staged one of the most successful ever World Championships in recent history. In 1999 forty eight competitors from eleven countries assembled to compete for the Arthur Walker Trophy in perfect conditions. The Republic had excelled in the facilities provided for a veritable cosmopolitan galaxy of players. Perhaps one of the proudest moments of my life was when Joe Millen and myself hoisted Praput on to our shoulders at the 'Dinn Ri' night club in Carlow and paraded the young Thai aloft with his wonderful trophy to the strains of Tina Turner's 'Simply the Best'. A thousand young voices proclaiming the World Amateur Billiards Champion. Pure magic. Sadly the 2002 Championship has attracted players from only five or even less countries. This situation leaves a huge question mark over the future of the Championship in its present state of affairs. The management of the game at higher levels is besotted with the idea of popularising the game from a spectators point of view without looking at the intrinsic sporting needs of those who play the game. Billiards is a game to be played and enjoyed. Nobody is going to make a vast amount of money out of billiards, either playing it or promoting it , and the sooner this is well and truly understood the sooner billiards can recover its position, and be recognised for what it is: a skilful, artistic and pleasurable pastime. Honour, self improvement and character building are the tenets of billiards, and while these principles endure the game will survive.

Our very sincere thanks must be extended to Roger Morgan. Roger is an IT wizard and the architect of the English Association's new Website (www.eaba.co.uk) The E.A.B.A. committee see the Internet as a necessary aid to the organisation and promotion of English billiards world wide. Already we have had very favourable responses from Canada and America, which is both interesting and exiting. We hope to extend the already comprehensive information with more pages on billiards related matters. Well done Roger, and thank you.

This season sees the reinstatement of the National Billiards High Break Award. This award was discontinued after the closure of the B.&.S.C.C. and has been largely forgotten. Eligibility for this award is through all the E.A.B.A. National Tournaments and will be recorded for posterity in the E.A.B.A. archives.

Certificates will also be awarded for personal best breaks of 50 points or above. A presentation certificate will be awarded for which a small charge will be made. It's worth reminding ourselves that the B.&.S.C.C. may have had housekeeping and management problems during the latter days of its existence, but much of its traditional knowledge of billiards and snooker was most valuable. Don't let's throw out the baby with the bath water. The confusion and insecurity which has followed has not convinced anyone that there has been any improvements. More details of the High Break Scheme will appear in the next issue.

The format suggested for a short game which I have described on the back page of this issue is not intended to provide the answer to popularising the game of billiards. It has proved an interesting and perplexing game for the experienced player. The absence of the red from its spot certainly changes the whole strategy of play and makes for more power shots than are used traditionally. A likely test of memory for players and referees, but a game that's guaranteed to raise a few laughs.