Editorial
It gives me very much pleasure and exceedingly great joy to pay tribute to two highly respected stalwarts on the English amateur billiards scene, certainly not the youngest pair of characters in the billiards orbit by any means, but undoubtedly two of the most enthusiastic. First we have Tony James, a man whose appearance greatly underestimates his skill and ability as a fine billiards player, and a man who could quite easily be expected to step into the ring as a bareknuckle fighter. Tony's gentle and quietly unassuming disposition seriously belies his determination and stamina on the green baize. A previous Northern Regional Snooker Champion, and now the new English Billiards Champion, Tony has reached the very zenith of his billiards career, and to lift the Herbert Beetham Trophy at Darley Dale must have been one of the proudest moments of his life. A tear in the eye of veteran and much loved Alf Nolan put the champion's achievement in perspective, and gave an indication of their great friendship and of their respect for each other. This is a memorable result in English Amateur Billiards and a fitting tribute to an amateur game that provides a final round between two players with an age difference of almost fifty years. The ABP congratulates Tony James and Matthew Sutton on a splendid achievement.
Secondly, through this magazine I would like to express the sincere thanks of all the billiards enthusiasts in this country to Mr. Eric Gratton for his generous sponsorship and spontaneous support of the 2003 English Billiards Championship. Eric has been on the English billiards scene for many years both as a referee and as a player. His interest in refereeing was strongly rekindled about five years ago. Since that time he has officiated at many national and international events. Eric's love of the game and his eagerness to take part is a credit to himself and a fine model for all budding referees. The revival of English amateur billiards owes much to the generosity and sincerity of people like Eric Gratton.
I regret to report that this will be the last issue of the ABP to be published by Mr. Peter Ainsworth. Peter began his association with the magazine some five years ago through his friendship with Albert Hanson. The success of the magazine and the many congratulations that have been received on its news content, historical articles, and its very professional layout and format, are all due to Peter's hard work and his expertise in publishing skills. Peter will continue to write interesting articles for the magazine but will relinquish his administrative responsibilities. The readers of the ABP will join me in thanking Peter for his contribution in lifting this magazine to its present high standard, for the quality of its presentation, and the accuracy of its reporting.
The ABP management team are currently looking for a successor to Peter Ainsworth, and welcome enquiries from persons who are both interested, and capable of performing the required publishing skills.
The recent sad but not unexpected news that no funding will be available for professional tournaments during the 2003/2004 season has surely forced the professional players into a situation whereby serious thought must now be put into organising their own game. Waiting for miracles in the cut-throat business of professional sport is only a dream. When the amateur game was faced with a similar predicament, and put into jeopardy by the lack of interest; the amateurs answered the call. Support was thin on the ground, but with good will and a determination to succeed we have arrived at today's happy position.
Go to it lads!
Have a jolly good summer.