On Saturday 25th October 1997 a party of Sandford Orcas & District players and wives travelled to Ashbourne (Derby's) where they were joined by two players and wives from Bath where they played the North Midland round of the Black Pudding v Scrumpy friendly, currently held by Wessex Scrumpy's.
| Black Pudding's | Scrumpy's | ||||
| Gary Coe
| 152 | Steve Warren
43 | 223 | ||
| Dick Ratcliffe
31 | 200 | Martin Gillham
| 117 | ||
| Brian Hayes
31 | 122 | Keith Tozer
34 | 180 | ||
| Rex Plant
| 148 | Colin White
| 144 | ||
| John Maslaukas
| 185 | Mike Woolmington
| 126 | ||
| John Heathcote
| 163 | Bill Tadd
| 94 | ||
On this occasion Dove Valley Black Pudding's came out winners by 4-2 but we look forward to the next round at Wincanton when we intend to bring out the "big guns".
Sunday 26th October saw us all make our various ways to Darley Dale where we saw on form Peter Gilchrist taking the honours in a most enjoyable afternoon and evening of high class billiards.
I have found it rather difficult to obtain home telephone numbers or contact numbers for professionals when trying to arrange our tournament and exhibition at Wincanton.
Could I ask any professionals interested in performing in exhibition events to forward their number to The Amateur Billiard Player, it would make the organiser's work so much easier and should result in the professionals earning a bit more.
The following story was told by Dave Lord, Treasurer of the Bath Billiards & Snooker League:-
Several years ago I took a team of sixteen snooker and four billiard players from Bath, for a match against Taunton. We travelled by coach and quite a few of the player's wives came along. They found themselves a lounge where they could natter and have a few gin and tonic's, while the matches were in progress, and they were told to come to the Taunton Conservative Club for the after-match buffet. I was playing billiards at this club, with snooker on the other two tables.
About 10.00 pm; I had just started playing the last game of billiards when the wives decided they would come into the room. All the players stopped whilst they trooped in, and my wife said, for all to hear, "ave won't be very long, he's only got three balls left"
About ten years ago Dave Lord (Bath) and Roy Foster (Sandford Orcas) got together and arranged the first billiards match between the two leagues. Since then the two leagues have played home and away matches every year, and the interest remains as strong as ever. The latest meeting was in Bath on 29th November 1997. Five tables were used to accommodate the teams often players.
| Bath | Sandford Orcas | ||||
| W. Tadd
| 147 | M. Woolmington
| 246 | ||
| K. Tozer
| 227 | J. Masters
| 267 | ||
| K. Langley
| 268 | C. Walters
48 | 448 | ||
| D. Lord
43 | 461 | R. Foster
| 213 | ||
| C. Coles
42 | 263 | C. White
| 191 | ||
| R. Lydiard
| 273 | J. Stringfellow
| 137 | ||
| A. Bastin
| 154 | M. Warren
| 271 | ||
| D. Smith
46 | 444 | M. Gillham
| 174 | ||
| E. Pitts
58, 54, 41 | 413 | S. Warren
62 | 227 | ||
| D. Stephenson
| 230 | G. Warren
| 244 | ||
The result was five games all, with Bath taking the honours on aggregate score by 2,880 - 2,418. A excellent after-match buffet was provided at the Old Crown Inn. The return fixture will be in March 1998.
Due to the number of entries to the Wessex Individual Billiards decreasing year by year, it has been decided to change the format for this year's competition. To determine the semi-finalists, four groups will play a "round-robin", all games to be completed in one day at the same club. This has resulted in the entries almost doubling last year's numbers.
The date is provisionally 1st February, all results will be provided in due course.
Our next event at Wincanton is provisionally fixed for Sunday 26th April when B, Harvey (holder), D. Watts & C. Gay will play for the Top Cue Rose Bowl. In the evening Roxton Chapman and Norman Dagley will play an exhibition game.