SNOOKER
Come along on a Wednesday
Registration before 11.45am
Games commence at 12noon
Cues available.
$5.00 per week
Contact: Alan Torkington 09 422 6338 or RSA on 09 425 8568 xtn 1
All,
As you've probably read in the latest RSA newsletter, the Snooker Open Tournament was held last Sunday with Tony Hatton carrying off the prize. He was clearly the in-form player on the day (as he is on most days) & although yours truly sneaked a win against him in the first match of the round-robin, he got better as the tournament played on & his victory was well deserved. Although there were only 9 players on the day, it made for a full round-robin with everybody guaranteed 8 games & it was pleasing to note that 7 of the 9 were snooker club members.
Our ladder competition is ticking along with the various results listed on the record sheet on the Snooker Section noticeboard. I encourage you all to keep it moving & to challenge those players above you on the ladder. By way of catching my opponents off guard, I've managed to crib my way to the top but look forward to being challenged as the year progresses. Whilst I might be improving my game, I'm clearly not the top player in our club & I'd like to see the good'uns work their way through. I believe we can only become better players if we play against better players. In addition, we also have a highest break listing on display as well. Pleased record your high breaks (validated with your opponents signature) on the sheet so we really know who to listen to when bragging rights are awarded later in the year.
It is encouraging to see the 'self-confessed' errors whenever a minor & easily-missed foul occurs such as disturbing a ball with clothing, cue, etc. This reinforces the integrity of our game which has always been a mainstay of its ethos & etiquette. While we may never equal the skill of the professionals we see on TV, I'd like to think our in-game behaviour is right up there.
Don't forget, without designated referees, we rely on ourselves to record scores and, as outlined above, to call our own fouls when appropriate. Our standard convention is to record your own score on your own rail as well as record any foul points you concede on your opponents rail. If your opponent follows the same convention, any double-ups or confusion is avoided & the game is kept fair & transparent.
As Treasurer, Frank has advised that we are sufficiently flush to have Mid-Winter Munchies. To this end, we will have finger food & a small bar tab on our 31 July club day. Hopefully, we will have a full-house on the day so we can all catch up on the latest line-spinning & bullshit war stories. Exaggeration & hyperbole will probably be the order of the day but please don't be offended if you're either ignored or laughed out of the room. As it's a club day, we'll even get some snooker in.
For what was intended as a short email, I may have overstayed my literary welcome so I'll shut ********* up now & leave you in peace.
Cheers,
Jacko
Club Captain
Handicaps Update and WWRSA Snooker Tournament - Sunday
All,
As decided at our last AGM, a new handicap system is now in place & the first month's assessments have been completed. Those attending club days over June will have noticed the change with the maximum handicap now set at 20. So far, it seems to have set a more level playing field for all our players where there is equal opportunity to either knock over a high handicapper or for a high handicapper to overcome the points deficit. No major handicap changes have been evident with the biggest movers being those who have achieved 4 wins or a place on club days. Hopefully this level playing field continues & players are encouraged to improve their game & thus their handicap.
This Sunday (7 July, 9am) is the WWRSA Open Snooker Tournament & you are all encouraged to enter. The format of the tournament will be determined when the total entries are known (currently 9), possibly round-robin or knockout, single frames or best-of-three. There is a small entry fee for the tournament, presumably to cover costs & perhaps prizes. It would be good if our Snooker Club was well represented as I believe that that is where most of the snooker skill resides (excepting yours truly) & it seems appropriate that one of us carries off the prize.
Hope to see you all at our upcoming club days - the more the merrier. Don't forget - registration for club day closes at 11.45am for a midday start. Whilst our newer players will be cut some slack for a late arrival, it is a pain to re-jig a draw once it's written up so our senior members should always be on time.
Happy cueing,
Jacko
Club Captain
WWRSA Snooker Club – Midyear Report
The WWRSA Snooker Club 2024 AGM was held on 29 May and included the standard elements of financial report, election of committee and general business.
Our financial position, thanks to the work of our ongoing Treasurer Frank Bates, has maintained its relative health allowing us to cover our current mix of fees, costs and prizes whilst maintaining a workable bank balance.
For potential newbies, we meet every Wednesday from 12.00pm to 4.00pm with each player getting four games through the afternoon. Players should register by 11.45am to enable the rostered committee member to make up the draw for a 12.00 noon start of play. A small fee on each game day covers our costs (power) and provides for a small prize pool for those players who gain the most wins on the day. To encourage fair and equitable competition, we operate a handicap system that provides a reasonable balance between newcomers and skilled players alike. An outline of our handicap system is displayed on the snooker section noticeboard and I’m happy to explain further if asked.
In addition to our club days, we have both a ladder competition and highest break list, the winners of which earn the applicable bragging rights when announced at our Xmas meeting in December.
With Ross Fergusson standing down from the roles of Club Captain and committee member, vacancies arose which, after suitable arm-twisting, had Brian Pickering voluntold* for the committee role and yours truly press-ganged as Club Captain. The benefits of democracy are truly wondrous to behold!
Many thanks must go to Ross for his sterling work as Club Captain over the years which is evidenced by the healthy status of the small but active club that we enjoy today.
The committee members are; Chris Jackson (Club Captain), Frank Bates (Secretary/Treasurer), Ferry Moorman, Brian Pickering, Alan Torkington (Zom) and Mark Haining. A quick chat with any of us can give an outline of our program and plans for the remainder of this year and we look forward to seeing you at a club day soon.
Cheers all,
Chris Jackson (Jacko)
Club Captain
* Voluntold – A mix of volunteer and told. A subtle method of persuasion which plays on the conscience of the individual and coerces them into a decision they wouldn’t otherwise touch with a bargepole.
WWRSA Snooker Club – December 2023
The WWRSA Snooker Club has continued its weekly club day every Wednesday and has even managed to fit some snooker in between the sorting of world affairs, the telling of tall tales and inevitable banter that always comes out when friends meet.
The club day competitions have continued throughout the year and have seen many a skilled shot, many more flukey ones and several that were just outlandish, the latter being claimed by their owners as part of some grand tactical plan. This claim is often debunked by the next shot being utterly abysmal as the player shows their true colours!
For the uninitiated, the snooker club meets every Wednesday from 12.00pm to 4.00pm with each player getting four games through the afternoon. A small fee on each club day covers our costs (power) and provides for a small prize pool for those players who gain the most wins on the day. We are in the process of reviewing our handicap system to ensure it remains relevant and that players of varying abilities have a fair shot of success as they strive to improve their own play to become more competitive.
We have also regenerated our ladder competition and players are encouraged to challenge their way to the top where a suitable award awaits when the competition wraps up around March 2024. There is also a scoresheet displayed that records the highest break by individual players giving both bragging rights to those listed and the opportunity to bore all those around them with step-by-step replays of their finest moments, the latter usually being relegated to the ‘tall tale’ file mentioned above.
As our attendance varies from week to week with players opting in and out as their lifestyle dictates, we will continue our club days throughout the holiday season. Any new members are welcome to come along and check us out and hopefully join up for the fun of playing, the inevitable banter and the opportunity to settle world affairs once and for all. Happy cueing.
Merry Christmas all,
Jacko
Newsletter Article WWRSA Snooker Club – June 2023
The WWRSA Snooker Club is a low-key group that meets weekly on Wednesday to play snooker, discuss world affairs and tell tall stories, mostly the latter.
The recent AGM that was held on 23 June included a financial report (healthy), general business (mildly interesting) and election of committee members (blood from a stone!). As snooker is a tactical game where playing it safe can predominate, some railroading and coercion was needed to fill all positions. Even then Ross Ferguson and Frank Bates were driven to continue as Club Captain and Secretary / Treasurer respectively so at least we’ll have a couple that know what they’re doing!
For the uninitiated, the snooker club meets every Wednesday from 12.00pm to 4.00pm with each player getting four games through the afternoon. A small fee on each game day covers our costs (power) and provides for a small prize pool for those players who gain the most wins on the day. All players are allocated a handicap of up to 25 when they first join and it has become almost as much a game of reducing one’s handicap as it is of winning on the table.
Another major element of the afternoon is the banter and ribbing that is a natural accompaniment to the snooker – even the apology for pulling off a flukey shot is seldom believed. While you don’t need your own cue or be a particularly skilled player, you do need a thick skin.
As well as the Wednesday afternoon matches, we have a ladder displayed where players may attempt to climb towards the top spot. These games are played at an agreed time suitable to both players outside Wednesday afternoon. Periodically, top spot player is declared the winner and the ladder is reset with names being drawn randomly from top to bottom.
Cheers all,
Jacko