2013/14 League Season – Tournament Semi Finals

To all those players that have made it through to the Semi Finals stage of a league tournament…congratulations!  Please note that the availability of league venues is currently being finalised so that neutral tables/referees etc can be provided for these matches, and these will be announced shortly.

The dates for all Semi Finals were published at the start of the season on the Season Calendar and also detailed on each tournament drawsheet.  Please ensure that you are available to play on the designated date below otherwise you will unfortunately have to withdraw from the tournament.

Handicap Singles – Monday 21 April 2014
SF1 – Steve Parradine v Roger Loveday
SF2 – Joe Fanthorpe v Spencer Hewitt

Handicap Doubles – Tuesday 22 April 2014
SF1 – Bothwell/Bothwell v Croxford/Breen
SF2 – Manley/Jones v Patmore/Sawyer

Scratch Plus Singles – Tuesday 29 April 2014
SF1 – Steve Parradine v Andy Webb
SF2 – Adrian Shoebridge v Nick Selvey

Scratch Singles – Tuesday 6 May 2014 / Wednesday 30 April 2014
SF1 – Adam Ingram v Jonathan Wells
SF2 – Darren Edmonston v Russell Huxter

NOTICE : World Snooker Social Media Guidelines

Notice to all Registered League Members

Please see below Social Media Guidelines published recently by World Snooker on 28 February 2014.  The Committee request that all registered league players read these guidelines and adhere to them whilst posting either on the SWDSL facebook page/twitter account, or any general posting in relation to the activities of snooker league whilst using their own facebook/twitter accounts.

These guidelines are designed to provide helpful, practical advice on using social media effectively.
To set the parameters for these social media guidelines, we should keep in mind three things:

1. We live in a society that promotes free speech and freedom of expression; it is generally
expected that persons playing sport at a professional level should reflect the values of the
society it represents.

2. Anything that you post is public and visible so you must be responsible in what you post.

3. Social networking is monitored and you may fall foul of the Members Rules if you act outside
these guidelines.

Do’s Don’ts

DO…Show your personality.
Being yourself and letting your personality shine is
what your fans are looking for. Personality creates
stars in our sport. However, try to avoid any humour
that might be considered in bad taste.

England cricketer Dimitri Mascarenhas was
uncomplimentary about national team selector Geoff
Miller and was fined £1,000.

DON’T…Talk negatively about other competitors,
countries, organisations or brands.
Any gossip or slanderous comments can be easily
highlighted and taken the wrong way. Remember that
you are an ambassador for your sport. This is likely to
put you in breach of the Members Rules.

DO…Remember everyone can see you.
Before you write anything, remember that it’s public
and anyone can take your words and put them in a
newspaper, on a website or the TV. Media will be
monitoring social media and will use your words as
quotes. Pause and think carefully before you mention
anything about you or other sports persons.

Stephanie Rice (an Australian triple Olympic
swimming gold medallist) lost a lucrative sponsorship
deal after she posted an inappropriate comment on
Twitter.

DON’T…Swear.
Even suggestions of foul or abusive language by
replacing letters with symbols e.g. s@£t should be
avoided. Similarly, don’t get into disputes with your
audience – instead, show that you have listened and
be responsive in a positive manner.

The ECB suspended Azeem Rafiq, the captain of
England under-19 team, for his use of inappropriate
language on Twitter.

DO…Be responsible.
You are personally responsible for the content you
provide and how you behave online. Be careful and if
you’re in doubt, don’t post it.

DON’T…Assume anything you delete will
completely disappear
It’s almost impossible to completely remove
information on social networking sites even if you
“remove/delete” it from the original source. There is
no way of knowing where it may have been reposted.
So think before you post.

DO…Report anything that concerns you.
If you see any comments or photos that concern
you or you feel in the course of a conversation that
somebody may need help or be in danger, report it
to the relevant authority.

DON’T…Be provoked into responding.
There are accounts set up to provoke you into
controversial discussions or to respond to abuse.
These accounts are often anonymous or created
using false details and the only person who is
identifiable is you. If someone provokes you in this
manner, just ignore or block them

BS Snooker League Retain Challenge Trophy

Held at Harlow War Memorial Institute on Sunday 23 March 2014 and in a closely matched tournament, the Bishop’s Stortford Snooker League showed steely determination going into the final round of the day to win 7-5 and retain the Bishop’s Stortford Challenge Trophy by winning 26 frames overall to Saffron Walden’s 22.

Player Of The Tournament was Bishop’s Stortford’s Sean Wade who won 6 frames out of 8 played.  There was no high break over 25 on the day but at least 5 players claimed a high break of 24!

The DMC Leisure Saffron Walden & District Snooker League would like to thank Marc Ridout for organising the event, Harlow War Memorial Institute for providing the venue for the tournament, and our sponsor for the tournament, SNOOKERSUCCESS.  The Bishop’s Stortford League also obtained a sponsor, MAG American who we would like to thank for their support as well.

Round-by-Round Results and Player Statistics are as follows:

T1 Nobby Clarke 1-1 Neil Winter

T1 Nobby Clarke 1-1 Aaron Gibson

T1 Nobby Clarke 0-2 Bob Burling

T1 Nobby Clarke 2-0 Adrian Shoebridge

T2 Mick Westby 1-1 Bob Burling

T2 Mick Westby 1-1 Neil Winter

T2 Mick Westby 1-1 Aaron Gibson

T2 Mick Westby 2-0 Chris Clarke

T3 Sean Wade 2-0 Aaron Gibson

T3 Sean Wade 1-1 Bob Burling

T3 Sean Wade 1-1 Neil Winter

T3 Sean Wade 2-0 Mark Patmore

T4 Don Johnson 1-1 Chris Clarke

T4 Don Johnson 1-1 Mark Patmore

T4 Don Johnson 1-1 Adrian Shoebridge

T4 Don Johnson 1-1 Bob Burling

T5 Jack Bothwell 2-0 Adrian Shoebridge

T5 Jack Bothwell 2-0 Chris Clarke

T5 Jack Bothwell 1-1 Mark Patmore

T5 Jack Bothwell 0-2 Neil Winter

T6 Bill Pullum 1-1 Mark Patmore

T6 Bill Pullum 1-1 Adrian Shoebridge

T6 Bill Pullum 0-2 Chris Clarke

T6 Bill Pullum 0-2 Aaron Gibson

Total Score: 26-22

Bishop’s Stortford Players (won/lost):

Mick Westby 5-3

Nobby Clarke 4-4

Sean Wade 6-2

Don Johnson 4-4

Jack Bothwell 5-3

Bill Pullum 2-6

Saffron Walden Players (won/lost):

Bob Burling 5-3

Neil Winter 5-3

Aaron Gibson 4-4

Chris Clarke 3-5

Adrian Shoebridge 2-6

Mark Patmore 3-5

Website links for tournament sponsors, please click on a logo below to visit their website.

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DEADLINE : Quarter Finals Round Handicap Singles/Handicap Doubles/Scratch Singles/Scratch Plus Singles – Monday 31 March 2014

Just a reminder that all Quarter Finals Round matches in the Handicap Singles, Handicap Doubles, Scratch Singles & Scratch Plus Singles must be played by Monday 31 March 2014.

Please text results promptly to Adam Ingram so the drawsheets for the Semi Finals can be finalised.

The dates for each semi final match are on the league website.  As these matches are to be played on a neutral table, venues will be confirmed in due course following the completion of the quarter finals.

Bishop’s Stortford Challenge Tournament – Sunday 23 March 2014

The Bishop’s Stortford Challenge, sponsored by SNOOKERSUCCESS is being held at Old Harlow War Memorial Institute on Sunday 23 March 2014.

As last year, both the Saffron Walden & District Snooker League and the Bishop’s Stortford & District Snooker League are each entering a team consisting of six players, three league handicapped between -10 and -1, and three between scratch and +10.  The Saffron Walden League will be represented by Bob Burling, Steve Bothwell, Neil Winter, Mark Patmore, Chris Clarke and Adrian Shoebridge.  In each round, each player will play two frames back-to-back against a player from the other team.

All spectators are welcome to come along and watch from 10am.  The club address is 15 Garden Terrace Rd, Harlow CM17 0AT.

cropped_small_jpgThis event is being kindly sponsored by local snooker coaching company SNOOKERSUCCESS which is based near to Bishop’s Stortford on the Hertfordshire/Essex border and offers its own purpose-built, private coaching facility housing a full-size Riley Aristocrat Championship table.  This eliminates distractions and also enables them to offer full video analysis during coaching sessions. Run by World Snooker Coach Andrew Green, SNOOKERSUCCESS has one simple objective, to help you improve both your ability and enjoyment from the game of snooker.

For more information, please visit their website http://www.snookersuccess.com

SWDSL Newsletter – March 2014

March 2014 Newsletter
League 
In the Three Player Division, BSSC B appear to have an unassailable lead going into the final 6 matches leading Saffron Snooker Pockets B, Whittlesford Social Club and Dunmow Club by 8 points who look like they are all in a three way race to the Runners Up spot. Adam Ingram (Sawbo USC) currently has the highest recorded break in the division with 86.

In the Four Player Division, again with 6 matches left to play, defending title holders Saffron Snooker Flukes currently have a 5 point lead ahead of Sawston Jets, with Widdington Warriors 7 points off the lead.  Jeremy Jones (SS Flukes) has the highest break so far with 51.
 
Tournaments
The Quarter Finals Round of the Scratch Singles, Scratch Plus Singles, Handicap Singles and Handicap Doubles are now in progress, and all matches are to be arranged no later than Friday 21 March 2014 and be played by Monday 31 March 2014.  All drawsheets can be found on the league website.  Should you have any issues trying to contact your opponent then please advise the Tournament Secretary, Adam Ingram on 07901-723360.

Saffron Walden Challenge – Sunday 23 February 2014
The Saffron Walden Challenge, sponsored by Bushwood Accountants was held at Cambridge Snooker Centre on Sunday 23 February 2014.  Norwich Snooker League successfully defended the title they won 12 months ago by 1 point ahead of Saffron Walden who finished as Runners Up.  Well done to our team Adam Ingram, Russell Huxter and Darren Edmonston.  There was some consolation for Adam who in his last frame of the tournament secured the high break of the day with a flawless 124.
Please click link for the full tournament report : http://swdsl.co.uk/2014/02/23/norwich-retain-saffron-walden-challenge-title-by-one-point/

League Website – www.swdsl.co.uk
The league website was relaunched on 1 March 2014.  The new platform allows additional features to be utilised and the website now fully encompasses the ‘SWDSL News and Views’ section so all league information is in one place.  One new feature allows all new posts to the website to be automatically sent through to our Social Media Feeds [Facebook Page and Twitter] so however you choose to keep in touch you with the latest news you shouldn’t (hopefully) miss anything.
If you have any issues navigating around the new layout or have any ideas for content then please contact Peter Saville via email swdsl@live.co.uk.

Referees Seminar – Sunday 9 March 2014
For all those that wish to brush up on their refereeing skills or just have a better understanding of the basics, our League President/Chairman and EASB Director of Referees Mr Dan Lewis will be holding a ‘Referees Seminar’ at WT’s Snooker Club in Cambridge on Sunday 9 March 2014.  Spaces are limited so if you are interested please contact us via email at swdsl@live.co.uk and we will book your place with Dan.  The address of WT’s is 39b Burleigh Street, Cambridge CB1 1BG.

Play The Snooker Professionals Charity Day – Sunday 23 March 2014
ethan_snooker_2014Building on the success of last years event where over £700 was raised, Saffron Snooker Club and local businessman Kevin Starr are proud to once again host the ‘Play the Snooker Professionals Charity Day’ in aid of the Ethan Rees Linwood Memorial Fund featuring World Snooker Professional Snooker Players Martin ‘the MOD’ O’Donnell and Allan ‘the Albino Assassin’ Taylor.

Please click link below for further information or to open a printable pdf please click the poster image.

http://swdsl.co.uk/2014/03/02/play-the-professionals-charity-day-sunday-23-march-2014/

And Finally….
We have added voting polls to the league website so from the Quarter Finals you can vote for who you think will win the League Cup, Handicap Singles, Handicap Doubles, Scratch Plus Singles and Scratch Singles.  Voting closes at 10pm on Sunday 9 March 2014.

Quarter Finals Voting Polls – Who Do You Think Will Win….? Voting Closes Sunday 9 March 2014 at 10pm

Just for fun – vote below for who you think will win the League Cup, Handicap Singles, Handicap Doubles, Scratch Plus Singles and Scratch Singles. Voting closes at 10pm on Sunday 9 March 2014.

Referees Seminar – Sunday 9 March 2014

rsz_1dan_lewisFor all those that wish to brush up on their refereeing skills or just have a better understanding of the basics, our League President/Chairman and EASB Director of Referees Mr Dan Lewis will be holding a ‘Referees Seminar’ at WT’s Snooker Club in Cambridge on Sunday 9 March 2014.

Spaces are limited so if you are interested please contact us via email at swdsl@live.co.uk and we will book your place with Dan.

The address of WT’s is 39b Burleigh Street, Cambridge CB1 1BG.

‘Play The Snooker Professionals Charity Day’ – Sunday 23 March 2014

Building on the success of last years event where over £700 was raised, Saffron Snooker Club and local businessman Kevin Starr are proud to once again host the ‘Play the Snooker Professionals Charity Day’ in aid of the Ethan Rees Linwood Memorial Fund featuring World Snooker Professional Snooker Players Martin ‘the MOD’ O’Donnell and Allan ‘the Albino Assassin’ Taylor.

Martin_ODonnell_Snookerbacker_Classic_Champion_2012 allan-taylor2

Venue:                 Saffron Snooker Club, Saffron Walden, Essex. CB11 3AQ

Date:                    Sunday 23rd March 2014

Time:                    1.00 pm – 6.00 pm

A unique opportunity for local snooker players of all abilities to play a handicapped frame of snooker against a World Snooker professional – or simply come along and watch – and support a great local charity.  You can turn up on the day or pre-book your frame by contacting Saffron Snooker Club on 01799 513094 or via email saffronsnookerclub@btconnect.com.

The cost per frame for Juniors is just a donation of £2 to the Charity, Adults is £5 donation per frame.

The event is open to all, don’t worry if you don’t have a snooker cue, we have one you can use.

To add a bit of spice this year, all challengers will be given a handicap when they play the professionals based on their highest break.  Anyone that beats the pros will go into a draw at the end of the day for the chance to win a cash prize of £50!

On the day there will also be a raffle with top prizes, including tickets to a World Snooker tournament, complimentary use of holiday chalet on the Norfolk coast for a week, free snooker coaching sessions,  snooker related prizes and much more.

The pros will be playing between 1.00 and 3.00 and again between 4.00 and 6.00.  In between there will be some fun ‘pay and play’ competitions (clear the colours in the fastest time – that sort of thing), and of course the draw for the raffle prizes.

A licensed bar, soft drinks, tea, coffee and food will be available all day.

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To find out more about the work of the Ethan Rees Linwood Memorial Fund please visit their website www.ethanrees.org or email them at enquiries@ethanrees.org

We hope that you can pop into Saffron Snooker Club and support this event.  If you would like to donate a raffle prize then please contact Kevin Starr on 07713-640265 or bring into Saffron Snooker Club either before or on the day – thank you!

To open and view/print a poster for this event please click here!

EASB Guide For Players Refereeing Local League Snooker Matches

GUIDE FOR LOCAL PLAYERS

Some tips for players refereeing in their local leagues

Author – Dan Lewis – EASB Director of Referees

Never call out the score when spotting a ball, until you have completed the task, as this is the signal for the striker to continue with his break/make the next shot.    Also, never call out the score when a ball is potted, until you are sure that no foul can result from any balls still in motion.

Never turn your back on the table (when the striker is about to make a shot) and always retain control of the cue-ball between frames and whilst it is in hand, until you are ready to continue.

You should always try to take up a position out of the line of sight of the striker & remain still whilst he/she is down on the shot. We consider the striker to be standing @ 6 o’clock, the referee should stand between 4 o’clock & 8 o’clock, whichever side affords the best view of any likely infringement of the rules. i.e. any object balls that could be fouled by the strikers person or attire, or by the path of the cue-ball.

Whenever there is a possibility of a “Miss” occurring, the Referee should ask the player to allow him/her to view the exact line of the shot & to take a mental image of the cue-ball and object balls positions. This is especially important where only a thin shot is available or the player is playing a thin contact (across a ball) or in any occurrence where the Cue Ball is Snookered.

All attempts to escape from a “Snooker”, must be played with sufficient strength to reach the ball on, either directly or indirectly, failure to strike the Cue Ball with sufficient strength to reach the/a ball on will always result in a “Miss”. The “Miss” rule and how to apply it within your league(s) is attached separately – this has been applied successfully in the SWDSL for 20 years!

In an Impossible to escape snooker situation, the only criteria is that the player strikes the cue ball with sufficient strength (in a direct or indirect line), so as to reach / contact the/a ball on – in which case no Miss will be called – regardless of the difference in scores.

A player can ‘nominate’ his intended ball by his stance, but should this not be immediately obvious then the referee should ask the player to “Declare” which ball he is playing (state clearly – Please Declare). It is a foul if the player plays without first replying to this request. The striker does not have to declare/nominate, unless specifically requested to do so by the referee.

When balls are almost touching, the striker is allowed to declare that ball but he must make only the thinnest possible contact when so doing. You only state “Touching Ball” if that ball is a “ball on” (which should be followed immediately by “Please Declare”), and any movement of that ball is a foul unless it moves because of the vagaries of the table; i.e. moves forward into the space vacated by the cue-ball or settles onto an uneven spot.

N.B.     When there is no Referee (such as in a social or local competition), the opposing player will be regarded as such for the purposes of these rules.   Remember that we play for fun as well as to win, so all decisions should be made within the spirit of the rules.

Revised August 2014 – version 4.

EASB Guide To The Miss Rule For Local League Application

GUIDE FOR LOCAL LEAGUES

THE MISS RULE  –  A SUMMARY for Local League Application

Author – Dan Lewis – EASB Director of Referees

A         A Miss shall be called, if, in the opinion of the ‘Referee’, the Striker has not made a genuine attempt to hit the ball on (or any ball that could be on). To judge this, use the criteria of whether you, as a player of similar ability, could (would expect to) do better. Hitting the intervening ball by playing a swerve shot should always result in a Miss being called, missing after playing a swerve shot is a judgement call.

B          If the Striker can see any part of any ball on (in a straight line), and fails to make first contact with a ball on, a Miss shall be called.

N.B.    For either A or B above, a Miss shall not be called if the difference in scores is equal to the value of the balls available or penalty points are required (by either player)- either before or as a result of the offending shot.

C         Should the Striker be able to see any Ball on “full ball” (not both edges but centre to centre contact) and fails to make first contact with a Ball on, a Miss shall be called (unless on the first occasion the above note applies).

If a Miss is called and accepted, the balls are replaced and the Striker plays again. If the foul shot is repeated, again a Miss shall be called (this time regardless of the difference in scores, as a count has already commenced).

Should the non-Striker request that the shot be replayed after the 2nd foul, the Referee shall warn the Striker that a third consecutive offence will result in the Frame being awarded to his opponent. Where points are recorded as part of the match, etc., the total number of points available at this time shall be added to the non-offenders score and the offenders score shall be reduced to zero.

1          The Miss rule is a rule of Snooker and must be adhered to at all times but should be played with common sense and due consideration for the striker’s ability.

2          In the best traditions of Snooker, a player should call a Foul on himself for any accidental touching of a ball or similar offence.

3          The Referee should consult both players about the replacing of balls after a Miss has been called, after which the Referees decision will be final – if either player touches a ball during this process, that player will be penalised 7 points but the order of play is not changed (the striker remains the striker).

4          Players refereeing matches should be vigilant at all times and should first ascertain whether a ball can be seen, prior to the next shot, where a possible rule infringement may result from that shot.

Revised August 2014 – version 4

 

New Website Layout – Printing League Tables

For those members/clubs that like to print the league tables to display on their noticeboards, you can do this by going to the MENU at the top of the home page of http://www.swdsl.co.uk, then hold the cursor over 2013/14 LEAGUE SEASON so that the menu drops down, and if you then click on LEAGUE TABLES, a full pdf version will open in the same page which is printer friendly.  The results and league tables posted on the home page of the website are an ‘screen clip’ for those that don’t want to open the full pdf versions.

Should you encounter any issues with the new layout of the league website, please contact Peter Saville via email swdsl@live.co.uk

Essential Maintenance/Upgrades to league website www.swdsl.co.uk

From around 9pm on Tuesday 25 February 2014 for a period of up to 24 hours, the league website http://www.swdsl.co.uk may be completely unavailable or not function fully, please bear with us whilst essential maintenance/upgrades take place.

If you need any information in the interim please email us on swdsl@live.co.uk.  The league Facebook Page at http://www.facebook.com/swdsl and Twitter Account @swdsl will continue to function as normal during this period of outage.

Many thanks.

Norwich Retain Saffron Walden Challenge Title By One Point!

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The 2014 Saffron Walden Challenge Snooker Tournament, once again kindly sponsored by Bushwood Accountants took place at the Cambridge Snooker & Pool Centre, Cambridge on Sunday 23 February 2014.

Defending tournament holders Norwich Snooker League held their nerve going into the final round of the tournament to retain the Saffron Walden Challenge title by one point from hosts Saffron Walden & District Snooker League who finished as runners up, and the Vic Harris Snooker League who finished in third place.

Photo : Winners – Norwich Snooker League (Grant Miles, Chris Zanone and Nick Spelman)

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With Milton Keynes Snooker League pulling out on the day of the tournament, defending champions Norwich took on teams from the surrounding snooker leagues of Saffron Walden, Cambridge, Braintree, Chelmsford, Vic Harris (South Essex) and South Beds in this annual round robin tournament where teams of 3 players play 2 frames back-to-back against their opposite number from each team.

With 5 rounds played, Norwich on 20 points, Vic Harris on 19 points and Saffron Walden on 18 points were all in contention for the title but with Norwich and Vic Harris playing each other in the final round it was all to play for and a thrilling finish was on the cards.  With their match finishing with a 3-3 draw, Norwich finished on 23 points and Vic Harris on 22 points.  With Saffron Walden still playing against Cambridge and their match score being at 3-2, Russell Huxter secured victory on the pink to give Saffron Walden a deserved 4-2 win, 22 points overall and the runners up position (on count back to the Vic Harris Snooker League having beaten them earlier in the tournament 4-2).

Photo : Runners Up – Saffron Walden & District Snooker League (Darren Edmonston, Russell Huxter and Adam Ingram)

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EASB and IBSF Snooker Coach Russell, had a fantastic tournament winning 10 out of the 12 frames he played.  Ex-England International Adam Ingram had in the final match given Saffron Walden every opportunity by winning his own match 2-0 in double quick time, and in his final frame cleared the table with an immaculate break of 124, the highest break of the tournament.

Toby Pugh (Chelmsford) also knocked in a century break, a fine 104, ironically against Adam during the Chelmsford v Saffron Walden match in Round 4.  Other notable breaks made during the tournament efforts were Paul Stelmaszuk (Cambridge) 90, Finlay Laing (Cambridge) 82, Barry Garwood (South Beds) 79, Dean Galbally (Vic Harris) 74, Grant Miles (Norwich) 72, Nick Spelman (Norwich) 71.

Adam Ingram, Tournament Secretary would like to thank Cambridge Snooker & Pool Centre for providing the venue for the event, Darren Edmonston of Bushwood Accountants for once again sponsoring the tournament, and Committee Members Pat Manley and Steve Stalley who did a superb job of keeping account of all the frames won and lost and ensuring the scoreboard was kept up to date.

Final Standings : Norwich 23, Saffron Walden 22, Vic Harris, 22, Braintree 16, Cambridge 15, Chelmsford 15, South Beds 13

Player Of The Tournament : Nick Spelman (Norwich)

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Tournament High Break : Adam Ingram (Saffron Walden) 124

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