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Hastings & Bexhill Bar Billiards league
Latest News
2022-23 League Season
Sunday 25th September
We're delighted to announce that the new season started on 21st September, five teams will compete during the season, the Stag are a newly formed team which will consist of locals and our Eastbourne friends, well done to David Dow for his enthusiasm and organising a new team! The league will be played until 23rd November when a committee meeting will decide the format for the remainder of the season.
OKJ end season top of the tree
Saturday 26th November
The Old King John end the first half of the season in top spot after a thrilling 3-2 win at home against the previously unbeaten Jenny Lind B, meanwhile the Stag went up to third in the table after a 5-0 win at the Jenny Lind A.
The OKJ hosted unbeaten league leaders the JLB on a to and fro night that crackled with tension right until the final bar dropped…Ian cued off first in decent style but soon found himself behind after Andy’s steady 2k start…the frame then went back and forth until Andy took the reins and cantered ahead for a deserved win and healthy total…next up saw Nigel pitted against Jez in a surprisingly on/off frame in which both players struggled to stay on the baize and show their usual swashbuckling styles…it remained neck and neck until the bar, with Jez finally claiming the ‘100’ shot win for 1-1…Andy and Mark fought out the third frame with the former in fine form amassing a total that, despite Mark's late hustle, proved too much to match and the JLB found themselves 2-1 up…after the break Alex stepped up to face an in-form Roger who really got into his stride with some staunch 2k action..Alex contested the frame well but Roger’s canny potting ultimately won out…so, 2-2 going into the final frame and what a treat it was for the pay-per-view crowd around the globe (well as far as Guestling at least) as Chris took on Steve in the decider…both players cued-off with decent breaks and then Steve made his move with a lovely 3k haul, which had the JLB contingent believing the win was on…however, it was not to be as Chris dug Chunnel deep to churn out a 4k break in fine composed style and take the frame for the home team…it really was a top notch game to end the evening on and you just can’t ever rule out the OKJ - well done to them as they now sit atop the league.
The Stag continued their resurgence with a 5-0 win at the Jenny Lind A, Alec Pope, Colin Southouse, Peter Payne, David Dow and Tom Pope were the winners for the away side despite valiant efforts from Heather Bishop, Ray Norton and Paul Wickens.
The first half of the league season is now over but a meeting will be taking place at the Stag on 7th December at 8pm to decide the format of the coming second half of the season.
League Fixtures
WK1 21-09-22
Ashburnham 2-3 Jenny Lind B
Jenny Lind A 1-4 Old King John
WK2 28-09-22
Stag 2-3 Old King John
Jenny Lind A 2-3 Ashburnham
WK3 05-10-22
Jenny Lind B 5-0 Jenny Lind A
Ashburnham 3-2 Stag
WK4 12-10-22
Old King John 2-3 Ashburnham
Stag 2-3 Jenny Lind B
WK5 19-10-22
Stag 4-1 Jenny Lind A
Jenny Lind B 3-2 Old King John
WK6 26-10-22
Jenny Lind B 3-2 Ash
Old King John 5-0 Jenny Lind A
WK7 02-11-22
Old King John 4-1 Stag
Ashburnham 4-1 Jenny Lind A
WK8 09-11-22
Jenny Lind A 2-3 Jenny Lind B
Stag 4-1 Ashburnham
WK9 16-11-22
Ashburnham 2-3 Old King John
Jenny Lind B 3-2 Stag
WK10 23-11-22
Jenny Lind A 0-5 Stag
Old King John 3-2 JLB
Top two face each other in last week
Sunday 13th November
The Jenny Lind B and the Old King John will fight it out for the title in the final week of the season as they both recorded 3-2 wins, the Jenny Lind B secured a 3-2 win at home to the Stag while the Old King John came from 2 down to win 3-2 at the Ashburnham Arms.
The Old King John secured a comeback win to keep pressure on the top of the table with a 3-2 win away to the Ashburnham Arms. The home side took the lead as Mick Osborne defeated Mark Bailey, Mark started brightly and built a good lead until Mick Osborne scored a 3k break to give him the lead, Mark failed to gain the break back and Mick won the game by 1000.
Roger Andrews and Lynne Truslove started well and matched each other early on in the second frame, Lynne built a steady lead whilst Roger was suffering with peg-itous, Roger managed to draw level once more but Lynne put together a great 1500 break to take the frame.
Andy Ellison and Sandy Harmer served up a real treat for the third game where both players only had one break each. Andy broke off and put together a superb 5k break, Sandy went on and started to catch Andy up, the bar went with Sandy 450 behind and managed to get 150 behind with one ball left, Sandy failed to pot the ball down the 200 hole and Andy potted the ball in the 100 hole to take the frame and put the OKJ back in the game.
Nigel Doe drew the away side level as he beat Dave Pearce, Nigel took advantage of the chances he was given with two 3000 breaks to easily win the frame.
The decider between Chris Lamb and Leigh Truslove was a game of two halves. Leigh managed to get ahead of Chris and establish a good lead until he knocked over the black peg, in hindsight the score he had would've won him the game. Chris kept managing to stay on the table but Leigh couldn't get the break back, Chris ended the game with the win by 1000 points to seal the comeback win for the OKJ.
A stormy Old Town night saw the JLB and The Stag slosh it out by the Jenny fireside…first up Steve and Alec both cued off confidently in an initially tight frame in which Steve patiently edged and despite losing a carefully built break at the death had enough in the tank to win for the home team…up next an excellent in form Alex then took on Peter in fine fashion in a frame he led throughout without any major errors, and despite a few choice pots from his opponent, who unfortunately also BP’d, won comfortably for 2-0…birthday boy Jez then controlled the third frame with consistent breaks (2k) and his clean up flair to reach a fine total just shy of 7k against Jimmy, who put in a good show himself when he was able to get on the baize…so, 3-0 and the match in the bag for the JLB at the interval but The Stag weren’t going to roll over…Ian took on a dogged Dave in a cat ’n’ mouse frame that Dave deservedly won eventually by taking his chances with some consistent potting as Ian felled his winter timber supply…the last frame of the night saw renegade sub Mike Daw flown in from Lewes Vegas for one night only and boy he didn’t disappoint the fans with a seemingly effortless 8k+ total, including a brace of 3k breaks, against Andy, who had very little time at the table and still managed to hustle a healthy total in some style…so, 3-2 to the JLB and it was a great frame to end on after a fine contest in a bustling pub night just like those during the pre-Covid era…thanks to all for braving the filthy weather in the name of bar billiards.
Jenny Lind B regain top spot
Sunday 13th November
The Jenny Lind B regained top spot and continued their 100% record with a 3-2 win in the Jenny derby, The Stag won their second match of the season with a convincing 4-1 win at home to the Ashburnham Arms.
Both the Jenny teams were banished from their home turf by overflowing midweek revellers and had to make a hasty retreat to the thankfully vacant Ashburnham Arms...Ray and Andy cued off proceedings with a scrappy and tentative frame, neither player getting into any kind of flow...Ray managed to stay ahead throughout and eventually bagged the frame for the home not at home win...up next saw Heather take on Ian in another initially bitty frame in which Heather lost a hard-earned break to the timber, allowing Ian to knuckle down to a steady total and level the match...fresh from last week's impressive victory Andrew found the Ash's table a touch more tricky against Tromsø returnee Alex in a frame that was close run at times...Alex eventually held firm with some staunch potting to put the away team, also not at home, in the lead at the break...after spoiling the players with bacon and avocado sarnies Jez then dug in to amass a healthy winning total against an unlucky Paul who felled timber after building a competitive break...the final frame saw Andrew fair much better this time duking it out with an unusually out of sorts Steve who BP'd just before the bar.
The Stag won their second match of the season as they saw off the Ashburnham Arms, home captain David Dow started solidly and maintained a lead throughout the game to take the first. The away side responded with Mick Osborne producing a fine performance to defeat Tom Pope. Peter Payne won the third game, Pete took and early lead but Sandy Harmer fought back but just over half way through the game Peter managed to keep scoring whilst Sandy couldn't get the break back. Alec Pope produced a fine performance to take control early on against Lynne Truslove and managed to keep his lead throughout the game. Chairman of the league Bob Osborne ensured we ending the night with the best game as he produced the best performance of the night to take the last game and ensure a 4-1 win for the home side.
OKJ and Ashburnham keep up pressure at the top
Sunday 13th November
The Old King John and the Ashburnham Arms kept up the pressure on the league leaders with both sides recording 4-1 home wins.
The Stag still await their first away win as they lost 4-1 at the Old King John. 4-1 to the OKJ, but it so easily could have gone the other way. First game started with Andy racing ahead but Tom kept clawing back. Tom actually cleared the table but it was just not enough with 150 points still needed. Game two had Alec leaving the break shot short a couple of times, but once he found his rhythm, he won comfortably. Game 3 was quite a match. Peter went ahead by around 2.5k and Nigel came to the table at speed. He very quickly made a break of over 3k, then it was a battle as each player scored in dribs and drabs to the end. Game 4 started with Roger breaking 2.5k but losing those points when his "one up" shot saw both balls go down. Colin didn't take full advantage of this piece of luck and Roger was composed enough after his setback to eek out another close 150 points win. Game 5 seemed evenly matched with both players scoring similar points until Jimmy lost his concentration when there was a discrepancy with the scoring. Once the dust settled, Mark kept focused enough to bank the win.
The Ashburnham Arms kept alive their title hopes with a 4-1 win at home to the Jenny Lind A, the Ashburnham Arms secured a 4-1 win at home to the Jenny Lind A. Andrew Lipscombe produced a fantastic performance to defeat home captain Sandy Harmer, Andrew broke off with 1.5k, sandy quickly replied to draw level but Andrew scored a 2k break to gain a sizeable lead that Sandy couldn't come back from to take the first frame and secure the highest score of the night. Leigh Truslove drew the game level with his first win of the season, him and Heather Bishop were nip and tuck throughout the game but Leigh managed to gain a decent lead to take the frame. Dave Pearce put the home side in the lead in a frame of two halves, Ray Norton took control of the game gaining a 1500 lead before Dave Pearce came back and drew level with a good break, Ray needed the 200 to win and after three attempts he had the line but the pace of the ball knocked the black peg over to give Dave the win. Mick Osborne ensured the win for the home side with a win over Paul Wickens, Mick got ahead early on and managed to keep ahead throughout the game. Lynne Truslove secured the 4-1 win for the home side with an entertaining win over Paul Wickens who was playing his second game, Lynne got ahead early only for Paul to go level, the game went back and fourth only for Lynne to take a decent lead when the bar dropped. .
Jenny Lind B extend winning run as OKJ go second
Saturday 29th October
The Jenny Lind B continued their winning start to the season with a 3-2 victory at home to the Ashburnham Arms. The makeshift bar billiards league rolls on, so thanks to all for supporting the baize…this week saw the JLB welcome players from the Ashburnham garrison in what turned out to be a tight, nervy match…Steve showed no first frame jitters as he hit a brace of 2k breaks to remain
well clear of an unsettled Dave…the tide then turned for the away team as Ian was unable to capitalise on his opening break, letting Sandy in to coast superbly to a hefty 8.5k (4k break), leaving Ian to count the Jenny’s ceiling beermats…due to staff shortages Ian got pitted up again next into Mick’s firing line and at one point, not realising he didn’t get a break shot, tried to steal the balls off the baize after Mick missed his ‘one up’…after that penalty Ian missed a few chances to
recover and Mick piled in a solid 3k break to put the visitors 2-1 ahead…enter Jez’s prize-winning ‘Big Mac’ sarnies followed by the chef himself flying into the distance with a 3k break and in the end well beyond Leigh’s staunch efforts…so, 2-2 and all to play for as Lynne, fresh from her bowling match, took on Steve in a game tailored for the nail biters…Steve eventually clinched the frame but not after he’d lost a decent break and Lynne had been unlucky to lose a couple of carefully built breaks - it summed up a to and fro night that could’ve gone either way…so, unlucky to the Ash while the JLBs remain unbeaten…what’s in their beer this season?'
The Old King John went second after a 5-0 win at home to the Jenny Lind A. Andy Ellison got the home side on the board after a close game against visiting captain Ray Norton, Roger Andrews returned to his usual form with a score over 4k to defeat Andrew Lipscombe. Mark Bailey took the third frame before Nigel Doe scored the highest score of the night (5740) to make it 4-0, it was left to Gary Tomlin to win the final game of the night to secure the 5-0 win.
Jenny B stay unbeaten as the Stag record first win
Sunday 23rd October
The Jenny Lind B continue their unbeaten start to the season recording their fourth win on the bounce with a 3-2 win at home to the Old King John, meanwhile the Stag won their first match of the season at home to the Jenny Lind A 4-1.
A depleted Jenny A travelled to their first away meeting at the Stag. Andrew was away on holiday and Heather unavailable, meaning that an emergency call up of Elaine was required.
After the draw, the first match up was Elaine vs Tom, and after disturbing the table with her pull of the handle, the randomness began. Elaine missed an opportunity on the break and Tom moved ahead but did not score very highly. Elaine's gung ho approach was rewarded with a good break followed by a peg throughout, whilst Tom remained focussed on the task. Elaine forged ahead, but taking advice from the crowd managed to black peg by going for the wrong ball. Un-deterred she again made a reasonable break but again pegged out. Elaine finished on a flourish by dropping the red in the 200 hole to finish, having outscored Tom, but then not managing to keep hold of any of those vital points.
Second up was Ray Norton vs Alec Pope. Alec did not manage the break and neither did Ray, a somewhat scrappy frame, with weird and wacky being the order of the day, but both players got to a thousand at about the same time. Alec's frustration with the wayward table weighed heavily on his mind, and he didn't really score many more points, and when the bar dropped was 1k behind. Dropping the black peg on the final shot just about summed Alex's day up, and he vowed to sort the table out! A fortunate win for Ray, making the best of a difficult table.
Third up was Paul Wickens vs Peter Payne. Peter was much more controlled on the table, and made the best of his luck, whilst Paul seemed phased by the table and made some unfortunate misses along the way, including somehow miscuing and missing the red on a break shot! Paul kept plugging away but ended up 1k behind at the end, again Peter's experience paid dividends, and Paul will gain from what was a reasonable e game on a strange table, both on the day and being an away venue. After the sandwich break, our secret weapon Elaine faced up to partner David, who despite having had the most practice on the table of anyone, struggled to master the conditions and was pretty much kept in check by Elaine, and David's cool was certainly starting to fray towards the end, an unfortunate white peg lost Elaine a potentially frame winning break, and David gratefully finished just 140 points ahead. After waiting all night to get a game, Colin was matched up with Paul, and again neither player managed to get the break, but undeterred Colin stuck with it and by his third attempt was then back in control and managed to consistently score. Paul's previous time on the table did him no favours, and he scored sporadically but seemed to gift Colin another break shot each time, leaving him further and further behind. Colin's attention to the conditions earned him the best score of the day, 4k and meant the result was Stag 4 Jenny A 1.
Current table toppers the JLB welcomed the OKJ in what was to be a close run match...Ian and Roger kicked off the evening without any of the uncertainty that can sometimes arise in the first frame...Ian tucked a couple of decent breaks under his belt to move steadily ahead but Roger rallied with a swift 2k break to close in before the bar made the frame safe for the home team...Andy and Mark battled out a cagey and patchy frame, decided in the end by an unfortunate BP for Mark...up next Steve and Andy both traded some timber in another tricky frame which Andy eventually rode out for the away team...2-1 at the break and enter Jez's top notch sarnies...the next encounter saw Jez tear away confidently with a 2k break that in the end proved too much for Gary to chase and despite a swashbuckling effort from Nigel to fend off Andy's late hustle the hosts eventually clinched the match 3-2.
Jenny B and Ash continue winning streak
Sunday 16th October
The Jenny Lind B and the Ashburnham Arms continued their winning form in week four, the Jenny Lind B won at the new boys The Stag 3-2, it was all a bit 'crazy golf' on the baize upstairs at The Stag tonight...Alex, straight from the training ground after a couple of weeks out, kept ahead and his nerve against Alec...Dave used his knowledge of the quirky table to winning effect against Jez...Ian and Jimmy shared a ramshackle frame which unfortunately ended with a home BP...Pete and Steve played a close game, settled by a missed ball that cost Steve a decent break - cool-headed Pete held firm to win...Jimmy and Jez played out the final game where Jez got into his stride and a handle on the table...a good night with top notch doorstep sarnies the overall winner.
The Ashburnham Arms halted Old King John's unbeaten start to the season with a 3-2 win. The Old King John's unbeaten start ended in their first home game of the season as the Ashburnham Arms won 3-2. Mick Osborne started well and built a good lead, Andy Ellison fought back but unfortunately for the home team it was too late as Mick took the first leg. Visiting captain Sandy Harmer took the second leg despite a strong performance from Derek in his debut season. Dave Pearce secured the win for the visitors as he took the lead early on and managed to keep scoring throughout the game whilst Roger Andrews couldn't catch up. The home side kicked in to form as Mark Bailey took the fourth game as he lead early on and saw the game out. Home captain Chris Lamb made sure the home side ended the evening on a positive note as he won the final game of the night in an interesting game against Lynne Truslove.
B's win the derby as the Stag await first win
Thursday 6th October
An enthusiastic Jenny A met an immovable object in Jenny B in the derby match.
Each team fielded 4 players, with Ray Norton opening up for the visitors against Ian Hicks, a good staring break from Ray was not matched by Ian, but he quickly caught up. The frame went defensive with neither player dominating, but a lead by Ian could not be matched by Ray, after reasonable break was chalked off by an errant peg.
The scrappy frames continued into the second match between Andy Horsler and Heather Bishop, the break offs eluded both players and after what seemed an age scoring started, with Heather looking good but had not pulled away, before Andy's game came on song and he eventually topped up winning by 1K.
Paul Wickens initial break eluded him and despite reasonable scoring after the initial 1K difference remained for the remainder of the game, with neither player really dominating.
After the excellent sandwiches, thanks to the Pub and especially Jez, the fourth match was a somewhat different affair, with Jez playing Andrew, Jez opened up with an initial 4k break and the frame result was set, Andrew struggled to get into the flow, and before he had scored Jez was 6k ahead, a reasonable comeback including a red in the 200 hole shot put Andrew on the board, and despite the margin of the defeat Andrew topped out the highest Jenny A scorer at that point. An excellent frame by Jez, an amazing nearly 10k scored in the frame!
The final match drawn for the lower scorers matched Andy against Paul, again Paul's break shot was somewhere else, and Andy managed to put together some reasonable scoring to forge ahead, with Paul scoring but not massively in response. The frame could have swung either way with a 300 difference when the bar went but a missed chance by Paul allowed Andy to clear up.
An excellent nights playing, and a good atmosphere, well done to the B team!
The Ashburnham Arms continued their winning streak as they beat the Stag at home 3-2. Peter Payne edged past Dave White to give the visitors the lead, Sandy Harmer levelled the game as he beat David Dow in a game that was close throughout. Mick Osborne put the home side ahead despite a great debut performance from Jimmy Sullivan. Dave Pearce produced his best performance for some time as he beat Alec Pope to secure the win for the home side. Away captain Colin Southouse scored a 4980 break on his way to a win against Lynne Truslove but Colin didn't have the game go his way as Lynne fought back twice to be in the lead halfway through the game but Colin's experience shined through at the end.
OKJ lead at the top after week two
Thursday 29th September
The Old King John sit top of the table as they continued their winning streak with a 3-2 win away to league debutants the Stag. Peter Payne put the home side ahead before Garry Tomlin levelled, Bob Osborne won in a tightly contested match against Nigel Doe to place the home side in front but the visitors ended the night strongly with Roger Andrews and Andy Ellison both winning their games to ensure the Old King John continued their 100% start despite playing away from home in back to back weeks.
The Ashburnham Arms won a tight contest away to the Jenny Lind B. Heather Bishop started very well with a good break but visiting captain Sandy Harmer clawed back and claimed the win. Paul Wickens continued his 100 percent record start to his debut season with a win over Dave Pearce to level the match. The visitors once again took the lead with Lynne Truslove winning a very tight and entertaining game against Chris Law. Home captain Ray Norton levelled the match with a great captains performance against Dave White but Mick Osborne edged out Andrew Lipscombe to win the final game of the night to secure a 3-2 victory for the Ashburnham Arms.
Away wins all round in week one
Sunday 25th September
The top two teams from the friendly league started their league season in fine form with both the Jenny Lind B and the Old King John recording wins. The Jenny Lind B started the season with a comeback victory away to the Ashburnham Arms. The hosts started well with Mick Osborne scoring a 4000 break to win the first game and home captain Sandy Harmer put the home side further ahead. The visitors started their comeback with Ian Hicks, Ian took advantage of a black peg for his opponent when the game was even to make it 2-1. Jez Horsler levelled the scoreline and Steve Astley put in a vintage performance to win the final game of the night to complete a great comeback to secure the win.
The Old King John go top after a 4-1 win at the Jenny Lind A. Mark Bailey won a tight game against in form home captain Ray Norton, Chris Lamb scored the highest score and break of the night to make it 2-0 and Roger Andrews scored well to secure the win at 3-0. The home side got on the scoreboard with Paul winning the fourth game but the Old King John won the final game of the night with Nigel Doe who overcame a valiant effort from Heather Bishop.
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