I will start as normal by thanking all the people who have come together today to help run this years Grande Finale at the Bishopsgate. From Andy, Mandy, and all their staff for hosting our annual event again, to Mike Dicks and crew from Tablesport for the tables, and of course the referees who have the thankless task of ensuring fair play by all. If any of the above were missing, the day would be a lot harder than it already is.
It has certainly been a year of change in the life of the City Pool League, starting with not one sponsorship deal, but two. John Ingram and his firm, Home Heating, approached the league first, quickly followed by Bob Burrows, the manager at Suzy Q (now Rileys). As John had already agreed to sponsor the league for the 2005/6 season, it was suggested that Rileys sponsor a new competition aimed at teams who seldom, or never, make it to Finals Day, and so the Rileys Challenge Cup was born. Let’s hope that the four teams who have made it to the semi-finals of this inaugural event put on a show to be proud of.
Another change was the increase in the ‘win’ points from 2 to 3. It was felt by some that this would stretch the divisions too much, but I am pleased to say that most of the divisions were still fairly tight, and the winners and runners-up positions in at least 3 divisions were not confirmed until the final match of the season. In other changes, the Committee was strengthened back in May 2005 with the appointments of Roger Clarke as Vice Chairman, and Simon Curry as Treasurer, but sadly in January 2006, the league lost one of its longest serving representatives, when Jamie Connolly stepped down from his position as Chairman. Jamie was instrumental in the running of the City Pool League for over a decade and certainly helped make the league what it is today, with the hours and hours of his own time that he so selflessly gave. I am sure you will all join me once again in congratulating Jamie on his achievements, and I add my own personal thanks to those congratulations, for all the help Jamie has given me over the last 3 years.
Whilst on the subject of congratulations, everyone here today should be applauded on their achievements over the last year, from the familiar faces here once again, to the people making their first appearances on Finals Day.
Further congratulations go to two young players from the City Pool League. After knocking out four England players on her way to the final, Joanne McLaughlin just failed in her bid to be crowned Ladies Champion at the recent England County Championships, losing 4-3 in the final. Going one better at this weeks World Championships was Kristi Caulfield, who has just been crowned World Junior Champion. Well done to you both!!
So there we have it, another year almost over, and all that remains is for me to wish all today’s competitors the very best of luck.
Andy Picknell
City Pool League Secretary |
Click a Title Below to Open / Close |
Premier Division
team |
p |
w |
d |
l |
f |
a |
dif |
pts |
Reds Select |
22 |
18 |
2 |
2 |
121 |
55 |
66 |
56 |
Reds 'A' |
22 |
13 |
6 |
3 |
104 |
72 |
32 |
45 |
Old Crown - WR |
21 |
10 |
6 |
5 |
99 |
69 |
30 |
36 |
Wheatsheaf |
21 |
10 |
6 |
5 |
98 |
70 |
28 |
36 |
Premier Club 'A' |
22 |
10 |
3 |
9 |
89 |
87 |
2 |
33 |
Craftsman 'A' |
15 |
9 |
4 |
2 |
75 |
45 |
30 |
31 |
Reds X |
20 |
8 |
5 |
7 |
84 |
76 |
8 |
29 |
Suzy Q Upstairs |
19 |
7 |
2 |
10 |
70 |
82 |
-12 |
23 |
Bishopsgate 'A' |
22 |
5 |
5 |
12 |
73 |
103 |
-30 |
20 |
Wheatsheaf 'A' |
21 |
4 |
5 |
12 |
67 |
101 |
-34 |
17 |
Masseys 'A' |
22 |
2 |
6 |
14 |
61 |
115 |
-54 |
12 |
Alvis Club |
21 |
2 |
2 |
17 |
51 |
117 |
-66 |
8 |
Although dropping double the number of frames that they dropped last year, Martin Grove’s Reds Select side retained the title they took from Paul Quinn’s Craftsman ‘A’ last year, with the Craftsman again finishing runners-up. The Craftsman finished six points behind Reds, but a massive fifteen points clear of third placed Reds ‘A’, and they would have won any other division with their 50 points haul.
The Premier Division had the widest points gap of any of the divisions, with 48 points separating Reds from bottom placed Alvis, who secured just two wins during the season. |
|
Division One
team |
p |
w |
d |
l |
f |
a |
dif |
pts |
Craftsman 'B' |
22 |
12 |
6 |
4 |
99 |
77 |
22 |
42 |
Spencer Club 'A' |
21 |
11 |
7 |
3 |
101 |
67 |
34 |
40 |
Bishopsgate 'Select' |
21 |
12 |
4 |
5 |
96 |
72 |
24 |
40 |
Hastings |
21 |
9 |
6 |
6 |
88 |
80 |
8 |
33 |
Wallace Wanderers |
22 |
9 |
6 |
7 |
89 |
83 |
6 |
33 |
Parkstone Club |
21 |
8 |
5 |
8 |
90 |
78 |
12 |
29 |
Charterhouse |
20 |
7 |
7 |
6 |
83 |
77 |
6 |
28 |
Cherry Tree |
20 |
7 |
7 |
6 |
83 |
77 |
6 |
28 |
Royal Oak |
22 |
5 |
11 |
6 |
86 |
88 |
-2 |
26 |
Railway |
21 |
4 |
5 |
12 |
70 |
98 |
-28 |
17 |
Nugget |
18 |
4 |
2 |
12 |
53 |
85 |
-32 |
14 |
Old Red Horse |
21 |
2 |
4 |
15 |
53 |
109 |
-56 |
10 |
After winning Division Two last season, Shaun Twissell’s Craftsman ‘B’ side carried on where they’d left off, and took the Division One title by one point, from Mark Jackson’s Spencer Club ‘A’, who seemed to have the title sewn up with just a few games left. Pete Dacre’s Bishopsgate Select had a storming second half of the season, and finshed just a point further back in third place, six points clear of the Hastings. Propping up the division were the Old Red Horse, managing just 2 wins all season. |
|
Division Two
team |
p |
w |
d |
l |
f |
a |
dif |
pts |
Rileys |
20 |
14 |
4 |
2 |
99 |
61 |
38 |
46 |
RAOB |
20 |
13 |
2 |
5 |
97 |
63 |
34 |
41 |
White Horse |
20 |
11 |
2 |
7 |
97 |
60 |
37 |
35 |
Canley Sports and 'B' |
19 |
9 |
5 |
5 |
85 |
67 |
18 |
32 |
Rocket |
19 |
9 |
3 |
7 |
80 |
72 |
8 |
30 |
Reds Bar |
20 |
8 |
2 |
10 |
76 |
84 |
-8 |
26 |
Barras Social Club 'A' |
18 |
7 |
2 |
9 |
63 |
77 |
-14 |
23 |
Premier Club 'B' |
18 |
6 |
4 |
8 |
58 |
86 |
-28 |
22 |
Coundon (Grapes) |
19 |
6 |
1 |
12 |
67 |
85 |
-18 |
19 |
King Edwards Select |
19 |
5 |
3 |
11 |
66 |
85 |
-19 |
18 |
Broad St RFC 'A' |
20 |
3 |
2 |
15 |
56 |
104 |
-48 |
11 |
blog here |
|
Division Three
team |
p |
w |
d |
l |
f |
a |
dif |
pts |
Rose and Crown - HGR |
22 |
16 |
2 |
4 |
108 |
68 |
40 |
50 |
City Supporters |
22 |
15 |
4 |
3 |
109 |
67 |
42 |
49 |
Albany Social |
21 |
13 |
5 |
3 |
102 |
66 |
36 |
44 |
Courthouse |
22 |
11 |
6 |
5 |
102 |
74 |
28 |
39 |
A Suzy Q |
22 |
12 |
2 |
8 |
97 |
79 |
18 |
38 |
Vauxhall Club |
21 |
10 |
5 |
6 |
85 |
80 |
5 |
35 |
Foleshill Ex- |
21 |
5 |
7 |
9 |
79 |
89 |
-10 |
22 |
Painted Lady |
20 |
5 |
6 |
9 |
74 |
86 |
-12 |
21 |
Binley Oak |
22 |
5 |
1 |
16 |
65 |
106 |
-41 |
16 |
Coronation Club |
18 |
3 |
3 |
12 |
57 |
85 |
-28 |
12 |
Crow in the Oak |
17 |
3 |
2 |
12 |
53 |
83 |
-30 |
11 |
Whitmore |
18 |
3 |
1 |
14 |
48 |
96 |
-48 |
10 |
blog here |
|
Division Four
team |
p |
w |
d |
l |
f |
a |
dif |
pts |
Potters Green |
20 |
14 |
3 |
3 |
103 |
57 |
46 |
45 |
Herald |
19 |
12 |
2 |
5 |
90 |
62 |
28 |
38 |
Rose & Woodbine |
20 |
11 |
5 |
4 |
89 |
71 |
18 |
38 |
Canley Sports & Social |
20 |
10 |
4 |
6 |
88 |
69 |
19 |
34 |
Carousel |
18 |
8 |
4 |
6 |
73 |
71 |
2 |
28 |
Royal Hotel |
18 |
7 |
3 |
8 |
66 |
75 |
-9 |
24 |
Craven Arms |
18 |
7 |
2 |
9 |
65 |
76 |
-11 |
23 |
Devonshire Arms |
19 |
6 |
3 |
10 |
74 |
78 |
-4 |
21 |
Bear & Staff |
16 |
3 |
5 |
8 |
51 |
71 |
-20 |
14 |
Foresters |
17 |
3 |
4 |
10 |
52 |
81 |
-29 |
13 |
Rose and Crown - WR |
19 |
3 |
1 |
15 |
56 |
96 |
-40 |
10 |
|
Division Five
team |
p |
w |
d |
l |
f |
a |
dif |
pts |
Spencer Club 'B' |
20 |
13 |
0 |
7 |
90 |
70 |
20 |
39 |
Radford Social |
20 |
10 |
6 |
4 |
93 |
67 |
26 |
36 |
Butts Retreat |
20 |
9 |
3 |
8 |
82 |
78 |
4 |
30 |
Elephant and Castle |
20 |
8 |
5 |
7 |
80 |
80 |
0 |
29 |
Hub |
20 |
8 |
5 |
7 |
80 |
80 |
0 |
29 |
Hare and Squirrel |
20 |
7 |
5 |
8 |
77 |
82 |
-5 |
26 |
Three Horseshoes |
20 |
6 |
7 |
7 |
78 |
81 |
-3 |
25 |
Barras Social Club 'B' |
19 |
5 |
8 |
6 |
76 |
76 |
0 |
23 |
Royal Warwicks |
19 |
6 |
5 |
8 |
73 |
79 |
-6 |
23 |
Old Crown 'B' - WR |
18 |
6 |
2 |
10 |
67 |
77 |
-10 |
20 |
Binley PMC |
20 |
4 |
6 |
10 |
67 |
93 |
-26 |
18 |
|
Division Six
team |
p |
w |
d |
l |
f |
a |
dif |
pts |
Bulls Head |
20 |
12 |
5 |
3 |
102 |
55 |
47 |
41 |
Broad St RFC 'B' |
19 |
11 |
3 |
5 |
86 |
66 |
20 |
36 |
Windmill Village |
18 |
9 |
5 |
4 |
81 |
60 |
21 |
32 |
Coundon 'A' |
17 |
9 |
2 |
6 |
73 |
63 |
10 |
29 |
Standard Bearer 'B' |
13 |
6 |
4 |
3 |
56 |
42 |
14 |
22 |
Coach and Horses |
17 |
6 |
4 |
7 |
64 |
69 |
-5 |
22 |
The Bell |
15 |
5 |
4 |
6 |
60 |
56 |
4 |
19 |
Foleshill Liberal |
17 |
4 |
4 |
9 |
58 |
78 |
-20 |
16 |
Bar Inca |
12 |
4 |
1 |
7 |
30 |
57 |
-27 |
13 |
Standard Bearer |
15 |
3 |
3 |
9 |
41 |
67 |
-26 |
12 |
Royal Warwicks Select |
19 |
2 |
5 |
12 |
55 |
93 |
-38 |
11 |
|
Division Seven
team |
p |
w |
d |
l |
f |
a |
dif |
pts |
Howitzers |
20 |
15 |
3 |
2 |
98 |
59 |
39 |
48 |
Motor Hotel 'B' |
20 |
12 |
4 |
4 |
101 |
56 |
45 |
40 |
Rileys Bar |
19 |
9 |
4 |
6 |
84 |
65 |
19 |
31 |
Rectory |
18 |
9 |
4 |
5 |
76 |
62 |
14 |
31 |
Hastings 'A' |
16 |
6 |
6 |
4 |
70 |
55 |
15 |
24 |
Old Crown - L/L |
17 |
7 |
3 |
7 |
69 |
64 |
5 |
24 |
King Edwards |
18 |
7 |
3 |
8 |
70 |
74 |
-4 |
24 |
Masseys 'B' |
18 |
6 |
4 |
8 |
68 |
70 |
-2 |
22 |
Courtyard |
14 |
3 |
2 |
9 |
42 |
67 |
-25 |
11 |
General Wolfe |
16 |
2 |
3 |
11 |
40 |
85 |
-45 |
9 |
New Inn |
16 |
1 |
2 |
13 |
32 |
93 |
-61 |
5 |
Division Seven went to newcomers, the Howitzers, who finished eight points clear of their nearest rivals, fellow newcomers, the Motor Hotel ‘B’, who in turn finished six points clear of fellow newcomers Rileys Bar, who just pipped yet another newcomer, the Rectory, to third place on frame difference. Finishing bottom of the entire league where the New Inn, who managed just one win, and five points all season. |
|
Coventry Singles
"The quarter finals of this years Blue Riband event saw eight Premiership players competing for the crown ‘Best player in Coventry" |
Semi Finals |
|
Kev Farrelly |
won |
v |
lost |
tbc |
tbc |
lost |
v |
won |
Liam Farrell |
|
Coventry Doubles
"The semi finals of the doubles was also contested by a full compliment of Premiership players" |
Semi Finals |
Martin Groves & Rich Hughes knocked out two Premiership pairings to get here today, first beating Seamus McKervey & Tony Tonner, before beating Craig Sturmey & Roger Charles by three frames to one.
They face three time winners, and last year’s runners-up in the shape of Kev Farrelly & John Dempsey. Kev and Demps made hard work of beating Dean Kirkman & Mark Tiley by three frames to one, before beating Jim Finlay & Terry Buckley by the same scoreline. |
Martin Groves
and
Rich Hughes
of Reds Select |
won |
v |
lost |
Kev Farrelly
and
John Dempsey
of Craftsman 'A' |
The second semi final sees the Craftsman ‘A’s Paul Quinn & Keith Thompson take on the Wheatsheaf’s Kristi Caulfield & Callum Mulhern. Quinny & Thomo won both later matches by three frames to one, whilst their younger opponents dropped just one frame during the ‘last 16’ matches.
Hopefully we will see some exciting pool today, and not the slow tactical matches that we have come to expect on Finals Day. |
Paul Quinn
and
Keith Thompson
of Craftsman 'A' |
lost |
v |
won |
Kristi Caulfield
and
Callum Mulhern
of Wheatsheaf
|
|
Knockout Cup
Semi Finals |
blog here |
Reds Select |
won |
v |
lost |
Reds A |
City Supporters |
lost |
v |
won |
Premier Club 'A' |
|
Alternative Cup
"This year, the Alternative Cup semi-finals will be contested by teams from the top three divisions" |
Semi Finals |
George Toms’s Premier ‘B’ side, having already brushed aside the Premier Division’s Alvis Club in the quarter finals, again face higher opposition in the form of Chris Metcalf’s Hastings team. Chris overcame a tricky away tie against runaway Division Seven winners, the Howitzers, to reach the semi-finals, and having been runners-up in this last year, Chris will be hoping to go one better this time. |
Premier 'B' |
won |
v |
lost |
Hastings |
Division Two winners Rileys, having easily swept past Vince Marsden’s Bulls Head side from Division Six, will face Neil Littlewood’s Premier Division Old Crown. Having defeated Oscar Singh’s Barras Social ‘B’ in the last round, the defending champions from Windmill Road will not roll over easily, and Ian Corbett’s Far Gosford Street side will have to be at their best if they are to reach the final today. |
Rileys |
lost |
v |
won |
Old Crown |
|
Rileys Challenge Cup
"Twenty one teams from Divisions Four through to Seven started out competing for the right to lift this cup in its inaugural year, and here we are down to the remaining four" |
Semi Finals |
The first to reach today’s semi final was Steve Lombard’s Royal Warwicks Select side, beating Mark Smith’s side from the Rectory. They face Adam Gibbons’s Spencer ‘B’ side, who as well as beating Rileys Bar in the quarter finals, have also just secured the Division Five title. |
Royal Warwicks Select |
lost |
v |
won |
Spencer 'B' |
Paul Dickens’s side from the Hare and Squirrel had to dig deep to beat Steve Taggart’s side from Bar Inca, winning a sudden death deciding frame to book their place today. They face Reg Bacon’s Blackberry Lane side, King Edwards, who disposed of higher opposition in the last round when defeating Shaun Gernon’s side from the Coundon ‘A’. |
Hare and Squirrel |
won |
v |
lost |
King Edwards |
|
Champion of Champions
Semi Finals |
blog here |
Craftsman 'A' |
won |
v |
lost |
Premier Club 'A' |
Craftsman 'B' |
lost |
v |
won |
Reds Select |
|
Captain's Knockout
Semi Finals |
blog here |
Martin Groves
Reds Select |
won |
v |
lost |
tbc |
tbc |
lost |
v |
won |
Simon Curry
Premier Club 'A' |
|
Aggregate Knockout
Semi Finals |
blog here |
Roger Clarke
Craftsman 'A' |
won |
v |
lost |
tbc |
tbc |
lost |
v |
won |
Surrinder Singh
Wheatsheaf |
|
Charity Speedpool Challenge
"This event, first played at the 2001/2 Finals Day, has been in the vice like grip of the Craftsman ‘A’ team for four years now"
Craftsman 'A' - RSPCA Trying to wrestle the crown from them this year will be teams from
Premier Club 'A' - Snowball
Reds 'A' - Cancer Research and a team who very nearly beat them last year,
Wheatsheaf - Walsgrave Baby Unit |
|
Ladies Knockout
"Again sponsored by Reds, 8 ladies turned out to compete for the right to be crowned Ladies Champion" |
Heats and Semi Finals |
First to reach today’s final was 2003/4 losing finalist, Ruth Venn, representing today’s hosts. After beating team mate Dee Wallace in the first round by two frames to nil, she reached today’s final by beating a previous winner of this competion in Suzy Q Upstairs Tanya Payne by the odd frame Can Ruth go one better this year, or will she take second place again, to a young lady who is clearly at the top of her game at the moment. |
Ruth Venn
Bishopsgate 'A' |
3 |
v |
2 |
Tanya Payne
Suzy Q Upstairs |
In the bottom half of the draw, defending champion Joanne McClaughlin representing King Edwards Select, made short work of her opponents, first beating the Albany Social’s Kylie Hammerton, followed by the Butts Retreat’s Tara Meadows without dropping a frame in either match. |
Joanne McLaughlin
King Edwards Select |
2 |
v |
0 |
Tara Meadows
Butts Retreat |
|
|
Wednesday Singles Knockout
We will have a new name on the trophy today, with two new finalists in the shape of Reds team mates Martin Kirby and Liam Farrell.
Martin was the first to reach the final, dropping just one frame in the ‘last 16’ matches. Martin first beat Dale Early by three frames to nil, followed by a three nil beating of Alex Pyatt. To reach today’s final he faced the Premier’s Jamie Connolly, and made short work of it, beating the Raggy Doll by three frames to nil. |
Martin Kirby
Reds |
3 |
v |
0 |
Jamie Connolly
Premier Club |
Liam had a harder time of things, first beating team mate Russ Blinco by three frames to two, followed by a three one beating of the Premier’s Roger Clarke. Liam then went on to beat another team mate, Simon Curry, by the same scoreline to reach today’s final. |
Liam Farrell
Reds |
3 |
v |
1 |
Simon Curry
Reds |
|
Wednesday Three Man Knockout
Heats and Semi Finals |
blog here |
Premier Club 1
Glenn Dunn
Roger Clarke
and Jamie Connolly |
won |
v |
lost |
tbc |
tbc |
lost |
v |
won |
Rileys 1
Ian Corbett
Bobby Dha
Indy Oujla
and Surrinder Singh |
|
Wednesday Captains Knockout
Again kindly sponsored by Reds, just 6 Captains turned out for this free knock-out competition.
|
Semi Finals |
First through was the Royal Warwicks Los Wallace. Having been gifted a bye in the first round, he wasted no time in beating Suzy Q’s Pete Champs in the second round by three frames to one. |
Los Wallace
Royal Warwicks |
3 |
v |
1 |
Pete Champs
Suzy Q |
The other finalist he faces today is defending champion, Jamie Connolly. The Premier Club landlord had two matches to play to reach today’s final, first beating Reds Simon Curry by three frames to one, before beating the Wheatsheaf’s Michael Caulfield by the same margin. |
Jamie Connolly
Premier Club |
3 |
v |
1 |
Michael Caulfield
Wheatsheaf |
|
Wednesday Aggregate Knockout
"The Wednesday Aggregate also saw just six players turn up for the Reds sponsored event" |
Heats and Semi-Finals |
First through was the Wheatsheaf’s Steve Cole, who blitzed Suzy Q’s Derek Harrison by three frames to nil. In the semi final he faced the Premier’s Roger Clarke, and played some of the best pool of his life to beat Jumbo by three frames to one. |
Steve Cole
Wheatsheaf |
3 |
v |
1 |
Roger Clarke
Premier Club |
Steve faces Reds representative Roy Pontefract, who first beat the Royal Warwicks youngster John McCallister by three frames to nil, before disposing of Rileys Bobby Dha by the same score line. |
Roy Pontefract
Reds |
3 |
v |
0 |
Bobby Dha
Rileys |
|
Wednesday Knockout
Heats and Semi Finals |
blog here |
Reds 1 |
won |
v |
lost |
tbc |
tbc |
lost |
v |
won |
Wheatsheaf |
|
|