Home versus Thatch Cottage

As a pool team member, I am always aware of important games coming up - it starts praying on my mind days in advance. Will I play? Will I win? Will the team win? Did I feed the cat?

Our top-of-the-table clash with Thatched Cottage was no different - a must-win game if the division winning ambitions of our absent Captain are to be realised.

With seven players vying for six playing spots, someone was going to get some bad news and as stand-in captain the responsibility to disappoint someone fell to me. Our success or otherwise in this game would be the sole judge of the quality of that decision. Who should I play? In what order? Who should I drop? Do I even have a cat? For answers to these important questions, and more, read on...

Sub-junior-vice-under-captains report
Kevin 'Slugger' Southam

A fast start was needed if we weren't to be playing catch-up the whole evening, and they don't get much faster than Treaddy. Facilitated by his timely arrival and promoted from his usual spot at number six, he rattled off the first frame in two visits and double quick time. A perfect start and 1-0.

JY up next and a very similar story to frame one! He could have cleared from the break; he didn't, but some minor tactical to-ing and fro-ing saw him engineer a second opportunity that, like his burgers, he took with relish. 2-0.

At 2-0 down the last thing you want to see is a player of Brad Robinson's calibre taking to the baize. However the Cottage boys were obviously not aware of his mental anguish - my strategy of losing ten consecutive frames to him in the pre-match practice session had taken its toll, and he looked a shadow of his former self. At the end he was like the man who has just discovered his first grey hair - praying to dye. 2-1.

As sub-junior-vice-under-captain it was down to me to re-establish our two frame lead. A captains performance was required, and I gave one. Unfortunately it was performance of the captain of the Women's Institute tiddly wink team, but I scraped through to secure my win. 3-1.


Neil Cameron up next, and in the first of two great performances he played like a man who has been playing team pool all his life. Despite a few wobbles, he took out a finish under-pressure where lesser men would have crumbled. 4-1.

Up last was Lee. I had made the comment before the game that if we were in trouble at 3-2 down, there are not many players I would trust most than Lee Greenwood to grind out a frame. As it transpired he was under no great pressure, and he played & won accordingly. 5-1.

Decisions decisions!

Having only one loss in the first half, it seemed a straight-forward and reasonable decision to drop Brad in favour of the Swanny. At the start of the match Mark 'The Flair' Swann had taken my decision to drop him well, but in fairness to me at 5-1 I felt I had been vindicated. Complicating my decision whether or not to drop Brad was the fact that, despite winning my frame, I had played like a man with no thumbs.

Knowing that having Brad in the team playing badly is better than having me in it playing well I decided to drop myself, bring Swanny in to play, and take comfort from my 100% record for the evening!

Frame 7, and Treaddy took up where he left off in the first half. He should have cleared from the break, and this was playing on his mind when trying to make amends later in the frame. By the time he cue'd up for the crucial black his confidence and concentration had returned. 6-1

JY was next, and again showed why he was the man voted 'most incomprehensible blue language player' 3 years running. He followed that by justifying his undisputed title of 'most likely to leave early'. Another solid double from JY. 7-1.

By frame 9 Brad had recovered from the torment of his personal demons, and I would like to think he repaid a little of my faith in him by taking out a super finish, topping it off with his contender for pointless flair shot of the week. 8-1

Frame 10 and Swanny, perhaps a little rusty having not played first half, had his chances but couldn't convert. By this point though we were out of sight, and although he will be disappointed he can take comfort from the fact that it wasn't a crucial frame. 8-2.

Frame 11 - Lee sealed his double for the evening. I cant comment on it too much as I was engaged in some top-level, inter-team bonding during the course of this frame, but I can say, with a certain degree of certainty, that he was massive. 9-2

Last but not least was my nomination for player of the night Neil Cameron. Belighing his lack of experience he held himself together while taking out a super clearance. A pleasure to watch. 10-2

Captains pointless flair shot of the week

This weeks winner is Brad Robinson. By his own admission not cueing well it was inevitable that some kind of pointless flair would be required sooner or later, and so it turned out when, left with two balls over each of the two corner pockets and the black on the side cushion, he contrived to leave himself the perfect angle to double the black into the opposite centre by way of a ricochet off an opponents yellow. Flair? Maybe. Pointless? Undoubtedly.

On a personal note I would like to say 'superb performance all round boys'. We've gone from three points behind to eight points ahead. Victories in our final two matches should seal the divisional title.

Finally, a special shout this week goes out to Claire Dormer, making light work of despatching her new-found 'knee-trembler' nickname to the dustbin, with a super second half frame in her match for the other Racks team. And to Jenni - I have threatend to retire more times than I can remember - dont give up just yet!

NEXT GAME: Sept 11th, Away versus WAMDSAD.