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| 5th Sep | Super 15s Draw for A and B events |
| 5th Sep | SPA Competition News and Updates |
| Super 11 B Event Report | |
| With their A and B teams waiting patiently for the A Event at Craig Tara in March it was the turn of the B1 team to show what they could do in this new event, which carried 25 entries and was played at Pettycur Bay, Burntisland. It marked the first time Arbroath has entered 3 different teams in the SPA 11’s and bodes well for the growth of pool in the town. As a carrot for all B Teams, the Winners and Runners-Up would get invitational entry into the A Event. In addition the prize money stretched down to £200 per team for reaching the Quarter-Finals. An Arbroath side, captained ably by Watty Preston and including 6 players making their debuts at this level, played some great pool over 2 days to finish top equal in their 5-team group with Falkirk B1 (and comfortably qualifying for Sunday’s knockout stages). Unfortunately they did not get their potting game in gear on the Sunday and although they battled, they succumbed to Falkirk B2 by 6-3. On the Friday night the guys got off to a solid start, beating East Fife B2 by 7-4. They then bettered that with a thumping 8-3 win over Uddingston B2. They hit the skids a little bit in the next match against a more streetwise Falkirk B1 side and lost 7-4, with a couple of crucial frames turning against them at the end. However, Falkirk B1 also lost a match so it was mathematically possible that a 10-1 win for Arbroath in their last group game against Edinburgh Pool Association could see them snatch top spot in the group and thus gain an easier opponent in the Last 16. It looked like the pool gods were smiling on Arbroath when they raced to a 5-0 lead before losing a frame. They then took the next 4 four frames to make it 9-1 but lost the last to a great cut for 9-2. This caused a tie with Falkirk B1 as both teams had the same points and frame differential, however Arbroath had lost the head-to-head encounter and dropped to second. The draw then paired them with Falkirk B2. Although we drew first blood to go 1-0 up, we lost 4 in a row with a couple of chances missed. However the guys dug deep and pulled back the next two to close it up to 4-3. It was to prove only a temporary comeback as Falkirk B2 clinched the next 2 frames to take the match and book their place in the Quarter Finals. Unfortunately the guys, after winning 3 out of 4 group matches, saved their worst performance for the Last 16 and went out to opponents they would have walloped on the first two days. Disappointing end to what was a good weekend but hopefully a lot of experience gained for the future. The team gave an excellent account of themselves considering three of their stronger players from the last squad had been promoted to the B Event in Ayr and were ineligible for Pettycur Bay. However, with us trying to enter more teams, this is a positive reward for players who can show aptitude at this level. In this example, Drew Webster was the stand-out player winning all 5 of his ties in the leading role of first. Also worth a mention was Jim Falconer with 4 wins from 5. With Jim having went through a tough baptism in his debut event he showed a lot of character to bounce back. Although it is a while to go before the next SPA 15’s Event in November there is now sufficient player base to consider entering a second Arbroath team in any of the one-day local events we are invited to, such as Kingdom Cup, Midlothian 11’s etc., and these would be an ideal opportunity for all existing or developing players to learn about and gain experience in how to play open and tactical pool at this level. Final thanks you to all the players for supporting the league and look forward to the next event! Added: 14th Feb 10 (16:30) |
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