OMYA CUP / COMP ENTRIES / MEETING REMINDER

JUST a reminder for all those taking part that each team's nominated OMYA Cup Scratch Individual competition representative needs to be in at or before the next meeting on Wednesday November 2nd at Jaxx Q Club, Belper (7.45pm).
This can either be a straight nomination or the winner of the in-house competition between each team that was drawn out prior to the season.

Alternatively if not completed, I'd suggest putting through the furthest progressed competitor or if no one is interested we can leave your particular team's players out of the draw if you wish.

But we can't extend the deadline for completion of in-house matches as the first round proper needs to be played on schedule.

With limited time to try and resurrect a few of the comps this season, we put together this event at short notice but next year I'd probably advocate a tick box so only players genuinely interested in playing will be entered.

Or alternatively we could add it to the competition entry sheet retaining the free entry option and then either play it in-house again firstly or as an open draw throughout.

Though the problem with having too many events on the competition sheet itself is that it tends to water down the entries in each one.

There's already been more matches played in the OMYA Cup this season than last year's event as a whole so that is one plus point already as we are all mostly here to play and enjoy a game of snooker!

Don't forget that the other competition entries also need to be in at the same meeting with the appropriate fees. Dates will be put on each match for the first time (as per the semis and finals in previous years) as voted in by the committee at the AGM so everyone will need to be on the ball and re-arrange any matches that are not scheduled on suitable days! Thanks.

TROPHY WINNERS CONGREGATE AT AWARDS NIGHT

JAXX Q CLUB No 2 of BELPER enjoyed a successful inaugural season in the League.
L-R: Adam Ballard, Alan Kerry and Alan Scrivener.

PJ'z CLUB RIPLEY No 1, 2010/2011 A Division League and Captains Cup winners.
L-R: James Rowland, John Smith, Andrew Gratton, Ben Jogela-Monk and Lee Whatton.
The League Shield seems to be just below camera aim, I'm sure I asked John to hold it aloft!

THE delayed Presentation Evening for last season was held at Belper Strutt Club on Saturday night and PJ'z Club No 1 of Ripley were the main trophy winners (under the title of Cloud 9 Club as it was then).

They secured the league and cup double while captain Ben Monk also took the main individual trophy, the OMYA Cup.

Jaxx Q Club No 2 of Belper also had a successful first season with Adam Ballard multiple runner up in a host of competitions, Alan Kerry winning the "maiden" individual event and finishing runner-up in the pairs (with Adam) and the team finishing runners-up in B Division behind Bolehill No 2.
General secretary Alan Hopkinson and president George Mills conducted the presentation with great aplomb and after raffle prizes had been collected by the lucky winners, the night finished with an enjoyable buffet downstairs.
Thanks to everyone who helped set the evening up and to all the players who turned out.

GRAHAM STARS ON HIS RETURN TO LEAGUE

THE first round of league matches got underway this week and sprightly veteran Graham Jones of Matlock Golf Club was undoubtedly one of the stars of the show, playing again in the Darley Dale League for the first time since the mid 80s.
Knocking in breaks of 40, 34 and 32 in his singles and doubles matches he paved the way for a 4-1 win over Belper Strutt Club No 1, with Chris Parker also registering a 40 break for good measure.
On this kind of form, they may take some stopping!

Matching their 4-1 scoreline were Bolehill No 1, Edgefold Club and defending champs PJ'z Ripley No 1, for whom Ben Monk notched a timely 35 break to settle a tight opening frame at Belper Strutt Club No 2.

Elsewhere Ian Rose and Dave Allen of Matlock Club won their deciding pairs match to defeat visiting Jaxx Q Club No 1 of Belper 3-2 and Dwayne Martin and Keith Robertson of Bolehill No 2 did likewise against debutantes PJ'z Ripley No 2.

League week 1 results: Matlock Golf Club 4, Belper Strutt Club No 1 1; PJ'z Club Ripley No 2 2, Bolehill Inst No 2 3; Belper Strutt Club No 2 1, PJ'z Club Ripley No 1 4; Bolehill Inst No 3 1, Bolehill Inst No 1 4; Jaxx Q Club Belper No 2 1, Edgefold Club Matlock 4; Matlock Club 3, Jaxx Q Club Belper No 1 2.

SIX RED CUP RESULTS

Bob McCartin 6-red Cup team event: Group A: Jaxx Q Club Belper No 1 7, Edgefold Club Matlock 0; PJ'z Club Ripley No 2 0, PJ'z Club Ripley No 1 7. Group B: Bolehill Inst No 1 3, Belper Strutt Club No 1 4; Belper Strutt Club No 2 3, Jaxx Q Club Belper No 2 4. Group C: Matlock Club 3, Bolehill Inst No 2 4; Bolehill Inst No 3 3, Matlock Golf Club 4.
Thanks to all captains for transmitting their results so promptly - I'm hoping the local press will carry the results each week too and if we get the full details by each weekend we might even try a bit of a write up each week (depending on space in the respective newspapers). Though will wait and see whether the initial offerings are published first!
The more exposure the league can get obviously the more chance we might get a new team or two joining to see what it is all about.
For anyone who would rather post their results than the alternative methods, I can provide stamped addressed envelopes to help speed things along if it helps. Contact bolehillsec@yahoo.co.uk, ring on 07890 985830, or come to the next meeting.
Cheers Rick.

NEW PLAYERS REGISTERED

THERE are a few new players signed on for Matlock Golf Club this week.
The only one of these not playing off scratch will be Graham Jones who still plays in the top flight of the Chesterfield League, and he will be off -20 for starters. Graham used to play from Matlock Cons in our League in the 80s for those with long memories!

GOOD LUCK TO ALL FOR THE NEW SEASON!

WITH the new Darley Dale and District Snooker League season getting underway this week, best wishes to everyone competing and hope everyone enjoys the formats both old and new.
Of course some players were involved in the OMYA Cup individual qualifying matches last week and it was good to see some different names competing who don't normally enter so hopefully that will have whetted everyones appetite.

Congratulations to Mick Bunting and Alan Kerry in particular who made it through to the 1st round proper.

Just to field a few questions from one party. The OMYA Cup was free entry in effect as it was bracketed in with the Captains Cup fee of £2.50 per player which remained unchanged. The rest of the registration fee was made up of £2 for the league, £2 for the Bob McCartin 6 red Cup and £1 for the website registration which had been free last season as an introductory offer.

Also you could still get the Plate and Play off competitions for nowt too if you happen to qualify for either of those!

The reason for altering individual and pairs events and making them into team competitions as part of the season proper was solely due to the lack of overall entries. Every individual and pairs competition has made a loss for the last few seasons and last year it came to a head with an average of 5.9 entries in each one which is clearly unsustainable.

Hence more money was being paid out than was coming into the coffers as they stood, so if the league is to have a long term future it was necessary to have a re-vamp. Most players seemed to be keen on getting more chances to win things as a team so that is why we have gone in that direction.

As it stood there was only really your own division and the Captains Cup knockout to play for team-wise and   as you can see from the league history, they have often been won by the same teams for a few years at a time.

I think Ben suggested running the 6-red comp as a team event, the Plate idea came about due to some problems that arose in the group stages of the Captains Cup last year and the Play off idea was in line with alot of peoples thinking that as it stood they had no realistic chance in the league. Now you can aim for fourth place and potentially win the Grand Finale, its all on the night!

So hopefully there can be more of a mixed bag of winners amongst the extra events with any luck to help keep everyone happy.

Its unfortunate in some cases as players have mentioned they would like to get the chance to defend their trophies but the same in effect happened last year e.g. I won the Open Handicap the previous year and the competition wasn't played for at all last season due to the overall lack of entries - anyone who did enter got shunted into another event to make the numbers up elsewhere.

The Bob McCartin Cup was earmarked at the original meeting as a six red competition so it was decided to keep that theme (rather than go with the pairs theme) and make it into a team event which would perhaps be more of a fitting tribute to a much admired competitor. In fact originally it had been agreed as a singles event but somehow that got lost in translation!

But if anyone wants to play an active part in discussing the future of the league, you need to come and put your point across at the meetings, as otherwise even if you send a deputy you may not get the full info and by the time you hear anything the horse may already have bolted! I'd especially encourage all captains and players to come to the AGM as that's when most of the big decisions are made that impact on the league's future.

Meanwhile we also agreed a "fun" night of 3-red singles and doubles plus speed snooker just before Christmas - with food provided - which should be fast and furious and these events will be newly named in honour of two of the current members of the committee, Alan Hopkinson and George Mills plus the late Eddie Lomas, one of our former officials. That will be just £5 for the job lot of all three competitions, just turn up on the night of Tuesday 20th December @ 7.30pm, Jaxx Q Club, Belper.

The 07890 985830 number is now the official league phone  so feel free to send any results in any time of the day or night(!), apologies for texting someone at 1am but didnt realise it would make such a loud bleep that it would wake them up apparently! Though around that time I think I was staying up until 4 or 5am sorting everything out so probably didnt realise what time it was myself!!

Also a reminder that league match fees are frozen as per last season at £1 per frame, so the doubles will be 50p each once again.

All the best Rick, hope that explains everything!

REMEMBER TO ROUND UP "IN BETWEEN" HANDICAPS

JUST A NOTE to remind everyone that all handicaps are rounded up (in pairs or six red cup matches) where there is an "in between" handicap rating, as per last season.
For instance in the six red cup, half handicaps apply so someone normally giving -5 would give -3 (-2-and-a-half rounded up).

The original handicap chart I sent out was maybe potentially a bit confusing as I had already rounded up the six red numbers which might have resulted in some of the handicaps being distorted when compared against each other so I'll pop round with a new list to the clubs with just the bare fractions on which can be rounded up by yourselves to avoid any confusion. Thanks.