Thursday 2nd July 2020

Good evening all,

Firstly, I hope everyone has been keeping well and safe along with your families, friends and other acquaintances in these strange times over the last few months.

With the government announcing that pubs and clubs are allowed to re-open from Saturday 4th July, as expected I have had quite a few messages in relation to when or if we will be looking to complete the remainder of the 2019/20 season which was postponded back in March due to the Coronavirus outbreak and lockdown restrictions.

From my perspective and from chatting with Kenny a few weeks ago, the aim is to get the remaining league and competiton fixtures from the 2019/20 season completed when safe to do so. In respect of league fixtures, we only have one full round of league fixtures left as well as a few rarranged games to be played and all the competitons are now down to either the semi final and final stage.

As to a restart date that some of you have been asking for this is still difficult to judge at the moment as I did read an article yesterday with the following quote - “Licensed premises will be able to open from 4 July in their capacity as bars and restaurants but not for indoor sport use. Any opening will need to follow the government’s guidance for pubs, bars and restaurants.”

Further the the above, some other factors that need to be consdiered are as follows;

• Potential local lockdown restrictions being enforced (i.e. the news of Leicester staying in lockdown for a further two weeks)
• All teams venues (Pubs and Clubs) re-opened
• Pubs and Clubs having opening times to allow for league matches to be played
• Pubs and Clubs allowing non members and visitors within premises
• Pubs and Clubs having facilities such as Snooker Tables open for use
• Pubs and Clubs allowing non members and visitors to use facilities such as Snooker tables
• Pubs and Clubs to allow for matches to go ahead
• Adequate social distancing is feesible at venues to allow for matches to be played 

It's likely the next few weeks will be key to providing us with an idea of how close we are to being able to restart and fingers crossed it will be sooner rather than later. We all hope the worst of this pandemic is behind us, but you never know what may be ahead of us as the country begins to try and get back to some sort of normality.

I am sure many of us are looking forward to a proper pint for the first time in a few months and on that note I'd like to wish all pubs and clubs connected to the Warrington Snooker League all the best with re-opening this weekend. It will be new experience for them all and best of luck to all staff working in these venues.

Keep safe all and hopefully we will have a further update as soon as possible.

Many thanks
Pat Wisedale

Monday 16th March 2020

IMPORTANT NOTICE - Postponement of Warrington Snooker League

Following the governement announcement this afternoon advising the general public to avoid pubs, clubs and other social venues unless essential, I regretfully announce that all forthcoming matches in the Warrington Snooker League will be postponed until further notice due to the Coronavirus outbreak.

I understand many of you will be disappointed with this decision, especailly as we are so close to the end of the league season with semi finals and finals on the horizon however I do not feel comfortable carrying on these matches which are generally played in clubs that have hundreds of members including many that will be over the age of 70, who are the most vulnerbale at this time and with that reason I believe this is the only decision that can be made.

I will ensure that all captains and team representatives are notified as soon as possible and should you have any questions then please do not hesitate to contact me.

Thank you for your understanding.

Pat Wisedale

Wednesday 11th March 2020

Team Championship Semi Final Results

Woolston 'A' beat Warrington Cons 'A'
The Grange beat Kings Club 'C'

The last 4 of the team championship took place yesteday evening and it was a tale of both division 1 sides getting the better of their division 2 opponents with both Woolston ‘A’ and The Grange progressing  through to what should be an excellent final, at the expense of Warrington Cons ‘A’ and Kings Club ‘C.

Both teams, having won 7 out of their 8 league games since the Christmas break, continued their fine form with victories meaning that Woolston ‘A’ keep their hopes of a league and cup double alive and The Grange (Richamonds ‘A’ last season) have a chance of retaining the trophy they won last season. Both of which would be fabulous achievements and makes it a final not to be missed.

Despite disappointment last night, Warrrington Cons ‘A’ put up a spirited and respectable performance and they still have the chance of completing a brilliant season themselves, as they are currently in with a great chance of promotion into the first division in second place of division 2.

Attempting to make into back to back finals of this tournament, Kings Club ‘C’ just came up short again against the lads from The Grange, having lost to them in the final last year. This shows the mark of an excellent team and to make the final and then semi final of this tournament in consecutive years is no mean feat and they should be applauded on their efforts.

The final is scheduled to be played on Tuesday 7th April and will be held at GESM.

Tuesday 10th March 2020

Individual Merit Semi Final Results

Gary Lunn (Woolston 'A') 2-0 Brian Hall (The Grange)
Mike Chester (GESM 'A') 2-1 Pat Wisedale (GESM 'A')

After contrasting matches, congratulations go to both Gary Lunn and Mike Chester who last night won their respective semi-final ties to make it through to the Individual Merit Final, in what should be a fascinating match. 

Gary, who was in brilliant potting form raced through his match against Brian only missing a handful of shots in the two frames played. Brian, with his usual class was gracious in defeat, but could only watch on for most of the match whilst Gary was at the table. Sometimes you can't do much when the opponent is potting and scoring at a very high level and that is what occurred here as Gary put in an excellent performance.

Across the room, Mike and Pat were still halfway through their first frame as the other semi final came to its conclusion. The match, whilst not as high in potting standard on the whole, consisted of some excellent safety play from both players which was the prominent feature. The semi final went to a deciding frame after Pat, who was the only one of the four semi finalist to be making his debut at this stage of the competition, had cancelled out Mike's early lead. However whilst trying to get out of trouble, Mike took his big opportunity and knocked in a superb break of 48 in the last frame took the match away from Pat.

The final is scheduled to be played on Thursday 9th April and will be held at Kings Club.

Wednesday 4th March 2020

Team Handicap Semi Final Results

Eagle Sports beat GESM 'C'
Kings Club 'A' beat Penketh Cons 'B'

Congratulations to both Eagle Sports & Kings Club 'A' who last night made it through to the team handicap final with victories over GESM 'C' and Penketh Cons 'B' respectively making it an all first division final. Both teams put recent bad results behind them in the league to produce solid performances in the semi final and will now play each other twice in the space of the week as they also go head to head in their final league game on 26th March.

Commiserations to both GESM 'C' and Penketh Cons 'B' who should be proud of their efforts in getting to the semi finals in what is a difficult competition to win. Both teams will be hoping to finish the season strong with GESM 'C' in touching distance of gaining promotion to the first division, with a 5 point cushion currently at the top of division 2. As for Penketh Cons 'B' they are still in a very good postition in division 1 currently just outside the top 3 but with a great chance of breaking into it should they have a strong finish to the season.

The final is scheduled to be played on Tuesday 31st March and will be held at GESM.

Tuesday 25th February 2020

Competition Draws

Please note the following draws have now been uploaded to the website under their respective tabs. Please can you let the committee know of any issues or discrepancies with the draws as soon as possible. Where blank spaces have been left, we are still awaiting results from previous rounds which will be updated as soon as possible.

Monday 16th March 2020 - Pairs Handicap Semi Final
Matches are best of 3 frames
Both matches to be played at GESM

Tuesday 17th March 2020 - Three Man Team Semi Final
Matches are aggregate score
Both matches to be played at Kings Club

Monday 23rd March 2020 - Individual Handicap Semi Final
Matches are best of 3 frames
Draw & Venues TBC following quarter finals on Monday 2nd March 2020

Monday 30th March 2020 - Pairs Handicap Final
Match is best of 3 frames.
Draw & Venue TBC following semi finals on Monday 16th March 2020

Tuesday 31st March 2020 - Team Handicap Final
Match is aggregate score
Final to be played at GESM

Thursday 2nd April 2020 - Individiual Handicap Final
Match is best of 5 frames.
Draw & Venue TBC following semi finals on Monday 23rd March 2020

Monday 6th April 2020 - Three Man Team Final
Match is aggregate score
Draw & Venue TBC following semi finals on Tuesday 17th March 2020

Tuesday 7th April 2020 - Team Championship Final
Match is aggregate score
Final to be played at GESM

Thursday 9th April 2020 - Individual Merit Final
Match is best of 5 frames
Final to be played at Kings Club

Please note all dates for upcoming rounds have also been added to their respective tab for the remainder of the season.

Competitions Rules

New Players must have played 6 league games, existing players 4 league games, to be eligible to play in any competition from the quarter-finals onward, unless approved by the League Council. (NB - Players who have returned to the league but have been listed as 'New Players' for handicap purposes are eligible to play in competitions as long as they have played 4 league games in line with existing players).

Please contact Kenny with all results at the conclusion of each match.

Many thanks
Pat Wisedale

Tuesday 25th February 2020

Postponed Fixtures & Missing Results

Division 1

Week 6 (07/11/2019)
Walkers 'B' v Bridgewater 'B' (Rearranged Date - Thursday 19th March) 

Division 2

Week 6 (07/11/2019)
Alford 'A' v Walkers 'A' (Rearranged Date TBC)

Division 3

Week 16 (06/02/2019)
Mad Hatter 'A' v Kings Club 'D' (Rearranged Date TBC)
Penketh Cons 'A' v Mad Hatter 'B' (Rearranged Date TBC)

Please can team captains notify me once rearranged dates have been confirmed and send me the match card so I can add the score to the website.

Thanks
Pat Wisedale

Tuesday 25th February 2020

Apologies

Unfortunately I am unable to attend the meeting tomorrow evening (Monday 27th January). Kenny and Graham will be there to hand out comp sheets, take any match fees as well as notify captains/team representatives of any additional notices.

Trophies to be Returned

Please note that we reuqire all trophies that were handed out at the AGM last year to be returned to the league committee no later than the February Meeting. These are required for upcoming finals which are due to commence at the end of March.

Competitions - Quarter Final Rules

New Players must have played 6 league games, existing players 4 league games, to be eligible to play in any competition from the quarter-finals onward, unless approved by the League Council. (NB - Players who have returned to the league but have been listed as 'New Players' for handicap purposes are eligible to play in competitions as long as they have played 4 league games in line with existing players).

I will post all draws and dates for the next round of the competitions onto the website once I have a copy of the draws.

New Players/Transfer Fees

I will be posting a list of all new players that have been added and transfers that have occured through the season in the next few days. Please can all team captains ensure they have paid the registration fee for new players or any transfers. If unsure please contact Graham to confirm if payment has been made.

Free Ball Rule

Please note that when a player is awarded a free ball they MUST nominate the ball they are going to take prior to their shot. Failure to nominate a free ball will result in a foul against the player.

Many thanks

Pat Wisedale

Wednesday 4th March 2020 (Updated)

New Player Handicap Adjustments

Please can all captains be aware that any new players who have played in the 2019/20 season have had their handicaps adjusted as per their results so far. Please check your relevant team pages for changes in the brackets next to the players names.

Please also note the following players have now played in 6 league games (including previous seasons) so will remain on the following handicap for the rest of the season;

Division 1

Bridgewater 'B'
Keith Aldred - (2)

GESM 'A'
Mike Chester - (-31)

Eagle Sports
Joe Fenney - (33)
Jack Mercer - (29)

Penketh Cons 'B'
Josh Green - (25)

Walkers 'B'
Ryan Brown - (38)
Jordan Brown - (29)
Craig Bailey - (25)

Woolston 'A'
Mark Leathem - (29)
Ste Dodd - (-3)

Division 2

Alford 'A'
Danny Watson - (26)
Lloyd Pownall - (38)

GESM 'C'
Andy Pownall - (34)

GTBL
Liam Ward - (40)

Walkers 'A'
Jimmy Webb - (22)
Wayen Hewitt - (27)
Alex Fruish - (26)

Division 3

Alford 'B'
Connor Forshaw - (34)

GESM 'B'
Robbie Frederick - (34)
Phil Thompson - (26)

Kings Club 'B'
Adam Smith - (22)

Mad Hatter 'A'
I Bate - (15)
John Rathbone - (26)

Mad Hatter 'B'
Neil Cartledge - (38)
Lee Fenney - (38)
Neil Grady - (28)
Richard Ross - (30)
T McGarrity - (38)
Stewart Riley - (34)

Penketh Cons 'A'
Jamie Hanratty - (26)

St Benedicts
Chris Brad - (42)
Steve Thomason - (38)

Woolston 'B'
Harry Horton - (8)

Many thanks
Pat Wisedale
                                                                                                                                                                     

Alan Thomas (ART)

It is with great sadness that I write this post to inform you all that Alan Thomas (GESM B) has unfortunately passed away. As many of you know, Alan was a true gentleman and had a huge passion for snooker all of his life, having played and contributed to the Warrington snooker league for well over 50 years. He will be truly missed.

On a personal level I have known Alan since I was 15 years old and he was my first captain when I began playing in the snooker league at the time for the GESM B team. I will be sure to have a frame for 50p and a double grouse this weekend to celebrate the life of a top bloke.

For those interested, the funeral arrangements are as follows;
Tuesday 14th January 2020
10am - St Wilfrid's Church Grappenhall
11am - Walton Lea Crematorium
Flowers: Family Only
Donations: TBC

Our thoughts at this time are with Alan's family and close friends.

RIP Alan Thomas

Pat Wisedale

Tuesday 3rd Setember 2019

As I am sure a few of you are aware all fixtures and team players have been uploaded onto the website under the 2019/20 tab. Please can all team representatives review and if you have any issues/queries please contact the comittee.

Please note some players who have played in the league during previous seasons may be showing as 'New Players'. The reason for this is due to one of the following;

• Player has not yet particiapted 6 league games therefore still qualifies as a new player until they have played this number of games.
• Returning player to the league after two full seasons away to have their handicap monitored as per the rule which was voted on at the AGM.

We are very close now to having all the books printed. I am sorry for the delay in not getting a date to collect these out as of yet but this will be very soon. The league season will commence the week of Wednesday 18th and Thursday 19th September.

Many thanks
Pat Wisedale