The bi-monthly newsletter of the All Issue 55 Jan/Feb 2018 Bar Billiards Association

President VACANT Chairman Pete Sainsbury Treasurer Chrissie Newson Secretary/ Tournament Director Dave Alder A is the act of winning or completing the three most important or difficult or prestigious events, in a particular sport. In motorsport the triple crown is made up of the Assistant Chairman Monaco Grand Prix, the Indianapolis 500 & the Le Mans 24 Hours. In they are the World Championships, UK Championship & the . So could we have a Kevin Tunstall Triple Crown in Bar Billiards? If comparing to snooker we have a World Championships, the end of year Grand Prix is an invitational event similar to snooker’s Masters and the All England Singles would be a good fit to make up the three events. Unsurprisingly Kevin Tunstall has won the most of these ‘Triple Crown’ events. He has won 21 in total (5 World Championships, 8 All England Singles & 8 Grand Prix). But who else have completed the set? Well only 4 other players have won all 3 to the end of 2017. Pairs partners Bernie McCluskey (2 WC, 4AE, 2GP) and Paul Sainsbury (1WC, 4AE, 2GP) have a complete set Bernie having 8 titles, Paul 7. Phil Collins also has the set with a total of 6 (1WC, 2AE, 3GP) and Keith Sheard has 4 (1WC, 1AE, 2GP). So who could be the next to join this group? There are 6 players who are missing a title. Tony Walsh, Les Green & John Burrows are inactive so unlikely to win their missing title any- time soon. But there are 3 active players one title short...Nigel Senior has won 5 triple crown events but missing a World title, Curt Driver is also missing a World title having won 2 All England and a Grand Prix. Matt Jones is the other who is missing an All England title to complete the Player WC AE GP TOTAL set. To the left is a table of the players with the most Triple 1 Kevin Tunstall 5 8 8 21 Crown titles. 2 Bernie McCluskey 2 4 2 8 3 Paul Sainsbury 1 4 2 7 2018 update : In 2018 Paul Sainsbury won the World title 4 Phil Collins 1 2 3 6 to move level with Bernie on 8 titles. Nigel Senior won the = Nigel Senior 3 2 5 Grand Prix to move onto 6 titles but missed out on the World Title losing in the semi finals. Mark Trafford is now one 6 Keith Sheard 1 1 2 4 short of the set having won the All England Singles to add to = John Burrows 3 1 4 his 2 World titles and now needs the Grand Prix to complete = Jim Millward 4 4 the set. Matt Jones lost the All England final to Mark to 9 Curt Driver 2 1 3 come agonisingly close to completing his triple crown set. Player BO AE GP TOT = Trevor Gallienne 3 3 1 Pauline Withey 6 5 4 15 2 Jean Brack’ridge 3 4 5 12 3 Viv Wright 1 10 11 4 Chris Newson 7 2 9 5 Jan Taylor 1 6 7 MEN LADIES 6 Sue Mariner 5 5 Pos Player County PTS Pos Player County PTS 7 Myra Hawkins 3 3 1 Curt Driver 314.7 1 Pauline Withey Oxon 127.3 = Denise Wills 1 2 3 2 Nigel Senior 305.0 2 Jean Brackenridge Sussex 122.9 — 3 Mark Trafford Oxon 293.5 3 Denise Wills 55.1 4 Kevin Tunstall Sussex 243.8 4 Michelle Baden Sussex 48.9 5 Paul Sainsbury Kent 215.9 5 Lorraine Hall Sussex 48.2 6 Ian Lelliott Sussex 179.3 6 Ros Appleby Sussex 45.0

7 Dave Ingram Sussex 179.2 7 Jenny Florey Oxon 39.9 8 Matt Jones Bucks 176.4 8 Dawn Jordan Bucks 36.4 9 Mark Brewster Kent 156.9 9 Mel Standbridge Oxon 32.0 10 Martin Cole Sussex 129.3 10 Sandra Hall Sussex 30.5

Some say high breaks can only win you one match, You could even say that sometimes a high break doesn’t even win you a match (see Nigel Senior’s 20k break in 2016 Kent final but still lost to Mark Trafford). But having collated these high breaks it lends itself to some nice interesting (or not) stats….these high breaks have been taken from opens plus the All England Singles & Grand Prix. Breaks in plates, pairs comps, team comps not included. Table 1 shows that Keith Sheard has won the most High Break Prizes—56 in total, finally a statistic where Kevin Tunstall doesn’t lead but he is 2nd on 44. Table 2 shows the highest breaks of all time—Mark Sawyer’s scarcely believable 29k is the biggest—Keith owns 5 of the top 10 breaks. Table 3 & 4 show number of breaks over 10k and 20k that have been recorded. So Kevin is not quite up to Ronnie O’Sullivan’s 991 century breaks but he does have 401 10k breaks. But it’s Keith who has the most 20k breaks— getting his 100th at the 2017 Northants Open and he is now on 101! The ladies also are usually awarded their own ladies high break award in opens. Table 5 shows Pauline Withey leading the way with 68 high break trophies (includes ladies only events too). Table 2 also shows highest ladies breaks of all time. Sue Mariner owns the top break of 18,120. This one has a particularly good story behind it….firstly it won the match by 10 points and secondly it was against her husband Steve! Finally table 3 also shows number of 10k breaks made by the ladies—Sue again leads the way here on 12. Tab 3 Player 10k+ Tab 4 Player 20k+ Tab 1 Player Tot Tab 2 Player Break Event 1 Kevin Tunstall 401 1 Keith Sheard 101 1 Keith Sheard 56 1 Mark Sawyer 29,000 Ox 1999 2 Keith Sheard 363 2 Kevin Tunstall 67 2 Kevin Tunstall 44 2 Keith Sheard 26,420 Ox 2002 3 Paul Sainsbury 212 3 Paul Sainsbury 28 3 Nigel Senior 18 3 Keith Sheard 26,400 Nor 1996 4 Nigel Senior 150 4 Nigel Senior 26 = Phil Collins 18 4 Keith Sheard 25,250 Kent 1997 5 Curt Driver 144 5 Phil Collins 25 5 Mark Trafford 14 5 Jon Bamsey 25,080 Char 1996 6 Les Green 102 6 John Burrows 23 6 Paul Sainsbury 12 6 Kevin Tunstall 25,060 Kent 1999 7 John Burrows 99 7 Mark Brewster 18 7 John Burrows 10 7 Keith Sheard 25,050 Char 1996 8 Tony Walsh 98 8 Les Green 16 = Mark Brewster 10 8 Mark Trafford 24,850 Sur 2017 9 Keith Sheard 24,800 Ber 1995 9 Mark Trafford 93 9 Mark Trafford 14 Tab 5 Player Tot = John Burrows 24,800 Wes 1991 10 Mark Brewster 88 10 Mark Sawyer 12 1 Pauline Withey 68

2 Jean Brackenridge 32 1 Sue Mariner 18,120 Sus 2001 1 Sue Mariner 12 3 Chrissie Newson 13 2 Viv Wright 17,650 Kent 1993 2 Gail Woods 11 = Sue Mariner 13 3 Gail Woods 17,410 Oxon 1996 3 Viv Wright 8 5 Jan Taylor 12 4 Viv Wright 17,400 AE L 1993 = Jan Taylor 8 = Michelle Baden 12 5 Gail Woods 17,170 Brit L 1994 5 Pauline Withey 3 7 Myra Hawkins 10

-- 1 0 = 0 — = 0 = 0 ---- = 0 = 0 = 0 = 0 = 0 = 0 -- = 0 = 0 = 0 -- = 0 = 0 = 0

Dates for your diary 2018 —see http://www.aebba.org/ for entry forms -- A lot of us in the bar billiards community will have met Charlie Gildersleve (pictured left). - - He is retiring from Wycombe secretary this year after an incredible 49 years service. Charlie was —- one of the founder members of the AEBBA back — nearly 50 years ago. In his own words this is the - story about how our association was formed…... - “In the summer of 1971, Arthur Wenham, the b.b. - rep: wrote to all associations in our area, saying - that bar billiards, was very strong in the south of — England, and thought that we ought to meet, to - try to form an all England association. So a meeting was arranged at the Hammer & Tongs, Worthing Road Basingstoke that - October, Norrie Lambert and I attended representing Bucks. It was completely - dominated by the southern counties, holding all the offices, it was as if we had - been invited to a southern counties meeting! Immediately, there seemed a - - north/south divide. the Thames being the dividing line. We had a job to agree on - anything, every county wanting to apply their own rules. It was 3 or 4 years before - we got Norrie Lambert as the chairman, and then things began to gel better, and - a set of all England rules seemed a possibility. Meetings were held on a Saturday - night, some ending after midnight, often being asked to leave by the owner, or caretaker of the premises, who wished to go to bed! Eventually Eric Hill became – secretary, and the meetings were then held on a Sunday afternoon, after a Sunday lunch, a much better idea for all concerned. Meetings have been held at Redhill, - - Normandy. Guilford, Tipley, and then on Sundays at Sonning, the Blue Flag, - Cadmore end. Dashwood arms, RAFA club, and PO club Reading, - I suppose that makes me a founder member!” - It is a lot down to Charlie and people like him we have an All England Associa- tion today. The AEBBA wish him a happy retirement!