I do not suggest that the most expensive tables are necessarily the best tables or even the most trouble free. The World Pool Association, which in conjunction with the English Pool Association organises the WPA World Championships at Blackpool each year, has always used Supreme tables, by no means the most expensive pool tables but which have continued to give satisfaction throughout the years. Once the original Superleague tables were in demand for use at many major pool events’ finals. Whether the new Hazelgrove Superleague company will attempt to follow suit once it brings the whole of its manufacturing programme to Cannock I don’t know. It will find these days that table manufacturers like Excel Leisure, Sam Leisure, and Simply Pool, with its close connection with the Professional Pool Players’ Organisation, as well as Supreme’s hold on the WPA event. already have tournament connections. But the new Superleague range has been well spoken of and might become even better once all manufacturing can be controlled under one roof. Whatever happens, the galaxy of fine pool tables available to operators, tournament organisers and pool players can only be good for both the industry and the sport. Sam Atlantic tables at Welsh Pool Festival Wales, renowned for its many successes in international rugby, might have been in mourning last month because of the early World Cup defeat suffered by the Welsh team. But pool, rapidly becoming the Principality’s second favourite sport, provided some compensation with the highly successful 17th annual Welsh Festival of Pool, a 12 day event held last month at the Lions Robin Hood Holiday Park, Rhyl. For the first time players were able to use the 24 Sam Atlantic tables acquired by Alan Marshall, head of Universal Pool Promotions and the Lions Robin Hood Holiday Park. Sam Leisure’s Liam Barrett said: “In a major coup for Sam Leisure the festival’s organisers bought 24 Sam Atlantic tables which were used for this event. They had been impressed by the quality of play and the durable construction they saw at the BAPTO Grand Finals last year so they chose a table that would satisfy the top players and be rugged enough for repeated use at major pool events”. He added that Sam Atlantic tables had again been chosen by BAPTO for use at its Blackpool Finals in November this year. Sam Leisure’s tables were building a solid reputation among the professional pool playing community. Tribute to the tables was also paid after the festival had concluded by UPP’s Alan Marshall, its promoter. He said:”I have promoted many pool tournaments where a variety of tables have been used but this is the first time that a 12 day tournament has been held for eight different categories of players, including youth and juniors and players with special needs, without the services of the table engineer being required on even one occasion”. Asked whether the same tables would be used for the European Blackball Association’s World Masters event in Bridlington next year Marshall replied: “At this juncture I can only say I am 90 per cent certain they will be”. Hazelgrove Superleague formed to make Superleague tables Master Billiard Supplies has formed a new company, Hazelgrove Superleague, to make its range of Superleague and other tables at its Cannock, Staffs,.factory. In a recent announcement director Eric Lewis told Euroslot: “We have decided to take this step as part of our decision to bring the manufacture of our range of pool tables under one roof at Cannock”. Temporarily, he said, no pool tables were being made pending the completion of the work and arrangements needed to bring the new system about. Lewis said: “We hope to start making tables again in November but we thought we would only mount problems for our customers if we continued to advertise our products during a time when none were being made.” For that reason, he said, the Master Billiards Supplies’ sponsorship of Euroslot’s pool page had been discontinued although he hoped Hazelgrove Superleague would look at it again once manufacturing had been restarted. Master Billiards Supplies purchased the Superleague trade name when Rileys, who had obtained the rights to use it when the original makers were taken over by them, ceased trading. They did not, however, use the Superleague name on their pool tables preferring to use the Riley name which was so well respected in the billiards and snooker world. The fact that Hazel Grove Superleague, once arguably the most illustrious name in the pool table industry, will appear again should appeal to many table operators and players.Eric Lewis has frequently stressed the desire and intention of the current owners of the marque to make their Superleague tables to the same high standard of quality for which the previous tables were famed.

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