. Operators will seek ways and means of publicising them for the benefit of their customers as they live in hope of some support from pub landlords and club committees who rarely offer much by way of it. Some years ago an enterprising pub landlord in my locality had the bright idea of organising his own pub contest around Christmas. Customers paid one pound plus their table money to enter which entitled them to play one frame to try to clear the table by potting, without a miss, all 15 balls. When the far from easy feat was accomplished the player received the whole of the entry fees to date. There was no limit to the number of games a player could play provided he paid one pound per try. All went well until word got around that a sizeable jackpot was available for the successful player. So along came the “man in black” as he became known. He paid his pound, cleared the table and pocketed his winnings of over £200 as thirsty customers emptied their glasses in the hope of some Christmas hospitality. But like condemned murderers before capital punishment ended he returned to the place whence he came, wherever that was, without spending a penny. Rumour had it that he was a professional player from the South Yorkshire area but that was never proved. He has not been seen in the pub since, probably because he was not a local player. The contest ceased to be held after his feat and has not been held since. Last year the Pub Pool Challenge with its £50,000 single prize attracted a lot of interest and the finals on television were worth watching. This year the promoters had to cancel a similar event because of lack of support from venue landlords and their players. So the question arises as to whether pool will ever become really popular. BAPTO officials say this year’s finals at Pontins Blackpool from November 15 to 18 will be the best supported yet. I hope they are. I have heard little so far about the World 8-ball Pool Championships 2008 or the EBA’s World Masters event next spring. Unfortunately I find nothing to alter the views held by many people that pool is mainly a local pub game played by drinkers by way of self-entertainment rather than competition. Perhaps if players and site landlords were more willing to give rather than take all things would be better. Early day optimism over smoking ban Early indications since the smoking ban became law on July 1 seem to indicate that its effect upon pool in pubs and clubs was not as serious as might have been feared. August, of course, is a month when many regular pool players might have been on family holidays, and is therefore not the best of yardsticks to judge what might happen, The pool leagues and the major local and national competitions tend to start in the autumn and that is the time when the ban’s effects might be more keenly felt. Nevertheless George Harwood, The English Pool Association’s marketing adviser whose organisation covers over 400 pool leagues and about 350,000 players in seven regions, told me he did not think the ban would unduly affect pool in licensed premises although it might affect those premises themselves. Harwood, a founder member of the EPA, which is recognised as the governing body of pool in England, has long been a rather controversial figure in the sport of pool. But nobody could ever question his knowledge of pool at all levels and I know that, some years ago when the United Kingdom Pool Federation first started and optimists looked to the day when it might have a professional secretariat, George Harwood was considered to be a likely candidate to be asked to head such a secretariat. Of course it never happened. Gradually founder members of the UKPF, including the EPA, resigned from the federation leaving it as a players’ organisation now representing the home countries and southern Ireland under the name of European Blackball Association. A number of people think that if ever pool were to become as important as the industry, together with many of its leading players and officials might wish, it is essential to have unity between its different sectors. Affinity with football Pool might be neither as popular nor as well supported financially as football but BAPTO officials certainly seem to have some affinity with Britain’s world of soccer. Bob Blakeborough, who retired earlier this year after several years of holding the office of BAPTO chairman, was a longstanding director Burnley FC until his retirement last year. His successor as BAPTO chairman, Alan Boswell, was a professional footballer with Bolton Wanderers, Wolves, Shrewsbury and Port Vale clocking up 435 football league appearances between 1961 and 1986. So if pool under his chairmanship can follow the success of football the future might be much brighter for table manufacturers and operators as well as site owners and players.

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