End of Season Doubles and Business End Review
This Saturday sees our End of Season Doubles Tournament at Bull & Barrel and JR BBQ. Players will be randomly partnered to make sure teams are evenly matched on the day and all you have to do to join the fun is to turn up between 3pm and 3:45pm and register your intention to play. You do also have to meet our strict qualification standards (played in 5 separate matches), then you'll be deemed a solid chap or chappess and be fit to play.
Date: Saturday November 12th
Sign Up: At Bull & Barrel 3-3:45pm
Entry: Free to all who have played in 5 separate matches
Rewards: Trophies given to the top 3 placings
With only 3 matches of the regular season left I believe it is high time for another review. This is the business end of the season and teams should be trying to position themselves for a decent crack at the playoffs and trying to win their division, (or not, depending on the team).
Championship A:
It does look increasingly likely that Smokin' Aces will take top spot although a catastrophic collapse could open the door for Boomtown Rats, Dark Horses or Angry Birds. The match of the day this week will be between the Rats and and the Horses. Which horse would you back in the rat race? (Let's pretend I didn't make that dreadful pun and move on). The Angry Birds are currently the team on fire and had they begun the season this way they may well have taken the title. Wonkies seem to have worked out how to guarantee a home play off match by holding steady in 5th. The real enigma of this division are the Dic-Taters. Since last time they have Boomtowned the Rats and Darkened the Horses but also been well and truly Shenaniganed and shown to be fit to miss against the Misfits.
Championship B:
Zzyzx have proved themselves human after all by finally losing a game, although it was only 8-7 to the rather dangerous Dark Horses. 8 Ball Land have come from the abyss of not having a team in the first two weeks to jump up to 2nd. Quite an achievement from Doo Mann and the boys. Bombadeers, Green Light and King Pub are also chasing a top 4 finish, which should ensure healthy competition till the end of the season. (I wonder if we should let them know that 5th place will get a bye?). The Pain have had a lot of punishment this season but the real Scandal is why Fat Albert's are still in the division (sorry boys).
Championship C:
The Runners have the best record of any team this season and have simply waltzed through this division. They could, if they so desired, just forfeit their Wednesdays from now on and still take the title. The biggest upset of the season, in statistical terms, came a few weeks back when Pheasants downed Super Power and gained 137 team ranking points in the ratings division (does anyone else look at that besides me?). To be honest the teams in Championship C are pretty much locked in those positions and are as unlikely to move or change as a Frenchman who lives next door to a brothel.
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Jon Bell Tournament
As most of you now know, Jon Bell had a rather nasty accident a few weeks back and faces the prospect on ongoing surgical procedures to, hopefully, restore his eyesight to full capacity. This Saturday we will have a special tournament and all players are welcome to participate with the aim of raising as much money as possible to help Jon.
The Details:
Day: Saturday, October 1st
Venue: Shenanigans (and possibly Scrooge Pub)
Sign-ups: 3-3:45pm
Start: 4pm
Entry fee will be 10,000won with a 5,000won buy back in for the losers' bracket. There will be cash prizes for the winners on the day. We will run a Calcutta Auction, have a raffle and we will be charging people even more money for incompetent play. If you would like to buy raffle tickets (top prize will be a cue, very kindly donated by Paul Riddle) in advance or donate some prizes please contact Ronan, Willy (at Shenanigans) or my myself before Saturday. A few of us will go around with raffle tickets tomorrow night so you can buy directly from us.
Hope to see many of you there.
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LIV Village Charity Tournament
On Saturday, October 22nd we will have our second charity tournament of this season. This one is supporting LIV Village project in South Africa and offers much needed housing and stability to orphans near Durban. Korean students are planning to volunteer out there next year and take contributions from the peninsula, and hopefully spread some joy and care. To find out more about the project please visit www.liv-village.com
In order to raise money we will be holding a raffle (50% of the takings being the top prize), a Calcutta Auction, an entrance fee for the tournament and fines for ridiculous shots. Cash prizes will be given to the winners and the prizes in the raffle will be worth winning. Please come and join us on the day or, if you cannot attend, you can purchase raffle tickets in advance.
Date: Saturday, October 22nd
Sign Up: 3-3:45pm
Start: 4pm
Venue: Scrooge Pub
Our last charity tournament was splendidly attended and we managed to raise around 2.6 million won for Jon Bell. Many thanks to all those helped on the day or in the lead up to the tournament. The contributions were very generous and a wonderful day was had by all. We are part of a great little community. Thank you again.
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Mid-Season Review + Jon Bell News
Happy Chuseok everyone and welcome to the Mid-Season Review or should that be the 'Season of Darryl Dawson'?
We are now half way through the current league season and much has happened since my early season review. Two tournaments have been played, Seoul sent a pool team to Vietnam (sadly they did all return - no, I only jest) and we also have some worrying news about a league stalwart.
Jon Bell
The league was sad to hear that Jon Bell, one of the longest serving players in the league and all round nice guy, suffered a serious accident last week coming out of Shenanigans. It appears he is facing the prospect of a number of surgical procedures and that his eyesight might be badly affected. It's at times like this the league comes into its own and shows what a great community we are, as already plans are being put in place for a tournament to raise money for Jon. It looks like Shenanigans will host a tournament on October 1st and it is hoped this can raise a considerable amount to help Jon. If anyone would like help out on the day or make a contribution please get in touch with Willy (at Shenanigans), Ronan or myself. More details will follow in the next week or so. We are thinking of you, Jon.
Tournaments:
The Mid-Season Singles Tournament was a quiet affair and only 24 hardy souls made the effort to enter. This is partly down to the fact Bernard plied half of the league with tequila and sambuca the night before at his going away party that nobody could actually function as a normal human being on the day of the tournament. Darryl Dawson took the honours in the Upper Bracket steadily quelling the resistance of Doo-Mann Lim in the preliminary final and then seeing off the spirited Yang Hwa-sil in the final. Hwa-sil had, in the course of running through the loser's bracket, taught her own team why she was the boss of Zzyzx by defeating 3 of her teammates. The Lower Bracket was won by Kevin 'Leeboy' Lee who defeated Paulino Torrico in the final after a tense battle. I do wish I could tell you more about that tournament but I was desperately sweating tequila and trying not to fall asleep as a result of the previous night. Many thanks to all those who helped at the tournament, especially Bernard (how were you even there?), Russ and David Zoo(who claimed a well deserved 3rd place in the Lower Bracket).
David's reward for finishing third in the Bracket was to partner the president in the next, and most enjoyable, tournament. The Mid-Season Doubles took place the week after the singles and once again the legend that is Darryl Dawson triumphed. He was of course aided abetted by the new talent of Sean Kim. The only resistance came in the form of Dominic Johnson and David Zoo (the alternative, in more ways that one, Sin Bin Dream Team). Some seriously brilliant pool was punctuated by moments of pure farce as always, and there were several contenders for worst shot of the day and indeed worst frame of the season (Ronan, Jeff - you know what I'm taking about). As always with this competition, the atmosphere beat the playing standard. Honourable mentions should also go to SK Kim and Jun Bongon who, but for some rotten luck, might have taken a higher accolade than 3rd place.
Championship A:
In the battle of the big boys, (the ones with the biggest packages - I'm taking about their gadgets and gizmos - every sentence just descends into innuendo, doesn't it?) Boomtown Rats, Smokin' Aces and Dark Horses seem to be separating themselves from the pack. At the mid-season meeting, Ronan from Wonky Triangles made an impassioned speech arguing for a change in the playoff system that saw his team play only away games last season. He was told in no uncertain terms that to avoid this his team should not finish 4th. Naturally he is ignoring this and they currently sit 4th. Angry Birds have woken up and are beginning to press for a top 4 spot. Shenanigans were beginning to adapt to life in the top division by downing Dic-Taters but returned to mediocrity against Boomtown Rats. Dic-Taters then pulled off the shock of the season so far by beating a full strength Smokin' Aces on a night that saw the two teams complete two matches on two tables in the same venue. Oh, and in other news, Misfits are in this division too - shhh, we won't speak about that.
Championship B:
Zzyzx continue to pound all comers including Championship A sides. Shenanigans, Smokin' Aces and Boomtown Rats have all fallen to Hwa-sil's all conquering team. 8 Ball Land have already overhauled Scandal but the other teams in that division, Bombadeers (spelling was never their strong suit), Green Light, King Pub and The Pain, all look very evenly matched and it is rumoured they are threatening a break away league not involving Zzyzx.
Championship C:
Just this week the final team paid their dues to the league - only TWO months late but the league happily accepted it. I will not name and shame that captain; it's not my style. I can tell you the problem occurred when the team treasurer took the money to China and the team secretary was unable to contact him and the vice-president of the team was seen bribing an IPL official. It all got rather scandalous but on the upside, the team captain is currently writing a novel based on the events. Jumie's Runners continue to dominate and Super Power are beginning to show themselves to have a little more energy (I'm not sure you can call it power yet) and may prove to be the only serious rival to the Runners. It seems like Sweet Life, Frigates, Free Shots, Ballistics and Pheasants are waiting for the playoffs to come around and then they'll take the competition seriously.
Enjoy the holidays and good luck to all teams for the second half of the season.
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- Written by Dominic Johnson
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