Once again our fixture list is going to be hit by football! England's World Cup match against Croatia will now take place on Wednesday June 17 at 9pm. Fortunately, this will only affect a handful of teams as the main season will be concluded by then. Our plan is to push our fixtures back by one week, so matches planned for that night will now be played on June 24.
Looking further ahead there is also potential for both July 1 and 15 to be affected, but no decision will be taken until we know more.
Any teams that are involved in the League Cup, the Plate, and the Play offs should keep their options open as they may be required to play throughout the whole of July.
2026/2027 registration forms are now available online. Physical forms will also be published next month. When fully completed with the correct fees, these forms should be submitted no later than Thursday August 7th.
This seasons A.G.M. is set for Thursday 9th July at 7:30pm at the Bendix Club, Kingswood. We did discuss holding this on another day but decided this was the only practicable day to hold it. AGM proposals will only be accepted in writing and must be submitted no later than Thursday June 4th.
Many knockout competitions are approaching finals days and nights, so please be aware of when your respective competitions will conclude.
This month there are a few comps where the deadline for results vary, especially the Ladies and Mixed Doubles comps, so again be aware of when your particular match has to be played by.
All individual and pairs matches are the best of 7 frames in the early rounds with the exception of the main Singles which is best of 9.
Some of you may be aware that English Blackball Pool Federation have introduced a few new rules into their rule set. These changes only affect County pool and is not an official change to Blackball rules, and therefore will not appear on any rule sheet.
Home teams must ensure that all necessary equipment for a pool match is fully available and in working order before play begins. This includes, but is not limited to:
• Properly maintained table, rests, triangle, match card, match balls in correct condition, rule sheet, adequate lighting and table setup.
Providing a proper playing environment is essential for fairness and the smooth running of all fixtures.
All players and spectators are reminded not to refer to any form of recording while a match is in progress. This includes mobile phones, tablets, cameras, or any device capable of video or audio capture.
The league does not support the use of VAR style reviews, and no video evidence will be accepted as part of any in match or post match dispute.
All decisions must be made on the table, in real time, by the referees provided. Any attempt to use recordings as evidence in a dispute will not be accepted.
Matches must be decided on the table, not on a screen, and by the two nominated referee’s and on occasions this could also include the two captains.
In an attempt to reduce our overheads, we have introduced an Email Information Service to provide members with monthly updates.
To help reduce costs, we would like members to subscribe to this Service. The email attachment will be identical to the book that team Captains/Secretaries have previously received by post, and will be available to all league members, not just Captains/Secretaries.
We fully understand that not everyone has access to the internet and email, so for those few teams the book will still be available by post.
Apart from the cost reduction, other advantages will be that the book will be available just a few days after the monthly league meeting, rather than the 11 days it now takes. Any mistakes that arise can be instantly corrected by sending a revised book. Any other information can be easily sent, eg, reminders of important dates such as league meetings and AGM's.
To add your name to the Service, simply send an email to bristolpoolleague(at)btinternet.com
Please include the word Pool in the subject line, and in the message box leave your name, team name(s), and whether you are Captain or Secretary of your team, or that you are just a playing member of your team(s). You will receive an email shortly after to confirm your inclusion in the Service.
BPL COMMITTEE.
