The Committee would like to extend a big welcome to all teams, new and old, in this brand new season. We hope it will be an enjoyable and competitive one, and we look forward to supporting you over the next nine months!
All teams should now be in possession of their information packs that were given out at October’s meeting. Included were the House rules for this season. It is important that you read them, as they affect league positions, penalties for failing to fulfil fixtures, and the signing of new players.
On the subject of new signings, we now revert to monthly submitting of new players.
New signings are now only acceptable at league meetings rather than via email. Any teams that consistently begin to struggle to field a full team each week should contact league secretary Donna Gibbs for guidance on how to move forward.
Matchnight Live: after three rounds
After three rounds, Matchnight Live is being used across all 60 teams, and the response has been extremely positive. Teams have adapted well to the new way of recording matches.
The issues seen so far have been minor and mostly down to getting used to the system: selecting the wrong player for a frame, forgetting to record a clearance, missing the final frame result, or not confirming and closing the match. The most common issue has been leaving the match unconfirmed at the end.
If you make a mistake, don’t panic. Carry on using MNL, then let Steve Alderman know via WhatsApp at the end of the match. He will normally sort it out that night or by the following day. **SCORE CARDS ARE STILL REQUIRED** Please still send the completed card to Kevin Cozens as usual.
MNL also lets everyone follow live scores from other teams in their division and see player stats build up. These features should become even more interesting as the season progresses. Keep up the good work!
A couple of notices for new teams. It is the responsibility of the winning team to submit scorecards via email, SMS or WhatsApp by the Saturday following the winning match in question. Most teams are eager to do this immediately after the match concludes.
Teams who lose in either the prelim or first round of the League Cup will be entered into the Plate competition which begins in February, with the exception of any top 6 Division 1 team from the previous season. Also any team that forfeits their prelim or first round match will be excluded from the Plate comp.
Always use the league’s official score cards as it benefits the league in terms of sponsorship.
We are once again running the Intra Divisional Singles Competition, and this year we are delighted to welcome a new sponsor: Safeclean Bristol, your local carpet and upholstery cleaning specialists. Safeclean’s Steve Alderman said he is pleased to support the league and wishes everyone taking part the very best of luck for the 2026/27 season.
A big thank you to the Clyde Arms at Redland who are sponsoring this seasons Seniors competitions including the new Seniors Doubles comp.
Both draws can be found in this book, but please take special note of the results deadlines for the Singles as both the prelim and first round draws will be in progress at the same time.
Entries for the main Singles and Doubles competitions have been extended until the next meeting.
Both teams should offer up a verbally nominated referee for every frame, and both referees will adjudicate the game and call wherever necessary. Just standing next to the table and ignoring play, only stepping forward when any controversial decision may arise, is not considered to be refereeing. Remember that you cannot dispute a frame if there is only one referee.
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.
