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Post by petetheplumber on Mar 22, 2007 11:41:34 GMT
...........and here's where can be found "possibly the only bar billiards table in Yorkshire" : www.beerintheevening.com/pubs/s/18/18967/Golden_Ball/YorkA rather extravagant claim, I would imagine there would be some left over in the Doncaster region as there used to be a South Yorks league. your right this pub does have a BB table but its not the only one in YORKSHIRE theres quiet a few kicking around the outskirts of Huddersfield. More details to follow
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Post by Deleted on Mar 22, 2007 13:05:05 GMT
Thanks PetetheP,
I'll let our former Surrey player now exiled to Halifax know, we'll be seeing him this weekend.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 11, 2011 22:58:05 GMT
News from the Minerva at Hull (already listed on our map of venues): www.minervapub.com/Mention of recruiting teams.........would be great if the game took off in the North of England once more. Looks like they've got a nice enough Riley table suitable for 3-Pin, but are using it for 4-Pin though. :o
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Post by Deleted on Aug 12, 2011 10:09:44 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Aug 13, 2011 20:52:49 GMT
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Was
member
(391)
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Post by Deleted on Aug 18, 2011 17:50:07 GMT
A bloke I spoke at The Barley Mow, Southsea yesterday told me that in Keighley it seemed that there was a table in every other pub. I feel this may be a bit much. He also said that they had a league running and that is quite strong.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 18, 2011 18:08:39 GMT
Thanks Regg3y,
The only mention I can find on the Internet of bar billiards in Keighley is that the Brewery Arms used to have a table.
No mention of any League, there are however reputedly 76 pubs in Keighley, so this area could yet provide rich pickings.
All we can do is convey this to "Our man on the spot" Martin Pellett. Last time I spoke to him, he had drawn a blank in Huddersfield, so perhaps a day out in Keighley, Martin, if you get a chance ? ;)
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Post by Deleted on Apr 16, 2012 14:24:38 GMT
Another one in the city of York, makes three: Hi guys Reliable correspondents on the Pubs Galore site inform me that: 3. The Waggon & Horses in York www.pubsgalore.co.uk/pubs/43706/ had recently acquired a table when visited last March OB
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Post by macba76 on Sept 11, 2012 12:55:34 GMT
I a have been to a fair amount of the pubs and social clubs in the Keighley area (playing other cue sports), however I haven't come across a bar billiards table yet. Will keep looking and let you know if I find any.
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Post by Chris_Sav on Sept 11, 2012 21:51:40 GMT
I a have been to a fair amount of the pubs and social clubs in the Keighley area (playing other cue sports), however I haven't come across a bar billiards table yet. Will keep looking and let you know if I find any. The website map shows one at Addingham Village Social Club which is not far from you. Good hunting! Sav
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Post by Deleted on Sept 12, 2012 9:19:33 GMT
Thanks Macba, Reggy and I were sceptical about this claim: A bloke I spoke at The Barley Mow, Southsea yesterday told me that in Keighley it seemed that there was a table in every other pub. I feel this may be a bit much. He also said that they had a league running and that is quite strong. ......and it appears that our doubts have been vindicated !
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rob
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Post by rob on Dec 11, 2012 0:07:17 GMT
The Golden Ball's bar billiards table isn't even the only table in York never mind Yorkshire, as already mentioned, the Phoenix has a table, a very nice red clothed one I played last week, I think it's possibly the larger sized version (wider?) as well.
Unfortunately the Waggon and Horses in York no longer has a table (can't have lasted very long!) the barman said they got rid of it because no one ever used it, which seems a bit sad. I don't understand pubs that just consist a bar with tables and chairs with no form of entertainment or character you get with a billiards table / dartboard etc..
Anyway I'm new to the forum, so hello everyone :) I've used the map to try and find tables around the North of England / Yorkshire, so would be good if it could be updated to remove the Waggon and Horses
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Post by barbelman on Dec 11, 2012 9:18:12 GMT
The Golden Ball's bar billiards table isn't even the only table in York never mind Yorkshire, as already mentioned, the Phoenix has a table, a very nice red clothed one I played last week, I think it's possibly the larger sized version (wider?) as well. Unfortunately the Waggon and Horses in York no longer has a table (can't have lasted very long!) the barman said they got rid of it because no one ever used it, which seems a bit sad. I don't understand pubs that just consist a bar with tables and chairs with no form of entertainment or character you get with a billiards table / dartboard etc.. Anyway I'm new to the forum, so hello everyone :) I've used the map to try and find tables around the North of England / Yorkshire, so would be good if it could be updated to remove the Waggon and Horses Hi Rob and welcome to the forum. It's good to have a few members oop north to keep us up to date with what's going on there. Thanks for the input and I'll expedite the changes to the map now. Keep up the good work and welcome again. Tony
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Post by Deleted on Dec 11, 2012 10:47:54 GMT
Welcome indeed, Rob
One thing we have been sadly lacking is a correspondent/investigator in the North of England, and it's good to have you aboard !
Quite a few famous manufacturers of the earliest tables, such as Clares of Liverpool and Rileys of Accrington were based 'oop north, and there was also a table hire operator. We know that some of their tables must have survived locally - it would be too upsetting to think of them as being chopped up for firewood !
From what little investigations we have managed to do so far for the region, it also seems that the favoured type of play is with the 4th Pin added, and the 50 and 100 holes covered. This is a far more difficult version of the game compared to what we play further south, so perhaps it is little wonder that it never really acquired the popularity necessary to motivate people to form leagues, etc.
tommo
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Post by BB Warrior on Dec 11, 2012 11:51:34 GMT
It's always good to hear that some tables are still in place in other parts of the country and maybe.... one day.... the game will return competitively to those areas. ;D
Welcome to the Forum Rob, look forward to reading your reports in the future. ;)
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Post by macba76 on Dec 12, 2012 17:12:43 GMT
Hi chaps
Sorry to report that I have not found any sign of Bar Billiards in the Keighley area in the last few months (despite going to a number of different pubs). The centres of Halifax and Bradford are also lacking. Will go over to Slaithwaite in the new year and go to the Shoulder of Mutton.
Mike :0)
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rob
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Post by rob on Dec 13, 2012 1:22:25 GMT
Thank you for the warm welcome! So far, all the tables I have played in Yorkshire (all 2 of them) have been the 3 pin version, hopefully I will come across a 4 pin table so I can test the differences though..
It seems to me that the game is extremely rare in the North of England, finding pubs with tables is hard enough, nevermind any sort of competition. It seems strange to me the contrast between north and south, I would have thought with something like this the popularity would be similar nationwide. I cant help wondering why it's so popular further south, or more importantly, why it's dying out (or never took off) in the north
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Post by Deleted on Dec 13, 2012 11:33:51 GMT
It's an interesting topic for discussion. Two in fact - what activity has there been/ is there now/ in the North of England? And is the situation still healthy further south? To answer the second one first, you may wish to visit the threads under Club Class Lounge where we touch on the history of the game. Bar Billiards was very popular in the 1950's and 1960's but by the end of the 1970's American Pool had taken over, with a lot of pubs throwing out the bar billiards accordingly. Trouble was, Pool is an easier game to master, and games between two handy players could be all over in five minutes rather than B-B's twenty - meaning extra revenue for the landlord. Bar billiards leagues shrank dramatically, one particular league I know of which had once had six divisions of teams going completely out of existence. At the same time, tables were shipped to the U.S. in their hundreds. This has created an enigma - we know of no leagues out there, so can only assume that the tables went to rich private households as novelty furniture. So is the situation still healthy? Well, an even keel is being maintained in Kent, Sussex, Surrey, Hants (Portsmouth only), Berks, Bucks, Oxfordshire and Northants. Cambridge are also a playing county but we seem to hear from them less and less. And there are 4-Pin leagues in Norfolk, Suffolk and, again, Northants. The availability and supply of tables is one factor that could affect the future. There is one table hire operator left in the country who serves the ten leagues of Sussex, supplying SAMS tables for rental. The Jelkes table supplier, Bar Billiards Ltd of Ascot, Berks went out of business 3 or 4 years ago and the counties they supplied formed consortia to buy the tables they had been renting. This closes the door to private rental to public houses (Sussex apart) unless one of the 'modern' type of table is taken on (unpopular with the discerning player) - or the house is tied to a large Brewery chain which foists a table on them from its own stock, of dubious quality and past maintenance ! Quite frankly, the best tables around are the Jelkes, SAMS bros and Rileys manufactured in the 1930s and 1940s which are still lovingly maintained and comprise 99% of those found in League venues. As regards the North of England, there was once a League centred around Doncaster, but was started off by an enterprising southerner. Read this article: www.getreading.co.uk/sport/bar_sports/s/2108355_wheeler_puts_his_bar_billiards_cue_away_for_the_last_timeWord got around and Yorkshire TV took an interest, featuring our sport on the series Indoor League, presented by Fred Trueman. You can find clips of the programme on You Tube. Many of us are unconvinced that the exposure thus gained did the game much justice, but it must be quite a challenge presenting to the game to the viewing public as much more than knocking balls down holes with a stick to score points while avoiding the pegs....whereas we all know there is much more to it than that ! Now of course there is no South Yorkshire league any more, and no infrastructure in place to help with the wholesale supply of tables should the demand suddenly appear. There is a thriving bagatelle league in Cheshire - the only real one in the country - but that's a different game, and a different story ! tommo
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Post by Q on Dec 13, 2012 17:11:48 GMT
I have it from a reliable source (the vendor) that the Sams table sold on Ebay from Cornwall is heading up to South Yorkshire, so far exact destination unknown but I'm working on it. ;)
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Post by Deleted on Apr 29, 2014 22:10:53 GMT
Anyone able to throw any light on this ? (Poem I found when searching the net):
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Post by barbelman on Apr 30, 2014 5:48:34 GMT
Anyone able to throw any light on this ? (Poem I found when searching the net): I guess we can delete the Minerva from the BB map then Tommo!! It appears to be an entry for a 2013 poetry contest in Hull but Hazel was obviously a fan of the game... It's a nice little tribute to the demise of bar billiards nationally. Tony
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Post by Deleted on Sept 1, 2014 20:37:05 GMT
we've collectively bought the table from the Shoulder of Mutton in Slaithwaite, and will hopefully have it installed in a York pub within the next couple of weeks. The newest members of the York league - York Brewery tap room! /photo/1 Shoulder of Mutton Huddersfield comes off then, along with the Minerva of Hull. York Brewery Tap goes on as a new League venue for York.
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Post by michaelshallcross on Jan 8, 2015 17:16:46 GMT
Hi folks, another venue to be added to the UK bar billiards map - I've just been told that The Shambles in Whitby now has a table.
Apparently a pub in Scarborough is also currently on the look-out for a table: North Yorkshire seaside league anyone?
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Post by Deleted on Mar 16, 2015 17:17:51 GMT
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Post by therealmc on Mar 24, 2015 18:14:14 GMT
I'm off to Halifax tomorrow but there doesn't seem to be a pub in town with a BB table, unless someone knows different...
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Post by Deleted on Mar 24, 2015 18:19:58 GMT
Yeah, Martin, according to the National map, the Savile Arms in Dewsbury would seem to be the absolute nearest. tommo
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Post by therealmc on Mar 24, 2015 19:16:56 GMT
About 35 mins by car from Halifax town centre where I'm staying - might still be worth a visit if I'm at a loose end though
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Post by Deleted on Mar 24, 2015 20:15:23 GMT
Hopefully there'll still be a table there.....Whatpub.com claima "traditional bar billiards is played in the tap room."
Let us know how you get on if you decide to go. A pity that York would be an hour away (43.5 miles distance).
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Post by Deleted on Mar 27, 2015 11:08:58 GMT
One in Bradford now to match the single one found in Leeds: (source: WhatPub)
New Beehive Inn - Non league - 171 Westgate, Bradford, West Yorks BD1 3AA
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Post by Deleted on Apr 14, 2015 15:40:59 GMT
Hopefully there'll still be a table there.....Whatpub.com claima "traditional bar billiards is played in the tap room." Let us know how you get on if you decide to go. A pity that York would be an hour away (43.5 miles distance). ........and Martin told me on Sunday that a taxi from Halifax to Dewsbury would have cost £35, difficult to justify when not sure what awaited at the other end, also with his available time being limited. I can empathise with that so applaud his good intentions.
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