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Post by The Chubbster™ on Dec 20, 2013 12:17:09 GMT
In my history research (of which I am now conducting on my own of course) I found this little gem on the Sussex Quiz site. Which former Cricketer started with a 4k, break in an exhibition match against the England Bar Billiard side, on the eve of the first ever England v Jersey International? The answer was Mike Gatting. Would anyone be able to confirm this and maybe enlighten me a bit more about the occasion please? If it's not too much trouble of course
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Post by milko on Dec 20, 2013 12:35:14 GMT
In my history research (of which I am now conducting on my own of course) I found this little gem on the Sussex Quiz site. Which former Cricketer started with a 4k, break in an exhibition match against the England Bar Billiard side, on the eve of the first ever England v Jersey International? The answer was Mike Gatting. Would anyone be able to confirm this and maybe enlighten me a bit more about the occasion please? If it's not too much trouble of course I have the paper work somewhere but I think it was the friendly between Somerset and an England 11 in Castle Cary, Somerset in 1985 which we won 10-1. I will try to find out more for you. Lin & myself couldn't find anyone to get us breakfast in the morning, yet we had paid for it!
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Post by milko on Dec 20, 2013 17:27:49 GMT
Sorry Glenn, I think I know where the sheet is for that event but can't get to the draw because of the Christmas Tree! The result in my book says the same as above except it was June 1984 + my scores of 20,000 & 14,000 Ian Botham was there so Lin says but I thought he couldn't make it in the end ? I can't remember Mr Gatting getting a 4k brk but I do know that he drinks more than me!
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Post by barbelman on Dec 20, 2013 18:04:51 GMT
I can't remember Mr Gatting getting a 4k brk but I do know that he drinks more than me! Blimey - now that IS an achievement.....
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Post by The Chubbster™ on Dec 22, 2013 17:17:56 GMT
Thanks for looking that up for me Milko, that's very helpful indeed. So, in my little history o the game, I shall mention an exhibition match played against the Somerset cricket Team in 1984, which was won but England 10-1 Many thanks once again for your help, and have a great Christmas
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Post by milko on Dec 22, 2013 17:45:01 GMT
Thanks for looking that up for me Milko, that's very helpful indeed. So, in my little history o the game, I shall mention an exhibition match played against the Somerset cricket Team in 1984, which was won but England 10-1 Many thanks once again for your help, and have a great Christmas Don't be silly now, it wasn't a cricket team!
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Post by The Chubbster™ on Dec 22, 2013 20:16:00 GMT
Ok Im confused, I thought you meant the Somerset Cricket Team.
Well, I shall be telling Mr Mariner that his info is a load of rubbish lol
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Post by Deleted on Dec 22, 2013 23:07:55 GMT
As I understand it the match was Somerset (a bar billiards league and county in those days) v England. The Somerset team happened to have Mr Gatting playing for them.
There have been other famous celebrities known to turn their hand to bar billiards in the past: Steve Davis being one. There was also the famous newsreader Reginald Bosanquet who once visited what is now the Holbrook Club at Horsham. Bill Maynard (aka Claude Greengrass in Heartbeat) played county for Leicestershire. Sean Connery owned a table at his basement flat in London. I also have a picture of Kate Humble standing next to a bar billiards table holding a pet, though I don't know if she has ever dabbled.
My favourite piece of research was about the Kinks pop band who used to frequent their local pub in North London for a game.
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Post by The Chubbster™ on Dec 23, 2013 15:20:32 GMT
Very helpful, thank you.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 23, 2013 16:20:16 GMT
You're welcome. I've searched out what I knew on the Kinks' bar billiards connection and came up with this:
Aside from cricket, bar billiards also had a football connection:
1. Ralph Tarratt (father of Rod, and the person who introduced bar billiards to Sussex, the first table to be installed being at the Wheatsheaf, Cuckfield). Football League referee, once reffed an Arsenal game. Read his book "Knight of the Whistle" - it covers both sports.
2. Gerry Ryan - footballer with Brighton & Hove Albion. Later ran a pub in Mid Sussex area (= the Witch). I remember him attending a Sussex Finals Night.
3. Jack Froggatt - England winger who played for Portsmouth FC. Took over as landlord of the Green Man, Partridge Green and became a keen player. Showed us his inner sanctum one night with his 13 England Caps. Also showed us what a toll the game had taken on his legs (calves like jelly.)
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Post by davejones on Dec 23, 2013 18:04:29 GMT
You're welcome. I've searched out what I knew on the Kinks' bar billiards connection and came up with this: Aside from cricket, bar billiards also had a football connection: 1. Ralph Tarratt (father of Rod, and the person who introduced bar billiards to Sussex, the first table to be installed being at the Wheatsheaf, Cuckfield). Football League referee, once reffed an Arsenal game. Read his book "Knight of the Whistle" - it covers both sports. 2. Gerry Ryan - footballer with Brighton & Hove Albion. Later ran a pub in Mid Sussex area (= the Witch). I remember him attending a Sussex Finals Night. 3. Jack Froggatt - England winger who played for Portsmouth FC. Took over as landlord of the Green Man, Partridge Green and became a keen player. Showed us his inner sanctum one night with his 13 England Caps. Also showed us what a toll the game had taken on his legs (calves like jelly.) The Worthing & District bar billiards league used to have their presentation nights at the Empire Club, Penhill Road, Lancing. The Brighton & Hove Albion players used to present the trophies. During the days of Gerry Ryan and Mark Lawrenson. they all enjoyed coming year after year.
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bigstew
Full Forum Member
Posts: 494
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Post by bigstew on Dec 24, 2013 10:08:35 GMT
You're welcome. I've searched out what I knew on the Kinks' bar billiards connection and came up with this: Aside from cricket, bar billiards also had a football connection: 1. Ralph Tarratt (father of Rod, and the person who introduced bar billiards to Sussex, the first table to be installed being at the Wheatsheaf, Cuckfield). Football League referee, once reffed an Arsenal game. Read his book "Knight of the Whistle" - it covers both sports. Stayed at the Wheatsheaf last week while working in Lindfield, but i'm sure no table exists there now. Will have to find other venues in the area!
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Post by Deleted on Dec 24, 2013 13:12:45 GMT
Stayed at the Wheatsheaf last week while working in Lindfield, but i'm sure no table exists there now. Will have to find other venues in the area! Hi BigStew, Sadly Cuckfield is a barren area as regards bar billiards - as is Lindfield. To quote Mid Sussex website: Your best bet for a pub with a table is to venture into Burgess Hill and find the Brewers Arms (at the bottom end of the main street, on the right). The pub has a separate games room with not one but two tables !
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bigstew
Full Forum Member
Posts: 494
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Post by bigstew on Dec 27, 2013 10:50:59 GMT
Stayed at the Wheatsheaf last week while working in Lindfield, but i'm sure no table exists there now. Will have to find other venues in the area! Hi BigStew, Sadly Cuckfield is a barren area as regards bar billiards - as is Lindfield. To quote Mid Sussex website: Your best bet for a pub with a table is to venture into Burgess Hill and find the Brewers Arms (at the bottom end of the main street, on the right). The pub has a separate games room with not one but two tables ! I do also work on a building site in Burgess Hill so may look to stay there in the future.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 29, 2013 14:04:01 GMT
Hi Big Stew, I have just been updating the Venues page on the Mid Sussex website with their two new venues this season, the Cock and the Hassocks: www.mid-sussexbbl.co.uk/page3.htmlBoth are nice pubs and have their own websites: well worth a visit. tommo
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Post by milko on Jan 4, 2014 5:25:14 GMT
I haven't found the individual scores for the match but I have found these newspaper reports that say England won 11-0 but I'm not so sure.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 4, 2014 9:06:08 GMT
Milko has unearthed a vital archive there. We now have it on good authority that it was the "East Somerset League": we didn't have that information before, and it differentiates from the more recent Bristol league based around Portishead in the west of the county.
It also seems that the Gatting/Botham connection was merely an ad hoc appearance.
What a shame that the England stars had to be so ruthless, though, with several of them playing the table out and not giving the opponent a single go ! No wonder the game didn't last too long out there.
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David.G
Distinguished Member
Posts: 550
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Post by David.G on Jan 4, 2014 20:43:42 GMT
Milko has unearthed a vital archive there. We now have it on good authority that it was the "East Somerset League": we didn't have that information before, and it differentiates from the more recent Bristol league based around Portishead in the west of the county. It also seems that the Gatting/Botham connection was merely an ad hoc appearance. What a shame that the England stars had to be so ruthless, though, with several of them playing the table out and not giving the opponent a single go ! No wonder the game didn't last too long out there. It say's in the report that bar billiards was 50 years old, so that means in 2014 bar billiards in the UK will be 80 years old. Now that's something worth celebrating
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