The 1st All England Team K/O ????

[peetee]

Looking through my old files i came across a 1 page programme called the Watney Straight Eight Challenge Cup--Oxfordshire Final(not sure of the date late 70's ?) The teams in this final were Bell Headington A-- names were Pete Ewins (yes its me) Dave Jones Pete Slater John Drinkwater Graham Hensby Tony Wood and we lost 3-2 to then the mighty Lord Napier, Their team was Pete Wells Ron Webber Pete Kitchen Alan Sales Ivan Roberts Roy Longford.

This is the first sponsored Bar Billiard competition of its type ever to be played. It is being played this year on a County basis with 8 Counties taking part:- Oxon, Sussex, Kent. Surrey, Hampshire, Berkshire, Bucks and Herts.

The winners from this match go forward to the finals at Horsham.

Who remembers and who played????

I've done a bit of hunting around, Pete, and found this on a thread called "Who were the top team when you started playing ?"

Sept 16, 2006 17:22:27 GMT petem said:

Whe I first started in 1978 there were 2 teams who dominated the Billingshurst league sadly both now a distant memory
The Mucky Duck A and The White Horse at Bury
The Mucky Duck won the All England pub championship in 1980 and included John and Peter Thayre,Colin Peskett,Peter MacNamara and originally Brian Picking
When I first started the Billingshurst league was expanded to 3 divisions and the Mucky Duck entered a B team of which I was captain in 1979-1980 and 1980-1981
As Tommo said the Five Oaks were a great team and they still had a team in the late 70's but nowhere near as good as they had been

So there's a starting point for you: the Mucky Duck (Sussex) won the competition in 1980. But I don't think they were the first winners.
There's a slight correction to the team named above, by the way, the team included Tony Franks - and Colin Peskett was non-playing captain.

[NigelS]

The first winners name on the trophy is the Mayflower from Bucks in 1973

I believe Ian Lelliott played for the winning North Star team in 1974 from Sussex

[Mark James]

I know, from having had conversations with Ian Lelliott in the past, that the engraving on the perpetual trophy contains some mistakes regarding which team won in which year.

Ian recalls his team, the North Star, winning this event when it was held in Portsmouth in Jubilee year 1977 (in a venue on a pier, I think he said), yet there is a different team shown for 1977, and Ian's team (wrongly named as Durrington S.C.) appear for 1974 I think.

Anyone who knows Ian will be certain, as I am, that his recollection of this will be correct, rather than what's written on the trophy. I suspect that at some point in the distant past retrospective engraving of the trophy was required, hence the information contained thereon is to be treated with circumspection.

My own personal first memory of this tournament is of attending, as a spectator, the finals at a club in Horsham. I would have thought it was 1980 but for tommo's post above, so if not it must have been 1981. The Sussex representatives (North Star again I think) travelled up from Worthing by coach, with a handful of supporters aboard, including myself and Tony Lewis.

Reggie Bosanquet was the guest of honour that day, I recall him being able to stand up only by being supported by the (not one but) two glamourous girls he had brought with him!

I have seen the programme from that day, and I'm as sure as I can be that KT was a member of one of the competing teams, but that's about as much as I can recall.

I can add my vote of credence to all Mark has said about that day:

I believe it was indeed the year after the Mucky Duck won, I seem to recall that on their occasion they had to make a very long journey up to Oxon (Harwell, I believe).

The 'Horsham club' mentioned was categorically the Sun Alliance Club, these days known as the Holbrook Club, and a recent purchase acquisition of Horsham Football Club, who plan to re-locate to the grounds there after one season 'in the wilderness' otherwise known as Worthing. ;D ;D

Reggie did indeed turn up very late and very pi$$ed. :o

I also recall a very lively and boisterous team from Hertfordshire, featuring a very spectacular young player: I wonder who that might have been ? :-/

[SirKT]

Ah memories, like the corners of my mind
misty watercolor memories of the way we were................

Not sure if I was part of the Herts team you describe Tommo, I may have joined Oxon by then. The boistrous ones from Herts would have been Pete Freeman & his crowd, forgotten the other names. Ernie Jordan & the great Viv Shephard would also have been part of that team.
Such great players, some others to include are the late Andy Baron & Derek White, Mick Shrimpton, Terry Ulph, Malcolm Picton and many more.
A strong County team but they could never quite do it on the day.

As for the strongest League team i`ve been part of, it`s hard to choose between several. The Tandem-Kennington, The Black Horse-Gozzards Ford & The Chequers-Dorchester on thames. I think we won the Wallingford league about 15 times at these 3 pubs and 3 All England team championships as well.
Players included - Dave`the wasp`White, Ray Hayter, Stuart Florey, Mark Turner, Pete Burton, Maxi McDonnell, Dave Plumstead, Tony Martin, Joe O`Farrell, Kevin Godfrey, Geoff Organ & a few more.

Not forgetting the first pub I played for in Oxon, The Carpenters Arms, that also included Burton & Florey, but also the talented Mick Gould.

As I said ...........memories

[davemay]

In addition to the Watney Mann champions matches, was the Freddie Trueman's Indoor League champion of Champions Matches.

I have the 1976 results, along with the names of those players who took part, and I know that Peter Ferelly also re-produced the details in the ( sadly now defunct ) BBQ.

If anybody know the whereabouts of the following players, maybe they can relate a tale or two to be put on here.

the names of the 16 Players are:-

Roy Buckle, J Peters, Gerry Lambert, Tony Mayhead, Alan Sales,
Alan Ignatowski, Tony Sculley, Rod Tarratt, Lawrence Brown, Stanley Pratt ( Medway ), Charles Hastie, Michael Samwell, John Thayre, Brian Paul, Christine Cole, Vivien Shepherd.

I cannot remember the rules that the players had to play under, but the winner of that particular competition was:-

Stanley Pratt ( Medway ) beating Gerry Lambert in the final.

Scores were Stan Pratt 3890
Gerry Lambert 2180

i know that this was in the BBQ, but I also know that there are quite a few people who come on this forum who never received or read the BBQ, so that is why I have put this here.

[davemay]

In addition to the Watney Mann champions matches, was the Freddie Trueman's Indoor League champion of Champions Matches.

I have the 1976 results, along with the names of those players who took part, and I know that Peter Ferelly also re-produced the details in the ( sadly now defunct ) BBQ.

If anybody know the whereabouts of the following players, maybe they can relate a tale or two to be put on here.

the names of the 16 Players are:-

Roy Buckle, J Peters, Gerry Lambert, Tony Mayhead, Alan Sales,
Alan Ignatowski, Tony Sculley, Rod Tarratt, Lawrence Brown, Stanley Pratt ( Medway ), Charles Hastie, Michael Samwell, John Thayre, Brian Paul, Christine Cole, Vivien Shepherd.

I cannot remember the rules that the players had to play under, but the winner of that particular competition was:-

Stanley Pratt ( Medway ) beating Gerry Lambert in the final.

Scores were Stan Pratt 3890
Gerry Lambert 2180

i know that this was in the BBQ, but I also know that there are quite a few people who come on this forum who never received or read the BBQ, so that is why I have put this here.

[davemay]

Also, my apologies to Peter Farrelly for spelling his name wrong in the above post.

Jun 25, 2008 21:05:13 GMT davemay said:

If anybody know the whereabouts of the following players, maybe they can relate a tale or two to be put on here.

Roy Buckle, J Peters, Gerry Lambert, Tony Mayhead, Alan Sales,
Alan Ignatowski, Tony Sculley, Rod Tarratt, Lawrence Brown, Stanley Pratt ( Medway ), Charles Hastie, Michael Samwell, John Thayre, Brian Paul, Christine Cole, Vivien Shepherd.

Christine Cole = none other than the Forum's own Chris Toner ?
Viv Shepherd (usually referred to "the great Viv Shepherd") = quit whilst at the very top of her game.
Jon Peters = one of the finest players ever to come out of Redhill.
Rod Tarratt = runs Tarratt Tables, joint Pool and Bar Billiards Table operator. A great player in his time and probably still would be now. A former Sussex Champion and former County regular.
John Thayre = another former Sussex Champion and former County team member. Still playing for fun in the Billingshurst League.

[fazza]

Gerry Lambert, Brian Paul and Alan Sales are now playing their games somewhere above us, but thanks for that "Duvemey!" Good job I was away at the time!

[fazza]

....and I think you need to do a bit of editing.....

[peetee]

Jun 25, 2008 21:44:00 GMT tommo III said:

Jun 25, 2008 21:05:13 GMT davemay said:

If anybody know the whereabouts of the following players, maybe they can relate a tale or two to be put on here.

Roy Buckle, J Peters, Gerry Lambert, Tony Mayhead, Alan Sales,
Alan Ignatowski, Tony Sculley, Rod Tarratt, Lawrence Brown, Stanley Pratt ( Medway ), Charles Hastie, Michael Samwell, John Thayre, Brian Paul, Christine Cole, Vivien Shepherd.

Christine Cole = none other than the Forum's own Chris Toner ?
Viv Shepherd (usually referred to "the great Viv Shepherd") = quit whilst at the very top of her game.
Jon Peters = one of the finest players ever to come out of Redhill.
Rod Tarratt = runs Tarratt Tables, joint Pool and Bar Billiards Table operator. A great player in his time and probably still would be now. A former Sussex Champion and former County regular.
John Thayre = another former Sussex Champion and former County team member. Still playing for fun in the Billingshurst League.

Alan Sales is alive and well driving taxis in Oxford.
Tony Sculley sadly passed away at a young age. I remember playing Tony in the Mens Individual final (Oxford) and a certain Pete Wells came up to me and said Pete if you win tonight you will be on the telly--- say no more i lost.

[fazza]

So sorry about that duff information that somebody had given me some time ago. I am so sorry.

And I can confirm that, as far as I am aware, the first National Team Championship was indeed in 1973 and also that the incorrect engraving on the actual trophy was corrected in one of the 64 BBQs that were issued by some sad old t--t some years ago.

If anyone would like to look them up, be my guest.