Updates to League and non-league venues in Mid Sussex

[bigjimsilverfox]

In my time playing Mid Sussex out of the Balcombe Club I made the high away break @ The White Horse :)

Feb 22, 2011 16:55:58 GMT bigjimsilverfox said:

In my time playing Mid Sussex out of the Balcombe Club I made the high away break @ The White Horse :)

That would be in 1992/93, Jim. Your break was 9880.   The following year Dorsal took both the break and score. The year after that you guys committed hari kiri and resigned from the League a week from the finish! :o

[specialone]

I was competition sec that year, nightmare!

[ron]

Just heard that the Five Bells, South Chailey has taken delivery of a table ;D Will check it out in the next few days and let you know for definite.

Jun 4, 2011 8:34:06 GMT Ron Sheridan said:

Just heard that the Five Bells, South Chailey has taken delivery of a table ;D Will check it out in the next few days and let you know for definite.

Wow! That's a great pub. We always used to use it as a stop-off point if venturing out Eastbourne-way.
Many's the time we've sat in the beer garden, armed with a Ploughman's. ;) 8-)

[H]

To be honest its been very up and down in recent years, but I hear the new people there are doing well. Will be interested to try it out

[ron]

Ok, table is now in the 5 Bells. Details are as follows:

Five Bells
Chailey Green,
Chailey,
Nr. Lewes,
East Sussex,
BN8 4DA

01825 722259

Thanks Ron,
Have added it to the All-England Map. (Available to view on the AEBBA website).

[little legs]

The table at the White Horse - Lindfield has been taken out again.
Landlady said lack of interest :(

Thanks, Kev,
I just hope she hasn't chucked it in the duck pond opposite !

[BB Warrior]

Aug 4, 2011 15:57:30 GMT tommo III said:

Royal Oak, Jacobs Post
These are waiting to be added by B.I.T.E. on to their database.

I think that the Royal Oak is closed again...... ::)

[BB Warrior]

Jun 30, 2011 13:58:55 GMT Ron Sheridan said:

Ok, table is now in the 5 Bells. Details are as follows:

Five Bells
Chailey Green,
Chailey,
Nr. Lewes,
East Sussex,
BN8 4DA

01825 722259

Spent a very pleasant couple of hours here on Monday evening as we are looking for a new venue for our Lewes team..... lovely pub and landlord very keen to have a team there and was very welcoming. 8-)

The table is one of the ones that Tarratt's used for competitions last year and is in a small alcove to one side of the bar..... it was slightly strange to see the old scoreboard from the Dyke Tavern in Brighton (with the name still on it!) on the wall beside it..... the table was slightly uphill when we played it however, as it had never been set up properly it played well.  There isn't a proper light installed above the table, although it would be easy enough to put one in. ;)

The only real problem we found was a shortage of space on one side due to a wall which means that you couldn't play the 100 or 200 shot from the right side of the table and it was close enough to prevent some shots off the side cushion to the left hand 50 hole..... :o :'(

The landlord understood that was a problem, however as most of the pub is set up to be a restaurant (which obviously makes more money than a bar billiard table) he wasn't keen on the idea of moving the table to an area with more room around it...... for that reason we decided it wasn't right for us. ::)

However, the food menu looked very nice (not cheap though) so if anybody would like a good meal and a friendly game on a reasonably nice table I would certainly recommend a visit here..... ;D

Who knows.... if enough people go in and play the table, he may even decide to put it in a better position..... ??? 8-)

[H]

Popped in to the Stand Up in Lindfield on the way back from watching Lewes thrash Crawley Down 4-0 last night.

Table has clearly not had any looking after since the team left. Filthy state, and with what can only be described as a left hand dive!

Don't let it reflect on the pub though, still a fantastic place with first class beer!

[specialone]

I can testify to the good beer in the Stand Up. Was drinking the Dark Star Blonde beer in the Brewers at Lewes last night, blinding beer, even had a Larger man enjoying it.

[toby1000]

The last time I went into the Potters in Station Road Burgess Hill there was a table there but will check it out and come back to you

[margo]

Another past bar billiards venue closes its doors:

www.midsussextimes.co.uk/news/local/historic-pub-the-king-s-head-is-to-close-1-3651605#

Thankyou Margo,

The pub had retained its table, although there has been no Mid Sussex League team there since 1995.

Was a great venue in its heyday, and once supported four teams - including the championship-winning 'D' team.

Always sad when this happens.



[text edited slightly in light of H's information]

[H]

You are wrong about the year Clive, the King's Head were a team in the Lewes league when I first started playing.

I did, in fact, win my first ever title at a finals night held in the function room back in 2004.

Another one gone:

www.beerintheevening.com/pubs/s/26/26287/Stand_Up_Inn/Lindfield

Its future is unknown, though the tenants were ordered to clear out lock stock and barrel at short notice.

The Standup last had a bar billiards team in the Mid Sussex league in the late 1970's, but H will tell you that there was a team in the Lewes League as recently as a few years ago.

At least the Standup is still "Standing" - last time I drove through Handcross I noticed that the poor old Fountain (team last there in 1997) had been demolished. :'( :'( :'(

[H]

The story behind the Stand-Up is that the tenants (Dark Star) had their rent up for review and the landlord decided to ask for almost double the previous rent, at which point a falling out was, of course, inevitable.

Shame, the pub will not be nearly as good without Dark Star at the helm!

Oct 6, 2010 14:40:35 GMT spudgun said:

I can say that the table in the Jack and Jill is more than likely still there as i went in not too long ago.  For a while i was known as "Billiards Guy" in there as i used to go in on lazy summer afternoons and pump coins into it and enjoy a beer and read of the paper (blimey, sounds like i'm retired!)

Spoke to Rod Tarratt last night and he advised that sadly the Jack and Jill table is no longer there, also, the Royal Oak pub in Jacobs Post is boarded up.

Dec 7, 2010 16:19:19 GMT tommo III said:

Here's another surprise:

Pease Pottage Village Sports & Social Club
Situated in Finches Field Recreation Ground, Old Brighton Road, Pease Pottage.
Licensed Bar for Club Members
Offers varied facilities, darts, pool, bar billiards and snooker.
The function room can hold approximately 100 people and has its own bar facilities.
Contact: 01293 525573

Another potential venue nipped in the bud:

www.thisissussex.co.uk/Pease-Pottage-Football-Club-fails-inspection/story-16669685-detail/story.html

Club owners cite a conspiracy by Crawley Borough Council to have them closed down. No doubt the ever-expanding Crawley Town FC will appropriate the land for training facilities - they have to go to Christs Hospital at present.

Have crossed through on the list above. ::)

[Ron Sheridan]

Looks like the Horns Lodge Chailey can be removed from this list, the Bar Billiards table has been removed and replaced with a pool table. Will confirm for definite but photos on facebook show a pool table where the billiards table used to be.

Thanks, Ron. Apparently an acrimonious departure as a result of the new landlord, but the team happy now in their new surroundings of the Cock.
Seems a shame to lose a long-established venue for bb's, I have good memories of the food they provided and the general atmosphere of the place.

[Horny Lodger]

I can confirm that the table has gone from the Horns Lodge - . But since we left no-one was playing on it, partly because they hardly have any customers left!

We also have new owners at The Cock (it seems to be a trend with us!). Early days yet, obviously, but I don't expect them to take the table out any time soon.

Feb 16, 2017 11:49:09 GMT Horny Lodger said:

We also have new owners at The Cock (it seems to be a trend with us!). Early days yet, obviously, but I don't expect them to take the table out any time soon.

Hopefully that doesn't turn out to be the kiss of death, Dave!

[bobhall]

Feb 16, 2017 12:13:04 GMT tommo III said:

Feb 16, 2017 11:49:09 GMT Horny Lodger said:

We also have new owners at The Cock (it seems to be a trend with us!). Early days yet, obviously, but I don't expect them to take the table out any time soon.

Hopefully that doesn't turn out to be the kiss of death, Dave!

Reports in mid Sussex time are that they wanna keep it as a traditional pub and keep things as they are so looks good and very nice new owners aswell

[Ron Sheridan]

Feb 16, 2017 11:49:09 GMT Horny Lodger said:

I can confirm that the table has gone from the Horns Lodge - . But since we left no-one was playing on it, partly because they hardly have any customers left!

Cheers Dave, I wont go in there anymore so couldn't see in when I went past.

On a positive note, I went to the Lamb at Piltdown on Saturday evening and was to see a Billiards table in there :)

Thanks, Ron.

The Lamb, Goldbridge Road, Piltdown, Uckfield East Sussex TN22 3XL

There's a nice picture of it on their website:

lambpiltdown.co.uk/

Mar 8, 2017 16:24:56 GMT tommo III said:

Here's some cheering news: The Royal Oak at Handcross now has a table.
Following a tip-off from Foxy, Margo and I decided to sound it out and spent an enjoyable lunchtime playing on a blue baize !

The Landlady (Julie) and her bar staff were very chatty and are hopeful of joining the League with a new team. I explained our setup and left a note as to our website and promised an entry form will be sent (please, Ian !) when the time comes to:-

ROYAL OAK INN, HORSHAM ROAD, HANDCROSS, W.SUSSEX RH17 6DJ

The table: a Tarratt rental, nicely set up, has its own little room to the left as you go in. Was only installed a week ago.

Well worth a visit, and I hope that our local players can show an interest and help the game to take off at what could prove a popular new venue.

Mar 9, 2017 19:42:44 GMT iang said:

Sounds great and will call in and have a few games.

I may as well add it here, too, as a potential future Mid Sussex venue.