1947 Medal

[Chris_Sav]

Picked up a silver fob type medal on FleaBay from the "National Bar Billiards Association"

We've seen them before but this one is engraved on the back.


A. G. West

Winner

S.C

1947


On the front it has AGW engraved in a script font on the shield.

Unlikely I know but does anyone have any inkling of whom the player was or what he/she won? 

In those days National competitions were split North from South, so I would imagine "S.C." stands for "Southern Counties".

[barbelman]

Aug 12, 2019 13:44:29 GMT tommo III said:

In those days National competitions were split North from South, so I would imagine "S.C." stands for "Southern Counties".

I doubt the Southern Counties were formulated then Clive.  The North of the Thames Inter Area only dates from the early sixties.

It is true that the Southern Counties Bar Billiards Association (sic) was not formed until 1969 - as per this quote from Simon Tinto's publication A History of Redhill & Dist Bar Billiards League 1948-1998:

“The Southern Counties Championship began in 1969 as a triangular competition between three counties - Surrey Sussex and Hampshire. Kent joined the Association in 1972 and for the next three years the competition was held on a home-and-away basis. The Surrey team had changed to accommodate some rising young stars, but the old guard were still as good as ever: I remember going to Winchester to support them in about 1973 and being astonished when Arthur Jeffrey recovered from a deficit of over 6000 to win his game….. In 1975 the Southern Counties format changed to a one-day tournament played at a large pub in Southampton.”

However, I have found evidence of organised matchplay dating back to the 1940's, when Ralph Tarratt introduced the game to Sussex:

Evidence of pre-war organised bar billiards activity in Sussex has surfaced from West Sussex County Times archives, with honourable mention for the following venues in 1940:
Horsham Rural: Crown (Horsham); Sussex Oak (Warnham); Blacksmiths Arms (Shipley); Crown (Alfold); Onslow Arms (Loxwood).
Further afield: Black Lion, Patcham; Royal Oak, (?)*; Thomas 'A Becket, Worthing; Bull, Goring-by-Sea. (* this could be the one at North Bersted, now known as the Pink Pub - other candidates include the one at Crawley Down and the one at Wivelsfield)
Bar billiards receives no further mentions at all throughout the 1940's - until the formation of the Horsham League in 1949 with Founder member teams: Nelson, Horse & Groom, Plough, Rising Sun, Queens Head, Crown, Star, Hornbrook, White Hart.
It is conceivable, therefore, that such a trivial pursuit as bar billiards was cast aside in consideration of the other more pressing matter of sheer survival during WWII !

The first National competitions as we know started in 1972, organised by the NBBA, as North v South finals. And the NBBA was formed as a consortium between four table operators.

It seems logical then that before that time events took place at a level below - as a preliminary measure, and such events would have been organised by the table operator concerned.

On that basis, "S.C." could even represent "Sussex County".   

[Chris_Sav]

Not sure where you're going on this one Clive.


NBBA national championships started in the thirties as was demonstrated by the magnificent former NBBA Challenge Cup held by Canterbury having beaten a team from Oxford before the war intervened.


There are references such as www.pamberheatharchives.org.uk/events3.htm which refers to the Reading regional championships of the NBBA title in 1939

Such a shame there is so little history of our game available

www.jerseylaw.je/judgments/tablesdecision/Documents/1959-1963/59-63-A.pdf

looks interesting, litigation between NBBA and Jersey! shame the whole document is not there.

Aug 14, 2019 7:50:55 GMT Chris_Sav said:

Not sure where you're going on this one Clive.

Simply speculating on what 'S.C.' might stand for, as per your original musing.

How about providing a snapshot of your acquisition ?

Re (quote)

www.jerseylaw.je/judgments/tablesdecision/Documents/1959-1963/59-63-A.pdf
looks interesting, litigation between NBBA and Jersey! shame the whole document is not there.

Yeah, page 48 is quoted in the index, but it doesn't go up that far !

[Chris_Sav]

Picked up a few of these plus tankards etc over the years


www.saville.me/medals-front.JPG


www.saville.me/medals-back.JPG


Big blow-ups too big for attachments

Quality items, whether silver or EPNS, in those days.

[Chris_Sav]

Cannot see anyone giving out silver medals nowadays!

There's an NBBA cigarette case on FleaBay at present, but it's in too poor condition to make it collectable unless they drop the price.