News on Mid Sussex League Venues ?

As we begin to see some light at the end of the (lockdown) tunnel, it might be an idea to start a log on what is happening with our venues.

Reports on any news you have will be welcome, and the relevant data will then be included in the grid below:

Name of Pub/Club	Re-opening ?	B-b's ?	Safety measures implemented
BURGESS HILL CONST. CLUB	September 2020	Yes	Following social distancing/public health guidelines
CLAYTON & KEYMER RBL	August 2020	On hold	Following Gov't guidelines.
HAYWARDS HEATH SOCIAL CLUB	Sat 4th July	On hold	Table service only, one-way system.
COCK, WIVELSFIELD GREEN	Sat 4th July	On hold	Marked entrances, socially distanced tables, waitress service.
HASSOCKS HOTEL	Sat 4th July	On hold	"Following Gov't guidelines."
LAUGHING FISH, ISFIELD	Mon 6th July	On hold	Following social distancing and public health guidelines. Closed Mondays + Tuesdays.
PLOUGH, PLUMPTON GREEN	Sat 4th July	On hold	Separate guidelines for indoors and out, asking people to be sensible.
WATERMILL, BURGESS HILL	Sat 4th July	On hold	Track&Trace and other public health guidelines
WINDMILL, CRAWLEY	Sat 4th July	Yes	One-way system, hand sanitisers, table service

Comprehensive statement from the Cock Inn:

Hi Everyone
This is the first note we have prepared to keep everyone informed of our plans at the Pub. Please keep an eye on our web page (www.cockinn-wivelsfield.co.uk/) and our Facebook page, for further updates.
We are planning on opening the pub on 4th of July unless the Government advises us otherwise.
We want to reassure everyone that we will continue with our very high standards of hygiene and cleanliness in the pub and will be introducing hand sanitizer stations in various areas, together will an updated cleaning and working routine.
We will be utilising separate entrances and exits to various areas and these will be clearly marked. We ask for everyone’s help by sticking to the new rules that are being introduced for everyone’s continued health and safety.
We will be providing socially distanced tables, both inside and out.
To minimise foot traffic in the pub itself, we will be providing waitress only service. Please be patient when waiting to order food and/or drink.
On our first weekend of opening (Saturday 4th and Sunday 5th July) we will be serving BBQ food (no regular menu) from 2.00 pm - 6.00pm only. Our Regular (reduced) menu will be re-introduced following that weekend.
Following that first weekend and until further notice, we will be limiting our opening times to start at 12 midday and closing at 8.00pm. We will review these times periodically and will keep everyone updated.
Prior to opening, we will ensure our Staff are fully trained as to how we will be operating and what cleaning and sterilising routines will be in place. Please be advised that all of our staff will be wearing PPE to ensure both staff and customers are protected.
We are doing everything that we can to reassure our Staff and Customers that everyone will be welcomed back to a safe environment. We would also like to ask that everyone plays a part in keeping to the rules that we implement – they are there for a very good reason.
Please keep checking our Website and Facebook page for updates (with pictures to follow). Everyone at The Cock Inn is looking forward to seeing you all back with us soon – we’ve missed you all.
Sam, Andy, & The Cock Inn Team

Laughing Fish are trying for the 4th July, but currently uncertain if this will happen:

Coronavirus update June 11th 2020
In common with most other hospitality businesses we've been closed since Saturday March 21st. We decided against offering a takeaway service because that would have meant employing staff (The Landlord can't cook!), who would then not have been eligible for the government's Job Retention Scheme, but we take off our hats to those who have managed to make this work for them! We are now waiting for guidelines from the government and Greene King on when we might re-open - July 4th is the earliest, but we have to take into account the Social Distancing and other Public Health requirements and ensure that we can operate profitably.
Many of you will know that the pub was about to change hands. However, as it has turned out, Linda and Andy are still at the helm and at present it seems likely that we will be here for a bit longer yet. We have missed all our lovely customers and look forward to welcoming you back in due course. Watch this website for further updates.

Watermill also working towards 4th July:

WaterMill Inn
18 June at 04:39 •
**Update**
We are aware everyone is working towards a 4th of July re-opening. We are the same. However, we will not be ‘guessing’ the guidelines and restrictions. We will only do what we can, and won’t do what we are not allowed. When the guidelines are officially issued by the government then we will formally announce our plan. In the mean time, we hope your all safe and well and look forward to over charging you in the near futur
24 June at 04:40 •
***An announcement ahead of reopening***
Heineken have announced that they will be issuing ‘extended life certificates’ to all their products. I have seen evidence this morning of pubs being delivered beer that expired in April but has an extended life certificate. This is unacceptable in my opinion, and as such the Watermill Inn will not be stocking any Heineken products going forward. I simply will not sell you a pint of beer that is 3-6 months out of date. It’s wrong and immoral. Thankfully molston Coors have not done this so we will using them. To that end we will no longer selling Fosters or Heineken. We will have the remainder of our range, and will be installing some additional products such as Starapramen and some lovely craft products. Our main lagers will now be Carling and Pravha. See you soon.

They raise some additional concerns about the beer !

A recent photo on their Facebook shows a beer delivery lorry unloading, so could be promising ....

Plough plan to open on schedule, but are asking for forbearance and cooperation !

Quoting Facebook:

As pub companies now rush to finalise plans before reopening on the 4th.
PLEASE remember that not a single member of the staff are suddenly an expert in disease control, politics or even the policies of their own Pub Co.
So when 20 of you show up to finally go out on the lash after 3 months of lockdown, it's not the minimum wage barmaid's decision to tell you no, but she HAS to anyway.
When 6 of you try to book a meal because you've not seen your grandkids for 3 months, it's not the manager's fault group sizes are limited so don't demand to see them and tell them they're wrong.
BoJo is again relying on the "common sense of the people" (don't get me started) so PLEASE remember that when pubs aren't exactly how you remember them, or hoped they would be, we've all been in lockdown too.
No, we can't just move some tables together. No, we can't turn a blind eye (you know, just this once). And no, a bad Trip Advisor review won't help.
Things will get back to normal, just not straight away. Please be patient us. And show some common sense.
Thank you

.............and finally, this message from The Hassocks:

Hassocks Hotel
25 June at 06:31
We are planning to Open on 4th July and we are working on the best way to do this following the government guidelines. We will be in touch soon. Looking forward to seeing you all

***  No clues, incidentally, as to what is happening with the three Clubs (BHCC, CKRBL, HHSC)  ***

[JB]

Mike from Burgess Hill has just rung me.
They have just had a committee meeting and All indoor sports (bar billiards, pool, darts) are cancelled for the rest of this year.

Thank you Jean,

Not good news though on two fronts:

1. Loss of a venue used for Sussex Competitions. Wasn't it great though that you got all the Sussex Singles and Doubles AND the One-Day Interleague in for 2020 earlier in the year before the Corona outbreak ?

2. Ros's team is now rendered homeless for the rest of the year...... I wonder if her table will be on the move yet again ???

[iang]

Jun 30, 2020 14:39:56 GMT tommo III said:

Thank you Jean,

Not good news though on two fronts:

1. Loss of a venue used for Sussex Competitions. Wasn't it great though that you got all the Sussex Singles and Doubles AND the One-Day Interleague in for 2020 earlier in the year before the Corona outbreak ?

2. Ros's team is now rendered homeless for the rest of the year...... I wonder if her table will be on the move yet again ???

Hopefully they will revisit it in a few months as it will also have an impact the new season.

[iang]

Announced today HHSC will open on the 4th 12 noon to 11pm


Sun - Thurs 4.30 to 10.30pm

Fri 4.30 to 11.00pm

Members must sign in & Table service only & one way system in place.

No food available ATM  

["Silent"]

I wonder what those pubs are doing about their tables and allowing people to play or otherwise Clive and Ian?

Jun 30, 2020 16:47:31 GMT "Silent" said:

I wonder what those pubs are doing about their tables and allowing people to play or otherwise Clive and Ian?

We are not going to push it, will simply be grateful that the pub concerned is still in business.

I shall be round there like a shot on Saturday and expecting to be sitting outside on a long bench having a pint with Johnny Haigh.

Will test the water with the landlady about rules regarding bar billiards being put back in commission, but quite honestly will be happy to leave the table covered up until end July/early August, if and when we move on to Level Four which will see things almost back to normal - barring a Leicester incident of course.

Jun 30, 2020 16:05:31 GMT iang said:

Hopefully they will revisit it in a few months as it will also have an impact the new season.

....and this season, they still have a realistic chance of League runners-up (Plough look favourites for the championship and Hassocks A and BHCC are vying for runners-up)

[bobhall]

Jun 30, 2020 18:30:59 GMT tommo III said:

Jun 30, 2020 16:05:31 GMT iang said:

Hopefully they will revisit it in a few months as it will also have an impact the new season.

....and this season, they still have a realistic chance of League runners-up (Plough look favourites for the championship and Hassocks A and BHCC are vying for runners-up)

I’m sure the plough have to play an inform hassocks team yet so not sure they will be clinching the trophy just yet

Jun 30, 2020 18:45:25 GMT bobhall said:

I’m sure the plough have to play an inform hassocks team yet so not sure they will be clinching the trophy just yet

Well, whatever, Bob, BHCC have a good chance of runners-up whether at the expense of the Hassocks or the Plough......my team and HHSC A both have a Bye to come, effectively nul points in one match.

[Sir Chancelot]

sorry wrong thread.

Last piece of the jigsaw puzzle:

I asked our President what news he had on Clayton & Keymer British Legion and this was his reply:

Hi Cliive, there's a notice on the door saying they will be opening in August. All the best Andyfw

A further bulletin today from the Watermill:

REOPENING SATURDAY JULY 4th. 11am.
*All live sport will be shown
*restrictions and measures in place so please be patient
*cash and card accepted
*no pool table until further notice
*No bookings
Together, this will easy! See you soon.

The Windmill Crawley now open as from today ............
One way system, enter via the Pool bar, give name telephone number and Postcode; leave via beer garden;
Hand sanitisers on hand. Normal glasses and 1m only distancing. waitress service, cash reluctantly accepted;
Tables have 'cleaned' notice on them; on floor, black and yellow tape which you must not cross;
Good atmosphere, locals finding it hilarious when customers try to come in through the 'out' door. Or cross the tape illegally;
Pool tables out of bounds (bar billiards subject to same rules);
No football being shown on TV's but continual music (medium volume) piped from behind bar;
Police will be touring the vicinity throughout the day in case of infringements - by venues that is, not targeting drinkers;
But at least the pub's open for business (Greene King gave the landlady choice of today or Monday) -
and fingers crossed everything could be back to normal a month hence.

Laughing Fish re-opening Monday...........

From their website:

Back for Business! - Monday July 6th 2020
​We're delighted to announce that we will be re-opening after lockdown from Monday July 6th at
4.00 pm. Please note that our initial operating hours and services will be limited:
​Monday and Tuesday 4.00pm - 9.00pm NO FOOD
Wednesday to Friday 4.00pm - 9.00pm FOOD 6.00pm - 8.00pm
Saturday 12 noon - 9.00pm FOOD 12 noon - 2.30pm & 6.00pm - 8.00pm
Sunday 12 noon - 6.00pm FOOD 12 noon - 3.00pm
​The pub closing time on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays will be flexible if we are sufficiently busy at the advertised time.
​We have put in place necessary measures to make our pub Covid-19 Secure, and we hope you will all bear with us as we get used to new ways of operating, and accept staff advice where given. It is vitally important that we follow social distancing guidelines to protect our staff and customers; as a result, we are unable to accept groups greater than 2 households (maximum 6 people) indoors, or groups greater than 6 people (from any number of households) in the garden. We have less table space available indoors, but are happy to take bookings for tables inside and in our garden even if you just want to have a drink. If we are very busy, we will have to insist that you arrive within 15 minutes of your booked time, and tables can be booked for up to two hours (if we are not full this time limit won't apply. ) We are also erecting the village marquee just inside the ICE field, which you are welcome to use as well (The same social distancing rules apply, and we won't take bookings or serve food and drink to the marquee).
​When you arrive at our pub we ask you to enter via the front door. If you have booked a table we can take and serve an order from you at that table, or if you prefer you can queue up and order at the bar in the normal way, but will then need to take a seat indoors (not at the bar) or move outside.

Watermill re-opens but employs track and trace:

Quote:

We are open, we are trading, and most importantly we are ready for your fantastic humour 🙂 it’s great to be back.
TEST and TRACE! The NHS do a fantastic job, so we will support them as best we can. We ask when you come into the pub you scan the barcode which will be displayed around the pub. That’s all. No other information will be taken or held by us. No pens no paper no GDPR breaches.

Plough re-opens, separate rules for indoors and out:

OPENING DETAILS FOR JULY 4TH
After reading 40+ pages of government guidelines & adhering to social distancing rules, our opening plans rely heavily on the good old English weather & the cooperation of our customers. We have put into place 2 different plans, both apply to diners & drinkers, they are as follows:
DRY WEATHER:
The inside of the pub will remain closed (except for use of the restaurant toilets)
Please book a table (tables of up to 6 only) This also enables us to collect customer details, which is a government requirement
The service point for food & drink will be on the patio, there will be marked red lines for the queuing system
Please sanitise hands at service point before ordering. We ask that only 1 person per table orders (trays will be provided)
Please use contactless payment where possible
Please do not move tables, they have been set out to adhere to 2 metre distancing
Food will be delivered to your table but we ask that you take your plate from your waiter/waitress (to adhere to social distancing)
Toilets are located at the front of the pubs main entrances. One in one out only, except for children who must be accompanied by an adult. Please use provided sanitiser before entering. Baby changing facilities are available through the left side entrance door.
WET WEATHER:
Please book a table (tables of up to 4 only) due to social distancing there will only be 4 tables available for diners. This also enables us to collect customer details, which is a government requirement
Please use provided sanitiser upon entry
Please wait at entrance to be seated, we will then provide table service
Toilets will be one in one out only, except children who must be accompanied by an adult
Please use contactless payment where possible
Please remember this is all new to us & there maybe teething problems! Remember to adhere to social distancing, wash or sanitise hands as much as possible. These plans have been set out to protect customers, the staff & ourselves (Nicole & Mick)
We look forward to seeing you all soon

Quick summary from the Cock, opening today:

As promised here is our latest update on the progress of making our pub safe.
We are now taking bookings for the tables at the front of the pub from mid day only.
Opening hours 12pm until 8pm
BBQ only 4th/5th July 2pm until 6pm
Hand sanitiser stations throughout
Waitress service only
On arrival please wait to be seated
Dogs must be kept on a lead
Name and phone number or email details given per government request for NHS track.
Walk ins accepted if a table available. No standing!
Keep looking out for more pictures and updates in the week
Looking forward to reopening our doors.

[iang]

Jul 4, 2020 13:46:40 GMT tommo III said:

The Windmill Crawley now open as from today ............
One way system, enter via the Pool bar, give name telephone number and Postcode; leave via beer garden;
Hand sanitisers on hand. Normal glasses and 1m only distancing. waitress service, cash reluctantly accepted;
Tables have 'cleaned' notice on them; on floor, black and yellow tape which you must not cross;
Good atmosphere, locals finding it hilarious when customers try to come in through the 'out' door. Or cross the tape illegally;
Pool tables out of bounds (bar billiards subject to same rules);
No football being shown on TV's but continual music (medium volume) piped from behind bar;
Police will be touring the vicinity throughout the day in case of infringements - by venues that is, not targeting drinkers;
But at least the pub's open for business (Greene King gave the landlady choice of today or Monday) -
and fingers crossed everything could be back to normal a month hence.

Great News Clive, glad it's re opened.

Hassocks re-opening 4th July with Govt restrictions, but this to follow if you want food:

Looking forward to seeing you Saturday. We have endeavoured to achieve all government guidelines for your safety.

So we are taking table reservations only for the garden and inside the pub. Table booking hotline is open between 10 am and 6 pm on 01273 841110 and we have four sittings starting at 12 noon, 3 pm, 6 pm and 9 pm. Chris and the team.

Replying to IanG:

Great News Clive, glad it's re opened.

I think the case everywhere though Ian will be no prospect of bar billiards until we move to Stage Four of Lockdown. Baby steps and all that.

As detailed on a separate thread "Tarratt Tables", an extra factor now is whether there wll still be a table at the venue to play on !

Here is a ready reckoner of the current Mid Sussex League houses with response to letter (if applicable) where known.

Name of Pub/Club	Table Owner	Letter rec'd ?	Outcome of negotiations
BURGESS HILL CONST. CLUB	Private owner	N/A	Will keep the table
CLAYTON & KEYMER RBL	Private owner	N/A	Will keep the table
HAYWARDS HEATH SOCIAL CLB	Tarratts	No (have Pool)	Will keep the table
COCK, WIVELSFIELD GREEN	Tarratts	?	?
HASSOCKS HOTEL	Private owner	N/A	Will keep the table
LAUGHING FISH, ISFIELD	Tarratts	?	?
PLOUGH, PLUMPTON GREEN	Tarratts	Yes	Will keep the table
WATERMILL, BURGESS HILL	Tarratts	?	?
WINDMILL, CRAWLEY	Private owner	N/A	Will keep the table

So, three (Cock, Laughing Fish and Watermill) to find out about - with Cock and Watermill looking promising as they also have a Tarratt Pool table.