University of Bristol Pool & Snooker Club

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ST ALBANS 10 BALL REPORT:

We sent 3 teams to sunny Luton to participate in the only 10 ball tourney in the season and this is what happened.

1s
A lot happened for the 1s this tournament but it all kicked off with some quippy and some Wii Sports. In terms of the pool, day 1 kicked off with the teams against Birmingham 1s which despite Tayren's in off the final 9 we took a relatively easy 2-1 victory with both David and Q winning 4-0 in their sets. Feeling good after this win we headed into the first of many south west derby's with Oxford. We knew this would be a problem but we carried our good form forward as Tayren smashed their captain 4-0 and Q won comfortably 4-2. This left Captain David to finish the job and claim the 3-0 win. However, his opponent turned out to be a former GB-9 player, Neil, and was in the top 20 in the UK and it showed. A couple of dishes later and it was 3-1 but a dry break later and a couple dishes of his own and David found himself at hill-hill and calmly slotted in the final 3 balls for a remarkable comeback at 4-3 but this was not the best. Our final group game came in the form of Exeter 3s. We went into this match expecting to smash them and David and Tayren did exactly that both cruising to 4-0 wins, despite 3s player Robin interrupting and moving the balls on David's frame causing a re-rack. Q had other plans though, despite taking a 2-0 lead in the 3rd and final set he decided he hadn't had enough table time and somehow found himself at 3-3 but after his opponent broke dry Q did the rest and reversed his opponent to win 4-3 and giving us another 3-0 win. That was not it for the day though as we soon headed into the indies and with both David and Q being seeded there was high hopes for a couple of deep runs from the 1s.

However, it was Tayren who kicked us off who cruised to an easy 3-1 victory over Josh of Exeter. His next opponent would be Henri of Durham of which the Tayrannosaurus would struggle to a 4-0 loss and headed into the dreaded loser bracket. Tayren's first opponent in the losers bracket didn't exist as it turned out and resulted in a walk over for Tayren, easy win. Next would be a familiar enemy in Neil from Oxford, the same player who played David in the teams. Unfortunately, Tayren couldn't carve out a similar result and lost 2-0 causing him to crash out of the indies.

Next up was Q. Q struggled in the early rounds as he went to a hill-hill finish with Chris of Exeter 2s coming out the victor a nervy 4-3 winner. This spurred him on to another hill-hill battle Arron of the Chipmunks; Q's nerves of steel came to the forefront as he won that one as well 4-3 putting him into the second days play and a single win off the redraw.

Finally was captain and co-organiser David who like Q was seeded and this turned out to be more of a hinderance then a help as he too went to a hill-hill battle with Simon of Birmingham 2s and after some of the worst shots I have seen David eventually won 4-3 and was relieved for the suffering to be over. His reward was a match with Joseph of Leeds. Not wanting to buck the trend this too went hill-hill and after a clever cannon and a cheeky combo David came out of that one a 4-3 winner also putting him into the second days play.

Day 2 began with the indies with both David and Q a single win from the coveted redraw. David kicked it off and after a weird start with a combo on the 10 coming each of the first 3 breaks, David eventually cruised to an easy 5-1 victory over Johnathan of Birmingham 1s. Next up was Q who had Organiser Matt of Durham to contend with. Q took an early 4-2 lead and needed one frame for the redraw, however, after some missed pots and dodgy shots Matt fought back and took the match 4-4 for Q's 3rd successive hill-hill battle but he would not survive this and lost 5-4 putting him into the loser bracket. Q then had a nervy qualification match with Henri of Durham, the same guy who beat Tayren earlier on. Rather unsurprisingly this went to a hill-hill finish where Q practically fell over the line but get over the line he did and joined David into the redraw with a 3-2 win. The redraw was done and sadly David and Q did not draw each other but they did get Alvin of the chipmunks and Callum of Exeter respectively who showed their class as David and Q could only muster up a fame each both losing 5-1 ending what was a brilliant run to the L8 in the indies for the pair on them.

With the indies concluded we just had the teams left and our opponents were Exeter 2s setting us up for our 3rd South west Derby, unlike the other 2 this was not so easy. Tayren was the first fall as he lost 5-3 in double quick time leaving it up to David and Q to take the win. Q was going along steadily taking a 4-3 lead but winning this way was just not in Q's mindset and the match went hill-hill, shocking I know, and after some rather tense back and forth Q landed awkwardly on the 10. He called it into the middle sinking it and after some rather suspect table antics the white was jawed in the opposite corner narrowly avoiding the scratch and giving Q the 5-4 win and levelling the match 1-1. While this was happening David slumped to a 4-1 deficit but pounced on every missed pot his opponent made and after some hard match play and some luck somehow made it 4-4 and a perfectly weighted snooker was all it took for David to complete a miraculous comeback and win the match for Bristol 2-1 putting us into the Semi finals. Our semi-final opponents were Oxford, again. Luckily the match went a similar vein with Tayren winning an easy 6-3 despite a rather nervy start and David winning 6-1. Condolences must be made for Q as Neil, armed with his own balls, showed his true colours and beat the pocket rocket 6-1 in a convincing display. Despite this we still came out a 2-1 winner and put us into another our second consecutive final. The only team that stood in our way was Durham, a rematch from the Bristol City Classic final. However, this time it would not go our way as we got bulldozed by a clearly hyped up team as David lost 6-0 and Q losing 6-2 with Tayren DNFing meaning we had to settle for second place.

It was still an excellent run to the final as well as Q and David's run to the Quarter finals of the indies. There was lots to be proud off as well as lots to look forward too next season. Bring on Leeds!

Featuring:
David(C)
Tayren
Q

2s
We played pool!

Featuring:
Elan
Finn
Tudor

3s
The dream team of Ben, Tim, and Robin were the underdogs of a tournament of incredible standard, so beginning day 1 with 4 losses out of 4 in the teams group stage was a bitter meeting with reality, however we were taking frames and performing well.

Singles reared its ugly head and swiftly introduced us all to its friend the loser’s bracket, where Tim unfortunately crashed out. However Ben and Robin finally enjoyed victory, with Robin (aka Luton Lover) silencing a rowdy Exeter player with a decisive combo on the 10. We were all out by the next round though, because who really likes singles anyway.

Knockouts of teams began the next day and, after cleverly delaying our match by 12 hours, we faced Imperial 2s in a prelim. Ben’s London Pride induced headache fuelled him to a 4-0 win in very quick fashion, leaving one of the others needing a win. The Luton Lover was struggling so it looked to be all coming down to Tim. The Volcano found himself 3-2 down and snookered on two fouls, so simply decided to defy gravity with a match-saving jump shot (highlight of the weekend imo) and took the game to hill hill. His opponent had an itch so just had to scratch and Tim punished him superbly to complete the win for the 3s. Huge.

The quarter final was against Imperial’s first team; Tim was running well but Robin faced a very strong opponent and Ben was frustrated by a few too many snookers and it unfortunately didn’t go our way, but we thoroughly enjoyed another cracking weekend of egg hammocks, horrendous cue action, and Tim even survived his prawn curry to provide us some excellent tournament photos!

Thanks for having us St Albans

Featuring:
Ben (C)
Tim
Robin

Thanks must go to Matt for organising and running this event for us it was a blast for us all. Also a huge thanks to the raging ball for hosting, a great venue as always.

BRISTOL x BATH VARSITY 2023

As the year comes to an end what better way to end it then a day of pool with our closest neighbours. The inaugural Varsity with Bath was a day to remember as there was excitement, disappointment and watching Ronnie lose to Luca from being 10-6 up, this is how it all went down.

The mighty Maroon started off strong by taking an early 8-5 lead after the first rounds of singles matches but we knew that our greatest challenge was up next in the doubles. This turned out to be a long struggle as we struggled with the idea of "teamwork" but somehow crafted 4 wins, despite this we still lost the doubles 4-5. This meant is was all in the singles and we fancied our chances, however, it was clear that President Bob did not as he bolted with 2 hours left on the match clock. Despite this set back we had a commanding 15-10 lead going into the last couple of rounds of matches. However, sensing a slight weakness in our team Bath hit us with all they had and forged a mighty comeback taking 8 of the next 12 matches leaving the score 18-17 in our favour. Unfortunately, we could not cling onto our slender lead as Jake fired home a quick win and a couple doubles disasters led us to 18-23 down and with time not on our side we were only able to get to 21-23 resulting in our loss.

The mighty Maroon consisted of:
David
Tayren
Oscar
Bob
James
Ashin
Louis
Harley
Robin
Jai
Andrei
Ayush

Well done to you all, we put up a good fight but it was not to be. Thanks to for coming down to us and well done for the victory, got close at the end. We will get you next time!

BUCS SNOOKER 2023 REPORT

The final tournament of the season has come and gone. There was joy, excitement, disappointment and tears and this is how our teams did.

1s
Day 1 started, as always, with the indies and we believed we had a chance. This was proved further as David, Ryan, Will and Tayren all breezed through their first round matches 2-0, including David defeating local rival Tom of Bath. Q on the other hand had very different ideas and was the first member of the 1s to go out 1-2, despite making a nice 24 break in the decider. The next round saw tough opponents as David failed to climb the Wall, like many before him and Tayren fell to Jake of Derby, winner of BUCS 8 Ball. There was more hope though as both Will and Ryan made it too the L32 defeating Ayla of Edge Hill and Joe of Leeds respectively putting them into the L32. Despite it being 8pm both Will and Ryan still had a match to play and boy did they play with Ryan cruising to a 2-0 win over Ewan of East Anglia and Will edging out Divyansh 2-1 putting them both into the L16.

Day 2 kicked off the teams event and we were raring to go for the 9:30 start time. Our opponents were number 1 seed and current holders in Manchester 1s. The match was tough but we remembered our infamous win over Derby 1s at BUCS 8 and slammed home an impressive 6-4 win with everyone winning a frame and David winning 2, including the decider. Our reward for this was a second match on day 2 against Kent 1s. The Lennardless team were not enough to stop us as we cruised to an easy 6-2 despite Will trying to lose his frame and David having a respot. Day 2 ended with the L16 of the indies with both Ryan and Will still in with a shout. Ryan drew 9 ball rival Yan Wong in what was a tight and exciting match but it was Yan who had the better snooker winning 2-1 and taking the Lion out of the indies. The last hope for Bristol was in Will and boy did he deliver pushing Ewan all the way to the black in frame 1, eventually taking it, and then dominating the next to win 2-0 and bag a spot into the L8. Will's L8 opponent was a solo player from Edinburgh so we knew it would be tough and it was, Will fought hard but was eventually no match for the eventual runner up and lost 0-2. Despite this it was an excellent run through to the L8 for Will and the L16 for Ryan.

Day 3 saw the climax of the group stage as a draw with Loughborough 2s would secure the top spot and guarantee the bye into the L8. We got off to a strong start with Will, Ryan and Tayren all winning their frames to take an early 3-0 lead, however, neither David or Q got the memo as both blundered at easy times taking the score to 3-2. Luckily for the pair Ryan and Will steadied the ship making it 5-2 and Tayren thumped home the winner giving us a 6-2 win and topping the table. David and Q are now under investigation for match fixing due to their "suspicious" play.

Day 4 was crunch day as the medals would be decided today and we were pumped and ready to take one of the top 4 spots. Due to us topping the group the previous day we got a bye into the L8 and the only team in between us and a medal was LJMU (Liverpool John Moores University). They were the pre-tournament favourites but this did not faze us and after some wise words from Ryan and a clear game strategy we got going. It didn't get off to a great start as both Q and Tayren got demolished taking a 0-2 deficit but this was all part of the plan as the back 3 of Ryan, Will and David all pushed on as we took the lead 3-2. Tayren then redeemed himself and Ryan did what Ryan does and leaving us 5-3 up. This left David and Will, this happened a lot, David stalled while Will pumped home an easy victory giving us the win 6-3 and taking us into the L4 guaranteeing at least a bronze. Bronze, however, was not good enough as we wanted more, our next opponent was Loughborough 1s who were out for revenge over theirs 2 loss over us. Q got us off to a strong start by pinching the frame on the pink and Ryan dominated leaving us 2-1 (despite Tayren having a wobbly) and from there on we played some serious snooker as they were only able to muster another frame off us as we cruised to a 6-2 win and booked our place into the final.

The other semi final went to a 3 man black ball shootout and after some suspect shots our final opponents were a familiar one in Manchester 1s. We went into this match knowing we could beat them and kept to our strategy. The strategy appeared to be working as Ryan nicked a frame on the black from indies winner Matei and Tayren hitting an impressive 50 break to take the frame on the pink resulting us taking an early 2-1 lead. However they were in the final for a reason and we soon found this out as they clawed their way back into it taking 2 of the next 3 frames making it 3-3. This did not worry us as Ryan and Tayren dominated to make it 5-3 and put us 1 win from the title. This led David and Will, yet again, to take us to the win. Will fought hard against Grace (who is on the women's tour) but she was just too good for him making it 5-4 and all on captain David's shoulders. Luckily he had already received yet more stern words from Ryan and this fuelled him to take a 33 point lead with just 3 reds on the table. Despite the stream going down and Q streaming from his phone David and a missed black from his opponent David sunk the yellow and green to take the title.

This was the first time Bristol had ever won a BUCS cue sports championship in its history (since 1984) and I could not be more proud of the boys. Everyone performed and we came together as a team and took the title. It was an honour.

MVP: Will
MIP: Tayren




-4Manchester

2s
For the first time since December there were no debutants to tournaments in the Bristol teams. Would Louis be awake in time to take frames? Would Ashin stay awake at the wheel?

Franco was first up in the indies championship, winning his first match 2-1. The rest of the 2s took tactical first frame loses in the trophy which landed them in the losers bracket. Only Tom lost the second match, with Ashin winning comfortably and Louis making a great comeback to join Jai in the 1 loss 2nd round. Franco lost in the next round of the championship as Louis and Jai also got knocked out in the 1 loss 2nd round.
Ashin finally realised indies had no value in the 3rd round, losing in the evening before rushing off for GDK.

Despite David’s best attempts to convince us we were mathematically guaranteed trophy, we did need 1 win. In a group filled with 1st teams, the twos played the hardest two first: Exeter and Warwick. Both ended in 6-2 loses. Frame difference meant all the 2s needed was a draw against East Anglia in the final group game. Imitating Leeds United, spying on UEA showed they had one great player so Tom was a tactical sacrifice against him. Unfortunately it wasn’t to be, and UEA eventually won 6-3.

A massive shout out to the 1s who only went and won the championship, a huge result and well deserved for each and every one of them. Also a huge Thank You to Will who managed Gold in his last BUCS - it’s been a pleasure to play at tournaments alongside you.

MVP - Jai
MIP - Franco





It was a rollercoaster of a tournament for our boys. We had some great runs in the indies from Will, Ryan and Ashin and of course taking the title. This was Will's final tournament with Bristol and he has done us so proud over the 6 years he has been with us and we wish him the best in his future endeavours.

A huge thank you to the Universities Pool Council and Woking Snooker Centre for hosting us as well as Claudia Ene for being a stunning referee and putting up with our nonsense. We couldn't have done it without you. Bring on the 9 Ball.

Bristol is Back!

BUCS SNOOKER 2023

Two teams cantered down to Woking Snooker Centre on the quest for medals. This is the first time we have gone since 2020 so we have a lot of catching up to do, here's who went.

1s
David (C)
The Snooker Captain is actually captaining a snooker team at a snooker tournament. He's not won an indies match this year, is now the time to shine.

Ryan
The Director of Performance is putting down the pool cues in favour of a snooker one to show us all how to really play snooker.

Will
This is Will's last BUCS but will he finally turn the silver blues into golden glory?

Tayren
David: "Make sure you don't hat foul!"

Q
The pocket rocket has blasted into the 1s for the third time this season but can he repeat the first time and help his team to championship gold?

2s
Tom (C)
Some how Tom is playing at home. I don't get it either, but will this advantage guide his team to gold.

Ashin
Mr Shin has become accustom to his spot in the 2s and he will be looking to replicate his BUCS 8 performance to guide the 2s all the way.

Franco
He's fresh off a solid performance at Midlands but can he do it again on the big stage.

Louis
The equality officer will be making sure that everyone wins an equal amount of frames, probably.

Jai
Jai rounds out the 2s after a solid performance at Midlands and he has thirst for medals. Will he quench his thirst or will it be as dry as Tayren's break?

MIDLANDS SNOOKER 2023 REPORT

1s
The 1s were thrilled to actually be going to a snooker tournament this year and we were looking forward to the off. Unfortunately, 2s captain Louis had different ideas as Harley ended up breaking down his door, regrettably this was Harley's highest break of the tourney. Anyway, I have been shouted at for writing a novel last time, so I shall keep this brief.

Indies:
The indies was first up and David was up first against Matt Smith; the only thing that needed regenerating was his cue action and David crashed out 0-2 wishing he hadn't have come. Next up was Harley who struggled to make in roads on Ben Moody and joined his captain also losing 0-2. Next to play was Bob McCann poker star, unfortunately, he couldn't call his opponents bluff and completed the trifecta of incompetence losing 0-2. Despite this minor setback there was still an ounce of hope in Franco and Tayren. Franco was up first who secured the 1s first win against James Poxen. However, this was not to last as Franco joined his comrades losing 0-2 in the 2nd round. Last up was Tayren who secured Bristol's only bye, lucky man, this would spur him on to victory over Ivan (of Exeter) despite putting the black over the middle during the re-spot. Despite this near miss Tayren pushed on and defeated Krish from Cambridge easily 2-0. This put Tayrannosaurus in the coveted Quarter Finals and into day 2 of the indies. After some well needed sleep and a trip in the rain, David is an idiot, Tayren was ready against an old enemy in Matt Smith. It was a close affair but both were safe in the knowledge that the dreaded re-spot was removed as a tiebreaker. This was no comfort to Tayren who found himself snookered behind the pink and found himself on the receiving end of a 0-2 ending the 1s "fight" in the indies, overall quite a tragic display despite Tayren's good run.

Teams:
After the days shocking performance in the indies we were looking more hopeful for the teams this was quickly halted by starting at 5:30. However, in the interim David was sizing up fellow Exeter 1s captain in some practice frames, in which David hit a 44 which is the 3rd highest break of the tournament but didn't count and he is totally fine with that. Our reward for waiting so long was a best of 10 with Exeter 1s. Despite everyone else getting 2 other opponents we ended with 1 thus we got a bye to compensate, will be important later. We got off to a flyer with Tayren winning his frame in double quick time. However, this was not to last as our 1-0 lead slipped to a 1-6 deficit the only other win came from Bob who tried his very best to lose but never the less brought the score to 2-6. This was the end of our joy as we slumped to a 2-8 loss and David slumped in his chair anticipating a Trophy finish the next day.

The second day of teams started with a shock as we found out we were in the championship despite having a worse record that Lancaster 2s. In short, the worst recorded second placed team would go to Trophy and we had a 20% record vs a 40% record but we ended in the championship. I dunno how it works either. One redraw later and we were up against the formidable Cambridge 1s. We gave them a good bashing and gave it our all, Harley and David got sacrificed and Bob put in a shift leading us to eventually go 3-5 down with Tayren and Franco left to play. It was all very tense as Franco rolled the brown in to make it 4-5 with Tayren on the pink and black. After Tayren misses the pink and Matt, yet again, sinks a brilliant pink to leave himself a difficult pot in the middle to take the win. What happened next was a travesty as the black went around the knuckles at least 3 times and still dropped giving Cambridge a 6-4 win.

Despite the lack of medals and confusing structure that made little sense the 1s had a decent time and had some decent form and are looking forward to showing them at BUCS.

MVP: Tayren
MIP: Franco

2s
This is how the weekend went for the 2’s. With a slight tactical delay by our captain, the 2s were ready to fly into the indies. Play started, and we were off. Robin was up first and put up a valiant performance against a strong Leeds 2s player. Next up was Ali, who won his first frame but unfortunately couldn’t find his flow in the next, taking the game to a re-spotted black, ultimately losing 2-1. The captain, Louis, proceeded to lose in the first round despite having some extra sleep. The best performance of the day goes to Jai, who managed two excellent wins making it to the last 16 but ultimately losing to a very strong player from Exeter. Ashin, last but not least, also dropped out in the first round(he assures me this was a tactical decision).
Deciding that the value was in the teams, we dusted ourselves off and prepared to play some of the most gruelling frames of our lives. Teams started at 5:30 pm for us. We faced Lancaster 2’s and Cambridge 1’s. Against Lancaster 2’s, Robin and Jai were our star players, both picking up a frame; clearly, the rest of the team had their minds on the curry we were waiting to demolish. Louis did manage to get the cheekiest snooker of his life with just the pink and black on the table but then proceeded to miss the pink completely… So whilst the frames were close, we overall lost 2-3. Onto the next, Cambridge 1’s; Jai again won his frame, but alas, the lack of sleep and food had got to the rest of the team; all the frames were close, and we believe we could have won, but the score reflects a different reality, 4-1 to Cambridge.
Sunday was a new day; the team was ready and rested. Ashin and Louis took a tactical dip to a bar/club the night before but, for some reason, couldn’t find any snooker enthusiasts… We were now playing for the trophy (tactical); a loss would be the end for us. Again the games were close, but four losses meant that all the pressure was on Louis to bring it back. The captain decided to turn up for once and won two incredibly drawn-out frames in a row, despite tactically fouling with just the pink and black on the table again. Overall, whilst we were excited to play a three-frame decider, the game ended 6-2.

Whilst our success was limited, we all had a fun weekend in Tamworth. Competitive snooker ignited a fire in us that will prove hard to quench, onto the next, BUCS Snooker.

MVP: Jai
MIP: Robin

MIDLANDS SNOOKER

Up we go to Tamworth for the first Snooker tourney Bristol has gone to in the last 2 years and this is who we sent.

1s
David
Captain not so Fantatic has left the pool cues behind and picked up his snooker cue, will he fulfil his thirst for medals this weekend?

Tayren
He's been in Allstars all week practicing his re-spotted blacks; can he perform when put on the spot?

Bob
President Bob has put down the poker chips to be here, will he cash in or will his cue action fold under pressure?

Franco
Francoooooooooooooooooo

Harley
2s player Harley rounds out the 1s after an impressive performance at trials earning his spot, will he make the most of this opportunity?

2s
Louis
Make sure your up for when play starts at 10am Louis.

Jai
Another debutant this time firing into the 2s where he'll be hoping to make a splash and secure his BUCS spot.

Robin
He's got a new cue!

Ali
Referree Ali has put down the gloves and picked up the cue but will his knowledge of the game help him to secure frames?

Ashin
Ashin rounds out the teams after an impressive BUCS 8 performance but will he be able to move from the small table to the big one?

WOMEN'S BUCS 8 BALL

We sent a hopeful team of to Derby in search of medal glory, this is how they did.

W1s
It’s was a great tournament with Bristol ladies

Day one of the teams Bristol put in a great effort having an unbeaten start! They absolutely smashed their first match 4-0 against Leicester 2’s and drew against UEA firsts.
Day 2 was slightly rocky most likely due to the karaoke the night before but with a great day one they secured themselves into the trophy semi final.
The semi final was extremely close with a very unlucky shoe foul by Reegan instantly dropping a frame but Roxanne managed to smash her 2 games making it a draw. Roxanne played amazing in the decision making frame and was very unlucky! The game for 3rd place was against Durham 1’s and with an incredible effort from Julie, Roxanne and Reegan they showed everyone what they are made of and didn’t drop a frame winning 4-0 and securing the bronze medal.
Amazing BUCS tournament from Bristol ladies bringing home some medals!

BUCS 8 BALL 2023 REPORT

And so ends another year of pool. We sent intrepid teams to try and capture BUCS glory, this is how they did.

1s
AS with all tournaments we started off with the indies; there was hope of a couple good runs this year as Will was seeded 6th and we had a strong team behind us. Hopes were high as both Oscar and Tayren eased through their first round 3-1 and 3-1. Their good form would continue heading into the L64, and joining Will, with another sets of 3-1. Despite this good form from the 1s David and Ross decided they'd rather play snooker with the pair of them crashing out of the indies without winning a single frame, shot guys. However, we still had 3 guys into the L64 with Will being put onto the featured table. However, he'd rather he wasn't as he joined David and Ross by losing 4-0 in double quick time. This just left Oscar and Tayren and it was the former up first; it was pretty touch and go with some dodgy frames thrown in but Oscar prevailed 4-3 and went into the L32. The same cannot, unfortunately, cannot be said about Tayren who ended his run in the L64 losing 2-4. With Oscar our only hope left in the indies could he perform; no is the answer as he would be edged out 3-4 by eventual semi-finalist Brad Price. But as we know there is little value in the indies and we all looked forward to the teams in the following days.

Day 2 started with a last minute substitution, David's cue. Reportedly he stole it off one Connor Tracy but we will have to wait until the end of the enquiry to make comment. Despite this rather major setback Captain not so fantastic pressed on and looked forward to the set of team matches. Our first opponent, a very good Warwick 2s; despite their quality and David clearly trying to throw we came out a 6-1 victor. Our second and final match of the day came in the form of Nottingham 3s where we showed our class coming out a 6-1 victor despite David trying to throw AGAIN, wobbly aside, this is where we began to hit our stride.

Day 3 saw crunch time as we would have our hardest opponents today and the results would decide if we would make it to the championship or the Trophy. The day started of slow with a rather drawn out battle between Strathclyde 2s. The match went a full two and a half hours despite only 7 frames being played. Will and David decided they wanted more table time and wasted a lot of it as well but we came out 6-1 victors even though the 2s were able to draw 5-5 with Warwick 1s in that time and they started an hour after us, what are we like. Despite the soul crushing match we pushed on with UEA 1s, we knew this would be tough and would probably be the match to decide who would qualify for the championship. The match was close constantly teetering between the 2 experienced teams, until it went 4-4 with Ross and Tayren left at the table. Ross clearly wanted the trophy as he tried his best to miss his last yellow but got there in the end to push us 5-4 guaranteeing the draw with just Tayren left. The only thing in his way was a man who actually threw the match leading to an "easy" 6-4 win. After the match there were many words exchanged between the teams, not all of them pleasant, only to find out that it was only 1 member of UEA who wanted the trophy. Despite the outrage calm was restored, thanks to Will mainly, and we formulated a plan to get UEA into the championship; all we had to do was beat Derby 1s who just so happened to be defending champions and the number 1 seeds, how hard can it be. We entered that final match knowing we had qualified for the championship and that we were on the TV table, two things that gave us great confidence. This was shaken as Derby rushed into a quick 2-0 lead dispatching Tayren and Ross in record time. However we were not beaten yet as Oscar began the charge by winning his frame and on came the big guns in David and Will won both their frames each with questionable shot choices (I was definitely looking to cover the pocket) rushing us into a 5-2 lead and securing our place at the top of the table. This was not to be continued, however, as neither Ross or Oscar could seal the win for Bristol leaving trump card and tipped for superstardom Tayren to bring home the victory. After some creative doubles and an unlucky hook it all looked bleak for Tayren as he conceded two shots; his opponent could not convert and Tayren sank the 8 ball for a historic 6-4 over Derby giving us maximum points and leaving us undefeated going into the last day and into the knockout stage.

Day 4, it was crunch time as this was the day that would decide the medals, our confidence had grown over the last 2 days and we felt like a strong unit once again. Our opponents in the L16 were our good friends in Imperial 1s, this posed an issue as if we had won David would have to return the maybe stolen cue back to Connor regardless of the result, putting this to the back of his mind we cracked on. The match was tough as they played their trump cards in Om and Connor 3rd and 4th to guarantee their 2 frames, due to this we slumped early again to a 3-1 deficit after David got dished by Om. However, Captain David had a few tricks up his own sleeve in Will who dispatched the powerful Om to level the game at 3-3. Oscar then decided he didn't know how to hold a cue, despite a ridiculous fluke in his previous frame, leading us 3-4 down. Luckily all that snooker Ross had been playing finally paid off as he sneaked in the 8 ball putting us back on equal terms. This just left David and Tayren again, sounds familiar. This gave David hope and despite an intense frame with the 6ft 7 Will David slotted home a good 8 ball to sneak a 5-4 lead, leaving just Tayren left. Tayren's opponent had first pop clearing down to the 8 ball but tying it up with Tayren's yellows, leaving Tayren an opportunity to take the frame. Everything was on a knife edge as every ball hit the back of the pocket, leaving just the 8 ball. There are many interpretations of what happened next, Tayren will plead to this day that it went; I disagree. The bottom line was that Tayren had lost and David was on the floor with head in hands wondering about what he had just witnessed. The bottom line was that it was now a 5-5 draw meaning we were now in a 3 man shootout. David decided to engage big brain mode and put on Will, himself and Tayren which was a very debateable decision. We lost the lag meaning we'd only get 1 break. Will got Om, David got Connor, Tayren got Will. Will kicked things off against an in form Om, despite this Om did not turn up and Will slotted home a comfortable victory, 1-0 Bristol and just a single frame from the L8. Next up was David and Tayren, due to Connor's interesting play style our frame was well behind, David made it all the way to his final yellow ball but over screwed position leaving an awkward shot on the 8, a creative shot and a desperate look confirmed that David had not taken the pocket leaving an open table for Connor to make the clearance. Meanwhile Tayren had decided to accelerate and with 2 shots looked to make the clearance, an excellent pot down the rail left him with 1 yellow and the 8 ball left; would history repeat itself, not this time as he slammed home the 8 ball giving us the 2-0 win and an overall score of 7-5 meaning David's frame was DNF'd meaning David's dream of beating Connor with his own cue was crushed, cheers Tayren.

This victory set us back much of our energy and 2 and a half hours, again the 2s finished their match well before ours despite having a 1 hour head start. This meant we were one match from the medals and the only people in between us and that medal was a new rival in Nottingham 1s. David had flashbacks to when were beat 6-2 at the same stage at Southerns only 2 weeks prior. It would have seemed that history was repeating itself as we slumped to a 0-4 deficit, David was dejected as was getting ready to go home, however, his team was not as Tayren decided to dish, Ross to clear and Oscar to slam home another 8 ball clawing our way back to a mere 3-4. Things were looking up. This was not to last unfortunately as Will decided to use some questionable tactics and Tayren decided he wanted to play Billiards and pot his chalk, sill Tayren, Leading us to our first defeat of the tournament losing 6-3 to an inform Nottingham. Nottingham would go onto to the final and lose to Derby 1s so who is the real winners, eh?

I know I didn't want to be captain and it was a role I was certainly not expecting and it showed at certain times but I am incredibly proud of my team as each of them stepped up to the plate when required and came together as a unit like I have never seen before. I do not have a bad word for them and it was my pleasure and honour to lead them to what is our best result in quite a while.

MVP - Ross, Tayren, Will, Oscar
MIP - Hat Fowl

2s
The tournament started off with the indies. All of us were playing in the trophy apart from Q who decided to test himself in the Championship and this decision was justified as he raced into the last 64, only to be beaten by Gerald. All of the 2s got out of the prelims, apart from Miles who had a tough draw. However, Ashin lost in the round of 128. James and Rob made it into the round of 64, with James losing against a player from Strathclyde 3-1 and Rob losing 3-2 against an eventual semi-finalist, despite being 2-0 up.

The next day was the start of the teams (which is where the value is at anyways). After looking at our draw, we were hopeful of getting 1 win against a 1st team, however, this target was met early on as we beat Kent 1s (who were 4th seed) 6-4, this was followed by a 6-1 dismantling of Edge Hill 1s, as we raced into the top of the group. Similar success was had on Monday as we finished off our group matches with a tough 5-5 draw with Warwick 1s and then a 6-0 thrashing of Southampton 2s. This confirmed the team as going into the knockouts as a top seed for the Trophy. A dead rubber at the end of the day against Leeds 3s which we won 6-2, despite Rob forgetting how to rack the balls.

We went into the knockouts on Tuesday in high spirits as we were unbeaten and had won the group and this confidence was justified as we beat Loughborough 3s 6-0 in the rd of 16. An incredible performance as we completed our 2nd 6-0 win of the tournament. A quarterfinal against Warwick 2s was up next. We were confident as we had drawn against their 1s in the group stage and we were all hopeful to get a medal. However, this confidence may have led to complacency as we all outrageously tweaked (except Ashin!) and we lost 6-1. On another day we would have won that match easily, but it was not to be. Nevertheless, we should be proud with our performance as we had 5 wins, 1 draw and 1 loss, its just a shame that our only loss was in a medal match.

MVP - Q
MIP - Ashin

3s
Even before the tournament started there was nervousness as a late dropout meant two people would miss out if a replacement wasn’t found. Thankfully Ollie realised that a 4 days in Stoke with a side of pool is the best holiday you can get.

As per, the tournament started with indies and Ayush, Tom and Ollie decided early on that the only values comes from teams. Elan and Robin clearly didn’t get that memo as they both won their first indies games. Keen to show them at BUCS, Robin went on to win another game going the furthest out of the 3s.

Onto Sunday and the two match were the toughest the 3s would face in the group stages. Unfortunately not many surprises and the 3s lost to seeded Liverpool 2s and Central Lancashire 1s - shout out to Robin who finished the day with 100% frame victories.

The challenge came on Monday, after playing the toughest two the 3s still stood a chance of qualifying for the vase if they won all remaining games. A closely fought 5-5 against Manchester 2s made it more difficult but not impossible. Unfortunately a loss to Glasgow 1s meant hopes of the Knockout rounds were in the bin. Leaving the final game as nice friendly. The 3s drew their final game 5-5 against Nottingham 4s and captain Elan won a Guinness off his opponent after his opponent went in off.

A good tournament for 4 BUCS debutants and 2 tournament debutants. A huge shout out to Ollie for agreeing to travel to Stoke, without you there wouldn’t have been a 3rd team.

MVP - Robin
MIP - Ollie

Well done to everyone who came and performed for Bristol this year, we may not have gotten the silver ware but ending our runs in the L8 of the Championship and the Trophy is nothing to be sniffed at as well as 12 consecutive wins between us in the championship and Trophy. Well done to the 3s who turned up last minute and played some serious pool. Also a huge thank you to Connor Tracy who donated his cue to me (David) I couldn't have done so well without it, you are an absolute king.

That is it for pool tourneys this year and it has certainly been a memorable year and I cannot wait for the next to role around, bring on Leeds 9 Ball 2023!