Category: Bar Billiards

I’m pleased to say that Roy, our hardened captain, has yet to be offended at my bar billiards witterings and so I will merrily continue with this little series of posts. With great tact of course. The lack of recent updates is because we haven’t played a game in a month, but we’re back now with a vigorous programme of training planned. Although this training is mostly going to the pub and drinking, but that’s a different matter, it’s all about the intent.

I arrived at the White Lion after doing some research work around Norwich with Julian and when I turned up Paul mentioned that he’d just worked out who the “other Julian” was. Namely, me. I get that a lot and it transpired that I was playing Paul in the singles. That meant one of Julian’s friends was going to be disappointed with the outcome.

The main event of the evening is of course the food which arrived just before the third game started. I like the food arriving early on, saves me going to bother Eli with subtle hints about the arrangements. Chay, who has I think recovered from injuries following our five a side football, prepared a rather lovely chicken thing alongside a chickpea thing. Delicious. I feel that I haven’t described the food very carefully, but it’ll do to explain it and I had four portions as it was so tasty. Don’t ask about the portions (and, I’d better add everyone else had finished!), but I’m pleased Roy doesn’t take this too seriously as otherwise I suspect I’d be quite annoying  🙂

And, without further ado, there are the latest scores. We won 7-2, but the singles match flatters me as I was feeling oddly jittery. I think it might have been the pubs early, as I don’t take this bar billiards particularly seriously to be too concerned about it. Fair play to Paul, I think he got a little unlucky and I just kept plodding on. I just turn up to every practice and match ready to eat and drink, gossip and maybe even play some bar billiards. We were 5-1 ahead after the singles, which took the pressure off us somewhat before starting with the doubles games. I did think if I lost I might have to start getting some form of lucky clothing, like Nathan and his rather awesome bar billiards shoes  🙂

The International Brigade are a marvellous team, so it was a delight to play them. They’re in the running for promotion and have only lost one game all season, so it’s fair to say that our team was delighted, and a little surprised, with the victory. But, it’s all meant to be fun, and I think everyone had a rather enjoyable evening. How very lovely and we’re playing again next week, although I don’t know who against, but I’ll be there!

I’ve just realised that this ‘riveting’ series of bar billiards posts has now overtaken my market posts as my popular collection of posts on this blog. I’m slightly worried who is reading it and that it’s not a legal company collecting evident for libel or something. Anyway, two matches in one go in this post as my blog was a bit out of action and I’ve got behind with these updates that I thought no-one was reading. Our next league match was at the Cottage, somewhere that I’ve only played in practice with tornado Emma from my team, the Serengeti.

We started the evening like this, somehow topping the table. Given our low practice rate this came as a surprise to I think it’s fair to say nearly all of us. I’m pleased that Emma and I have got a new regime going for our team of Indian meals and bar billiards, a beautiful combination if ever I heard it. What a genius it was that suggested it. I’d better thank all of my team members (Andrew, Eileen, Westley, David, Emma, Roy and Guy) for putting up my food demands, it’s much appreciated.

When I first signed up to bar billiards I was promised that there would be lots of beer and food, something which hasn’t disappointed me. I haven’t quite dared to do the pen portraits of the Serengeti team that I had planned for the Manes (my initial team before switching), but that’s likely all for the best as I would have likely pushed the matter too far with a formal complaint being made  🙂   Although the planned and cancelled photographic series of “Manes captain in victorious pose” after winning is something that I might see if Roy would consider taking over for our team…. Let’s see how we go, but that would make a wonderful calendar if we decide to sell Serengeti merchandise next year. And if we get promoted, we’re doing exactly that.

But, I digress, the pizza was from Brick and was delicious. As were the fries. Oscar, the formidable White Lion landlord who plays for the Manes, had told me that they had been given individually wrapped burgers the week before, another wonderful meal. I hope to play at the Cottage more often if I’m being honest. The table arrangement is a little blocked against the wall, but it does mean that there’s potential for some trick shots more from necessity than desire.

Beer. I can’t be doing commentary on the beer, I have an Untappd account for that.

David wasn’t there to comment (un)helpfully about my food intake which was handy, but we missed his observations and commentary during the game. I never listen to his food commentary, but he has a sound knowledge of bar billiards and indeed some other matters such as history. I like his fun facts.

And another two victories for Whirlwind White. This made it a 100% home record for singles at the White Lion and a 50% away record for me. And the team won 7-2, but I have to comment on how much fun the Cottage team were, they were clearly enjoying playing. Or they were good actors if not.

Back to this week and we were playing the Coach & Horses, who I think were second in the league, at home at the White Lion. And look, we’ve got a new sign!

And little name plates, how marvellous are these? I think I’m right in saying that Eileen gets the credit for these. Several of us agreed that this top of the table status was going to our heads and we would inevitably lose against the Coach and Horses. As a spoiler, we did.

Oops. That’s a 7-2 defeat and very sub-optimal. I managed to miss the final ball four times on the end part of the game, so destroying my 100% home record. Annoyingly I had practised it for the first time in ages as well as I thought it might be the first time I went to the end game in the league this year. I got over the loss quite quickly though by getting more food. Even the tornado Emma wasn’t victorious, this just wasn’t our night but there were some close games and some high scores gained and then lost when the pins fell over. Wes managed to win with a score of just 40, which secretly annoyed me as I got 1,000 and lost, but I don’t go on about these things. I wasn’t in the doubles this week, but that might have been for the best given the deluge of losses we faced.

I also got more beer to help cope with the defeat. There are some very good players on the Coach and Horses team, I can see them being promoted.

The excellent food offered by Oscar and Chay, meaning it’s always a delight to play here.

That means half of the season is now over and although the league tables haven’t been updated this week, it’s fair to say that we’ve lost our top spot. Which means just one thing, there will have to be more Indian meals and practice sessions if we want to regain it. And if necessary, we’ll have to have them more regularly and I’m happy to plough through more food if it helps the team. Roy will steady the ship though, we needn’t panic yet about our recent poor run. Well, losing one league game. Lose another one and I’ll panic though as I obviously take this very seriously (well, something like that, but I take eating the food and photographing it seriously and I’m definite about that).

Anyway, it’s still all very exciting and I’m very grateful to Emma and David for keeping me in check with regards to the food 🙂   And for everyone else for having me along, although they might read this and be less impressed at my commentary.

This was exciting (my normal caveat that I don’t get out much….), my first match against a first division side. It’s a cup game and both our sides, the Serengeti and the Golden Stars had won our first two matches, meaning that whoever won this game would proceed to the next round of the cup. As a bonus though, whoever lost would go through to the next round of the plate, so all was not lost. The scores haven’t been updated at the time of writing, but they will be at https://www.norwichbarbilliards.co.uk/Cup.

To my delight, I was drawn first. I was surprised and delighted to win that game, which meant that I could focus on the food and not be impacted by any distractions such as playing. Unfortunately, my seven game winning streak came to an end in the doubles, where David and I couldn’t quite match our opponents, despite our best efforts. So many excellent and close games, it’s been the most enjoyable set of games to watch and many of them were close. The Golden Stars were the eventual victors, winning 5-4. I have to comment positively about Emma, as she’d want me to, who won two games again.

As the most important positive, this was the first match that I’ve properly enjoyed and didn’t feel even slightly stressed about. These things always take a little while, or at least they do for me. It feels like the bar billiards pressure is off now, making it all much calmer and exciting to play. I’m fortunate to have a calm team captain in Roy, steady and relaxed with no recriminations.

And the food, I had to ignore David moaning once again that I was taking photos of it  🙂   And Emma didn’t comment on my rushing to the food this time, but I was allowed as I was the referee for the next game and so needed priority. Actually, I think I’ve set a precedent here, but that’s a different matter that no-one will be too interested in.

The food was excellent, delicious chicken and potatoes (with a vegetarian option). Oscar and his team once against didn’t let us down, not that they ever would.

The post-match drink, a rather refreshing Manx Missile from Fixed Wheel Brewery. All really very lovely and roll on the next game in the plate. We’re wondering how many chicken strips we can fit on the plate if we win it this year, we’re just two matches away from finding out. Our next match is against the Cottage next Wednesday, back to playing a league match, and I’m already looking forwards to it without any stress  🙂

I actually forgot to take any photos to record the bar billiards last night, but this is the nearest that I got and since there’s chalk on the table it’ll just have to do. Further to my last post on this matter, I’ve switched teams to now be part of the Serengeti which is also at the White Lion. This whole concept of beer and sport is rather an agreeable one, it’s definitely less damaging than the five a side football team thing I’ve set up and which played for the first time on Monday, but more about that in another riveting post……

Fortunately I managed to play sufficiently well last night not to be removed from the team, so that’s positive, and I’ve discovered some exciting rules that I didn’t know existed as part of the learning curve. Slightly nervous of the whole arrangement as I’m entirely uncompetitive (as I usually lose) it transpired to be even more exciting than I had hoped for during the sort of training session we had. I was aided with the support from the cheap seats (as opposed to the higher seats which have a premium view of the table) in the pub of Julian, which gave us the chance to debate our pubs excursion to North Walsham later today. Anyway, my first match next week against the International Brigade at the King’s Head. I’m looking forwards to the food and I’ve got an aim to score at least 800 in every match as a target, as well as a set of things that I need to practice, so that’s several games this weekend needed….

Oh and the Liberator Beer, orange blossom version, from Tindall at the White Lion was very agreeable.