your season

[archalf1471]

Now the pro season is over I guess it is the same for most of us as well with our leagues to coming to an end

What have been your personal highlights over YOUR season, any goals achieved? Any personal success stories you want to share with us?

How also do you spend your summer? Do you play summer league? Do you continue to practise? Or do you pack the cue away until august/september?

[spike]

I will continue to practise HARD and play in one form or another throughout the year!

[KeithinFrance]

Well, even though it's not snooker, but English 8ball pool, my season has just finished here in France.

My team finished first in the Départemental 1 league, which means that we get promoted to the National league, Division 3. I'm particularly proud of this as the team only got together at the start of the season and I am the only player who had already played at this level. We had 2 players playing part-time, one one week, and one the next, so really there were only 5 of us for 5 places. On top of that, as some of you may know, I've got a really bad problem with my right knee, which means that I can't bend it nor stand on it, so basically, I've played the whole season on one leg. So I think we've done really well together for the very first time.

On a personal note, I finished the season as the league MVP, as I won 25 of 30 matches played (out of a possible 32), with the most matches won, and the least lost of any player this year.

We now get to go to play in the "Final of the Champions" play-offs, to determine the best team in their division in France, at the end of the month.

I will also keep on practising throughout the summer as I've really got to get used to playing on one leg because it won't be better until this time next year at the earliest.

[Robert602]

For me competitive cuesports is all about the university pool (english 8 ball) team. We had a mixed season this year (my stint as captain). Our first team survived in the top division of the local leagues, finishing mid table after a late rally, and our second team topped division 3 to earn promotion.

Slightly better at the interuniversity level, a quarter final finish at the national championships in Gt Yarmouth tarnished only by the fact that Oxford were our conquerors. Our 2nd and 3rd teams also reached the knockout stages which is fantastic. I knocked the top seed out of the individual championships (in front of the cuesports tv cameras and commentators - lots of fun that), which was a personal highlight. Another Cambridge player reached the semis and went on to represent English universities in an international team event in Dublin, I got a trial but didn't quite make it.

Last week we tied the two day Oxford-Cambridge varsity match for the first time in recorded history, don't really know what to think of that result but it was a fun weekend nonetheless.

For the summer - we've entered the same teams into the summer leagues so I'll be carrying on with that, but all of the serious uni stuff is over until next winter.

[RocketRoy1983]

My league ended and I had 11 victories in 16 which Im ok with but 2 matches lost on the black still preys on my mind now! I will continue coaching throughout the summer and practice for 2 days a week/12 hours a week to keep my eye in which will free up 3 days for me to dedicate to my training and hopefully the loss of 3 stone in time for the new season

[cueman]

My season started and ended on the same night, played for a mates team as a ringer (ooooops, hoping they don't read this!) won and that was that. I hate league snooker with a passion, 1 frame just isn't my cup of tea and I only ever play now if ever one of my mates team is short of player one week.

Rocketroy - practicing 12 hours a week just to keep your eye in! My goodness, I only put 3 hours tops and that keeps me in form, even then I think its too much, LOL.

[RocketRoy1983]

Cueman I practice now around 35-45 hours HOWEVER this is helped by the fact that 90 seconds from my house is my club and as a commitee member of the club once the bar has closed and everyone has gone I am entitled to stay and be given the keys by the departing member of staff. For example, Friday night I arrived at the club at 11pm and everyone was leaving because it was quiet and I played until 4am. Considering im a barman and my earliest shift doesnt start until 12pm I can get some very good practice time in indeed.

[MattCash]

Cueman I practice now around 35-45 hours HOWEVER this is helped by the fact that 90 seconds from my house is my club and as a commitee member of the club once the bar has closed and everyone has gone I am entitled to stay and be given the keys by the departing member of staff. For example, Friday night I arrived at the club at 11pm and everyone was leaving because it was quiet and I played until 4am. Considering im a barman and my earliest shift doesnt start until 12pm I can get some very good practice time in indeed.

How lucky are you

[RocketRoy1983]

How lucky are you

I know Matt Im very priveleged and fortunate indeed. It is literally a 90 second walk from my house and I can phone then up at like 11-1130 and say im coming over and its no problem. To say it helps with my game is an understatement.

[MattCash]

90 seconds there isnt a snooker club around which doesn't require a train ride where i am

its quite awkward with a 1 piece cue on a train as well.

[RocketRoy1983]

90 seconds there isnt a snooker club around which doesn't require a train ride where i am

its quite awkward with a 1 piece cue on a train as well.

HHmmm yes I can imagine. keep it up though mate and hopefully when you move into your own place youll find one nearer to you. You can always request it in your estate agent search too

MUST BE: 3 bed...terraced....near a snooker club

[Welshsteve]

This season started badly for me. I won my first match and played really well, but after that I went 5 matches on the bounce without a win and was playing terrible. I asked my captain to drop me and I went away and practiced the following week. I then had an individual tournament match to play against the 6 times champion. I fully expected to be thumped, but I played really well, and only lost on a black ball in the deciding frame. This seemed to kickstart my season and I came back into the side and won 6 on the bounce.

I have gone on to reach the Pairs Quarter Finals, Three Man Cup Semi Finals and this week our team played in the first leg of the League Cup Final and are currently 4-3 up going into the 2nd (home) leg. In our club championships I am in the quarter finals of the handicapped competition and the semi finals of the pairs.

So all in all a season that could have had a better start, but it's turned out ok. The highlight for me was turning my game around after christmas. I had a coaching session with Stephen Rowlings (just qualified for main tour via PIOS) and he made a couple of small adjustments to my cue action which have made all the difference. Many thanks goes to him.

[lkomarci]

my season...sofar a nightmare. SHOULD'VE taken a frame (out of 3 possible frames played) from our no1 today..blue and pink for the frame, and I miss this easy blue and lose the match. Honestly, although I've never seen him play before he definitely didn't play against me as good as he would play against a better player than myself. but still, I had a great chance and I blew it.
...oh hell even my mom told me "this is the story of your life" when I told her that. I guess I'm an underachiever

[goshow]

It was a strange old season up here in the local league but nevertheless a very enjoyable and worthy one.

The team i captain in the singles won the league and we finished the season unbeaten in 32 games. Each games consists of 8 frames with 4 players playing 2 each. The points are won as per frames won. We finished with 194 points and gain immediate promotion to the higher league for next season.

The doubles didn't go quite so well but we finished mid table and also a few places above the other team that plays from our club.

So far i've not stopped playing in the off season and am practicing a lot more seriously to improve my game.

[steedee]

Cueman I practice now around 35-45 hours HOWEVER this is helped by the fact that 90 seconds from my house is my club and as a commitee member of the club once the bar has closed and everyone has gone I am entitled to stay and be given the keys by the departing member of staff. For example, Friday night I arrived at the club at 11pm and everyone was leaving because it was quiet and I played until 4am. Considering im a barman and my earliest shift doesnt start until 12pm I can get some very good practice time in indeed.

you're bloody mad for snooker you mate!

my 8 ball season finished last tuesday really dissapointingly.

my team finished 12th out of 13, having finished 6th the previous year.

personally i won 10 lost 12 which is abysmal for me, last year i won 16 lost 8 which put me in the top ten in the league merit.

i put it down to playing from 3 different venues, its been unsettleing what with the Bass Drum closing for referb, Stretford Rileys going belly up and now playing for O'Brien's

i'm spending the summer in egypt on honeymoon first of all! wont pick my cue up till mid july now.

might try some snooker, see if i cant get passed my 29 high break!