Stalybridge Snooker League

The Stalybridge and District Sunday Schools Billiards Snooker And Whist League [Stalybridge Snooker League] started in 1910 and the games played were only billiards and whist, which were thought to be appropriate for Young Men’s Societies. Snooker became popular in the 1970s so the league added this extra dimension and changed its name to incorporate the new format.



The current league management has a President, Chairman, League Secretary, Handicap Secretary and Webmaster/Press Secretary. The forum also includes 1 member from each team [normally the captain or vice captain]. We have regular monthly management meetings throughout the season and the season starts with our AGM.

The current venues include social clubs in Ashton, Stalybridge and Mossley along with a snooker club in Stalybridge - a situation which is completely different from the original church rooms when the league started.

The League roll of honour for season 2007 /2008 shows Sportsman SV as snooker /billiards league champions and St Georges B as whist league champions. Mossley B won the knockout card cup and Mossley A won the knockout snooker / billiards competition. Complete details of these and the other individual trophy winners are on our main website, along with photographs from our presentation night.

Because of the league origins, there are many interesting facts about the league which can be seen on the website but perhaps the most talked about are:

1/ We always used to serve refreshments during our matches and one player [Jack Bredbury] was famous for making a full urn of tea for every match.
2/ In one particular venue the match would be stopped between 9.30 and 10.00 for prayers to be said by the local priest.

With regard to our league competitions as well as the normal league and knockout competitions we have two special trophies, The Sportsmanship Award and The George Fletcher Memorial Trophy [this is named after one of our late members]. The George Fletcher Cup is our equivalent of the charity shield at football and the Sportsmanship Award is given for general attitude to the game and the league members.
The league has been going for almost 100 years and is looking to continue well past this landmark.

Radical Games

Radical Games are based in Cape Town, South Africa. The company was established in 2001 and since then they have been producing some of the best pool tables and snooker tables available in the area.

Radical Games do not mass produce their pool tables in order to maintain their high level of build quality. To keep their hand in these guys also specialise in restoring/moving pool and snooker tables, so if you need a hand transporting a games table then look no further.

Radical Games supply and deliver to the Cape Town City Bowl, as well as Johannesburg (Now called Gauteng). For any deliveries outside these areas you'll need to give them a call.

So if you're in the Cape Town area, and looking for a genuinely unique pool table, snooker table or games room equipment, then look no further!

Cueing Technique in Billiards, Pool & Snooker

So you think that playing pool or snooker is easy? You just pick up the stick, lean over a bit and fire it at the white ball right?

WRONG.

Just like a golf swing, cueing in pool, snooker and all table billiard games is a finely tuned art, and one that it takes endless hours of practice to perfect.



What’s This Cueing Lark All About Guv’nor?

The primary aim of cueing is to control exactly where the cueball goes once struck. When you have mastered this, you can start to build you game, and see the path to victory.

While this may sound easy there are a surprising number of things that can go wrong during your shot, so (being the kind soul I am) I have compiled a list of the key things to remember and practice to become a pro:

1. Stance: The most basic and important one of all. While there is no strict stance for pool, there are some fundamental elements to get right.

You should hold the cue with your ‘shooting’ arm lightly, just behind its balance point. You should place your other hand on the table, forming the ‘bridge’. The shaft of the cue then rests between your thumb and first finger. Lastly, your head should be held over the top of the cue, so you are looking straight down it to the tip.

- Balance Point
The point on the cue at which you can balance it on one of two fingers. All cues are weighted (standardly to 18oz) which will become more important as you get better.

- Bridge
The bridge is the shape made with your none cueing hand to rest the shaft of the cue on


Cueing in pool or snooker does not require much body movement; it’s all from the elbow/shoulder. As such the most important part if feeling comfortable with the points mentioned above.

2. Shooting: When you play a shot, it’s tempting to stop the cue at the point it impacts upon the ball. This will only result in a weak dribbler, or an unholy mess. The correct way to play any shot is to play ‘through’ the ball, to ensure you hit the cueball with maximum speed and accuracy. Imagine you’re Bruce Lee punching through a brick wall. Just remember not to tear the cloth…

- Keep Your Elbow Straight!
An obvious one you might think, but when cueing you must pay attention to this. A tiny wobble in your elbow travels down the cue and translates you a mighty waver at the cue tip. This results in a miscue and looking like a fool in front of EVERYONE.

- Use The Elbow
All the power in your shot comes from your elbow, and using the weight of the cue itself. A smooth, straight cueing action will result in more powerful, accurate shots than trying to hammer it out without thinking.

- Control Your Power
Not every shot has to be a white bullet; in fact very few do on a 6ft or 7ft pool table. Snooker calls for a different approach and cue weight here but in pool less it more. Too much power can result in you destroying the lay of the balls, and therefore your path to victory.

So there you have it, the basics of cueing in pool, snooker and billiards. Check back for future posts on technique and how to become a world class billiards player!

Hot Shots

If you happen to be Canadian (or even if you're not) and you're in the market for a pool table, then check these guys out.



Hot Shots supply a full range of pool tables and accessories, foosball tables, darts, poker tables and table tennis. It's basically everything you need to furnish your home games room (or open your own bar!).

Products include:

• Olhausen Pool Tables (including the awesome 'Jack Daniels' and 'John Deere' editions
  
• Pool Table lighting, accessories & cloth
• Billiard balls
• Darts equipment
• Foosball tables
• Poker equipment
• Table Tennis
• Arcade Games
  

Though based in Ontario, Hot Shots are also happy to quote for shipping into the U.S. and worldwide, so if you see something you like then get in touch. For locals you can also go check out these products in the flesh at the showroom, located at:

Hot Shots Billiards & Darts
3150 Ridgeway Drive, Unit #25
Mississauga, Ontario
L5L 5R5

If you can't find the games table you are after here, then man, you are picky!

Hot Shots

Game Tables USA

If you are one of our US visitors looking to purchase a pool table, then you won't go far wrong with Game Tables USA.



These guys have a massive range of games tables to suit any home or budget, including pool tables, pool table equipment, air hockey tables, foosball tables, basketball games, shuffleboard - the list goes on!

Game Tables USA also supply a huge range of outdoor tables, so if you want to enjoy a bit of sun and a quick game of pool then you can go right ahead. These guys ship all over the continent, so it's worth a look wherever you are.

Game Tables USA - The Complete Internet Source for Indoor and Outdoor Game Tables.

Amazing Pool Trick Shots

So you think you're a pool pro? You are nothing compared to these trick shooting masters!

We have compiled for your viewing pleasure some of the most amazing pool trick shots in creation. You may be right, they probably do have too much time on their hands but I guarantee you will be impressed none the less!

5. Multi Table Domino Snake

This is a classic pool trick, mainly involving the humble domino, but it would be a crime to miss it from any pool trick shot list - it is pretty damn amazing.



4. Pool Tricks

Another classic five minute compilation of some pool trick shots. Hang on, shouldn't he be studying?



3. Eric Yow - Trickshot Madness

We couldn't have a trickshot list without having the master of masse, Eric Yow. This 5 minute compilation will have you running to the nearest pool table and ripping the cloth to pieces trying to re-create these amazing trick shots.



2. Painful Trick Shot

You'll be amazed in a different way at this beauty - remember, next time your friend says 'stand here and hold these' say NO!



1. Fast Larry's Two Table Trick Shot

Sure, you can pull all kinds of fancy tricks on one table, but crowning the list is Fast Larry, with some pin point accurate trick shot action - over two pool tables!

Questions About Pool Tables

Good Afternoon One and All,

It's another grey, muggy, slightly damp summer's day and time for another post. In the interests of keeping the information we put up here on the blog as relevant and useful to you as possible, we want to to know what you want to know!



So if you're thinking of buying a pool table, what are key things you need to know?

Maybe you've got a more specific question about pool tables and you haven't found the answer elsewhere?

Or maybe you're just interested - whatever the reason give us an email to the usual address (customerservice [@] topofthecue.com) with 'Blog Question' in the subject.

We'll have a root through and answer the best ones!

Tricues - A Review

It's been all quiet on the pool front for a while, however here at Top of the Cue HQ we have been playing away to get to grips with the new Tricues (now available on site).

The Tricue



The cue we were sent over, model 5058 is well finished. It features a dark wood four point veneer on the butt, with a yellow/black decal. The cue is finished to 18oz and is very well weighted, giving you much more control over your shots. It also features a nice dark grain on the shaft, and a 9.5mm tip. A solid brass centre joint and rubber butt disc round it off. The triangular section of the shaft is smooth and unobtrusive, sitting nicely in your bridging hand or rest. We also got sent a rather fine red soft case to keep it shiny and new.

All considered it's a very well made cue for the money, weighted well and finished to a very high standard.

So will it improve your game?

As amateurs (at best) in the world of pool, we found the Tricue a bit strange at first. Being used to a circular cue shaft it feels a little strange on the bridge hand until you get your grip sorted.

After a couple of games getting used to it we found it did make a bit of a difference. It definitely sits better in the 'V' between forefinger and thumb, but it does mean if you twist the cue slightly when shooting you will miscue. This may cause you problems if you do it intentionally, but we agreed it was mainly down to a rather unprofessional cueing style by one of the players.

The weight of the cue helps you getting used to the new design, and if the rest of the range are finished as professionally as this it won't be long before you forget this is any different to an normal cue. Except when you win of course. The only issue we found is that if you bridge very close to the tip of the cue, you find your bridge hand sliding between the triangular section and standard round end. I can only see this being a problem for people playing on smaller tables without a lot of bridge room however, and I'm sure there will be future Tricues to handle this as well.

It's difficult to say whether this new design will be accepted by the professional snooker and pool community, however if it can improve our monkeying around on the TOTC pool table I'd imagine a seasoned pro would be able to work wonders with it...

All in all Tricues are a welcome addition to the Top of the Cue stable, and we would highly recommend giving one a go.

Get yourself a Tricue for gawds sake!

Tricues - Is a triangle better than a circle?

We are constantly hunting for new products to play with and pass on to you, our lovely readers/customers - and this week has been no exception.

So without any further ado, we present the Tricue:



'What are Tricues?' I hear you cry, well...

The Tricue differs from your traditional pool cue or snooker cue because around one third of it is triangular. The cue has rounded edges to make the action just as smooth as a regular pool or snooker cue, but the flat sides provide much steadier contact with your bridge hand/rest.

The exact description from the Tricues site is: "The first 8cm of the cue (from the tip) is round section. The next 47-48cm of the cue has the patented Tricues triangular cross-section. The cue then returns to the standard round section to the butt."

While this cue is predominantly aimed at the snooker player, it can just as easily be transferred to the pool table as well. The current range of products is made up six two piece cues, and four three piece (three quarter split) cues ranging from around £40.00 up.

We are currently waiting for these to come into stock, so keep checking back as they are due in any day. We've also got one coming to the office so we will be giving it a thorough road test on the Top of the Cue pool table.

In the meantime if you want something a little more traditional, then check out our current range of pool cues and snooker cues - we've got plenty more where those came from!

Snooker 2008 World Championship Table!

I'm so excited I think a bit of wee came out!

The actual snooker table used in the 2008 Snooker World Championship at the Crucible is up for sale. This table is signed by the two finalists, Stephen Maguire and the Rocket himself, Ronnie O'Sullivan.



Look there it is sneaking into the bottom of the photo! And that's just a teaser of how awesome it will look in the flesh...

For more information click here now - and you will touching the cloth (so to speak) that has graced the hands of champions!