15/2/2024

Dear Captains,

Please read this letter carefully and ensure your team members also have an opportunity to read it. Do let us know if you have any queries – you can contact Officers at any time through any of the contact details on the front page of the enclosed contacts list. But do please remember that we are all volunteers! Please read on for the usual important start of season news and details.

If you have any urgent queries on match nights, please contact John Dellafera on 07882 652234. Please note – John works shifts and may not be immediately available but will get back to you. On other nights, therefore, please do not call him after 10.00pm. At other times, please contact me in the first instance and leave a message on my voicemail if necessary.

Please ensure that you, or your designated e-mail contact person, e-mail us at the above address with your match result within 48 hours of your match each week. Please note – we are happy to receive e-mailed photos of your match sheet if convenient for you. Please note that, this season, we will be implementing the rule on penalties for persistent failure to submit results on time.

We will provide an up-to-date League Table each week in response, posted on our website with an e-mail when it has been updated. Please ensure that you instruct your designated e-mail person to check their Spam/Junk folders regularly as some e-mail programs might send “unsolicited” e-mails there directly.

Please note that we cannot guarantee League Tables will be available as promptly as we would like and this will depend entirely on my work commitments and sorting out website updates, as well as prompt submission of all teams’ results. The League website at www.selpool.co.uk has now been successfully operating for some five years – fixture lists and tables will be available at https://www.selpool.co.uk/league-tables.

Please ensure that you keep your Match Results Sheets safe – Captains are requested to bring their Match Results Sheets with them to the Officers and Captains meetings (see below) that they attend. Failure to complete them fully and legibly and to provide them when requested may result in penalties being imposed, as set out in Rule 6.1. If you have an Appeal, please put full details on the Appeal Form and send the form and UNSIGNED Result Sheet WITHIN 7 DAYS OF THE MATCH to me at the above address in accordance with Rule 7.5.

A copy of the Rules can be found on the website at https://www.selpool.co.uk/rules-of-play along with the League’s Constitution at https://www.selpool.co.uk/constitution. Please also get all your team members, especially those who referee games, to familiarise themselves with the Rules before the first League match of the season.

Please ensure there is no abuse of Referees during any game, or any match. Such abuse is not allowed by players, other team members or other supporters. Abuse of Referees can lead to

frames being forfeited and, in serious circumstances, to deduction of points or expulsion from

other competitions. In extreme circumstances a player or team could be suspended or expelled from the League if the incident justifies it in the opinion of the Officers and Captains. We do not expect to be and will no longer put up with being verbally abused on match nights by frustrated players and will always submit a complaint to the League Chairman if that happens in the future.

It is very important for the sustainability of the League that everyone assists in trying to increase the number of teams in the league next season – please help us by encouraging others to bring pool teams in. In the meantime, for this season, we have organised a calendar with one division, playing home and away once.  

Do let us know if you are experiencing any problems fulfilling your fixtures – we are here to help! Sadly, we have lost one team and one venue towards the end of last season, the Crown and Sceptre. We also welcome back returning past Captains; Pat Hennessy (Marquis of Lorne), Brian Willey (Prince of Wales B), and Wayne Owens (Smeta All Starz). We have a calendar that is achievable and should be enjoyable, although as always of course we don’t know what the weather will bring to disrupt it.

Please note that, once again, postponements will ONLY be permitted in exceptional and/or compassionate circumstances. Postponements will NOT be accepted if a team has a few players absent unless that match is rearranged IN ADVANCE of the scheduled date by the two Captains and the League Secretary or Assistant Secretary notified accordingly. No postponements will be possible in the Singles or Pairs competitions. Please remember, that matches should always go ahead if both teams have AT LEAST 4 players ready and able to play – that is also in the interests of the teams concerned as it means they avoid taking a 5 point penalty!

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING / PRESENTATION NIGHT: We are currently aiming to hold the next Annual General Meeting in mid-January 2024 so that we maximise the time available for the season. We are also currently aiming to hold the next Presentation Night separately from the AGM slightly earlier in January, subject to planning and confirmation.

OFFICERS AND CAPTAINS’ MEETINGS: As Captains will be aware, we now run the League through Officers and Captains meetings with FOUR dates fixed during the season, with three scheduled for Mondays and one for a Tuesday. These dates have all been fixed in advance on the dates set out in the calendar, but may be subject to alteration subject to unknown factors, such as football fixtures. Please note that it is expected, under Section 2 of the League’s Constitution, that all Captains will attend or be represented at every Officers and Captains Meeting (whether fixed in the calendar or not – as additional meetings may need to be arranged during the season).

CONSTITUTION AND RULE CHANGES: Please see the separate sheet on Constitution and Rule changes for 2024 as agreed at the AGM which include a change from bonus points for attendance at Officers and Captains Meetings to penalty points for non-attendance. Captains with issues to raise for discussion should bring them to one of these meetings.

SINGLES AND PAIRS: The format for these competitions will remain and the competitions will begin with an opening tournament. The format of the draw will depend on the total number of entries in each event, the winners of which will progress to the Quarter Finals. The nature of this event, however, makes it impossible for there to be postponements on the evening of that tournament so anyone who can’t make it would automatically forfeit unless another member of their team not already entered can take their place which should be notified to the Secretary or

Assistant Secretary in advance. Once a player has played their opening match, no further replacements can be made. Please ensure that any of your players wishing to enter are aware in advance of the date and keep it free.

As normal, we will take your entry fees for the Singles and Pairs quite early in the season with forms to be issued at the next Officers and Captains Meeting on Monday 8^th April and collected as per the Calendar. The draws will be done at the following Officers and Captains meeting and schedules will then be available in good time before matches are due to take place. Please note that the individual fees for these competitions will be £6 per player per competition or £10 for both with a team discount of 10% for teams entering 6+ players in the Singles and 3+ Pairs.

MAURICE WICK MEMORIAL TROPHY: This year we will be running this competition on a similar basis to last time. Maurice Wick was our Founder and long-serving Chairman and then President. Each team will be able to enter ONE player, nominated in advance to the Secretary or Assistant Secretary, with the addition of the defending champion and the League President. The exact format will be determined at the next Officers and Captains Meeting. The tournament will be played at the Smeta Club as the home venue of his team.

GOVERNORS CUP: Please encourage your landlords to enter themselves or nominate one of their staff members to play. This will be played at the Smeta Club on Monday 29^th April 2024, in accordance with our policy that it is played at the home venue of last season’s winner (Gary Owens). Once again, venues with two teams will be entitled to enter two bona fide bar staff members. Please remember that any Captain or Vice-Captain who is also a member of their pub’s bar staff or club’s bar staff / management committee will not be able to play in both competitions under the relevant rule.

REGISTERING NEW PLAYERS: As always, you may register new players for your team not listed on your original team registration as long as you notify the Secretary of the player(s)’ name(s) WITHIN 7 DAYS following the match in which they make their debut. It is good practice to do this in the e-mail with your match result. The deadline for registering new players will be Sunday 15^th September 2023 (debut match on Monday 9^th September).

Enjoy the season!

Best regards,

Simon Hooberman,

League Secretary New Paragraph