NEWS from the NORTH WEST

The Macclesfield & District League

The League has now entered its fifth season and from a starting strength
of six teams, we have progressed (albeit not altogether smoothly) to a
current compliment of eight. We now have about 50 registered players,
of whom some 30 play reasonably regularly in the league.

For the first three years the management committee set handicaps at
the beginning of the season and adjustments were made, where
necessary, at the season mid-point. Last season we introduced the
“floating handicap” system (loser up 5 points, winner down 5), which
proved a huge success. Going into the last game, five teams had a
chance of winning the league and the final table showed only 15 points
between the top and bottom teams !

Our deliberate policy of providing inexpensive billiards to the playing
fraternity, requires us to run a fund-raising event each season. For the
current year we are investigation the possibility of holding a billiards
exhibition evening, with a top-class amateur playing two of the local
players, followed perhaps by a demonstration of basic billiards shots
and/or trick shots.

From the outset, the management committee has striven to provide a
framework which, although competitive, would also provide an
enjoyable evening out for the players. I’m pleased to say that the current
feedback indicates that the balance is just about right.