By Dylan J Stone
Thursday evening saw the first breaks of a 28-round 8-Ball season through the local pubs and clubs of Broken Hill for Division 2 and 3 players. Division 1 players begin their season in a couple of weeks’ time.
Alex Graham, the local 8-Ball Association’s Secretary, says there are six teams in Division 1, plus eight teams in a combined Division 2/3 from the Rising Sun Hotel, The Workies Club, The Musician’s Club, Junction Hotel, and Mulga Hill Tavern.
For the first time, the Association will be playing under the International Rules, which Mr Graham says, “are fastly replacing the old World Rules – also known as Two-Shot – all over the globe.”
“There are a few differences with these rules, when breaking there is a three-point system, which means three balls must either be potted from the break and/or pass the centre of the table. A genuine attempt must always be made to make contact with your ball, even when snookered. If no genuine attempt is made it is called a deliberate foul and is an automatic loss of the game.
“You can also pot your ball and your opponent’s ball in the same shot and keep going, this is known as a ‘skill shot’ or a ‘combination shot’. There is only one shot from a foul but you receive the cue ball in hand and can place it anywhere on the table. You can use your ball to pot your opponent’s ball and it is not a foul, it is called a ‘turnover shot’ and your opponents will have to play their shot from wherever the cue ball lies. This is a big tactical advantage shot.”
Ahead of the season, the Association held several workshops to explain the new rules to members, and held a knockout competition under the new rules so they could gain some experience playing under the new conditions.
‘There is a brief seven minute video on our Facebook page or, people can look up on YouTube for videos which explains the changes and gives beginners guides to International Rules,” says Mr Graham.
Aside from the change in rules, locally the Association has also altered the season’s format.
“It is now 16 games (four rounds of four frames), which also brings draws into the mix. Teams will receive four points for a win, two points for a draw and one point for a loss,” Mr Graham says
“In Finals, any draws will be met with tiebreakers, which are a captain’s choice of three players to play three frames and it will be the first team to reach two wins.”
After a turbulent few years due mostly to the pandemic, Mr Graham says, “it feels good to be moving in the right direction heading toward the future of our sport and hope everyone is keen for another great year of the game we love. We are looking forward to seeing all the old faces and some new ones this season. Good luck to everyone, and may the Pool gods be with you.”
“Good luck to everyone, and may the Pool gods be with you.”
One new face to the local 8-ball competition is Zen Lewin, who will be playing his first game of competition 8-ball for the Musos Knights.
“My parents used to play 8-ball and snooker, and that had me interested to try it from a young age. I never had the chance to go and play until I moved to Broken Hill and I found easily accessible 8-ball and snooker tables around town and got hooked.
“I’m definitely very keen for the season, it’s my first time playing in competition, and I personally enjoy the fast-paced change of the new rules, it’s also a great opportunity for me to get match experience against other good players.”
For those interested in taking up 8-ball as a hobby or a sport, Mr Lewin says, “the 8-ball Association have been extremely welcoming from the get-go. They all treated me the same and included me in everything. It’s been easy, since everyone shares a common interest and enjoys the game.”
If you are interested in playing 8-ball this season, you can contact the Association at either [email protected], or message them on their Facebook Page – Broken Hill 8 Ball Association Inc.
