Play in the final qualifying round of the UK Championship began today at 9am – surely the earliest ever start for ranking event matches – because the Pontin’s holiday camp in Prestatyn was hosting a huge dance event.
It was feared that noise from the Ultimate After Party – a 52-hour rave for some 1,500 young people – was putting players off.
Matches were taken off at 12pm and the second session started half an hour late at 4.30pm to accommodate the final afternoon’s dance events.
A WPBSA spokesman told me: “We’d been told we’d be OK but the bass was coming through the building.
“We had a meeting with the organisers and decided to start at 9am and finish at 12pm, which was when their finale started.”
Talk about a clash of cultures. In one part of the camp, a live set by DJ Sammy; in another, Fergal O’Brien and Joe Delaney playing a best of 17.
According to the BCA website, dance organisers had “hired the entire Pontin’s complex and is turning it into the largest entertainment site in the UK.”
This isn’t the first time this has happened. The WPBSA once scheduled the World Billiards Championship over four days at the same North Wales venue but had to hastily cram it all into three days when they realised the Tidy Weekender rave was taking place there.
This was billed as “dirty smut action with lustful ladies and super studs” – the rave that is, not the billiards.
The irony is that the WPBSA chose to take the Saga Masters qualifying tournament to the new World Snooker Academy in Sheffield the day after the Malta Cup qualifiers – causing a trek up north for all and sundry.
Had they played the UK Championship in Prestatyn after the Malta qualifiers and then gone to Sheffield for the Masters this week – rather than make everyone go to Yorkshire and then come back – there wouldn’t have been a problem.
Still, the players would then have had to miss the “craziest party in the UK” – not my words, but the words of Fatman Scoop.
What he thinks about the York line-up is as yet unclear.
4 comments:
Nothing to do with this post but I'm very happy that John Parrott qualified.
8-5 down I thought he had no chance on winning. I think he also done good in the first session, 4-4 after being 3-1 down.
He made a break of 53 in the final frame. Do you know if he made any other breaks over 50?
Dave,
I think we've talked about this in a past posting.
Surely, after making breaks to the music of DJ Sammy - which must be fantastic(!) - the time has come to move all qualifying from next season to the new Sheffield Academy.
At least the chaotic travelling will then stop, plus they could pot balls to The Long Blondes rather than Fatman Scoop...
Thanks, Joe
The Sheffield Academy isn't suitable for ranking event qualifiers. There are only eight tables so nobody can practice if they are all being used.
Nobody complains about the playing arenas at Prestatyn but it's true not everyone likes the holiday camp itself.
However, the WPBSA get this for free so to move would mean they incur costs.
Well, I suppose if there is a disco and you've won your qualifying match, Prestatyn must be great.
If not, you'd probably want to wrap the snooker cue around the DJ's head.
How come the WPBSA get the venue for a free fee. That sounds incredibly generous. Then again, the WPBSA needs all the help it can get.
Thanks, Joe
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