Bar billiards explained

Union:All England Bar Billiards Association
First:1930s
Contact:No
Category:Cue sport
Equipment:Cue, Billiard balls, Skittles

Bar billiards is a form of billiards which involves scoring points by potting balls in holes on the playing surface of the table rather than in pockets. Bar billiards developed from the French/Belgian game billard russe, of Russian origin. The current form started in the UK in the 1930s and now has leagues in Norfolk, Sussex, Berkshire, Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Surrey, Kent, Cambridgeshire, Hampshire, Suffolk, Yorkshire and Northamptonshire. These counties comprise the All England Bar Billiards Association. There are also leagues in Guernsey and Jersey where the annual world championships take place.

History

The game of bar billiards developed originally from the French billiard, which due to the expensive tables in the fifteenth century was played only by the French monarchy and the very rich.[1] The game was transformed into Billiard Russe during the 16th century for the Russian Tsars and a derivative of Bagatelle played by French royalty.

Bar billiards was first imported into the UK during the early 1930s when David Gill, an Englishman witnessed a game of billiard russe (Russian billiards)[2] [3] taking place in Belgium.[4] He persuaded the Jelkes company of Holloway Road in London to make a similar table. Tables were also made by Sams, Riley, Burroughs & Watts and Clare.[5] It is now a traditional bar game played in leagues in the English counties of Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Cambridgeshire, Hampshire, Kent, Norfolk, Northamptonshire, Oxfordshire, Suffolk, Surrey, Sussex and Yorkshire, and also the Channel Islands.[6] The game's governing body is the All England Bar Billiards Association. There are also leagues in Guernsey and Jersey. The standard "league" tables have a playing surface approximately 32 inches (81 cm) wide. Sams also made a narrower version with a 28-inch (71 cm) width playing surface.[7]

Gameplay

Bar billiards is played on a table with no side or corner pockets but with nine holes in the playing surface which are assigned various point values ranging from 10 to 200. There are eight balls in all, seven white and one red. Potting the red ball in any hole scores double points. On the playfield are normally placed three pegs or mushrooms. There are two white pegs one either side of the 100 hole with one black peg in front of the 200 hole.

Earliest versions of the game used wooden mushrooms instead of pegs which have a thin curved stalk and a flattish rounded cap. These were normally placed in front of the 50 and 200 holes often with a fourth mushroom in front of the 100 hole. This version was often referred to as Russian billiards, probably named after the very similar French and Belgian game French: billard russe which has a longer history, neither are to be confused with the common billiards game in Russia. There are a couple of leagues that still play this version in East Anglia in the Norwich and Sudbury areas.

If a white peg is knocked over then the player's break is ended and all score acquired during that break is discarded. Knocking down the black peg ends the player's break and all points are lost. In the case that a white and a black peg are both knocked over, then the first peg to be knocked over is counted.

All shots are played from the front end of the table so access to all sides is not required which is ideal in a small bar or pub. At the start of the game or when there are no balls remaining on the table, a white ball is placed on the spot labelled D on the table and the red ball is placed on the spot in front of that. This break shot may be done a maximum of three times; if both balls are potted before, one ball must remain on the table known as the 1-up, failing to leave this one ball up results in a foul and loss of break. The next shot attempted is the 'split shot' where the object ball is usually potted in the 50 hole and the cue ball is potted in the 100 hole. There are variants to this; sometimes it is necessary to pot the balls into the 50 and 10 holes for example. If successful the break shot, can be used again and so on.

Players take alternate turns or breaks at the table, playing from where their opponent has left off. If the player fails to pot a ball then the break has ended and the second player takes their break by placing another ball on the first spot. If all balls are in play, then the nearest ball to the D is removed and put on the spot. If a player fails to hit a ball, then the break ends and all points earned in that break are lost.

The play is time-limited. A coin will usually give around 17 minutes of play, dependent on region. After this time a bar drops inside the table stopping any potted balls from returning, leading to a steady decrease in the number of balls in play. The last ball can only be potted into either the 100 or 200 hole having been played off either side cushion.[8]

The Bar Billiards world championship takes place each November on the island of Jersey.[9] [10]

World Championship results history

The Bar Billiards World Championship (called the British Isles Open up to 1999) is held every year in Jersey.

Yearwidth=110pt Winner fromwidth=110pt Runner-up from Reference
1981Harry Siddall JerseyDerek Payne Oxfordshire[11]
1982Graham Bisson JerseyClarrie Querrie Jersey
1983Tim Ringsdore JerseyMicky Daw Jersey
1984Peter Noel JerseyDon Cadec Jersey
1985Bernie McCluskeyBerkshire Peter Webb Guernsey
1986Dave Harris Berkshire Peter Noel Jersey
1987Wayne Poingdestre JerseyKevin Tunstall Oxfordshire
1988Alan Le Blond JerseyMicky Daw Jersey
1989Trevor Gallienne GuernseyBob Taylor Kent
1990Steve Ahier JerseyTerry Race Sussex
1991Steve Ahier JerseySimon Tinto Surrey[12]
1992Dennis Helleur JerseyHarry Barbet Jersey
1993Kevin Tunstall OxfordshireGraham Bisson Jersey
1994Kevin Tunstall OxfordshireTony Walsh Berkshire
1995Tony Walsh Berkshire Mark Brewster Kent
1996Terry Oakley SurreyDon Cadec Jersey
1997Jim Millward SussexSteve Ahier Jersey
1998Keith Sheard OxfordshireNick Barnett Jersey
1999Peter Noel JerseyTerry Race Sussex
2000Bernie McCluskey Berkshire Bob King Jersey
2001Jim Millward SussexKevin Tunstall Oxfordshire
2002Terry Race SussexNigel Ryall Jersey
2003Jim Millward SussexTerry Race Sussex
2004Terry Race SussexNigel Ryall Jersey
2005Graeme Le Monnier JerseyHarry Barbet Jersey
2006Kevin Tunstall OxfordshireJim Millward Sussex
2007Trevor Gallienne GuernseyJim Millward Sussex
2008Trevor Gallienne GuernseyKevin Tunstall Sussex[13]
2009Phil Collins OxfordshirePaul Sainsbury Berkshire
2010Jim Millward SussexGraham Bisson Jersey
2011Kevin Tunstall SussexSteven Sheard Oxfordshire
2012Kevin Tunstall SussexPaul SainsburyBerkshire
2013Mark Trafford OxfordshireNigel SeniorSussex
2014David IngramSussexKevin TunstallSussex
2015Paul Sainsbury Berkshire James Jeanne Jersey[14]
2016Matthew JonesBuckinghamshire Mark BrewsterKent[15]
2017Mark Trafford OxfordshireKevin Tunstall Sussex[16]
2018Paul Sainsbury KentPhil Osbourne Sussex[17]
2019Kevin Tunstall West Sussex [18] Martin Cole West Sussex[19]
2020- - [20]
2021Mark Trafford Oxfordshire [21] Trevor Gallienne Guernsey [22]
2022Kevin Tunstall West Sussex Trevor Gallienne Guernsey [23]
2023Matthew JonesBuckinghamshire Trevor Gallienne Guernsey [24]

Multi-time world champions

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Billiard Russe Talou . museedutalou.fr . 2017.
  2. Book: Powell, Anthony . Anthony Powell

    . . Anthony Powell . 285–286 . . 1952 . 1976.

  3. Book: Powell, Anthony . Anthony Powell

    . . Anthony Powell . 154 . . 1955 . 1976.

  4. Web site: History of Bar Billiards . agames.narod.ru . 2001.
  5. Web site: Bar Billiard Tables. hubblesports.co.uk . 2020.
  6. Web site: Bar Billiards Rules . rulesofsport.com . 2019.
  7. Web site: Bar Billiards - History and Useful Information . tradgames.org.uk . 2020.
  8. News: Bar Billiards Rules for Beginners . theukrules.co.uk. 2020.
  9. News: Bar Billiards World championships . jerseybarbilliardleague.co.uk . 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200812055150/http://www.jerseybarbilliardleague.co.uk/world-championship-history/4550030136 . 12 August 2020 . dead.
  10. News: Bar Billiards History of the World championships . Jersey Bar Billiard League . 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160802122325/http://www.jerseybarbilliardleague.co.uk/download/i/mark_dl/u/4008840835/4589794603/WorldChampHistory.doc . 2 August 2016 . dead.
  11. Web site: Timeline of National Bar Billiards History - Part 1 - 1972 to 1991 (pre-BB Quarterly) . All England Bar Billiards Association (AEBBA) . 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20181013010442/https://docs.google.com/document/d/12AUre70nyZRXURC4puhMUp-M5SKm6Zb4eMXxTsCPhnE/pub . 13 October 2018 . live.
  12. Web site: Timeline of National Bar Billiards History - Part 2 - 1991 to 2006 (Info Extracted from Peter Farrelly's Bar Billiards Quarterlies) . All England Bar Billiards Association (AEBBA) . 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20181013012257/https://docs.google.com/document/d/1O1IaMoSGD3SICM6-_THD12K59H3pxt111hiSm8myD-c/pub . 13 October 2018 . live.
  13. Web site: Timeline of National Bar Billiards History - Part 3 - 2007 to 2018 (Comprises a Summary of Nigel Senior's Bi-Monthly AEBBA Newsletters . All England Bar Billiards Association (AEBBA) . 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20181013014957/https://docs.google.com/document/d/1aufdTzNPNh2XQK4ddWBDw8SlD3g2Ind6vKS7oZHGo7s/pub. 13 October 2018 . live.
  14. Web site: World Championships 2015 . British Bar Billiards . 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20181013000436/http://barbilliards.proboards.com/thread/18115/world-championships-2015-live . 13 October 2018 . live.
  15. Web site: World Championships 2016 . Jersey Bar Billiard League . 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20181012235846/http://www.jerseybarbilliardleague.co.uk/wc-2016/4593231309 . 12 October 2018 . live.
  16. Web site: World Championships 2017 . Jersey Bar Billiard League . 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20181012234520/http://www.jerseybarbilliardleague.co.uk/wc-2017/4594119085 . 12 October 2018 . live.
  17. Web site: 2018 final-live-updates. British Bar Billiards . 2018 .
  18. Web site: 2019 World Championships Results page 4 . British Bar Billiards . 2019 .
  19. Web site: 2019 World Championships Results page 1. British Bar Billiards . 2019 .
  20. Web site: Cancellation of the 40th World Championships 2020. British Bar Billiards . September 9, 2020 .
  21. Web site: Staff member Mark Trafford celebrates third Bar Billiards World Championship win . jesus.ox.ac.uk . 12 November 2021.
  22. Web site: 2021 world championships . British Bar Billiards . November 2, 2021.
  23. Web site: World Championships Results 2022 Live Data. British Bar Billiards . 14 November 2022 .
  24. Web site: 2023 World Championship Singles . British Bar Billiards . 15 November 2023 .