The Winter/Spring 2015 organizational meeting was held in Sin Bin on January 7th, 2015. Everyone looked really well.

26 teams registered for the new season. There is one new bar, Bulldog Lounge, located on the main strip between the Hamilton Hotel and Hollywood.

The executive committee for 2015 will be:

President: Dominic Johnson

Vice President: Ronan Spillane

Secretary: Jumie Ahn

Treasurer: Mark Jones

First off, Dominic spoke about the captains’ responsibilities:

1)           Please ensure score sheets are correctly filled out and entered on the website as soon as possible after the match.

2)            Send a Kakaotalk photo of the score sheet to the President or Vice President after the match. Alternatively please drop off the score sheets at Scrooge Bar. These are important as they can help settle any possible disputes.

3)            Enter any new or migrated (this can’t be done until the season starts) players into the website as soon as possible. If you don’t know how to do this please speak to any league official and we’ll help you understand the process.

4)            Make sure team fees (350,000won) are paid by January 28th. The team fees can be paid to Mark Jones and he will be based at Scrooge Pub for the first three matches of the season. Any team that has not paid by that date risks elimination from the league and loss of deposit

5)            Manage your team’s behaviour. This is a social pool league and we aim to promote good sportsmanship and friendly competition. Please work with others throughout the league to settle any disputes fairly. We have a lot of experience in the league and most weeks you’ll be playing with or against someone who has worked for the league in the past so let’s try and resolve any problems amicably. If major disputes do arise you can contact anyone on the committee for advice on the night of the game.

6)            Make sure your table is free for an opposing team to practice on at 7pm or half an hour before the start of a game. If possible try to make sure the bar regularly keeps its table in the best possible condition.

7)            Make sure your home bar provides the required refreshments for the visiting team.

There were a number of proposals voted on by the captains. Discussion was lively but well-mannered, and only one person cried.

Proposal 1: to keep the way the divisions are seeded.

16 voted for the proposal, 6 against. The proposal was carried so the divisions will be seeded in the usual way.

Proposal 2: to have home and away matches within the division.

0 voted for the proposal, 16 against. The proposal was defeated so the schedule will be made as normal.

Proposal 3: to change the playoff system in some way.

This passed with a vote of 15:1.

Proposal 4: To adopt the “Aussie System” for playoffs.

The proposal passed with a vote of 16:6. This means that only 4 teams from 16 will be eliminated after the first round of playoffs. 12 teams will play at least 2 games.

Proposal 5: to reward the first place team at the end of the regular season.

This proposal squeaked through after a vote of 9:7.

Proposal 6: to change the name of the “Best of the Rest” playoff division.

This was a huge success with 15 captains voting for the change and one rogue voting against. No specific name was voted on but renaming the playoff divisions Championship A and Championship B was mooted.

Proposal 7: to handicap the blind draw doubles tournament.

This proposal passed with a vote of 16:2. As a result, the players registered for these tournaments will be split into higher and lower ranked groups. Each team will then be drawn randomly, with 1 player from each group to ensure no ‘super teams’.

Proposal 8: to reintroduce a win for 8-ball off the break.

This was defeated with a vote of 3:14. The 8-ball off the break rule remains unchanged.

Proposal 9: to give a regular ball in hand (not only from behind the head string) for a foul on the break.

This was defeated after a vote of 1:16. The rule remains unchanged.

A discussion ensued about the visiting team’s refreshments, i.e. 2 pitchers of beer or equivalent. Some members feel it is unfair that they can’t have a soda/ juice instead of beer. It was pointed out that:

1. The responsibility to provide the pitchers of beer lies with the home team, not the home bar. The bars usually provide the pitchers as part of the team sponsorship. This is a kindness on the bar’s part, not a requirement.
2. If some team members can’t/ don’t want to drink beer then they can ask the bar nicely if they can have a soda instead. Many bar owners will agree to substitute sodas for a pitcher, some won’t. That is their prerogative.
3. It was stressed that the bars are businesses and are run to make a profit. It would be nice if each member of the team purchased at least one beverage of some sort, and not just accept the free pitchers without spending a penny.

There was also a discussion about the rising costs of the banquet. There were some proposals made:

1. The banquet would be free to all members who played in 5 separate matches. Other members would pay a reduced fee to gain entrance. Non-members would still pay the full entrance fee.
2. All members would pay 5,000 won at the banquet, regardless of the number of matches played.
3. Find another venue for the banquet.

There was no vote taken on the night. There will be a vote at the midseason meeting following discussions/ idea-sharing on the forum.

Finally, it was eloquently pointed out that the double hit rule isn’t well understood by a lot of members. The captains were asked to ensure their players understood the rule and how to avoid the foul. It was also suggested that referees be lenient and point out the foul to an inexperienced player before it happens.

Everybody then left and went on to live long, fulfilling lives