CA Merit Awards

[<<] [>>] by Bruce Rannie
2nd August 2006 (CqE Official News)

Roger Staples (Middlesbrough CC) achieved a notable feat in the recent Tyneside Midweek Handicap Tournament by qualifying for a Bronze Award and a Silver Award in the same match. This has been done before, the last time by Patrick Swales at the Surbiton Easter Tournament in 2004 - coincidentally Patrick won the Tyneside event this time.

However, Roger's game provides a useful reminder about the conditions for the Silver Award. He was playing David Appleton, receiving seven bisques, and had used two to make 11 hoops with the first ball (qualifying for the Bronze Award). The break for the second ball started without any bisques, and continued in this vein until he had completed all twelve hoops (potential Silver Award). However, he had not taken the opportunity to peel the first ball through Rover, although that had been feasible, preferring to concentrate on the solid twelve. If he had then used any bisques to peel Rover posthumously, and peg the two balls out, then the Silver Award would be invalidated, so he exited left, expecting that the remaining five bisques would be sufficient to win the game, thus completing the final condition for both Awards.

The conditions for the Silver Award do not allow the use of bisques in any part of the complete turn, to set up the break, during the break, or in the leave after the break - completing a peg-out is as solid a leave as one would wish for, so that has to be done without bisques!