Sponsorship boost for Coleraine Tennents Pool League

There was a good turnout of players looking forward to the season ahead and they were greeted with the welcome news that Tennents had confirmed they will continue their sponsorship into next season.

League Chairman Chris Baxter expressed his gratitude to those at Tennents for continuing to stick by the league, especially in these tough financial times.

The 2009/10 financial report was presented to the members and it was highlighted how much the sponsorship the league receives enables it to continue functioning at such a high level.

The election of officer bearers was presided over by league stalwart Raymond Stockman, with all positions declared open. However, Raymond immediately proposed that all office bearers re-take their positions if they were happy to do so.

This was seconded by George Cameron, agreed unanimously by those present, and all officer bearers were happy to stay in their posts. Ady Toner was voted on to the committee which, otherwise, also stayed the same.

The office bearers are, Chairman, Chris Baxter; Asst Chairman, Kieran Doherty; Treasurer, Arthur McMullan; Secretary / Press Officer, Raymond Baxter.

Committee: John McIlreavy, Tommy McDonald, George Cameron, DD Campbell, Ady Toner.

The rest of the meeting ran relatively smoothly, with reminders for captains to fully complete scorecards at all times. Decisions were made to remove the stipulations which had been placed on the Scotch Doubles matches the previous year and to change the ’30-second rule’ to a ‘one-minute rule’. Some of the more senior players will be happy with this one!

Furthermore, the players were informed that the committee planned to slightly shorten the season, by finishing up before the end of March. This was in response to feedback from players last season.

The secretary also explained that the league had offered the NIPA the opportunity to use a day of the Festival of Pool to host one of their major competitions. The NIPA have agreed, and they will be bringing the prestigious Northern Ireland Mens and Ladies Individual Championships to the Lodge Hotel on Sunday, March 13, 2011.

It does mean a reschedule of the Festival programme, but the League should be proud to host such an event.

As stated above, the league would not survive without the support of our sponsors. There are currently a couple of sponsorship opportunities within the league, and any business/individual interested in supporting us, can contact the secretary for further information.

The next league meeting will be held in the Railway Arms on Tuesday, August 31 at 8pm sharp.

All teams who want to participate in the league for the forthcoming season must attend this meeting, they must bring their initial squad list of eight players, and they must bring all registration fees.

Anyone requiring further information please contact the league secretary. The secretary can be contacted on phone 07909585853 or email [email protected].

* The committee and players of the Coleraine Tennents League wish to express their sincere condolences to Davy Tosh on the death of his father at the weekend.