Jersey Festival of Pool - Preview 2 - 2004-08-15 17:53:52
Just as I thought it was safe to come out of the water ! What am I talking about? The advertised P.P.P.O ranking event at the 2005 Jersey Festival of pool. Or more accurately the P.P.P.O ranking which was planned for the 2005 Jersey festival of pool, which unfortunately will not now be going ahead. The festival will still go ahead, the Pro- am will still go ahead but it will have nothing whatsoever do with the P.P.P.O...

To briefly explain the circumstances as to why, is not as overly straight forward as one would imagine, indeed even now after having it confirmed, I am still not sure quite why their representative Pat O’ Kane has turned down the opportunity to have their customary ranking event. I have always supported the P.P.P.O basically because so many over the years have been my close personal friends, and when they knew the Jersey Festival was going to be back on next year they asked me if I would try and persuade the new sponsors to put on a professional event. As most of you will know I had for the previous six years always given the professionals an event. I arranged it, I sorted it out and with Pat O’Kane’s direct help got most of the professionals to attend. Unlike some organisers I never asked for anything, there was no financial demands made to them. I was only too happy to do it, and by and large we had a great time. Tony Batch their chairman asked me to try and arrange one, Pat O Kane had promised their universal support for 2005, and Paul Bebb their secretary wrote me a letter of authority allowing me to negotiate on their behalf. The new sponsors despite my most loquacious arguments wouldn’t donate £5,000 to a professional only event but I was chuffed to bits when they did agree to have a £5,000 pro - am. No catches, no minimum numbers had to attend, they didn’t have to bring a certain amount of people with them, £5,000 straight forward, just one round against an amateur, and it was all arranged. All was sweet with the world, or so I thought.........................I was wrong !!!!! During their recent world championships at Bridlington, some two months later, they decided because the proposed event included the participation of amateurs, it couldn’t be a ranking event and as such would not as a body be supporting it. To say I was and am disappointed would be putting it mildly, I find it amazing that when the boys at the P.P.P.O struggle so badly for tournaments that they can afford to turn a £5k event down in such a manner . Pat, my oldest mate in the entire pool world, argues, that accepting the deal offered would be to weaken the standing the professionals have in relation to negotiating for other events, and he further feared that other tournaments would perhaps follow suit and change any proposed professional events into pro - ams. I find this incredulously naive. What the professionals ( all professionals ) have got to realise is that from a marketing point of view their product is not an overly strong one. The tangible benefits one gains form holding a professionals event are, apart from perhaps the perceived prestige which has been dwindling year on year to the extent that it currently is at its lowest ever ebb, negligible, with the P.P.P.O in particular relying heavily on friendships rather than commercial worth to support and put on an event. Professionals don’t drink more than amateurs, they pay the same money to get there as an amateur the only real difference is that they normally walk away with more money than the amateur. If there was television involved everything would be different, but there isn’t nor is there likely to be. When I negotiated their event for them, I had no knowledge that they had changed their constitution, no-one had ever told me and it is all very disappointing indeed. More so in fact when they or more particularly Pat as their promotions manager have instead agreed to send half of their members, on an invitational basis, although Pat admitted, who would actually go has not been worked out yet, to a rival pro-am for £2,000 less money, rather than, it would appear to let all of them play for £5,000 As one who spouts democracy at every turn, though I disagree entirely with their choice and more relevantly Pat’s weird logic for doing so, I respect their right to do so. Reluctantly I have no alternative than to wish them well, both now and in all future negotiations. I certainly will not fall out with Pat over this, he is like a brother to me, but it does unfortunately prevent me from ever trying to get anything for their association in the future, I am not that stupid, to be bit twice by the same guard dog. SO WHAT DOES IT ALL MEAN ? Right basically as I am a man of my word, nothing in regards to the format will change from the event. Obviously the PPPO will no longer feature on the brochures, and will have no involvement whatsoever to do with the event. I am just glad they hadn’t quite gone to print, then I would have been acutely embarrassed. The event will still be the Sam Leisure, Danny Strange memorial PRO AM. All those members of the P.P.P.O who are not invited to the £3K pro-am invitational event will be welcome, as indeed to be honest will anyone who does go, assuming of course they want to and can afford in either time or money to do so. Any member of the I.P.A who wishes to enter can do so. I don’t think as it carries no political bias or allegiance it will upset their hierarchy. In fact I was close to asking you if your members wanted it as a ranking event following Pats decision . Whilst we are at it, sod it if you are an American pool player who has got professional status you too can enter, I would love to see messers Donlon and Tucker again, although I do ask if they are still designated pool professionals ? Basically the first 32 professional players of any political loyalty to enter will be the seeded players.( make sure you highlight the fact on your entry forms when they arrive so there will be no confusion ) The Danny Strange memorial pro am will be just that. If you are a professional and you want to come and share in the reward of being seeded into the event purely because your elevated status in the game then you are more than welcome. Pat, who with big Ron will hopefully be there regardless, it wouldn’t be the same if he wasn’t, has given me his blessing both for any of his members who wish to come can, and for the event full stop, and hopefully the IPA hierarchy will do similarly. Nik Hammond assures me that such a mix worked extremely well earlier in the year and hopefully in Jersey when we celebrate our 21st birthday it can do so again. Howard Miller