LATEST MATCH REPORTS...

At the beginning of the day, few of us would, in fairness to our south coast opponents, have taken a draw, but given the way the day went, we have every reason to be happy with it. We were never ahead in this match - from the word go we were playing catch up and whenever we threatened to go on a roll a combination of Sussex execution and our own sloppy mistakes and poor shot selection contrived to keep them ahead. They extended their lead such that at one point it was 19-12 to them. That we drew it back to 21-21 is quite an achievement, and Paul Dawson was just the man to win the final frame to ensure the draw 22-22.

It was a terribly disappointing performance from what should be a terrific London team. It's not as if we didn't have the chances - too often we threw away opportunities on the black. Truth is, Sussex didn't always play that great either, it was a really scrappy affair, but some of their players had classy moments and the majority of their players took their chances while ours didn't. That we were only 6-5 down after the first quarter was a bit of a result, but there was to be no waking up as we lost the next quarter 7-4, and the third quarter 6-5. Winning the final quarter 8-3 was therefore a massive achievement and a testament to true LONDON BALLS!

What was crucial to us was a win from Paul D at the end of the third quarter, following four straight losses. Andre and Dean followed suit, and Stacy, James and Charlie made vital contributions (James missed a black for a great break-dish and played to the galleries a bit when it came to putting it to bed!). Mo also won but the less said about this game the better - few have witnessed such a farcical end to a county game as Mo missed two chances on the black and on each occasion his opponent missed aswell, including missing (and I don't just mean missing, I mean MISSING) the black over the bag, allowing Mo to rescue his dignity and keep the match alive. Richard then won to draw us level, and Peter Mac was desperately unlucky not to take us dormy - he played some wonderful tactical pool but was undone by an outrageous bit of fortune from his opponent who managed to entirely miss the black, send the white into the knuckles so that it bounced back, bounced OVER the balls, then bounce back off the opposite side cushion to hit the black and leave Pete safe! Then, Pete potted his penultimate ball only to go in off. But Paul 'Balls of Steel' Dawson won the final frame for the draw. Phew!

Cracking match, for tension, but not for the quality of pool! Paul Dawson gets man of the match for 4 out of 4. However, I feel like a runner-up prize is needed for Charlie Court, who took 3 from 4 and held his nerve in some tough situations. Well done Charlie! Stacy Redman also got 3 from 4 and made some huge contributions. Those three guys were absolute anchors. Andre Cox, Dean Daley, Paul Shrimpton, Richard Chapman and the aforementioned Mo Gulaid got 2 from 4. James Sheed got 1 from 2, Peter McCafferty 1 from 4. Baz Folkard and Mark Hester got 0 from 2 in the first half - Mark had just picked up his player of the year trophy for last season and knows he needs to pick his form up this year. Shane Hutley came on and got 0 from 2 but once again had absolutely no run.

I really hope we sort out our problems before we take on Kent next month at Chatham. Let's remember the final quarter rather than the previous three! Let's also remember the dress code - our opposing captain raised concerns about three of our player's trousers, and while he agreed in the spirit of good sportsmanship to let it pass, we must make sure our trousers are regulation. I agree with him on two of those, so Stacy and Mo, please invest in some proper black dress trousers! Paul S, I am not so convinced his concerns about the shininess of your pantaloons are as legitimate, but let's nonetheless make sure we don't give our opponents any reason to complain!

One final word - the Wednesday practice session is not well attended by C team players. I myself cannot make it due to other commitments, and I realise some of you have league commitments on a Wednesday. I'd like you all to suggest which day of the week would be best for you to attend a pre-county practice. Rupert and I were chatting about the possibility of running one session on a day which is best for C players, so can you inform me which day would suit you best so we have an idea of what to do next month.

If anyone still needs to pay subs, our period of leniency has come to an end. Money and photos need to be with me/Jerry by the end of the month.

To end on a positive - I am proud of the fighting spirit we showed in that last quarter. That's the London I recognise! Let's see a bit more of that from earlier on next time! And, also a big thanks to our mascots and supporters - all of whom contribute to London's one big family!

Yours in pool
The Doctor