Comments

or queries otherwise if they are contentious or controversial they will require scrutiny before publication. A selection of all your sincere comments and queries will be displayed on this page. You can email these to:

To NORTHERN IRELAND OFFICIALS

Hi I was just wondering is there any chance of an up to date ranking list so that all the players including myself know exactly where we stand in the rankings. I have noticed that the rankings haven't been on the website.

Yours in sport

Raymond Fry

RAYMOND FRY

OPS AGENT &

ENVIRONMENT OFFICER/

BELFAST TD Posted10 November 2008.

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Bring back the good times

First i would like to say congratulations to the association for the website, It is really helpful and it is great to see the information, results and rankings only a click away. I really think snooker in Northern Ireland is moving in the right direction and just hope all the players and new players can continue to support the tournaments for the coming season. I for one still really enjoy playing snooker and can't wait for the new season to start.
Also great to see the old photos, so lets bring back the good times!!

Declan Lavery
Thanks Declan for your comments.

Hope you enjoy the new season.

Webmaster. Dated 14 July 2008

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Disgruntled but loyal player

Is there any new information on a possible new ranking system for next season? The current

ranking system is plainly hopeless, and at least with it being a one year list at the minute, if it is

changed, no players will lose all their hard earned points out of the blue unlike the last time

when it was needlessly altered after 20 years of everyone being happy with it!

Dear Disgruntled but loyal player

In answer to your question, the new 1-year ranking system was introduced as a method of a more up to date reflection of current form in the rankings rather than players sitting in high positions from matches played up to almost 2 years ago as

in the old system.

t also means all players start the season on a level footing and have a chance of getting a high ranking and possibly

the Number 1 spot which may lead to a WPBSA Main Tour Spot. All of the other home nations adopt a 1-year list and

this is now universally accepted, this is the way to go now with the ranking system.Finally, I see you are commenting under the name of a "disgruntled but LOYAL player". If you are a player of note on our

ranking list I'm sure other players may be interested to know why you are concerned but will pay little attention to your

comment without knowing by what authority you can claim "( that the current ranking system is hopeless )"

when 95% of our members ( for the reasons I have stated above ) are fully in favour of it.

I would appreciate if you would give your actual name as comments are appreciated from all players and all

comments and ideas are taken seriously by the Association.

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I agree with you it is good to see the comments page being upgraded, of course this,

is always entirely in the hands of our clubs and members. I can only publish constructive

The Northern Ireland Championship was one of the topics in our various discussions

about tournaments at the AGM and it was agreed to again, put it out for clubs to tender

as is done every year, so this decision is not solely in the hands of our executive committee

many of our affiliated clubs have stated their interest in hosting the NI Championship.

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Your e/mail dated 23rd June '08 cannot be published on the comments page of our website

as this website will not be used as a platform to allow anyone to make derogatory remarks

Your two delegates who represented your club at the Annual General Meeting on 17th June inst.

should have told you: all the people elected at the said AGM, were the only names included on the

nomination forms returned from our affiliated clubs to our secretary, voting was not required.

Your club had also the same opportunity to nominate the people they wanted to see in the offices of

our Association, they obviously choose not to do so, which I believe would vanquish all your comments.

With reference to your satirical expression in your 2nd e/mail on 24th June '08 " Also it will be

something new on there as it hasn't been updated since 1st may and before that december".

Any web-master can only post into the website the comments received from interested

clubs or members, everything that has been forwarded until now has been posted,

as mentioned above and the reason given, yours is the first one that will not be published.

P.S. if you care to send me something that will help take our sport forward I will be delighted to publish

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To the Webmaster 26th June 2008.

Congratulations to Julian Logue on being named Northern Ireland team manager. Does the Northern Ireland Council have any

say in the selection of any of the teams? Well done on the great website! Can we please see more old photographs of

Inter-Island/Inter-Provincial teams and the pictures that have been taken after each ranking tournament final over the

past 20 years?

Snooker Fan

Dear Snooker Fan

Thank you for your comment.

At the AGM the delegates decided to leave the total selection of the teams to the team

managers appointed. I.E. Julian Logue - men's team. Brian Richmond - U 19 team.

Joe Bingham - U 16 team. The over Forties team is always by qualification.

Yes there will be more old photographs, as I am continually searching for these, if you have

any or know anyone who does, please contact me through our INFO page, many other viewers

are also wanting to see more. PS if you know the date or location of any of the photos already

on the "Yesteryear page" please let me know. thank you.

Good luck

Webmaster.

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To ni snooker - from NI Billiards Player.

Is there any reason why your billiards section has not been updated since last year,

can the two associations not work together on this matter and try and get results and

tournaments on the website! I think it is disappointing that billiards is being pushed to one

side and being ignored, apart from that I think it is a really good website and a credit to the

people that are putting all the hard work in.

Thank you.

Thanks for your Mail. I am delighted that at last someone has noticed there is

nothing coming forward from the Billiards Section. The Website can only publish

information from the responsible source. I'm sure you will have read our appeal

for information on our front page, under the heading "YOUR ATTENTION PLEASE"

I cannot agree with you that "the Billiards is being pushed to one side and being

The Billiards people would appear to have chosen this route themselves. The fact

that they have not affiliated to the NIB&SA for the past two years must confirm

this point. Only a few of the Billiards players are members of our Association and

those players are the only players covered under our Association insurance when

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on a very detailed and informant site.
Puzzled player Co Antrim? Posted 5/3/08
Thanks puzzled player for your comment

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To NI Snooker,
It was brought to our attention yesterday by Joe Mc Gonnell and Jim Stewart that handicaps can be

appealed regarding the All Ireland team event. We noticed players handicaps reduced yesterday

and we feel that Sean Doyles handicap should be reviewed, we are not arguing that he should be

scratch but he got to the quarter final of 1 competition last year and as a result finished in the top

16 giving him a -21 handicap. In the qualifying yesterday at Hillsborough Sean didnt win a match.

When you look at the quality of some of the players that are -14 and -7,some of whom are

internationals then it highlights that Seans handicap is abit extreme. Could you have a look at this

or pass this message on to those who deal with this issue.
Many Thanks
Brian Posted 10th/ 12/'07

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In relation to Sean Doyle's handicap of -21, the All-Ireland Committee's rules apply as regards ranked players in the

top 32. That means that any player ranked 1 to 32 has to be handicapped as per rule 4 of this. Hence Sean, being

ranked joint 16 HAS to be handicapped at -21. If we feel a player is BETTER than their handicap the Northern Ireland

committee can change his handicap further e.g -21 to -28 but unfortunately Northern Ireland have NO authority to

change a player from e.g -21 to -14 or -7 as you suggest with Sean as it is the All-Ireland's committee rule and we

are not allowed to alter it. Any of the players whose handicaps were lowered as you speak of were NOT in these

ranking positions and so Northern Ireland were able to lower them if the committee, after being asked to look at

such handicaps by the player's club, felt it appropriate. I hope this answers your question,

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Date on the website for the play-offs is incorrect as we were told that 1oo% it would be on Weds 19th

December and not Sunday 23rd. People changed work shifts to allow them to play on the Weds night and

now are unable to play on Sunday. I assume that there wont be a problem as this must be a misprint.

The date on the website IS correct, the Officials could not set a definite date until they knew which

teams were in the play-offs and that a neutral venue was available. Please check the Senior calendar

you will find that (3) Sundays in December were reserved for the event. Posted 18/12/ 07

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