We play pub rules, which are essentially the old EPA rules. Both old EPA and WEPF racking are permitted. Please note the following rules as they have caused confusion in the past:
- 4C On the break, a ball must be pocketed or at least 2 object balls must hit a cushion, otherwise your opponent is permitted to call a foul break, resulting in a re-rack for them with 2 shots.
- 4D If the black is pocketed from the break shot, the balls will be re-racked and the game will be restarted by the same player. No penalty will be incurred. This applies even if other balls, including the cue ball, are pocketed, or leave the playing surface.
- 4E On the first occasion a player legally pockets an object ball, including following a foul, then that ball denotes their group, unless one or more of both groups are pocketed, the player must then nominate a group before play continues (see Deciding Groups).
- 4F If no object ball is pocketed from a legal break, then the players continue alternatively playing at either group until such a time as a legal pot is made, which decides the player’s group.
- Deciding Groups: Your group/colour is never decided on the break. Following the break, the next colour pocketed is your colour. If you intend to play onto one colour in order to pocket the other, you must nominate your colour in advance of taking the shot. Your opponent is permitted to call a foul shot, if you play onto one colour and pocket the other, without nominating. (*note below)
Wagon Wheel League: The League is played over 12 Tuesdays and the score is cumulative. Players are matched with opponents they have not played recently and 4 single frame rounds of pool are played per night. At the end of the season the player with the most wins or highest score is the league winner.
Wagon Wheel Cup: Should a player win all four of their games on a league night then they literally win a Wagon Wheel! They are also entered into a separate knockout competition held on the last night of the season, where all wagon wheel winners battle it out to be the Wagon Wheel Cup holder. Knockout rounds are best of three frames, and the final is best of five frames.
Prizes: The Waggon & Horses (Seb) kindly donates cash prizes in the region of £200 for the league and the cup. These are notionally a proportion of the increased profits from pool table income and orders over the bar. The league is organised to encourage frequent attendance to maintain the income required to provide these cash prizes. Please support the league.
Spring League 2025: For the Spring 2025 season we will discontinue the current points advantage system. The league final scores will comprise of a player’s top 10 results.
*Note: In Old EPA rules, if one colour is potted on the break, then that is your colour. This is generally accepted as a rubbish rule! Not deciding on the break is from Blackball Rules. The Waggon league players have “organically” decided to adopt this element of the Blackball rules. The vast majority of Blackball rules are far too stringent for what is essentials a friendly league, such as balls crossing the centre line on the break & cushion after contact. Even the rules listed above are not necessarily enforced, as the onus is on the opponent to call a foul if witnessed.
“Go on, Smash it!” 🙂