Committee Members of the Mid Sussex Bar Billiards League. President...Graham Sparksman Vice-Presidents..Lorraine Hall, John Lear. (Life-) Vice-President..Jan Wells Chairman...Peter Edwards Secretary/Treasurer..Jenny Edwards Fixtures Secretary...Roy Wells Competitions Secretary...Lorraine Hall General Committee members... Andy Farmer-Wright, Geoff Fairs, Robert Hall, Lynne Moyes-Robb, Darren Newnham, Richard Spurrier. <<< On the left is a map showing the boundaries of the Mid Sussex D.C. within Sussex. The Mid-Sussex BBL functions within this area, but also extends its sphere of influence to the East, with the A26 Lewes-Uckfield and A22 Uckfield-East Grinstead forming a rough boundary. A full list of our participating venues, with pictures of their facades, is displayed under 'Photo gallery'. Sadly, the Borough of Crawley lost its once-thriving League in the late 1980s, but its remaining pub and club venues have been welcomed in turn to the Horsham & District League; Mid Sussex League; and also to the Redhill & District League (which covers the Reigate&Banstead and Tandridge districts). A diagram of the range of 'sister leagues' HDBBL (Horsham & District) and BBBL (Billingshurst Bar Billiards league) - not to be confused with the West Sussex League, which centres around Chichester - is to be found HERE, along with links to pubs in the area. And some choice pubs in the Mid Sussex District, as well as a more detailed map of the District HERE.
** NEW FEATURE:
List of all known bar billiards venues in the UK together with the
AEBBA's map showing their locations:Witney (Oxon) Bar Billiards
List of League Bar Billiards Venues in Mid Sussex: (This information provided by Bernie Lawrance) League night is Wednesdays. Social Clubs. (Club members or guests only) 1. Haywards Heath United Services Club, 6-8 Wivelsfield Road, Haywards Heath Phone No: 01444 451080 2. Hurstpierpoint Social Club, Willow Way, Hurstpierpoint.Phone No: 01273 832827 3. St Francis Social Club, Grounds of Princess Royal Hospital, Haywards Heath Phone No: 01444 441881 Public Houses.(See photo gallery below) (Brewers, Cock, Laughing Fish and Plough are also Lewes venues; Mill House also play in Horsham league on Tuesday nights) 4. The Brewers Arms, 251 London Rd, Burgess Hill, RH15 9QU Phone No: 01444 232153brewerswebsite
5. The Cock Inn, North Common Road, Wivelsfield Green, RH17 7RH Phone No: 01444 471668 cockinwebsite
6. The Eight Bells, The Street, Bolney, RH17 5QW Phone No: 01444 881396eightbellswebsite 7. The Greyhound, Keymer Road, Keymer, BN6 8QT Phone No: 01273 842645 greyhoundwebsite
8. The Horns Lodge, South Chailey, Lewes, East Sussexhornslodgewebsite 9. The Laughing Fish, Station Road, Isfield, Nr Uckfield, East Sussex TN22 5XB Phone No: 01825 750349 fishwebsite 10. The Mill House Bar and Restaurant, Hyde Drive, Ifield, Crawley, RH11 0PL Phone No: 01293 534959 millhousewebsite 11. The Plough, Plumpton Green,Nr Lewes, East Sussex BN7 3DF Phone No: 01273 890311 ploughwebsite 12. The Watermill, Leylands Road, Burgess Hill, RH15 0QF Phone No: 01444 235517watermillonfacebook 13. The Woolpack, West Street, Burgess Hill, RH15 8NN Phone No: 01444 245178 woolpackwebsite From left to right: Cock Inn; Watermill; Greyhound; Brewers; Mill House; Laughing Fish; Woolpack; Eight Bells and (bottom), Plough PG and Horns Lodge. A brief history of lost venues.........
The early eighties was a golden age for bar billiards in general, and Mid Sussex was no exception, having three healthy divisions. But a mixture of the advent of the easier-to-master game of Pool, and conversion of many old-style pubs to food outlets and closures of less viable concerns by their Brewery masters has brought about a steady decline in numbers.
Here were the last seasons in the Mid Sussex League for former Haywards Heath teams….. *Liverpool A, inspired by then-landlord Trevor Rees, landed the Premier Div title in 1983/84.
(A mystery is that I remember a table being briefly in the Burrell Arms, and playing a cup match of some sort there, but nothing appears to have got off the ground in the form of a league team. The same applies to the Sussex Arms on the corner). But in all this time there has always been a St Francis A !
Franklands Village Club B: 1981/82 Snowdrop A, Snowdrop B & Franklands Village Club A: 1982/83 Ugly Duckling A, Ugly Duckling D & Fox and Hounds: 1984/85 Ugly Duckling C: 1985/86 Golden Eagle B: 1986/87 St Francis B & Liverpool B: 1990/91 *Liverpool A & Ugly Duckling B: 1994/95 Golden Eagle A: 1998/99
Current teams: St Francis A & United Services Club .
Involvement of Cuckfield teams in the Mid Sussex League. Go back 30 years and the league Champions were the Rose and Crown, Cuckfield, featuring amongst others in the side, Tony Franks and Les Langridge. Another very good Cuckfield team from the early 1980's were the White Harte A, also a base for the Interleague team led by Tim Peacock and Mike Bowring. The Kings Head and the Wheatsheaf had bar billiards there for a few years, but after 1984 the sole pub representing the village for the next ten years were the pub on the corner, the Ship (Whitemans Green)
Last seasons for the Cuckfield teams: Rose and Crown - 1979/80 White Harte B, White Harte A & Wheatsheaf - 1982/83 Kings Head B & Kings Head A - 1983/84 Ship B - 1990/91 Ship A - 1992/93
Involvement of Burgess Hill teams in the Mid Sussex League. Counting Wivelsfield in with Burgess Hill, the Royal Oak forms a pair of bookends to this summary: Both as the most recent addition to the league as a venue, and as the home of the Champions in my first Mid Sussex season - 1981/82. (Team: Reg Beard, Nigel Tolhurst, Mark and Dave Spicer, Terry Smith). Town teams also lifting the coveted Premiership title have been *Kings Head D (82/83) and Potters A (85/86). Brewers B were runners-up in 91/92 and Brewers A in 92/93. Currently there are two teams each from the Watermill and the Brewers. The Watermill are comparative newcomers, having joined the league in 2006, whereas the Brewers have been a permanent fixture albeit with different lineups since the 1985/86 season. The Woolpack – a predominantly Ladies’ team – have nomadic tendencies and have played in turn at the Windmill, Cricketers, B/H RBL (for half a season), Royal Oak and the Brewers (out in the Barn) before finding their excellent current abode.
The last seasons for 'lost' Burgess Hill teams: Royal Oak - 1981/82 Weald Inn , Kings Head C & *Kings Head D - 1982/83 Sydney West Sports - 1984/85 Potters B - 1985/86 Potters A - 1987/88 Kings Head B - 1993/94 Kings Head A - 1994/95 Wivelsfield Club - 1995/96 Cricketers B & Cricketers A - 2001/02 Windmill B - 2004/05 Windmill A - 2007/08
Royal Oak Ladies/Brewers Royals – 2008/09
Current teams: Brewers A & B (“Arms” and “Bravos”); Cock, Wivelsfield; Watermill A & B; Woolpack .
Involvement of Lindfield teams in the Mid Sussex League. As is the case with Cuckfield, Lindfield has a lot of pubs for a smallish village, and most of them have staged bar billiards at one time or other - but sadly not any more. The Standup and the Bent Arms both had mid-table teams in the 1970's, and the Bent Arms had a brief renaissance at the turn of the century when the Duncan family last played. The Standup (renamed the Linden Tree for a while) still have a team, but these days play in the Lewes League only. Most successful Lindfield team was the Red Lion A who were Premier Runners-up in the season 1987/88 and later moved down the road to the White Horse (opposite the duckpond).
These were the last seasons for the various Lindfield teams: Standup Inn - c. 1979 Lindfield Club B - 1986/87 Red Lion B & Red Lion A - 1990/91 (both transferred to White Horse) White Horse B - 1993/94 White Horse A - 1994/95 (transferred to Golden Eagle) Lindfield Club A - 1995/96 Bent Arms - 2000/01
And of course the rest……. These were the last seasons for the various teams from the North of the A272, (East Grinstead side): The list is dominated by the *Green Man A, League Champions six times between 1984/85 and 1990/91, with a team comprising a mainstay of Gerry Smith, Mick Roberts, Mick Abbot and Chris Ellmers… In the late sixties and early seventies the Red Lion, Chelwood Gate featured strongly, with Reg Beard and Jimmy Wilson - and later, a very young Steve King.
Handcross Z - 2008/09 Plough, Lower Beeding – 2010/11 Current teams: Eight Bells A, Bolney; Mill House Z,Crawley .
These were the last seasons for the various teams from the South of the A272: Hassocks Hotel & Kings Head, Albourne – 1983/84
Shaves Thatch, Albourne – 1996/97
Wheatsheaf, Albourne – 2003/04 Sportsman, Goddards Green – 2007/08
Clayton & Keymer RBL, Hassocks - 2009/10
Current teams: Hurstpierpoint SC A & B; *Greyhound, Keymer .
*Greyhound have managed to break the Crawley stronghold on the title twice in recent years – in 2006/07 and 2008/09.
These were the last seasons for the various teams from over the border in East Sussex: Chequers, Maresfield – 1982/83 Crown, Newick – 1988/89 William IV, Nutley – 1989/90
Sun A & Sun B, Plumpton – 1992/93 White Horse, Ditchling – 2008/09 Current teams: Horns Lodge, S.Chailey, Laughing Fish, Isfield & Plough, Plumpton Green .
Other Mid Sussex venues that I can remember, pre-1980, include:
The Castle, Hickstead; The Cat, West Hoathly; The Cock, Wivelsfield; The Country Club, Turners Hill; The Half Moon, Plumpton; The North Star, Ditchling; The Oak, Ardingly; The Pierpoint, Hurstpierpoint; The Royal George, Burgess Hill, The Royal Oak, Crawley Down; The Top House, Burgess Hill. Anyone know their final seasons - and anyone got any others ? - Clive T, January 2010.
A brief history of lost venues.........