2013 NEWPORT POOL OPEN

For immediate release
Friday, May 24th, 2013

8TH NEWPORT POOL OPEN SET FOR
LIFT OFF THROUGHOUT THE SUMMER

· Railway Tavern and Shakespeare to back Ladies and Doubles opens
· Greg Heathcote steps in to manage running of 2013 event

NEWPORT (Shropshire): Organisers are delighted to announce the running of the 2013 Newport Pool Open, one of the most prestigious old-rules pool competitions in the Midlands.

Running for an eighth year, the Newport Pool Open runs throughout the summer month league lay-off and grows in stature each year since it was founded by Neil Perkins of NDP Publicity Services in 2006. LSC at the Tav captain Greg Heathcote is the tournament manager for the first time this year and is relishing the challenge that awaits.

“It’s been a busy few weeks piecing together the jigsaw and tying up all the loose ends,” enthused Heathcote. “I would like to thank our sponsors for their support and now it is all systems go. Entries will open at the start of June and everyone has a month to get those to me before we finalise details of the first-round draws.”

With support from Punch Taverns, the Railway Tavern and the Shakespeare have increased their support for the Newport Doubles and Newport Ladies competitions. All first, second and third round ties and quarterfinal matches will be evenly split between the two venues and the match venues will be drawn at the same time as the players.

Heathcote has introduced a third-place play-off in all three competitions. These will take place at neutral venues shortly before final’s night and there will be cash prizes for third overall.

Entries for all three competitions open at the start of June and will close on Sunday, July 7th, with flyers and entry forms being sent out to numerous pool-playing clubs and public houses in the Newport, Woodseaves, Hinstock, Market Drayton, Stafford, Norbury, Gnosall and surrounding areas at the end of May.

Anyone can enter any of the three competitions provided that home matches are played within a seven-mile radius of Newport. Rules are the same as previous years and the final prize fund will depend upon numbers entering each competition.

Entry for the 2013 Newport Open, sponsored by NDP Publicity Services, will be £10. £10 per pair will be payable for the Newport Doubles Open and £5 per player for the Newport Women’s Open.

The draw for first round matches will be made on Monday, July 8th and there will be around 18 days for each round of matches to be completed. Each game will be played over the best of five frames to old English pool rules. All matches must be played by the relevant deadlines.

Home drawn players will again be permitted to choose the venue – with the exception of players in the ladies’ and doubles’ competitions – and away players will need to contact them to arrange the mutually convenient date and time of the fixture. Finals’ night will takes place at the Royal Navy Club on Wednesday, October 23rd.

“It was like a dream for me to win the first Newport Open,” insists LSC league player Paul Trevor, the inaugural champion in 2006.

Hinstock’s Colin Pink won twelve months later, Newport’s Antony Heathcote etched his name on the trophy in 2008 but lost out to Stafford’s Brendan Ruttledge in a tense final the following year. Mick Collins made up for the disappointment of losing the 2008 final by beating Pink in 2010 and Pink won the trophy for the second time in 2011. Stafford’s Neil Dale was a first time winner in 2012.

Market Drayton’s Mick Manning and George Allen are the defending Newport Doubles champions and Newport’s Irene Whittington is the Newport Women’s Open champion.

Completed entry forms should be returned to the Railway Tavern in Newport for the attention of Greg Heathcote. Further details are available from Greg Heathcote, tournament manager, (Tel: 07730 441368) and E-mail: greg89heathcote@gmail.com.

Ends

For further media information:
Neil Perkins, NDP Publicity Services, E-mail: ndppublicity@googlemail.com, Tel: 07831 123153
www.ndp-publicity.com

Published On: 24 May 2013