2014 N.IRELAND MR CHIPS SPECIAL FESTIVAL OF POOL
The 2014 N.Ireland Mr Chips Special Festival of Pool commences on Friday
14th November in the Lodge hotel, Coleraine, with play continued on the Tuesday
18th November through to Wednesday 19th. The festival is now in its 22nd year,
which is once again supported by Coleraine Borough Council. This event gives people
with learning difficulties, mental health problems and physical disabilities the
opportunity to compete both for National and International titles. Played in
the luxurious Lodge Hotel, Coleraine, on 21 specially installed Supreme Pool tables
from Baizecraft, Lisburn. The 2014 festival is sure to be the highlight of the
year for all the pool players from Special Schools and Day Care facilities in
Northern Ireland.
On Friday 14th the All Abilities Individuals will be decided. This
category caters for players with mental health problems and physical
disabilities. Wheelchair player Rab McMaw from Ballynure will be the player to
beat as he tries to secure his ninth N.Ireland title but a surprise winner
could come from anyone representing the Armour, Ballymoney or our newly joined
Pavestone Centre from Coleraine.
Junior players from various schools across Northern Ireland take centre
stage on Tuesday when they compete for the N.Ireland Team championship. Local
school Sandleford, will be determined that one of their three teams will be
triumphant but they will be pushed all the way by teams from Hillcroft Special
School from Newtownabbey or Carrick Junior Gateway Club.
Tuesday also sees the start of the senior events with 3 team titles
being played for. The Men’s team event is once again guaranteed to be hotly
contested but last years' winners Rathmoyle
from Ballycastle, will not concede the crown easily. Their most likely
challenge should come from ASL Bangor. In
the Ladies event local centre Mountfern will be trying to wrestle the title
from the ladies of Maghera, last year’s champions. The winner of the very
popular Social team event could come from any of the twenty two entered teams. Muckamore
Abbey from Antrim are sure to be in the hunt for this title but strong
challenges can be expected to come from the Bayview Centre from Bangor, Belfast’s
Conlig, and Cookstown Gateway Club. On Wednesday
evening members of the NIPA Ladies international team who will just have
retuned from International duty in Perth, Scotland pair up with the players to
compete in an entertaining doubles competition.
The three individual championships for Men, Ladies and Socials are played
on Thursday. Defending men’s champion Sammy Johnston from Larne will have to be
at his best if he is going to achieve his success of last year. However the
main challenge will come from multiply European champion Paddy Reid. In the ladies individuals Francis McCann, the
defending champion will start the ladies event as favourite but she will be
pushed all the way by her International team mates Susan O’Kane and Valerie
Taggart. The social individuals will be a much more open contest with anyone of
the 70 entrants capable of winning it. The
2013 winner local player Johnny Fulton from Mountfern, Coleraine will have his
work cut out if he is to repeat last year’s victory.
The Chairman of the Northern Ireland Special Pool Committee, Mr Mervyn
Taggart expressed his delight with the level off entries which he said spoke
volumes for the reputation and organisation of the festival. On behalf of all the players he thanked the
festivals main sponsor, Mr Clem Howard of Mr Chips, Portrush, Coleraine Borough
Council and the Lodge Hotel for their invaluable support of the event. He also
expressed his gratitude to all table sponsors and to the local volunteers who
referee on a daily basis.
If anyone would like any additional information regarding the event
please contact the Northern Ireland Special Pool secretary -
paulinelynch@live.co.uk
