Novice Series ● Everything a captain needs
Formats &
entry
Arrival days, entry criteria and how each event works — everything you need to know before you enter. Read it through once, in order, before submitting your entry.
£225
Per team
£20
Singles entry
£30
Doubles per pair
37
Min frames guaranteed
01 ● Before you travel
When to arrive, and what you need
When to arrive
Arrive from 10am on Thursday 10 June. The arena is open for practice, singles qualifiers start in the afternoon and flyers run in the evening. The team event starts 8.45am on Friday 11 June, and the tournament finishes approximately 3pm on Sunday 13 June.
Wristbands
Everyone needs a tournament wristband to be part of the Golden 8 Ball weekend and enter the arena.
Player wristbands are £80 for the Novice Weekend or £140 for both weekends, with spectator wristbands priced at £20 (all spectator band money goes to charity).
Book the Norbreck Golden 8 Accommodation Package through 8ballroomzzz.co.uk and the relevant wristbands are included free of charge.
Once you’re in, keep your wristband on throughout the weekend — you’ll need it to access the arena.
LADIES - Play the Pro-Am too
Ladies competing in the Novice Series can extend their Golden 8 Ball experience into the following weekend, using their Novice Weekend player wristband to enter both the Pro-Am Ladies Singles and Mixed Doubles.
If they also want to compete in the Pro-Am Team Event, a Pro-Am player wristband will be required.
This offer applies specifically to the ladies side events, as part of our continued support for ladies pool and encouraging more women to get involved across both weekends.
Results and match sheets
All teams use our online scoring system to create match sheets and input results frame by frame on their smart phones. Each captain gets their own login at the event, and a signed paper results slip backs up every match.
02 ● Checked at registration
Team entry criteria
The Novice Series only works if teams are evenly matched, so the entry rules are strict, and every application is assessed by the committee.
No County A players
No current ‘County A’ players are allowed to enter. Maximum ONE past male County A player per team, and some exceptions may apply. Contact us before registering.
No big-money winners
Teams must not contain any player who has won £1,000 or more in a single pool event.
No professionals
Teams must not contain any professional players, past or present, in any cue sports genre, including anyone who has played in Ultimate Pool or IPA professional events.
Past winners
Past winners of the Novice Series Gold Team Trophy, Doubles and Singles can now re-enter and defend their titles. Win the same main event twice and you may not enter any further Golden 8 Ball or BAPTO novice events. Winners must progress to the Pro-Am.
The full criteria
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There are no geographical rules for player entry.
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No players who have won the BAPTO Amateur 5-player men’s or ladies singles, doubles or main Team Trophy title.
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No players who have won singles, doubles or the Gold Trophy at the Golden 8 Ball Pro-Am.
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No high-stake money match players, meaning any player who has played a match for £5,000 or more.
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No international or ex-international players.
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Amateur players from IPA and Ultimate Pool are welcome, providing they have never ranked within the top 40 of amateur players at any time.
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Exceptions to the past County A rule can be applied for. We assess playing history, so a player who covered at County A a few times but is really County B or C standard can be excluded from the rule.
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Exceptions may be granted to players aged 17 and under at the time of team registration. Lady players may be granted exceptions to the county or international rule, depending on ability.
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The tournament committee decides if a player is too good for this event, based on their playing history. No players of exceptionally high ability are allowed to enter.
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Players who bring the tournament into disrepute or do not play in the spirit of the game are not welcome. Right of admission is reserved. This is a private event and the organisers’ decision is final.
Fair play
Team information is made public so that any concerns about entry criteria can be raised well in advance of the event. Teams suspected of breaking the rules should be reported several weeks beforehand, giving us time to investigate properly. Any team found to be deliberately cheating the entry criteria may be banned from future events.
03 ● £225 per team
Team format
✓ Guaranteed pool
All teams to play minimum 37 frames of pool before they can be knocked out.
TEAMS and fees
Minimum 3 players per team and maximum 6 players. Entry fee is £225 per team, and all team entry fees are non-refundable unless the event is cancelled.
Round robin
Teams divided into groups of 4 to play a round robin. Each match consists of 9 frames – 3 sets of 3 frames.
Order of play and reserves
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Fixed order of play – all players to play each other once.
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Players 1, 2 and 3 must remain those players throughout the match.
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Reserve players can be used in sets 2 and 3.
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Players can be substituted for a reserve player on order of play sheet at any time.
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Players can only play each other once, in any match, apart from the sub.
Points and ties
Winning team receives 2 points for a win. Frame difference will be used for teams tied on points. If a tie still occurs, then a penalty shootout will decide the winner.
Teams must remain present in the arena until final group results are announced, as they may be required to play a penalty shootout. Teams not present will forfeit their penalty shootout match and be deemed the losers.
Knockout trophies
Teams are seeded for the knockout stages.
Top 2 in group
Top 2 teams from each group enter the Gold Trophy knockout, with first round losers dropping into the Silver Trophy knockout.
Bottom 2 in group
Bottom 2 teams from each group enter the Bronze Trophy knockout, with first round losers dropping into the Wooden Spoon knockout.
Best of 9 knockout stages for all trophies.
04 ● £20 per entry
Open Singles format
Qualifiers
Thursday
Open singles qualifiers commence from 3pm on Thursday afternoon and continue through the night. Last entry is 11.30pm, so players have plenty of time to arrive on the Thursday and enter. Players simply ‘pay and play’.
Qualifying
Qualifiers are best of 5 frames. Players must win two matches to qualify for the main singles event, starting Saturday evening. Players from the same team will not be drawn together in the qualifiers.
Main event
SATURDAY evening
The Main Event is a random draw, played over the best of 5 frames, with the final extended to the best of 7 frames. Saturday’s action starts with the last 64, although a preliminary round may be added if demand is high.
Reach the main event and you’re in the money — every player who qualifies will win a cash prize.
05 ● £30 per pair
Open Doubles format
Open to men, ladies and juniors playing in the Novice Series. Played in the ‘Davies Cup’ format, best of 5 frames.
The Davies Cup format
The first two frames are played as singles, one player from each pair against their opposite number. The 3rd frame is ‘Scotch’ doubles, where partners must take alternate shots. The final two frames are played as singles again.
No coaching
No talking between partners during frames, apart from the 3rd ‘Scotch’ doubles frame, and even then you must stop talking once your visit is on and you have touched the table.
Timings
Open Doubles is played on the Friday evening. Exact timings are announced during the weekend, so keep an eye on Top Table and livepoolscores.com.
Register today
Places are limited and the Novice Series fills fast. Register early to avoid disappointment.